Over the hill

A.M. May day holiday and also Father's Day as well here. A little bit cooler and cloudy but the shorts are staying on. Hilly run with concentration on good downhill technique. Total 22k in 1:40:32, av pace 4:34/k, 7:21/mi.

As I was leaving town at the beginning of the run and entering it at the end I was dodging the Father's day walkers. It is tradition here the men go out in large groups for 'walking' in the countryside, pulling trolleys heavily laden with bottles of beer that are consumed along the way. They were cheering me past at 9am, waving beer bottles in the air. I think I would be unconscious by lunchtime if I tried this. For the less energetic, tractors pull flatbed trailers with benches on the back into the countryside for the beer swigging fathers.

We're off to Frankfurt now for a few days, so enjoy your May Day and good luck to any racing on the weekend.

A.M. Jogging along the Main in Frankfurt with Johanne. Out on one side of the river and back on the otherside. Hats off to all those who regularly run in the cities, you need good will power to motivate yourself. Total 11k in 1:04:48, av pace 5:53/k, 9:29/mi.

P.M. Dump the suitcases down, get changed into running gear and out for a short run, back in the countryside again. Most wonderful. Total 12.1k with 6 x 100m strides in 56:40. av pace 4:41/k, 7:32/mi.  

A.M. The warm weather is here to stay as is donning the shorts. Hard-easy paced long run with a middle 10k at M.P. Lost it a little on the hills in the woods and so did the garmin but we both recovered for a decent last 5k. Total 35,3k in 2:40:59. av pace 4:34/k, 7:20/mi.

A.M. Recovery run on trails. I felt tired and footsore. Total 13.7k in 1:10:45, av pace 5:10/k, 8:19/mi.

P.M. 2nd recovery run. I usually feel better by the evening but today I still felt weary and the pace was slower than what I thought. Kept it short. Total 8,3k in 42:41, av pace 5:09/k, 8:17/mi.

A.M. Tempo run down and back up the valley. Warmup for 3k, then the aim was the same as last week, 15k in 1 hour. 1k Splits:

4:00,  3:59,  3:58,  4:01,  4:00,  4:01,  4:03,  4:01,  4:01,  4:05,  4:05,  4:11,  4:01,  4:03,  4:05.

A poor performance with the 15k in 1:00:34, last week I comfortably ran under 1 hr, this week it felt much harder for less. My legs felt tired after 5k, when I hit the 4:11 I was going to bin the workout but rallied a little for the last 3k. Cooldown was 4,1k. Total 22,1k in 1:33:44, av pace 4:14/k, 6:50/mi.

A.M. Easy paced hilly trail run, I was a bit dubious starting off half expecting that I was going to feel as bad as yesterday. Instead I felt good and relaxed and to my relief really enjoyed the workout, progressively getting faster. The warm temps are continuing well into next week and it is a pleasure to run in the woods. Lots of plump tasty looking rabbits about, pity this is a vegetarian household. Total 17,5k in 1:21:21, av pace 4:39/k, 7:29/mi.

P.M. Short evening run in the woods for 8,1k in 37:21. av pace 4:37/k, 7:25/mi.

At the edge of these particular woods is a 'Kneipp Anlage' which are popular here, especially in Spa resorts. This a small paddling basin, the water comes up through a borehole from deep underground and is extremely cold. The water is calf deep and is great after a run. I paddled round the basin once last night, got out and then went back in for another round. I lasted half way before I leapt out much to the amusement of the 3 ladies watching, it was so painfully cold. There is also a smaller waist height basin, in this one you dip your elbows into the water. This I could do and still maintain my dignity.

A.M. Easy paced medium long run, a mix of trails in the woods and asphalt cycle paths, nice and steady but thirsty work. Total 25,7k in 2:00:58, av pace 4:42/k, 7:34/mi.

A.M. Trail run at recovery pace with 6 x 100m and 4 x 200m strides, 4th day of backache   :-(   Total 16,2k in a leisurely 1:20:49, av pace 4:59/k, 8:02/mi.

