Well, we did have Monday off but we were back on it for a steady five miles on Tuesday evening.
I say "we", but Sam was still feeling tired and her back was giving her pain, so she sensibly opted for a gentler three miles before heading back to base. There's no point risking things for two measly miles at this stage in the proceedings!
Wednesday was meant to be a long twelve miler but, knowing we'd be feeling it after the Spen 20, we'd wisely opted to swap the week's schedule for the following week's. Thus, twelve miles became a more manageable ten.
We were joined by Lucy, who never ceases to amaze me with her ability to thrash through all distances at whatever pace we throw at her. Tonight however, Lucy was being uncharacteristically low key, probably because she'd not been well for a week or so and had not been running as a result.
Anyway, we set off on our specially extended nine mile route (i.e. ten) and it was relatively soon into it that I realised it was going to be a total ball ache! I thought I'd done nearly four miles, only to realise I'd only done two and a half. I thought I'd done six miles, only to check my Garmin and see that I'd only done four. Bollocks!
It's on nights like this when you've just got to dig in, grit your teeth and get round. So I did. My only saving grace was attacking the hill up Dewsbury Road and feeling a sense of satisfaction when I got to the top and pushed on for home. Done and dusted, but not one of my better nights...
So, it was then on to Thursday and a track session, which ought to have happened on Monday, according to the letter of the law on the schedule. Although we'd swapped the week's plan, we decided to stick with the original track session because it was a shorter distance! Confused yet?! Anyway, despite the swap, we still had to do 16 x 200m reps, with 200m recoveries and the usual mile warm up/down. A total of six miles, but marginally easier than the eight we could have been doing!
I really like track sessions and it was even better on Thursday because Sam was hot on my heels, breathing down my neck on every rep! She didn't beat me - I think she was holding back a bit but then so was I(!) - but it was great to have her firing on all cylinders after a tough few weeks of feeling a bit "off". Skills!
So, that was Thursday. My biggest disappointment was that my Ossett ale negotiation was turning out to be more expensive than initially anticipated! 16 bottles for £25 is not much cop when I can get them for less than £20 with my staff discount. Jackie - if you're reading this, I'm prepared to enter a second round of negotiations and I'm sure we can achieve a mutually beneficial arrangement!
Friday was a much needed rest day, then we were out again on Saturday for a fifteen mile thrash up and down the Greenway, clocking up a not too shabby 1:46 half marathon time along the way.
It was really nice to run on the traffic free, smooth surface of the Greenway, although we didn't much like getting drenched during the first fifteen minutes and spending the rest of the run drying out!
During our last mile or so, we spotted a runner in the distance and decided to chase him down. So, tractor beams locked onto him, we pushed it and caught him pretty easily, even though he was doing sub-eight minute miles. Turns out he (Tom was his name) was training for a 40 mile ultra race in the Peak District in September and was out for a 26 mile training run. Puts things into perspective doesn't it?! Best of luck, youth!
So, that was the week that was. To say it was meant to be a "steady" week, we managed to rack up 56 miles, all in, from Sunday to Saturday! Not a bad effort!
So, another week begins, even though it was meant to be last week. I'll tell you about it later this week because all this time travel is doing my head in!
No comments:
Post a Comment