Saturday 11 October 2014

Half marathon long slow day

After a rest week I had to get the distance back up again this week. This allowed me to take a little step from the Devil's Elbow route to the Dore half-marathon loop. The weather forecast had said that 'Sunday will be the better day' but it was hard to believe that this morning.

A cloudless sky over Blacka Moor before 9am
I was following my heart rate monitor to ensure that I kept the effort fairly easy which required me to walk all the overt ascents. At Fox House there were cars parking up to photograph the massive cloud bank trapped by a temperature inversion in the Derbyshire valleys.

The extent of the cloud was hard to photograph
As I returned to Sheffield along Houndkirk Road I could see similar cloud settled to the east of the city and apparently extending into Nottingham. It really is possible to see to Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire from the Oxstones as evidenced by the many powerstations that can be discerned on a clear day.

I kept the place very gentle, 50 seconds per km slower than in March, so I was out longer than usual. I am hoping that this approach will reduce the risk of injury. Six months ago I was pushing distance and pace and that is a dangerous combination. Today in that regard is a crucial step, as it's my first run over 20km since April 5th, 6 months ago.

Grade adjusted pace splits show fair consistency
Once home I felt fairly good, a bit of soreness in my left patellar tendon and on the top of my toes. I think I was grasping the ground with my toes on descents.

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