Friday the 6th. The start of a 4 day weekend. It was Crown to Crown time again and i’d managed to rope in Danny and Rich as my personal baggage handlers/cheerleaders. There was a huge turnout of over 400 people for a very tough 5k race. Unfortunately this meant the race was delayed by almost half an hour whilst the registration struggled to cope, but on the plus side it was a beautiful day and i had good company. I ran a 4:20 first kilometre — the bulk of which was downhill — and decided there and then not to let the pace drop too much and see how long i could sustain it for. 4:31, 4:30 and 4:28 followed and with the final kilometre completely uphill i could see i was on for a course PB if i pushed hard. Amazingly the final kilometre only slipped to 4:34 and i sliced another minute off my time finishing in 22:23.

Saturday was spent packing and organising all my stuff for the impending move following the split with Anna. I’d found a place in Chadwell Heath which ticked all the boxes and was keen to get on with things.

Sunday. Move day. First though, i was abandoning all my tapering friends and cycling over to Hainault for a decent length pootle with the non-marathon club runners. 16 enjoyable miles in a little under 3 hours left me ready to execute what i expected to be an emotional afternoon.

Having got halfway through moving everything i own into one second floor room i was abruptly informed the bathroom still wasn’t finished — no shower, no toilet. And probably wouldn’t be for at least another week. I was very much in a ‘don’t piss me off’ mood, and a small argument ensued which is most unlike me. The outcome was that Sunday night i was back at Annas house with all my stuff now a couple miles down the road, and another week of uncertainty to endure. Emotionally, i felt a wreck.

Late that evening i arranged yet another long run for the following day with Paul. He’d missed the Hainault run due to family problems and was keen to get in a final 12 miles. It meant i ran 28 miles in a little over 26 hours, but as a stress reliever/sanity preserver it was doing a remarkable job. I returned home to a garbled voicemail saying my room was no longer available due to his sister being beaten up by her ex, and could i please move my stuff back out. Unimpressed didn’t quite cover it. So at 3pm on the final day of the 4 day weekend — during which i cancelled my visit to Somerset for my cousins wedding — i was once again at Annas house. A flurry of telephone calls followed and within an hour i’d viewed and placed a deposit on a room just down the road. By 6pm id moved my stuff in, and by 9pm i was climbing into a new bed absolutely shattered.

I didnt run again till the Saturday. A very slow parkrun to get the legs turning over for tomorrows unofficial race.

Dannys 10k race. I couldnt even remember the last time id run a 10k. I awoke to a feeling i couldn’t even place — excitement, anticipation, hope and joy all rolled into one with a huge dollop of raw emotion placed on top. I felt awesome. Today was going to be awesome. There and then i dedicated a run i hadnt even done to my Uncle Vince — probably the only non immediate member of my family i ever felt any closeness to — and wrote it on facebook so there could be no backing out when it got hard. My official PB stood just over 50 minutes, in training i’d run a 49, but i felt capable of hitting a 47.

The start was a little odd. Once we’d all lined up and located the obligatory satellites we spent a few seconds looking at each other before Rich pressed his button and ran like the clappers. I was on his case within seconds, took the lead and belted out a 4:07 first kilometre. No way was that sustainable. I eased off and the 4:20s and 4:30s flowed. I ran at my limit for the entire distance, something id never deemed possible for a race of that length before. I repeated my running mantra over and over again — I run fast, I run hard, I believe. I thought about Vince and was on the verge of tears multiple times. With the end in sight, and feeling i had even more to give i pulled out a 4:16 and a 3:59 final two kilometres. A 3:59! I rarely do that in a 5k race, nevermind a 10k. This was a day i’ll look back on for years to come, a day where so much came together, a day where i realised what great friends i have. I ran a 43:41 and took over 5 and a half minutes off my previous best.

