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York - Week 11

Yorkshire, home of the puddings...
Week Eleven

This week in numbers ...

Miles ran : 57.67
Wine drunk : 1 bottle
Beers drunk : 1 pint of Guinness
Mojitos drunk : 1
Weight : Monday 11st5lbs - 72g
Sunday 11st52lbs - 71kg

Monday 9th September

Rest day as always but foolishly I had booked in an 8am massage appointment today, I hadn't thought this through very well. Way too much beer was drunk yesterday and very little food was eaten.

Woke up at 7:30 and the room was spinning, couple of black coffees and I felt a bit more alive and got through the morning okay but I really needed an afternoon nap today, I'm getting old.

Was tempted to go out for some easy miles but sensible head told me to take a rest day.

Tuesday 10th September

Track tonight and legs feel pretty good but I still feel a bit shitty, the hangover has gone but I'm starting with something.

We're doing 9 x 400m with reducing recovery, I like this session as it builds up on you before you realise it and when you get to the 20 sec recovs it hurts like hell. Went out and did 4 miles warm up and then headed to the track.

I was busy still sorting the groups when B team shot off and started rep one, I had to sprint 50m to catch Vicky and Greg and they told me we were having a chatty one, it didn't feel very chatty.

As the session went on my legs started to feel better and I weaved from the third B group up to the first B group and hung at the back ticking off the laps, session finished and I felt good but was pretty happy when Jim suggested a walk home, not a run.

Wednesday 11th September

Easy miles day, went out early before starting a day of massage appointments. Up along to Tynemouth, loop the fountain in front of the priory and head back.

The wind on the way back is a pain in the arse but it's easy pace so no problems. I'm listening to my GNR playlist, it's an eclectic mix of Fontaines, New Order, Idles, My Life Story and a smattering of Sugababes. You can't beat a bit of the 'babes when you're running.

Get home, shower, take Murph for a walk which he hates as he doesn't like wind and then I need to pack a suitcase. I may have done something a bit silly...

I've been back from Gran Canaria for a couple of months but I sort of accidentally booked another holiday to Lanzarote flying out next week. I'm not sure how this happened but it's booked now so I've got to go, I'm ashamed of myself but fuck it, it's a week of all inlcusive'ness in the sunshine.

Thursday 12th September

It's threshold Thursday.

I screwed this one up a bit last week and changed it from threshold to mara pace because it was too windy, today I need to nail it at the correct pace.

The session is 1x2 miles and then 3x3 miles with 2 min static recovery after each one. It's windy and it's a bit cold but I'm determined to get this one done properly today.

Pace is 7:15-7:35 per mile, it's not a killer but it builds up on you pretty quick.

For a weird reason I like doing these sessions on Whitley parkrun course, I figure if I can hit them on this course I'm in good shape.

2 miles done at 7:23 pace, bang on. First 3 miler done at 7:17 pace and feeling good. There's an old fella and two ladies sitting up by the little stream off the prom and I'm passing him, a lot. Every time I go past he says something to me but I have music on loud so have no idea what he's saying, I smile and do a little nod but he could be calling me a selfish prick for all I know. Maybe he's toilet ladies grandad and he's stalking me.

Anyway start rep 3 and still on pace at 7:27 per mile, slowing and the wind is getting stronger but still on track and old boy is still talking at me on each lap.

Start the final rep and the winds picked up a fair bit, first mile on track and then struggle to hold the pace and slow up a bit. Finish at an average of 7:37, just outside the zone but Ron always said you had a 5 second buffer so I'm sticking with the wisdom of the boss.

Never found out what the old fella was saying to me. Go home and really now feeling shit, it's been getting worse since Monday and I need an afternoon nap to get through the day.

Friday 13th September

Easy miles day but not today.

It turns out that running the GNR in the rain and then standing around for the next 8 hours in your sweaty, soaking wet running gear makes you feel pretty shit. I've had a horrible cold and been shivering since Monday, it's got progressively worse and yesterday's thresholds and then standing on the beach watching the sea striders in my shorts has made me feel pretty shite.

So I decide to take an enforced rest day, work all day and then knock back 1.5 bottles of red wine watching top of the pops 2 which surely will have me ready to do parkrun tomorrow.

