A Perfect Paddy's Day

After writing Sunday's entry about my great but strenuous 60/60 workout, Niamh and Lola announced that we would go for another walk in the woods like we had done a few weeks ago. This can be surprisingly tough, especially since I am the one carrying Maia on my back. We chose to walk Rosbeigh Mountain, and even though we never got lost, because we always knew where we were, we often didn't know which way to proceed, and out map turned out to be hopelessly outdated. We returned to the car after over 2 hours, and Cian especially was completely exhausted. It was another nice day with the family though.

The price I paid was very sore sore legs on Monday, just as expected. This would normally have been my long run day, but I had planned a 22 mile run, which would have necessitated a 4:35 alarm call. With Paddy's Day on Tuesday I decided to re-jig my schedule, and a 8 mile run allowed me to sleep in until 6:20. Oh the luxury! The legs were slow and heavy, and I felt surprisingly warm, especially once the sun rose above the horizon.

With that in mind I decided to wear a singlet on Tuesday. While it is technically still winter, the temperatures seemed to call for lighter garments. I didn't want to leave it too late and left the alarm at 6:20, but I woke just after 5:30, and when I was still awake 20 minutes later I got up and got ready. It was quite bright at 6:15 and I had a waning gibbous moon straight ahead of me, and even though it was chilly I knew that problem would not last.

I had been fairly apprehensive about the run because of the distance and started quite conservatively at 8:30 pace, but the climb up the hills went well and I knew I would be ok for the day. The sun joined me on my journey at 7 am, and the temperatures rose significantly. The first half of the run was very hilly, the second half merely undulating. I was really surprised by how fresh I felt. I stopped by our driveway at mile 16.5 for a few sips of water, and then took about half a mile to get back into my rhythm. Because of the length of the run I kept resisting the temptation of speeding up until the last 1.5 miles, when I finally let go of the breaks and did the last bit at 6:50 pace.

Niamh commented that I looked like I had merely run around the block, and that's pretty much how I felt. I could easily have run longer and/or faster. I guess there's nothing wrong with my endurance.

It was still a glorious day, not a cloud in the sky and hardly a breeze, and we set off for the Patrick's Day parade in Glenbeigh. Shea and Cian took part in this as part of their school and Niamh walked with them. I joined the spectators with Lola and Maia. The best thing about small-town parades is that they are over quickly, the kids got some sweets, and we were back home after two hours. For once I declined Niamh's offer for a long walk in the woods, and just stayed behind with Cian for some entertainment in the garden. A few ball games with the twins and a few cuddles with Maia rounded off the day. It couldn't have gone better.

16 Mar

8 miles, 1:06:31, 8:19 pace, HR 136

17 Mar

22 miles, 2:55:29, 7:58 pace, HR 146