A.M. Beautiful sunny day, me and Johanne drove out to the River Neckar and then jogged together along the river admiring the view and appreciating the flat course. Ended up in a beer garden for lunch, got to replace those burnt calories somehow. Total 10.6k in 1:02:07, av pace 5:52/k, 9:26/mi.

Public holiday across Germany today for Pfingstmontag/Whit Monday.

A.M. A hard going, weary, churned out long run, I dithered at the point where I turn off to do the extra 5k of hills. Can't say I enjoyed it much today but at least it is out the way for another week. Total 35,2k in 2:52:28, av pace 4:54/k, 7:53/mi.

A.M. Recovery trail run, 12.1k in 1:02:14, av pace 5:09/k, 8:17/mi.

P.M. Pretty much the same again, muggy with no wind in the woods. 10k in 50:27, 5:03/k, 8:07/mi.

My backache is starting to ease a bit and I can start with the Pilates exercises again.

A.M. 3k warmup, then 16k at M.P. in 1:07:44, av pace 4:14/k, 6:49/mi. 3,1k cooldown. Total 22,1k in 1:35:58, av pace 4:21/k, 6:59/mi. Felt pooped today.

A.M. Trail run, easy pace with 10 x 100m and 5 x 200m strides thrown-in whenever I felt I was settling down on the pace for too long. Total 17,4k in 1:21:13, av pace 4:42/k, 7:34/mi.

A.M. Nice and slow paced trail run.Good conditions to run, slightly overcast with a soft breeze.  Total 12,1k in 1:04:10, av pace 5:18/k, 8:32/mi.

Good luck all you 'Marathonis' today.

A lonely race.

A.M. Slow paced hilly 2 castles trail run. Cooler and with light rain which was appreciated. One section of the trail was narrow and overgrown, afterwards I stopped to brush my legs down hoping to dislodge any ticks that may have jumped onboard. They potentially carry two nasties, one is the FSME virus which I have been vaccinated against, the other is Borreliose which is difficult to treat. Prevention is better than cure and now it is warmer I check myself after everyrun, even so each year I get 2-3 ticks that I've missed and I need to remove with pincers, usually in the middle of the night when I sense them. Total 17k in 1:26:35, av pace 5:06/k, 8:12/mi.

A.M. Easy and steady pace run, mix of asphalt and trail. I think that deer are smarter than rabbits, when you startle deer they bound straight off the track into the undergrowth. Rabbits on the otherhand run away down the track in the line of fire, or sometimes even towards you before realising perhaps this isn't such a good idea, time to get in the undergrowth. Total 20k in 1:33:38, av pace 4:41/k, 7:32/mi.

A.M. Quick short workout along the valley cycle path. 5k warmup 23:32, 5k tempo 19:43, 6k cooldown 26:59. Av pace 4:24/k, 7:04/mi.

A.M. Public holiday again today for Fronleichnam/Corpus Christi, depending in which Bundesland you live in. A short lively hill run in the woods was on the cards this morning, a cool and overcast morning with a light breeze, great conditions to run. I enjoyed myself and included 6 x 100 strides and 1 x 400m. Total 15,1k in 1:08:45, av pace 4:33/k, 7:20/mi.

A.M. Slow and relaxed hill run in the woods, finished with 3 x 400m, 1:24, 1:21, 1:21. Total 14,5k in 1:10:42, av pace 4:53/k, 7:51/mi.

A.M. Warm and sunny run through open fields and one hill climb with Johanne. A fairly hard run for her and a slow run for me, us both mutually benefiting from the other. Total 10,6k in 1:00:47, av pace 5:46/k, 9:16/mi.

Half marathon in Leinfelden just south of Stuttgart with the first 1k in town, and the rest along a cycle path in a wooded valley. The course runs downhill for 10,2k to the turning point with a descent of 120m/394ft, then the same way back uphill but into a stadium round to the finish line. It was a 10am start, warm (24°C/75°F) with a light breeze.

My aim was to try and PR with a time of about 1:24, I planned to keep it comfortably hard downhill at about 3:55/k for the first 10k, then try and keep as close to 4/k back uphill.

1st 5k – 19:23, feeling good and comfortable, ignored all the runners blasting past me.

