Super Sunday

Went for the medium length St Gabriels Loop this morning, about four and a half miles and it felt goood! For probably the first time in a couple of years I actually felt like I was running rather than jogging, and it felt very satisfying. Kept up a good pace on the flat, worked hard on the hills, must have set a PB, but forgot to take a watch!

Weather was a bit damp, misty and cool, but that was fine. Rib still bothering me a bit over the stiles. Must get better soon surely. Looking forward to the next run mid-week.

Thursday Short Run

Did the short Stonebarrow run today. Still not fully fit after time off and rib still a bit sore. But I pushed it a bit and was rewarded with a new PB of 32m 59s. Made an effort to keep the pace up on the flat, did a few short sprints. Tried to attack the hills but soon reverted to the normal trudging jog!

Really nice day to be out there. Warm, not too much breeze, not too slippery even though we had a lot of rain yesterday. A good day to run. Will be back out on Sunday morning to do the medium length St Gabriels loop.

Jurassic 10k

Had a good day. It was dry and a bit cloudy, so not too warm. Decided to start out near the back, but soon found myself passing slower runners in the first few hundred meters. After that the track got very narrow as we ran up beside the River Otter. A bit frustrating as I felt that I was going slower than I could, but ultimately probably good for me as it stopped me going off too fast!

Started passing a few more as we got to the hilly bit up the coast path. Had to walk the very last bit of the very last hill. Again the path got very narrow on the descent, hard to even keep my footing. After that the field got a bit more spread out and in the last 5k only passed a few and only got passed by a few.

Finished in a respectable 59m 53s. 178th of 253 finishers. Very happy with that given my current level of fitness. I enjoyed the race. Well organised and well marshalled. The course is too narrow to handle a bigger field so I hope they keep it at 250 to 300 in future.

Back to training now. Not sure what the next race might be.

Just Do It!

Ok, no adverse reaction from the rib to yesterday’s loosener. So I’m going to run the Jurassic 10k tomorrow. Hopelessly unfit after nearly three weeks off, so will be happy to finish it without walking!

Wish me luck. Go #93 !!!

Testing the rib

Still haven’t given up on the 10k race on Saturday. Went out today for a short run to test out the rib. It’s still sore to the touch, and wakes me up at night when I roll over, but I want to do this race so I need to find out if I can run with it.

Did the short Stonebarrow loop this afternoon in hot and sunny weather. Felt very unfit after two and a half weeks off. Took 34m 41s, but didn’t push it so that’s ok. So now I’ll wait until tomorrow and see if I get any reaction from the rib. I’ll make my final decision then. Fingers crossed!

On the mend

Haven’t been able to run, so went out for a long walk yesterday instead along the coast path to West Bay. Bit further than I intended (15.5 miles in all) but it was a good day and there were some suitable watering holes along the way. Went up Golden Cap west to east in the morning, then the other way on the return leg. Missed out Stonebarrow in favour of walking along the beach.

Rib was ok. Had the odd twinge going over styles but I think it’s on the mend. Had a better nights sleep last night, but then that’s not surprising after such a long walk.

The pic shows Golden Cap from the beach at St Gabriels.

Jurassic 10k update

Well, the good news is that my number arrived in the post today. I’ll be No. 93. Problem is that my rib is still sore as hell and I’m not sure I’ll be fit in time. If I can, I’ll try and get out for a short run on Thursday next week. If I don’t get any reaction by Friday afternoon, then I might give it a go.

Bottom line is that I’m training for something next July, and there’s no point in doing a race now with a cracked rib when I don’t need to. There’s another 10k two weeks later over at Kingston Maurward, might aim for that instead.

More Bad Haiku

Warm sun calls to him
grey cage keeps him from running
heal the frustration

Friday Run – Not

It’s a beautiful morning. I can see from home that Stonebarrow and Golden Cap are bathed in warm sunshine. There’s even a light breeze to stop the energetic runner from getting too hot. Perfect conditions. But I’m stuck indoors. My cracked rib is stopping me from getting a decent night’s sleep. It hurts when I stand up. It hurts when I sit down. In fact it hurts whenever I move. I’m reminded of Hugh Grant’s opening(?) lines in Four Weddings and a Funeral when he wakes up and looks at his alarm clock. I can’t quote it here as this is a family blog, go look it up for yourselves.

So now what? Well, running’s out of the question. The Jurassic 10k is in 15 days times. Maybe if I take it easy for the next 10 to 12 days I can get out for a loosening run a few days before the race. See how I feel next week. May have to cancel my entry and go for the Cancer Research run at Kingston Maurward a few weeks later.

Frustrated

Empty mind runs free
warm breeze and scents of summer
a fall both winded

* * *

He is broken sad
cannot run cannot be free
move wince frustration