My circumnavigation of the City
Training has reached a point where, rather than aiming for
several relatively short runs each week, I am having to combine longer runs
closer to race distance with plenty of rest and recovery days in between. Hence
the reduction in blog entries of late! I did go for a mid-week run of around 4
miles, but was still feeling some twinges from last Sunday’s long run in my
right Achilles, so wanted to make sure I recovered fully before attempting
today’s epic tour of the city!
I had it in my head that I wanted to run ten miles this
morning, so I spent much of yesterday going through possible routes in my head
that would be both interesting and feasible in terms of the inevitable hills I
would encounter and at what points on the route. In the end I decided on some
variations on last weeks long run, with the additional diversions hopefully
making up the distance to ten miles – as it turned out, I actually ran 10.38
miles, so a pretty good estimate of distance there!
I chose to start off up a long, steep climb that was
nevertheless not as monstrous a challenge as the steep hill of last week, which
practically required pietons, crampons and safety ropes. This new hill took me
to the top of that monster, but less precipitously and also adding some of the
necessary distance to the morning’s run. There was still a small, sharp ascent
right at the top, but then it was a gradual downhill stretch until I reached
the eastern end of the broad bridge spanning the river.
It was a lovely, crisp morning and I opted for leggings to
keep my muscles warm and t-shirt to keep my torso cool. I set off at sunrise,
so the sky was already brightening and as I ran up and over the bridge I had
the wide river ranging far off into the
distance on either side, its still blue water unruffled by any hint of a breeze
and merging with the blue sky as the view extended out to the south and the
Solent.
My aim throughout was that this should be a gentle, steady
ten-miler, so I endeavoured to keep my pace nice and even and not overtax my
lungs on the occasional climbs. Important too, that I should not run too
quickly down slopes, in order to avoid the excessive impact on my fragile
muscles, tendons and bones. Passing through the town centre I was heartened to
realise that over four miles had now been completed in total comfort, with the
prospects for the remaining six looking promising!
As I approached the Common I was passed by a runner, a much
younger man (I had at least 30 years on him), who quickly disappeared into the
distance. It’s good to see younger people run like that, and it reminds my of
how glad I am that I was inspired by a friend back in 1983 who ran the
Sheffield Marathon that year, and I was determined to equal his feat the
following year, which I duly achieved. I was never a sporty person at school –
most of the sport concentrated on rugby and cricket, neither of which
particularly attracted me. But from the first few weeks into training for that
first marathon I was hooked. Since then I have run many more marathons, but
running has also been a big part of my everyday life. It gets you out of the
house for very little outlay, takes you to places you may never go and offers
immense flexibility in where you go and quickly or slowly you choose to get
there.
Running undoubtedly has contributed to very good management
of my blood sugar levels since diagnosis. The contrast in my sensitivity to
insulin during running periods and lazy period is quite astonishing. During my
last really lazy period where I probably didn’t run for a month or more, my
insulin requirements doubled, and more. Currently I have one unit of lantus per
day, back then it was eleven units, with similar hikes in bolus insulin. It’s
something a non-diabetic simply isn’t aware of because they don’t need to
consider it. I certainly had to consider it today though, as I finally reached
the last stretch of my run through the park. As I was now at 8.5 miles I
thought it prudent to eat something, so paused a moment to consume a jelly
baby. I didn’t test as it didn’t seem worthwhile. The short pause and the sweet
appeared to give me greater energy and I felt that the final couple of miles
were easier – easier indeed that the first couple had felt!
So, I was very encouraged by the fact that I had achieved my
goal of ten miles, and not only that, but ran the distance faster than I have
done for many months or even years. It augers well for the race which is now
two weeks away. The main concerns I have after the morning’s experiences are
that I was very hot, and will be even hotter on race day in my costume. Another
concern was that, just as I reached my door I wiped my nose against the back of
my hand - and noticed that it was
covered in blood! For some unknown reason I had had a nosebleed – hope that
doesn’t happen on the day, it might ruin my fairy dress!
Time 1:46:09
Distance 10.38
miles
Pace 10:14
per mile
BG before 8.7
BG after 6.5
Calories 1341
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