How wet? Goodbye Maidstone.

Yep, not one but two titles today.

Tomorrow is my last day working for Carillion in Maidstone, today my last run. I wasn’t looking forward to it to be honest and the weather forecast had been poor.

My legs are feeling a touch fatigued, despite the strength of the recent runs, but this was offset by the desire to say goodbye to my running location for the last year and the fact that the rain had largely missed us over the day so I thought I might get lucky.

Ha.

I set off in warm daylight, light breeze and light steps. I rapidly deteriorated into heavy steps as the wind got up and the first mile was directly into it. Very odd for the wind to rise like that, I thought. Little could I anticipate that the stratus cloud covering the sky was concealing a cumulonimbus that was about to give me a hearty farewell to Kent’s county town.

As I neared two miles, a light rain began to fall. At two and a half miles, I turned to run toward the town, got the wind on my back, sped up and simultaneously got wetter. And wetter. Every step was greeted by harder rain, it seemed, to the point where I crossed the road to seek semi-shelter under some trees as I continued through to 3 miles.

The next half was spent wondering why my final memory would be of rain when, as I turned toward site, the precipitation simply hammered down, the wind hit me head on and slowed me dramatically and everything got to the wet stage where it simply doesn’t matter any more.

Drowned rat, I think is the term. At least the few people left on site found my state amusing.

So, not a very nice run. My legs now feel weary, but they have gone 37 miles in 6 days, so I guess it’s entirely understandable.

This week has marked the last 8 mile mid-week run in the plan, which is a relief. One of the site boys commented he saw me miles away on Wednesday evening and wondered how far I went. While 8 miles doesn’t seem excessive at the moment, when I look at a map of Rye and wonder where I could do the same, it doesn’t look good. Thankfully 5 miles looks much simpler to route.

I’ve also been asked to add a link to a British Military Fitness bloke who’s developing some phone software or some such. I don’t begin to understand what, where and why most of these things exist, but the stuff I read on his blog last night made me laugh – hopefully they’ll appeal to someone else, too. Good luck to him is my message – hope it works, too.

So, Maidstone done, loads of people to say goodbye to tomorrow – plenty I hope never to have to work with again, too, and lots to pack in over the next few weeks. Got the new greenhouse delivered yesterday and the mower needs an outing (worked out that at top speed, without slowing to do bits around trees and borders, it’ll take 2hours 9 minutes to mow the lawn.There a numerous trees both out front and back [55 in total, but not all in the lawn areas, thankfully!] so i’m guessing two and a half hours…good job i’ll get some running time back after April!) so along with a new job that looks like it’ll be a monster, hopefully things will keep me honest for a few months to come.

So what’s gone right?

I wish I knew because i’d have replicated it three weeks ago.

I’m guessing my fitness is showing through as i’m fully getting the last bits of cold out of my system (still got the annoying cough - apart from this I feel superhuman), but combined with dropping 10 seconds from my times on the long runs and early miles, I’m feeling great.

I’ve been keeping a compression bandage on my right foot to help support it while walking around site and now the foot is healed. I can do pretty much anything with it and really have to try to make it hurt.

I’ve been massaging my calves as well as stretching lots (including while brushing my teeth – 3 minutes of multi tasking. Am I turning towards my feminine side?) and both now feel fresh and new, not abused for a few hundred miles of training.

And the best bit was going out tonight, in shorts and a long sleeved top, feeling warm and relishing my last 8 mile mid week run.

I simply devoured the first 2 miles with such enthusiasm, it was a job keeping a low pace. I let things go on the long downhill stretch, eased around the flat bit and jogged easily up the last mile and a half climb to site to average a really easy 8.09 pace. Faster than I intended but, honestly, so easy I wish it was time to race at the weekend because I think i’d demolish it.

Confidence is a strange thing.

Worryingly, this weekend is the anniversary of my calf tearing last year. This year, however, I have just got rid of all my niggles – last year, they were spiralling. I’m confident the weekend will go ok. Then i’ll plod the 20 miler and i’m happy to take whatever time I get.

I’ve just got the marathon race magazine. I’ll be starting from Blackheath, which is familiar ground at least, but hope the weather is cooler than Tom and Grant had for their Lisbon half last weekend. It seems theirs matched last year’s London temperature – i’d like to book 15 degrees and overcast, please. No drizzle, it’ll annoy me on the glasses. And no wind, I just hate it. Just cool, dull and fair. I’ll speak to Kaddy the regional weather girl and book some in immediately, I think. But don’t tell Cathy – she thinks I fancy her and gets jealous of my personal forecasts!

Strange, that.

After the horror that was Saturday and 19 miles, I wasn’t looking forward to today.

Well, more specifically today’s run. The day meant only 4 more to be spent at the Carillion machine. The run meant unknown becoming known in the fear of an inability to run.

But it was all unfounded. I got out with a mixed idea of clothing, knowing the wind was very cold indeed but was abating. So I went on the light side of winter and was pleasantly warm. And my legs felt great. Not “lets do a marathon” great, you understand, but really powerful and light. My foot has a small ache but nothing scary. I kept the pace lower than I wanted to ensure I did nothing silly. I ended 5 miles with 8.04, .09, .02, .02, .09 as my splits and really felt I could run forever.

