Why then? Why would an attractive woman choose to ask me for directions when I’ve run 8km, I’m pishing sweat and I’ve just wiped a massive dew drop from my nose? She looked pretty horrified as I gasped out the way to go. Perhaps she shouldn’t have asked the bloke in running gear who must have smelled like he hadn’t washed in a few days.
Or, as twitter suggested, maybe it was her thing.
Both of these are within 24 hours so I’m still within the rules.
It was a grey, damp day yesterday so I wasn’t feeling too up for doing much of anything outside. I spent the day doing tidying, learning to use accounting software and generally fannying about. Come the evening and I donned the gear and hit the road. I’d intended to just do the same Sky loop as last time but by the time I reached Pitreavie I’d decided that running an old loop was more to my taste.
It must be a couple of years since I’ve been out that way as it used to be a regular in the summers but dropped off for some reason. It was a nice change of scenery and it felt good to be revisiting somewhere I haven’t been in a while. The paths through the woods are still popular with dog walkers and are well defined. By the time I made it back into town I was feeling a bit tight but decided to push it and loop through Pittencrief.
There was definitely less energy in the legs this morning and while I could have waited till the evening I decided to get a short one out of the way and give the legs a good 24 hours of rest. To that end I just looped out by the schools and back. Not even 6km but it’s done and dusted, leaving my day free.
Juneathon is making me find new paths. For the sake of simplicity I’m running familiar routes every day. It lets me go out with a distance in mind and do that number without (usually) getting too lost. However, it does get a bit repetitive so sometimes I take a left rather than a right and end up on new paths.
That was how I found another bit of the Water of Leith yesterday as I went over a bridge instead of onto the road and found myself just 100m from the usual point in Stockbridge but following new signs. I’m pretty sure it was just below the normal path, which it eventually joined up with, but the scenery was completely different and I crossed parks I’d never heard of before.
This was also the run that put me back in the top 9. Another long, slow one tonight will help me chase 8th position. It would be really, really daft to sign up for a half marathon at this point in the month, would it?
I don’t think I was close to caving tonight, but I was definitely running low on energy. I’d decided last night that I wasn’t going to take my gear to work and instead I would do an evening run. Problem is that by the time I get home I just want to sit down and unwind for a bit. I know that if I sit for too long then I won’t get back up. I contemplated giving Steve a call before realising that I was just procrastinating and that if I didn’t go now I wouldn’t be going at all.
Still feeling a bit low, I rummaged around in the back of the cupboard and came up with a sachet of carbo juice. I don’t use the stuff as a general rule, preferring Nuun, but needs must so I gulped down half a bottle, felt the sugar course through my veins and hit the road.
After a kilometre I remembered the other reason I don’t do energy drinks; oh, the phlegm. Sticky, teeth coating, gobs of it. Luckily that didn’t last long as I continued on my way south.
I passed a lot of the Carnegie Harriers on my trail, which isn’t a boast as they were running in the opposite direction. They were clearly heading back to base as I continued out through all the new houses to the east. I’ve not been out that way in a year or so and it’s as if a whole new town has been built in that time.
As I jogged passed Tesco I contemplated extending the run and heading out to Halbeath and the college before deciding that no, I need to take it easy and continue my slow plods. So left it was, and head for home.
Highlight of the night was definitely a few kids shouting “Haw! Ginger nut!”. If only I could find them and tell them what a boost that gave me.
Right, have I managed to update all the titles and links correctly? Being out by a day is just daft. However, that’s me halfway through this crazy month and I’m not dead yet. My legs are starting to feel the strain and I’m slowing down but I’m still hanging on in there. Maybe I’ll get a second wind that lasts a fortnight.
Current total is 116km of running for the month.
I need to get better at listening to my legs. They were complaining a bit today so they had a word with my head and it was agreed that today would be a short one. 5km. Out. Back. Done.
The problem with that is that the head retains power until the very last minute and any moment in which the legs don’t complain is taken as a tacit agreement that everything is fine and we should keep going. So it ended up being 9km instead.
I think my legs might stage a rebellion tomorrow. Unless they’re organised it’ll probably be crushed.
My one day off did the world of good. I’m still a little bit blocked up, but I was more than well enough to pack the gear in the bag and take it to work with me. Since Jacob was feeling ill now (damn, it’s going around), I went out with Dave instead. His training for the 90 hour bike race has taken its toll on his knees so we swapped tails of physio pain on the way round. He went one way at the crossroads and I went the other as I was feeling strong enough to do the full ten.
What’s quite surprising is the consistency with which I’m running these loops. All of the lunchtime runs have an average speed of between 5mins/km and 5.5mins/km. That’s not a huge spread. If I can keep that up for the whole month I’ll be impressed.
However, I reckon I’ll need to start punishing myself a bit more than I already am since I’ve barely been on either of the bikes in weeks. With several bike events lined up I’m going to need to start putting in the miles there as well. Pain on the horizon.
No run, very little walk. It’s not because I’m worse than I was yesterday but because I seem to be on the mend. I decided that a proper day of rest might be just what I need to get back to full strength for next week.
So instead of sitting around or doing anything useful in the flat, I met up with my folks, had a nice lunch and then wandered around Stirling castle for the afternoon. Doing that’s taken up my allotment of energy for the day so I’m going to slump on the sofa.
No run today. I’m filled with the cold and though I managed a run yesterday, it was at least dry then. Today’s weather is wet and cold so I decided that discretion was called for and so haven’t pulled on the shorts. However, I have been for a 10km walk instead so I’m not out of Juneathon yet!
Despite being utterly choked with the cold I made it out for a run at lunchtime. I’m still choked with the cold and don’t think I’ll be foolish enough to do the same again today. Perhaps a rest day is in order.
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