Working on it

The kids are getting more and more excited by the day, Santa is nearly here, and all they want is for the days to pass. Christmas is a truly exciting time for young children. The one thing that they don’t really subscribe to is being good. I think they managed to work out last year that the presents will come anyway.

The alarm was supposed to wake me at 5:55 on Wednesday, but the boys managed to beat that by half an hour, and after making breakfast for Shea and trying to get Cian to be quiet it was pretty much time to get up – just as the boys were heading back to bed (mummy and daddy’s bed, that is). The weather has definitely improved a lot recently; there was no sign of rain and very little wind, but it was quite cold. For the first time this year I wore running tights, and two layers at the top, and I got it right, anything less would have been too cold. Like on Monday I tried to run relaxed and easy but still at a decent clip. It worked very well on the first half, and on the return leg I added 12x100 strides into the mix. This of course increased my average heart rate, but once again I was quite pleased with the low reading at the end of the workout. The one thing bothering me slightly was the darkness, it was still pitch dark by the time I got back home, but there’s nothing I can do about it but wait.

On Tuesday I was slightly dismayed at my low HR at what should have been a faster run, and especially after reading Andrew's comment I made sure to work harder today. I made a mistake when choosing the route. It had stopped raining for two or three days and I figured all the dirt roads should now be easily accessible and passable again. I wanted to get off the asphalt surface, but I miscalculated. It turns out that the road was still wet and muddy and uneven, and running the dirt segment in the dark wasn’t the best idea. Since this was supposed to be a tempo run I still tried to push the pace, until I very nearly twisted my ankle. On a slippery slope my foot turned one way and my leg the other, and I don’t know how I managed to get out of the situation without hurting badly. I did heed the warning and slowed down until I got back to the proper road again, which was only half a mile away at that point. I accelerated again and finished the rest of the run at a good pace. I probably overdid it a bit, because the HR was a bit higher that expected, and I must be careful not to run too hard. Still, I was happier with today’s run than Tuesday’s.

My right Achilles is bothering my a little bit. It’s not really hurting, just a slight feeling of discomfort, and I can feel it every evening and on occasions in the morning as well. The one time it doesn’t bother me at all is when I’m running, which is why I’m not too worried about it. But I will keep an eye on the situation.

I’ve got two more days in Kerry before we drive up to Dublin once again. I hope I’ll be able to keep the training going day in day out, despite the predictable objections of my mother-in-law, who seems convinced that I’m about to drop down dead from over-exertion. She’s a lovely woman, really, but her constant whining about my running can grate sometimes (and no, she doesn’t read this blog).

20 Dec: 11 miles, 1:33, 8:27 pace, avg. HR 147, including 12x100 strides
21 Dec: 7 miles, 52:41, 7:31 pace, avg. HR 163