Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
A Few Ups And Downs
by Russell Turner - 11:26 on 04 September 2019
Four days to the Great North Run, so a message that my accommodation in Newcastle had been cancelled was unlikely to ease pre-race nerves.
When I first entered the ballot, in January, I booked a hotel for two nights, assuming that Matchgirl would also be in attendance. If I got a place, the scramble for rooms when ballot results came out wouldn’t affect me; if I didn’t, I could cancel without cost. No problem.
However, when Matchgirl found herself unable to join me for race weekend the price I’d paid seemed exorbitant so I switched to a much more modest – and cheaper – Airbnb just around the corner, and still a 10-15min stroll to the start line. Perfect.
Until yesterday, and a message to say the place had suffered water damage from a leak (with photographic evidence attached) and was unusable. So I was scrambling after all. Fortunately I found a room not too much further away (15mins walk, one Metro stop and 5mins walk from the start) at only £140 more. Ho hum. I bet Mo doesn’t have to worry about a place to stay.
As for training, last Sunday’s long run was a double record-breaker: furthest and longest run without walking – 14 miles and 2:37, the day after an evening entertaining Triumph riders in Dornoch. Another 8mins after that were walked to reach my 2:45 target. This was a relief after the previous weekend’s less than satisfactory 14 miles.
All the activity left my left thigh a little sore and stiff but yesterday’s 50min easy run seemed to loosen it up again. Sunday’s run should be a break from training with my feet cushioned by the atmosphere and fellow athletes. We’ll see.
The following Sunday my target is three hours on the move, and 3:30 the week after that. Then it’s Great Scottish Run time and a gentle taper to the big one in Yorkshire.
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