Late week run, too much E-Bay

Having had a bad day at work yesterday, at least I had something of a eureka moment on going to bed about a resolution to my work woes. It involves getting this moving lark sorted (assuming my buyers are ever going to get finances in place, which isn’t looking good), finding the right object when finances are resolved and buying it.

Part of the correct object is a 1970’s Fibreflex skateboard deck. Another part is a set of Kryptonic wheels. Another part is a pair of Gullwing split axle trucks. I always used to use ACS trucks, have just got my brother a set of ACS 651’s to supplement his 500’s and they are things of beauty, but as a 7 year old, the Gullwings were mentioned by my peers in hushed, near reverential tones and, having redeveloped the urge for a set, the hunt is on.

Trouble is, E-Bay having been scoured, as well as many, many forums, it appears money may be an issue. As well as availability. My hunt has caused Cathy to accuse my interest of being my new porn, such has been the sudden earnestness of the search.

I might be close to finding a deck. The wheels are sortable (i’m not too fussy, and since i’ll use it, maybe a set of  ’80’s 63.5mm wheels will be a good bet before I decide to put it on display). Trucks will be the headache. Maybe 651’s will be settled upon. Who knows.

One day, however, i’ll find a set of Gullwings and be happy. I hope. Or hell might freeze first. Or my desire diminish and i’ll grow up again.

Anyway, I ran. A day later than normal, but a run. A slightly stretched out and back since I didn’t want to go fast but wanted a bit of an outing, and it all seemed good.

Odd that i’ve now got a twinge in my right calf, but it’s nothing worrying. Something to stretch out before Saturday, I think, which might be a good thing.

Ok, i’m off to do my lunch. Skateboards forgotten for a while. Honest.

Not a run?

Yesterday, I thought I had all bases covered.

Albeit a little late, I had my bag packed complete with tights just in case, everything ironed, exercise done and everything set. Then after a day at work, I discovered I didn’t have my Garmin.

Left it at home. Forgot to pack it. Not there.

Now, Jogblog won’t run without hers -”It doesn’t count” I think was her quote upon turning for home last year when her battery died less than a mile in – but I think i’m made of sterner stuff. Hope so.

So, a bit disheartened (my average pace for the month is looking ballistic and I fancied a half decent mileage, too), I made frustrated noises and set off. Plans changed while I started running and an opportunity for a few hill repeats took priority over everything.

Hill repeats. Hmm. Not in my usual arsenal of training, so something to be done for a change.

A half steady run to the start of the Loose valley lead to a turnaround and a full on sprint back up. A bit further than a proper repeat should be, I think (i’m using Trevor Rodwell training the UK middle distance team up the hill I used to live on for reference here – I know they were elite runners training for major championships and i’m not, but it was impressive seeing them destroy themselves in a few yards of hill to the point where they were physically sick in the pursuit of greatness. Shame they came in mid-pack at best. Nice to see someone famous on your residential road, though, even if I can no longer remember any names!), but it feels good to blast for longer when I do bother, so I did.

Then turned around and did it again.

Then again for luck before heading back to the office with no idea how long i’d taken, what my pace was or anything.

Marvellous. And here I am, blogging with no proof I went out at all. Well, apart from slightly sore calves.

I might even do it again sometime.

Old, past it, slacking and lazy

All of the above related directly to me last week.

I proved senility is truly on the way having observed the weather forecast last Sunday, ignoring the salient point regarding temperature and duly only took shorts to work for the run. No way was I going out in that cool air with nothing on my legs, so I came home.

Tuesday I did some weights, attempting to keep some upper body shape to allow me to re-form myself after this winter and the marathon training, so that wasn’t an exercise disaster as such, but Wednesday saw the spirit kicked out of me at work and, truly, I couldn’t be bothered. Went straight out after work for a curry (Thai fusion style, apparently. All I know is it was lovely) instead. Hmm.

Thursday was my late night at work – again couldn’t be arsed to get my running kit out.

Friday was Friday with added wind, rain (31mm) and bluster, Saturday was much the same and then it was Sunday.

A very poor exercise week. So today I decided i’d do a 3.5 mile spirited run but proved my age when I could neither run fluidly (after a week? Crikey, what’s going to happen next year when I have a while off after London?), nor quickly nor consistently. My miles saw 35 seconds difference in pace (not helped by a car/bike/truck traffic jam I had to stop for, but hey), overheating and an unwelcome desire to be back home. Oops.