The following week i managed to get down to club again for the first time in almost 3 weeks. On the Saturday — buoyed by my 10k efforts — i went for a 5k PB. A 20:27 was recorded and yet another full minute was sliced off. That elusive sub 20 which i’d been chasing for 2 years suddenly seemed achieveable.

Sunday was the London marathon and i was volunteering along with most other non-marathon BRR runners at the mile 14 water station. This was another day that will long stick in the memory, 6 hours of handing out water shouldnt have been fun, but due to some great company it really was! It was late afternoon before i knew it and we headed off to the pub where my drinking prowess was kept in check by those in the know. It resulted in a great evening — which i can actually remember — and 13 very happy marathoners.

Another club night was attended during the week. This is some of the mad bunch i’ve been running with on a semi-regular basis.

So to the final weekend of the month. Friday night saw Rons 60th birthday bash and Saturday morning saw a slightly dishevelled set of Barking Road Runners organising and running the parkrun. Sunday morning was a more sedate affair, most ran 10 miles over Hainault but i was keen to retain my longer distance fitness and ran an extra 5 first amidst cycling there and back.

The outcome was a 142 kilometre month, completed during a taper and a house move.

Cycling is very much alive and kicking again. I’m unsure as yet if i want to cut back, as it has increased my base fitness and decreased my running injuries hugely. 819k.

What better place to start than the beginning. March 1st and officially i’m ill. I am — to an extent, but after spending most of the morning in bed i perk up and decide a little cycle might be just what i need. It’s a glorious day outside and as i amble off in the general direction of Brentwood i already feel much better. Spring is finally in the air, so with my legs now warmed up and a t-shirt and shorts ample coverage i decide to head over to Hainault for the club run. I’m a 9-5er so i rarely get to run this and am unsure who will turn up. As it happens it’s only Nikki and Vicki and we set off for a hilly 5 miles at a very sedate pace through the forest.

I wish i could do that run more often. Saturday draws in, and as parkrun has been discussing the possibility of implementing official pacers i decide to have a crack at pacing a 25 minute 5k. It starts off well, running a 5:02, 4:56, 5:00 first 3k. Then i realise my garmin always comes up short and i should actually be running 5:03 ish kilometres to account for this. I try to adjust my stride and do to an extent running a 5:09 4th, but it’s not enough and as the final 0.92 kilometres comes in at 4:29 i finish in a slightly disappointing 24:36. Can do better.

Sunday saw my first attempt at a 20 mile race. This was always going to be tough, i just about had the base fitness to last 15 and could probably eek out another 2 or 3 — then i was going to struggle. Mentally, 20 sounded a lot further than 15 and that played on my mind too. I gave Paul a lift down to Colchester and on arrival we both realised we didn’t have our Garmins. As a runner you don’t have a lot to remember, leaving your pacing device at home is a cardinal sin punishable only by pain. I was going to be punished.

As the gun went and the front runners tore off at a pace i wouldn’t dare start a 5k race at i settled in for the long haul behind Dennis and Rob. I did this purposely in a vain attempt at slowing myself down for these early miles. It worked for an entire mile till i started getting far too twitchy and had to overtake. On the plus side i was now amongst the slower runners and my standard technique of running on someone elses shoulder was deployed. A guy called ‘Timmo’ from Pitsea was my selected victim and i trailed along happily for the next 6 miles. Shortly after that i spotted Paul ahead and spent the next couple miles slowly reeling him in. At mile 9 i caught him and we chatted for 20 minutes till i moved on past feeling really strong. The next 4 miles were awesome, i was running fast — perhaps too fast — but i didn’t want to slow. I got that buzz and felt like i could run forever. The half marathon marker ticked on by, followed by the end of lap 2 and then the 15 mile marker. This was where i entered new running territory and had no idea how my body would react at being asked to find an additional 5.