Saturday 20th September

It's parkrun day.

Wake up with a hangover and still feel ill and spend a good ten minutes just coughing my lungs up, so naturally it's time to go for a run.

Walk down to the seafront as I don't feel I have the energy to run there and do the parkrun. Arrive and have a chat with Graham, the very, very hungover young Mark, Rich, Ivan, Jamesie and then I see Ben, it's an absolute treat. God I've missed Ben recently, he shuts his curtains now so I've stopped sleeping in his garden, seems pointless.

Mid conversation and people suddenly start running, ah bollocks I've missed the start yet again. Stuck in the pack round the memorial and then I jump on the grass and move up the side and down to the skatepark and onto the prom, feeling okay as I push through the first mile, mile 2 feels alright but I've no idea what pace I'm running, mile 3 hurts a little bit push on and finish with a pleasing 21:10 and then spend 5 minutes coughing my lungs up and feeling very light headed. A trip to co-op and some coffee and coke will fix this.

Tomorrow I need to do 18 miles and I have a plan for a mind numbing, boring run.

Sunday 21st September

Today I need to run 18 miles.

When I marathon train I like to switch my brain off and just run, I think a massive part of training for a marathon is learning to deal with boredom, wanting to give up and pushing through and just grinding this shit out.

So today I'm going to run 18 miles up and down the coast from the dome to the priory and back to the dome, over and over and over again. That's 3 miles all slightly uphill and 3 miles all slightly downhill over and over again. I forgot to buy some sweets and lucozade so I'll be running 'semi-naked' as it were, just gels and salt sticks today.

It's gonna be fucking great.

Turns out it was fucking awful.

Why do I do these things.

I did it for London training and hated it. Oh I know Simon, remember when you did that session you hated, yeah, why not do that again, well that's a superb idea, I think I will.

Idiot.

First loop up through Shields and back to Whitley was okay, saw Ravenhill out smashing it and the E team ladies all smiling and looking happy and that made me feel just little more dead inside, I looped the dome and headed back and wasn't feeling good, I did have this idea of maybe doing 20 today but decided 18 was the max.

I spot Parky and get a good fingering from him and reciprocate with a double fingering back at him, then Jenni gets the same and I run along laughing to myself.

On the way back down to the dome and I consider stopping, I want some coke and I have a weird desire to eat some blackberries, they're the new mushrooms. Then I spot the EMC fellas heading towards me, I run past and loop the Sandcastles instead of going right round the dome and then head off after them. Catch Greg and Johnny and run along and have a chat, this slows my pace by 30 secs a mile which is what I need. Up to Marconi point where we discuss none of us know why it's called Marconi point or even if it actually is called Marconi point and we all call it Marconi point because Ron told us that's what it was called and you don't argue with Ron.

Leave the fellas and turn for home, no idea now how far I've ran and heading back to the dome I hit 17 miles, I should have looped the dome and it would have been 18. I should have stayed with the fellas for longer and it would have been 18, oh well, it is what it is and I'm done.

Finish just over 17 miles and pace is 20 secs a mile faster than I'd normally run so that's a positive. Head into co-op for a drink.

Grab a coke, a protein shake and spot the beers but oh no I'm not falling for that one again, last time I had a beer in the morning after a run I felt awful. I learnt that day that even a 4% alcohol beer hits you hard when you haven't eaten and been running for nearly 3 hours, fool me once....

I get a mojito.

It's 10am on a Sunday morning, I'm sweaty and drinking a mojito.

Next week the plan is a bit all over the place, an extra run being squeezed in tomorrow, club on Tues, easy miles on Weds, early morning threshold on Thurs and then flying off on holiday Thursday afternoon where training will obviously drop off massively.

I have googled Lanzarote nudey beaches and am pleased to say there are 3 in playa blanca so that's next week's blog sorted.

It's gonna be a penis fest.

Foam Roller Workshop

Fancy learning how to properly use a foam roller ?

Not just sitting on it for a minute and going 'ooooo'

My next workshop will be on Sunday 29th Sept at the clubhouse at 5pm, places are strictly limited and are £25 so please message me if you'd like to book on.

I'll have also just got back from holiday so will bring sweets!