Onwards to Brighton

[Seafront Plodder]

Not a yard of running to be seen at chez SP since showing EG a clean pair of heels at the Crawley 10K last Sunday.

Played tennis twice though. Today I accepted the challenge thrown down by SP Junior, and in true Competitive Dad style I saw him off. Damn sure it won't be long though before youthful exuberance exceeds old fart guile, so I need to take these wins for as long as I can.

Plan to get out tomorow though, honest.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Today I accepted the challenge thrown down by SP Junior, and in true Competitive Dad style I saw him off. Damn sure it won't be long though before youthful exuberance exceeds old fart guile, so I need to take these wins for as long as I can.

That's the spirit! I too kept up the challenges, but once they could bowl faster than me/ kick the football further than me/ beat me at chess and Monopoly/ fix their own damn carburettors, I took to retreating to my grandad chair saying "not now son, I need a snooze".

Crush them while you can - it's your privilege as a Dad.

[Sweder]

Nothing to feel bad about. On our recent trip to Singapore Jake took me on on the local pool table. In fairness he went a few frames ahead, but as soon as I entered the Swedezone - after about 4 pints - I cleaned up. We continued the poolfest over several nights until on the last evening I took a 4-0 lead. The poor lad couldn't pot a shrub by then so we called it quits before our hitherto excellent working relationship went up in the flames of animosity and charmless swagger.

Get in there!

[Seafront Plodder]

This evening I did something I'd not done in a while. No not that.

Tonight I ran for distance. Of late I've concentrated on time on me feet, but as this was the first outing since the Crawley 10K and I needed to keep things ticking over leading up to Brighton on 15 Nov, I parked up at my trusty Seafront and plodded up and down for 6 miles. No walk breaks, continued plodding with an eyeballs-out, spit-flailing last mile..

As luck would have it, Lycra Tony, oft mentioned running guru has recently started his own garden tidying/clearance business, and I had him round earlier this week to clear my much neglected front and back, :hugeblush: I thought it rude therefore, to miss the opportunity to drop into the conversation that I'm running this Brighton 10K, hopeful for any snippets. Well I was paying the man.

Bit of background for those unfamiliar. Lycra Tony is a damn good runner and qualified marathon coach - not sure what that means... He was an outrider for the whippets at last year's Brighton 10K, and has completed the London to Brighton run. (Training for which involves a 20 mile run on Saturday, followed by a 35 mile run on Sunday ) He also has a 10K best somewhere in the region of 37 minutes, so knows a thing or two.

Anyway, Lycra T sorta endorses my method of running for time, which somewhat surprised me. He is also a big fan of fartlek, which at the moment is taking things just that bit too far but I promised him I'd consider it...

Tonight was a glorious moonlit night to be out. Bass fishermen abound and a plethora of faster runners passed and Shearered.

Yes, a good evening's work, and I feel good about that. Time unimportant, but in all honesty I'm surprised how slow it was. 62 minutes, but I'm netting that down to under the hour as I had to make 6 turns, had no lycra-clad arses to follow, and did slow to fumble in my shorts for the car key fob at mile 2 to dump the jacket.

[El Gordo]

Good effort, SP. 62 minutes for a 6 mile training run is more than respectable for mortal beings like us. I'm always happy when my pace gets down to that sort of level -- between 10 and 10.30 a mile. Sadly I'm a way off it at present so you're twisting the knife here a bit. If you're doing that in training, you should be looking to get in well below the hour at Brighton. I won't be, though I'm still hoping to show significant progress since Crawley. We'll see what happens on the day.


BTW, how far would your 10K-coaching gardener be willing to travel to trim a hedge...?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Good effort, SP. 62 minutes for a 6 mile training run is more than respectable for mortal beings like us.

Now that you mention it EG, 62 minutes is indeed a great time for a training 10k. Keep that up Mr.Splodder and you'll be knocking back 50 minutes for a 10k race in no time. A fine return to form, sir!

[Seafront Plodder]

Finally made it out the door for my belated long weekender, and a crap run it was too.

I'd parked right at one end of the Seafront, with a view to running to Newhaven harbour and back. What I hadn't banked on was the (according to BBC weather) 26 mph wind right in my face.

I puffed along the first mile and a half in 22 minutes before I had to stop for a breather. Back ached, breathing was all over the place and it was getting dark fast.

The latter half of my (planned) outward run was to be along a disused railway track. Much has been said here recently about the dangers of running in the dark, and, not wanting to be the first casualty, I turned back.

