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Confessions of a never has been.....
Comments
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14.02.2015
Thursday ( ...contd)
A very late recovery run, consisting of 3 very slow miles. I got out close enough to 11 for this which is usually well past bed time but I had myself down for these few miles - kept the pace down in the recovery zone and really enjoyed it
3 miles @ 9.17
Friday
AM - run into work, got soaked - enjoyed the run all the same. Kept the pace nice and easy and didn't bother with the watch. Legs felt good, I suspect the recovery run the night before helped with that.
PM - used the hairdryer in work to dry off the running gear, packed the pack then set off for home. No watch but this one was possibly a little quick, head racing with work stuff which tends to have me running a bit too quick when I don't focus
Total for the day: 8 miles
Saturday
I had signed up for the BHAA XC today last week - actually I had rejected the offer first, stating my lack of spikes as the reason...until the rest of the team told me that they had none either...shamed into running I guess!
When I put my current plan together, I had hoped to get in a couple of XC races around this time of the year - run them at a quick tempo pace and see how I fair...I knew this one had a few hills on the course so it actually fit the bill perfectly ( except for the fact that I got the distance wrong - it was 4 miles, not 5 as KielyUnusual pointed out to me on Yaboya1's log)
No harm, 4 tough, muddyish, hilly miles would do the trick this week!
Met up nice and early at the meeting point, got the race numbers sorted then headed off for a couple of easy miles ( the other lads had no interest in doing 2 so I did 1 with them and another solo). We made our way up to the starting point in the park and I was immediately thrown by the size of the crowd taking part - great atmosphere around the place...had a quick look around the course and it seemed to have a fair few hills alright, the ground underfoot seemed ok though, slippy in places but not the slopfest I had feared.
Lined up at the start ( a bit too far back) and we were off. I had planned to try to maintain 10k effort for the 4 miles for this one - I wasn't sure where that would put me in terms of pace given the terrain but if the effort was there, I'd be happy. I found myself boxed in for the first few hundred metres and took to running away from the racing line to get myself in front of a large group, before settling nicely into a smaller group of club runners - pace felt a little quick as approached the first downhill section, so I reeled it back just a tad. The first downhill section was quite sharp, the course dipping to the right then dropping for a hundred metres or so, before another sharp left and a hard climb back up a slippy hill -I seemed to be the only spike free dope around the place but I navigated both downhill and uphill sections quite well.
Through the little forest, down another very slippy section, sharp left and short\steep climb then flat all the way for the end of the first lap.
I was enjoying this, the effort was tough but I knew the pace wouldn't reflect that, I was completely out of my comfort zone here and winging it a little bit to be honest.
The watch beeped for the first lap and I didn't look, I decided I'd check it just before we got back to the hills to make sure I wasn't overcooking things.
Another mile of up, down, slip, slide, huff and puff and then we were onto the last 2 longer laps, which was a bit of a shock - instead of leaving the little forest, bouncing down the hill and climbing left for the nice easy straight, the course turned right for a real little bastid of a climb. This seemed to knock a lot of people back and while it was tough, I was motoring my way up through the field, blowing a little but I still felt like I had a little more in the tank.
On the last lap, the surface had cut up a little and I found myself easing off the pedal a little coming down the first sharp hill, I wanted to make it home in one piece so I took a line that was just wide of the main line, giving me a more grassy surface to run on. My legs were feeling the burn when we moved onto the climb up to the forest again for the last time, I could feel the system working to keep the pace up and was possibly working a little harder than I would have liked at this stage.
Another series of slippy downhills, poxy uphills, one last drag up towards the cross then a sharp left, wrapping around the forest and then straight for home. I was in a group of 4\5 now and just opened the stride up a little to move away - I had no need for a big finish but I just wanted to be able to see the ground in front of me to allow me to pick landing points etc.
Held the pace nice and quick right to the finish, without the usual burst for the line and crossed in 26.17
Took a minute or two to catch my breath then made my way over to watch the rest of the lads finish.
