Long run - 5 miles. Time 46:30
Was determined to stick to my training schedule this time after a slow start for the Great North Run and I've pretty much managed it. In fact I'd say I've gone above and beyond and my body knows it now.
A couple of short runs early in the week and then on Wednesday a trip over to Hemlington lake where a group of parkrunners meet to train.
I've never really done much in the way of interval training (generally involves a lot of very fast running followed by a lot of very slow running) so I wasn't too sure what to expect or how to approach it. I was a sprinter as a much younger man and pretty good at it too. At 13/14ish I could do 100 metres in 11.7 seconds and 200 in about 24. In my mind I still am a sprinter but I was about to find out if that was true or not.
After a gentle warm up lap of the lake (about 2 km) we were asked to sprint between three lampposts. I went off full pelt first time and trashed the competition (mostly girls, young boys and a pensioners). It felt good. I had a good deal of power in me. Another fella about my age seemed impressed and started to give me a run for my money the next 9 times we did it. And there's the rub. I'm not a stamina man. By the 4th time i was lagging a bit each time. Still beating off most of the pack but getting beat a couple of times too. I knew I'd feel it the next day, not being used to that level of sprint for about 25 years!
We continued for the best part of an hour doing relays and jogging. I knew I'd blown my wad with the first few runs but I didn't give up and it seems to have done me some good in feeling fitter at least.
Saturday was a first as I travelled with the family to York parkrun. Basically 1 and 2/3rd laps of York racecourse. Not on the track and not a steeplechase I was glad to hear. It was pretty tough and I came in 25:30ish although I'm not convinced the results were right. The main problem was it's a very open run and you can not only see people miles away beating the pants off you but you can see exactly how much further you have to go. I managed a reasonable sprint at the end though.
Sunday was my first official "long" run. 5 miles. 6 months ago that would have been a doddle but, having let my fitness slip, I found it fairly tough to keep going at points. The return 2.5 miles did go surprisingly quickly though. I'm not a "gung ho" type of person but I do have a General Patton quote pinned to my mind at the moment which basically says "make the mind run the body...the body will always give up". I've clung to this a few times and it's definitely true.
Nice bath after the run and felt warmed-down with a few less aches and then an impromptu, brisk, very muddy walk in Pinchinthorpe woods!
SOUNDTRACK:
Various. I've been relying on the unreliable iPod shuffle lately but it's definitely a bit hit and miss. More misses lately with plenty of skipping going on. Need to start building some new playlists and getting some fresh CDs ripped onto it.
Standout artist so far though has, surprisingly, been The Divine Comedy. I love them to bits anyway but the tracks that have shuffled their way onto the runs have really helped.
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