2018 Season: Part 2

[Bierzo Baggie]

 Maybe just slow down a touch??

Yep, slow down a touch is the best advice.
 
But the problem is with the races I like to repeat year after year slowing down much more will mean being timed out. The real question is when does a run convert itself into a walk? Or is this even a question? Is a walk really a run in disguise if the intention is there? 
 
Running actually involves both feet being off the ground simultaneously at some point. That might not be the case for the drunken shuffle we perform when we are very tired. We stubbornly run on when in fact we are walking,  ha, such self-deception!
 
So, the future is to embrace the walk, especially uphill where above a certain gradient (that no doubt you can calculate with some complicated mathematical formula) walking is more efficient. Here, a long healthy, stride can and will enable the born-again hiker to overtake the dogged, never-say-die runner. But then they will reel you back in as soon as the gradient eases out and you discover that you have forgotten how to run.
 
No worries, on the steeper, technical downhills, over rocks or on scree or through forest you can make up time again with your superior technique and your flimsy fell running shoes.
 
But then come the aches and pains, impact injuries and the fear that follows even after a full recovery. This is when your endoskeleton starts pleading with your celebrum for a bit more cushioning.
 
So, I muddle on.
 
In order to slow down I aim to speed up with cushioned shoes and faster, flatter running to reconnect with my previous self.
 
But first the Aquilianos.
Oh God.