Tuesday 13 February 2007

As good as it gets (at 17 stone!)

Tuesday is the day when I run with a few of the fit lads from the gym. Today, we ran round the so called "Mark Allison Memorial Town Moor 6 miles" (pictured left). I thought I wouldn't beat last week's time of 55:30 so I decided just to take it easy and aim for a sub 58 minute time. The lads; Ian (aka The Coach), Pete, Michael and Mike, sporting a pair of baggy pants and a baggy top 3 sizes too big for him, set off at a good pace and it wasn't long before they were just dots on the horizon. That said, I knocked the first 2 miles off in only 18 minutes. The conditions were excellent for running today and when I passed my birthplace (3.75 miles) on 34 minutes, I knew I was on for a good time.

I ran the last 2.25 miles virtually flat out and finished, while trying not to sound like I was giving birth to triplets, in 54:30. This was a minute quicker than last week and not too far off my all time PB of 52:52. I doubt I'll beat that time at my current weight so as the pounds fall off over the coming months I'll be having a crack at a new PB before the big run in July. Meanwhile, the other lads finished in times ranging from 44 - 48 minutes!

I must say, I'm looking forward to the lighter nights when I can switch these longer runs from lunchtime to after work. From mid March, my aim is to be running home 3 times a week (17 miles), with 2 fast 6 - 8 mile sessions (a bit like today) and a couple of sessions in the Gym. This means that the next 4 weeks are the calm before the storm. I'll use this time to continue to fine tune my diet and get as much running in as work and family life allows. After that, it is all about the running!