So I inspired myself with some mountainbike trials videos, got excited about some old skateboard stuff and duly went out for a thrash around the local car park on the play bike and showed myself how bad i’ve got over the 8 months or so it’s been since I played around. Enjoyable, though. Must promise to play at least once a month, possibly once a week or more after we move to keep the ability at least somewhere reasonable. It’s not often one needs to cycle backwards on a bike, granted, but it’s nice to know the ability is there if needed!

Next week, more running. Promise.

A favourite route bested

Yesterday saw a variety of plans thrown out regarding morning runs, so instead I left them to Cathy. Yep, she’s been running again. And might even blog it sometime, if we’re lucky.

Instead, I had lunch then cleaned the car then, thinking the temperature to be about right, headed out.

And judging by the number of dog walkers, families and general people I’ve never seen out that way before, we all had similar thoughts. I was the only one in shorts, though.

The weather was a pure autumnal joy, to be fair. No wind, sunny and crisp. Just how it should be. The only flaw with the day was having to stop twice on the only narrow bits on the run to let cars past – the only cars I saw in 5 miles of no pavement, too. Typical. Still, it was a great farewell (hopefully not the last last time but certainly one of them) to my fave route. And, fittingly, I felt fresh as a daisy, kept the pace sensible for the first mile, took an average of this and the second mile pace and maintained that for the rest of the route. Mile four was (just) the quickest, but speed wasn’t the full goal – the run was fresh, nice, something to remember and remind me why I run while the winter slog  keeps me doubting.

Boy, I hope I find some nice routes at the new place. Which, incidentally, is all sorted barring the people buying mine having a slow mortgage approval keeping things back. Hope my vendors will be patient – i’m just keeping fingers and things crossed while the days tick by, hoping they don’t get impatient and sell it from under my nose. I hate buying houses. Why did I do it again? Oh, yes…it’s called a huge garden!

10 seconds away

Tonight, Matthew, I decided to run faster.

I wasn’t sure how fast, that was determined once I got underway, but since I hadn’t any intention of going too far (3.29 miles was the final range), speed seemed the way to make the legs know they’d been out.

Having missed last night’s planned run, I felt guilty too. I don’t want the half marathon distance fitness to disappear before marathon training kills me again, you see. But can’t raise myself to long runs again yet. So maybe the possibility exists to do longer runs in less time. That’s my theory. I know my speed will suffer for London gains but after it, I fancy getting proper speedy. I don’t know what I can achieve but not trying won’t find that out, so try I will.

I see Hauling My Carcass is going to join a club for his goals. I’ve discussed similar wih JogBlog. My plan is to move to Ashford then join their club (maybe…if I can stand the “induction” trauma!) and see if a bit of competition can draw something out of me, even if age is against me now. For now, my hills will help – might even do some hill repeats soon. But my curiosity is that if I can improve from 8.15 to 7.45 average on all distance runs in 6 months, then pick that up to 7.26 average over a half marathon with most forced pace runs averaging 7.16 over another 6 months (that’s where I am now), what can I do in another year? With a structured training and a bit of pushing and inspiration from other runners who’re much quicker than me again, i’d like a 10k at sub 7 minute average pace. Is it possible? Or is more than that achievable? Or have I peaked?

I want to find out.

Anyhow, after a quick first mile, I had a hill or two slow me in the second, plus a stop to tuck my lace back in (why is a flapping lace so annoying I stop to secure it even though it’s still well tied when i’m on a pace challenge? Daft) and a stop to let a car around a junction. Which resulted in a 7.03 average pace. The two hills were taken a bit slowly, really, with the turnaround used as a recovery pace for a couple of hundred yards, so i’m not disappointed at all. Next time I challenge myself, i’ll set the virtual partner to 7 minutes dead and nail it, i’m confident. But that will be just before I start marathon training, I think, so can wait a while.

Until then, it’s just great to be running pain, injury and aggro free with the temperature perfect for a long sleeved top and pair of shorts. Very relaxing.

2 in 1

Please forgive me for I have slipped up.

I ran on Saturday but didn’t blog. It was a wet and windy 3.5 miler, done in my cycling  jacket because I couldn’t find my reject rain coat until after i’d got back, a state of affairs that made it hot, sweaty but rewarding. The hill in the middle didn’t slow me up and a sprightly 7.15 average pace was maintained. I like the cooler temperature. It lets me run.

The immediate aftermath was a rushed purchase of a paper followed by a chase around to get ready for a wedding reception in Portsmouth that, despite hoping to meet friends before the do, turned into a cross country dash to arrive at a reasonable hour. Google maps reckoned on 2 hours 3 minutes. 2 hours after we’d left, we’d already checked in, changed and arrived a short walk from the hotel at the reception. Amazing what a clear road can achieve.

