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After a week of tales of sweat and glutes, and a walk along the Prom, it was time to get back to doing something and testing the glute out properly. The ache hasn't gone away yet, but at least it isn't pain! Volunteering before the start of Hove Promenade parkrun gave me the chance to give it a little test, and all seemed as ok as I could expect.
It was Arena 80 race series day on the Prom and it was great to see so many Areeenaz out and about. I had no intention of "racing" on Saturday but as I trotted around, it was great to see so many Arena runners doing their stuff, regardless of the time. For my run, I was pleased that Steve joined me and we could recount tales of the previous Sunday and curse the weather (which was about ten degrees cooler at the parkrun, than the marathon!) Post-parkrun saw some rowing at the gym with Gym Buddy Georgia, and also for me, the chance to gently exercise the legs with light weights and roll them thoroughly.
Thankfully, come Sunday this meant the legs felt reasonably ok! With the first non-marathon Sunday in a month, I ventured to Preston Park to help out with junior parkrun. So great to see kids enjoying a run in the park, and some getting their parents involved too! Post-juniors I had to be strong and not grab a latte - I need two hours for drinks to settle, and a coffee then would have killed my run. Finally, I got myself out of the cafe and did a Freedom Run. (A Freedom Run is where you run a parkrun course (in this case the Saturday 5km one) and can record your time against your parkrun profile). Setting off felt ok, but then PP does have that nice downhill section just after the start! As the path runs parallel to the main road, I was clocking my pace per minute. 8:30 - cool! 8:25 - nice!! Erm 8:10? I remember you.... 8:00 - haven't we met before? A quick check on the glute - still there, still aching, none the worse! Whilst the pace dropped after that, it was simply nice to see those stats and feel comfortable with them. Also, I felt more balanced (and dare I say "lighter") than I had in previous runs. It was as if one or two things were starting to click - of course I need a good few more things to click but it felt promising and rewarding! The fact I was 30 seconds quicker than yesterday was pretty good too!
Monday's weather was typically Monday-esq with dark clouds, cold and rain and I planned to do the Arena session in Preston Park (due to the track being booked) and packed my bag accordingly. However, the planned event was cancelled so it was back to track (and my turn on the volunteer roster to take a session). This meant a hastily arranged run at lunch with one of my colleagues daring to brave the cold rain...which secretly I love. Give me cats and dogs ahead of the current bun any day! I enjoyed the run so much, I tagged on a bit at the end, running along the Marina arm and back which surprisingly added 1.2 miles. Pace was nothing to write in a blog about (so I won't), but on a par with Sunday and with all the benefits of feeling comfortable and running well! Maybe a corner has been turned.
Track was a punishing series of 1,200m sets, running at 5k pace for 200m, then faster for the next 200m, then back to 5k pace and so on. 1,200m constituted one set and there were to be six of them. There were some really good performances out there and, as I've come to expect with Arena, people were helping each other out and working together!
Tuesday saw a bit of a gym session. I'd ran three days straight once I was back on it (nothing special but after weeks of "on then off" I could feel them!) Interval sessions on the rower saw me row 4,000 metres (which feels a lot easier to run!), and some general leg work saw the reward of a coffee with Dickie where we contemplated the Sussex Marathon Weekend ahead (of course there'll be a blog about that!) "What were we thinking?" was mentioned a few times before the comment, "So, entered Beachy yet?" That mini-conversation sums us up a treat! Frying pan and fire came to mind! Beachy was tough last year, and though the sausage rolls were amazing and there was a great atmosphere to the occasion, I will not be entering it this year.........
Ladies and gentlemen - marathon 13.........
Naturally on Wednesday, as I'd decided I would do another "runch" - love that word - the weather took a turn for the worst.
Wind, rain and crashing waves led to an executive decision to head to the pier and back. And how pleased I was that I did. Again, another run that wasn't breaking any records but the feel of it was just so positive. It's very hard to explain but running felt so right and I felt strong! Another 4.3 miles in the legs!
That evening saw me call in at Rogue Runners. I had to see Helen with the parkrun laptop and Caroline was there making a debut appearance. Good to catch up with Gareth too as he set the guys off on their runs. It really was a stunning evening and I felt lucky to live where I do!
Thursday saw the lovely weather remain and a lunch time 5km with Sasha and Nicole from work. No wave dodging today and it got rather warm! You'd almost think it was Spring! ! The week's activities wound down with a pleasant 10km bike ride in the gym - a gym that was almost totally deserted! Nothing I'm sure to do with the weather outside!
And that was the week that was. Friday is a rest day so a chance to charge the batteries ahead of the Sussex Marathon Weekend - something totally new to me! I spotted the typo in the race literature straight away! "Undulating", "challenging" - ah you mean hilly as f-f-f-flipping heck! Well that remains to be seen, but as I often finish with, that's another story altogether!