Running On Empty

Two weeks now since I injured my toe and while it's still giving occasional sharp pains, the frequency is definitely decreasing. Apart from the ill-advised parkrun after it (which didn't help the recovery) and the odd dash for the bus, I've done no running. On the up side, it's given my knees and my right ankle some much-needed respite as they were all feeling a bit battered but feel back to normal now. Mostly. There's the chance to return to running this coming weekend, with a parkrun on holiday in the Yorkshire Wolds, but it's not certain at this point. Or rather, I'm not certain. That is, in not certain that doing 5K for a first run back is wise, especially if there's a chance I'll aggravate an injury that's almost healed. If I do do a parkrun, chances are it'll be at Heslington . It's an interesting sounding location in that it's held at a cycling facility, over 5 (FIVE) laps of a flat training circuit. That might sound a bit bor...

Given the toe (2nd toe, left foot) is still giving me issues and Saturday's parkrun only made matters worse, I've decided that I don't want to run myself into a gradually worsening injury, so I'm taking a week off. My left knee in particular will thank me for it too, as that leg's starting to feel like it's got all the cushioning of a fence post. Yeah, it's disappointing and it'll mean my form slides back and I have to build up to 25-minute 5Ks again, but so be it. I thought I'd done really well to avoid any kind of injury since Feb/Mar, but here we are. So, I'll rest for this week and see whether I feel up to a parkrun on Saturday. If not, it seems like an ideal time to volunteer, not least as I'm about to dip under the 10% volunteer ratio that seems the done thing. And if it takes longer than just one week off to recover, then that's just what it takes. Yeah, the 3-runs-a-week goal will be truly hosed, but I still only need 6 runs befor...

A time of 26:22 today was an event PB, but a poor night's sleep, a stotting headache and a painful toe meant I very nearly didn't bother this morning. But by 8:15am, the headache was clearing even if I wasn't anything like ready. The previous night's plan of attending Silksworth was well out of the window, but I still had time to shower, dress and get to the Rising Sun. The rising sun at the Rising Sun In the end, I turned up in plenty of time for the start and probably ended up stood around for about 10 minutes in perishing cold (4°C but with a windchill that felt like -1°C according to Google) waiting for the run director to finish his spiel. The start was a bit chaotic, with over 300 runners squeezing down the narrow paths. One person clipped my heels without apologising while plenty of others dodged right in front of me, causing me to check up or risk tripping them. I quietly seethed. The higher than usual attendance was probably down to it being Rising ...

Somewhat late to write about this unremarkable run, but so be it. On Tuesday, I did a pre-work 5K, scraping the edge of Killingworth Village (i.e. the old bit of Killingworth) before getting in a lap and a bit of Killingworth Lake on the way home. To be honest, my heart wasn't really in it, but I was aiming to make this a 4-run week, chasing the 3-runs-a-week average. It wasn't particularly fast (5:27/km) and once again my body just felt heavy , with each step more of a thud than a bounce. Later on that day, I noticed that I had a pain in the second toe of my left foot much like the pains I got from running on uneven ground before I got my Brooks shoes. And yet, I was wearing my Brooks shoes and not even running on uneven ground. 🙁 So, that's been enough to put me off trying any more midweek runs this week. I can only assume I'm overdoing it, upping the frequency of 7.5km runs too quickly maybe. But whatever it is, running on it more isn't going to hel...

Whoops, I completely missed the fact I'd ticked over 9 months. I'm overdue a goals update. Attend 30 parkruns : on target... just 😮 July was a fantastic month for my parkrunning habit as I attended all 5 events, getting myself up to a projected 33 runs for the year. And then holidays happened. Not a single parkrun in August. By the time I made it to my next one on 2nd September, I was back down to a projected 30 for the year. I got that back up to 32 in September, but as I type this, I've slumped back to 30 again. It's gonna be tight! Attend 5 new parkrun locations : done! ✅ While I'm still gutted that Penrhyn didn't happen, Denton Dene was my 5th new location in the end. And I followed that up with Sedgefield and Ashington, so I'm up to 7. The stretch goal of 10 for the year is now looking a bit tough, as I'll need to put in some half-hour-plus driving for the next ones. 😬 Achieve a time under 26 minutes : done! ✅ Yeah, I'd done already for the 6 ...

Swan House, Battlefield, Northern Print , The Cluny , Byker Link, Spillers, Free Trade Inn , Hotel du Vin, St Ann's Church, Millennium Bridge, The Glasshouse , High Level Bridge, Lit & Phil , and back to Grey Street. Plenty of ups and downs today, some steeper than others. And overall, a smidge over 7.5K. No stops for photos though, so here's one of the Glasshouse on a suitably dull day, borrowed from geograph.co.uk : The Glasshouse (formerly The Sage) on a gloomy day After a weekend in which I chose to abort my parkrun attempt  —  as in, I just didn't go as the wife wasn't well  —  I really didn't feel motivated for a quick or challenging run again. Instead, I set off at a leisurely pace and with only a vague direction in mind. It felt like an eternity before Google registered the first kilometre, so I resolved to just make it a decent length and forget about the pace. Or rather, rein myself in any time I felt the urge to increase the pace. As is often the cas...

Another run from the office today, but given that I've been feeling a bit of an issue in the right knee this week, I decided to make it a short one. There was a time when short meant 3.5km, but short is a 5K these days. Anyway, lacking inspiration, I set off down Grey Street for a run along the quayside up towards Newcastle Business Park. A decidedly cartoony-looking Newcastle Business Park, courtesy of Google Earth As soon as I got past the overly-steep Dean Street and onto Side, I was surprised by the fact that my right knee wasn't hurting any more and I actually felt like I could go moderately quickly. 🙂 Sure, I was still heading downhill, but I felt up to a faster run. Cue the next 5km of running at a pace that felt like I was pushing quite a bit. Not quite Blyth Links levels of pushing, but still quite a bit. I didn't quite catch the first split time, but it was 5 minutes something-or-other. After the next kilometre, the overall time was 10 minutes and... single digit...

After a run-free weekend, straight back into it today with a 7.5km run around the moors of Newcastle — specifically the south and central portions of Nuns Moor and skirting down the side of the Town Moor (including both the big and little Cow Hill). T he cows were out on Nuns Moor Central today; cue plenty of pat-dodging While it was nothing spectacular, at least it took me through a bit of greenery I've not gone through before, just behind The Bike Garden . And it got me further from the office in this direction than I've been on a run to date, not too far from the Cowgate roundabout... errr, junction. I do feel like I'm hitting my distance limit, though. To go much further, I'd be looking at 10K and a very long lunch break. L ooking down at the start area for the Great North Run Pace-wise, it was far from blistering once again. I thought I'd heard Google announce 6:30 for the first kilometre and was a bit shocked. Turned out it was 6:03, but even t...