My legs are tired. I clocked 61.4 miles last week and while this might not be much to some, it was definitely enough for me - and I should add that a lot of those miles were on fairly rough terrain. It was a bit of a double whammy insomuch as Le Tour was here (in case you hadn't noticed) and of course that had to be visited, partaken of, and then I had to shift my lazy arse out for the necessary miles.
Le Tour was absolutely superb and I am so proud (even as a non-native) that Yorkshire took it to its benevolent heart and embraced. Saturday afternoon we had a superb vantage spot about 500 metres from the finish and could see all the way up Parliament Street, the atmosphere was incredible. I'd post pictures, but haven't got round to uploading them yet .... On Sunday the race passed within 1/2 mile of our house, so we just wobbled out to the roundabout marking the climb out of Harrogate and cheered there for a bit, then it was back home and into running kit.
I felt pretty rough yesterday morning, but forced myself out for an easy 40min swim session and this, followed by pilates last night has loosened things up a bit and I'm ready for more. It's the Stirton Fell Race tomoz and normally I would try and rest my legs in preparation, but things being as they are I don't think I can afford the luxury so will go to Harriers training tonight, swimming again tomorrow morning and just trot round at Stirton. Races can't be more than an entry in my training plan at the moment ..... that said, Saturday's race is really a bit more than just a training run: We're doing the Osmotherley Phoenix, this is a 33-mile ultra over a good portion of the Cleveland Way and I think it will be a useful marker as to how I'm doing. I had an absolutely dreadful race here last hear, running pretty badly .... largely my own fault, I did the Day In The Lakes half-ironman just 6 days prior to it and suppose I can't have expected to run well, but all the same it was a bad day at the office and Helen clobbered me by about 30 minutes
Anyhow, we'll see. Two weeks later it will be the Lakeland 50 and I'm hoping that I'll have sufficient recovery time to do it justice. Things didn't go to plan last year here and I'm determined to turn things around, I'd like to take an hour off last year's time. I think I can, in fact I would very much like to finish this race under 12 hours, but that might be a big ask, everything would have to go just right. It may be "just the 50", but it's no small beans and I know that finishing in that time might be a stretch. All part of the UTMB build-up though and it needs to be taken in my stride, otherwise I might as well not bother getting on that plane.
