Back to Training.

As i have given up racing for the next five weeks i decided to run my pre-marathon 22 mile hilly route. When i have missed doing my long runs due to racing my first long run back is normally quite slow and hard work. Just before my marathon i put in a really hard effort over the whole route and finished in 2 hours 35 minutes which was my fastest time to date. This time i set off with the intention of getting round in just under three hours which would be normal seeing i hadn't done this route for 12 weeks. Somehow i don't know why but i completed the course quite easily in 2 hours and 34 minutes and that included having to slow right down over the last three miles as the dog was absolutely knackered. That was Saturday so today i took on another 16 miles of hilly trail running but at a much easier pace, so i have managed about 80 miles this week instead of the normal 50. Another five weeks of similar mileage and then it will be time to attack my best times from 2007 over 10k, 10 miles and the half marathon. My plan is to do Tholthorpe 10k in under 32 minutes 20 seconds then go sub 32 minutes at the Wetherby 10k then finally sub 31 minutes 30 seconds at the Teespride 10k. If that manages to work out then the assault on my half marathon time should be looking good, hopefully sub 68 minutes.
The dog suffered far too much on the Saturday run so it was left at home on the Sunday but i made it up to it by taking around the woods for a walk in the afternoon. The hedgehogs are doing fine and they just love the cat food, sultanas, and dried maggots. The oats just get chucked out of the the house i built which is more of a food bar than a place for them to live now.
As it was the end of my season i dug out my running books and yet again it was surprising how much i have forgotten and why certain types of training are needed. Just as you think there's nothing new to learn you realise all you have learnt as faded away.