Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
A Couple Of Mistakes
by Russell Turner - 20:43 on 13 February 2022
Sometimes everything clicks: the run is smooth, controlled and ends with the satisfaction of a job well done, progress made and optimism that the race day target will be reached or exceeded. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Today, after intervals on Friday and a steady run on Saturday, both delayed by rotten weather, I brought forward the Week 5 long run to take advantage of a startling lack of wind and rain and a gigless weekend. I even threw out an invitation to any Black Isle Runners who fancied a short notice 10-mile jaunt. That was my first mistake.
Previous BIR gatherings have involved a group of mixed ability. This time, only Andrew was available – a runner reasonably well stricken in years but still younger, more experienced and faster than me.
My second mistake was to run a route I’d only ever driven. The cunning plan was to start from South Sutor car park (reached by car) then run five miles up the scenic Eathie road and five miles back. Google Maps indicated a first half mile downhill, then a smooth climb to the turning point, from where I’d enjoy an easy descent back to the start, apart from the uphill half mile which I’d walk.
That was the plan. The reality was an over-enthusiastic start, once we’d got past a gang of dog-walkers, followed by a mile of relatively modest climb and pace but which left me walking a mere 1.5 miles from the car park. A flat section allowed me to get running once more, still faster than I should have done thanks to the inexhaustible Andrew, but half a mile of uphill defeated me again. The next mile was even steeper, rising 50m, although I did run the second half, crested the hill (on which stood the TV mast that should have warned me that big effort was required) and trotted the short distance to the turnaround point.
I pride myself on never pausing my Garmin – my run time is also my elapsed time – but on this occasion I did and enjoyed four minutes of leg stretching and standing still to take in the view of the Moray Firth. Andrew, it must be said, appeared glad of the break too.
The first two miles of the return trip was mostly downhill and increasingly steep as we dropped more than 100m, achieving such a ridiculous pace (8.16min/ml at one point) that I deliberately slowed it down before we bottomed out. Even so, walking resumed at the first slight incline, and again a mile further on: the track was flat but stoney and potholed. That’s my excuse. A final half-mile of running preceded the final half-mile uphill walk. Andrew, who will shortly run the Uganda Marathon, declared it a good run. Maybe he was being kind.
My 10-mile record is 1:29, my average around 1:43. Today’s run took 1:57, including the 4min pause, and contained 207m of climb – more than in most of the marathons I’ve run. As for whether I’d have been more comfortable, faster or slower on a solo run, we’ll never know.
There’s another 10-mile run to be done next weekend (or, more likely, the following Monday). That will be on the flattest route I can find. I deserve an easy one.
Add your comment
© Russell Turner 2008-2024