The weekly milage is still not quite where I would like it to be. This weekend I ran the Annagassan 10k. This is the third year I have run it, and it really is a beautiful part of the country.
The plan was to run the first mile a bit fast, somewhere around 6 minutes, as it was all downhill, and I wanted to bank a few easy seconds.
The race was on the day before the Rock and roll half, so the attendance was down quite a bit this year, but there were still a few good runners in attendance.
At the off, as planned, I went out reasonably fast, but comfortable with the downhill gradient. As the gradient levelled off, and I hit the mile marker, it was 5:43? Which I realised was definitely too fast.
I took it back, but the second mile was 6:16, with a target set of 6:20. Mile three was betteer at 6:21, but as soon as I hit mile 4 I started to tire quickly. Two runners passed me and I had no answer. The next mile was 6:36, but I was finding the going tough, and I actually wanted to stop and walk.
I pushed on, was passed by another runner, and I managed to hang onto him for a while.
I finished at 39:45, under the 40, but only just, and almost a full minute slower than the fingal two weeks earlier.
It seems that the lack of longer runs mean that while I am retaining some speed over the shorter distance, once I hit 4 miles, I don't have the stamina to keep it going. So I am going to have to start increasing the mileage again. It's that time anyway to start the programme for Dublin.
I am probably leaving that a bit late, but I am relying on some residual endurance ability at the slower pace from London.
I won't be long finding out!
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