Santa Maria Mia!! What a totally GORGEOUS DAY IN LONDON! Sunny, crisp, cold and smelling like spring is just around the corner.
Had a dreadful nights sleep last night which ended up with me rising at 5.20am for breakfast because my stomach was rumbling with hunger. Even Oscar and Tallula stared at me sleepy eyed from their positions on the couch downstairs wondering what the hell was going on in THEIR house!! They of course followed me into the kitchen and sat next to their cat food cupboard (Yes. They have their OWN cat cupboard) saying in fluent cat - "Well don't just stand there Slave. We need some delicious brown sludgy cat food if it's alright with you!". Fed them and stuck some porridge in the micro wave, ate, then went back to bed where I slept like a baby until 10.30am!!!
I got up, did some stretches and exercises for my core which I started this week. The plank, the "Superman", some crunches, some hip raises, leg raises and a couple of other things I found on Youtube. Once those were completed, I swallowed a glass of cranberry juice and chomped on some dates, almonds and blueberries. Then I WAS READY TO ROCK!
"How far are you running today?" asked Mrs Dan. "I'll be an hour - so 10K today". "Good luck" she waved from the couch whilst watching SUNDAY BRUNCH. I was off.
What can I say. The weather was so delicious, I could have eaten it. I was wearing a brilliant outfit of bright yellow top, bright blue tights, my white acics and dark glasses. A rock stars running get up if ever there was one!! So.....I told myself to make this a slow and lazy run, but as soon as I started, I knew that it wouldn't be. I was feeling pretty alive and kicking and STRAVA announced the first K at 5'34. "Oooh Dan! Slow down baby." I told myself. I've been having a niggly groin pain when running for the past two weeks - including last weeks LWR. It doesn't flare up until about 6 or 7K and I didn't want it to do so today if I could possibly help it. So slowing down might help this little predicament of mine.
K2 was better @ 5;48 but K3 was faster. So was K4. "Oh to hell with this slow running lark" I told myself. I decided to just run as comfortably as I wanted to. The water hens were squawking, the sun was beaming down, warming my body and people out walking were getting out of the f***ing way for a change! I ran past The White Horse pub and luxuriated in the cooking smells coming from their kitchen. Roast meats and all the sunday delicious trimmings (that I KNEW Juicyju was eating today after her run. Lucky cow) permeated my nostrils making me want to stop, go in, order a pint of Old Peciliar and a roast beef dinner RIGHT THERE AND THEN!!
I didn't.
I carried on running, past a group of excited little kiddies with their parents feeding the ducks, past slow Sunday walkers holding hands, past more pubs with delicious cooking smells.....corrrr!!! I turned the corner and eventually heard STRAVA announce 5K at 28'08. Time to turn around and run home the way I'd come.
Groin pain started to zing. Dammit. I tried to ignore it but it was a constant presence. It's hard to describe exactly what it feels like, but it definitely feels as if it's slowing me down and makes my right leg feel heavier than my left leg. I carried on running regardless and started to do my usual "Dan Worrying". I can do this almost 24 hours a day if necessary. It's in my genes to constantly worry. My father used to say to me in his broad Irish accent - "Jaysus son, if I didn't have anyting to worry about, I'd feckin worry!"
Thanks Dad for those genes.
At 7K things got interesting. I hear STRAVA announce the time. I looked at my watch. If I turned on my turbo boosters, I could do a pretty decent 10K time. There were two K to go. Could I sustain two full kilometres at full pelt pace? What with my groin and everything? I decided to say "FU** it!" and give it a go!
I bloody well picked up the pace big time. How would I get around all the walkers going this fast I wondered? They'd just have to get out of the way! Richmond Bridge was ahead of me, which meant waiting at the lights for them to change which could eat up valuable seconds on my running quest! I got there......pressed the button, hopping from foot to foot, willing the lights to turn red. THEY DID! I counted 18 seconds whilst waiting and thought "Right! I'm knocking off those secs off the finish time!" I tore down the Thames path towards home.
"Excuuuuuuuse me!" I yelled at three people filling the entire path on their Sunday stroll. "Thaaaaanks!" as they parted and let me through. K8 announced 5'22. I had to go faster. I was now approaching Richmond Lock and decided that running on the footpath was too aggravating, what with all the people with their kids feeding ducks and generally operating at "Sunday Speed". Quite right too!
I ran on the deserted road. A clear route ahead allowed me to go a teensy bit faster. K9 announced 5'21 - a whole SECOND faster than K8. I was really feeling it now. My bum ached (??why?), my groin hurt pretty badly and my overall demeanour was one of "I can't keep this up. I just can't".........ahead of me was a narrow path, wide enough only for one person at a time. There was a whole family on it, with kiddies, taking their time meandering (as they bloody well should on a Sunday walk!). But I needed them to get the **** out of my way. Didn't they realise that a sub 56 minute 10K was on my cards? The swine! There was nothing for it. I would have to go THE LONG WAY AROUND! Which meant another detour, but not so bad as to defeat my sense of purpose. I ran the long way around and managed to hit the path again JUST as they were exiting the narrow bit of path I should have run down. GOOD! I had only another 500 metres to go. "Come on Daaaaan! You little beauty!"
Suddenly STRAVA announced in his Steven Hawking style voice - 10K in _______, last Kilometre in 5'16!!!!!! Bloody hell, that was the fastest K OF THE LOT! That was actual RUNNING - not jogging.
I know what you're all asking. What was the final time? Well........Lord Strava announced my 10K at 56'03. I'm good with that. I think the traffic lights ate up a few secs and I'm tempted to take off 18 secs.....but that would be churlish. A not too bad 10K for me today, on a sunny super Sunday!!
