May we run well this month

[Charliecat5]

Sometimes, it is just meant to be.

This Tuesday night’s run with the herd was great.  I had spent the day looking forward to it and had even remembered to grab a couple of peanut butter sandwiches a couple of hours before the run was due to start.  So at 18:50 I jumped into the car (with the Boy – who I was dropping off for a squash lesson on the way) and headed down to the leisure centre.
 
There was a reasonable crowd hanging around waiting to go… looking at them I realised that most were the crazies.  I stood and watched the slower group set off, wistfully wondering whether I should have joined them, but having decided resolutely that I was with the crazies tonight I stood my ground. 

Our leader called time and we were off.  Down towards the river and then south to Rodmell.  It was quite a pace, the first mile in seven and half minutes; the second in eight.  I had drifted towards the back of the pack, but certainly not last.  After about three miles or so, we left the river behind and turned west for Rodmell village – here we met up with the slower group before following a whole series of new footpaths for me, back across the fields to Lewes.  

There was quite a biting cold wind blowing, but the sun kept his hat on all the way around and it was a beautiful evening running through crops of wheat, maize and peas - all full of the hope of great things to come.

Back at the Leisure Centre, seven and half miles later, I reflected for a while on the progress being made.  There is no way six months ago I could have run that distance at that speed.  My average pace now has an eight at the beginning rather than a nine.  And although I struggled to keep up on the last couple of miles, I wasn’t last and I wasn’t completely dead on my feet either.

The run did play havoc with my left foot though.  Starting out with a shin Splint (a carryover from Monday night’s speedy descent from Caburn) this then morphed into foot cramp, before turning into a blister.  I think it is time to hang-up these particular running shoes and accept that having served me well, their work is done.