Hiding Away

Could you imagine having to spend you entire life with a sociopath with OCD tendencies? No, me neither. Niamh, on the other hand, has of now 15 years of practise. Wow. She more than deserved a long weekend away in a treehouse, and before you get the wrong impression, that's a treehouse that did not only featured things like hot shower or kitchen, but also a hot tub. She liked it. Happy Anniversary!

Of course she still let me get out for my daily run. She's great like that. I got to explore a whole new set of roads, which I did 3 times in 2 days, with 2 runs on my own and one run/walk with my new secret running buddy.

Unfortunately, these things never last long enough and much too soon it was time to head back home and face reality again.

This morning, I went back on the Kerry Way for the first time in ages. What I had not anticipated was the fact that several weeks of almost relentless rain would have turned the dirt road into a mud bath. I really should have managed to figure that out myself and taken the off-road runners instead of sliding all over the place in my road runners. As a result the run was much slower than anticipated because I spent much of my time trying to stay vertical rather than making progress. I therefore bagged Windy Gap only once instead of the planned two times; it truly lived up to its name, though.

There was some discomfort in both knees, especially on the downhills, the right one being a bit worse than the right one.

The HR reading seems too low today, though it's hard to tell as I was unable to run properly for much of it. It's the second time in a few days that I don't really believe the HR. I think my chest strap is on its way out. It would not be much of a surprise, the thing is well over 4 years old and has seen a lot of use. There is a crack appearing at one point; I guess it's time to look for a replacement.

The legs are feeling a bit beat up by now, which is most likely due to the increased mileage as well as today's mountain run. I'll take it east tomorrow.

30 Jul

am:10 miles, 1:15:45, 7:34 pace, HR 149
pm:4 miles run/walk

31 Jul

8 miles, 1:00:52, 7:36 pace, HR 150

1 Aug

10.8 miles, 1:39:02, 9:10 pace, HR 133(?)
   on the Kerry Way