Running fast and injury free...

... is the title of Gordon Pirie's excellent little book (which can be downloaded here) but it's a skill that's rather passed me by. ;-)


It's not due to any failing in the advice that Gordon gives but due to my ability to resist anything except temptation. I just can't help pushing the envelope at times to see just how hard I can push. I think some of this stems from coming to running late in life and trying to make up for a misspent youth. Another factor is that for one reason or another, I've been blessed with pretty good health all my life and now probably have a misplaced sense of invulnerability. Consequently, I still feel that I can get away with things (in terms of training) that I shouldn't sensibly attempt. One day maybe I'll learn to act my age. ;-)

Having said all that, today I'm having a rest day. I enjoyed a great tempo run yesterday around Auchincruive estate which is one of my current favourite running spots. It's nearly all trails and has some good lungbusting hills as you can see from the profile. It's just over 10K (as measured off the map) but the hills and conditions underfoot mean that I'll never get anywhere near my road times (current best lap time 52:12) but every time I run it, the hills get that little bit flatter. The downstream side follows the River Ayr Way, a long distance footpath from source to sea that I recently ran (40 miles) with some of my clubmates.







All being well, I plan to run 17 miles of it tomorrow, probably from Glenbuck (the source of the river Ayr) to Sorn. It's not the prettiest stretch of the river Ayr Way by any stretch of the imagination but it is rich in post-industrial heritage and worth doing for "completeness" if no other reason. After that I'll be tapering for the Loch Ness marathon.