Great North Run

Day 260 Sunday 16th September 3.4 miles miles : miles to date 1728.8

Instead of me, me, me its all about Fi Fi Fi today. She ran her first ever half marathon and what a race to pick. The Great North Run has to be one of the biggest and be

st in the world, with upwards of 55,000 people entering todays race. The atmosphere was as always electric with so many runners of all shapes, sizes and in all types of get up. I was totally happy to play a supporting role and duly chauffeured her to the start and home.
We drove part of the course last night and its not flat, with more uphill than down it seemed to me. As there are so many runners its also very hard to get into a groove unless you are way down the front. Too much bobbing and weaving expends the energy and sensibly she just went with the flow and ran when she could and slowed when she had to. I know from experience that the crowd support along the route is second to none. The outlaws were stationed to see her at 6 miles and duly did, a little later than planned due to the 18 odd minutes it took to get across the start line from the gun. I went straight to the finish and parked up, sneaking my own little run in along the coastal path before returning to the sidelines with my camera at the ready.
I saw her with 800 metres to go and snapped away. She was looking in good shape all things considered and even raised her arms in victory as she crossed the line not long after.
I am very proud of Fi and it doesn't matter a jot what her time was or where she came. That having been said, she it in a great time of 2:08:04 and came 766th in her age group and 19620 overall, with over 30,000 people behind her, but who's counting?

Day 259 Saturday 15th September 22.6 miles miles : miles to date 1725.4

DISASTER struck early doors as I started my billy no mates except for Harvey the 6 foot white rabbit next to me (younger viewers may need to google that one), long run. My long play i-pod thingy music machine wouldn't play my 78 rpm's and I had no choice but to listen to commercial radio. Baby, baby, one more time, baby baby,

 ohhh baby baby. Please stop the noise in my head. Arrgggghhhhh.
At least the pain distracted me from the task at hand which was a 22 mile run at 7.30 mile pace or quicker. As usual I set out too fast although eventually found quite a comfortable pace at 7.20ish per mile. The aim was just to get a steady long run in and I partly went naked or more accurately Martin Beare stylie with no water and limited food. I did take out a few emergency jelly beans and in the end did chew on a few. I had hoped to go all the way without taking anything, so come race day the extra boost will help.
I went through halfway in 1.36 something and lapped the forest centre yet again before heading back in around the same time, give or tack a few seconds finishing in 2.42.11 with a 7.20 average mile pace.
I had hoped to finish stronger than I did. Whilst I kept the 7.20 going until the end, I was in some discomfort for the last three miles and stopped bang on 22, before jogging the etc .6 to get home.
It was a lonely run, especially when I learnt all the boys and girls from the SMC had their own great 22 miler which involved being chased across fields by bulls.
As soon as I finished, into the car and 4 hours up the A1 to get Fi to Geordieland for the GNR on Sunday. Thats much more exciting than me and Harveys run, who beat me incidentally by a rabbits hair. Grrr.

Rest day? I think not

Day 258 Friday 14th September 3.8 miles : miles to date 1702.7 Now if I blow up on Saturdays LSD, its all Fi's fault. I was a wee bit late and ran too fast, slowing down for the last .1 or thereabouts. She is in the Great North Run on Sunday, which I would guess is one of the worlds largest half marathon with 50,000 entries in it. I had to get home sharpish to make sure she wolfed down an extra helping of pasta, so pressed the peddle a little. I have run around the forest centre more times on this schedule than I have in the last few years. Still, its flat, traffic free and difficult to get lost on. Talking of which, when I got home I asked Fi if her map had come through for the race as it was self navigating. We were watching highlights of the Ultra-Trail du Mont- Blanc and she did pause to ponder where her map was, before twigging that with 50,000 people going one way she probably wasn't going to get lost. Its her first ever half marathon and apart from having to drive 250 miles to get there, I am very happy to pass on the running baton to her and play a supporting role for once. I only wish I could add her miles to my total. Nice to move into another hundred though.

Day 257 Thursday 13th September 6.1 miles : miles to date 1698.9 The planned run went out the window tonight, due to a late work day finish. The actual run itself also ended up being split, due to an unplanned emergency No.2 stop which also diverted me off road and changed the route. I had set out thinking I would just do a fast shorter run and for the first mile that was the plan, when kapowww fast run over. I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise given on the way home I had a cappuccino, a couple of handfuls of chocolate covered raisins and jelly beans. Having realised I might spend a night in the cells if I did the deed in the middle of the high street, I shot off cross country and looked for suitably large dock leaves and a quite corner. I then wandered back to the nearest road and blasted out a quicker three plus miles feeling somewhat refreshed and ready to go. I had to be at my usual game off cards at 8pm, so that was that. I'm not to concerned, as the schedule in fact only had me down for a 7 miler, with 5 fast. At least I won at cards.

Super heroes reunite

Day 256 Wednesday 12th September 10.1 miles : miles to date 1692.8 A smaller team of super heroes assembled at HQ for tonight's daring mission. Captain Satnav, the Silver Surfer and BatPablo declared one for all and all for one, as we set off for what is turning out to be a regular eight mile plus mid week run at 7.30 mile pace or less. The Flying Scotsman was washing his hair and no doubt Amazing Beare was doing something massive and quicker on his own. We covered two laps of the forest centre at an average 7.26 per mile. At the start of Voldemort I said I hoped to get to the point that a 7.30 mile pace was an easy run. After 12 weeks on the schedule, I have reached the point where on the whole it is which I am still struggling to take in. Still, if it hadn't been for the lads tonight, I might not have gone that far or that fast. My breathing was fine and hardly different to if I was walking down the street, but the legs were tired and sore. The bottom half protested most of the way around, but the top half saved the day as me and the fantastic two put the worlds to rights. Two days ago I raced in scorching sunshine. Tonight, the temperature dropped by 12 degrees and we were soaked to the skin. I asked one of them to use some super power to dry us out but there was something going on in the atmosphere which interfered apparently.

Day 255 Tuesday 11th September 3.9 miles : miles to date 1682.7 Voldemort would not be too happy with me today. I decided to have an easy run and coached at the club, rather than a full on speed session. I'm still a bit stiff after Sundays race and I thought it was better to listen to the body rather than slavishly follow the schedule. I've got a slower eleven miles pencilled in for Wednesday and a faster ten or eleven on Thursday, with a twenty two on Saturday, so just thinking about that lot is making me more tired. I am out with the DC superheroes on Wednesday so in I had no choice other to reserve some energy to keep up with the lads. After Sundays blisteringly hot weather, there was an autumnal nip in the air as we gathered for the club session in Ampthill Park. The plan was a straight forward decreasing time effort from five minutes down to thirty seconds on the undulating grounds. I was happy with coaching and encouragement, with some good efforts being put in by those around me.

Post run blues

Day 254 Monday 10th September 3.4 miles : miles to date 1678.8 It was back to earth with a bump on tonight's jaunt. I was meant to do an easy five and managed a tough shorter run instead. My thighs were just feeling tight and very heavy, which is no surprise after yesterdays run. As soon as I tried to run I knew I had to listen to the old body and ignore the plan, which was after all just a five at the slowest pace run of the week. I headed off into the into the darkness of the forest centre to take my mind off the increasingly stiff pins. This worked to some extent as the lack of light in the trees made it a spooky trail. I was also coming off a high from yesterdays run, as reality kicked in and I reminded myself that it wasn't the focus race and I am still on the schedule treadmill. Hopefully back to the speed work at the club on Tuesday.