Wednesday – rest day – lovely
Thursday – mega migraine – not so lovely – so no running
Friday – friends arriving, spent the day and night well, but perhaps not wisely – again no running
Saturday morning arrived, and I surveyed the evidence before me. Aha I appear to have a slightly podgy and noisy tummy, due to the night before celebratory meal. This was a welcome do for our friends H&A who had come for a cycling weekend with Mr JCR and his Italian club. The celebration dinner was made up of the following courses:-
Risotto – Carbs
Pasta with cream and pancetta – Carbs, Fats & Protein
Pizza – various types – Carbs, Protein, Fats,Veggies
Chips – Carbs & Fats
More Chips – More Carbs and More Fat
Cake and Tiramisu – Carbs and Fat
Water, Wine, Beer, Limoncello, Liquorice Liquor and the local brew called Moretta (a combo of brandy, run and anise in hot espresso). Carbs…
As you can see a balanced diet, somewhat weighted towards the carbs. Which, if I was running a marathon in a couple of days, may have made a lot of sense, except I wasn’t. The sum total of all those carbs, weighed heavily both on conscience and definitely my stomach.
Saturday was planned to be 9km – 10km if I could. The portents weren’t good, the temperature had risen quite a bit and the incessant grumbling of my tum, suggested I perhaps wasn’t going to be securing any personal bests. Nonetheless it was a beautiful day; I decided to play it safe and run close to home on a small training loop, so if my tum decided to go nuclear, I wasn’t far from safety. I chose the boy band playlist, as a gentle and fun option to keep me going with cheesy songs.
Okay, the first kilometre pretty much set the scene for the remainder. Just under 8 minutes a km – and I could tell that every slice of pizza was now taking its toll. Still the first km is always slower, so I just gritted my teeth and got on with it. Down the Slope Of Hope and past the barking balcony house, no surprises today it was very quiet, and then up the Hill That Kills, and here I was quite surprised, although I felt sluggish, I didn’t actually have to stop to take a breather.
That gave me some impetus to continue, towards Lovers’ Lane, all was quiet and I got more into a running rhythm, at the second km stage, I managed just under 7 minutes a km. Not exactly troubling Mo Farah but an improvement. I pottered around to Mill Lane and made my way back down the Slope of Hope once more, on my second attempt at the hill that kills. She is a demanding hill when you’re not quite at your best and I did smile when PJ & Duncan came on with ‘Lets Get Ready To Rumble’ – I was rumbling very loudly – thank goodness there were no witnesses! As I made my way back up, she was definitely making it known that I needed to do some hill training.
At the top, I was given a welcome fillip when a local dog walker wished me good morning and a happy run. I’d managed to sustain a 7 minutes 15 seconds pace, which is pretty poor for me, but considering last night’s indulgence on food, I considered it was reasonable. At the 6km mark, I decided that 7km would be far enough, to allow for what felt like 3kg of carbs being carried in my middle. There is something self fulfilling about thinking you’re getting slower and deciding to stop – my final km was just under 8 minutes again. The power of the brain over the legs really showed.
Not my best run, but I was pleased I actually stuck at it and in the end I managed 7.23km, especially as it included some hill work.
A bit of a stodgy seven kilometres, not the nifty nine or terrific ten I had planned, but then to alter the well known adage, no plan ever survives the carbohydrate enemy.
Playlist
A Little Bit More – 911
ABC – The Jackson 5
You Raise Me Up – Westlife
Stand And Deliver – Adam And The Ants
When You Say Nothing At All – Boyzone
I’ll Make Love To You – Boyz II Men
Stay Another Day – East 17
A Million Love Songs, It Only Takes A Minute, Shine – Take That
Shang – A -Lang – Bay City Rollers
Boxerbeat – Joe Boxers
Everybody, Quit Playing Games – Backstreet Boys
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble – PJ and Duncan
The Chauffeur – Duran Duran
Good Vibrations, Fun, Fun, Fun – The Beach Boys
Mama Do The Hump – The Rizzle Kicks
Everbody In Love – JLS
Stats
Distance 7.23km
Time 53:21
Average Pace 7:23
Elevation Gain – 55 metres
Alzheimer’s Challenge
Kms Done 1527.10
Kms To Do 490.90