The first 1 was easy, i was still buzzing from the excitement of the experience. Then as we drifted out into the country the field split and the big hill loomed once again. I talked myself into walking up it this time — i have no idea why — i still felt reasonably ok and the motivation remained. I think i thought i was doing the sensible thing, walk the hills, run the rest. So i walked it, all 500 metres of it, and at the top i tried to run again. This was where things started going wrong. My thighs suddenly felt ridiculously heavy and my shoulders, which had been fine up to that point, started tightening up. I forced myself to run again but everything felt odd.

I was overtaken on mile 18 by a gent old enough to be my grandfather doing some kind of weird shuffle run. This drew attention to my own style of running — because i did actually believe i was running at that point — and i too was doing the shuffle run! Not being physically able to stay with him was the most demoralising thing i have ever experienced in a race and i walked the next half mile. At which point Jenny bolted past me and shouted something. I have no idea what, it was uplifting just to see a familiar face and got me shuffle running again. At 19 miles Paul recaught me and dragged me home the last mile. He claims not to have slowed down for me. Personally i think he’s a big fat liar. We ran a 3:09:45! After the race i had that faint feeling which i always get when i run a new distance, but it passed quickly. I learnt 2 new things during this race. A marathon is never going to be easy. Runners as a whole are awesome.

Tuesday and Thursday saw me skip the club sessions and run my own recovery runs on the treadmill. Very boring, but with a respective 5 and 6 miles considerably easier! Saturday loomed again. Vicki had requested me as a personal pacemaker and as her PB stood a little over 26 minutes i figured it would be a good opportunity to pace another 25ish. She turned up looking a little worse for wear and revealed she’d been out drinking till late. I feigned sympathy but decided there and then to push her to her limit. At the halfway point we were bang on for a 25, she had successfully slowed me down those few seconds and i was successfully dragging her along. Everything looked rosy till we entered the 3rd kilometre. There were 2 guys here who had dropped the pace ever so slightly and i couldn’t persuade her to overtake. 25 seconds was lost here. Into the 4th and with the finishing line in sight i managed to resurrect her original speed, finishing in 25:35. The wretching on the line confirmed i’d taken her to her max and after a few minutes she was delighted. Over 30 seconds off her long standing PB!

Note i’m wearing my Essex 20 t-shirt with pride! Sunday saw another 16 miles knocked out over Hainault. I managed to do that on top of cycling there and back and it all felt fine. Finn had his 6th birthday party at McDonalds in the afternoon, the highlight of which (for me at least) was when one of the kids said ‘I pushed him, his tooth fell out and i swallowed it’. The mind boggles! Things look remarkably calm and under control here — i can assure you they weren’t!

The following day i tried a Circuit Training class. I’m at that point in my running where i need to be working on things other than just the lungs and legs. It was relatively boring, lots of stretching and laps of the hall. It didn’t feel difficult and other than taking up the majority of my evening because of the awkward start time it was almost unnoteworthy. Till Tuesday morning. Boy, did i know i’d done it on Tuesday morning. I rolled out of bed with tender abs, a sore back and heavy shoulders. I somehow managed a run on Tuesday night but had to skip Thursdays just to recover. CT resumes again after the marathon and i’ll be back.

Saturday the 17th now — Paddys Day. A notorious drinking day in the past, but with 6 months sobriety now well in the bag today came and went without issue. I attempted another 25 minute parkrun, and was on course at the halfway point. Martin overtook me here and made some quip which i forget, it was enough to get my heart overruling my head and i completed the second lap in a fiendishly fast 11 minutes finishing in 23:29.

Sunday was another attempted long run. I’ve been getting on really well with a group of older runners — Nikki, Vicki, Danny, Rich and Paul — and as they all live fairly locally they often do their own group runs, splitting away from the club runs which take place either at Barking or Hainault. We gathered at Richards house and perused the 18 mile route he’d set up for us. I ran most of this with Paul but we regrouped occasionally to check everyone was still ok. It resulted in a 3 hours 30 minute time for 18.5 miles but it was nice to know i can run that far without feeling as drained as i did a couple weeks ago. I was contemplating entering the Halstead marathon in May but have now delayed (yet again). It will now definitely — probably — be Abingdon in October. Most of the club are doing this, i’ve entered already and secured a place and it’s very flat. Which strikes me as 3 very good reasons to go through with this one!

