AM: Easy Run 2 laps of Lyminge
PM: Went out from home on a longer run
tonight, still quite easy though after yesterdays long run and race on
Saturday. Went through Rhodes Minnis out to Wheelbarrow Town nr Stelling Minnis
and back
AM: Distance: 6 miles
Time: 00:51:27 Ave Pace: 8.34 m/m
PM: Distance: 10 miles
Time: 01:18:50 Ave Pace: 7.53
m/m
Tuesday 19/02/13
AM: Easy Run 2 laps of Lyminge, felt a bit
fresher this morning and pace was a little quicker than usual on my morning
runs.
PM: First night in our New Club House, The
Three Hills Sports Park. After a long wait we have finally made it and its our
Monthly Club Handicap tonight as well.
Went off for warm up which was a bit
shorter than normal. Then starting off
on 15 mins handicap it left me with a three minute gap on the next pair
of Rona & Mick!! Not quite the same
zip as last time and I was about 10s per mile down – probably down to heavy
weekend rather than having nobody to chase. However pushed on through and
finally caught Rona at The Girls Grammar School on the 2nd lap and
then managed to get past a few people towards the end. Afterwards did couple of
miles cool down before going back to club for supper.
AM: Distance: 6 miles
Time: 00:47:55 Ave Pace: 7.59 m/m
PM: Distance: 8 miles
Handicap Time: 0:26:35 Handicapp Ave Pace: 5.59 m/m
Wednesday 20/02/13
AM: Easy run this morning only 1 lap as
doing long run with Lucy tonight and wanted to loosen the legs up
PM: Long Run with Lucy tonight, bitterly
cold and quite a strong easterly wind blowing. We parked in Tesco’s Cheriton
and then made our way back into Folkestone up Cherry Garden Ave and then round
top the East Cliff, first three miles were all pretty even into the wind
8.37/8.37/8.38. We then had a nice downhill section past then East Cliff
Pavilion and down into the Durlocks round past the Harbour and onto the leas
coastal footpath. Downhill miles were 8.17/8.17. Pace slowed a little along the
Lower Leas path and into Sandgate as a bit darker and undulating to
8.37/8.22/8.23. However once we got onto the seafront with the wind behind us
we managed to settle into a good pace all the way along to the Gravel Pit
entrance about half mile the other side of Palmarsh Garage - 8.11/8.09/8.09/8.12/8.10. Upon turning back
to Folkestone we were running straight into the icy wind and pace dropped about
10s per mile to 8.22 & 8.23. Now into the last three miles along Seabrook
Road we were really concentrating on not letting the pace slip any further and
subsequently ran a bit faster logging 8.12 & 8.19. However the last mile
was up the steep bit of Horn Street and after 17 miles Lucy began to feel the
gradient and had to slow down so the last mile was 9.18, but a very respectable
over time of 2hr 31mins which rougly equates to 2’48 for 20 miles and 3’41 for
marathon!!!!
AM: Distance: 4 miles
Time: 00:33:41 Ave Pace: 8.25
m/m
PM: Distance: 18 miles Time: 02:31:19 Ave Pace: 8.24 m/m
Thursday 21/02/13
AM: No Run
PM: No Run
tired from yesterdays long run and National on Saturday
PM: Distance: 0 miles
Time: 00:00:00 Ave Pace: 0.00
m/m
PM: Distance: 0 miles
Time: 00:00:00 Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m
Friday 22/02/13
AM: Easy 4 miler as easing off for National
XC Championships tomorrow
PM: No Run travelling up to Sunderland for
National XC
AM: Distance: 4 miles
Time: 00:34:00 Ave Pace: 8.29
m/m
PM: Distance: 0 miles
Time: 00:00:00 Ave Pace: 0.00
m/m
Saturday 23/02/13
We travelled up to Doncaster on the Friday
evening and then made the 2 hour journey up to Sunderland on the morning of the
race. Arriving in Sunderland we were greeted to a course covered in 2-3 inches
of snow!! The ground was very wet and waterlogged as the snow was thawing and
we had to put our tent up in a right muddy mess!! The ladies were off at 14;20
and our race was at 15:00 so as soon as they went to the start I started my
warm up going part of the way round the course. Where all the juniors had run
over the snow early most of it had melted and the course was now just sloppy
freezing cold mud the whole way round. I managed to see our ladies go by on the
first lap but by now I was beginning to lose the sensation in my toes on my
left foot due to the cold. Got back to
our tent got my spikes on just about getting some feeling back into my toes
before doing a few drills and strides, then off to the start (which was about
100m wide!!)
