Finish times at work, pup sitting duties and subsequently not wanting to run in the dark meant that day 81, 82 and 83 were all done on the treadmill. My confidence of running in the dark has definitely taken a knock since the fall I had a few weeks ago.
In the earlier days of this campaign, I found that there were a few disadvantages to running on the treadmill. A lack of scenery and staring at the TV for such a long time was quite monotonous. There was the danger of getting too "drawn in" to the screen in front of me and I've almost come off the treadmill on a few occasions.
More recently, I've used the TV to my advantage. Some decent shows on Netfllix have helped pass the time and I'm naturally able to keep my balance a lot better. I probably haven't spent this much time running on a treadmill since I was training to run across the USA in 2011. I've said it a few times recently, put having access to a treadmill has probably saved this run. Thankfully, with lighter, warmer days ahead, I hope that my treadmill days are numbered. That is, until I've finished watching Better Call Saul.
Times for day 81, 82 and 83 were 03:29:42, 03:24:18 and 03:22:21 respectively.
I finished work on day 84 an hour later than planned but was able to set off at a reasonable time. Not for the first time did running outside feel like a breath of fresh air after consecutive treadmill runs. I felt like a coiled spring unleashed during the first few miles in Gosforth up the Great North Road. It should also be noted that I was wearing a new pair of running shoes, having worn down two pairs over the previous 83 days and 1087 miles.
The miles seemed to fly by and a final time of 03:07:05 was very pleasing. It was the third quickest time of the 365 campaign so far. As an added bonus, I finished in daylight. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of day 84 was the feeling that I cold have gone a little quicker. However, there's that internal feeling that I know I have to do this all again tomorrow and a conservative pace takes over. There haven't been many times where the sheer fatigue has overruled that feeling.
Day 85 and 86 saw me back on the treadmill. 03:26:11 and 03:26:01 were more in keeping with recent times. I was back to feeling tired and sore. When I say "sore" this isn't muscle soreness. It feels like the kind of growing pains I felt in my youth. I'm sure if I searched this blog for the term "growing pains" it would yield a few hits. Bearing in mind, that this blog has been now been in existence for 20 years! The charity fund sat at £14,925 at that point. I could not have possibly imagined that so much generosity would be shown in the following years.
Day 87's route was a reverse of the run I did a few weekends ago. It was from my home in Bedlington to Druridge Bay just after 10am. I set off at a comfortable pace and I was really enjoying the morning sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures.
I passed through Choppington, Guide Post and Stakeford where the River Wansbeck was looking resplendent. The climb up from the river to Ashington took me by surprise. I haven't ran up too many hills this year. I'm definitely out of practise.
I took a sharp left up North Seaton Road in Ashington at mile 4.5. It was very quiet, lined with daffodils and had a perfect surface to run on. I reached the other end of Ashington at mile 7. It was then that I started running into a strong headwind.
As I turned due north at Alnmouth the wind got stronger. Somehow, I got slightly faster. I think the tunes on my iPod might have played a part there.
The ice cream shop at Creswell and the Drift Cafe were almost a blur. By now, the wind in Druridge Bay was at its strongest. There was a small hill to contend with then I could see the finish line. I crossed that in 03:16:06 which was the fifth quickest time this year.
I found a seat (a boulder) and waited 5 minutes for Donna (and Órlaith of course) to arrive in the car. Perfect timing! We then made our way to nearby Amble for a bite to eat (and a short walk with Órlaith). Good times!
I asked AI to analyse day 87 and this is what was said "The second half of your run was significantly quicker! You actually pulled off a textbook "negative split" which is runners-speak for finishing faster than you started.
Your pace really started to pick up after Mile 7 and Mile 12 was a massive standout.
The Half-by-Half Breakdown - To make it a fair comparison, I looked at the first 6 miles versus the next 6 miles (Miles 7–12):
First Half (Miles 1–6) | 1:36:16
Second Half (Miles 7–12) | 1:25:13
Key Observations
- The Surge: You dropped over 11 minutes off your time in the second half.
- The "Turbo" Mile: Mile 12 was your fastest at 11:38, which is over 5 minutes faster than your slowest mile (Mile 2).
- Finishing Strong: Even Mile 13 was considerably faster than your early-race pace.
It looks like you found a whole new gear once you crossed the midway point!"
Could AI be used to help me get these half marathons run quicker? That's something I'm going to look into. In the meantime, it has to be said that day 87 was one of my favourite half marathons so far this year. Daylight, good conditions underfoot, sunshine, a comfortable run and a nice bite to eat at the end.
There were no ill effects from the previous day on half marathon number 88 for the year. I had almost 30 hours of recovery time and it showed with a time of 03:14:11 on the treadmill.
Day 89 was a route from home to Pegswood. This was similar to day 68 where I arranged to meet Donna at the finish line. There was a time constraint involved and I had until 5.10pm to get there.
Due to work commitments, I didn't set off in time unfortunately. However, I managed to get 9 miles done by the time I met Donna in Pegswood. Exactly the same thing happened the last time I attempted this route. After a lift home, I did the final 4.1 miles around Bedlington. Those final few miles were very slow and I finished in a time of 03:33:46.
Day 89 saw me once again hit the treadmill. I took it very easy (03:28:16) knowing that day 90 (today as I write this blog) would be another run home from work. I'm in one mind to try and beat last week's time.
Thank you to everyone who has made a donation to St. Benedict's Hospice via
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365. The current total for the 365 campaign is £1677.83. The exciting news is that I'm aware of some promised funds in the pipeline and I hope to bring some good news on that very soon.
The overall fundraising position is shown below. These numbers represent an incredible amount of kindness from thousands of people. I'm also pleased and proud to report that donations are currently being made by long standing supporters as well as some kind new people. It's money that's much needed by St. Benedict's Hospice so thank you again to everyone who is donating.
The first quarter of the 365 campaign is complete. There are lighter, warmer days ahead. The focus will stay with keeping this streak of half marathons going but will also shift towards getting quicker. Somehow!
