mileage

So I decided it would be a good idea to replace one of my week's 6-mile runs with something with less impact.

Although I do most of my training on trails, they have been almost as hard as tarmac throughout the summer, and for the fist time ever I've been getting the odd twinge in my knees.

No, not quite what you expect to hear, especially at my age chasing a sub-5 mile and super-fast 5k.

What Ric means is I need to make sure my easy runs are...easy. And yes, the pace has been creeping up again. Even on Sunday's run at Magnolia and especially over the last couple of days, I've been finishing them at a brisk pace. I do start slow, but then finish as if they are tempo runs.

The result: feel-good on the trail; dead-ish legs when I get to the track for my quality workouts.

I'm not exactly "injured", but am forestalling something serious by taking a few days off.

I didn't take a day off training last week and got up to 46 miles, which is a big week's total for me...today it seems to have caught up with me.

We did a track session early yesterday morning -- 3 x (2 x 800)-- and later in the day I did a Pilates circuit training session; even so that doesn't explain the dense fatigue I feel today. I've had TWO naps and am still struggling to stay upright long enough to do any work.

I'm feeling like a real whimp. I hit a mighty 40 miles a week and then fell over with a cold.

Extenuating circumstances: Abby has been battling with this flu thing that's going round. For the last three weeks she's progressed through stuffed nose and sinuses with a sore throat, to a cough and perpetual running nose, then to being totally wiped out and then experiencing a lovely final stage of nausea and vertigo. I took all my supplements like a good boy and didn't get it... until I woke up on Monday with the beginnings of it.

It's taking me at least two miles these days.

That's two miles before I know I'm going to be OK and can run :)

With temperatures reaching 89 today, a late-bordering-on-night-time run is looking attractive.

But, I can't, I just can't, give way to my obsession and repeat the SAME evening trail run I've done for the last four weeks !!!!