Ok, this time I really left is too late with the update. I actually had things to say - what was lacking was the motivation. I guess the lockdown is starting to get to me. I'm sure it the same for most of you out there.
Early February was the anniversary of my last real race, the famous Donadea 50k. I might have had a shocking run but it was my only race last year, so something of a highlight, if rather unexpected.
We did a virtual 50k. It would not be Anto if there were no event. On the day of the race itself I woke up to a surprise scene, there was snow outside and the roads were icy, so I went on the treadmill instead. Obviously the plan was to run 50k but after about 15k my left Achilles started to hurt and by halfway it was bad enough for me to call it a day and step off. If it had been a real race I undoubtedly would have soldiered on but for a virtual event I really could not build up the enthusiasm to run through the pain. I gave it some rest for the rest of the day and went on again the next day to finish it off. Surprisingly I felt much better on Sunday, though it was still on the treadmill because the weather was still rather uninviting. I finished off the second half of the race and was actually tempted to do the whole thing but it was also Valentines Day and my date was waiting for me, and sacrificing my marriage for a virtual race was definitely not on.
Funnily enough, that Saturday was the last time my left Achilles bothered me, it's been fine since that 25/25 double. Mind, I also changed the shoes I use for the treadmill, which may or may not have something to do with it as well.
Ever since then I have definitely lacked some motivation. I started going up the local mountains again, now that the snow has melted. Since then I've been up Bray Head twice and Great Sugarloaf once. I'm lucky enough to have these within my 5k radius, which I definitely appreciate. Lockdown would be a lot worse otherwise.
I did have one attempt at a speedy workout, mostly because my local running club has a league going, a virtual one obviously, and this month it was a 10k. I didn't race it but went at it at tempo effort but was still a bit shocked to clock up a whopping 46 minutes. Sure, I had done next to no speedwork and I'm yet another year older but that's just ridiculous.
I eventually decided that there is a chance that doing speedwork in Peoples Park isn't a real reflection of my pace. I had done a mile TT there around Christmas and that had been equally shocking, and a bit out of kilter with other runs. It might have something to do with the fact that half of the lap consists of a dirt/gravel path which may, just may be a slow surface. I guess I'll pick somewhere else for my next time trial and see how that compares.