I returned to the car in 36 minutes, which makes the wind-in-me-back run of equal distance in 14 or so minutes, (9 minute miling) - just goes to show how strong the wind was. That part felt good too so it's not all bad news, but I'll chalk this one up as a midweek shortie, and vow to do better next time.

With only next weekend to rattle off a long one before EG & I meet for round #2 in Brighton, I cannot afford another wasted weekend.

[El Gordo]

With only next weekend to rattle off a long one before EG & I meet for round #2 in Brighton, I cannot afford another wasted weekend.

Don't be silly -- of course you can

[Sweder]

Why not team up with me & Lycra for a breezy cliff-top toddle next Sunday? Ideal - 12k distance, VERY gentle outward plod, lots of lycra-clad lovelies, return leg at your own pace.
Gowan, yawill yawill yawill ....

Alternatively I'm plodding up to the Cap tomorrow at around 8-ish ...

[Seafront Plodder]

Mmmmm....lycra-clad lovelies you say?

I assume you don't just mean Tony??

[Sweder]

Definitely not, though he is getting back into shape these days ...
I take it as its now past 09:00 you've not been tempted to trip the light fantastic up to BlackCap with me this morning.
Shame: it's a cracking day. See you on Sunday then

[Seafront Plodder]

You know Sweed I think I'll take up your offer on Sunday.

12K should be do-able if I'm chasing lycra, and I do need a longee under my vast belt after last night's shocker.

[Seafront Plodder]

In homage to others of this parish, I went out this morning at 9am for my very own Group 5K Park Run.

Ok so it wasn't 5K, it wasn't in a park and I wasn't in a group, but otherwise it was identical - I ran.

Half an hour along the glorious Worth Way. With the sun squinting through the trees and soft leaves underfoot It was a cracker of a run. I needed this to expunge the remains of whiskey, smoke, cordite and general crap that has consumed me on Thursday night at the wonderful Lewes Bonfire celebrations.

A good morning's work, with a longee scheduled for tomorrow

[Seafront Plodder]

No I'm not in the pic EG. I have sinned.

My duvet was also toasty warm, and a snuggly 'special friend' with the promise of kedgeree and coffee won. Truth is I'm not feeling terribly ping today, and that's down to yesterday.

A successful 5K certainly, but I've never run on consecutive days. I also faffed about on the tennis court yesterday afternoon, and last night I yomped about 3 miles along unlit country lanes in search of the local bonfire celebrations, the evening culminated in a massive bowl of chilli that would have stripped varnish, oh and beer.

No I'm sorry Sweder my friend, I did say that I'd more than likely be there, and I don't like letting people down, but with the sort of yesterday I'd had I really wasn't ready for the longest run in 5 years.

Oh and I've got 2 hours of sweaty indoor tennis tonight.

Long run tomorrow. I've made that promise to myself.

[El Gordo]

Oh well, I was suddenly taken drunk myself last night.

A flagellatory trip to the gym is on the cards.

[Seafront Plodder]

So In my salad days (when I was green in judgement), on the back of phase #1, (the Crawley 10K) I would have banged on about crushing EG in three days time at the Brighton ditto. (Don't forget there's 20 quid to JDRF riding on this... )

But that was probably then. Now, whatever will be, will be. But I am happy with the 6 miler in 62 minutes I managed again tonight (same ole, same ole) with a howling easterly in full flow. That was last weekend's long run, postponed due to time I had to spend with my mum.

3 full days to recover and dreadful weather predicted, but now my body is a temple until Sunday afternoon .....apart from two hours of sweaty tennis tommorrow and a night on the tiles planned for Friday that is....

[El Gordo]

6 in 62 is OK - and a bit faster than me yesterday. I'm hoping to get out for 6-ish tomorrow, and then it's feet-up time.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Are you two trying to psyche each other out with this being nice to each other business?

Come on guys, whatever happened to out-and-out, hard-hitting, body-jarring male competitiveness?

[El Gordo]

Are you two trying to psyche each other out with this being nice to each other business?

Come on guys, whatever happened to out-and-out, hard-hitting, body-jarring male competitiveness?

I tried that technique last time, and it didn't work, so now I'm trying reverse psychology, which I think is doing the trick. I sense he's getting uneasy.

[Sweder]

A quirk in the tour schedule means there's an outside chance I might yet get to see the lung-bursting finale to this epic contest. What fun ...