What a change a day makes.

I’m out tomorrow evening, have 8 miles on Wednesday and if that feels as good, I’ll be a happy bunny. But I guess i’ll be a bit tired so expect it to be a bit more of a trudge, but i’m hopeful for good things.

My revised goals include simply achieving 4 hours now, any seconds ahead of that will be a bonus. If I carry on feeling like now, who knows what may lead from it but one good run in the last load isn’t giving me optimism. Maybe i’ve got the rest of the cold out of my system and this is the start of a good recovery.

Hope so.

On the road

To recovery, I hope.

I chose to go for my newest 5 mile route today. Many reasons, firstly being it was warm and I was wearing shorts for the first time and two miles of it are on such obscure country lanes no-one would have to see me. Another was that I knew I wouldn’t turn back, so 5 miles it is…not shortcuts. Another that it’s the flattest circuit I know and my legs are still suffering tight calves but my foot feels okay axcept when stressed, so thumping downhill is being avoided. And another that I see most of the nicest bits of all the runs and i’ve only got another 4 before I leave Maidstone and the routes that have been home for the last year, to be replaced by Rye. Which’ll be a challenge, I think. There be slopes and hills aplenty there.

So, I went, I modified my style to heel striking to preserve my calves and foot (takes loads of strain off. Odd, considering the extra forces it slams into my legs, but true), and I enjoyed it.

Yep, nearly thoroughly enjoyed it. Warmth, almost sunshine, a bit of a stiff breeze but nothing bad and a smooth easy pace without too much pain. If tomorrow feels this good, I might even look forward to Saturday.

But I doubt it. 20 miles is to be worried about, not looked forward to.

Not Bad

Since deciding the pain in my legs was simply unnecessary last night, it hadn’t seemed to have gone away over the course of today. I wasn’t particularly happy about the situation, but since I couldn’t really do too much about it, felt i’d get on with it.

I did find myself standing on the stairs, stretching my calves on tiptoe, on a few occasions though but even this seemed to do no good. The only good thing was the pain in my foot being bearable to the point of not a worry as the day wore on.

So I decided on a very slow 3 mile route. Was going to do 2 miles but since i’ve only got a few runs left until I leave my current workplace, thought i’d make the most of the country route and the nicest loop is 3 miles. So a 3 mile plod with two hills as a recovery run was executed. My calves seemed easier by about 2 miles but my foot started twinging. Not an ideal situation, but bearable.

As I sit here typing, the foot feels tender, the legs better but not fixed but a happiness that slow pace will see me through in 6 weeks as long as I do nothing stupid seems to fill me with as much contentment as the prospect of a new employer. Things might be brightening up – much as the weather has done for the past couple of days after the longest winter i’ve ever had the misfortune to remember.

Too late

By the power that is my broadband, it’s taken 25 minutes to get this far, i’m now tired beyond belief so this will be brief.

Yesterday was a cold 8 miles around the far side of Moat park, with the slopes that entails. Not funny considering how much my legs are hurting just above the ankles. Seems the miles have well and truly caught up with me and it was as much about preventing injury as training properly. Pace was awful but at least not forced.

I got home intending to blog but Cathy’s bike was poorly so I fixed the gears (nasty twistgrip…bad cable change…horrible to adjust…bah!), went to bed. Simple.

This evening had the hallmarks of a slack evening as I seemed intent on talking myself out of the run. But I went anyway.

Was going to do a shorter run but got involved in running the route to Screwfix that doesn’t involve the main road but does turn out to be 5 miles almost exactly when looped into a jaunt past Morrisons. My ankles hurt, joined in their pain by my calves and the bridge of my right foot. Together with a mysteriously bruised right heel, the right plate has suffered this campaign, to be sure.

Still, as I said, tiredness beckons. Just under 18 miles for the week; if I manage my 18 on Saturday, it’ll be the longest week of my training complete – no other is planned to go beyond 35 miles. That’ll be a relief.

But i’ve got to get through Saturday yet. No drugs have been called for, neither will they be, but maybe i’ll start ditching some of the more painful runs before too long – with diminishing weeks to go, i’m not about to stuff things up having got this far. But having said that, i’ve no intention throwing a decent time down the drain, either.

Ah, that balancing act of ambition and stupidity.

Sore

Over the course of yesterday, what with shopping, chores, hanging blinds, drying the garage and planting trees, I didn’t really think about my legs.

Today I did and they felt surprisingly good after Saturday and my 17 miles. But that’s surprisingly good in a “not as bad as they could be” fashion, unfortunately. All day I was actually looking forward to the run – the sun was out, it got up to a warm enough temperature to ditch the jacket for the first time in months and my only concern was how quickly the temperature would drop.

The answer was pretty quickly (it was only 2 degrees as I got back into the car) but the run was enjoyable enough, starting warmly and finishing a bit quicker than I started to maintain the temperature i’d built up.