After making everyone agree to do more of these, I headed off for a couple of easy miles to warm down before heading off home to watch the rugby :-)
Really enjoyed this one - I found the going very tough at stages which was expected but I can see the attraction of xc , its a different animal to road running and I'll hopefully squeeze in another 1 or 2 soon enough. They're painful enough at the time but there's something very satisfactory about finishing a session with a bit of muck on the legs!
Best session in a while
Splits were;
8.17
8.10
6.25
6.30
6.29
6.38
8.10
8.07
( core work later in the day)
8 for the day0 -
Nice going D, your flying. Different ball game the x-country.0
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super work. I've ran there a lot, but never at pace. Its a different beast alright.
I must get my a$$ in gear for some xc - maybe start early next year.
One of my MSB colleagues won the ladies race0 -
AuldManKing wrote: »super work. I've ran there a lot, but never at pace. Its a different beast alright.
I must get my a$$ in gear for some xc - maybe start early next year.
One of my MSB colleagues won the ladies race
Thanks AMK - I saw a couple of super performances from some ladies there yesterday, really impressive stuff. A win there is well earned!0 -
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15.02.2015
Spent the morning climbing around Howth head with the youngest, a spur of the moment idea which turned out to take up a lot more than the hour I had planned so I missed a window for a run this morning which meant the only chance I would get would be later tonight.
Of course, it was pi$$ing outside when I eventually got around to getting my run on. No harm though, I enjoy a run in the rain - once I get going of course.
Simple enough plan tonight - 8 miles easy.
Legs felt great given the session yesterday which was good news, maybe I paced it just right, maybe 4 miles ( albeit 4 tough miles) isn't the world's toughest session or maybe the legs are recovering well these days.
Headed off towards Howth, turned in at Baldoyle, back towards Donaghmede then Raheny and home. Weather was p*xy but I really enjoyed this one.
Ran an extra mile because I got the route wrong!
9 miles @ 8.04 min\miles0 -
16.02.2015
No AM run today, had to drop the youngwan to work experience which meant a later than usual start for work. Brought the gear with me though and headed off for home at closing.
The plan for tonight was for 9 miles steady but with no time for a warmup, I decided to ignore the watch for the first while and just run by feel - the backpack and jacket would distort things anyway so once the effort was right, I'd be happy.
Got just beyond the 4 mile mark, dropped off the backpack and jacket at home and got back to it, not ideal to take a 2 minute pit-stop but I have to get creative with when\where I run these days.
Headed up the coast towards Howth, turned around and ran back the 3 miles or so to finish off the steady section, using the bike lane all the way - much to the annoyance of our lycra-wearing cousins I'm sure. I try to step off the lane when I spot an on-coming bike though, I'm a lover, not a fighter
Felt really strong throughout this one, even with the backpack on which is unusual for me.
Splits:
7.45
7.30
7.35
7.27
7.17
7.06
6.58
7.15
7.23
8.16 ( warm-down)
Pressups\core work to finish
10 miles for the day0 -
Nice work DD.0
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18.02.2015
Tuesday
No run in the morning as I had arranged to meet up with TbL in the evening to run a session with him so I brought the gear to work with me.
A late-sh meeting meant it was 7 pm before I got the gear on and headed over to Pearse St station were TbL was waiting like a coiled spring - bursting with enthusiasm !
Set off for home to ditch the backpack\jacket which worked perfectly as the 5 miles easy section of the run. We headed off towards Sutton along the seafront, starting the steady section of the run, the effort felt minimal on this stretch, nice route, good chat back and forth with TbL, who is looking a lot fitter than his log would have you believe.
I completely forget about TbL's ageing lamps when picking the route for this run, I had planned to head in through Baldoyle, Donagmede and Raheny so once lighting became an issue, we did a sharp u-turn (just beyond Baldoyle), headed back towards the coast to get started on the final MP section. I think we did 5 miles steady up to this point as opposed to the planned 4 but it honestly didn't feel that long at all.
Once we hit the coast again, the wind was in our faces but I was actually looking forward to seeing how I held up with the tougher pace. I was starting to feel the previous night's steady session in the legs just a little but I was enjoying the run and the banter along the way.
