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.