Tuesday: 12.6k Not so tempo run.
Wednesday: 19.6k Medium long run & 8.8k easy.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 14.2k Fartlek run.
Saturday: Widnes parkrun + warm up & TomTom watch test run 11.6k in total.
Sunday: 32.2k Long run.
Total: 105.8k (65.7mi)
Week six and I'm up to 20 mile runs. This time last year I was struggling with my motivation for my long runs. More than once I'd go out on a long run and end up coming home miles short of my target. On one run I remember sitting on a park bench for ten minutes wondering what I was doing and why I was putting myself through this.
No such feelings today. My original plan was to head on up onto the hills around Saddleworth above Oldham but I was advised to avoid it this week due to the bad weather over the past week or so. Not having planned a route I hit the Fallowfield loop line and link up with the Rochdale canal in Manchester for the run back to home. Basically this was my morning run to work and evening run linked up. However this would leave me about 6k short of my 32.2k target. This happened as I passed my house on the canal, I couldn't quite see my house but I could see the road next to it. Last year I'd would have been off home to put my feet up. Not this time round! On up the canal and a few loops near home and I hit the magic figure at the end of my road.
Previously I've been shattered at the end of long run of this distance and I'd be getting slower and slower but not this time, even at the end I felt good and strong. Perhaps all this hard work is starting to pay off....
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| Lap 2 of Widnes parkrun - not sure where everybody else is! |
I don't often get chance to run a parkrun fast between volunteering at Oldham and pushing Abigail round in her pram while Jan runs. But this week I had the opportunity to visit Widnes parkrun. This was only their second event, their first being cancelled due to the weather. I went over on the train with my usual parkrun tourism buddy Simon who unfortunately is injured at the moment, but that didn't stop him coming over and volunteering to help the new team out.
Widnes is a fast course, pan flat and all on tarmac. The only downside is the top part of the park. As a three lap course it is difficult to pass people while going round the duck pond there isn't much room. This isn't much of a problem for me as I'll slow down until there is a safe chance to pass but I'm not sure everybody will do. The other "slow" part is the 150 degree corner: a couple of times I was leaning at a 45 degree angle to get round with some pace. Still this is a great fast course and I'm sure now I know it I can go faster but I'm not sure it's a PB course with that corner! Still well worth a visit.
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