Three Working Legs

Nobody asks about yesterday’s 10k (well 5k) probably because I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it. There is also nothing more on the news about the chap who was receiving CPR, so I hope he survived.

Dogging this evening and there’s just two of us and only three working legs between us, although the dogs have eight. So we only do an hour meaning it’s quite a short night but still good training for MD who could end up doing three training sessions this week.

(Monday 16^th May)

Rolling Back The Years

There are black clouds gathering above Manchester as the morning of the Great Manchester 10k dawns and we head up the motorway. The dogs and I are supporting, L and Daughter are running. The things people agree to when their guard is down.

Daughter has promised not to swear (much) but even so L arrives with her ‘tin hat’ at the ready. Oddly no one seems to know what a ‘tin hat’ is, simply assuming L is doing the race in VE Day themed fancy dress.

Daughter manages to park us in a single carriageway alley right in the middle of Manchester which we totally block but apparently this is fine because she works there. It proves to be fine.

The girls are in one of the later waves so don’t trouble the likes of Betsy Saina, Gemma Steel, Stephen Mokoka, Bernard Lagat or the great Haile Gebrselassie. They all get a head start.

The rain holds off (it wouldn't dare) and the support crew head out to do some serious cheering (and barking) at the 1k point and then the 9k point. Daughter seems to be grimacing a smile as she passes.

Doggo manages a jog from the 9k point, you can see him rolling back the years (in his mind at least) and I reckon he could have probably kept going all the way to the line on Deansgate had Daughter not shot him an evil look that dared him to overtake her. We’d also have probably had to administer CPR to him.

We rendezvous afterwards by ‘the man with the tin foil balloons’, unfortunately we’re at different balloon sellers but we get that sorted eventually.

We head to the Stoker Arms for Sunday lunch, where the guest ale is from Nottingham in the form of Navigation Apus.

When we get back home I calm L down with several OP's in the Peacock.

(Sunday 10^th May)

Run And Swim Day

I’m on dog walking duty again this morning and then I hand over to L for the ball chucking before heading off to work in the car. It's a run and swim day.

L’s hobble must be improving as she’s wearing the trainers that she couldn't reach down to fasten on Monday.

A speeding fine arrives by email from Switzerland. Bugger.

My lunchtime training run is more of a trot than a run and is a massive 3.9k. Wow. It would have annoyed L all night if she'd stopped at 3.9k but I actually stopped just in time. 4k is next week’s project. I’m well on my way to half ironman distance, just 17k to go. 

Then it’s straight from work to the pool where I have 50 lengths to do. The pool is packed and there are only three lanes in use. The slow lane is standing room only, whilst the fast lane has one guy who is attempting to drown himself by trying to keep up with the two fast women in his lane. Can't be done mate. I've been there, done that and had the post-attempt CPR.

In truth I’ve only been slaughtered by one of them and I know she is incredibly fast. I haven’t seen the other one before and she seems to be even quicker... avoid me thinks. So the middle lane it is then, despite the four people already in there and one of them wearing flippers.

I get my lengths done then I head home, hopefully with some power left in my limbs, where a woman and two dogs await my attention. Busy night.

L had promised that MD had so much ball chucking this morning that he'd be begging me not to throw it tonight. Hopefully. Wishful thinking. She’s wrong, as she probably suspected.

(Friday 24^th April)