TbL of course played sandbagger extraordinaire while yapping his way through each of the 3 MP miles ( ok, maybe not the last one, no chit chat from either of us on that one !)...picked it up a little on the last mile just before a looper waiting at a bus stop attempted a rugby tackle on me ( moving too quickly for him obviously:pac:) and felt good and strong all the way to the end which was surprising and pleasing.
Did a warm down which brought my total to 14 miles for the day. Great to catch up with TbL and I'm looking forward to seeing how he continues to progress over the next few months, he's putting the hard graft in and is in great shape.
Steady\MP Splits below ( stolen from TbL's log - I had no watch)
7.33
7.27
7.32
7.17
7.08
6.45
6.49
6.39
Wednesday
Scrapped the morning run again today ( planned 4+6) after changing things around slightly to allow for the 2 good sessions over the past 2 days and went for 6 recovery paced miles after work instead.
Usual story, full time in work, got the gear on and headed off home. The air has definitely gotten milder in the past day or so, I decided to keep the backpack\jacket on for the full 6 miles tonight and was sweating buckets by the end!
Finished off with some stretching at home
Total miles: 6@9.120 -
19.02.2015
Thursday
I normally run my faster session at lunchtime on Thursdays but I've changed things around this week so today's plan was for 7 miles AM and 3 miles PM.
Found a gap in meetings just after 12 pm today so got the gear on and headed out, as soon as I closed the front door, the heavens opened ...lovely!
Nothing fancy on this one, off down the coast towards Howth, turned in at Raheny, down to Killester and home - 7 miles all easy, lashing rain for the first mile, drizzle for the 2nd and 3rd ...lovely sunshine for the rest.
PM - a stupidly large feeding up in Mammy D's, 20 minutes or so weights, 3 miles easy and home for a spot of stretching. I ran 6x30 second steady paced strides during this one, just to shake the legs out a bit.
Feeling very good this week, another easy day tomorrow then a session on Saturday morning
Total for the day: 100 -
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21.02.2015
Friday
AM - 4 miles easy into work. Left the jacket at home for the first time this year and went with two running tops instead ( not so much for warmth, more to stop the bag chaffing). Very enjoyable run, nice and cool - kept to the grass for the first 2 miles.
PM - 4 miles easy home. Had hoped to get out a little early and tag on a couple of extra miles but it was't to be. I just about made it out the door at hometime, again, kept the pace down - moved onto the grass for the last 2 miles or so.
Total for the day: 8
Saturday
AM
Planned session for today: 20 minutes@5kpace(+60 seconds) + 20 minutes@5kpace(+30 seconds) - 3 minutes easy in between.
My 5k pace is somewhere around 5:55-6:00 so in theory, paces should have been around 6:55 and 6:25
Had to get up early to squeeze this one in so I was out before breakfast to get the warmup started. To be honest, I very nearly turned over and hit the snooze button once too often this morning, the sharp wind on the warmup didn't do anything for my enthusiasm either!
After just under 2 easy miles, I got started on the first section - into the wind.
I decided to run around the outside of Fairview park for the first bit, I knew the footpaths would be reasonably quiet around there plus I would get sections with cross, head and tail winds to balance things out a little.
Found it tricky enough to find the pace initially but after the 2nd mile I had to start reigning things in a little - especially on sections with the wind at my back.
First half done, I went straight into the 3 minutes easy before starting the watch again for the seconds 20 minutes, this time I would do a lap of the park and head back along the coast towards Howth ( on the grass).
First mile was a killer, I found it very tough to get the pace right and had to work hard to hold things together. I got into a very nice tempo after the first mile though and the pace felt just right.....all the way until about 4 minutes to go and then it was back to having to fight a little to keep things moving. My legs started to feel heavy but it was one of those situations where you know its a case of gritting your teeth for a few minutes to get the session completed.
Finished up a mile from the house, blowing harder than I expected - recovered pretty quickly though and ran the 1 mile easy home as a warmdown
Really tough session and good to have it under the belt
1st 20
Mile 1: 6.55
Mile 2: 6:45
Mile 3: 6.40 (pace...just shy of a mile)
2nd 20
Mile 1: 6:21
Mile 2: 6:19
Mile 3: 6:18
Last bit: 6:13 ( pace - .17 mile)
Total miles: 9
PM - after a bit of work on the chin up bar, it was time to wrap up warm and head out for 3 very slow miles. Legs felt ok but I felt that I needed to shake them out a little tonight to stay fresh for the rest of the week. Kept the pace down to around 9.15 min miles. Bit of stretching at home
Total miles: 3 - total for the day: 120 -
That's a nicely executed session0
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22.02.2015
Late enough getting out this evening after a busy day with the family. When I did eventually get out, the wind had really picked up and had developed a nasty chill too - I wrapped up well and got on with it.
