the day it all went wrong

In the words of the song by Nazareth ... "woke up this morning ... "

Yes, that's how I'm feeling right now - just waiting for shit to happen [sorry about that].

Let's start at the beginning:  woke up this morning ... and their was no warmth in the house.  The heaters have stopped working.  Not sure why, no matter what I try nothing seems to help in the slightest.  Guess I'll have to call an engineer - but it's Sunday tomorrow.

At least the cooker works and when I'm using that it does provide some heat in the kitchen.  So ... I set to and began chopping onions, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, etc to make a large quantity of tomato sauce - but - accidentally sliced my left thumb whilst chopping an onion [ouch].  As I was doing the onions first it made everything else more difficult than necessary.

So .. I'll be in the kitchen for 100 minutes instead of 60, at least it's warm, sort of.

All the prep done and then start the actual cooking.  Onions softened, garlic and tomato puree added and cooked, white wine, tomatoes and tomato juice added, herbs and spices added.  All going well so far, but then, instead of 30g sugar ... I added 30g salt.

Why, I hear you ask.  Don't ask me, how should I know.  A simple lapse of concentration.  But I've never ever done that before.

It's not finished cooking yet but at the moment it seems to taste OK.  Rest assured it won't be wasted.  And neither was the remainder of the wine ...

And the left over whisky is welcome too.  Forgot to mention that I also made a large Tipsy Laird !!!  No, don't titter, ... it's a Scottish trifle.  There's a recipe on the BBC website, here.  Keir's girlfriend first brought it to my attention although I expect one or two of my Scottish followers/readers could suggest improvements.

At the moment I'm well aware there are still many hours to go before the day is through and many other things could go wrong ...  I could fall down the stairs, the washing machine could fail [got to go for a while ... need to put another load in], England could lose at rugby, I could spill that whisky ...

What was that - you want to know about training.  Why ?  Well, since the last post running has gone very well indeed.  I'm now up to three hill reps and the pace was much quicker but the effort felt the same.  The tempo run is now up to 4k at the same pace - but the very windy conditions meant I had improved a bit.  Long runs are now up to 14 or 15k and although they seem good at the time (event the fartlek one) they do leave my calves a bit sore - I'm sure that will improve as time goes by though.

First few day's training

Well, after the first week [and a bit ...] of training I can report that I feel fitter and healthier than at any time since early September 2012.

Let me briefly run through my recent running exploits -

MONDAY 13 JANUARY - in late afternoon it was 13 km fartlek,
TUESDAY 14 JANUARY - left home at 7.00am for a steady 14 km

as expected my calf muscles were a bit sore for a few days after this.  Nothing major so I took things easy on

WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY - ran 3 km slowly but followed this with some core and upper body strength work.
THURSDAY 16 JANUARY - my first tempo run.  I had absolutely no idea what time I should be aiming for so I simply used the times from 6 months ago as a guide (but I was prepared to slow down if necessary).  So, I planned for 3 km at about 4:15 per km.  The splits turned out to 4:09, 4:11 and 4:14 which I was pleased with although it was very hard work and I did slow down as the run progressed.  Glad to have a running free day after this.
FRIDAY 17 JANUARY - only cycling and strength work.  The training week ended on
SATURDAY 18 JANUARY - hill reps.  Only two but a good start.  I use Farnley Lane in my home town of Otley and hill is just over 700m long and climbs 35m.  The climbs took 4:19 and 3:56.  Not very consistent but again I had no idea what to expect.  Enjoyed that and the added bonus was that my legs were no longer aching at all.

Many of you know that I designate every fourth week as an 'easy week' and aim to do only about 50% of my usual training.  Working back from the Tooting Bec 24 hr race shows that my first easy week began on

SUNDAY 19 JANUARY - planned to cycle and lift weights but skipped the cycling after I felt nauseous and light headed whilst doing some minor plumbing repairs.  Felt fine after laying down for a couple of hours ... very strange.
MONDAY 20 JANUARY - my first very long run (by my standards anyway).  During these easy weeks I increase the length of my long run by 50% and only do one instead of the usual two.  So, early this morning I went out and ran 22 km.  It was exceptionally cold and icy in places but again I enjoyed the experience of just running for 2 whole hours.