On the gun ran hard and by the first turn I
could judge that I was well up the field and knew that I wouldn’t be able to
keep that pace going all the way round so just ease of a little, there was mud
everywhere and we were getting wet and truly splattered from the splash back
from all the other runners, half way round the first lap my toes had gone on my
left foot and were starting to go on my right. Most of the time it was head
down just trying to make sure of your footing and not get stuck in the thick
mud. By the end of the first lap I was now in a comfortable groove and heard a
spectator shout that we were in the top 400 or so. This really gave me a lift as at this point I
was getting passed and was starting to go past a few people myself and I was
now thinking if I did not lose to many more places I could have a good position
at the end. At the end of the second lap I went passed a Tonbridge guy and this
gave me a lift as it was another Kent runner, now I wanted to try and stay
ahead of him and this helped round the last lap, by now it felt like all the
strength had been sapped out of my legs and I was just going through the
running motions and running on two stumps as all the feelings in both feet had
gone and not returned. With about a mile to go the Woodford vet who I had a
sprint finish with at the Southern’s last week went past and I tried to stay
with him but couldn’t and he got about 14s on me by the end. Coming round the last corner I could hear all
the Tonbridge supporters going mad as the guy who I had overtaken early went back past me and even mustering my sprint finish I could still not get back to him, as he was 24 years younger than me I’ll let him off that one. So finished absolutely caked in mud, freezing
cold but quite happy I had a good run, frustratingly as these events are now
chip timed you don’t know where you came until you see the results. However I
managed to find a copy as we were leaving and my position was 327th
which I was overjoyed about as by previous best had been 411th at
Alton Towers. However it didn’t take look to start thinking that another 35s
and 28 places and I could have been in the 200’s!!!!! Oh well that’s what keeps us coming back for
more!!! Splits:
6.06/6.45/6.46/7.05/6.52/7.08/7.16/5.02
Travelled back to Leeds about an hour and a
half drive and finally got the feeling back in my toes with the radiator
blowing on them at about 19:30. We then
went out and had a nice curry.
PM: Race Distance: 7.5 miles Race Time: 00:52:07 Ave Pace: 6.51 m/m
Total Distance run today: 10 miles
Garmin Connect: National XC Championships
Local Sky TV Video clip of National XC - HERE
Sunday 24/02/13
AM: Travelling back home from Sunderland,
feeling very achy and tired so didn’t do any running today!!
AM: Distance: 0.0 miles Time: 00:00:00 Ave Pace: 0.00 m/m
Weekly
Summary
AM
|
PM
|
TOTAL
|
|
Monday
|
6
|
10
|
16
|
Tuesday
|
6
|
8
|
30
|
Wednesday
|
4
|
18
|
52
|
Thursday
|
0
|
0
|
52
|
Friday
|
0
|
4
|
56
|
Saturday
|
0
|
10
|
66
|
Sunday
|
0
|
0
|
66
|
Needed to get a long run in this week, so
did 18 with Lucy on Wednesday, which was probably to close to the National, but
the Marathon is the “Bigger Picture”. So subsequently had day off on Thursday
to recover and on Sunday for travelling home. These are the first days that I
have not run since Marathon training started at the beginning of
December!! Next week we have the Thanet
20 so long run will be a race!
