Trying out my new running tights

They're snug!

An hour's plodding, over 6.6 miles

The run felt good all the way round, which probably means I could push myself harder. Remember, I told myself as I was running, that this is early on. I'm looking to run for a sustained period of time, rather than for a particular distance or at a particular speed. Well, for now at least. Map after the jump.

Run

After the webcomics, it was on to a run. Map after the jump!

22 min 50

Little run

How better to spend a day off? Map after the jump...

Eight and a half miles

I've been running. Map after the jump.

68 hours in

I decided to run, to pound away any cravings. And, in just under an hour, I was quite pleased with my distance. Map after the jump.

Run in the sun

6.6mph

Getting some more miles on the legs

Exploring new running routes

Back in the saddle

Reebok Sale 5 miler

It was a hot, hot morning. Durex picked me up at 10ish, and we drove down. It was packed out with running club members in matching vests and shorts, quite a serious bunch. "We're the fattest people here," said Durex. "Speak for yourself mate," I replied. But he was right, there were some lean machines on show. We lingered at the back of the pack at the start.

We started with a couple of laps of the track. Once we'd got out of the complex, I looked down at my watch. 00:00:00 What? I looked again. 00:00:00 Shit, I'd forgotten to start my watch at the beginning of the race. Fucksocks! As I passed the 1 mile mark, my watch said the time was 11:12. What? Wasn't the race supposed to start at 11:00? Had I really just run a 12 minute mile? That's pretty much walking pace, isn't it? I'd better get a move on! So I kicked on, targeting people ahead of me to catch up with and then pass. Two miles, 11:20, three miles, 11:28, that's more like it, four miles, 11:36, good stuff, maybe I'll make it in under 44 minutes if I kick on even harder for this last mile. So I pushed even more. My shoulder ached, my stomach was tense, my calves stabbed, my lungs burned. I could see the track complex. One last lap. I was close to dropping as I came down the final straight. With about 30 yards to go I could see the big clock by the finish line... what?

38:50

...an age passed before the second changed to..

38:51

...I could hear the timekeeper calling out the seconds...

"...fifty-two, fifty-three..."

I crossed the line. 38:53 or 38:54. What? My watch said it was 11:44. I guess it's a little fast. Wow. My average pace per mile was 7.46. Great stuff! That equates to a 1hr42 half marathon. God I love running!



Photo via Mick Hall Photography, tyvm!

Guess which famous psychologist I saw in the race? Check out the results, and look who finished in 101st place? Wow!

Running, man

I’ve entered the Reebok Sale Five Miler. It’s on Monday, my first race since school. How exciting!

First run since injury

My groin was pretty good, and there wasn't any knee pain either. I got round in 1.01.45, which is slow, but that's two weeks off for you, I guess.

Ride on time

After a really good morning of studying, I dropped a banana and a Snickers round to Liz's as a good luck token for the Great Manchester Run tomorrow, then zipped round this route on my bike. It started to rain pretty hard as I pulled through West Didsbury, and by the time I got to the section between Palatine Rd and Hardy Lane I was soaked. Fuck it, I thought, I'm already wet - so I'm going to take on every puddle on this side of the river. Fun fun fun.

The cargo pants didn't cope too well with the mud. Nor the yellow hoody. I had a big dirty stripe down the middle of my back. It smelt like victory.

At exactly 9 minutes per mile

I prefer to run at speeds that are integers.

Stiff

I'm still feeling that 12-miler from Tuesday. Right knee. Calves like knives. But it felt so good at the time. I'm going to break the half-marathon soon. For the buzz, fuck the afters.

Breaking ten

I was really pissed off that my last longish run didn't quite break ten miles, so I did this one to guarantee that the psychological barrier that ten miles is and was absolutely and thoroughly smashed. 1 hour 58 min 36 sec. Alright!