Summary

I have been pretty lax updating this for a week or so, however I have still been running. After the last one I wrote about I did 4 fast miles on the Thursday, I think I did some running on Friday and then had the weekend off. This Monday I went out on another 16 miler and ran it in 2 hours 25 seconds which was fantastic. I used some jelly babies, wore my gloves and went further along the marathon course, to about 9.5 miles which is where the loop finishes as well. I did another fastish run on the Tuesday and felt good, though a little sore as expected. Wednesday off as usual and Thursday I went out again, planning to do 6 at speed. I don't know whether it was the second 16 in 2 weeks, or whether it was because at the youth club I helped at we played a game which basically amounted to me doing many very violent squat-leaps, but when I started the run my quads just above the knee felt weird, as if they were flapping a bit. Thought about calling it off but headed on since I thought it was just a niggle. About 3 miles in I started to think something might not be quite right as on my right leg it felt like it might go at some point. About 3.5 miles in I had to stop as it sort of gave up. Annoying. It's not a serious problem I don't think, but I'm taking the rest of the week off, and next week will aim to just do runs on flat and reasonably short distances. I might even do some swimming instead, but since I should be running in a half marathon a week on Sunday I need to be careful.

Blergh. I've done what I can with ice and deep heat stuff, and though they were particularly sore yesterday evening walking downhill, I think I'll be fine.

Tuesday too

Quick post for a quick run. Just a recovery I guess, since I definitely felt a bit of yesterday's run in my legs once I got moving, but it wasn't too much trouble.

3 miles
0:22:38
Conditions: dark
Mood: Happy.

Two's company

Ran the first of what I guess you might call the long distance runs on Monday with Tom. It was great running with him since he is a speedy man and also massively motivated so we got through it together, with my pacing and his determination. Very happy when we'd done it, but very tired. Got some muscle spasming in my left quad(?) at about mile 13 for a second or two, but we slowed down and got round in a good time, for me anyway. Dad said that the spasm is because of overworking the muscle without enough carbohydrates in the body (or some such madness) which makes sense since I hadn't really eaten properly beforehand - two bits of toast, a sandwich and a mars bar don't really constitute "carb loading".

16 miles
2:08:00
Conditions: good, light wind, light rain at times
Mood: Elated.

Getting faster

Out again today, all alone though. Headed towards King's, the science buildings, turned right, headed back towards the park, turned left, ran along a bit, turned right to the park and hoooome. Put a fair bit of pace into it but feel good at the end and felt good for most of it too.

4.37 miles
00:31:42
Conditions: wet underfoot
Mood: Very happy

Logging

Totals so far.
03/01/11 Week 1: 15.7 miles
10/01/11 Week 2: 24.37 miles
17/01/11 Week 3: 32.46 miles
24/01/11 Week 4: Not many - travel and cold.
31/01/11 Week 5: 32 approx?

Last week...

Falling behind in the logging, but not the running. We've been out Monday, Tuesday, Thursday solid, with football on the Wednesday between.

Monday was an interesting one. Big Bird came out for a run with me, which was nice, and we'd planned to go 7 or so miles before I popped off to do another 7 or so. However at the start, about a mile in, I was feeling pretty lightheaded and realised all I'd eaten that day was a bowl of soup and two bits of bread. So we trotted around the 7 miles and then walked home, via the fish and chip shop. Big Bird managed to keep me going without going into a food withdrawal coma, which is just another of his excellent skills. It was a pretty depressingly slow run though.
7.4 miles
01:10:00

Tuesday and Matt E came over for a run in the afternoon after class, and Big Bird again joined us for part of it, taking us around Arthur's Seat. It was pretty nice, but getting dark towards the end, so we splashed through puddles and admired the colour palette of the darkening sky, which provided an impressive backdrop to the ruined chapel and cityscape.
00:52:58
6.4 miles

Today, Thursday, Matt came over again and low and behold we got some early afternoon sun to run in. We decided to do the first part of the marathon course, so home advantage would really count, and headed out into Leith and down to the sea front, which was a very peaceful and calm run until we reached the bright lights of the arcades. We overran our escape point and could have continued all the way along the coast for the rest of the course, but jumped off about mile 6 of the route and came back home in the growing darkness. Fortunately we only got a bit lost once for about 200 metres, apart from not turning home at the right point, but that doesn't really count! A good run which makes up for the lack of miles on Monday.
01:15:00 approx
9.6 miles

On the road again

Back out again today. Just a quick update since I don't have long, but an excellent fast paced run. Felt really good. We went out on Thursday to do some speedwork in a storm and today I did about 7 miles in 48:49 which is pretty pleasing.

In the cold, cold night

Out and about again, planned to follow up my long run yesterday with about 5 miles this afternoon but unfortunately when I got home from classes the beautiful sunny day had turned to rain so no-one was keen to go out, not even me. I left it til later and headed out just a few minutes ago for a shorter run, but tried to do a small bit of speed work and run it at a decent tempo. Was reasonably pleased with the results, could have pushed harder obviously but decent start to the week so far.

2.78 miles
00:19:46
Conditions: Dark
Mood: Bright

Back back back

OK things kicked off again on Monday, after traditional Sunday of rest/tearing up my legs on astroturf. I went out on a long run on a new route, heading towards the motorway in the south of the city. It was quite a nice run; early on the route passes the university science buildings, so I was trudging up hill and obviously my flailing was spotted by a few people I know. Even here it's a boost to get a smile from someone you know, so I'm hoping for a turbo-boost on marathon day! The first half was quite hilly, but it was a steady pace rather than pushing it so it felt fine. There was a "problem part", when I'd got so far out into the wilds (about 6 miles in) that there were fields and smells and things! I turned west and headed across to the dry ski slopes, with wind battering me even more than before and it was a mile and a half that seemed to last for ever. I checked my watch near the start and near the end, and it was only about 15 minutes, but it seemed like an age. I guess the combination of hills, wind and a new route can take their toll.

But soon I'd reached the turn and it was nice from there, mostly downhill after all the climb. I got a bit of cramp which I tried to push through but had to have a walk for a minute or so, which didn't really help, but after that I just kept going. Definitely going to do this run again next Monday, it's a good route with the hills and the slope later on.

13.8 miles
01:35:24
Conditions: very windy
Mood: variable, but huge exercise high at the end.