Plan for tonight was 6 easy miles, no fancy stuff thankfully.
Despite the wind, I felt great on this run, it was a bit of a battle with the elements for the first couple of miles along the coast but once I lapped Fairview park and headed back towards home, it was straightforward enough.
Got home, did some core work and stretching and settled down to watch the athletics from Athlone which I had recorded earlier - Jeremy bleedin Clarkson appears on the screen....wha?!?!!:eek::mad:
Total miles:6
66 miles for the week0 -
Duanington wrote: »22.02.2015
Got home, did some core work and stretching and settled down to watch the athletics from Athlone which I had recorded earlier - Jeremy bleedin Clarkson appears on the screen....wha?!?!!:eek::mad:
Total miles:6
66 miles for the week
moved to 11:05 rte tonight.
Nice week0 -
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Only catching up on the the XC race report now D.
Nice going.
As a matter of interest, where did that time place you in the field?0 -
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24.02.2015
Monday
AM - time and time again, running presents us with those moments - do I take the sensible, dry, not-exposed to the chilling death wind option, or do I put the shorts and runners on....
After refusing to allow the warm and cozy thoughts to linger at all, I got the gear on, packed the bag and went off out into the death GALE which threatened to split my face in two at times during the run into work. The best thing about this run was the shower at the end
PM - We have visitors in the office this week ( which I completely forgot about) and while I was tempted to turn down the invitation to dinner and drinks after work, I thought I'd be all clever and obsessive runner like - bring the gear...have dinner, skip the wine and run home.
A massive steak, a healthy serving of ( twice cooked) chips and a couple of glasses of wine later, I was making my way home through the wind and rain with a sloshing stomach and a slightly intoxicated head for company. I hit the hay as soon as I got in.
Clever indeed
Total for the day: 8
Tuesday
Woke up this morning with a drier than usual mouth and a slightly woolly head ( lightweight). Flirted for a minute with the idea of running to work but with a long run planned for tonight, I thankfully canned that idea.
Busy day at work, ate quite well and got ready for the road at 6 ish...headed off for home as usual where I dropped the backpack off then carried on along my chosen route.
I tried to work some more hills\climbs into the route tonight which meant doing some loops around Raheny\Kilbarrack - seemed to do the trick because I could feel the legs tiring after running down the Kilbarrack road, turning and "climbing" back up. I find running downhill almost as taxing on the legs as running uphill - different muscles at play I would imagine but both tiring.
Anyway, the streets were reasonably quiet tonight, a couple of "hellos" from people that are probably sick of the sight of my skinny legs at this stage.
Splits were:
7.51
8.17
8.18
8.05
8.06
8.06
7.55
8.05
8.00
8.01
8.03
8.04
7.56
8.05
7.51
15 miles for the day0 -
25.02.2015
AM - Busy day ahead ( even though I was off work) so I got up early and got in my 4 mile recovery run. Didn't bother with the watch, I kept the effort to a minimum and I know the route like the back of my hand now...down the coast along the grass.
Legs were stiff enough to start with so the route last night obviously toughened things up a bit.
PM - Spent most of the afternoon in the zoo, it just gets better every time I go there. Looks like they're doing a job on the sea lions' enclosure at the moment which should be cool when finished. Had the place to ourselves more or less which made things feel less rushed than my usual visits to the zoo.
Got home just as it got dark, got the gear on and headed out for 6 easy miles, took in a lap of Fairview park, came back up the coast and stayed on the grass as much as I could.
