Stop has more meaning than one first might imagine. After 2 weeks working in Nottingham, eating hotel food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and only one 11 mile run in the last week, there was only one thing going on...body mass. Follow this up if you will with 8 days in the beautiful Loire Valley with 11 lovely friends, 34 degrees and hot sunny days and long evenings of drinking and eating French style. The food got more and more adventurous as the week went on; snails, veal, horse, pig cheek and finally, pigs head stew. Couple this with a few lengths in the European wine lake and some of the finest vineyards in all of France, it was no wonder my 11 mile trot yesterday felt a relief. 6 with Mrs UB and then another 5 of hilly for me afterwards. Moving up from Mrs UB's pace to sub 8s, then 7.30s and 7.14s to finish, I felt like clearing the cobwebs.
My run tonight was another story. 22.16 miles through some of the most income deprived areas of south london. My running partner tonight, Beardo was shitting himself at some points during the run, particularly as it is going dark earlier and earlier in the evening. Sometimes I enjoy this kind of run as it re-energises me about my job and the need to work hard to give London kids the chances they need to get out of the social mess parts of our fair city are in. I am not sure the landscape over the next few years will help at all....but it makes for a good conversation on the run.
I see Immune and Jezza are off to the Kent Coastal Marathon on Sunday. I am giving it a miss, driving is not great for my recovering leg and after 1400 miles of driving in the last 9 days, I might take the Tube to Ruislip and run the LFB Chiltern Challenge 27 mile run. But only maybe.
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
End of the holiday
Saturday, 13 August 2011
No Way NDW50
After a week of coaching in Nottingham, 15 hours a day, plus the friday night traffic fuelled drive home, added to a heavy cold and with a session of diahorrhea (sorry) thrown in, the last thing I needed was to run 50 miles. I slept soundly for 12 hours and awoke late on saturday morning. The alternative was to drive to Salisbury for the 5-4-3-2-1 tomorrow but I just don't have the will or the inclination.
Instead i will run to Battersea to join the running club for the summer league. It is only a 10km but I figure a run there and a recovery home will see me to 20 miles. Being away over the next 2 weeks will play havoc with training but I have spotted the LFB Chiltern Challenge 27 on 4th Sept in Ruislip. Looks a nice undulating challenge and a tube ride there and home, meaning a cider stop on the return.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
cheering me up
time to have a couple of days off training and enjoy the CAMRA real ale and cider festival at Earls Court. I have pounded the streets recently so am enjoying a morning of uploading photos of the Downland Ultra 30 from 10 days ago. It is a great feeling crossing the finish line, no matter how many times I do it.....never a chore, always a buzz. These moments need savouring and used for mental focus when those demons need exorcising part way around a tough course. Sometimes I think that when the training is done, these events are 40% fitness, 60% mental toughness and resilience. Emphasis in my case on the "mental"
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
in a state
After training and racing nearly 400km in the last 31 days, my body is feeling quite crap. I lost a little mass, gained it, lost it and gainedit again. I probably need about 6 hours of massage on my legs just to get the knots out.
I have been attempting to train in high heat, to get my body used to the rigours of the NDW50. It is 29 degrees today and if the hot August keeps on, it is the sort of training that will make me rather than break me. It is hard work though. I feel like every mile in the heat is like 2 in the cold. At least in the cold if you run faster, your muscles warm up. This way, it feels as if half of your energy is being diverted to cooling you down.
I was going to running club monthly handicap tonight but I am going to elevate feet and quaff cider, catching up on The Thick of It Series 3......i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys swearing.
Monday, 1 August 2011
NDW50 preparation
training has been OK for this event. Even though I ran the Downland Ultra quicker than last year, I am certainly concerned that my recently recovered leg can accomodate a 50 miler. I am sure that it will, it will be more of a case of mind over matter.
I have run much of the route over the past few years. This is a shot of me near the start of the green Belt Relay although the haircut and the waistline have thankfully disappeared!
Hopefully the waether will be on the better side of 20, rather than the mini heatwave that we are having at the moment, although I know that the climate, especially near to the finish, which is only a few miles from my school, can be much colder than it is here in London, with the temperature being 2-5 degrees below that which is expected. Hopefully a 9-10 hour finish.