week 5

[Antonio247]

Week 5. 22nd -28th March. My weight is 81 kg, which is 1.8 kg less than last week. I didn´t expect to lose so much weight in one week. I just remained one day one fruit and salad last week and I´m having only fruit in the morning every day except last Sunday due to Murcia half marathon. Next week my wife and I intend to be on a vegetarian diet in order to lose a little more weight.

Wednesday. I couldn´t go on Tuesday because I still had stiff legs after the half marathon on Sunday. I left a bit late at 7.15 am. It was a bit cloudy day but the temperature was quite nice. I went along the sea front as far as the petrol station on the road to the university. It is about 3 kms in 20´40´´.I felt my legs still a bit stiff. As it was later than usual, there were more people strolling than usual.

When I was reaching the finish, I saw a friend from my school days running towards I was coming. It was Cristóbal. I hadn´t seen him for a few months. We were very glad to see each other running. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and couldn´t go on with him plodding along the sea front. As I was stretching a little, I remember how we had chosen the “Bachillerato de letras” at fifth grade, when we were 14-15 years old so that we had Latin and Greek instead of Maths and Physics/Chemistry. So, when we finished the last year before entering university, most of us decided to study Law, History, Philology, Psychology, Primary School Teacher Training and so on but Cristóbal realised that he wanted to become a doctor. So, as he didn´t have much scientific background, he attended private lessons on Chemistry, Physics, Maths that summer and managed to get a degree in medicine at Granada university. Now, he is working at a therapeutic centre near Almería that helps drug addicts to leave their addiction. Well, in all, I did forty-two minutes and around 6 kilometres.

[Antonio247]

Thursday. There are days when you see that if you don´t go then, you won´t be able to go that day. It happened to me this afternoon. It was windy but I knew that I had to go, so I left at 6.15 pm after coming back from another teachers´ meeting to assess our students´ aims, and talk about their progress in each subject. So it was good for my mind to go out for a run before dinner. I decided to go along Sierra de Alhamilla road because it is more protected from the wind. I started reluctantly but soon I felt quite well. Luckily, the wind wasn´t too strong. I took along some streets getting to an area where there are still a few old “cortijos” ( farmhouses) in one of which I was welcome by a few slim barking dogs. However, the owner told me they wouldn´t do me anything. I went on towards the dry river Andarax, where the ministry of Environment is at work doing some canalization. I went along ground paths which I prefer to the asphalt. Then, I came back but followed another route near a new athletics stadium which is being built for Almería 2005 Mediterranean Games. Later, I got to Sieera Alhamilla road again but turned left to go down avenida del Mediterráneo reaching the sea front, where ,oddly enough, it wasn´t windy and the sea wasn´t rough. I got to Almadrabillas park in one hour 32 minutes but completed until one hour 38 minutes and around 14 kilometres. I did some stretching at the park where there were two girls learning how to skate.

At home, I prepared spaghetti and mushrooms to have after having a shower. By the way, I really enjoyed them. In fact, I had three plates as a reward after this midweek long run.

[Antonio247]

Saturday. I left at 8.30 am. It was sunny but it soon turned cloudy and then sunny again. It was a little windy. As the Spanish proverb says “Marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso, hacen a mayo florido y hermoso”, which more or less means that “Windy March and rainy April make May flowery and beautiful”. I went to the lighthouse slowly since I´m a bit tired after last Thursday´s long run and Sunday´s half marathon in Murcia. At the port there were several coaches and a lot of Arabs waiting to board their ferry to Nador in Morocco. It took me 27 minutes sharp to get to the lighthouse where there were some anglers fishing. Then, I came back along the same way in 28 minutes sharp. I continued for two more minutes doing 57 minutes in all and around 8 kilometres.

[Nigel]

A good seasonal proverb, Antonio.
In English we have the very concise equivalent:

'March winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers'.

[Antonio247]

Sunday. I´d planned to go for the long run in the morning but it was rainy, so I decided to put it off for the afternoon. We all went by car to the Mediterranean villa that is being built between the airport and Retamar but it was quite windy so I decided to go to the river Andarax between Viator and Pechina where I had gone on 3rd January on bicycle. Carmen and Víctor left by car and I went along the dry river towards its mouth along ground paths. It was cloudy but not rainy. There was a little water in the river and I saw another runner running but up the river. I also saw a few men riding on horse and a mountain bike cyclist. It took me around 70 minutes to get to the river mouth. Rom there I went towards the sea front where I saw a few runners and many people walking. It took me 16´15´´ to do the sea promenade getting to my usual start point in one hour forty-one seconds. From there I decided to go towards the lighthouse. There were a lot of Arabs waiting for their ferry to Nador in Morocco and a warship from the German Navy. The last kilometre was hard because the wind was blowing strongly. On my way back, I met Felipe, a teacher of English who also likes running, and I turned back for three minutes to talk a little. Then, I got back alone again to the Almadrabillas park where I continued for two more minutes. It took me two hours, forty-eight minutes and around 23 kilometres, which is the longest distance and time I´ve done in the year and a half that I´m running seriously again. I did five or six one minute walking breaks and didn´t take any drink or cereal bars in the training but I didn´t feel thirsty or hungry. I finished tired but less than I had expected.

[Antonio247]

Thank you, Nigel, for giving us the equivalent proverb in English. It is surprising how similar some of them are in both languages.

Saludos desde Almería

Antonio

[Antonio247]

Summary of week 5. I´ve followed Hal Higdon´s marathon training schedule quite well. I had to do 33 miles ( 52,8 kms ) and I actually did 51 kms. It was hard to do 23 kms on Sunday mainly because I went alone and it was a little windy. I haven´t done any cross-training day due to lack of time but I went to school on foot or on bicycle several days and had to walk along the town several days which could compensate a little.