Day 231 Saturday 18th August 3 miles : miles to date 1516.8

This Voldemort schedule is playing havoc with running with my mates. I have for the last five years run early and long on a Saturday, being a founder member of the Saturday Morning Club along with Satnav and not long after a few of the crew that are still out there now. I am still sending out the e-mails on a Thursday sorting out where 

to go and then not turning up. I can see from facebook that it was another great run in the sun today, with the SMC crew running cross country and spending well over three and a half hours just enjoying the countryside.
I had gentle run with Fi around our place. She has a longer run pencilled in for the morning and was happy just to trot up and down the trails, as was I. That was great and it was relaxed, without either of us once asking the time or the pace. Just what I wanted.
The only slight problem is that I am due for another Billy no mates long run on my own on Sunday, in the heat and on the road. And to make matters worse, I caved in on the BBQ front and had a few beers tonight, although nothing to write home about. Or on a running blog for that matter.

Day 230 Friday 17th August 4 miles : miles to date 1513.8

Whoooah, the legs just were not in the mood today even for a slower, shorter run which I guess should be no surprise after three harder runs in a row. Either that or like Samson, I lost my strength after this mornings go faster haircut. Or not as the case turned out. I headed out along the canal path which for once was dry, running past a

couple of pubs with their beer gardens full in the long awaited summer sunshine. Having been on the wagon for four days nineteen hours and twenty seven minutes or there about, the amber nectar looked inviting. Luckily the sweat, vest, smell and lack of money meant I had no choice other than to run past. At around mile three the lactic in the legs really came to the fore and I could easily have pulled up, limping back to the office instead at - shock horror - almost eight minute mile pace. Mind you, another mile and that might have turned into eighteen minute mile pace.

Day 229 Thursday 16th August 10 miles : miles to date 1509.8 Now that was in interesting run. I put my satellite tracker/pacer in a waist bag and tried to run ten miles at seven minute mile pace. I wanted to see if I could tell the difference even with a seven thirty pace and I could. After last nights nine miler in the dark, my legs were heavy and I was a little worried about running out of steam, but Voldemort needs to be obeyed. I struggled a little after a few miles running into quite a strong headwind on a slightly undulating tarmac route and was pleasantly surprised to find that when I checked at three miles, I was only seconds off target pace. I was already tiring and made sure that I pushed on away from the car to make sure I had to cover the full distance and not stop early. There were a few sections where my breathing was a wee bit laboured when I was probably around a six forty pace, which stopped when I went back to around seven minute pace. It did take some effort to maintain it in the last two miles and I kept telling myself that this is the schedule teaching me how to run longer at a faster pace, albeit it seven minutes is only described as "steady". I don't think so Mr. Schedule writer, not yet at least. Anyway, I ended up covering the ten miles in 69:24 at an average pace of 6:55 per mile, although I know that there were fluctuations in the pace due to a few hills that I didn't run up at that pace. It was great after to hook up with a few club mate's to watch Theresa Jackson, Martin Beare, Stephen Morales, Paul Newton and last but certainly not least (not in the race I hasten to add) Julie Pritchett in a local tri event. Well done all.

Day 228 Wednesday 15th August 9 miles : miles to date 1499.8 Oh no! Just noticed I am .2 off 1500 miles for the year. If I had known that, I would have done 9.2 tonight. Anyway, due to a very long work day and a late dinner with friends who are staying with us from Geordieland, I couldn't run until gone 10 pm with a full tummy, dodgy batteries in the head torch and tired legs. Luckily for me as I procrastinated before the run, my daughter starting watching the new series of triple Z list "celeberaties" on Big Brother which ushered me rapidly out the door, along with Theresa Jackson support on FB of "Arse,gear,door,out. Off you go Paul." The schedule had me down for nine miles in seventy minutes which I think is meant to be an easier run after last nights speed session. In places I couldn't see where to plant my foot and I was slow out, which was a hidden bonus as I didn't run too fast and as I tired at the end I was able to at least maintain a steady pace. To be totally truthful, it didn't feel like an easier run and I was quite happy to finish in around sixty nine minutes. I had arranged to go out earlier with my marathon mad buds, Satnav and the Flying Scotsman which would have made the run a lot more fun. I'm not sure which of us is the most running obsessed, although at the Olympic marathon on Sunday I did pull out my phone to show the lads a picture of my pride and joy. Yep, my new go fast training shoes. Before I claim the crown, I should mention that they both had a good look and we discussed the merits of lightweight racing shoes like true nerds. Looks like a score draw on that front to me.

