Wilmslow Photos

Saturday, Week 12

22 Miles, Slow

Slept downstairs and set the alarm for 6:40am so I could be out and back by a reasonable time.
Debated whether I shoudl just wear a T-shirt on top, but in the end decided I should wear the base layer too. A good decision.

Out at 7am then and feeling really good for the first time in ages. Up the hill to Cookridge and then across to Otley Road and down to Headingley feeling almost eurphoric.

At Hyde Park the drizzle started, but I was still feeling really good, striding along, and I ran through the centre of the city, arriving at the 8 mile point at the canal after exactly an hour.
By now though, the rain was getting heavy, and it was close to freezing. As I ran to join the canal I hit a patch of black ice and just stayed on my feet.

A couple of miles later, I was completely soaked to the skin. the rain turned to heavy snow and I got a headache that stopped coherent thought. For 30 minutes or so I retreated into my head and just kept running. My mp3 headphones started making crackling noises so I switched it off and didn't even have The Jam to take my mind off things.

Just beyond Rodley I stopped to try to tuck my headphones into my pockets, but had no feeling whatsoever in my fingers and just kept pulling them back out of the pocket.

By the time I left the canal though, things were looking up. I was still soaked through, but the rain had stopped and I felt strong running up the big hill; probably the best I've felt of all the times going up there on my long runs this year. The feeling continued all the way home, and I got back in 2 hrs 54 mins - a quicker pace than my first marathon.

So after a long three weeks or so of negative, tough training I feel like I've turned the corner and started the downhill to the finishing line (where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel).
Two rest days now to start off the taper.

Friday, Week 12

4.5 miles, Easy

Thursday, Week 12

1 mile jog, then 4 miles brisk, 1 mile jog

After a bad night's sleep with a lumpy throat, I was disappointed to see that my tem,po run was a mile longer than I thought.

Went Ok though, and kept it comfortable at about 6:45 minute miles.

Wednesday, Week 12

1 mile jog, 6 miles Fartleks, 1 mile jog.

After a relapse of the sore throat, I dropped this week's 7 mile slow run, and moved my Fartleks to today so I could do them on the way home from work.

My legs felt really, really heavy, and the sprints were more like heavy lumbers culminating in a breathless collapse and a long jog to recover.

Was just about getting into the swing of it when I finished. Yet another negative experience, but it's that time in my schedule.