Turnip head. This week I will slow down

That’s what I keep telling myself every Sunday at 8:55AM. I know I can’t continue at this pace and hope to complete a marathon so I give myself a stern talking to and make myself promise to slooooww down. But then as soon as we start it’s “off with head, on with turnip” and I’m back to killing myself and clock watching, what a pillock.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m happier than a dog with 2 ……..bones but I can’t help thinking it’s wrong. Consider the facts;
BG ½ 2006 13.1 miles 2hr 25mins = 11 min/miles
31st Dec 9.8 miles 1hr 38mins = 10.0 min/miles
7th Jan 11.2 miles 1hr 45mins = 9.4 min/miles
14th Jan 11.9 miles 1hr 46mins = 8.9 min/miles
21st Jan 13.3 miles 2hr 05mins = 9.4 min/miles
28th Jan 14 miles 2hr 07mins = 9 min/miles

Now my knowledge of mathematics is fairly rudimentary (There are only 3 types of mathematicians; good ones and bad ones) but it seems that the further I run the faster I get. That can’t be good for me so from now on if you see me running too fast please do me a favour and trip me up. So sorry Trish, you may be on your own from now on. Or maybe not. Having said all that I will be doing the Chichester 10k on the 4th Feb and I will be going all out to improve on my PB of 57:30. We shall see.

Psychologically the runs are definitely getting harder. I have a copy of the FLM course on my fridge and as some of you may know I use it to introduce virtual landmarks on the run. For example, when I started flagging this week I visualised crossing Tower Bridge (as I passed the Real Cornish Pasty Shop in West Street) before hanging a right to run alongside the Thames (Guildford Road). I then found myself gazing at Canary Wharf which miraculously appeared somewhere over BBH before finishing alongside the Rotherhithe Tunnel (Tesco’s Car Park). Is this normal or should I seek therapy.

While we’re on the subject of insanity I am missing the track sessions. It was cancelled on Thursday due to an icy track and I shall be away this Thursday and will miss out again. My total mileage for the year is now 108 miles which is equivalent to Horsham to Coventry and by 8:00PM Tuesday I should be in Solihull, let joy be unconfined. Methinks running is taking over my life.

Weekly mileage: 23.9 (didn’t run Wednesday, bad dog!)
Long run: 14 miles
Weight: for it
FGI: 9

Quote of the week:
I do not run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.
Ronald Rook

Until next week,
N