The Spring Is Back!

After all my adventures in the murk on Thursday, Friday brought the second toughie of the week; a medium long run with tempo efforts. I set out for the 12 miler in misty, cold and damp conditions feeling uninspired and rather shivery for the first couple of miles. The route is an undulating one for a couple of miles before the tempo efforts kick in on the edge of Ilkley. This time I opted for a slighter easier ride; 3 x 2M efforts to split up the hard work. As usual the return leg was heading back into gale force winds (I exaggerate mildly). Despite the dead feeling in my legs the effort was a steady threshold pace and a decently paced run by the end of the final 12. Another quality sesh in the bag that I can enjoy ticking on THE PLAN.

The prospect of today's strides held even less appeal as I shambled down the stairs with wooden legs this morning; a perfect opportunity to return the spring in my step you might say. This is a new approach for me; a steady aerobic run interspersed with short, pacy strides to get the leg turnover cranked up during high mileage weeks. The strides certainly did the business today; the brisk 7 miles left me feeling pretty nifty and ready for my hilly long run tomorrow. Sunday has a 20M route planned with company; the fast boys once again. I've been assured they'd be very tired after the XC at Sheffield today. All digits crossed, they're knackered. P.S. M's cheek also survived a road run last night.