The Walker With Heart

If anyone ever says there's no difference between running on the hills and on the road then they probably haven't tried it and almost definitely deserve a slap... Based on trying to switch back to road running I know I have stamina in spades, shovels and buckets... I know that I have some speed, even though I've been going long and not doing much at pace... So why have I found the GNR & the Aintree Grand 10k so hard mentally, and sort of physically... By sort of I mean my niggles are back after much shorter distances than off road, and mentally well it's staying focused in a way I used to be able to do much, much easier. Part of it is the surface, both were on tarmac or concrete which does jar a bit more than bog... More importantly they were flat.  My stride pattern and cadence was fairly constant, and repetition and repetition isn't what I'm used to. Off road my cadence is changing all the time, my stride pattern shortens and lengthens on the angle...

I've done everything I hoped to on two feet this year already, 2012 was the year of the pb - 10% off every one,  apart from the marathon where it was 'only' 5%... 2013 has been about going long, as long as I thought I could go and then the next day, and the day after that... I've only got one pb... 5 miles,  painfully close to my dream time of under 50min, but still a shade to go. Top 5 5ks,  second fastest 10k and way back in the snow of Cambridge my second fastest half Marathon... So,  it's back to Newcastle.  Where all of this running stuff began,  a course that I used to consider hilly (!) and the friendliest people on a course you could want.  This is the run I suggest for non-runners, for those who want to say I've done a half and no more, and those who've never done a big run.  It's not perfect, sometimes it's a long way from that but by hell is fun! So,  no pressure. My 'speed' work has consisted of 3 fairly speedy for me 5ks, and...

The calendar has flipped over another month, another run has been done... Another one I've wanted to do for a while. For as long as I've jogged along in the hills I've looked at the sweep down from Mam Tor and thought - that'll be fun to run... I've then walked along and up Back Nic and Losehill and thought, that may hurt on the way up... and I'm not sure I can run down the Losehill steps. Well I did run down, dodging the walkers, and it did hurt on the way up... And there was no bloody way I was running down those steps.  My feet are far too big for them, and its as steep as hell! Complete success, no.  I ballsed up my feeding and my hydration, and paid for it on the flat road section. Lesson learned, eat more and drink more than I think I need - I can't do the best part of a half-marathon on 1 gel and a packet of Cliff Blocks when there's 1500ft of climb in there.  So, I did what I set out to do... Loved every minute of it, and learnt ...