Annual club night out

Last night was the Strathearn harriers annual bash.
We had a fantastic night with a lovely dinner and great Ceilidh after.
My speech seemed to go OK which is always a relief as I dont find these things easy. It was my last as President.
My calf seemed to stand up fine to some fairly vigorous if not accurate dancing. Poor Liz damaged toes thanks to me. I had a massage on friday. I will give it another couple of days and then hopefully I will be up and running again

Calf update

This nothing to do with WHW runner's highly informative dissertation on cow shooing.
I did try a run 2 days ago and it wasnt great. I did just over 2m and there was cetainly a reaction. So I will rest it another week
In the meantime I have done 30min on my bike (attached to turbotrainer) every day this week. My calf seems no worse after each session.
Unfortunately I wont be able to do the relay tomorrow.
Of course its all getting frustrating now and all the platitudes of a rest doing some good etc have worn off and its never a good time to have an injury.
Ah well KBO.

Shopping in Glasgow

As I am not up to running yet Liz and I decided to have a day out in Glasgow.
When we sat down having lunch I was looking around at the other people and it suddenly occurred to me to ask Liz "is this what normal people do on a Saturday ?"
She was able to tell me that people who dont run most days or cycle or whatever it may be, do in fact spend most weekends browsing around shops and drinking coffee. I reflected that perhaps being injured occassionally isnt all that bad. I bought a new jacket and some shirts and quite enjoyed the day out.
Glasgow really is a v nice city centre and I will be going more often. I even enjoyed the train.
However we did spend quite alot of time planning running races which was also v nice.
The calf seems to be responding to rest. Maybe a couple more days off running will do.
The next event is a club relay I am organising next Saturday. Hopefully we will get a decent turnout.

Calf injury

2 days ago I ran up the glen artney Rd in the gloom. The plan was to do a 10m circuit and despite the conditions I was looking forward to the run. After 2m I had a brief stop and just after I set off again (uphill) I felt a pain in my left medial calf. Foolishly I carried on thinking I would probably run it off. After about another 3m it had become pretty obvious that it was getting worse so I started walking and trying to thumb a lift. A car did stop quite soon after and gave me a lift down to Comrie which was pretty lucky really.
Mt calf feels tight rather than painful so I am hopeful it isnt serious and that I may be running again in a few days.
Not a bad time of the year to pick up an injury if one has to be picked up and the rest might do me some good.

7m tempo

Ran down to the N Inch last night to do 3 circuits. The ice has almost cleared thank goodness except for one corner which a cyclist discovered as he was passing me. I was amazed that anyone was trying to cycle over sheet ice and I was walking. Down he went but no harm done.
I felt pretty tired which may have been the effects of a long day at work and sleeping poorly recently.
I am getting pretty fed up of the dark and ice but hopefully better days are ahead.
My right knee has been quite achey for the last 2-3/52. I woke in the night and it felt like it had really stiffened up. It doesnt bother me when I run. Sounds like wear and tear to me. I have been taking glucosamine for almost a year now which I do think has helped. Hopefully warmer weather will help the knee.

Run around Crieff

Today was a bit of a disastor as far as running is concerned.
We had an unexpected freeze last night and I ended up doing a v icey run with Phil and Daniel in the vicinity of Crieff.
I did entertain the idea of running home but it would hve been horrible and icey so I called it a day and live to run another day.
Thats 38m for the week.

interval session

Yesterday i forced myself out in the wind and rain for a 6x1/2 mile session.
Did this on the Langside Rd. Wasnt my fastest by a long way with intervals of 3 min with the wind at my back and 3,10-15 the other way. Worthwhile though and good to it under my belt,

slush and rain

Yesterday I did an out and back on the S Crieff Rd of 10m. Felt pretty good and averaged 7.15.
It was v wet but thats a small price to pay for secure running on tarmac.

Ben Lui and tarmac

On Friday I did 6x 1/2 mile reps on the S Crieff Rd. V slow I'm sad to report. I was averaging 6.20 pace which is awful but it was cold. At least i did it !
Yesterday I did a hill walk up Ben Lui with 4 friends. Its an 18km day with 900+m ascent so a good workout in the snow.It was a really good day but not great viz at the top.
This moening I was pushes for time so did a 4m mile tempo run from home on tarmac!!!
It was great.

Winter continues

Winter really is in full force. Record low temps (-21deg last night in altnahara and -14deg in Greenloaning yest am) and lots of media coverage. In these conditions its pointless sticking to plans that arent practical.
Yesterday I did a 5.8m run in Perth before work which was great in some ways. It was lovely to see the sun coming up over a wintry landscape in Perth.
Tonight I am going to try some reps if the road is good enough, tomorrow its winter walking in the Cairngorms.

7 icey miles

Yesterday I did an excellent walk up Ben Vorlich with John K. Fab views and soft snow almost all the way to the top.
Today i was back at work in Perth. I donned my trail shoes and slipped and slithered down glasgow road to do 3 circuits of the n Inch.
The Inch wasnt too bad to run on but the pavements in Perth are an absolute disgrace. There appears to have been little effort to clear them and now its too late. Some of the ice is several inches thick and like iron. I guess the council are trying to save money but how much has it cost the NHS for all the broken bones?
Running in these conditions is less than ideal as I find it puts a big strain on the calves. However its better than not running I guess.

2010 goals

A good start to 2010.
Yesterday i did the harriers new years day run and added on leg1 of the SWCHR for 8.7m. Lots of deep snow and a cold wind.
Today Phil m, Ian and I did a hill rep session of 8x 2min. V tough in snowy conditions but felt pretty good.

For 2010 my goals for running are as follows;
1. Do a sub 37min 10K
2. Do a sub 85min half marathon.
3.Do a sub 3 hour marathon.