The post title and picture are perhaps a bit OTT. Its not like a major change, but nevertheless I feel like I've just closed off one chapter of my running adventures and started another one.9:30 - I lined up on a warm and windless start line for a flat 10k where I could give my PB a serious dent, plan was starting at near pace and gradually winding up to something under 41mins. Didn't happen - all the km's were somewhere in the 4:05 to 4:20 region as I just saved scraped under 42. After talking to a few other runners I headed back to the car and as I sweatily-stretched, I mulled over that this is my last planned road run until about October. A bit of a disappointing one but I now had a single focus on off-road, distance training until October. A 40min 10k is a long term target of mine but doesn't fall in with plans this year.
10:45 - On the way home I pulled up at the quarry access road turn off. Got out the car and started to run up the stoney road up onto the Wolds. Not totally sure why, warm-down? pick-me-up? maybe... but I think I actually wanted to give my new training plan a starting point, or start a new chapter. I ended up doing nearly 5 more miles on undulating trails and roads. Slow going, but I felt good again, felt I had saved the weekend from being just 6 hard road miles and now had a good session in the bag to take me into next week when I'm going to start my hardest training plan yet.
Marsden Moors Meander up next week, anybody else doing?
hiya UDE..great blog. i just read it all (!) and it seems like we're in similar boats ie been road running / switched to off road then ultras. i wake up every day (not literally!) thinking do i go longer and longer or go for shorter and faster. oh the choices we have. the longer i go the slower i become which doesn't sit comfortably with me all the time. how do you reconcile the two?
ReplyDeleteCheers, UC, just started the blog as I've enjoyed reading several others on here including your own. I like the slightly self-indulgent idea of putting a bit more detail down from time to time, and forum's aren't ideal for that I reckon
ReplyDeleteI've just given up reconciling the two really, for now at least. Wasn't enjoying the short fast runs and seemed a pain to do so much prep for something that I wasn't hungry for. I'll probably do the longer stuff for a while and then do a few months of faster stuff, alternate the body-stress between endurance and speed. Though over next few months I'll still maintain a Thursday hard session with running club, which can be on/off-road, speedwork or hillwork - regardless its always hard!