The Weird and the Wonderful

I seem to see more of Cork during my long runs than at any other time - if only I took a camera with me. Yesterday morning I headed out in the sunshine for a leisurely 20 miles. While running along the Lee Fields in towards the City (Mile 5 or so) I spotted a lone fisherman standing on the weir (invisible from behind) in the middle of the river - the mist rising off the clear glass surface of the river shrouding him. He could have been standing in the middle of a road, the water was so still - the wonderful. . A hundred yards further on, along the boardwalk in front of the Kingsley Hotel I spotted a group of 5 or 6 young men stripping off and entering the river in their underwear (this was 8 in the morning - no alcohol involved here). They bade me good morning as I passed - I said "fair play to ye". Maybe they were partaking in some sort of baptismal rite or they were visiting tourists from Iceland mistaking the rising mist off the river as signs of some sort of hot spring - weird eh!. . The rest of the run was pretty uneventful and stress free. I maintained an even pace throughout resisting the temptation to up the pace in the latter miles. I completed the 20 miles in 02:39:58 (08:00 pace @ 134 HR) . This morning I completed a 13.2 mile recovery run at a very easy pace. However the legs felt tired throughout and I felt like cutting the run short (In hindsight I should have to make sure I was fresh for the week ahead). . Sun - 13.2 Miles in 01:59:43 (09:04 pace @ 116 HR) At least my heart is fine - RHR of 40- this morning. While 4 months ago it measured 37 it has averaged at 41 during the summer months. . A few new aches and pains crept in during the run - primarily due to wear and tear on my shoes. I even bought a new pair yesterday but was keeping them for Monday. I have about 577 miles up on my current pair which I have for 8 weeks (average of 72 miles a week). . When buying my shoes I was served by the store owner, Mr John Buckley (well known in running circles in the south) so I took the opportunity to ask him about the relative merit of using racing shoes as opposed to the more comfortable training shoes for a marathon. He said that it is debatable whether there is any benefit to be gained in using them for a marathon but certainly for shorter distances, particularly 5k and 10k. He showed me a pair and said that wearing them would make you feel like running faster - they certainly looked the biz and were lighter than a feather - maybe next year! . Today less than reassuring run saw me complete just under 74 miles for the week.