Saturday 22 January 2011

Club Class

A slightly early Saturday morning for me, particularly after my late run, and dinner last night. By eight o'clock I was at Javed's house in Odiham saying hello to a few Hart Road Runners club members I've not seen this year, and being happily hounded by happy hounds (either because they appreciate my doggish "eat-play-run-sleep" mentality.... or because I smell of cat).

Andy , Fiona, Huw, Andy, Javed
Maisy, Pippa
Javed's dogs, Maisy and Pippa, put in a fair few miles, and regularly join a run with a familiar group. Maisy's heavier coat and steadier pace means she fares better in cooler weather, whereas the younger Pip isn't averse to clearing the odd gate, or chasing an errant pheasant.

Once everyone arrived, Javed lead us out on a regular route of his. Within minutes from his door you can find yourself in wide open fields, separated by flinty (or often muddy) green lanes and farm tracks, and Javed can string together a route of almost any distance by adding or removing loops from key junctions.
Today we headed west initially, for what became a twelve mile excursion, and took turns to sharing the lead and bringing up the rear, happily chatting between us as we went.

Of the group, three of us are "dark-siders", in that we regularly sign up to ultra-marathons of thirty miles or more, plus an ultra-dabbler, a triathlon-dabbler, and a marathon-dabbler. The dogs favour ultra-duathlon events, in that they'll happily run for several hours at a time, but whenever the see water, they'll be swimming.

At this stage in my Janathon campaign, it's refreshing to be running with a good sized, mixed group. Not only is it great to chat to other runners about their plans for the year, but it's also a good reference for seeing how well (or not) I'm running after twenty two days straight. The body's definitely still feeling as good as it was two and a half weeks ago, which supports my plan to look after my joints from day one; but I'm itching to get a bit of rest & recovery, so I can start using some higher gears again. The bathroom scales suggest a noticeable drop in weight, and a reduced fat percentage since Janathon began, which means I should be well set for some faster long runs throughout spring, and fitting in all my suits for another year.

The run concluded with a social coffee, and runners departed for busy days of taxi-ing kids around and visiting family. Me? I have an appointment with a lazy lunch and a comfy sofa, plus a couple of hours of television I have no intention of staying awake for.....


Summary:
Today: 12.2 miles, 1:55 hrs, 1391 cals
January: 305.3 miles, 44.39 hrs, 41183 cals

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the heads-up on the hundred miles... I hadn't even noticed! I've become very giddy over the whole thing now! A well deserved nap on the sofa I'd say... I can only remain envious at the kinds of distance you are able to cover and I understand completely what you mean about rest and recovery... I'm going to turn into a sloth for the 1st Feb!! :-)

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  2. So you've blasted throught the 300 mile mark - excellent going. I'm looking forward to running again and your run sounded fun (my dog is looking forward to me running again too). Ultras sound a bit too far for me, I haven't really figured out how best to manage the 20 mile plus runs. Keep going strong, you are a real inspiration.

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  3. Good going Gary

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  4. Wow!!! I am in total awe. Thanks for the 100 mile encouragement. I did it and unfortunately I'm now tapering ready for a week of snowboarding - and yes I will be running in resort for the last few days of January

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  5. @Jenks - Managing 20+ miles is just like managing any other distance. You still just pick the right pace, the right admin, and the right mindset, you just factor in the mileage.

    @runnellie - Cheers mate - still firing on all cylinders!

    @Nicky192 - Jealous! Snowboarding and running in snow.

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