Weekly report

Only managed 3 runs last week. Fewer than usual but more than made up for by a great run on Friday. On Tuesday I ran a series of 8x3 minute reps. The first three went well but as I frequently do, I misjudged my speed at the beginning & went off too fast. Consequently I really struggled over the last five. I really do envy folk who can judge these things well!



A trip to Edinburgh on Tuesday & Wednesday for my daughter's interview for Vet School put paid to any running on those days so by Friday I was itching for a run. It was decidedly drizzly & damp but a good friend offered to run me up to Failford for my current favorite run back down the River Ayr



It's 20.5 miles from here to home and the great thing about it is that once I've been dropped off, there's no wussing out. ;-)

I was raining steadily as I was being driven up there and my friends clearly thought I was mad but it wasn't a cold day and I quite like running in the rain. My two days off had clearly reinvigourated my legs which seemed keen to go bounding down the riverside path.
Unlike last week when it was beautifully frosty and sunny, it was wet, slippery & muddy but it just didn't seem to matter. Indeed, once my shoes fill up with water, I ceased worrying about the puddles and just enjoyed getting good and dirty.
The river was much higher this week and the fisherman's path between Privick Mill & Tarholmbridge was underwater. I tried wading past the flooded point that you can see in the picture but beyond that point, there was a much deeper flood where the water was swirling violently. Knowing that the path at that point is very uneven, I wimped out an took the high-level path. There were plenty of bits of the path further on where I was running through running water but my feet were fine as I'd given my feet a good slathering of vaseline before I set out.

Despite the wet & slippery conditions, the first 15 miles down to Ayr harbour just seemed to fly by. As I was passing the fields below Kyle academy I startled a heron who dropped his prey as he took off. I was surprized to see not a fish or a frog but a very relieved looking vole jumping around on the grass. Even the last 5.5 miles along the seafront and back home were relatively easy. A great run!

I finished the week off with a nice and easy 7 miler with my wife & the dogs on Sunday. Our oldest dog Roger is coming up to 11 years old now but he's still game to go out running. I just have to be careful not to overdo it as he does get a bit stiff the next day. Our little Yorkie suffers no such problems, she's like the Everready bunny. She just seems to go on and on! ;-)