On Monday we were all off to Shrewsbury for Annas sons wedding. The wedding wasn’t due to take place till the Tuesday and we weren’t returning till the Wednesday afternoon so it was in effect going to be a big piss up. It was a difficult choice for me, i didn’t want to drink (i actually genuinely didn’t!) but i also didn’t want to be the guy who sat in the corner with a coke all night. I went with the flow and when the cocktails started appearing pre 6pm on the Monday i feared the worst. I learnt 2 more great things from these 3 days. Taking 6 months off doesn’t inhibit the amount of alcohol you can handle. Drinking solidly for 36 hours only heightens my desire to complete another 6 months.

I managed work on the Thursday but felt very delicate and skipped club again that night. Early Friday morning i awoke and was violently sick — i have no idea if this was the after effects of earlier in the week or just a nasty bug going round — but it kept me in bed for the entire day. I ate 2 dry pieces of toast and struggled with that. If you have any idea how much i eat in an average day you’ll know this was very unlike me! On Saturday i forced myself down to parkrun again telling myself repeatedly that the fresh air would do me good. It did. I didn’t feel up to running so declared myself as a volunteer and was given the job of backup timer guy. Basically i stood at the finish line and manually made a note of everyones times. I like jobs which involve standing at a finish line.

Sunday should have been another crack at 20 miles, this time in Hemel Hempstead. I had to pull out though, fearing a complete meltdown around the 15 mile marker through lack of nutrition. Which was a shame because i’d been gearing up to that race for the previous 3 weeks.

Tuesday saw another round of speedwork on Lodge Avenue, which is rapidly becoming my least favourite street in London. And Wednesday saw the inevitable split with Anna which i thought had been coming for some time. It wouldn’t be fair of me to go into detail about it on these pages, so lets just say a hasty trip to the estate agents was required.

Which i managed to squeeze in on Thursday afternoon after another run over Hainault. Priorities. Vicki, Nikki, Gary and Rob lent a handy ear and 5 miles was over before it began.

Fast forward to the final Saturday of the month, my 5th parkrun of the month, my 50th ever parkrun (which grants me a free t-shirt), and my first official taste of being a volunteer pacer. Valentines was to be attended by a 100 year old man today — so old infact that he’s never provided proof of his age, i guess if you misplaced your birth certificate in the 1930s theres little chance of locating it again — so *ahem* Valentines was to be attended by someone who i would judge to be at least 80. Either way it’s a pretty phenomenal feat. It also secured a whole gang of additional runners who swelled our numbers to over 100 for the first time ever! Here is the man himself running 5k in an astounding 38:34.

So fast infact that he broke the age grading calculator with a grade of 179%! My run went a little awry, i completed the first lap too quickly and wasn’t able to recover it on the second, passing the line in 24:40. A few people thanked me afterwards which makes the whole thing worthwhile. All in all a fantastic morning.

This is what i’m dubbing my ‘bollocks, i cocked up the pacing’ face. In retrospect however, i’d rather be too fast than too slow. And from chatting to the other pacers (we had 6 or 7) all were at least 10 seconds out and some were up to 70 out!

It’s also month end so i shall add more to what is probably my longest blog ever.

I ran quite a lot but the 3 long runs really add to the total. 162k despite having over a week off.

Cycling was very stop start but regathered some form at the end of the month. I’m still intending to cut back on the cycling in order to increase the running, quite when or how that is going to happen considering i use it mainly for commuting is still to be determined.

There endeth the biggest month of my life for approximately 7 years.

