Friday 9 July
Mileage: 7.5 miles, AM: 3.75 miles PM: 3.75 miles
Friday is the nearest I get to a rest day. After a hard training session on a Thursday I am always very tired on Friday. This Friday was no different. In fact Thursday’s session was so tough that I was even more tired than normal. My run to work in the morning was an effort, but still enjoyable and loosened my tight and stiff muscles. My run home later that afternoon was a lot tougher than the morning run, as my muscles twitched and ached at the strain. I got home and was truly shattered. I found myself lying on the sofa falling in and out of sleep with the Tour De France highlights in the background. Thankfully I woke in time to watch another magnificent effort from the two Marks. They truly are exceptionally gifted athletes.
Saturday 10 July
Mileage: 14 miles (including Saturday session)
With Alex still away this Saturday we were again left to our own devices. Last week Seamus chose and led the session. It was a lung and leg busting pyramid session, but very enjoyable. This week I chose the session and I have to admit I was a little self indulgent picking one of my favourites: 8*800m with 2 minutes recovery between each effort. I like it, because it is geared towards endurance training and is good for half marathon and marathon training and I’ve always loved long and numerous reps. I didn’t feel too bad though, as Seamus and Colin, who had agreed to do the session with me, are both in training for the longer distances.
The morning air carried a mist of rain, which showed no sign of lifting as I left the house. Today was another bleak, cold, wet morning that belonged more to October than July. I think my legs sympathised with the mood of the weather, as they felt pretty tired and heavy from the hard week’s training. My right leg was particularly heavy and tight around my groin and hamstring. It was a bit of a trudge moving up the road, but by the time I met up with Colin on Dundas Street I was feeling a little better. Colin and I ran to the Meadows and arrived just after Seamus. We waited a short while to see if anyone else was coming. During this time Seamus told us he had been out for a few drinks the night before and was a little hungover. After 10 minutes no one else had appeared so we jogged to the Millennium Stone at the bottom of Middle Meadow Walk where we started the reps from.
The 800m route that we use is actually between 835-850 meters depending on the exact line taken. It starts at the bottom of Middle Meadow Walk and runs to the top towards Melvile Drive, where a sharp left is taken on to the footpath which is followed for about 250m before taking the next footpath to the left which angles back towards the Millennium Stone to make an almost complete triangle. It’s a perfect route.
We all seemed a little lethargic at the start line and as we set off my legs felt straight away like they were working very hard. Colin and Seamus moved to the front and began to pull away slightly. My right leg felt heavy and stiff and I started to wonder just how much of the session I would be able to do, however, as we hit the final third of the rep and the run back to the stone I caught up with them and tucked in behind, so that we crossed the line together in 2minutes 50 seconds (5 minutes 24 seconds per mile pace), which was pretty good. The next two were pretty much the same and the three of us worked hard together. After the third one, Eric, an Edinburgh Athletics Club veteran, found us and joined in, so we were a four. Eric wasn’t quite as quick as us so we staggered the start giving him a 20 second head start at the beginning of each rep, which also gave the three of us something to aim for. Our fourth rep was a couple of seconds quicker and this was thanks to Seamus picking up the pace. Not bad for a man who had enjoyed more drink than the sleep the night before. I actually felt quite good as we hit the half way mark of the session. Although I was still feeling a little stiff and sore, my legs now felt loose and my lungs strong, so I pushed the next few reps. On each of the next three I was a little ahead of Seamus and Colin, which was a nice confidence booster, as since I have been back from holiday I have spent most training sessions following the two of them. On the last rep I really went for it and streaked a head of the other two and quickly caught Eric, however, I had clearly set off too quickly, as we turned at the top of Middle Meadow Walk my legs turned a little jelly-like and Seamus caught and passed me. I did manage to find a bit of extra pace as we turned for the last time to head back, but it was not enough to catch Seamus who finished impressively.
My times had dropped to the mid and low-mid 2.40’s by the end, which is about where I would normally hope to be running when doing this session, so I was more than pleased. It was a good session and it was great to have Seamus and Colin for company, as we worked well together pushing each other and making sure we ran good times rather than mediocre ones, which I am sure I would have run if I had been forced to do that session on my own on such a bleak Saturday morning. Thanks guys.
As I type this I am feeling pretty good about my running, my pace and endurance is getting closer and closer to my pre-holiday state. The only thing now is my weight. I am still carrying 3kg more than I did before and I know that this is slowing me down a bit. I am trying to eat healthy and I’ve not had a drop of booze in 3 weeks, but still the weight isn’t shifting. It may be that I am simply eating too much, but I get so hungry and I am hungry all the time. Hopefully my high mileage will eat into that (excuse the pun) weight, as I really don’t want to cut back on the quantity of my breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Tomorrow is long run day. Hopefully there will be a good group of us and we will manage a good 20 miles at a reasonable pace. I am looking forward to it.
My Times:
1) 2.50 (5.24 minutes per mile pace)
2) 2.51 (5.28)
3) 2.50 (5.28)
4) 2.48 (5.18)
5) 2.47 (5.17)
6) 2.45 (5.14)
7) 2.43 (5.12)
8) 2.45 (5.14)
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