The Running Man by SeanG

A bit of an "up and down" sort of week this one.

Did a short 4.25 mile very easy recovery run on Monday after work to make sure that everything was still functioning as it should be after last week. A few very very minor sore spots on my feet where the blisters form last week are healing, but that was it. Felt fine otherwise.
Just before going to bed on Monday evening I started to shiver and shake quite uncontrollably. Felt very very cold. Anyway, got into bed and eventually managed to warm up and stopped shaking. From there I just started to burn up and felt like that during most of the night. Got up for work on Tuesday morning as normal but didn't feel right. Came out of the bathroom and didn't feel good. I grabbed the banister and just waited for a few seconds and closed my eyes. Anyway, the next thing I knew was that 'er Indoors was sitting beside shouting my name. I was on the floor in a heap. I had fainted - a 1st for me. Managed to get back into bed and then 'er Indoors managed to get an appointment with an emergency doctor but would need to go to them. Basically got a clean bill of health but suggested that I see my own GP that day and get checked out by them. My own GP said that everything was normal but pretty much put it all down to last weeks exertions and my throat infection. Got advised to rest! I have now been issued a 2nd batch of different/stronger anti-biotics too. Unfortunately, after 5 days, they have been just as ineffective as the 1st ones. Took the day off sick and spent most of it asleep on either the sofa of in bed!
Felt back to normal by the evening but 'er Indoors was giving me earache about maybe running the Honington 10k the following day. Decided that Sunday's Mablethorpe Marathon was more important to me so decided to give running the 10k a miss. Still took a team along. A very warm day indeed. Met up with Alaistair (of Running Home fame) and had a quick chat before the race brief and the walk/run to the start. Pretty glad that I didn't run in the end, it looked pretty gruelling and with the exception of the 1st few runners home there wouldn't be many PBs to be had. Our girls team did well and pick up the 1st RAF ladies team (to complement the 1st the got in a road relay race back at the start of August).
Thursday was spent down London working on 4 jobs simultaneously. Spent most of the day walking between buildings, getting access into buildings, walking around inside buildings and on the telephone following by the gnashing of teeth and banging my head off walls. Not one of my more successful days! Will need to go back down within the next week or two. Got home far too late for a gentle run. 3rd successive rest day.
On Friday I did the 8.25 mile pick-up from Nursery run with the BabyJogger. A pretty tough run all round. Head wind on the way out. Felt very dehydrated and hot. Did take an electrolytic drink with me, but meant to have a drink before I headed off but in the rush to get out of the door I didn't. Tail wind on the way back but very hot and heart rate was pretty hight too. A sore sacroiliac joint didn't help either. Not a good run at all. Slowest nursery run ever!

259.9 miles ran in September (after 131.5 in one week!)

Saturday was the usual 4.25 mile pre-marathon short run. Little One decided to honour me with her presence too. Felt much better today. Heart rate was at least normal and each mile was progressively faster than the last but still rather slow (even for my standards running with the BabyJogger). Very warm and sunny too.
To end a pretty miserable week, my Great Barrow Medal and certificate turned up in today's post. Hooray! Things on the up?

A miserable 16.75 miles ran for the week (record low?)

Today was Mablethorpe Marathon so that meant any early start and a 105 mile drive to the north Lincolnshire coast. Arrived at about 0830 and bumped into Keith_L (of To Infinity....Groundhog Day fame) and had a good chat pre-race (and later a short chat post-race). The aim of today's run was to pace and assist a chap called David Smith in double world record attempt. The 1st record being running the fastest marathon dressed as a Monk and the 2nd being fastest marathon with handcuffed hands. In order to get the 1st he needed to run sub 4 hours and the 2nd was sub 5 hours. Given the weather forecast and heat even before the start it was going to be a big ask to run sub-4 in a fancy dress costume. His plan was for even paced 9 minute miles.
I lost David just before the start thinking he was towards the back. As the marathon started I waited to pick him out and then join him. Nope, the last of the runners crossed the start and he was nowhere to be seen. Did he make the start? Was he held up? Anyway decided to set off at a very very slow pace to see if he appeared from behind but nope. No sign of him. I then speeded up a little and passed a guy who I knew from running the Great Barrow Challenge last week. Asked him if he had seen my Monk, and low and behold he had started higher up the field. Bollocks. With my 1st mile being slow, I now needed to put my foot down and knock out some sub 8 minute miles to catch him up! The course meandered back past the start/finish area. Spotted 'er Indoors who said that my Monk was a couple of minutes ahead of me. I gradually made up the distance and was on his tail at about the 3 mile marker. Pretty sure that I would pay the price for running these catch miles far too quickly.
We generally kept a pretty good pace throughout keeping below sub 9 minute miles until around the 23rd mile onwards. The course was a 2 lapper and was very very flat but also very exposed. There was some light wind that was either in your face, behind you or blowing across you. Very welcome to have it in your face but made those miles tough in maintaining the pace. I started to feel the heat, wind and pace before we had even hit double digit miles. Heart rate was okay, but not a huge amount of energy in the tank. Given the exploits of last week, the ongoing throat infection/anti-biotics and today's weather it probably wasn't a real surprise. David was going great guns and running pretty comfortably. It was me who was suffering inside but I was a man on a mission (from God?). By midway I had enough mentally and physically. If I had been running alone I would dropped the pace and gone in "get me home" mode. However, I stuck at the task in hand. The wind was even harder work during the 2nd half. David was starting to drop off my pace at around the 20 mile point where we had to do a little out and back section (to make up the mileage) but he kept plugging away. It was really a case of just grinding out the miles one after another. We had 60 minutes to complete the final 10k.
Added a women to our little group to become a group of 3. Was very pleased to make it onto the promenade for the final 2 miles or so. Just a case of keeping going. David dropped off my pace at about 25.5 miles but I just couldn't go slow down enough for him to catch me before the finish. He was chatting with another runner who was walking until he noticed that he was going to get beaten by a Monk.  and then started to run again. I crossed the finish line with David only 50 yards behind me.
Finished in 3 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds. Average heart rate of 150 bpm. I was completely fooked. As for David, he got 3 hours 49 minutes and 15 seconds. A double world record. What an effort in an incredibly hot day (car temperature was at 28C on the drive home). Just to make my day a little harder the showers were not just cold but utterly freezing. There is nothing I hate more than a cold shower (well, apart from a freezing cold shower). Just a case of getting under there and getting the job done!

This week will be a very very easy week and hopefully try and breathe some life into my rather lifeless legs in time for Leicester Marathon next weekend. Hopefully, will be a little cooler too! Fingers crossed.