I ran the country lane route for the first time since the clocks changed and it was nice. If only my shins and ankles weren’t so sore, it would have been properly enjoyable but as it was, all the downhills were accompanied by hollow shrieks of pain as my feet touched down. The uphills were great. The flats were reasonable enough. Downs I could have done without. However, I started proper “recovery run” slowly and only picked the pace up towards the end when i’d loosened up a fair bit.

I feel okay ish now but am glad I haven’t got to run tomorrow – somehow I think the rest days over the coming weeks will be savoured to their highest degree.

Only 8 weeks to go.

Shall I compare thee…

To an otter’s pocket?

What a ridiculous training regime this seems to be – consistent snow, ice, freezing temperatures and far too many wet days seems to have consolidated into a miserable marathon campaign.

Right about 5 o’clock, the water on the windows of the office increased to monumental proportions and as I left around twenty past, I reckon I was soaked by about quarter of a mile in. My planned 8 miles leaned down to 7.6 after a shortcut or two – I simply hadn’t the desire to be out in it, combined with forgetting to take my water bottle in to work with me for the run. I’m amazed how dry I felt after each jelly baby without a sip of liquid – I felt hollow in the stomach, lethargic in the legs and generally rubbish.

Still, I went out. Not in the direction I fancied owing to it being all but dark from the off, but out all the same. I couldn’t be bothered to keep lifting the coat sleeve to check my pace and most of my woes are reflected in the first two miles being 7.26 and 7.29 pace – I fancied slowing things down but failed, clearly, so must address pace things on Saturday for my long run. The trouble was that without water, I flagged drastically on the uphill mile, recording my single slowest mile of my training. Ok, it’s still within my supposed “long, slow run” target pace if I look on the calculators and stuff, but it annoyed me. Still, I got home, didn’t stop and now feel fine.

I’ve just looked through last year’s notes and see that after Saturday’s run last year (the 17 miler) things fell into disarray on the schedule – my injuries were mounting up and stopping me doing my stuff. I feel so much better this year, I hope things carry on like this. My ankles are definitely showing signs of fatigue, but not so far as straps, medicines or ointments are being sought. My muscles feel fine and dandy – loose, full of beans and strong. That said, I hope i’m sensible enough to listen to my bones if things do tense up. I’ve still a long way to go and some stupid long runs to partake in, after all.

Fingers crossed.

And will it stop bloody raining, please? I fancy a nice run for a change.

Workmanlike

Had a bit of a tardy afternoon from site (could have been half an hour later, though – thanks Spencer for helping out) so didn’t get a chance to do my old countryside route before dark from site this evening – i’ll be trying to get out on time tomorrow to allow me to head off in an interesting direction.

For 8 miles.

Yep, it’s that time in the schedule where all runs are ridiculously long, these being the last two at 4 miles. Next week, a 5, 8, 5 combination will leave me hurting, i’m sure.

As it was, today I did 4 and it was dull, I felt bored and my ankles ached.

Ho, hum. Stay tuned for more dull mileage reports, perhaps interspersed with tales of hedgerow and pothole.

Fingerprints

I forgot to mention the amount of cars on the way to Morrisons during yesterday’s run that were either parked all the way over the path, pulling onto their drives and expecting me to give way to them as I would if it were the road I was crossing, parking alongside the path then opening their doors onto me or, in one case, stopping half on the path, only to pull forward and close the path completely just as I was at their bootlid. I’d glossed over it in my mind as typical.

Well, tonight, that was proved. Having decided on last week’s 7 miler backwards, I was about 4.5 miles in when a car pulled from their works car park toward the road (a busy one way traffic light junction) and stopped at the back of the path. Innocently enough, I decided they were a) waiting for a gap in the traffic and b) letting me use the bit of highway I like to consider the pedestrian’s domain. I carried that thought right up until I was level with his passenger light. When he pulled forward. No reason, except to maybe look closer at the line of cars doing 30mph in front of him. No reason other than to test my reactions, combined with my desire to not want to be pushed into the road in front of a queue of moving traffic. No reason, except to have my fingerprints thumped into his bonnet as I used it to lever myself away and around his front end which was the only way I could avoid a diversion into the traffic stream. Parkour it wasn’t. Effective it was.

My favourite bit of the couple of seconds of excitement was being so blasé about the situation, I couldn’t even be bothered to stop, drag him out and punch him for being a twat. I merely ran on.

All very composed and civilised. Must be getting less aggressive in my old age.

Still, the run was ok in that I kept the pace down owing to a lack of get up and go in my legs on the back of the cold but still finished feeling as though i’d tried a bit. The final 2 odd miles is uphill and unpleasant but, having started in daylight and relative warmth, I finished pretty bloody freezing. Don’t know how I consistently get colder despite loads of calories being burned but with the temperature having dropped to minus one while I was out, I know this contributed.

My right ankle hurt to start with, too. A result of a bruised heel, I think, but magically it seems better now than before I left. Something to keep in the back of my mind as the mileage goes crazy, I guess. No blowing up before May this year. Honest.