Malcolm's running diary by malcolms

Got to keep with the programme, so it was off out this morning for the LSR, at marathon pace or thereabouts.  I could have gone yesterday morning but we had our surgery night out for the staff at a local restaurant, and though I was driving it was gone midnight before I was home and as I was helping to organise a Christmas party on the Saturday afternoon, I just felt too tired, so it had to be Sunday.

There was a frost overnight and the country lanes were pretty icy as it was still sub zero at 7:30 when I ventured out. This made for an interesting run, I took slightly shorter strides so as not to over stretch and slip and found the pace quite easy. My target was 10 min miling but given the ice, I was happy with slightly slower. I also wore my heart rate monitor just to see how the old ticker was going to cope with its longest run for 3 weeks.

I was out just as the sun was coming up over the hill and it was glorious. There was a gentle breeze but not enough to complain about and the air was clear. I ran to the trig point at the top of the hill then on into the next village before winding my way back into Andover.  Pockets of black ice on the road meant that I had to keep my eyes firmly on the road a few feet in front but also made me think about my posture and tried to “run tall” so as not to have my centre of gravity too far forward. Two gentle hills into Andover usually make me puff and blow, but the shorter stride and focussing on staying upright rather than the hills meant that they were over before I had a chance to worry about them.

The first 6 miles were all more or less on 10 min miles, miles 7 and 8 – up the hills into Andover were slower but I didn’t let it worry me. The route back from Andover to our village is a fairly flat footpath which is about 2.5 miles.  I had just started down this path when I became aware of some heavy breathing behind me and after a minute or two I was overtaken by a young couple in shorts and T shirt. (I had leggings, shorts, base layer and top with woolly hat!!) We chatted as they eased past, as I admired them for being in shorts and pointed out that by that stage I had just done 9 miles.

5 minutes later I realised that in fact hey weren’t pulling away from me but were still about 20 yds ahead. So I sneakily upped the pace and almost caught them up, till at a sharp corner I think one of them looked back and I can image the conversation went something like, “That old fogey has nearly caught us up, we’d better press on”. So they did. A minute or so later they were 20 yds or so ahead again, so I sped up and so on. To give you some idea, mile 9 was done at 10:30 pace (before they over took me). Mile 10 was 10:06 pace, mile 11 was 9:33 pace!! Of course they didn’t know that I wasn’t really stalking them, and that I was getting very close to home and I never try to run slowly through the village – creates the wrong image!! Sadly they turned off just before I finished but was pleased with the run.

11.25 miles. Not unduly tired by it. Marathon pace maintained.

Heart rate in the 160 range all the way.

Longer next week.