It's all about Pete's Eats

A lazy start as the urge to scale a proper mountain set in. First of all needed to get something other than Etne's for junior, so parted rather sadly with my money as he's likely to grow out of them in a fortnight and off we set off from Ogwen Cottage up the Glyders. I spotted a couple of runners limbering up and felt some sense of "can't I run too" but these days of sun and family and mountains are not to be wished away.

We lunched at a tarn, went off path under my "expert" direction (must use reading glasses when map reading in future), did some tough scree/scrambly climbing and eventually topped out on the Glyder Ridge where we found the sun and the wind.

The promise of Pete's Eats (and my comment it might shut early this time of year) propelled the valliant crew down to the car and off to Llanberis for the legendary in the Mackem's household Pete's Eats for a pints of coffee, tea, milk shake, large plates of carbohydrate and the Juke Box. A fine end to a fine day

Holiday running

Whilst my marathon running friends were doing final long runs or running Blackpool, I'm lolling around on holiday.

Having had another lie in went out from the cottage with L for run, it's remote and hilly here so I satisfied myself with some long uphill efforts and regrouping with L.

We did a bit of a big dipper along forest roads and tracks trying not land in the valley bottom.

She's doing well the missus and I'm feeling stronger. We saw the sea, a nuclear power station, a lake, Snowden, a telephone mast, a disused mine building, some daff's, lots of Welsh mountains and a few sheep.

A sl more brisk run for me than yesterday, though no great distance, but balancing family and self is a dilema on holiday.

We then roused the offspring and headed down to the George with the bikes and cycled along the estuary to Barmouth and back on a beautiful day for cycling. One off those afternoons when it all works out just right.

So 9km hill running and 25km cycling.

Away at last

Back up to Durham Thurs/Fri to spring mum from hospital and settle her in at home, determined courageous women that lady!

Back home pack and load up car with stuff and bikes and got to Holiday house with L and the boys for midnight.

It is so quiet here, no car noises, just running stream and bleating lambs and a few forest roads to explore.

After a slow am after the late night went out to explore a bit the local tracks with L, steady but enough hills for me to put in a bit extra effort, only 6km but got my bearings for a longer punt without ending up lost tomorrow.

It was warm today, and this place is beautiful. Picked up Beth this pm, so one of those rare weeks as a fivesome with only holidaying to do.

After that fine meal from Beth I'll now have some calories to run off!

it's hilly round here

With Bunny Runs starting tonight and that being a league counter numbers were a bit down at Harriers. So there was a couple of groups too slow and one too fast - so I went with the too fast. To be honest I'd have been confortable with them a year ago so not the really fast lot, but it was light and warm so to off up the moor.

We ran up to White wells then up and through Rocky Valley, down to the Cow and Calf and beneath chez nous and round and down and up a few times.

I managed 5 good hill efforts between a couple of minutes and 10 and 2km at tempo pace, so I'll call that a "session". What was pleasing other than hanging on and not having to make them regroup too much for me was that despite the effort I felt strong towards the end - which I think is payback for Conniston - ie longer miles.

10.1km

59min

1679ft ascent (and presumably descent)

Good session - the hills are your friends drmackem

Rest day tomorrow!

Running Away

Sadly me old mother had a bit of a tumble in the bathroom a week ago and managed to fracture her tibial plateau and proceeded a couple of days later to have a knee replacement. So having failed to do the dutiful thing with work being unforgiving last week and keeping me there til Sat, I took in an early service with the old people at Church on Sun am and headed up north to spend some time with her and to give the little sister a break from the ordeal of hospital visiting. She's a determined lady and is already zimmering and will be heading home soon whether they let her or not.

I get to stay overnight and filled in my time with a couple of runs in Durham.

Having had my sit down, think, plan and talk to myself the short term plan ie next 5 weeks is

1. 2 "sessions" a week - ie long run, hills, intervals, tempo

2. 2 recovery runs a week

3. in 5 weeks will do the Harrogate Ringway with my old Uni mate Pete and whoever we accumulate - so about 23miles plodding.

I need to return to "sessions" after months of running rather than training.

