Ill.

So, i've had a nasty cold, and it's just about going away.
I think a combination of 'running too far too soon' and 'christmas excess' caused it. It's near enough to christmas to use that as an excuse.
Either way, I think I was quite run down, and some lurgy took hold.
Been keeping it quiet for the past week. It's started getting really cold round here too (-5C this morning!) so it's perhaps better i'm not out running.
I'd hate to ruin christmas by being ill, and that's the most important thing. :-)

Another cold...

All bunged up. Not good. Don't want to be ill for xmas, so i'll take it easy when it clears up a wee bit.

December 6th

Really big run, the opposite way to the other day. About 4.5 - 5 miles.

Felt a bit easier, although I did the steep part down first, then along, then up a longer but easier hill up. Still took near to an hour.

Knackered.

Busy week or two...

Had some friends down, all went crazy.

So, I went out Sunday afternoon - 25th November - and since it was light, I went through the woods. It was a really hilly route, started up a hill, down a slope for a mile, up another for two, down a steep bit (walked!) then up another two or so. Not good, was really knackered.

Then I went out on Tuesday 27th, and did my normal 'quick' route of 2.5 miles. Again, around the 15-20 minute mark, but working on the consistency.

I've also worked out that my right leg doesn't 'run' quite the same as my left. My right foot kind of falls flat, while my left rolls nicely. Now that i'm aware of it, i'll consciously stop 'plodding' and try to keep them consistent.

I think it's perhaps a long long ago remnant of when I tore my hamstrings in my right leg. Perhaps i'd developed this lazy gait since it hurt a lot.

Wednesday run

Another small Wednesday run, 3 miles; same route as the short one, but back along the er, long road, not the short one.

Bitingly cold. Need gloves, perhaps a hat. Perhaps that's why I managed to keep going without stopping for so long...

Medium run

Went out Wednesday night, on my previous short route.

I think the rather long run on Monday tired me out a little. I had a funny 'abs ache'; like they'd been exercised and ached. Not sure how you warm them down...

And it was really coled, so it was a short one. And rather quick too. 2.5 miles, 18 minutes, which puts me 95 mins. Hour and a half. Seems a rather rapid improvement. Will continue to measure.

Big run, cold night

So, it's Monday, and I was feeling energetic, despite the cold. It's probably the coldest day of the year so far, so cold that the heater in the land rover didn't catch up, and I drove to and from work with cold fingers.

Nevertheless, tackled the big one. I'd planned it out beforehand, as well as numerous other maps using google maps and the marvellous line tool. So I knew it was 4.5 miles. Well, I knew it last week when I mapped it. I forgot it by this evening. Going down the big hill was a quick start, coming back up lots of little hills was the slow finish.

Still, 48 minutes. Which works out as 2.4 hours for the half marathon.