A marathon in 16 weeks...

And so today I ran 9 miles. In truth, it was more a run for one and a half hours. My cardio was, of course, not pushed. I tried to push it, and it didn't even feel painful, let alone bordering on the levels of suffering.

The biggest fall for me has been, as usual, my lack of muscle stamina. However, if I should not speak too soon, my legs have played football, done a 19 minute HIIT on Saturday, and a long run yesterday.

Speaking of football, I have the perfect reason to avoid playing, for the near future at least. While I'll miss some of the banter, when it is banter, I'm determined to avoid getting a kick or a knock.

Right now, and I mean at this moment, my health is interesting. I am probably not as fit as I once was. However, my muscles are at least as hardy as they have ever been. After Christmas I might have been injured extensively. In the past, I have been injured extensively having run too much. However, I have played my cards well. And the money I pay for the gym is well-spent.

Part of my training is a 10k race. The Dewsbury 10k has come up soon. It is, sadly, very early in the morning. 9am. It will mean waking up very early, even if I stay in Leeds somehow. It is also expensive. It is also, apparently, very fast.

Looking online, there is only one example of where someone has tried to beat 40 minutes. He did so with a very fast first mile (sub 6 minutes?) And me? I remember running regularly above 55 minutes. And now? I am down to 41:30 minutes. And I am aiming for... 41:18. That is more than achievable. The question is, of course, whether I can run a sub 20 minute 5k for the second half of the race? If I can do that, then my spirit will be good.

The reality is this - the race is training. And I am in training. And the marathon training is where I really am. The idea of hitting the sub 40 minute 10k and running a marathon are two things that will lead onto other things.

A month...

Of running and not running does this for me. I am stronger than this time last year, that is for sure. I have done a reasonable amount of exercise. I have backed off when my legs seem to threaten breaking.

Football, despite the vibe, gets my fitness up. It forces me to continue despite the fact that at times I don't want to move. There are not races yet, still I continue.

More than that, I realise that someone who is in the top 10 400m runners runs a 5k slower than me! That is some realisation.

I also realise this: that the paces of a race seem to relate to my life. Sometimes a race makes me want to stop, or at least slow down. And I am suspicious of speeding up as much as I am of slowing down. Except for the pushing myself as I did during the Great North Run...

January 2011

My legs hurt today although I have yet to run. Ten years ago, fifteen years ago, I would run with this pain still. I would run, then rub my legs with ice. The pain wouldn't go, as my muscles had unknitted from my bone. But there was certainly a machismo in doing so that my coach wanted to encourage in me.

Running in Wolverhampton again was an experience. Before Christmas I ran a decent pace before running fast along the final stretch of Bantock (which was, interestingly, about 650 metres. On the day after boxing day, I ran a substantial amount, seven miles. I did so much faster than Andy Lee runs a normal 10k. In doing so, I visited Aldersley stadium. My life! Being in that place again was an experience. Dreams and trying hard were something. I then ran again to Highfields school. I managed to run to the school in little over eight minutes. I managed to run the entire time at a substantial pace. Do you want to run a 5k? Try running 5 miles at a substantial pace. So, was it no surprise when I ran my 400m that my body had enough for this week? My time, although 53 second by my watch, seemed to be more just under 60 seconds. Perhaps even 58. What mattered more was my experience, and my experience was this:

Firstly my body felt gittery and queezy. I couldn't run to warm down and I was distracted. After several minutes I began to dry heave. After ten minute I substantially vomited several times. Nothing save water came up. But my body was reacting to being pushed by kicking into fight or flight. Clearly, I was ready for something else - that something being more than simply running 400m.

That experience of running is not something that I want to repeat, frankly. I read the day before about not knowing exactly what the physical limits of runner are. That, and the fact that running is about pushing the limits of endeavour. Apparently. Me? My limits for the 400m have been reached. Well, those without training needed, at least.

So I missed the chance of the 5k race today? So I did. However, I will take advantage of the fact that I have paid copious amounts of money for the gym, and that the gym will serve as a place to give me some low-impact exercise. That is something that I will do tomorrow. That, and that face that I need to start planning:

a) My races.
b) My marathon.

Quite how I will do in my marathon is another story. I have to rely upon baggage handlers. Or upon friends to visit Edinburgh...