Apart from the running listed above I also did a fair amount of cycling, strength work and stretching and - as mentioned earlier - I feel good.

Now I've begun the search for a warm up race in May, June or July to help get my ultra racing head in gear and try out the nutrition and other plans.

first post of 2014

Well ... here I go again ...

Unfortunately I'm not going to do the traditional thing and write about my running in the previous year.  I wish I could but in reality it would be just a single sentence ... hardly any running and no races.

But, for the past five or six weeks I've slowly arrived at the point at which I am able to run on four consecutive days - not very far, but four days nonetheless.  My weekly total has climbed to an amazing 38 km and I think I'm now ready to start proper training on Sunday.

Obviously slowly and gently at first.  Long runs will be 12.5 to 13.75 km ... hill reps will be 2 ... tempo runs will be less than 4 km.

And the pace ... I've absolutely no idea but if I can manage a short race in the next couple of months that will help and be good for morale too.

So, a new year and a new start ... and I plan to enjoy it.

good news

Apologies for the delay ... went to see the specialist a couple of weeks ago and the news came through that everything is good.

About time too.  No more operations or hospital visits needed ... until next time.  Hopefully many years into the future.  Strangely though, I like hospitals.  Always have.  Maybe it's the community spirit and camaraderie that exists in the wards.  Like one big family all striving for the same goal ...

hmmm ... like ultra running perhaps.

OK, let's get Christmas and New Year out of the way then I can begin training again.  As mentioned earlier I have been running (shhh !!!) and doing one or two bits and pieces indoors to keep fit but nothing approaching what anyone would call proper training.

The scheduled date for switching from running to training is Sunday 12 January and the target race in the Tooting Bec (London) 24 hr race on 20/21 September.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone who reads this ... and the RUNNING blog will resume in a few weeks time.

Quick Update

Another brief post ... just to let everyone know that I had my final operation of the year (hopefully) about two weeks ago and I'm feeling happy about that.

Going to see the doctor next week and it should be confirmed that I won't need any more surgery for a few more years.

Then I've just got to wait for my body to recover from the surgery and for my breathing to return to normal after the swelling has gone down.  And then I can gradually start training again.

As mentioned earlier, I have been doing what I can to keep as fit as I can.  But that's never been a problem for as I enjoy running so much - even when I'm ill I go for a run when I'm able although the distance and speed are not important.  So ... 10 to 20 minutes a day.  If that's all I can do then I'll do that.

I know it's only a temporary hiatus.

Even chemotherapy didn't stop me, although back then it was a case of 'I don't feel ill so why should I behave as though I'm ill ?'

This autumn has been different though - laboured breathing has made me realise my current limitations.

More news after I've seen the doc next week.

what's happening ?

This isn't going to be an easy post to write ... it may waffle at times but bear with me a bit and everything will come out.

The past 12 months or so have not gone very well but, until August, things were definitely improving.  I'm not going to go into any detail about what happened before that other than to give a very brief reminder ...

... injured badly at hour 21 in World 24 hr Championships (Poland) [Sep 2012] ... spent about ten weeks walking with crutches ... diagnosed with gout last December ... six months intensive rehab for the injury ... finally able to train normally from July this year ...

But then things deteriorated and at the end of August I ended up in hospital (again) with the throat problems explained below.

At the age of four I began to have trouble breathing (so I'm told - I don't remember) and this rapidly worsened causing my parents much distress.  I was taken to hospital and it was found that my trachea had been severely narrowed by the presence of many nodules.  A hospital stay of many weeks followed (I do remember that) during which I underwent various operations including a tracheotomy and removal of the nodules (as well as the start of a few years worth of speech therapy).

OK so far ... but, unusually, these nodules kept regrowing which meant many more operations until the age of 16 when they appeared to stop growing.  At this point the doctors thought that it would be something that would stop as I reached adulthood and it did appear that they were right, but in 1983 (age 19) I was back in hospital.

I remember that time well because I was at the Reading Festival when everything suddenly went wrong and I ended up in the back of an ambulance being taken to the specialist back in Bradford (a distance of about 320 km).

More hospital visits and operations followed in 1989 (less than a year before my first cancer operation), 1997 and 2004.

