I spotted the Aviva stadium this morning as I descended from Deer Park. I had never noticed it before and it took me a second or two to figure out the strange configuration. It always amazes me to see curves in a building or architectural structure. One of the advantages of Winter running, of course, is the dearth of foliage on the trees allowing glimpses into otherwise hidden spaces. It was a beautiful morning, cold, bright and just perfect for a morning run.
Yes, I think it's the third-day run that catches me. It's still only (3m)5k, completed today at a pace of 6.16k/h, but into the third mile I noticed the build up in my legs of the dreaded lactic acid. Many of you non-runners will recognise this as the tightness you feel in muscles unaccustomed to exercise or after exercise for an extra-long period. It's the Jane Fonda 'burn'. 'Feel the burn', she used to say in her exercise videos as she lunged around in her tight-fitting leotard and California glow. Today's run may also have been affected by the shorter rest period between runs. I ran in the afternoon yesterday, leaving me with twelve rather than the usual twenty-three hours of recovery. Despite these slight twinges, I still like to do three days of consecutive runs. I see it as an exercise in building endurance necessary for completing a marathon. It's also my understanding, that one is supposed to run tired as well, as long as not overdoing it.
I was not as overall tired as last Wednesday. I am getting to bed and now to sleep earlier, which is a whole act of training and discipline in itself.
It was such a glorious morning that I had a moment's temptation to abandon work and just hang outdoors all day. Another Walter Mitty moment.
"Well, you will never run a marathon." Etty suffers from ongoing Sarcoidosis which is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily involves the lungs. Niamh, her sister, likes to run and is going to run the Cork City Marathon on June 6th to raise funds for those suffering from chronic lung diseases. This blog will be a parallel account of their trials and tribulations in the coming months: the would-be marathoner; the mother-of-three moving home and struggling with serious, ongoing Sarcoidosis.
I'm totally knackered: my fault. Went for wine and dinner last night, woke up at about 5. But I ran anyway...not well but I did it
ReplyDeleteAs you would say yourself, a bad run is a done run! You have touched on a question that is in my own mind though... when do I go tee-total on this campaign? Not yet Lord, not yet!
ReplyDeleteit's a hard one: I find I do run better if I don't drink, but small regular amounts (a glass of wine a day) impact less than a big night out (which doesn't happen much anyway). If I am going to go out for a few pints (well more than 2!) I try to make sure that I'm not running the next day. I think I am not prepared to give up drink entirely - I really don't think that I am operating at that level of performance!!
ReplyDelete