No! It was freezing cold and my knees turned blue and it was windy right!
Anyway, more of that in a bit.
This week? Well,.......
I rushed home from conference on Tuesday, and made it to speed work at BRR. Was made to feel very welcome and did an enjoyable session despite being really tired. Luckily I was on a min taper for today's half so rested Wednesday. Which was good really as work was a little trying and I left feeling somewhat stressed. If I needed further confirmation, the fact that a friend rang me whilst I was at the station waiting for a train and I burst into tears proved it :-D hormones are fuckers ain't they :)
Anyway, ran an ok session on Thursday morning but failed to make any targets which is just what you need going into what you see as an important race. Nothing I can do, it is either there or it isn't.
Rested Friday and intended to run parkrun as a sharpener on sat morning. Of course I woke up feeling like crap. Stomach all over the shop and in my mind all over barking park if I tried to race. I know why but it doesn't bloody help. So I decided to go and tail run. This way I still add to my parkrun number but also get a volunteer credit. Mercenary cow!
However that said, it was brilliant. I amused myself by running backwards and forwards trying to remain last for the first mile, then came across a young girl walking. I told her I wasn't allowed to beat her, but maybe we could walk and run together? She seemed keen so I set about pointing out trees that she could run to and we progressed like this. She seemed quite happy to follow my lead and be told what to do so that was good. At about 2k we met Maria from BRR who was running with a young lad who seemed less keen. I said if he liked he could join me and Kia and Maria could run on. And that's what happened. Both seemed perfectly happy to do what I said and I made sure I wasn't making them run too much as neither of them had done 5k before. In this fashion we completed the next 3 k and then they raced each other to the line. I was dead chuffed they both finished and as I understand from comments later really enjoyed it :)))) I hope they will be back.
So today, Great Bentley Half. My PB has been 1.48.20 since 2005. Partly because I haven't done that many but partly because I think I'm rubbish at pacing.
Woke feeling similar to sat. Knew I would, nothing to be done about that, I've got a job to do. Was picked up at 8.45 and had a pleasant drive down (not that close really but we filled the car).
Parked up the car, got out. Fuck. It's freezing and raining and windy. Went to ha picked up chips and numbers and queued for loos. Actually had a good cry in the portaloo, although I knew I would feel better when running right now I felt horrible. Inside Caroline gave me some brufen which I was very grateful for and I manned up :-D
Lined up to start, noting to the other Caroline that my knees had gone blue.......they really did! Was weird. Then we were off. Basically it was country lanes. Almost completely flat, which does mean some places are windy, but not too bad. I was so cold I kept my emergency sweatshirt on for 2 miles. Then I took it off cos I wanted people to know a Dagenham girl had overtaken them :-D. I think the first 5 miles ticked off all quicker than my 7.37 target. Then at 7 I know I slowed cos I couldn't undo the zip on the back of my shorts for my gel. Almost ripped the dammed things off :-O. Then at 9 I knocked my watch and lost the page I needed until I engaged my brain a bit to work out what had happened. Other than that it was uneventful.
I thought if I really tried I could dip under 1.40 and boy did I try but it didn't quite come off and I ended in 1.40.42.
I will take that. It means avg 7.38.
The worst bit I think was the walk back to race hq, absolutely freezing and exhausted. But a cup of tea soon fixes that.
Then I was given a collage of pictures that Mick Easley did (he did it for everyone who races at club) and it is fab, so thanks Mick :))))
Now I'm going to eat steak and spinach. K?
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