Tuesday, 23rd February – 61 days to go

Still no ill effects from the long run on Sunday. Looks like the body has absorbed the rough treatment and I’m ok to go out and give it some more. I knew that I was going to miss the VARR training session in the evening due to watching football. A trip to Elland Road. Yuk. Dirty Leeds. I’m with the away team – Oldham Athletic. I would have stopped watching some time ago but in a bizarre and unwelcome role reversal my eldest makes me go. The match turns out to be a disappointment - not unexpected I’m afraid. The local paper (to Oldham) describes it thus “there was something deeply dispiriting about the meek nature of this defeat”. They’ve said something similar for most of the last few games. Enough said.

I’ve enjoyed the four Tuesday evening sessions that I’ve been to and will go consistently outside the football season. I arrived late for my first VARR session and latched onto the first group that I saw; unfortunately for me this was Group 5. I managed to stick with them for a while but they were just too quick for me. Thanks to Dave for running round with me, sorry I held you up. In the second session the whole group did speedwork in the (near) ice, which was interesting. The third week it was Kirkstall Hills up and down the side roads between Burley Wood Crescent and the gym. I think someone said there were nineteen, but I lost count. I’m sure it was more than that. Last week we did what I thought was some sort of interval training but which I now learn from Michael’s blog was a fartlek. Told you I know nothing about running.

In order to keep up with my programme I need to do “70 minutes steady”. I reckon this to be about 9 miles at 8:00 pace. There is still some snow in the fields which I guess will be boggy with snow that has already melted so I reluctantly reject a run around the Chevin and head towards the city centre. This run will be an abbreviated version of my long Sunday run, but I’ll get back onto Otley Road at Hollin Road a little below Yorkshire Water treatment plant.

This is a familiar run that I know to be 9.06 miles. At half way I check my watch and its 36:10. I’ve never managed a negative split on this run partly because it’s pretty much down on the way out and up on the way back. I do the second half in 39:17 for a total of 74:27. This gives a pace of 8:13 overall, 7:59 out and 8:27 back. I really struggled on the way back and couldn’t have gone much faster. The Sunday run must be still in my legs. I remember little of the run other than I found it surprisingly difficult. I recall seeing a runner heading towards me and when he passed I tried to mimic his running style longer stride and more upright posture. I could only keep this going for a minute and was soon back into my tired shuffle.

It seems to be a recurring theme from my last three timed runs that I’m falling a little short of my desired pace. I’ve put this down to a minor injury, difficult conditions underfoot and tiredness respectively. I guess if this trend continues I’ll need to seek advice and amend my programme.