Back to Pendle today to take on the hills again – and I got a course PB of 35:10, which was great! I feel like my fitness has improved a bit recently.
Next target for Pendle is sub-35 – a formality on most courses I frequent but I find this one really does add five minutes!
Some pre-GNR volunteering next week.
Eight-miler this morning and it went fairly well. I wore my magic shoes (as all my others have caused / coincided with various levels of foot pain this weekend so I thought I might as well!). Had a bit of pain around one and a half miles in but it settled down after half a mile, which is the best thing if it is going to happen during a longer run. Much better to get that kind of problem out of the way in the early stages while I’m still feeling fresh!
The great thing was that I actually felt fresh and energised for the whole eight miles today. I was testing out Clif Shot Bloks for the first time (having sworn off gels following various misadventures in late 2021 / early 2022) and they were brilliant – easy to take, warded off the fatigue and most importantly didn’t make me feel sick! I’ll do another test run with them next week to see how they do at race pace.
After today (which was a real confidence booster in general), I feel like I have my shoes and my fuelling plan in place. Just a few more things to check on the six-miler next week and then I will feel GNR-ready… I hope!
Took it easy on the Moor this morning rather than chasing a fast time. Saving the energy for tomorrow’s longer run. No photo today as I forgot to take one, though I’m sure I’ll find some online soon!
I still haven’t found a pair of running shoes that can cope well with the Moor’s gravel. My magic Sauconys don’t get on with it, and for today’s easy run I tested my On shoes (a fairly new pair that are becoming a good everyday option). They felt okay until a ton of gravel started getting stuck in the big gaps in the soles! Back to the drawing board. I’ve always just put up with it in the past but it feels like it’s getting worse recently.
A bit further afield next week.
Monthly volunteering slot this morning. Ran home after 🙂
We were at our favourite marshal point either side of the bridge – it’s early in the course so it’s a good point for getting away earlier! A few tourists commenting on how tough the course was as they passed me – didn’t have the heart to tell them about the huge hill coming up…
Running again next week, but won’t be chasing a fast time until after the GNR.
Went out running with the social group for today’s long run. I didn’t make it the whole way as I was getting very fatigued around seven miles in – the kind of fatigued that is your body saying ‘nope’. I’d just done a bit too much this weekend. As such, I left the run early and went home on the metro. Hopefully next week’s long run will be more successful.
A few days of taking it easy now.
Back on the Moor today! No photo as I forgot to take one and I’m blogging too early to wait for the official ones.
I tried for sub-30 with Geth pacing again. Unfortunately it just wasn’t happening this morning – the magic shoes struggle a bit on the gravel of the moor paths – but I did manage 31:39, staying consistent with recent improvements. I’m going to keep trying, and if I’ve not managed it by the time of the GNR then I’ll give it a bit more focus in the autumn.
I did a 10-miler on quiet country roads this morning. It felt nice and steady and was a real confidence booster for the GNR in five weeks’ time. I continue to be amazed by how well my spondylitis medication is working – all the pain and stiffness that was stopping me from running properly on my long runs (and often my short runs) is just gone. I’m really excited about going forward with my longer-distance running now.
After three good running days in a row I’m looking forward to some gentle one-milers over the next few days.
Ticking off the last of the three parkruns currently available for the southwest corner of Scotland. Crichton is a lovely setting as it’s a big park with lots of old medical buildings dotted around. However, I didn’t really notice any of that as I was going round today, as I was killing myself trying to get sub-30 (paced by Geth)!
Crichton, I would say, has ‘medium undulation’. It’s not insanely hilly but it’s certainly not flat. As such, it felt much harder than doing the pancake-flat Agnew a fortnight ago. I didn’t quite get my sub-30 – I finished in 30:25 – but I’m going to keep trying, as I can feel it’s close now.
The plan is to be back on Town Moor next week, so maybe then…
I was in two minds this morning about whether to push the speed a bit in my magic shoes at Jesmond Dene. It was a real struggle even to get out of bed as it’s been a slightly tiring week, so I was tempted to wear ploddy shoes instead and take it really easy. However, I did want to see what the shoes could do on a slower and hillier course, and it was great once I got going. I was only 16 seconds slower than my Jesmond Dene PB in the end, and that was set nearly three years ago. I feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement if I go about it the right way this autumn.
Further afield again next week.