So run 1 in Durham on Sunday

Along the river and around the castle/Cathedral then 400m gps efforts x 5 with 1min rest - not too hard I know but it's me started again. It was nice evening and warm, and there were daffodils and the river paths in Durham are really lovely so I felt all springy and summery and happy for my 5miles.

Run 2 in Durham on Monday

Recovery run from Mums along cycle path to the River in Durham and along a bit and back again in the cold and rain (I knew I was up north proper as other runners were all out in the biting cold and rain in vests and shorts). In 5miles I ran through one of those estates with lots of police cameras high up surrounded by gun protection, over a reclaimed slag heap, onlong a disused railway, past an incredible wall garden, across the river from the rowing club (now that took me back to disco's there 30ish years ago and my brief punk era - oh and other teenage disco stuff), by river paths to see the Cathedral and Castle again before ambling back upt'hill. Steady all the way for another 5miles.

So not far but beginning to get more focussed :-)

New Shoes I

2 new pairs of brand new running shoes bought last week, tonights the night for the first run in the road shoes - Saucony grid pro 2. So first time on had the customary ponce around the house imagining I wearing fast slippers. Then out to harriers and I knew they are just too white, so fortunately it's heaving down and we set off down the dales way which is very muddy, so are my shoes within 400yards and all is well in the world again, new and dirty shoes.
So a steady, wet, heavey legged tromp to Addingham and back via Nesfiled. Still felt sat run in my legs, but I was out there and my shoes are muddy again.

Need to do some efforts on Thursday, discover some speed in the old legs again.

Race Organisers and Visualisation

After a full English at the local YH I ambled down to the start line for the Coniston 14+. I knew I was in no shape for this kind of nonense - 14miles was pushing a little. Now here's a problem - normally speaking I will have nothing ill said of race organisers - they work tirelessly to put these events on, corale volunteers to marshall, liase with police, schools- this case, the local community and armies of bakers and tea ladies, champion chip people, goody bag fillers........... getting my point, so they are the good guys. However they seem to have one unspoken characteristic which makes me wonder - why run flat section when you can be sent up a hill, or in the case of the Conniston 14 (which is traditionally sl longer than 14miles anyway) call it the 14+ and make us run nearly 17miles with over 1500ft of ascent.

So 17miles - I've run nowhere near that distance for ages and ages and knew that I'd be in trouble - going to the start line I was regretting it. So I found a bit of space, gave myself a good talking too, gave myself a plan - 8:30 pace (so aiming for 2:30), go off slow, stay slow and finish slow. I'd listened to a running podcast yesterday where some running motivational guru talked about visualisation so I might give that a try.

So went out slow, then picked up in the middle third, then got to 13miles then my legs ceased to be a source of locomotion and became a troublesome source of pain which would have been alright if it was a 14mile mile race as advertised.

So the guru said, visualise yourself running like a gazelle, smoothly and pain free - ok here we go - that worked for 400yards. So think of all the miles you've run preparing for this race - having not done all those miles that just made the pain worse. Imagine the person in front of you pulling you along on a bungee - I tried, but he stopped for a wee. Things were getting bad, so time to improvise - I held an image of the first coffee and cake at Chesters after the race, - now we were getting somewhere, I even started salivating (not nice in company) - that held my pace up for 600 yards, and finally when all else failed - the first pint - that worked for nearly a km. What do those last 2 sentence say about me?

Thank goodness that with a km to go I was greeted by cheering L and the boys who joined me and encouraged me to the line just under 2:29. So pleased with that.

So lessons learned -

1. I'm fatter and slower than I used to be(although I've been fatter and slower)

2. Going out slow is a good move these days

3. Anything less than a marathon demands training beyond race distance

4. I have the mental powers of a gnat

5. When pain overwelms all my senses, my mind turns to cake and beer.

Coniston was a goal to get me back on the road, and dispite that last half hour of pain, I loved it, had some good banter, enjoyed running in the lakes and I'm back to it.

I will need to sit down, plan and be a bit more intentional and focussed over the summer if I'm to recover anything like my fitness levels of 3-4 years ago.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28173334