Back to the present ... in August my breathing deteriorated very rapidly and I was in hospital at the end of that month where I was told there were too many nodules to remove all at once.  The first operation removed the major ones but I was back for another go in mid September.  I'll be back inside next week and the surgeons may be able to remove the last few nodules.

I feel that I'll have to go back in November for the fourth time in four months.

Because of all this I feel I've not been keeping a close enough watch on what's happening to one or two other ultra running friends [sorry Fiona - I know you're getting better by the day].

Apologies for not letting you all know sooner about what has happened but I don't really enjoy going into such great detail about a very long standing medical condition.  Even if it does compromise my running at times - eg the smoke drifting across the course during the first Commonwealth Championships in Keswick caused a few problems regarding breathing.

Those of you who are aware of my condition - thanks for the messages of support.  Especially Andy Smith who gave me the kick up the backside I needed ... THANK YOU.  Although I have to say, if you're reading this Andy, I very rarely think about my past achievements but often think about what I can achieve in the future.

Ending on a positive note ... having been a runner since 1972 I have absolutely no intention of stopping anytime soon.  And as ultra distances are far and away my favourite races I have in mind that my return race will be the Tooting 24 hr race next September.

last week ... next week

Not posted for a while mainly because it's been a bit hectic here recently.  Keir, home from university until September, invited his girlfriend to stay for a fortnight.  She arrived from Belfast at lunchtime on Tuesday but he didn't tell us she was would be staying until two days before that ...

So Monday was spent shopping, cleaning, organising, baking, washing ... and training.  Since then we've spent quite a lot of time out and about as Rachel has never been to Yorkshire ... and there a lot to see (it's a big place).  On Monday they're going to London for a few days to leave us in peace again for a while.

Tuesday morning's run was unusual because amongst all the hot, dry weather we've had this month along came a thunderstorm.  Which began just as I set out to run 15.1 km.  To say I returned rather wet is a bit of an understatement.

My second tempo run of the year was on Thursday morning - 4 k this time.  The kilometre splits were 4:05, 4:09, 4:15 and 4:24 and the target was somewhere between 4:13 and 4:16.  Need to get the get the pacing more even but I know that will come in time and it's all over the place at the moment because it's been too long since I did any tempo running.

Friday was my first session of hill reps.  The length was 709m and the climb 35m.  Much better than expected but I only did two, a good start though.  Eventually that will increase to a dozen or more.

Today is the start of an 'easy week'.  I like to have every fourth week easier than usual to help with recovery and recharge the mental batteries a bit.  During such a week I do about two thirds of my normal workload and have one long run instead of two (50% longer than usual though).  So, tomorrow I'll be running about 25 km.  I know that's not far but it's my longest training run since 12 August last year when I ran more than 48 km.  Reading again the what I wrote about that makes me a bit sad (see here) that I'm not up to that yet ... to be honest I'm not sure about 25 km.  I'm sure it'll be fine though.

Also in the next few days I have a blood test as part of the new National Health Service free health check program for all 40 - 74 year olds.  Apparently, every five years, everyone of that age in England will be screened for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease.  It will come as no surprise to learn that I'm not worried at all about this except that I don't like needles.  Overall I think screening is good though.  So long as I'm healthy !!!

pacing

Two days ago, on Thursday, I ran with Otley AC for the first time since ... last August probably.  It's been a long time and there was a few new faces but it was good to be back with old friends.

The following day I decided to run 3.2 km at tempo pace.  Not knowing what that would be at the moment I looked at all my race times over the past twelve months and putting the figures into various online forms such as this one from Runner's World I came up with 4:18 to 4:21 per km.

I haven't done any type of paced running in 10 months so I didn't know what 4:20 per km feels like.  I did know that I could adjust my pace as necessary every kilometre and that wouldn't be too bad.  Also, I vaguely remembered how my body felt running at tempo pace (breathing, tiredness, etc) so that's what I aimed for.

The first k passed in an amazing 3:59.  Couldn't believe that, I then expected to blow up or not even complete the whole distance.  So, I slowed down a bit and the second k took 4:04.  Something wasn't right, I thought, I shouldn't be feeling so good running so quickly ... I'm not fit enough for this.  Slowing down even more, the third kilometre took 4:12 and the final 200m took 50s.

