Aches and Pains

The last two days have been dominated by aches and pains in my legs, more as a result of recent injuries as opposed to Sunday's race ( although the race would not have helped). Suffice it to say that I need to stretch when I get out of bed (or after sitting for any length of time) just in order to walk without looking like John Wayne after a long stint in the saddle. However on Sunday evening the most pressing discomfort was a bad case of nappy rash on the upper thighs which I felt developing during mile two of the race - where was the Vaseline when I needed it?. My mileage for the last eight weeks looks something like a roller coaster ride :- 67-75-80-67-74-88-67-53 I hope I am at the end of the vertical drop and start to climb up again (before hitting the ground) as I feel I have dropped the ball over the last two weeks. I know its all down to injury but I feel the gains I have made have been lost. I feel that I will be back in my comfort zone when I get some higher mileage weeks with some harder effort runs behind me. However most of this week will be relatively easy runs until the aches and pains subside somewhat. I took a rest day on Monday primarily because I needed to be in work early to meet a deadline (I had already spent 4 hours on Sunday working on it after the race) This morning I went for a run on a 8.7 mile loop from the gym into Cork. It was still dark and I forgot that a mile of the straight road is unlit. While there was a footpath it was difficult to see overhanging foliage and I found myself ducking at the last minute to avoid getting a smack in the face. Every 30 seconds or so a cars headlight would illuminate the way before plunging me into total darkness again. I don't know how Thomas manages to run in total darkness (or moonlight when available) around the boreens of south Kerry - he must have cats eyes. The remainder of the run was uneventful as the sky was bright on the return leg out the Model Farm Road. In the spirit of getting the mileage up and to make up for Mondays rest day I covered another 7.9 easy miles this evening from the CIT Track (Where Eagle AC meet - I haven't shown my face for a while). I warmed up on the track and did a 5 mile loop through Bishopstown-Victoria Cross-Inchagaggin Lane & CIT. I warmed down on the track with a few of the Eagle AC crew, where all the talk was on Sunday's Race. One of the Guys had come third in the M55 Category (but 5 minutes down on his time last year). Of course the overall winner in 1:11:32, Wieslaw Sosnowski (A grand Cork name) is a member of Eagle AC. Wieslaw also won the recent Longford marathon setting a course record of 2:26:55 or thereabouts (apparently he could have run faster if he had some company- second was something like 2:40:xx. Anyway I digress. Tuesday 11th Sept Runs a.m. 8.7 Miles in 01:15:10 (08:38 @ 130 HR) p.m. 7.9 miles in 01:08:54 (08:43 @119 HR)