Ok so this was my last mahoosive week before cutting down for the event. Another 70 mile week (Having said that I've just got my plan for next week and I suppose in relative terms it is still high miles)
After a previous heavy week I got given a somewhat puny sounding 3 miler to do on Monday. Whilst I love any opportunity to get out, it seemed very odd setting off, coming back up the big hill to work, stopping my watch and not having a single bead of sweat. And a rest day Tuesday! I felt lost. It wasn't right. Yes these rest and easy days are important but it has rammed home the fact that I need to be thinking of something to do when the 4x4 is finished. Maybe I should just enjoy running for what it is but I kind of do that anyway.... what to do next.... Still, I have time to decide and I don't think there will be anything "silly" until next year.
Wednesday was the last one of the Halesowen midweek race series. I'm sorry if anyone from Halsowen AC ever reads this, but I hate this course. Or at least I did. It is 3 twisty turny laps on some quite narrow paths, with tree roots, rocks, some drops that are so steep I always feel like I need a climbing harness. I love XC but this course I have had some depressing experiences on. There was an outside chance I might be in with an age group prize, and I needed to do some speed work, so amazingly despite pointing out the downsides of the course to my coach he actually suggested that I do it. Gah! Totally surprised me there. Thanks!!! :)
It did not start too well, I believe it is very important to do a warm up and a cool down when you are attempting to run at (relative) speed so on the WU I went to do a quick look at the course, and some bits were pretty messy. There is also a little wooden bridge that goes across a stream. I believe they had put some matting down for "safety" reasons however this saw me almost sliding off sideways in to the water - it was lethal! Rather than freak me out I found the whole situation so comical that in a strange way it actually relaxed me - I thought it would be impossible to put any proper effort in so was resigned to a plod
So we assembled and started, and as we went round the athletics track and on to the main course I felt quite good. And so it carried on. The nobbly bits didn't seem too bad, the boggy bits were ok, the big grassy hill was a mere pimple and I was passing people the whole way so grew in confidence. I was still slightly careful on the bridge though, and there is a particularly steep drop where I think I said to the marshal "I bloody hate this bit" on every single lap to which he smiled politely obviously thinking "get down there you wimp". I minced down that but otherwise - all good. An average of 9.00mm is a good XC pace for me, so I'm really happy with that off the back of some really high mileage weeks. Turns out that the lady I needed to beat in my age category was about 20 seconds in front of me, but as I didn't really know who I was gunning for I'm not too gutted (I think actually even if I'd beat her it might have been mathematically impossible t get in to 3rd place) but I don't need a cheap bottle of wine to keep in the fridge for 3 years before throwing it out un-opened. I had a good run!
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| Some of the delightful Stourbridge R.C. |
Thursday night I was lucky enough to have some company for my 10 miler. The lady I was running with had been having a few bad runs, so it was nice that she came out of the end of it feeling like she'd had a much better one. Sometimes after a few bad runs your mental confidence just goes a bit, hopefully now she is on an upward spiral. I love having different people to chat to on runs. For someone with my inept social skills it is a good way of socializing and actually talking to new people. It was however not a good night, my lovely friend H's husband had taken a turn for the worse and died on Friday morning. I feel totally gutted for her. She came to the running club on Sunday and I hope she knows she has always got her friends. I know it's what people always say but it's true.
Saturdays run was a 12 miler. Or it was supposed to be. I felt OK after Fridays hot and sweaty 17, Zoe and I headed off down the canal towards Halesowen. She had some maps in her rucksack, and decided that she really needed to find a footpath that she had meant to find on a previous run but couldn't. This did not bode well! It started OK, but we lost the path, ended up in a huge field, and somehow ended up in the middle of a patch of ground that had nettles in all directions. My poor legs are still tingling as I write this on Sunday night. We were lost. We tried to head for some houses, but short of making a run through someone's back garden we were stuck. From my Garmin upload it seems that we spent ages going round in a big circle, thinking we could find a way out of where we were - in the end we doubled back and went on the road. So almost 13 then.
It wasn't the nettles that gave me a complete sense of humour failure, but the fact that as we emerged from the undergrowth some old people out walking their dogs were there. One of them immediately started snarling, not in a playful way (the dogs not the OAPs lol). You can tell when it is serious. I love dogs, but despite me stopping in my tracks, turning away from the dog and glaring at these people to "get that THING away from us!!!!" they seemed completely un bothered by the lack of control they had over it, or how much it may be upsetting us. I shall stop there because it will make me go off on one and it is too late in the evening. It's not the dog’s fault that's for sure.
Sunday I did 21 miles. As I mentioned before, H turned up which was great, I think sometimes in times of severe upset and stress if you can get out there for a run it is a help. Not a cure all obviously but I hope she still manages to make it in the next few busy weeks.
Again, this is getting dull and old news I'm sure but my legs still feel great. Onwards........ :)
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