The trouble with running schedules ...

... is that they often don't fit in with your life schedule. With the Robin Hood Marathon in mind, I began the runners world 15-week marathon training plan. Now an immediate problem is that it calls for a 10k race in week 4, while I already have the Blaydon Race scheduled in for week 2. Alright, so I don't have to stick to the schedule religiously and can switch things like this around. The real problem is trying to fit everything in around the wife, the kids, the social life and most importantly over the next month or so the World Cup!

Things started well last week. I ran 4 times in 5 days from Monday to Friday, mixing things up with slower paced running and tempo runs. Then came the weekend. As preparation for the Blaydon race I wanted to do some six minute miling speed work. I headed to the track only to find it swarmed with some junior running club. Unperturbed I ran on down to the sea front to a spot where I could do my mile intervals. It was 2:00pm and perhaps the hottest day of the year so far. Needless to say things were tough. The first 2 of the 4 intervals went to plan (5:59 and 6:02), the third was a little slower (6:15) and the last was painful (6:35). After that I headed home to watch England demolish Jamaica 6-0 and then on to the Monkseaton Arms FC end of season night out. I picked up the Player of the Year award, with Colin Dougal deservedly voted Player's Player of the Year and Tatey the Top Goalscorer. After this we moved on up to the Quayside in Newcastle, where beer prices are extortionate and cleavage is always on show. I had a good night out, didn't go crazy and got myself home to bed around midnight.

I awoke on Sunday with a very minor hangover but very, very tired and decided to postpone the scheduled 10 mile run until later in the day. As the day wore on the more tired I became. I had every intention of running after the kids were safely tucked up in bed, but by the time 7:30pm came around I could keep my eyes open. Skipping one session a week might not do too much harm but when its the week's scheduled long run that's a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, this will be my first and last missed long run on the road to Nottingham.

One thing I've found useful in trying to fit in scheduled runs is to vary the time of day I go out. Running home from work has proved invaluable. Last Friday I tried another option, running during my lunch hour. There aren't any showers at work, but I planned a short, easy session and hoped a quick towel down afterwards and a splash of deodorant would disguise any lasting odours. I ran about 4 miles amongst the cows on Newcastle's Town Moor. There are a number of paths and I weaved around these until I came to a dead end. Not wanting to backtrack the way I came I headed off over the grass next to the fence and bounded along through the grass. That was until my feet became submerged in a swamp. Just a few feet earlier it had been firm ground but all of a sudden I was up to my ankles in mud, and by the smell of it an ample helping of cow turd. I clambered desperately over to the safety of the path but by then it was too late, my shoes were caked in mud, ditto for my socks and the back of my legs splattered as well. I headed back to work and spent the next half hour in the bathroom trying to wash myself down in the basin, threw my socks in the bin and tied my rampant shoes in a plastic bag before hiding them in the store cupboard until it was time to go home. I think we'll put that one down to experience.