After all my talk on Wednesday I didn’t run down to my parents on Thursday; I drove. My mother had some jobs for me to do so it wasn’t really right to go down in sweaty gear. So instead of feeling guilty about my parents I felt guilty about not running. Great.
It’s a long weekend here so lots of people were away, but there was a small group of us who agreed to meet at 8 am on Saturday for 13 miles. It meant a 6.20 wake up but I got myself together and got to the venue on time, fed and watered. I was slightly concerned about the weather as it was due to be warm at 17 or 18 degrees, but there was no direct sun and a bit of light rain so it was much better than last week.
I ended up doing the whole 13 miles with two women, Aoife and Barbara, and I can honestly say it was the easiest 13 miles I ever did. The difference company makes is unbelievable; it stops you thinking about yourself and how you are feeling. We chatted about all sorts going round, and we had never really talked to each other before. We had a nice circular route around the Park, and stopped at about 4 miles and 10 miles at our water stop, where I took a gel each time. I carried a bit of water with me as well. So I felt fine by and large. My back felt a bit tight towards the end which was disappointing, but reminds me I need to ramp up my strength work.
My knees also reminded me that I needed new runners. Going down one of the hills in the Park my right knee felt a bit dodgy. I need to do some foam rolling on my IT band, torturous though that is. But I went down to my local running shop yesterday and got new runners. Because I wear orthotics they recommended Brooks and New Balance. I wasn’t keen on the Brooks so went with the New Balance. The only thing I don’t like is the long laces – all the runners had really long laces. I find them very awkward as you have to tie them up out of your way. The last Brooks I had had much shorter ones and I much prefer them. I suppose I could change them.
I had coffee with the other runners when we finished and went home for a cold bath. I am officially converted. Just the cold tap, all my gear on, cup of coffee, 30 minutes. It really helps the muscles so, while I was tired all day Saturday, I had practically no stiffness the next day, a bit in my back only. So all in all it was a very successful run. Halfway there now. Gets serious now with the mileage and the body is feeling ok, so I need to look after it more to make sure it stays that way.