So my overall target was to run 3.2 km between 13:51 and 14:00.  I managed 13:09 and felt OK doing so.  Next time I think I'll have to up the distance to 4k perhaps (or maybe more).  And the temperature at the local weather station was over 26 degrees C whilst I was out running.

Pleased with how this week has gone.

Other pace calculators can be found at Running for Fitness, HillRunner.com, Runworks, Attackpoint, Santa Clarita Runners and many others.  Almost all of them are based Jack Daniels Running Formula and the idea of the vdot.

guest post number one - recovery

As mentioned previously there will be a few Guest Posts over the next few months (and beyond ?).  The first one is here and it's from The Supplement Centre.  I know that almost everyone who reads this will be familiar with the content but I feel it's always worth reminding ourselves about this very often overlooked aspect of training.

Three roads to running recovery

Being a runner is as much about the recovery process as it is about the run itself.  If you don’t get the recovery part right, your body won’t be up for the running bit.   You’ll be aching and tired and the last thing you’ll fancy doing is donning your trainers and getting out there.

So here are three things you need to think about after you’ve done a hard run.  And they’re not chocolate, beer, and collapsing in a heap on the sofa.  Sorry about that.

1. Think about what you put into your body

Basically, this comes down to three things:

 - Liquid – a hard run will leave you dehydrated.
 - Carbohydrates – a hard run will leave your glycogen stores depleted.
 - Protein – a hard run will damage muscle cells, which need repairing.

The quickest way to get all three forms of nutrient into your body is to use sports supplements.  Have one or two energy gels to hand, and consume these along with a non-carbonated sports drink as soon as you’ve finished the run.

For the next 24 hours, drink plenty of water and eat regularly.  A balanced meal for a runner would be made up of 60% complex carbohydrates, 20% protein and 20% fat, plus a generous helping of fresh fruit and vegetables.  During this time, avoid alcohol and caffeine as these will dehydrate you.

2. Think about what you do to your body

Get yourself into a swimming pool.  Hydrotherapy will help flush everything out and keep the blood flowing to your legs.  If you don’t have access to a pool but do have a bit of time, treat yourself to an ice bath.  No ice? Try a cool bath or cold shower.  Failing that, turn a garden hose on your legs.  No, we’re not joking.  Do not succumb to the comfort of a hot bath, as this will hinder recovery.

Once you have fed, watered and cooled your body, take care of those blisters that are likely to have developed.

A sports massage is a wonderful thing, but for the first 24 hours you should do little more than have a good rubdown.  Save the sports massage for the next day, or you risk exacerbating the breakdown of muscle tissue brought about by the run.

3. Think about what you do with your body

Once you’ve replenished your water and nutrient levels after your hard run, your second priority is to do some stretching.  Even better is to combine the two by walking around while you pop those energy gels and knock back that sports drink.  If you don’t stretch, you will be so sore the next day that you’ll never want to run again – and for a while at least, you may not be able to

Next, try to get a good rest so you are ready for the last phase in your recovery – the recovery run.

In the wake of a marathon, you won’t find the professional runners at home, feet up, eating Pringles; they will be doing a recovery run – a slower, shorter run – because they know this is the best way to improve their fitness.

And now you know how to do that too. Good luck.

a few bits and pieces

First of all an apology.  To all my race organiser friends, I know I've been pestering you for a couple of weeks now about when your races are likely to be held next year.

I hope you all understand that it's only because I'm feeling fit, healthy and ready to go after a lengthy absence.  All the more so now that we have some good weather.

Next up ... there may be a few guest posts in the future.  Not too many but if anyone reading this is interested let me know.  But please be aware that I will still retain full editorial control.

Training.  Week one finished and the introduction of my usual two longer runs (the first one as a fartlek session) has been successful.  Next week I'll be introducing tempo runs and I'm looking forward to that on Friday.

Finally it appears that my morning heart rate is now, on average, 47.1 which is the lowest since 19 September last year.  And my weight has now fallen to 60.3 kg which is the lowest it's been since 15 November last year (until 17 June this year my weight had been over 61.5 kg for at least six months).

Things are looking good ... if I can find a few races.

so far ... so good

Four days into 'proper training' and everything seems to be going fine.

