Sunday, February 17, 2008

Mileage

Honestly, guv, I thought I had increased my mileage really slowly, and I was being good; I did raise my eyebrow when I added this week’s totals, because it was way more than expected. I guess that’s what an extra run does to you, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.

When I left for my run on Friday morning I entertained thought about a faster run. I had awoken in time for 10 miles but the bed felt too nice and warm, and I delayed getting up until I was hard-pressed to finish 8.5. As soon as I did the first few steps I was in for a surprise though, because my quads were rather sore. It must have been a leftover from Wednesday’s 15 mile loop, and a sign that I’m definitely still way off peak shape. 2 months ago 15 miles didn’t even register on my quads (not even 20 miles, really). In the end I sucked it up and didn’t let it affect my miles for the day, but any ideas about a faster run had to be shelved. It went ok, but the soreness in my quads never went away.

Since I got rid of my car in October and I’m not allowed to cycle by doctor’s orders, Niamh had to drive me to and from work each day. The morning drop-offs were no problem because she had to get the kids to school anyway, but the evening pickup was a major inconvenience, because she had to get 4 kids ready and into the car every time, just for a 10-minute drive. On Friday I told her I’d run home from work instead. Initially she was confused (“what, instead of your morning run” “no, in addition”), and I’m sure I heard her mutter something that sounded suspiciously like “nutcase”, but she didn’t protest. On leaving office I packed my work clothes into a backpack and jogged home. It wasn’t ideal; the pack clearly wasn’t designed for running and started swinging wildly. I had to grab the straps with both hands and run with a slightly awkward pose, but I made it home. I had thought about running home in the evening before, it seems an easy way to boost my mileage, but I’ll probably start cycling again next week instead.

The weekend brought some much-needed rest, well, after my Saturday repeat of the Caragh Lake loop, that is. I usually don’t run long on the weekend to spend more time with the family, but I had gotten to bed really early and was up well before sunrise, so 2 hours out of the house when everyone else was still asleep seemed acceptable. I had fun over the hills with my Garmin toy. I ran the downhills aggressively, and it was great to see 5:30 pace displayed in all its glory. So that’s what the fast guys are doing, albeit on the flat rather than half-falling down a cliff. Admittedly, running downhill aggressively isn’t particularly advisable when your quads are sore to start with, and I promise I’ll stop doing that as soon as I’ve grown up. Until then I’ll have some more fun.

Today, Sunday, was a gorgeous clear day, with temperatures around 0C/32F and without any wind for a change. Caragh Lake was incredibly peaceful; I saw a few ducks, one swan, a family of wild goats with some very small babies, and a fish jumping out of the water for insects, apart from the usual collection of birds, sheep and cats. This is a remote road in a remote part of a remote county, and always very quiet. I usually encounter no more than 2 or 3 cars on a morning run, and maybe twice as many on the weekends when I generally run an hour or two later. The sun rose as I was on my way back home and added to the scenery. When I arrived back home I realised that this was the first time since I purchased the Garmin that I hadn’t looked at it even once during my run. The scenery must have been enough to completely take my mind off the effort. I was all the more pleased to see the low heart rate. Things are definitely going the right way.
15 Feb
am: 8.5 miles, 1:08:26, 8:03 pace, HR 154
pm: 5 miles, 41:28, 8:17 pace, HR 151
16 Feb
15.1 miles, 2:01:36, 8:03 pace, HR 153
17 Feb
10 miles, 1:19:59, 8:00 pace, HR 147

Weekly mileage: 73.7 miles in 8 runs

5 comments:

  1. The last time I exceeded your weekly mileage was last September. You'll be topping the 100 in no time.

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  2. Thomas,

    The scenery must have been remarkable. I am lucky to see any sort of wildlife where I live.

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  3. Holy smokes, whatever happened to the 10% rule? No wonder your legs were sore. Take it easy now!

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  4. You're killin me, Thomas! 73 miles. I might be able to out run you as far as an average per run ratio, but I just can't get the consistency that you manage. As long as you're feeling safe and healthy I'm glad to see the numbers creeping back up.

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  5. Hi Thomas

    Good to see the miles piling on. The skins I mentioned on my blog are compression shorts. To find out more about them go to thier web site ....

    http://www.skins.net/gb/en/default.aspx

    They also help with the chaffing. As far as I can see there hasn't been any independant research done to how effective they are but they certainly won't do any harm.

    I've used them on our last two long runs and I certainly feel the difference afterwards but it's hard to know whether that is due to the skins or my fitness!

    You can get full length ones but I bought the half tights as it was my quads that have been sore. They aren't cheap - £40 for the half tights.

    John

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