Monday, December 05, 2005

A Bad Night and a Good Run

Sunday was a bad day. I didn’t feel hung over, but not entirely up to it either. The fact that I hadn’t slept an awful lot didn’t help. The kids were becoming progressively worse, and by bedtime they were complete nightmares. It was well after 9 o’clock when we finally managed to put them down, and then the troubles were not over. I can’t quite remember all incidences from the night, but it involved a succession of children climbing into our bed, a nappy change on a very uncooperative baby some time around maybe 2 or 3, and never more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep. I had set my alarm for 5:30, but at 5:20 I was filling up hot water bottles for the elder two, and there was no point in going back to bed.
Considering all that, it was a miracle how well the run went. I did 14 miles, about 4 or 5 of which were in rain, the wind was blowing for some time, too, and of course it was pitch dark, with temperatures around freezing point. However, I felt fine for the whole run, except at around mile 11 when I could clearly feel my hamstring tighten on a climb. I shortened my stride, which seemed to help. I also started to feel hungry around this point, so I guess my stomach was running out of wheat cereal by then. However, I made it home without problems, and with negative splits as well. I was very surprised when I looked at my heart rate monitor at the end of the run; the average heart rate had only been 151, which was less than on my so-called recovery run the day before. I know Chelle had some funny readings from her hr monitor, and maybe mine isn’t entirely accurate either, but my readings were always believable, so I tend to think that they are correct.

5 Dec: 14 miles, 1:56, 8:17 pace

9 comments:

  1. Maybe the low heart rate readings just indicate that you are in good shape :-) Or your kids had fiddled with the heart rate monitor :-) At least you got your run in. Why do you run so early on a Sunday? Is that the only time you can fit it in?

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  2. Thomas, the run was on Monday morning. Sunday was my 5 miles recovery run after the previous night's Christmas party, but the rest of the day and the following night was pretty awful.
    Monday was a lot better, thank God!

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  3. Nice job on the run though! Gotta luv 'em kids... maybe they ought try to running too! Kidding, I'm sure they do enough of that around the house.

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  4. Al,
    presently my rest days are Tuesday and Saturday.
    Tuesday because that's the day after my long run, and Saturday for the family. Sunday is for a short recovery run only, and all my key workouts are during the week, early in the morning.

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  5. Very good performance in spite of the troubles

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  6. yeah tough night at home nad still a good run :)

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  7. 14 miles with all you had going on? Well done!

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  8. Thomas, if you weren't in Ireland and lived in the States I would send you some gels! Someday these 3 kids will have kids of their own, and you will have the last laugh when they want you to babysit while they run their own marathons. Good job getting the run in.

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