Monday, March 14, 2016

End of week 6 spilling over

Saturday morning I thought I would go swimming, I mean the awkward lanes don't start early right?

Then I wasted a lot of hours, forgot my reasoning, went to the pool and ended up sitting on the edge, feet in the water, looking at the awkward lanes and thinking, I can't do 1800m like that.  Not without injuring myself.

I got up and walked out before I got my costume and hat wet and went home to head out to ShAFF with TSK.

Next horror of the weekend, my Sunday booking for 7pm was actually on Saturday so we had 5 hours to kill in town. Day written off training wise. Still, no panics, 1 day of weekend left and I could juggle Monday rest day to Saturday.

I achieved the sum total of dropping my worn shoes into the post back to the manufacturer.  I walked home in strange shoes without my insoles so as to not exacerbate my blister.

It left me with a Sunday morning conundrum:
- swim - the pool will be properly open but I have probably worked hardest on this so it would be the most sensible thing to drop one session on
- bike - I have done a lot of work here too and could afford to miss a session as it is still my strongest. Then again, I can't remember the last time I took a road bike on an actual road. Neither of my fast bikes have had a shakedown ride which is reason and anti-reason to take them out when what you want is a successful day done in time for afternoon adventure movies.
- run - missed loads, don't want to miss more, just got my schwang back and got a stupid blister, shoes sent back so would mean 10 miles in race shoes. See earlier comment about doing something successfully.

I decided to start with the pool and make further decisions later.

1800 m passed with little surprise except bumping into the beautiful Charlotte Jenks for a chat and managing to complete the set in spite of feeling like I was swimming like a complete noob.

Back at home I couldn't resist the temptation of my first road ride on Dirty Beast in bright sunshine. I overdressed and sped up to Rhodside, getting faster as my confidence in my legs and my handling of the bike improved. I was aware that I wasn't going to complete my loop around Mam Nick and still be back in time for the yoga talk I had booked at 2pm so I did a deal with myself that I would turn back after 1 hour.

That was too soon and I cheered a few runners on the Skyline then, given the blissful conditions, I would turn back at the bottom of Mam Nick and save myself the long climb.  Thing is, I got there feeling good and set off up it anyway. This was a day for saying,"to hell with yoga".  I removed the sleeves from my jacket, hung them over the handlebars and clawed my way up, cheering more fell runners across the Mam Tor summit and chatting with Mick Stenton while I zipped my sleeves back on.

I raced a few people back along the Hope valley, finally only being passed by team mate Paul Sleaford not so fresh from an overseas business trip. We rode together for a while... at least he let me sit on his wheel up  Surprise View.

He left me to my own devices at FoxHouse which was a relief as I had to text TSK to say I would be late. I scoffed an energy gel (it was 1:45 and I was still functioning on nothing more than cereal and a protein shake). The next 30 minutes were a blurr but definitely including ruthlessly drafting a small boy and a Planet-X rider until he stopped to wait for his mate.

I did 47 miles in 2:45.

Afterwards I wasn't sure if I could move, never mind go out to watch a film or two then get up and run the next day but I was so late back I washed my face and went straight out. Spirit of Adventure 2 and mountain bike films did it for me and I came home flushed with the desire to eat, wash and sleep enough to run on Monday...

and I have.

It was so beautiful today that my run was uneventful.  I ran in shorts and my "race flats" (though I am unlikely to ever own true race flats) were perfectly comfortable over the 10 miles 2 times 5 miles circuit of Blackburn Meadows. I missed the stillness of Thursday morning's early run but I squeezed the 10 miles in to lunch and was back at work by 2, staying till 7:30 to make sure work was done.

Such is the nature of IM training. Little room for anything else but it doesn't matter because the important things and people fit with it and understand and everything becomes clearer... and a little bit sleepier.

Tomorrow is the first day of week 7.

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