Finished off with 30 minutes core work\stretching at home
Total for the day: 100 -
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27.02.2015
Thursday
AM
Session day rolled around again and hill reps were on the menu again. The plan was for 10x30 second reps ( hard effort - 3-5k effort) + 10x20 second reps ( harder effort - 1mile effort?!) - jog back recoveries this time around to see how I got on, the hill would distort the pace but if the effort stayed right, I'd be happy
Stepped out during lunch ( working from home) for this one, taking in a couple of easy miles around St Anne's to get warmed up. The aim for the session was really just to run both sets at a consistent effort, hopefully holding the respective paces through to the end. Both sets would present their own slightly different challenges but I'm a big fan of these sessions and definitely feel that they have helped my running over the past few months.
Got started on the first set and had that familiar feeling over the first few reps that this was going to be a bit too easy - I resisted the urge to run any harder, that feeling has caught me out on these sessions before and sure enough by the 7th rep I was feeling the urge to walk back during the recoveries! Got through to the 10th in the end and finished feeling well worked but strong ( paces were all around the 5:45-6:00 range)
Ran the .5 mile easy before getting started on the next set.
Felt great on all of these, although I ran the first couple far too quick. Eased off the gas just a tad for the rest and kept form, turnover etc working well.
Pace was 5:29-5:45 for all the reps which was pleasing. I thought I'd struggle with the shorter recoveries but no such problems thanfully.
A couple of easy miles brought the total to 7 for the session, finished off with some core-work at home later.
PM
Got out late for 3 recovery paced miles, didn't bother with the watch - just wrapped up well and kept the effort way down low. Nice evening for it, despite the sharp wind ( stunningly clear sky now that I think back!)
Total for the day: 10
Friday
AM
Run-mute into work, no need for the jacket this morning, just wore a second running top and took it nice and handily into the office.
PM
Run-mute home. I never get out of the office on time on Fridays and this evening was no different. Nothing to report on this one - legs reminded me of yesterday's hills but not in a way which hurt or caused any real discomfort. I think the short recovery run the evening after my Thursday sessions is working very well for me in that regard.
Total for the day 8
*Edit - entered Bohermeen 10k on Sunday week, left it too late to register for Kinvara - looking forward to the fireworks in the half afterwards!0 -
28.02.2015
The trend of running my tempos on a Saturday morning continued today. I'm travelling with work early on Monday morning so with little chance of getting a long enough window tomorrow I headed out this morning at the first chance
The plan was for 3m easy, 3m steady, 2m tempo and 2m easy. ( similar to last week but with no recovery and a slightly different structure
Dragged myself out the door this morning, giving myself no time to argue about the pros and cons of running the tempo today! Started the easy section along the coast ( spotted FBOT01 cruising by again) into a bit of a headwind which couldn't make it's mind up on which way to blow.
Once the easy section was complete, I moved straight into the steady section, lapping Fairview park and heading back out the coast towards Howth.
I love steady running and settled into a nice groove pretty quickly, picked it up a little towards the end of the steady section to make the transition to Tempo a little less of a shock.
Tempo section was tough enough without being too painful, I could feel the miles and hills in the legs but tried to keep the effort just right, easing off the gas every now and then.
Finished off the tempo section good and tired, turned around and ran the 2 miles easy home.
Paces were distorted a little by the breeze towards the end but very happy to have moved up through the gears.
8.09
8.04
8.14
7.03
7.09
7.02
6.22
6.19
7.54
7.56
chin-up bar in the PM0 -
01.03.2015
The end of a good few couple of weeks training today and I had myself down for 6 recovery miles. With no chance to run this morning and the rugby to watch in the afternoon, I left it until this evening to head out for this - which worked out very well indeed in terms of conditions!
Bit of a chilly headwind for much of this but once I warmed up it was enjoyable, kept the pace down around the recovery range and the legs actually felt good all the way through.
Had planned to do some weights today but I sprained my wrist slightly lifting a TV off a wall the other day so I'll leave them for a few days to let it heal up.
Travelling tomorrow with work so it will most likely be a day off in running terms, if I get the chance to get out, I will but I'm under no pressure to get the run in - next week will be a step back week in terms of effort and mileage, back to the tough stuff the week after.
