Harriers

A newish route for last Tuesday. Included all the usual requirements such as hills, fields, tracks and roads. A good run but very humid and we all got a bit dehydrated at the very top of the climb (check the route profile - elevation). My legs (buttocks in particular) were quite sore from Sunday's hill session and I paid the price on the long downhill section from Cleeve Hill to Oakley. Ooh that hurt.

A good route though, taking in some of the Cheltenham Circular and Cotswold Way tracks.

On Monday, I'll be running my first 5k for years at:

http://www.striders.net/public/races/remembrance/2010/2010.remembrance.flier.pdf

Results will be at:

http://www.striders.net/races/remembrance/2010

and a sub 18 min run will be a PB...who knows?!?!?

Feeling hot.

I'm the first to admit I neither enjoy or am much good running in hot weather. So, given the temperatures today I figured a double run up/down Bushcombe Lane ought to be sufficiently terrible. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Yes it was hot, yes I sweated profusely but scaling Everest twice isn't that much that doing it once. I thought that a short, hilly run would be much more sensible than a longer flat 'un and I was right. Funnily enough on the descent after climb number 1 I passed a 'runner' walking up the hill and then I passed him during climb number 2 :)

Good run overall, although quite short!

Tuesday Run

Only Ray and myself this week so we decided to have a crack at Stockwell Lane +. The plus being we then continued up on to Cleeve Common and up and over the Hill. So a pretty hard climb which formed only part of the 10.5 mile run. Quite muggy last night and we both dehydrated a little on the final couple of miles. Good run though, a pretty thorough workout! Saw some Alpacas on the way back - not everyone sees those on a Tuesday evening!

Rest of the week looks like a run from work on Thurs and then back in again on Friday, should put the weekly mileage at around 30 - not bad.

Oh deer

I think this is one of my favourite runs around here. It's got pretty much everything; road, a thumping hill, Cleeve Common, downhill, more XC and finally another road section. Half way up Bushcombe Lane as I was staring at my feet, a small deer jumped through the hedge and stood looking at me in the middle of the road. Not sure who was more surprised.

It's quite muggy out there today and it took longer than expected due to a diversion around a field that had some pretty lively horses in it. I've been in that field before and they are the human-eating kind of horses so best avoided.

Legs felt heavy today, not sure the hill helped much!

Now I'm tired

Quite what possessed me to run home across country yesterday I don't quite know but it was hard work. My old friends the bullocks were there to greet me as I entered the first field, thankfully they were in the field next door. But having witnessed them hurdle said fence in the past, I ran on with a hint of trepidation. I think I left them suitably hyper for a lone walker who was coming up behind me. Sorry whoever you are. It was quite a tiring run and I actually nodded off in the living room lying on my back with my legs stretched up on the window sill.

I also ran today which brought my weekly to around 35 miles. That includes a race, a hill run, a cross-country and a laboured road run to work today. Good quality mileage though (apart from today). Nothing much on the horizon now race-wise, will have to see what events are coming up.

Need wine and to bury head under pillow.

Not too tired!

Fresh from the activities of Sunday, the Tuesday night group headed from the Sports Centre to Leckhampton Hill. I seem to forget that it's almost 4 miles to the foot of the hill so quite warmed up by then! The Hill wasn't too bad and the three of us cut across the woodland tracks and dropped back down to Charlton Kings. Then it was a fairly brisk run back home with the final 4 miles at a good pace.

I actually fared quite well considering I had a half-marathon in my legs. Only had one gear though and found it hard to change pace. Managed a healthy sprint finish too :)

Tewkesbury Half Marathon

I stuck to the plan, well sort of. Went out a little quick but reigned it in for the first 5 miles and was smack on the schedule of 6.40 min/mile average. I then increased the pace by about 10 sec/mile but came undone a bit around mile 8 where there was a little incline and a head wind. Miles 9 & 10 were good, 11 a little slow but really pleased to hit 6.20 min/mile for miles 11 & 12. It's a nice feeling to pass other racers that far into a race. Amazingly, my fastest mile was mile 13! Is that right or does it mean I took it too easy in the rest of the race??? Hmmmm. I think I managed to duck inside the top 5% too.

So a PB of 1hr26min53sec and on reflection now, I think I could have gone a little faster. Sounds like a challenge!

Good support out there today too!

Ready?

Interesting running week. Really hard session on Tuesday with the boys including a run from ground zero to the highest point in the Cotswolds. Aggs Hill is one of those climbs that just keeps going and has several points where you think you're there only for it to carry on a bit further. Anyhoo, nearly 10 miles on Tuesday followed by a gentle 6 miler today at lunchtime so about half the weekly mileage as compared to last week. Which sets me up, hopefully, for a good race on Sunday. I'm running ok although I have a feeling a road half marathon is going to tear my already tender toes to pieces :(

Sub 1hr 30 would be good, a PB would be great!

A New World Record

Contact Alastair McWhirter because I broke a world record today. Yep I finally improved my time on the little loop around Cleeve. I didn't really set out to run a fast time, more to put my weekly mileage over the 30 mile mark. But as you can see from the mile splits, I went out quite quick (it's uphill for the first two miles) and then kept on going. Nice conditions for running, mild with a little light rain. So it appears I do have a bit of form and speed in the legs!

Tomorrow I'll be taking my new and improved bike out for a spin around town.

Coasting

Took the opportunity to take in some of the north Cornwall Coastal Footpath this week. On a blowy, raining evening I headed south for 4 miles, turned around and went back. Really good running surface, never ever flat! Most of running surface was dirt track but some very soft sand dunes helped the heart rate a bit. On the return I bumped into two other runners who were turning around after about 2 miles, as they turned around they attempted to join me. The sociable thing would have been to run back to Bude together, but I'm more of a racer than a social runner ;) I think I was about 1/4 mile ahead of them as I crested the final hill.