more running

 

Most of these photos were taken on a training run with coach Mary on the 24th Sept. But they are a part of the bigger picture which is to do a bit more serious running. Even going out without a camera! (Someone must have had a camera here though!?) And focussing on the training. I don't always enjoy the training aspect but I'm always glad I did it. You can kid yourself you have not lost that much fitness until you do a parkrun and find it is a full 2 minutes slower than the last one back in January. Now while that is not a disgrace, (10% slower) it is not such an easy task to reclaim those 2 minutes back. I thought a few tough sessions and I'll be back under 21mins in no time and another few weeks and it'll be 20mins and change. 

However after a decent week's training I returned with confidence and took a whole one second off the time of the previous week. Fuck! Maybe that was just a blip or the weather or because I was working or not sleeping that well? (I was sleeping fine!) Following week after more quality training, parkrun was 2 seconds quicker than the previous week. I have to say I was a bit taken aback. This is going to take more grindstone than I have the stomach for. Like getting back into serious training mode. I am not superkeen.

I suppose I have more time than ever before, just not more energy. Or motivation. It will obviously be a long road ahead and for what? For times that are so much slower than 10 years ago when I was still capable of doing lifetime PBs. I'm not entirely sure I can be bothered! But at the same time I don't think I can afford to do otherwise. That way is the scrapheap, throwing in the towel and having a short fat life with high bloodpressure on the slippery cholesterol slope. I currently take no pills and intend to keep it that way. Running seems the best option and doing it half-hearted seems a bit shoddy.  Although considerably easier.

when your garrison cancelled the meet but forgot to email you

kestrel

The best thing in my running life is Mary who was my "coach" from when I started running about 1998. Her absence from running since lockdown due to a string of injuries and difficulties throughout the last 3 years is obvious. When she is unable to get out running, my training inevitably slows down or grinds to a near halt. Of the 2 of us, Mary is by far the more enthusiastic and I tend to ride along behind. It will be Mary who calls the shots and says we're off to do a hill session (yesterday) or a longer endurance run (tomorrow) and mostly I go along happily. When she isn't cracking the whip it doesn't get cracked.

Well, not so often, although she trained me up so well when I was first getting into it, that I continued for a while over and above her running journey. I think the successes were in themselves encouraging. Whereas now I am struggling to keep my head above water and it can seem like a lot of unpleasant work to just tread water at this reduced level. I should take inspiration from Mary who, as soon as she could get walking, then running again was right up for signing up for events.

ruby tiger moth caterpillar

Currently I don't feel any more ambitious than knocking out parkruns. However (my idea!) we have signed up for the Borders Cross Country; a season of wintery muddy short courses that went on sale today. First one early November so I have a whole month to get my legs going a bit faster. Mary has signed up for Jedburgh Half and Edinburgh marathon '25. She invited me to do the same but frankly I wouldn't go near stuff like that for money. I have an abstract notion of what a decent half or marathon time is and I know fine well I couldn't do anything near that without a load of really intense training that would bring me a great deal of misery. So that is on the pile marked later or never. I'd have to be enthused about an event to do that to myself and currently about 30mins effort is the longest thing I am prepared to train for. 

I was surprised to see this red admiral soaring about the other side of the top road in Holyrood. I stopped to take photos. It didn't land anywhere nearby so I had to settle for shots as it flew past. By this time Mary had got about quarter of a mile ahead and I remembered how we called this training Mintervals after Billy Minterval who recognised the benefit of enforced sprinting to catch up with the coach after taking photos of wildlife.

red admiral in flight

down the innocent railway, around Duddingston Loch
and back into Holyrood

good to see Bert (and pal) out training
we did not stop to chat as everyone was working

and Michael again

we did stop to chat this time!
not the first Tuesday we have bumped into Michael here

on the way home: thoughts turn to lunch!

a more recent photo after a hill session on Salisbury Hill
doing 8 x 2mins ascents with 2min return to the base
first session with gloves and head cover