Day 227 Tuesday 14th August 6.7 miles : miles to date 1490.8 At the risk of writing about running two days in a row, it was a lot easier to get a speed session in with the club tonight than on my own as I have done for the last three Tuesdays. The session was eight one minute efforts with a forty five second recovery, followed by another eight with a thirty second recovery over a slightly undulating grassy ridge. Straight from the start I decided to hang onto the coat tails of the whippets for as long as I could. At the halfway stage, I was in the mix albeit towards the back and stayed there for most of the second half. The last two efforts pushed me up to my threshold but being only a minute each I gritted the teeth and just made it. At this point the session was over and I decided to push on and do another eight, including two on a steep hill, at the end of which the lactic acid in my body was screaming at me to stop. At the risk of appearing self congratulatory, I then pushed on and got nine extra in. It wasn't just the actual exercise that has given me a bit of a high tonight, but the fact that after 227 days, I still have the desire to push the boundaries and go up a level. Hopefully this will last at least for the next eight weeks.

Day 226 Monday 13th August 5.1 miles : miles to date 1484.1 Right, the messing about is over. I have reached half way on my Chester marathon schedule and I now need to put in some serious training, dieting and my body is a temple type attitude. I made some good progress in the first quarter but the holiday has pushed me back a little. Given I should have been pressing on further, going backwards slightly or even for that matter standing still, is not good news for the Voldemort plan. So today's run marks the start of the next step up and almost predictably I ran it too fast. The schedule had me down for a slow five miles in forty minutes as a recovery run. As I laced up my go faster shiny new training daps, I only intended to do that. I set of around Willen Lake in Milton Keynes, recognising part of the MK marathon course. The long play machine had pure Dads rock on and before I knew it, the slow recovery run turned into a sub seven minute effort. It didn't help that there were lots of other runners out there, which made me think if I have shiny racing daps on, I had to look like a racer especially as I ran right through a group of boot camp exercisers in the middle of the path. As I did, Sergeant Rock pointed at me and said something. I hoped it was look at his short, quick, economical stride and take note booter's. It was probably make way for the old fat bloke who's going to blow up around the corner out of sight. Mmm, I didn't Sarge, although I did slow down intentionally to around seven twenty four pace as it was a recovery run, or should have been. Might have to choose when I wear my go fast shoes carefully from now on.

Day 225 Sunday 12th August 18 miles : miles to date 1479

As the alarm went off at 4.30 am, I did wonder why I was getting up at that time to go for a run. I suspect that I was still partly asleep, as twenty minutes later I stepped out of the door to get a run in before a train I was due to catch seven minutes past most people are still asleep am. I was on the way later to the Mall to watch the Olympic marathon and for various reasons, it was either run at that time or late afternoon, which would have been much harder.
It was dark as I left although quite warm and it was great to chill out with Ian Drury blaring into the ears and other similar eighties tunes. I was aiming to cover eighteen miles in 2:15, which would have been seven thirty mile pace, but I did struggle for a change and couldn't maintain the pace, eventually coming in at 2:20 and well over half a mile behind target which I was not very happy about.
I'm not sure what slowed me dow

n. Maybe it was the daft am start, trying to run sub 7:30 pace within twenty minutes of waking up, lack of breakfast, the undulating and in part cross country course, the hills at Millbrook, the soon to be lost beer belly, the rucksack on my back or the fact I had to run at that time on my own watching the clock all the way. Or perhaps a mix of the above. I was still not happy at being five minutes off target and despite all the above, it has given me a kick up the backside. Its time to get serious.
Having met the lads on the platform with a whole 42 seconds to spare, we travelled up to the Mall and spent a great day watching the pro's show us how to really run the marathon. The funny thing was that as they went past, they didn't seem to be running that fast but they were going at light speed. That was simply down to the fact that all of them ran with such fluency, effortlessness and grace that they made a speed that I could keep up for maybe half a mile, look like a trot in the park. It was a privilege to see them run and capped off an amazing Olympics.