Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Up and Down

Is there anyone left who hasn't done the Ice Bucket Challenge yet? I know it's a gimmick and a very self-indulgent one at that but it has raised shedloads of money for a very good cause and raised awareness of the issue to new heights which makes it all worthwhile in my view. The one thing I dislike the most are the moaners who complain about it.

Anyway, back off my soap box and onto running. After Sunday's forgettable slog I was very surprised to be feeling much better on Monday. I kept the effort very easy as my legs were clearly in need of some recovery, but the miles flew by effortlessly.

The same easy effort delivered a faster pace Tuesday, though why the HR would have been about 5 beats higher than expected I can't quite say. Maybe it's a warning sign, maybe it was the humid conditions, or maybe it was due to those annoying clouds of gnats that I kept running through. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of running alongside a lake, on certain occasions you do share the road with a million of those tiny critters. It was bad enough for me to contemplate changing my usual running route for a while.

No such problems on Wednesday as I was heading up the mountains once more. It is getting much darker already in the mornings, dawn was only just breaking when I hit the road just before 6 am but it was bright enough to see clearly by the time I reached the trail. I ran across Windy Gap twice, for the first time in almost 2 months, and my legs clearly are no longer accustomed to that kind of work. By mile 10 I just about had enough, thankfully most of the remaining 2 miles were downhill. I was glad to get home, the legs were just about okay but I would not have fancied running any further. Mind, I found it strange that the HR for such a tiring run could be lower than for the previous day's effort that had felt so much easier!

I did measure 2 things over the last few days. One was my resting heart rate, which came out as 45. During most of the year, it tends to be in the lower 40s, so that figure is more or less in line with expectations, even if it had been as low as 38 just before Belfast. The other measurement was my waist circumference. To be honest, I only do that when I want to wind up Niamh - it worked a treat too, though I'm not sure how I managed to get to 72cm/28.5in. My weight is at the pretty usual 146 pounds (10st6, 66kg), I sure am not dieting and my mileage, while not exactly low, has seen significantly higher numbers in the past. Never mind.

The legs are fairly achy today, owing to the mountain run. I'll take it easy for a couple of days, do a long-ish run over the weekend and then see where I am. I won't be tapering for Dingle as such, but will be taking it easy for 2 or 3 days beforehand.

Oh, if you want to run Dingle, you have until Thursday to sign up. You know you want to. It's going to be the last time ever for the 50 miler - don't miss that!

25 Aug
10 miles, 1:18:49, 7:52 pace, HR 139
26 Aug
10 miles, 1:16:39, 7:39 pace, HR 148
27 Aug
12.26 miles, 1:52:06, 9:09 pace, HR 146
   Windy Gap x 2

4 comments:

  1. 66kg is a good marathoner's weight. Don't think I looked to healthy at 71 in the old days.
    The ice bucket challenge has given great awareness to the issue, as well as raising a heap of money. Must say I'm liking the "blooper" videos the best. The one with the girl getting bucked off by the horse while losing her top was a cracker!

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  2. A real pity that I've Achilles niggles & reluctantly am restraining myself from entering the Dingle 50 before midnight - have never run it, & looks like I never will. As ever, looking forward to your race report - I bet you'll surprise yourself by how well you'll run Thomas. Good luck! Andrew

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  3. You are right about the "Ice Bucket Challenge" but I still bemoan the fact that people will not give without letting everyone else know they are doing it. Still donating is what everyone should do whatever their reasons for it.

    Good to see you still hard at it. I think I've a few years left in me too.

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  4. Love your comment about the Ice Bucket Challenge. Couldn't agree more.

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