With a 9am start the race was unusually early, but this fitted in better with our 8.30 Sunday morning training runs and didn’t feel odd at all. After breakfasting and getting my bits together i decided i had enough time to cycle down, which in turn would save me battling with 1,000 other people for the 200 available parking spaces. I was unaware quite how hilly it was, so despite taking it fairly easy i’d had a good workout before i even arrived. I located the Barking mob in one of the huts, and gathered my race number and timing chip. The baggage drop queue was already forming at an alarming pace and it was gone 8.50 before my turn came. An almighty queue greeted me for the toilets, so i followed the trail of sheepish men to the rear of the hut and scent marked the bushes. A quick warm-up lap of the track led us all to the start and i muscled in to the melee ready for the off.

I had vague aspirations of running a sub 1:50, but in truth would have been happy with anything under 1:55. A 1:50 equalled 5:13 per kilometre (8:23 per mile) pace and my target early on was to try to find and settle into that. This was made easier than normal by running on a wide track which led out via a wide road to another wide road. The normal pandemonium of trying to overtake the fun runners who choose to start at the front and run 4 abreast, whilst being overtaken by those who get carried away in the moment and begin at an unsustainable pace was somewhat averted. Kilometre 1 passed in 5:12, and although the pace was accurate it had felt a struggle. At this point Vicky passed me and i knew i was where i should be amongst the Barking lot. I did my best to slot in behind her but with an early hill and my breath beginning to labour i had to ease off and watch her disappear into the distance. The threat was now coming from behind, with Gareth aiming for a sub 1:50 too. This spurred me on. The next 4k passed between 5:00 and 5:10 and i knew i was gaining time.

As is so often the case during a long run, i struggled early on. This is purely a mental thing — running a 25 something 5k is not a difficult thing, it’s the thought of running 3 more afterwards that makes it feel difficult. I was well into the 6th kilometre before everything felt ok again. I’d warmed up, my legs felt strong and i could actually start enjoying the atmosphere. The next 6k flew by. The first big lap had been completed and as i came back round the corner lots of supporters were lining the streets. I clocked a few familiar faces and was very grateful to Sally for shouting my name. Hearing your name has a profound effect which is not always appreciated at the time. My 12th kilometre was a 4:37, considerably faster than the rest.

Lap 2 began again with the long hill and i recorded a 5:17 followed by a 5:21. Fearful of my times dropping and the 1:50 slipping away i dug deep and pushed hard. The kilometres settled again into the early 5s, 5:03, 5:07, 5:08, 5:08. With only 2000 metres left i latched onto the back of an elderly lady in a tri outfit and let her carry me home. It was only now that i’d relinquished the pacing responsibilities i could appreciate how much difference a 5:05 average instead of a 5:13 average makes. Almost 3 minutes over a half marathon! I cruised home in 1:47:06 and was delighted. Vicky had finished a full 4 minutes ahead of me and Gareth 3 behind. I was where i was supposed to be in every possible sense.

Here’s most of us looking quite delighted with the outcome.

Which leads me to remember a promise i made some time ago about adding more pictures to my blog. Well, we now have an official club photographer (and quite a few unnofficial ones too), so i guess i have no excuses.

The day prior to this i completed a nice steady parkrun with Rob. My 46th to be exact which means i’m due a t-shirt fairly soon!

And the week prior to that was the birthday celebrations at Valentines. Fancy dress was the order of the day and awards were handed out all over the place. Ian took the points award for the men, Carol for the women, with Gary claiming the parkrunner of the month award. No prizes for spotting me.

And because i have it to hand, and can now add pictures, resize them and align them correctly before the world ends, here i am sat at the AGM with Nikki (who appears to have dozed off) and Faye.

Incidentally, it was pretty much confirmed that Barking parkrun will begin in Aprilish. A nice flat, scenic, quick course with some long straights in it. I’ve not had the pleasure of running the route yet, but almost certainly will before March is out.

Monthly roundup time. February started off badly, the Janathon comedown merged with the cold weather and i ran twice in two weeks. Things corrected themselves towards the end of the month and i just about hit my 100k target. 101k!

