The alarm went off early again on Friday, at 4 am. I only got 5-and-a-half hours of sleep, but somehow felt reasonably refreshed. I also felt warmer for some reason and decided to leave the long sleeves at home and go out in shorts and t-shirt. Maybe I should have checked the weather forecast because it had gotten a bit colder again, the temperatures had gone down all the way to 0C/32F, and that’s definitely long-sleeve territory. In fact, if I could go back in time, I’d change two things about my run: I’d wear long sleeves (brrr), and I’d wear two sets of pants (ugh). The run itself was pretty good, I was slightly faster than on Wednesday, not that I had been racing my time. Once again I ran the last 5 miles strongly, and when I got to the 1-mile point I thought to myself “stop hammering the last mile, that doesn’t do much for your fitness”, but as soon as I passed that point I couldn’t help it and the legs took off once more. Maybe I’ll stop that kind of behaviour once I’ve grown up, but I was still please as punch to run the last mile in 6:40.
I needed an easy run on Saturday and got it, though I can’t quite explain why the heart rate was higher than on Friday, despite this being slower run. The weather probably didn’t help; it was very windy with plenty of rain showers, but still. Maybe the shoes made a difference? Or was I just in need of recovery?
Whatever the cause, I felt a lot fresher today and felt a good effort was in store the second I left the house. I covered the first mile in 7:11, and took it from there. It was still a bit windy, which meant plenty of head wind on the way out and plenty of help on the way back. I felt good all the way, never particularly pushed the pace, but always kept it at a moderately high effort. Again I couldn't resist pushing a bit more on the last mile, and when I got home my first words to Niamh were “that’s the best 10 miles I’ve ever run in a training run”. She more or less ignored me.
I want to tell you about a little scene before Saturday’s run, but let me give you a little background information first. The training over the last few weeks had gone really well, I seem to have found a workable way to combine a young baby with high mileage, and I’ve been thinking about races in the spring. I know I said at the beginning of the year that I want to concentrate on lowering my marathon time, but somehow that has lost its priority. I guess I’m reasonably happy with 3:12, and I’m still optimistic I can improve my time further in one year’s time (sub-3 at Boston 2009? I can always dream!). Anyway, I did weigh up two possibilities. First choice, bettering my time at the Connemara Ultra. I think I might be able to run the 39 miles in 5:15 (8:00 pace), which would have given me a top-10 finish last year. Then I could run the Bantry half-marathon in May, like last year. And if (and only if) my legs somehow made it through all that punishment in decent shape, I could run the Cork marathon in June, 8 weeks after the ultra. The second choice is to run a 53-mile ultra in Scotland, called Highland Fling, in April. I’d really fancy that one, but if I do it I can do none of the other three races, and that’s why I was already tipping towards the first choice. Anyway, on Saturday I decided to wear long sleeves, and just happened to pull the Connemara shirt out of the cupboard. When I went into the kitchen, Lola’s eyes lit up like candles. “Connemara, I love Connemara. We had such a great time there. Daddy, daddy, can we go there again?” “Funny you should say that Lola, …” I gave a sideways glance to Niamh, and she was smiling knowingly. “I think Daddy can race there again, Lola, and we can all come with him”. And then, 10 minutes later, as I was about to leave the house, Niamh called after me “The marathon or the ultra?” This time I just smiled. I think I’d better sign up soon.
- 23 Nov
- 17 miles, 2:09:30, 7:37 pace, HR 144
last 5 in 36:30 @ 7:18, last in 6:40 - 24 Nov
- 11.5 miles, 1:31:22, 7:56 pace, HR 148
- 25 Nov
- 10 miles, 1:10:38, 7:03 pace, HR 154
last mile in 6:40
Weekly mileage: 91
No No .... do the Highland Fling. It's a great race and will wet your appetite for the full race in 2009.
ReplyDeleteYour kids will love a weekend in Glasgow ... we'll help with accommodation!!
Either one, tell me that you're already signed up, don't blow this opportunity. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really envious of your weekly mileage!