Winner winner have a chicken dinner

Training wise it's been a good week. I'm currently still running on two legs with no niggles to complain about. Decent miles, some fartlek, the joys of speedwork on a Friday night (8x800m + 6 x 400m) and a Sunday run, which is now up to 16 miles.

On today's run I just clipped off the miles on my hilly run. The first 4 miles are an uphill drag and during these first few miles I have to work quite hard on some decent climbs out towards Goldthorpe. I was feeling quite good as I hit a downhill section and my thoughts then began to drift. 16 miles is a long time out on your own and as I ran by a working mens club at around midday I could see a couple of blokes walking in with snooker cues. I began to think 'Imagine that. A nice pint in a nice club. Few games of snooker. Football on. Another pint. I bet they serve Landlord. Nice...Landlord...four of five pints, game of snooker...what am I doing running?' Snapped out of my mental lapse and got to 10 miles. These mental thoughts are just a form of entertainment I suppose, the 'loneliness' or 'looniness' of the long distance runner. Further on my run I confronted a dog, not a vicious dog but one that wanted to just nip at my heels. The owner was shouting 'Gremley! Gremley! Come here Gremley!' I laughed to myself 'Who calls a dog Gremley? Gremley?' Next thought switched to 'Just why would you call a dog Gremley?' Whilst my mind is being entertained I'm still ticking along and take my drink at 12 miles. Then  I head towards 'THE VIADUCT HILL'. It is a crippler and a good/mad way to finish a run. Get to top, 2 miles to finish. Picking it up a bit I get near home. The window cleaner is doing his rounds and starts shouting 'Go on lad! I'm not a lad no more! I'm 40...not a lad but a codger!' He shouts louder! It's not a race, there's no prize at stake but he's shouting. He gets it! He gets that I'm piling this effort in for some purpose. He may even be by biggest fan. I'm getting fitter. I'm done though.

I've won the one man race. Think I even beat myself. The winner gets a chicken dinner. This is what Sundays are for - hard run, chicken dinner, family film, which will be 'Daddys Home 2'.

I spend some time looking for races near the end of December but can't find much. I watch Ronnie O'Sullivan come from 4-1 down to win 6-5. He's amazing and doesn't even need to think. It just flows. I think of being a snooker player but my highest break is 8. Another week of training lies ahead.


Comments

  1. SimonDecember 3, 2018 at 12:52 PM

    Nice read mate, entertaining. I recognize every feeling...., the mind drift, the one man race. Keep it up pal

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 4, 2018 at 2:24 PM

    :)

    ReplyDelete

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