End of Phase 2 - "Add Volume and Speed"

Sunday, Week 8 of 15

Run: "18 Miles, Slow"
Time Taken: 151 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 256 miles

Week 8:
Total Weekly Mileage: 40.5 miles
Time running: 5 hrs 18 mins

On my mp3 player this week:
The Killers - Hot Fuss
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Thought about setting the alarm, but yet again was woken up in plenty of time by a coughing 3 year old.

Out into the amazing morning at 7:10am. Cloudless blue skies, and snow on the pavements. It was absolutely brilliant, and yet again I was really glad for the cold weather gear I bought in November.

Jogged along the route which I have used for the last two years of long runs, through Saltaire (where my mp3 batteries gave out) to the turning point at 10 miles on the outskirts of Bingley.

I was just thinking that there was a 25 degrees swing on temperature from the last time I'd done the run in June 2005, when I suddenly came to a sign I dread - 'Towpath Closed'. I stood panicking for a few seconds, then noticed the 'Diversion' sign and headed off into the unknown. Instead of a 2 mile jog along a flat towpath, I had a little cross country course which eventually took me down by the river, but fortunately in roughly the right direction.

By Shipley I was back on course, and just in time to watch 5 or 6 fully grown men throwing heavy weights atached to rope into the canal to break the ice. I'm guessing they were anglers rather than thrill seekers, but they seemed remarkably inept at it. One had two bricks on his piece of string, which were just bouncing on the surface, while another had broken the ice, but couldn't get his device back out agin. Most entertaining, and I guess not something I'd ever see if I weren't out training.

Reached my railway bridge marking 5 miles from home in 1 hr 50 min, feeling really good.

The hill up away from the canal at 17 miles was slightly difficult as it was sheet ice, and I had to slow right down to get up it, but I got home just over my target of 2 hrs 30 mins, still feeling strong.

Good to have got to the half way point of the training in one piece. Head into the third quarter now, with the longest long runs, and a half marathon in two weeks.