2nd 5k – 19:58, slower than I wanted, for downhill it was feeling hard.

3rd 5k – 20:48, uphill now, too much time lost already, I wanted to be sub 1hr at the 15k point. Now it was 1hr 9secs but I still thought I could still do it. Already starting to overtake plenty of runners that had gone out too fast, also encouraging to see hundreds of runners still going the other way to the turnaround.

4th 5k – 21:40, awful – really struggling now. I was part of a small group that had formed but it felt too slow and I took off in front of them with 2 following. I concentrated on reeling in each runner in front of me with success but I was slowing too much for my personal goal. My pacing was not steady, I would get it together and pickup for a while but then gradually slow down again. 18k down I felt really weary, each km marker now seemed to take forever to appear. 2k to go and I felt like I was on jelly legs, my breathing was loud and noisy and moaning. I just wanted it to end but back in town now, people clapping and shouting support, it helps.

Last 1,1k – 4:40, still poxy uphill I’m overtook twice here, yak, at last I drop into the stadium. One last big effort to try and catch the guy in front, I don’t, I finish 2 secs behind but it removed the danger of being overtook by the guy behind me.

Conclusion – the goal was realistic, strategy fine, the motivation was there and I fought as hard as I could on the day. I feel more trashed after this race than any other so far this year. This was my 2nd fastest ½ M time. Another day the 1:24 will fall, what I will consider now is to gap my races more to see if this makes a difference.

A.M. A low pressure front over Spain means the weather here this week is straight from the Sahara, complete with sand particles. It was very warm this morning, I just about managed a very short recovery jog, I'm weary and still hurting from yesterday's race. Total 5,1k in 27:58, av pace 5:29/k, 8:50/mi. Summer temps for the rest of the week. (in the 90s)

P.M. Evening jog with Johanne, same round as this morning, 5,1k in 28:47, av pace 5:39/k, 9:05/mi.

A.M. Still feeling pooped, so it was a nice slow run in the woods. My thoughts were still on my race, I'm in that self-analysis stage we all go through when things haven't gone to plan. Time to accept it, and forget it . What I have done is ditch the race leaflets within the next two week period. I have them all pinned up on my running board, they are like a tempting box of chocs to me. So many different races to choose from and sample. Total 12,1k in 1:00:53, av pace 5:02/k, 8:06/mi.

P.M. A slow run in the woods. Ran at 7pm when it was a little cooler but it was still 29C/84F. No probs for you Utah desert rats but for an Englaender it's a trifle warm. You can always spot English folk abroad in winter as we're the only ones wearing shorts. Total 10k in 51:13, av pace 5:08/k, 8:15/mi.

A.M. Easy pace hilly trail run, I felt tired after less than 6 hrs sleep so no great effort. Warm and sticky weather. Total 17,4k in 1:23:45, av pace 4:49/k, 7:45/mi.

Evening. A short trail jog. 6k in 31:08, av pace 5:11/k, 8:21/mi.

A.M. Easy pace run, the first 8k in the valley, then uphill for a couple of k to return back to town through the woods. Warm and humid, I sweated buckets and brought back an interesting fly collection plastered to me. Two beasties bit my legs in the woods which meant I could practise some Bavarian leg slapping dancing.  Total 21k in 1:37:13, av pace 4:38/k, 7:27/mi.

P.M. Short evening jog in the woods, Total 7,5k in 38:30. av pace 5:08/k. 8:16/mi.

A.M. Felt tired to start this morning. Med-long run in the woods linking a couple of routes together. One nice long downhill stretch where I kept a pace of 3:30/k going, then at about the 17k point I suddenly ran out of steam. Then it was a hard slog, I felt every remaining hill. I finished the circuit in 23k, then added a couple of k on back through the vineyards to make up my goal of 25k under 2 hrs. So, 25k in 1:57:36, av pace 4:42/k, 7:34/mi.

A.M. Slow-easy trail run just talking to the trees. Total 12,1k in 59:28, av pace 4:55/k.

P.M. A slow short evening jog. Total 5,5k in 28:21.