Sunday's run was nothing special except that I ran for distance instead of time.  That felt very unusual at first, being able to run as fast or as slow as I needed to and knowing that it would have an affect on how long I'd be outside.

Monday was my first 'long run' and my first fartlek session.  Felt good to run fast (at times) but it was hard work.  When I finished I thought it must have been the temperature making things hard ... it was over 24 degrees C when I was running.  Looking at the stats though it seems that it was hard because I was running fast [overall about 8 - 10 seconds per km quicker than fartlek sessions 15 months ago].

Tuesday morning was my second 'long run'.  I know 12.7 km it isn't long really but it was the furthest I've been since last September.  Just nice and relaxed after yesterday's hard run.

And today was another shorter run - identical to Sunday's.

A couple of accident's made thing a bit more interesting though.  Slicing my finger badly on a tin can lid on Monday was painful and running into a lamp post while trying to avoid a cyclist on Tuesday was even more so.  That has caused quite bad bruising to my left shoulder (and a few grazes too).

Why don't cyclists stay on the road ?

now what ?!

Everything's fine ... hunky dory ... A OK ... great ... now what ?

Well, for a start I can now begin to train properly after three months of no running (and minimal strength work) followed by six months of a strict rehab regime.

Although I've been given the all clear it doesn't mean I'm going to immediately include all the things I did twelve months ago.  That would be stupid.  So, over the next few weeks I'll be introducing - one at a time - hill reps, fartlek, speed work, tempo runs, long runs.  I finally feel as if I've been let off the leash ... a bit.

Cycling will continue much as before but weight training will shift from an emphasis exclusively on muscular strength (especially ankle) to a mixture of strength and endurance.

So the next few weeks will be a period of transition from rehab to training.  And during that time I'll be looking around for some long races to enter (especially as I'll be 50 years old in February) ... any ideas ?

I feel that in one unexpected way this rehab stuff has had a positive effect though.  It has taken a certain mental strength to adhere strictly to the regime when it would have been all too easy to, for example, enter a race or run further/harder than I should ... especially when the ankle has been feeling great for the past few weeks and I only live five minutes walk away from where Otley AC train.  I think that will stand me in good stead for the training and racing to follow.

Much to look forward to then, including running with my club (Otley AC) occasionally on training nights and in the odd race and handicap events (autumn relays perhaps).

Finally, the doctor told me that the medication for gout is working fine and there's no need to change or adjust the dose.  It's not affecting my running at all and everything's under control.

bits and pieces

I thought it was too goods to last ...

Things were going so well until Monday afternoon when, right at the very end of my strength training session I decided to do some dumbbell Romanian deadlifts.  Well, I guess the weights were too heavy because a few hours later my lower back began aching and by Tuesday morning it was quite painful.

I immediately decided against any cycling weight training for that day and I knew that Wednesday was to be a day free from all training so hopefully a couple of days recovery would see me back to normal.

Today ... everything's back to normal and the back is fine too.

I'm sure the coffee I managed to buy yesterday had a positive effect too.  Coming towards the end of my rehab I decided to celebrate with some of my favourite coffee.  I have long been a fan of coffee from Yemen but in recent years it has been increasingly difficult to find ... but I guess I was lucky because I found some in Leeds at Whittard of Chelsea.  Had a first cup this morning and it is absolutely divine.  Most readers will know that I've never been much good at writing reviews [need more practice I suppose] so I think it best to direct you to the Whittard website where there are a few.

Also bought the new album by Deep Purple which is probably their best for a decade or more.  It's really good and I'm looking forward to seeing them in Manchester in October.  At the Apollo again, been there numerous times over the years - my first visit was to see Rainbow in July 1981.  In the 32 years since then I've also seen Black Sabbath, Evanescence, Iron Maiden, Jethro Tull, Rose Tattoo, Samson and Whitesnake at that venue ... some good shows.

onto the final phase

Yesterday I proved to myself that my body (specifically my right ankle) is now strong enough to withstand running - alternating with walking - on four consecutive days.  For me this is an important milestone because my normal training regime includes running on four days and resting on the fifth.

Now ... the final phase of rehab is to do exactly the same but without the walking bit, ie running the whole time.  Beginning with 10 minutes tomorrow morning and ending with a full hour on Friday 5 July.

