The big run

So the plan goes like this.......
last long run, 18m or so then my favourite bit - the taper.
Finally a bit of the training schedule I know I can do.
The taper, I love it.

Sorry, back to the 'big'run. Went over the woods with my two training parteners. Jogged/walked for nearly 3hrs, don't think I covered alot of distance (14m or so) but with all the up and down hills it was pretty good.
I quite enjoyed it, ran to Crowthorn, Bracknel and Bagshot via Swinley forest - thats where if we get the 2012 olympics the mountain bike stuff will take place.
Finished with energy left, a very tired little dog, and a daughter with a saddle sore bum.

Got very drunk Saturday night (start of the taper!)

loosener

Very slow jog (about 2miles) just to get my legs working again.
Very tired but thigh pain seemed to have eased.
This has become a real chore.

Fleet half

This half marathon was only just down the road for me and was pretty flat - what could be better?
So after a short drive and a short walk I'm there, far to early and feeling like billy no mates standing around on my own. The park soon filled up and then we're ready to go.

The first couple of miles included a hill (twice!) and my left thigh was really paining me. I don't know why and it was only really 'can I do this' bad on downhill bits (not many of those though thankfully).

Plodding along at a comfortable pace, missing mileage markers, until the 4m post when I realised I was still doing the same as at Reading, 10min miles.
Tried slowing down and some walking but that was pretty uncomfortable so I just carried on crossing the line in a clock time of 2:11.

Good bits
Great crowd support (including my daughter and neighbour), good country roads/views, flatish course, know what my comfortable/natural pace is, ran with batman and robin for a few miles, beat the bloke carrying 2 oars.

Bad bits
Not fit enough to do my prefered pace for much more than 13m, none the wiser as to a plan for marathon, really painful right thigh muscle for whole race, no goody bag.

I'm sure there's other stuff but I'm tired, come to think about it I'm physically tired all day everyday now.

Is it just me?

Jack it in?

That dam jack russell. :-)
Went for a run over the woods - planning a steady jog taking it nice and easy, with the Jack Russell for company.
The weathers really changed and it was so hot, I was sweating and feeling the heat even after a few minutes.

When I'd settled into a slower than normal plod the dog was obviously bored and being naturally mischeivious she decided to run between my legs mid stride - results - me on my knees eating dust, the dog sprinting away as fast as it could.
A few minutes later she did it again - same result but with a serious sense of humour failure on my part.
For the next 10mins or so if she came near I kicked out, I dread to think what we must have looked like.
I must have taken my eye off her for a second 'cause she did it again, this time cleanly, quickly, with no contact - then sprinted ahead stopped and just looked at me, I swear she was smiling.
She didn't try it again.
Mission accomplished maybe? I hope so.

Managed 47mins, but without the distractions it was a hard, hot slog with really tired legs.
Fleet half on sunday - deep joy.

mmmmm chicken

Skived off work a bit early tonight, got home just after 5.30 and went straight out for a run.
The plan was to do a steady hour of plodding but after about 10mins I was starving and I knew there was a big plate of spuds, veg and chicken waiting at home.
Only managed to do 43mins before I gave in.

Legs were OK, used a pace that was slow and comfortable, most of my thoughts were about the Fleet half this weekend.

Still, its the works tenpin bowling do tomorrow night and I'm driving. Which is a bit of a result really as I won't be drinking and I'm sure its usually compulsory to get drunk on St.Patricks night if your names murphy - I can't be doing that while I'm in training.
Can I?

Camberley Fun Run

Sunday morning fun run - all my kids love to do it each year in a hotly contested family 3km run. This year, as ever, my youngest (the boy, 7) finished first with me (old man, 41) a close second, the eldest girl (11) not far behind and bringing up the rear, the middle one (girl, 9) on a sunday morning stroll.
3km in under 18mins for a 7yr old!
If I could have caught him I would have tripped him.

Late afternoon I went over the woods at the back of our house for an hour long jog with my friend and training partner sandy, the jack russell.

My thighs are still tired from the reading half, but the jog was good and always enjoyable with an active, unpredictable jack russell in tow.

Really poor training this week because I was stupid on the reading run, but I'm injury free and 5 weeks to go.

The weak end

It was friday night so instead of running I went out for the first time in a long while and drank loads of guinness and boy did it feel good.
This morning I took the children swimming in Guildford, I swam and swam until my legs and arms were like jelly, which probably doesn't make up for the beer last night but as far as cross training goes its gotta be good.
No running since wednesday.

Still tired.

My legs were as knackered tonight as they were at the end of the half marathon. My thighs were just so tired and sore.

Agonising 2.5m.
Lovely soak in the bath.
Great bottle of red wine.

The other reading half

Other stuff about the day!
Didn't even notice the cut on my foot - a bit of blood on my sock at the end but thats all.
My daughter did the 2.5m run and had a warm up session with the cheeky girls who then beat me in the half marathon, which amused her greatly.
Went behind a bush to spend a penny, during which I noticed a young lady doing the same, a gentleman as ever I turned my back, only to pee all over my own shoes.
I was overtaken by 5 blokes in a caterpiller outfit and an emu, but I did beat Elvis and father christmas.
I was bumped into from behind by a blind bloke whom I immediately told to watch where he was going - oops, we had a laugh about it before he ran on ahead.
Anything else?
No thats about it - looking forward to a couple of rest days now.

Reading Half

Decided to run.
Huge number of runners at the start - I lined up at the 2hr 15min post and there was virtually no one behind me.
It was very cold and the start was delayed so keeping warm was a bit of a problem. Then we're off, well sort of, from the back it seemed like a good 5mins walking to cross the line then start a steady jog.
Felt really comfortable keeping a steady pace each mile until about the 9m post, thats when I started to feel it - but stupid as I am I decided to maintain the pace to the end (which I did) no matter what, found myself watch+marker post obsessed.
Running so far on hard surfaces is really tough on the legs, all my training incorperates grass verges and soft surfaces.

So in Summary...................
1) finished in 2:21, less some time to cross the line (which is to fast)
2) maintained a steady pace for the full race (good)
3) didn't walk at all (silly)
4) had a good run but couldn't have run much further, let alone do it all over again

To live through the FLM......
1) discardable bin bag for the start needed (also old gloves/hat/jumper if required)
2) adopt and stick to a run walk policy, probably time based.
3) decide on a mile pace and ensure I never go faster than it - even when I feel good.
4) walk up hills - even small ones

To run or not to run?

Did a nice steady 3 miles yesterday evening.
The cut on the sole of my foot didn't give me any real grief, I knew it was there and could feel the plaster (compeed stuff) in my shoe, but no real discomfort.
Reading half tomorrow and I'm still undecided whether to run or not.
My daughters running the 2.5m fun run so I might decide when we get there (the weather might just sway it).

Blisters or wart?

Compede for blisters - great stuff.
The idea is that you stick it on and it acts as a second skin while the blister heals. Trying it over my cut and it seems good, might even try a little jog tonight.
Keep calling it 'Compound W' by mistake, but that was the stuff my mum used to put on a wart I had when I was little, it went on like tippex, stank and tasted foul (I know you shouldn't taste the stuff but I was only young!)
Anyway, I'm smiling again.

Healing

The first few days were certainly the worst, I can always feel the cut as I walk now but it's not overly painful.
I've had loads of advice, some good, some bad, most of it contradictory but all of it well meant. (thanks all)
At the end of the day it's just a case of keeping it infection free and giving it time to heal.