So yesterday was a wet visit to the seafront to photo some waves and a choppy sea with a ferry on it – even the Isle wasn’t worth a picture through the gloom – followed by work today.

And a run in the hillier Loose direction from site, averaging 7.20 for each of the three miles (but one was slow – the fastest was 6.55) rounded off a hectic day on site that has seen spirits raise with news of a survey on the new house tomorrow, an ability to chase my buyers instead of the other way around and a hope that a move will occur before Christmas.

Then I’ll be able to run around the garden, as well as investigating the running club as i’ve promised myself i’ll do. Woo hoo.

A new route

For the start of “winter” training, I though i’d head the other way. That means street lights, not dark narrow country lanes where i’ll get run over. It meant heading towards Maidstone to seek a new heading, not back towards Loose (which is also illuminated, but has been done).

And at first glance, it’s disappointing.

I lived in Maidstone for 2 and a half years back in ‘95 and used to occasionally run around my end of the town. I was more mountainbike and motorbike focused then and, despite being fresh from loads of cross country, hadn’t experienced the happiness of running on lanes. Maybe I knew no better or was just less critical. But tonight, I hated it. Noisy, busy and dirty. Despite cars supposedly being cleaner than 13 years ago, I could feel the dirty air. Hastings seafront also spoiled me. Plenty of traffic there, too, but little noise, the distraction of the sea (or the park when I headed uphill) and cleaner air.

Maidstone looks like it’ll be a chore as the mileage increases during marathon training so i’m going to have to find another few links, routes and directions to head in. I’m sure they exist, it is a large town after all, or maybe i’ll get accustomed to the place. Or maybe i’ll investigate the BMF that used to be (i’ll check if it still is) in Mote Park as an alternative indulgence.

I’ve a while to find something, anyway. But tonight was a disappointment i’ll be looking to put behind me. I guess the one positive is if I don’t like the runs, i’ll get them over with quicker and my pace will improve a bit.

So a negative post, but hopefully a marker to move from. If all else fails, there’s always the Loose direction. But it might become boring after 18 weeks of 3 runs a week…unless I throw marathon schedules to the wind and mix things up, Royal Parks training style.

13 Days

My theory was that i’d have 13 days without running; 1 day to celebrate each race mile.

Now it felt good to start with but odd aches, pains and toe fatigue made the last 4 days more of a trial than the race, I think! I was enjoying the time that not running gave me back but feeling guilty and eager (not keen…no, no, no, no, no. Definitely eager.) for a run.

So yesterday, after letting lunch go well and truly down, I set off for the trusty old 3.5 mile route, dodging the showers as I went.

It felt good to be out without a training goal. Just running for the sake of it. Even if my right calf was feeling tight. Even though I developed a stitch immediately upon leaving the house which took a mile to clear. Especially after a call from my solicitor indicated I might well be moved before the end of November – the thought that all my favourite routes are going to be 15 miles from home isn’t filling me with excitement. It’s time to enjoy every weekend, I think – run all the best bits to keep the memory fresh for as long as posible. Hopefully i’ll find some new favourite routes, but having been here 9 years, the ones here really do feel like home.

So, the run was nice. A diseased rabbit made me jump about 2.5 miles in, a group of ramblers looked overdressed (I was in shorts and light t-shirt, they fully got-up in rustling waterproof coats and trousers and rucksacks and everything – the leader even had a map.) as I eased past, then I was home. No nervous checking of my pace as I went around, no excitement to see the Garmin read-out once downloaded; just a nice run around the countryside to keep me fit before marathon training starts again in December.

And i’m going to savour every non-pressured, no reason but to be out but for the sake of it, mile.

Smart.

Mission accomplished

Today was the day i’d discover whether or not a loosely laid out training plan works for me. Having cobbled something together based around fast runs mid-week and longer, slightly slower (but rarely slow) runs at the weekends, I was intrigued to fing out how it’d work.

After last week’s 6 miles at superbly easy, fast pace, I wasn’t hoping for too much, fearing i’d become a short, short distance runner and wouldn’t last the full route at such a pace.

The stats speak for themselves though, really.

1 hour, 37 minutes and 29 seconds.

