I’m taking it easy for the last few days before the half, or at least I’m trying to, because the legs are not always following the head. One thing that’s not quite working according to plan is a certain lack of sleep, which may or may not be related to the Full Moon, which has caused problems in that department before.
I did 5 miles on Thursday, with 8x100 strides thrown in. Now that is something I never quite managed to get my head around. How can running strides be compatible with a recovery run? However, Pfitzinger seems to really like this combination, all of his plans have that kind of workout towards the end of the training, and who am I to argue?
For today I had planned 11 miles, and accordingly set my alarm clock for 5:55. When I woke at 6:07 I realised that something had gone wrong. I couldn’t quite figure out what, but the realisation hit me half an hour later, during the run. I had inadvertently set the alarm for 5:55 pm rather than am. Damn those fancy modern digital radio clocks! However, I only had to cut the run short by one mile, so no damage done. What could have caused damage was my pace on the return leg. I had done the first 5 miles in about 41:30, but only took 37:30 on the way home, which is a bit faster than I should have done 2 days before a race. Ah well.
It’s not really relevant to this blog, but at 5 am I spent 20 minutes with Lola looking at the moon and the stars. She couldn’t sleep and was scared, so we just sat there for a while, and enjoyed the scenery outside the window. It was lovely from a father-daughter kind of view, even if the timing was a bit odd.
Niamh called me an hour ago; Cian had been attacked by wasps in the neighbours’ garden. She heard the kids screaming, and by the time she got to Cian he had at least 8 wasps on one leg, 5 or so on the other, and plenty more swarming all over him. He got stung about 10 times, and was screaming in panic. Niamh herself got stung 2 or 3 times while rescuing him. It must have been rather dramatic, but she went to the Doctor, and he was already calm and collected. Niamh says he’s already in good form, but she herself is traumatised. Goodness!
Anyway, the race is on Sunday. I’m aiming for sub 1:38. I’ll let you know how it went.
7 Sep: 5 miles, 46:30, 9:18 pace, with 8x100 strides
8 Sep: 10 miles, 1:19, 7:54 pace
Geez, just one bee sting had me in tears. I'm so sorry to hear about all the drama. Good luck at the race, I'm sure running a little faster than planned won't hurt you much with all your miles to this point.
ReplyDeleteKids seem to have their own schedule as far as "stopping to smell the roses" goes. It's both liberating and special to get invited into their world to spend a few minutes, even if the timing usually stinks.
Isn't it amazing how motherhood can cause us to wade into a swarm of wasps to save our baby! I'm usually terrified of bees and wasps, but would not hesitate in that case. Niamh deserves some pampering tonight - and so does Cian.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the race this weekend!
Ouch! Glad everyone is alright. I remember terrorizing the nests as a kid and got a few bites as a reward.
ReplyDeleteYour running is going so well and I'm excited to see how you do this weekend. It will be a good test and predictor for the marathon. Pace yourself, have fun and good luck!
I'm with Mike...one bee sting is painful..I can't imagine a swarm of wasps- YIKES!! I'm glad all is well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your race tomorrow!!