Route Canal Work

I know I've been whinging about the canal run to work and back but it is teaching me an important lesson in running. As I've mentioned previously I try to do a different route everytime I go for a run. This canal run is the same every time and provides a useful measuring stick for my progress. Having overtrained a few weeks ago I could see the effect it had on me: depressed heart rate, heavy legs and at 53 mins, an extra half minute a mile. Having rested I did it again on Wednesday and did it in 48 mins! That's 40 secs a mile faster in one week. For the non-runners out there that's a massive change is such a short time and is a sure sign that my glycogen reserves were depleted by the overtraining. I could feel the difference. It also seemed a hell of a lot shorter. So those extra miles weren't in vain after all.

Apparently we are moving office in June so I'm going to have to find a new route (assuming there's a shower at the new place).

Having mentioned Jos Naylor in my last post, who should be on the telly tonight but the man himself. He was on the Wainwright's Walks programme on BBC2. He's run from Seathwaite to the top of Scafell Pike (about 5 miles and 3000 feet) in 47 mins. It took the presenter and her film crew ten hours. I walked the same route, with a detour up Glaramara, last November on a gorgeous late autumn day. Think it took me about three hours. The photo, from Glaramara across to the Langdale pikes, was taken on that day. The day before I'd been on top of the pointed hill in the middle (Pike o'Stickle).

Take to the hills!

Saint Jos

Not a lot to report on the running front apart from getting out for a road 7 miler on Monday to see what the old ticker could manage after the low average heart rates of the last week. Glad to say its back up to the 130's and my average speed was surprising at just short of 15kph on a hilly route. I'll be back on the canal route tomorrow to work and back.

Just picking up on the theme of watching inspirational tv while running on the treadmill (see Marathon Week posting) I can't recommend Naylor's Run too highly. For those who haven't heard of Jos Naylor he's a legendary fell runner and shepherd from Wasdale in the Lake District. Google him to find out more. Naylor's Run is a documentary of his 60th birthday run in which he ran 110 miles in a day and a half over the 60 highest Lakeland peaks. This has a combined ascent of nearly 40,000 feet (the equivalent of one and a half times up Everest from sea level. That puts the Jungfrau into perspective (more than four times longer and six times higher). Two days later he hand sheared 1000 sheep. Not bad considering the he's had two discs removed from his back and the cartiledge from his knees as a young man and the docs told him he'd never run again.

Incredible (but true).