The Garmin played up and showed 1.14 miles at the 1 mile mark and I panicked i’d not have a virtual partner to drag me around, indicated by mile 2 being whipped out in 7.09 pace. Then, at mile 2, I read exactly 2 miles so maybe the marker wasn’t spot on in location. Or maybe something adjusted itself. Whatever it was, every mile after was within 0.1 on the Garmin and I finished with it showing 13.12 and I don’t think it comes fairer than that.

The race was very good indeed. Getting the 6.53 train wasn’t much fun on a Sunday and it was busy (a game of spot the chip on the trainer was enjoyably conducted. Everyone was. Simple). Spotting Mark, an old bricklayer from 2001, with his wife exactly a year after bumping into him at the Ashford 10k was good, the drizzle as I got off the tube was a faff but then things picked up. I felt odd at the start, neither sprightly or low, just very nervous, but good baggage drops and enough toilets (at least for blokes) made for a smooth trip to the start. The start itself was ok – I got in the right pace area for a change, taking 1 minute to cross the line, then settling immediately into target race pace without too much jostling. In fact, very little overtaking or being overtaken went on. The only pinch point was the hairpin on Westminster bridge, after this things thinned out and a good run started to unfold. I settled in with a semi-pro footballer, a woman who was effortlessly gliding along and a bloke called James. Least, I hope he was since everyone kept yelling to him to carry on! The footballer dropped back at the 8 mile mark, the woman came past at 12 miles, I follwed and passed and lead and followed, then fell alongside James pretty much from mile 3 to the finish – he disappeared over the last 400m or so when I couldn’t be arsed to sprint!

The carrot and runner beans at 4 miles were surprising in their pace – took until 7 miles before I heard no more shouts of encouragement for them – if they’re that quick in fancy dress, god knows how quick they’ll be in shorts and that. Thankfully, they’ll not be proving it to me any time soon!

The other amazing thing of note, and not something i’ve had demonstrated to such startling effect before, was at mile 7. I couldn’t believe one of the race leaders (I hope! He was running behind the official car, but couldn’t have been the winner unless it was a slow racewinning time) had already sprinted through 10 miles, had a massive gap to the runner behind him, looked fresh as a daisy and was striding longer than I can long jump. Absolutely incredible.

The worst bit, for me, was the final straight. To see the finish clock from so far away, know there’s a good distance to go until you reach it, have a good margin of comfort on the Garmin for the target time and be knackered at the same time, discouraged any form of pace lift at all. I promised that i’d sprint if the time went to 1.38, but since it didn’t, I had no sprint. Good effort, though.

Made into an all round blinder of a day by meeting up with EatingTrees, Hauling My Carcass, JogBlog and Sophie (HMC’s girlfriend) for a couple of pints and a pizza. Super, splendid. I’ll link to a photo when Cathy uploads it.

Now, about that 7 minutes, 29 seconds to get me under 1.30…after the aching left knee and spirits have recovered, of course.

Not Slack

Resting.

I think.

The plan for the week was to cycle to work Monday and Tuesday, run Wednesday then drive the rest of the time for ultimate leg freshness.

It all went to cock when a) the weather played up and I couldn’t be bothered to get soaked every day, b) I bought a house and had to keep ferrying important paperwork to and from work and didn’t want it to get wet and c) wanted my legs to feel good for Saturday.

Wednesday remained run day despite not cycling, though, but with this I got absolutely drowned and proved the Garmin does indeed go wild when wet. The bezel functions went (literally) into a spin. The light came on, the screen I was in (virtual partner – 8 minute 10 second miles for a very easy pace to ease the legs around 3 miles) reset the pace up and down the scale like lightning and nothing would clear. I tried wiping it dry but everything had got soaked (it was only a heavy drizzle when I left) so I abandoned it until I got back to site, but even there it took 2 or so minutes to dry it enough to stop the timer, so all the information was pointless when I did make sense of it.

It’s all dried out and good now again, though, as am I. Tomorrow is my day for surveying the new house (a good, dispassionate look structurally to assess whether anything’s so dodgy I don’t fancy taking a gamble on it not collapsing before I can repair it – if it’s bad, i’ll get a professional opinion. I don’t know how bad it’d have to be, though. I’ll reserve judgement), on my own since Cathy’s at college, then an early night will be needed owing to the 6.53 train on Sunday being the only one that will get me to the start on time.

Eek. Not fair on a Sunday – I think next year, the Ashford 10k will be the race to do – i’ll walk to the start!

Oh, and some hasty communication with HMC and ET to arrange a sensible spot to meet for a post race pizza.

Hopefully Sunday will see a good run. At least I’m hoping to enjoy things and not suffer like the last half I ran.