Push it...Push it real good!

Its not been a bad day today. I was in work early this morning for a conference starting at 7:30am, so my run would have to wait until later in the day. Oliver goes out with his carer for a few hours on a Wednesday T-Time and it gives me some time to... well you know ....run!:). I popped to get some nutty supplies on the way home. I don't get them form a supermarket of health store, they are too expensive. I get them from poundland. I pick 4 or 5 packs of different nuts and seeds then mix them in a big pot and they last me for a couple of weeks.

Nutty mix. mmmmm

 

Packs of nuts and seeds

Joannes been a bit better mentally today after her appointment and to her credit shes been looking at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and its links with going Gluten free. It wouldn't bother me to get on the GF train for a while, Ive already mentioned how bloated bread is leaving me just lately. We already had a couple of GF recipe books in so Im going to see if there is anything decent in them.
I got home from work and the house was its usual untidy self, so I completely ignored it and shut the front door on my way out to smash a tempo session. ( A tempo session is, after a small warm up, a run at fast pace but not quite race pace so you can maintain it for longer. Its a good exercise to increase your tolerance to pain and fast, hard speeds.) After a great run I made a lovely tea, if I don't say so myself, tidied up, sorted my boy out, did my core work and sat down to write this!

Running: Approx 7 miles Warm up 1/2 mile each side. 6.1miles (10k) 6.19 / mile  38:39mins

I jogged down to the prom by the bridge using the time to gently warm up my muscles ready for some hard work. Id stuck my Ipod on random and a bit of REM "its the end of the world as we know it" started up, firing me off for a good start. I picked up my pace to Michael Stipe's frantic lyrics and the bands alt rock style as I ran down the prom. The fast pace always feels good, like a cleansing tool, purging any stresses or problems from my body. The pace (around 6:30/ mile) felt amazingly effortless as I strode towards North Scale an d along the lane to West Shore. After last weeks 5K it felt like a slow jog!!!  I think this is good, it shows that the changes are taking place and Im able to sustain harder paces for longer.

I pushed towards the Cumbria costal path and started my journey along the west coast of Walney Island. The sun was blazing hot tonight, burning down on me, making the  salty sweat run into my eyes. I mopped my brow and ploughed forward onto the sandy and rocky part of the route that lasts about 3/4 mile. As I made my way over some bumpy ground, my right foot rolled off a mound of sand, twisting my ankle away from its natural course. Subliminally, my muscle memory must have sensed it and my left foot instantly bore down, taking all the weight and letting my right ankle roll back to its natural position letting me run straight again. This is why it is so important to run off road in training, learning to move with the terrain and to be ready for random mishaps. I carried on with no problems onto the Biggar Bank trail, pushing a good pace.

 It was Jim Morrison's turn to drive me next as the Doors unique synthesised sounds punched into my brain. "Break on through" was the track and it resounds with me, my life and my running really well. The song lyrics are "You know the day destroys the night, Night divides the day, Tried to run, Tried to hide Break on through to the other side", but the other side of what? I like to think of it as a a metaphor for pain barrier when I run, and to get past that point you don't think you can get past. I also see it as how I perceive my life, how the reality of the situation differs from the outside view, how I am at home and then breaking through to the other person that resides in my psyche, the ultra runner.
I love listening to music lyrics when I run and try to find meaning in the catchy melodies and beats, its a great way to switch off from the pain. I say pain but its a good pain and makes me run faster!!!

I pushed hard down the back straight of my Walney loop, kicking in a 6:10 mile at one point. I glanced at my watch, I was on for a good time. My breathing still steady, had become deeper and deeper as I tried to force more oxygen into my blood stream. I turned the final corner for the last mile and a strong headwind, funnelled tight down the road be the flanking hedgerows, forced its way over me, instantly slowing my pace. I had a mile to go and had to work hard to maintain a 6:30 / mi pace. My glutes worked overtime, pushing my body forward, into the wind, my breathing became laboured, each intake of breath audible as I sucked in the air. I struggled against the wind and the exhaustion, driving my arms hard to help my tiring legs. I managed to keep the pace but at a high cost to my energy levels. I was knackered as I finished the 10k distance and walked for a moment, catching my breath and stilling my heart that was raging inside my throat.

Wow. What a rush, I thought to myself. I looked at my watch and noted the good time of 38:39min. I was getting quicker every week with this run, improving and learning to push harder every week. I felt great as I jogged slowly home, it really is coming together and I feel like Im running my best right now, perfect, as this is my peak week.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:
Mini Shredded Wheat with Blueberries and skimmed milk

Lunch:
Tuna Niscoise salad, with sugar snap peas, quinoa, mixed salad leaves, cucumber, avocado, tomato, beetroot, egg and a raspberry vinaigrette

Tuna and Egg Salad

Fat free greek yoghurt with chopped pineapple, blueberries and mango

Snacks:
Banana, 2x apples

Dinner
Turkey Mince and Tarragon Cottage Pie with Sweet Potato topping, asparagus spears, sweetcorn and chilli wilted spinach

Turkey Cottage Pie

Drinks:
Lots of bottled water, a few coffees and an ovaltine light.