I’m supposed to be building up for Bristol Half Marathon in September – we entered months ago. If I had kept up my training from the Mendip Challenge it would be a breeze but, alas, although I have been regularly running since then I have not maintained the distances – even with my Park and Strides. And from Monday, for two weeks, I will be away, so this is a last chance to get one faster distance in.
Simon and I ran to Wells and back last week with Millie, but it was very hot and she was suffering, so we had plenty of stops at cattle troughs for her to have a drink and a paddle – we even discovered three goldfish in one murky one.
I decided to run the same route and take my iPhone with RunKeeper on it to measure the distance, especially as we had taken a detour down the tunnel for the first time. Simon was visiting friends in Oxford and I decided to leave Millie at home as it was warm again and I think it’s just a bit too far when she’s hot.
Like last time I was running in off-road shoes but this time I was favouring the forefoot/midfoot to test my anatomy. The knees were predictably odd – I still have a little stiffness in my left knee but extending it from kneeling now is getting easier – but I did become sore directly beneath my right patella. Again, after running this rapidly subsided. I also felt some tenderness across the pads on the balls of my feet, which were taking more of the strain then with normal running, but were OK.
It was about 12.5 miles there and back across country and I averaged 8.5 minute miles, so not too bad. How this will translate to speed on the road I don’t know.
Leave a Reply