Well the good news is that totting up my running for 2009 I had done 927k, more than double my previous best of 395 in 2007. The bad news is that I have not done much of that in the past month.
Saturday I am on the treadmill in the gym and struggling somewhat to do 4.5k. I think the cold a few weeks back has not totally gone from my chest so breathing is difficult. I head for a couple of sessions in the steam room to see if that will help.
Later I am staring at my training schedule and feeling bad that I have not run since Christmas Eve. With the Not the Roman Nine 12k looming next Sunday, I feel I should shrug off my wintry wimpishness and get moving. The weather and general busy-ness has been my excuse but it will not do. I have seen other runners out in the ice and snow so it must be possible to brave the white stuff without ending up in A&E.
So as bit of a thaw sets in on Sunday with the temperature rising to a balmy 1°C I drive out to the Stoneleigh roundabout on the A46 to resume where I left off. Not wanting to block any field entrances it is difficult to find a place to park but I notice a sort of informal lay-by on the Stoneleigh Road. So its right down the B4114 and then left across the fields to the back end of Stoneleigh. My fears that it will be difficult underfoot soon fade. In fact with more snow around it is better than Christmas Eve. Navigation is not difficult either with the waymarkers as usual appearing just where you need them.
Like Map 4 this section includes a few metres down alley between the two sets of back gardens and then crossing the Rive Sowe in full spate. Its then up a hill via a slightly sunken and overhung path, which must be very pleasant in summer, but today is the part where its most difficult to stay upright. After more snowy fields I am in to a wood with a bridge crossing what looks like a glorified puddle (the book says it may be dry) and then the River Avon, which, for all its importance further downstream, is the Sowe’s junior at this point.
At Stareton (where the phone box marked in my old book has gone) I decide to turn round.
Going back is a lot quicker than coming out, partly because I know the way, but mainly because I do not have the same technology issues. I am trying two lots of technology this afternoon: my old Garmin foot pod and watch, which bleeps at me when I go slower than 6 mins/k (which is quite a lot) and my new Nike+ foot bod which sends signals to my iPhone. On the bridge over the River Avon I stop to take a photo and, putting the iPhone back in its sleeve, the music suddenly goes up to full volume and I get my ears blasted. There is a lot of fiddling involved in getting it back to a tolerable volume. I think I shall save the music for my city runs in future.
Checking the two rival systems, the Nike+ thinks I have gone half a kilometre futher than the Garmin, obviously some calibration issues here. I will use the Garmin data as it will be consistent with my previous records.
This week Map 5 completed (apart from the last K after Stareton).
5.2k at a pace of 7:08 min/k (would have been better without the technology stops)
So far 5 maps completed: 18.8k
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