I had a weekend away and I promised Michelle that I would leave my trainers at home. We stayed at the St. Moritz Hotel & Spa at Trebetherick, near Wadebridge, which is where my son works as a chef. We certainly ate well, with lunch on Friday at Rick Stein's fish and chip shop in Padstow, then fine dining in the evening at the hotel with my son and his partner. We did do some walking over the three days but I did still managed to put on a few pounds. No doubt I shall be working those off within the next few runs.
Tuesday's club run was one of the shortest routes we run, the Moorings Meander at a little over 4 ½ miles. I began running with Michelle, ( not my Michelle, another one 😊), also Sally and Tania until I'd warmed up, then I sped up a little and I caught up with some of the other ladies. There was also new guy Andy who hadn't run for six months and is more of a cyclist than a runner.
The route is an out and back course and so I decided to get myself into a good pace. Andy had gone past the ladies but was falling back and so I stopped to wait for him, and he said he was beginning to feel tired and urged me to carry on.
I enjoyed the shorter run after my weekend of indulgence, and I felt good at the end of it.
Wednesday's speed/interval session with Jenny was hill reps around the centre of Newport. It began on the flat, just to get us warmed up, then we began the climb up from the Civic Centre, along Fields Park Rd to Risca Rd, before finding another long street on a hill to run up and down a few times before heading back down Stow Hill into town and back to our starting point.
I have to say that Jenny's enthusiasm is infectious! Many people shy away from hills, with Jenny it's, "shall we do that one more time"? She is feeling the benefits of our sessions also. She told me last night that she feels her recovery time is getting quicker, which is a sure sign that her fitness is improving.
You can see the long climb at the beginning, followed by a stead flat section, then the up and down reps section with the long run home at the end.
I've been really enjoying these sessions with Jenny. Previously I've helped with the C25K courses and really enjoyed those, seeing the beginners start from nothing, (as I did), and nine weeks later running 5km non stop. So this has prompted me to think about maybe doing a course in Leadership in Running with Welsh Athletics after I've done my marathons.
I was joined by the lovely Tania, (who I nicknamed Miss Speedy Pants 😂), for 8 miles of this mostly flat route. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the run, and in fact Tania and I were chatting so much that I forgot our turn off on Corporation Rd and we ended up all the way to its dead end, where we found a small trail like path, and I decided to take it. Tania was wondering where I was taking her, it being dark and secluded 😲. Fortunately we didn't come across any ghouls, ghosts or zombies, only a lone woman with two large white dogs. Fortunately the path did lead us back to civilisation again and we were both safe. Phew, but I did have Tania to protect me. 😂
I'd met up with Tania at the Wave on Newport's Riverfront, and that was where we parted company, Tania having completed about 8 miles, but I still had about 4 miles to go.
The flat part of the route was fine, but then I hit the hill on Malpas Rd, opposite Bettws Lane and I began to struggle, my legs were now beginning to feel tired and I couldn't wait for the road to flatten out again.
A little further along I began to get a couple of cramp twitches in my right calf, and I NEVER get cramp! I turned off Malpas Rd to head down to the canal, where I only had to run the canal path for a couple of hundred metres before bearing off and into the estate. But with very tired legs, that last hill was a killer and I really struggled to carry on running, the temptation to walk was huge, but I carried on running like the three little pigs, all the way home.
Saturday I shall just be running at Parkrun, and no further. And on Sunday it is race day, the Lliswerry 8, a 8 mile very flat route organised by Lliswerry Running Club in Newport. This will be my first time running in this race so I am looking forward to it and I hope to complete it in 1 hour 15 minutes or less. I shall write up a full report in next weeks Running Roundup.
Until next time guys and gals, keeeeeep running 😊
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