6 miles for the day, 67 for the week0 -
Duanington wrote: »28.02.2015
The trend of running my tempos on a Saturday morning continued today. I'm travelling with work early on Monday morning so with little chance of getting a long enough window tomorrow I headed out this morning at the first chance
The plan was for 3m easy, 3m steady, 2m tempo and 2m easy. ( similar to last week but with no recovery and a slightly different structure
Dragged myself out the door this morning, giving myself no time to argue about the pros and cons of running the tempo today! Started the easy section along the coast ( spotted FBOT01 cruising by again) into a bit of a headwind which couldn't make it's mind up on which way to blow.
Once the easy section was complete, I moved straight into the steady section, lapping Fairview park and heading back out the coast towards Howth.
I love steady running and settled into a nice groove pretty quickly, picked it up a little towards the end of the steady section to make the transition to Tempo a little less of a shock.
Tempo section was tough enough without being too painful, I could feel the miles and hills in the legs but tried to keep the effort just right, easing off the gas every now and then.
Finished off the tempo section good and tired, turned around and ran the 2 miles easy home.
Paces were distorted a little by the breeze towards the end but very happy to have moved up through the gears.
8.09
8.04
8.14
7.03
7.09
7.02
6.22
6.19
7.54
7.56
chin-up bar in the PM
Always nice to see a friendly face on an early morning run but we will have to stop meeting like this or people will begin to talk:)
I was taking the long way around to St Anne's as a warm-up to parkrun. After I saw you I spent the next mile lamenting the fact that I probably have to do two strides to every one of yours0 -
Always nice to see a friendly face on an early morning run but we will have to stop meeting like this or people will begin to talk:)
I was taking the long way around to St Anne's as a warm-up to parkrun. After I saw you I spent the next mile lamenting the fact that I probably have to do two strides to every one of yours
ha ha - sure that just means you're more efficient with your compact stride so M !0 -
03.03.2015
Monday - off
Spent the day travelling to and from Cambridge and was late getting back into London last night, promised myself a rest day this week and took it yesterday ( no time to run anyway)
Tuesday
Lateish night last night and a couple of beers with dinner meant that this morning's run through London was a slow, hazy affair. Made my way down to Regent's park which is about .5 mile from the hotel I'm staying in, didn't enjoy it but felt a hell of a lot better afterwards.
Late flight tonight means that'll be it for the day.
Total: 4 miles easy0 -
The new TbL0
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Calvin Johnson wrote: »The new TbL
no chance CJ - he'd have managed a 22 LSR in Cambridge while waiting on his driver to arrive in the blacked out vehicle0 -
04.03.2015
Late getting home last night which left me very tired this morning. After a minute or two arguing with myself ( the runner in me won - I had no change for the bus anyway), I got the gear on, packed the bag and headed off to work.
Lovely morning for running - bright, fresh and clear.
4 miles easy
Late enough getting out of work but it was still bright and the weather was perfect for running so I was delighted to get out in the end, took it easy all the way home ( passing Raheny running their session on the coast which just starts a little early for me anyway so no point in signing up just yet), dropped the bag off and tagged on 2 more miles
6 miles easy, 10 for the day0 -
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05.03.2015
AM
Working from home today so got out during lunch for my steady session. I would normally do faster stuff on a Thursday but I had pencilled in a tester race this week and had myself down for a steady session to keep some freshness in the legs.
After a 1 mile warmup on the coast, I headed off towards Sutton, tried to ignore the watch on this because there was a strong wind behind me on the way out which made the paces look a bit silly at times.
Turned around at the end of the bike lane and I realised just how strong the wind was, I had to work a lot harder to hold the same pace so I dropped off a little and focused on effort - pointless in calling this a steady session otherwise.
Really enjoyed this one, despite the wind on the way back - it actually eased off a little as I got closer to home.
Ran a 1 mile w\d and finished off with some core-work\light weights at home. ( Prince providing the soundtrack :cool:)
Splits
8.05
7.00
6.53
6.55
7.17
7.10
8.00
PM
Sitting around in meetings all day today didn't help the legs after my lunchtime session so after bringing the kids out for something to eat this evening, I headed off for 3 recovery miles on the coast.
Blasted wind is still around but not quite as bad.
Bit of stretching afterwards to work it out of the legs
3 miles
Total for the day: 100
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