Tom Roper's Running Training

A run with the Striders

I ran with the Striders on Wednesday evening. As the evenings lighten, the possibilities of running off-road begin to increase again. We meet, hear brief words from our captain, Martin, form ourselves into groups, and get out quickly to make the most of the light. It's pleasing to see fellow runners progressing, moving up to join faster pace groups, though I stay with the slow-to-mediums.

We ran up over Seaford Head, to Hope Gap, back towards the Golden Galleon and up the hill we have dubbed Sheep Hill. It was a glorious evening, offering fine prospects of the Seven Sisters and we managed most of the course in daylight. I felt puissant, running well on the ascents. There are few runs left before Brighton.

Nevertheless, with an old friend's funeral to attend the next day, I could not help thinking that I, and every other runner there, has only a finite number of runs left. So we must make the most of them.

The funeral meant no running today, but tomorrow there is the Good Good Friday Run.

The day of the wanderer

In Radio 3's Spirit of Schubert festival, of which more on the other blog, today was the day of Schubert the Wanderer. What better day to talk to Julia Armstrong about running, for a podcast to be published next week. I'll say more when it's out.

In the evening, I ran with the Striders, five miles plus warm-up and cool-down, and the first off-road run of the year. We left promptly to use the last of the light, and ran up to Fiveways across the golf course, then back down to Firle Road. Many of us were fresh from triumphs at Sunday's Hastings half-marathon. Tomorrow, nine miles.

Eight miles, some cycling and an AGM...and Mozart

It's now the twelfth day of Janathon, and also the last day of Radio 3's Genius of Mozart season. I cycled a little in London, and ran tonight with the Seaford Striders, a great 6.5 miler with Tony and Andy at a fair pace, plus the usual two-thirds of a mile warm-up and cool-down. I also attended the Striders AGM, chaired with aplomb by Rob, and addressed with feeling by our captain Martin Bulger, who told us the club has never had more new members than in the past year.

Time: 1:13:41
Distance: 8.06
Pace: 9:45

Or, in the style of the doyenne of Janathon, JogBlog:
Runs: 1
Bike rides: 2
AGMs attended: 1

An evening with the Striders

Training for the Firle Half Marathon began in earnest, with a Wednesday evening session with the Seaford Striders. As it had been several months since my last club run, I asked to join a slower group, and together with a newcomer called Harry, was allocated to a group led by Richard. This serendipitous Tom, Dick and Harry trio were joined by a number of newer members and we set off for a run to High and Over, then down to the Cuckmere valley and back on the A259. Nature notes: egrets and a heron. The new girls, for so they mostly were, were no slowcoaches and while I led the pack down the hill at High and Over, when I tried to catch some of them near the end I failed.

The programme told me to do a three mile and a four mile session during the week. By doing nearly seven miles (6.87 actually), I think I can justly claim to have fulfilled my quota, and now I have an assignation with the redoubtable Sweder and friends on Sunday morning for a scamper up and down the Seven Sisters.

Full data on Garmin Connect

Seven and a half miles

Sunday came and went, without a run, because I felt dreaful. I don't think this can be swine flu, and I've had a seasonal flu vaccination, so I think it must be a heavy cold. So I fall back on chronicling the last run I did, an agreeable evening outing with the Striders. Including the warm-up and cool-down runs from my house to the Downs Leisure Centre, where we meet, and back, it made for a healthy seven and a half miles. We went down to the front and ran its length, then back up Hill Rise and Princess Drive, Firle Road, down to the White Lion and home along the A259. I was the slowest of our group, though the others were very tolerant.
Time: 1:18:10
Distance: 7.67
Pace: 10:11