The following day I have an appointment with the physio just to confirm that everything is OK and that I'm fit enough to train normally again.  Also going to the doctor to check that the medicine for my gout is working and that it is the drug that suits me best ... I strongly suspect that everything's fine there.

Something to look forward to then.

volunteering

Spent a (mostly) enjoyable day on Wednesday helping with various tasks at the annual Otley 10 mile road race which attracted about 400 runners this year - the most for at least ten years.

Myself and a small team of volunteers began at 10.00am by putting up lots of signs around the race HQ (Otley Cricket Club).  Stuff such as 'car park', 'late entries', 'first aid', etc.  Then we set up the finishing funnel  and marked out the running route around the edge of the cricket pitch before getting organised for the afternoon's task.  Colin Best also drove around the course putting up lots of 'caution runners' signs.

At 4.00pm we reassembled to begin the task given to us this year by West Yorkshire Police.  We had to erect a temporary barrier along Pool Road so that runners had no choice but to use the footpath (not the actual road) for the first 1.3 miles of the race (2.1 km).  As we were doing this Tom Hannah drove around the course putting out the mile markers and one or two other signs.  This has to done fairly late because, in the past, some have been known to go missing.

That took about 90 minutes and afterwards I hurried home for a snack only to realise I had lost my house key.  Shit - I knew where it was - in the grass verge somewhere along Pool Road !!!  I also knew that it would take many hours to search for it properly so I just accepted it was lost for good and was thankful that if it was ever found there was no way it could be traced to my house.

6.20pm - time for the evening shift.  Began by giving out marshals high visibility clothing and explaining where they were expected to be, at what time, and what their duties were.  The latter varies with location of course.  After the race my job was to help Hugh Pearson write down the race numbers of every finisher - strictly in finishing order.  Not easy when two finishers didn't have numbers and a third had the number on her back.

Overall it was an enjoyable way to spend a day.  It is a good exercise for all runners for only then can we truly appreciate the effort that goes into staging even a small road race.  Colin Best has been race director for a few years now and he deserves much credit ... especially organising the 40 + marshals that are needed.  Well done to him.

Apart from all that I managed to fit in a short run of my own early in the morning and some strength training early in the afternoon.  So, a good day all round then.

summer cold, etc

Just when things couldn't get much better they took a turn for the worse.  Over the past few days I've developed a rather bad cold.  Over the past five or six days I've noticed my morning pulse getting progressively higher and higher and that's usually a sign of illness.

It hasn't been high enough to reduce my training in any way (until today) but yesterday afternoon the cold began in earnest.  Streaming nose, tiredness, lethargy, etc.  I immediately began taking lots of vitamin C as advocated by Frank Horwill and others.  Not as much as he suggested but I realise now that I should have started the 'medicine' a couple of days ago.

One thing I have noticed over the past six months or so is that I seem to have forgotten stuff like that.  I'm sure it will all come back once I get properly into training mode again - only another four weeks to go.

As mentioned above my morning pulse was exceptionally high - over 20 % higher than normal.  So, I've decided to ease back on the cycling and strength training for a few days.  The running, such that it is, is only at a very low level anyway at the moment.

One thing I have noticed ... England Athletics have put on their website details of an English 24 hr Championship - this year held in conjunction with the Tooting Bec race in London.  There appears to be some confusion though because there are slightly different details on the two pages it is mentioned - here and here - and no mention on the race website (or on the entry form).

If this is the beginning of an annual English Championship then that can only be a good thing as athletes in all other disciplines have a national championship to aim for.  For me it's just a shame I won't be fit enough to take part but hopefully it will be something the powers that be continue with - and maybe (hopefully) us it as a selection event for a home nations 24 hr championships.  Or is that a step too far ...

At this point I should mention that I suggested a championship to England Athletics back in 2009 when I also pointed out that the list of English records did not include ultra distance events.  Within a week or two some ultra records were included but, even now, the men's 100k is missing and the women's 24 hour (road) has not been updated to include Lizzy Hawker.

three days ... four days

Today I reached another milestone.

I have now finished running three consecutive days with the fourth being a rest day.  On Friday I start the next, and final, phase of rehabilitation.  Running four consecutive days.

