9 Weeks to go........W/b 18 February 2013

Monday 18/02/13
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!

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