Ditto for the cycling. Wearing 3 pairs of socks with shoes and overshoes and still having numb toes didn’t inspire me to cycle much early on in the month. As the temperatures picked up normality resumed. 764k.

March brings two more half marathons, another 15 mile race, my first 20 mile race and a wife carrying race. It also brings my and my sons birthday and Karen and Robs wedding. It’s going to be eventful!

On the upside, the two runs i have completed have both been parkruns and they yielded my two fastest 5k times ever. In the sub-zero temperatures yesterday — somewhere underneath 3 layers of running gear and whilst dodging icy patches — i managed to run a 22:05. The week before i pulled out a 21:28 which was a PB by some 40 seconds. Janathon (followed by a shed load of rest) had reaped its rewards.

I feel much more determined to resume the running/cycling this week and with balmy temperatures of 7–8 degrees predicted i have no excuses. I’ve booked the bike in for a service on Wednesday which involves an additional cycle to Crouch End twice. Tuesday and Thursday will be club nights and i’ll be dining out with Anna on Monday and Wednesday night. Necessities such as sleeping will have to play second fiddle.

In other news, i’ve splashed out on a treadmill. The Nordic Track T8.0.

It seems to be the best of the ‘budget’ deals and comes from a reputable dealer with a lengthy warranty. I figure with Anna and me now running the price is just about justified. If i say that enough times i may start believing it. The clincher was that it came with a years subscription to iFit Live. I have no real understanding of what this is, but there’s lots of pretty pictures and motivational words on their website so it must be good. Right?

I’ll let you know.…

I spent my working day pretty much stationary in a 5 degree factory. I was ‘filling out’ today, which involves leaning over a tap filling a few hundred tins of paint to the same weight. It’s tedious in warm weather, in the cold it defies words. The trains were delayed again, meaning 6:30 — my normal arrival home time — came and went whilst i sat on the platform regretting my snap decision 12 hours ago.

When the train finally did arrive i knew i wasn’t venturing back out into the cold. So i did a little jog from the station to my house. I mixed in a few extensions to the run and clocked something i believed to be about 3k. According to Map My Run it’s only 2.5k, which leaves me 220 metres shy of 300k for the month. That just won’t do. Some hallway, stairs, landing ‘running’ followed. Yeh, lame i know!

All said and done, this was my best running month ever. By a fair margin, 80k to be exact. The long runs definitely helped, with 5 runs of 10 miles or more. 300k.

Another good month on the bike too. Save for today i cycled to work and club every day. 1,001k.

Overall i secured 2nd place in the cycling competition and 10th in the running. A decent effort. The most notable achievement of the month would be completing the Benfleet 15 in a reasonable time, followed closely by the 10k PB i notched up.

My February calendar is already booked out — 2 half marathons and the start of Barking’s Grand Prix. In March i’ll be attempting my first ever 20 mile road race, and in May my first marathon. As ever, Janathon was a fantastic way to start the year. But i’m glad it’s over!

Until June ‘athoners!

The ride in was pretty miserable this morning. The zip on one of my overshoes broke on Friday which meant my feet got very cold today. Fortunately the rain laid off, it could have been worse. I ordered a new set on Saturday morning, based solely upon the fact that they looked good on someone else’s feet. It seems practical matters — like water or wind resistance — are irrelevant. So long as they look good!

Whilst i’m on the cycling i should say congrats to JDDunlop. With almost 1,100k of cycling completed to my 1,000 it seems he’s pipped me at the last. It was a good battle though, and second ain’t too shabby! Well done fella.

Run­ning: 5.04k @ 5:15 pace in 26:26. Cycling: 47k in 02:20:00

Janathon totals. Run­ning: 297.27k. Cycling: 1,001k

Instead i went for a 5k run round the block, sticking to flat patches wherever possible and not pushing for speed. That seemed to relieve some of the tension that had built up and i followed the run with a lot of stretches and foam rollering.

