John was in touch yesterday, to see how my legs were after Thursday's speed session. I let him know that they were quite stiff and the right leg in particular was sore behind my knee. His advice was to take it easy today if my legs were still sore, and we'd do a long run in the middle of the week instead. So, bearing that in mind, I went for a run this morning at 7am. My target was 10 miles, first of all I drove the route taking notice of the mile markers, and then I left some water at the 5 mile mark and drove back to the gates of the Harriers. I was stiff at the start so I decided to do a warm up lap and see how I felt. Despite the the fact that I was a bit tight, I was determined to give it a go anyhow. I still wasn't fully comfortable at the two mile marker and I was thinking of turning around and coming home, but I then I was thinking that my legs have been stiff after nearly all of our training sessions, and I nearly always want to turn around after two miles, so I should quit my whining and keep going.
I had a similar debate with myself at each mile, and then I took a break and stopped the watch after 5 miles. I started to walk back, and then after a minute started to run. My right leg was quite sore, and I felt this wasn't right, it should be fully warmed up by now, and while I'm usually tired by this point I haven't been in pain before. I tried to walk it off, and then run some more, but things weren't improving, so I just walked back. That left me walking around 4 miles in a soaking wet t-shirt, cursing myself every step of the way. Why hadn't I gone on a shorter route? I could have done it twice if I felt like it! Then of course there's the shame of being dressed like a runner, going like a walker. I was tempted to exaggerate my limp, just so anybody driving by would know that I was injured, rather than have them think I'd given up.(I'm sure they probably didn't notice me at all, but these are the things I was thinking at the time). Anyway, I got back to the car around 9.30am, with my stopwatch telling me I'd run for 61 minutes. (I'd been at 52.20 min at 5 miles), my legs were aching, and I was looking forward to a cold bath.
I've had the cold bath, and I'm supposed to be reffing some rugby games this evening in the Midlands Midnight 7's up in the rugby club. I'll have to get a massage and see if that helps, and then if that fails I'll just have to consign myself to the role of touch judge.( It's much easier to hold a beer while doing the touch anyway!) I'm really looking forward to this afternoon and have been for a while. I really hope Mick Glew can work some magic, and there's not too much wrong with me.
So that's the end of the 6th week of training. This day 5 weeks is the Half Marathon, and what have I learned?
1. The body reacts quite quickly to training, it's amazing how fast things have progressed.
2. Running is as much a mental activity as it is a physical battle, sometimes you nearly talk yourself into a "I can't continue" attitude, and when you change that sentence in your head to "one more km", things become easier.
3. Running with others is definitely better, I reckon it cuts the mental battle in half.
4. When on a nights drinking, the thoughts of running the next day don't seem too bad.
5. Running after a nights drinking is torture, The Americans could use it, to get info out of Terrorists.
6. Listen to good advice when your given it, I know I will be in future.
Well, this has been a long post, one of the side effects of writing in the daytime, as opposed to just before bed I suppose! Until Tue night, Slán.
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