All About Preservation

I have entered this evening’s Castle Rock 10k, which was known for most of its existence as the Jagermeister 10k. it is basically two laps of the campus at Nottingham University. It’s not particularly thrilling and certainly not flat but it’s a good workout.

It’s also a workout I need. Amazingly I’m feeling uninjured and slightly confident for it. Probably won't last though.

I take the bus to work and then hop off outside the Uni on my way home. I collect my number and then commence a huge warm up which is all about calf preservation. L informs me she is on the way up with the dogs, which could take a while given Doggo’s elderly gait. She also tells me to make it quick as she wants to get back for the opening ceremony of the Olympics. I sincerely hope she’s got her times mixed up as I believe due to the time difference it doesn't start until midnight.

The race HQ is on the grassland opposite the Sports Centre where it usually starts. The Sports Centre is closed and being rebuilt yet again. This seems to be almost an annual occurrence so soaked in money these Unis appear to be these days.

We set off and I soon see L and the boys by the Nottingham sign offering vociferous support. 

She shouts that one of our Thunder Run team mates is just ahead, so I put on a spurt and catch him. We exchange ‘pleasantries’ before I move on ahead, now of course feeling under pressure to stay there.

I try to maintain 45 minute pace all the way around and although at one point I was hopeful of dipping under that, it is what I ultimately achieve. I've got to be happy with that after running a 49 just a month ago at NotFast.

We skip the, not very tempting, Harvest Pale and head home. Ceremonies to watch and all that.

(Friday 5^th August)

Performance Enhancing Muesli

L sends me to work with homemade Granola. I’ve always avoided Granola as I have no idea what it is. It looks just like muesli and now I know it tastes a bit like muesli, although perhaps muesli on performance enhancing drugs.

Having struggled to schedule in a training run this work. I enter Friday’s Jagermeister 10k, despite having un-officially having retired from 10k’s. L joins me, despite having un-officially retired from everything fitness related, not that we believe her.

The latest load of... on the BBC website, which categorizes L has having the body of a weightlifter.

She takes that badly. Don’t know why when you look at GB’s Zoe Smith who’s been impressing us with a new British record this week.

This 'clever piece of technology' then tell me I have the body of a basketball player, rower, tennis player or a pole-vaulter. Female ones. Clearly I’m not tall enough to be a male basketball player... Or possibly I may be a male Moldovan archer. I think not, although that has just about covered everything. I’d love to be able to pole-vault.

L's sister is a 100m sprinter, a male one. If only she'd have known earlier she'd have done some training.

L would rather be a sailor, having watched Ben Ainslie and co. Sailing? She worries about getting a puncture on her bike, imagine the sleepless nights about capsizing.

MD is due at the vets tonight for his annual booster and he’s terrified. I suppose with good reason, not only did they once remove something from underneath his tail, last time they squirted the kennel cough vaccine up his nose. He toughs it out.

(Tuesday 31st July)