This morning's run was good in that there was no pain at all in the ankle ... but the calf muscle did ache a bit during the final 2k or so.  No aches or pains at all now, and no running tomorrow so I should be fine on Friday ... especially as I'm starting again at a very low level.

Looking forward to the final phase.  Hope the wonderful weather continues.

Summer at last.

short race

Well, well, well that was unexpected.

Whilst in Northern Ireland, midweek, I decided which one of the two races this weekend to take part in.  I chose the local parkrun 5k - partly to make amends for messing things up at the beginning of March.

This morning I made absolutely sure I arrived in time for the 9 o'clock start.  I probably arrived a bit too early really but that's better than being late.  Not having done this 'racing' thing for a while I wasn't sure what to expect time wise ... recent training couldn't help either as I had only done one fast run all year and that was  12 weeks ago.  I decided 22 minutes would be a sensible target (4:24 per km).

After a good warm up and a few words from the race director we were off.  Of course I was blocked a bit at the start and couldn't get properly into my stride for 15 seconds or so.  But after that the first, downhill, kilometre flew by and as I approached the km marker I began struggling with the pace.  My watch showed 3:59 as I passed the sign so I wasn't surprised to be struggling a bit.  I immediately stepped off the gas and expected the next 2 to 3 km to be difficult.

The second kilometre was hard work but a 4:13 split was pleasing.  At this point I was still struggling a bit from the too-quick start but I began to think that I could indeed run under 22 minutes.  A 4:18 third kilometre confirmed this and by now I had very nearly recovered from the start and was running comfortably again.

The penultimate kilometre took 4:15 but is slightly downhill on the course around Woodhouse Moor in Leeds.  At this point I was saving myself for the final push but in reality I didn't think I had anything left for that final big effort.

In the final 500m or so I had a race for the line with another runner and together we pushed each other hard all the way to the finish.  I was surprised to find that my final kilometre took 4:13, my speed and effort at the end indicated something quite a bit faster than that.

However, I was well pleased with a time of 20:59.

Feeling pleased with myself I jogged down into Leeds for a well deserved coffee at Laynes.

summer is here

Weather improving ... ankle improving again after a less than pain free few runs midweek ... things are looking good again.

Today's 40 minutes run, for instance, took me up the valley to the village of Burley in Wharfedale and on the way back I came across Zack Whitehead and we ran together back into Otley.  Zack has been running recently after a few years out of the sport because of a knee injury.  If he can get back to running the sort of times he was five years ago that will be a great boost for Otley AC.  Good to see him back running - enjoying it too.

My run, for no reason at all, was a over 15s per km quicker than expected.  I have noticed recently that I do seem to be running a bit further in the time allowed.  I guess my speed is returning as my fitness improves.

On Tuesday next week we travel to Belfast to help Keir tie up the loose ends regarding accommodation, etc at the end of his first year at university.  And he wants us to help carry all the stuff he has to bring home.  It's his birthday on Wednesday so we'll do something a bit special while we're there but he has recently acquired a girlfriend which we'll meet for the first time.  Apparently she's very nervous about meeting me and Fay ... that's OK though because we're quite nervous about meeting her.

Next Saturday I plan to run another race but I'm undecided between the Kirkby Malzeard 10k or the local parkrun 5k.

seasonal weather ... very strange

I've been running on three consecutive days for a few weeks now and everything is still progressing well.  Recently progressed from alternating running and walking to running non-stop.  Feeling good but still doing lots of rehab exercises ...

... about 35 minutes a day at the moment which is much less than the 55 minutes I had to do daily in February.  It will continue to decrease over the next six months or so but I strongly suspect that I'll have to do a little for many years to come.

Thoughts of racing have recently started to come my way.  I'm trying very hard to not look for a race until late June or early July.  The very fact that I'm thinking that way is a good sign and mentally I'm ready to go.  Just need the body to catch up.

At last summer weather appears to be on the way.  The bad weather during the World 24 hr Championships in Steenbergen ... well we had similar stuff here in Yorkshire.  And William Sichel apparently had a heatwave during the 6 day race in Hungary at the same time.  It seems to me that the world's weather is not how I remember it back in the 1970s.  Summer's were hot and sunny, winter's were cold and snowy ... simple.