Sunday

On reflection it probably was a tad ambitious: intervals on Thursday with Lockett's Rockets, tempo on Friday with JPM Runners, cycling on Saturday with Harpenden Cycling Fource and then intervals again on Sunday... OK it was way over ambitious.

Today's plan was to run the Herts 10K route as three 2.08 mile reps with hotly debated three minute recoveries. Up at the race start point in Rothamsted Park Niall and Kenny could hardly contain their excitement with Kenny assuming a sprinters starting crouch. A few minutes later after Niall and I had finally finished laughing we started running.

My quads were aching like crazy and my stomach didn't feel too good which, without going into too much detail, explains why I finished my first rep just as the others were starting their second. I jogged through the recovery and started rep two where the path joined Kinsbourne Green Lane by the golf club. Second rep would have been a lonely affair had Simon not kindly jogged back to check I was OK. Met up with Niall and Kenny again on Roundwood Park. Fifteen seconds later they were off. Not being sure of the exact route back thought better of taking a three minute recovery, so hit the lap button on my watch and was off again. If I'd been on my own I probably would have abandoned the third rep but I seemed to be holding the gap on Kenny so kept going. It was only in the last half mile he accelerated and I lost touch.

At the end Niall and Kenny were jubilant with much pressing of buttons on watches. I did a slow warm down jog while they completed their post run analysis and then headed home for breakfast and a large mug of hot tea.