A few months ago i would have gone ahead with the race and suffered the consequences. I’m looking more at the long term now, which is allowing me to make more sensible decisions.

Two days left. I’m ready for it to be over now!

Run­ning: 5.06k @ 5:13 pace in 26:24. Cycling: None

Janathon totals. Run­ning: 292.23k. Cycling: 954k

I left as late as i dared, trying to time the first 5 miles so i’d arrive at parkrun and only be standing about for a few minutes. It was very cold again, ‘4 degrees but feels like 1 degree’ was what my weather app reliably informed me. I wrapped up warm and set off at 8:15. 45 minutes for 5 miles allowed me to sustain a decent pace without having to keep too much of an eye on the clock.

The other Barking representative today was Dennis, who rolled in with seconds to spare. Rob and Ron — who is still injured — were supporting. I ran the first lap with Ian and Dennis before pulling away a bit and latching on to the back of a group of women. I trailed them round for most of the second lap, and when they pushed for the finish i resisted the urge to go with them. Not too sure of my time but it was around 27 minutes.

A short queue to get my barcode scanned by Jenny followed, and then i was off again. I followed my footsteps exactly so as to spend an equal amount of time on each side of the road. It sounds pedantic, but i believe this was one of the causes of my ITB last year. I used to run anti-clockwise loops which meant my left leg was generally on the flat, whilst my right was turning out towards the road. Now i’m going further it’s easier to ensure my legs spend equal times on the flat.

I stuck in a few backroads at the end to hit the Half Marathon target, and was home by 10:30 feeling very pleased with myself. A lot of Summer dates have been released in the past few days. The Handicap series, Crown to Crown and Summer Series have all been set. May to early September is looking busy already and there’s still the Grand Prix and Elvis Series to add to that!

XC tomorrow where we must beat Castle Point to retain our slim hopes of promotion. I’m starting just behind Mark and if i can stay there i’ll be delighted!

Run­ning: 21.13k @ 6:03 pace in 02:07:40. Cycling: None

Janathon totals. Run­ning: 287.18k. Cycling: 954k

My stomach problems have caused a lot of aggro this week, to the point that i’m not sure whether persisting with the running is the correct thing to do. That in turn sows the seed of doubt in my mind and i have a most excellent excuse for not running. What i learnt tonight is that i’m no longer looking for excuses, because i do actually want to run. Pretty much every day. Wonders will never cease.

I pieced together my two 5k routes and tagged an extra street on the end for good measure. Unsurprisingly this came out at just over 10k. I had very minor stomach problems around 7k which subsided almost as quickly as they started.

On Sunday i’m running a XC for Barking. It should be around 7 or 8k. So i’ve exchanged my long run for tomorrow morning and will finally be attempting to run to parkrun, around parkrun and from parkrun. It will be almost exactly a half marathon. From quitting to a half marathon. Funny how things pan out isn’t it!

Run­ning: 10.17k @ 5:33 pace in 56:38. Cycling: 47k in 02:20:00

Janathon totals. Run­ning: 266.05k. Cycling: 954k

Club tonight was a basic 6 mile loop round Barking. A lot of them met up for an early run at 6pm, which meant they ran 11 and a bit total. Unfortunately that’s too early for me, so i had to make do with the standard 6. I had some more stomach issues — nothing serious, just liquids jumping about making everything uncomfortable. I can’t work out whether i’ve changed something in my diet or this is still the after effects from Sunday. Under normal circumstances i’d have a day or two off, the closest i can get to that is teaming an early run one day with a late run the next. We shall see.

The bike needs a little maintenance this weekend. Three spokes are missing from the back wheel. The gears aren’t switching perfectly since i changed the wheel, and more crucially the back wheel doesn’t seem to be spinning true. I’ll have a fiddle with it but i suspect i’ll end up down the cycle shop!

Run­ning: 9.58k @ 6:11 pace in 59:13. Cycling: 55k in 02:50:00

Janathon totals. Run­ning: 255.88k. Cycling: 907k