20 up

So yeah I was feeling like a bit of a crock by the end of the week. Sore knee, throbbing ankle and the PF on the right foot were all saying hello to me. Nevertheless after a trip to the physio (John O Sullivan, Mallow) I felt in great shape. The stiffness in my hips and the back was alleviated and it seemed to do the trick, Saturday morning i did a easy 6 miles and met up with Mallow members to run 20 miles on Sunday. I won't deny that the 20 mile run was hanging over me especially the night before and I was humming and hawing about weather to just stay local and solo instead. That would have been a bad idea as the Mallow long runs on Sunday always bring me on and the company is good too.

Fergal Murphy met up with me at 7.30 am a to do 6 miles out to the racecourse and back. He was good company and his youthful enthusiasm rubbed off on me. We then met up with the main group at 8.30 where I continued my adventure. They ran 13 miles along a testing route (plenty of hills). I was slow but was reluctant to take too many rest breaks. I was overtaken by the posse at mile 17 and my pace which was in the 8.30's dropped to a bit over 9 minute pace. The last 3 miles were a real mental struggle but I was damned if I was going to give in. I mightn't be fit at the moment but this was all about getting the miles up on the legs. At mile 18 I turned off towards the healthcare centre and I was glad to face down the last mile by the town park. I won't deny I was glad to see the Garmin beep at mile 20. I was on my feet for 2hr58mins, roughly 8.52 pace. Job done. The rest of the day was spent doing very little, watching the Irish rugby team huff and puff against Italy. Today was all about huff and puff for me too.

In terms of a body N.C.T I was ok enough , the knee was a bit sore but nothing too major. I guess I will know better when I get back out running during the week.

The mileage this week was 38 miles , very low compared to what I used to do but I am happy to play it careful for this cycle. Hopefully the weeks of 60 miles a week won't be too long in coming back this year.