I'll get straight to the point this week - as I would like the quote I will be reciting to say it all.
Training continues to tick over fairly nicely - with another 12.5 hour week under the belt. Similar story to the last few weeks in that swimming continues to go from strength to strength. Another week of consistently strong swimming. I'm swimming my cruise pace 100s off 1.50 swim & rest, coming home between 1.30 & 1.35. This is real progress and I would like to think there is still more to come - as my body position still needs improving. The Speedo Fastskins continue to impress.
Just a couple of small runs during the week then todays big run. I hit 19.5 miles with 15 of those miles off-road. I must admit I found this one of my toughest runs, a real mental test as I really didn't feel up for it. My left knee is giving my some grief plus my right hip flexor really stiffened up. The off-road terrain really took its toll on me, but I was pleased to hit 8 min miles when on the road for the last 4.5 miles. My knee is still sore so I'm going to have to watch how this feels over the next few days. With 3 weeks to go to the 30 mile Ultra I won't be taking any unnecessary risks.
You might remember in last weeks post, I quoted a few February resolutions. Well, I've made progress on these but they are still not embedded. I've fallen short of my 60 hours sleep, due to a couple of poor nights sleep (which left me feeling lethargic towards the end of the week). My daily stretching hasn't kicked in as I would have hoped, but baby steps are being taken. The mixed leave salad has become a daily habit (apart from today) so I'm counting this as the success story of the week.
Ok, thats all from me as I would like to hand you over to Haruki Murakami. Haruki is the author of the book of the year from last year - in my opinion. The book is called 'What I talk about when I talk about running'. It is a great book for both runners and non-runners alike.
I won't say anymore about why I like the following quote as I feel that a lot of you will know why it one of my favourites.
"People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they'll go to any length to live longer. But I don't think that's the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to your fullest within your individual limits: that's the eessence of running, and a metaphor for life - and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runners would agree".
Amen!
See you next week,
Sparky
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