Thanks as ever for reading this. I celebrated by having two massive bottles of San Miguel and a bowl of Mrs Dan's vegetable and lentil soup (I've got a thing about lentils. Mmmmmm baby!).
Happy roast dinners to you all!
Yer pal
Dan X
Written by
danzargo
Graduate
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Great run and post Dan, I tried the early morning one this morning in the freezing fog, slid off the pavement about 20 yards from home whilst still walking, so confess I turned turtle and headed back home. Jealous of the better conditions down south.
It's pretty sweltering near the equator in London C4ts!
Great run report, Dan and a cracking time to boot!
I had a nice gentle jog this morning and when I came back told my husband that he didn't need too many layers on for his run as it is absolutely boiling out ... it was a mighty 4 degrees
T'is a fab time of year to be running and knowing that the warmer weather is just limbering up around the corner ready to take over the weather baton in a few weeks time (hopefully)!!
Fantastic blog as ever Dan....great time, you rocked that one baby...perhaps it was due to the superstar get up?? And what a delicious day it is indeed...and yes I am a lucky cow as I've got a huge joint later, and Leon is making brownies
It is lovely out there today, we went for a long walk on blackheath and greenwich. Sounds like you are really going some now. Great times and your body seems to be loving it now. That physio has paid off. You put me to shame, I really keep promising myself I have to do a plank. I just think I will face plant the floor if I try. Happy running.
Thanks RFC. HAve to say I'm a total failure at "The Plank". I can manage 15 secs. Mrs Dan can last a whole minute!! But practice makes perfect....I think!
What a spectacular write up! Almost felt like I was running it with you, although of course, I wouldn't have been able to keep up that pace for 10m never mind 10k You really are Dan the Running Man at the moment. Hope that groiny muscle pain thing doesn't hang around for too long, because you've got you're fast legs on at the moment. Look out Aftabs, Dan's coming to get you.
Yep my dad too. He would have said something along the lines of "Bejaysus, what the feck do you want to be running for, there's a perfectly good fecking car outside" - although as a child I got my exercise pushing them (1970's Ford Zephyrs and Zodiacs , the ideal size for a skinny 5' Irish man!) Here's to all those doolally Irish dads
A great post Dan, as always. A fabby run too and a superb time, with or without the 18 seconds- you are really going for it! Watch that pain though, don't go overdoing things now! x
Niggly pains are hard to gauge aren't they? If it's bearable I usually keep going. If it stops me in my tracks then it's "walkies" home. Trouble is, how do you ever know if the niggles are a pre cursor to something far worse???? HELLLPPp!!
I was there with you Dan every step of that run (not literally of course but would love to!). Fab run and I didn't think you were so competitive! Loved the description of your dad. Can just imagine an Irish father saying that. Just love them.
Yeah, the competitive side comes out when I can hear Dr Strava announce my times. Usually I have this turned off so as not to compete against myself. But on this run - I'm glad I did!
56.03??!! thats brilliant Dan! i'm just picturing you in your rock star get up! What a fantastic day to get out running, i'm very jealous as have had to hold off to sort my calf out a bit still
Another worry monger? I get mine from my mum! I am the queen of "What ifs!" in our family, but am TRYING to mellow with age! not very successfully but a bit better!
Great minds think alike! i had veg and green lentil homemade soup too! Lentils always remind me on Neil from the "young ones", he was a worrier too! Thats HEAVY man!
Congratulations on a great run and a fantastic blog, to brighten my sunday! No roast dinner for me, but sausage pasta bake so at least less washing up!
Ooooh, hope your calf is ok??? And aren't lentils AMAZZZZIIIINNNGGG!!! I bloody love 'em - and not in a "Neil" way. I just feel so satisfied when I've had some. Weird or what?
i make a mean green lentil curry, its all coconut-ty and yummy! make the whole house smell great!
Calf much better today , got Boz to be extra mean with it, in the rub down sense, boy it DID hurt but seems lots better today(as recommended by our running shop lady!)
going to try it out at club tomorrow eve, it a hill run route thats a bit evil, so might do the shorter one!
I'll go all British and say 'goodness gracious me, what a truly amazing run and report to go with it'.
And indeed it was, all over the UK by reading lots of these great posts from today.
Not sure what your occupation is, but I'm sure you could turn your hand to something involving entertaining and or inspiring writing.
Hope you enjoyed the rest of your day. Mr Pink cooked a fab roast dinner today after my day which included getting up at 3am to take my son to college for a trip to Iceland (yes, you read all of that correctly!) and a PB distance run xx
Hi Dan, no Im still in the knackers yard awaiting spare parts
I am expecting to hear this week , I am getting to the end of my tether with it to be honest , but then I heard a saying that went " If you get to the end of your tether , tie a knot in it and hang on ".......
Roast dinner! I should cocoa. I had sausage casserole. Mind you it was fab! The only thing I smell on my runs is friggin McDonald's. You can feel it clogging up your arteries (or archeries as I call em)
It was like Clapham Junction in our local park today. Those ducks have never had it so good. More bread being flung about than a little. I was weaving in and out like a don't know what and I got blocked at the very end of my run by a posse of folks and was unable to funnel my way through. Good to see families out in the park though. They all turn out in my neck of the woods whatever the weather, which is how it should be
How's your achey groin now Dan? OK I hope. You could do without having a niggly one
I imagined you bleary eyed this morning feeding porridge to your cats and putting sludgy cat food into the microwave
You love a sausage don't you MW? Sausage casserole....CORRRR!!!
Groin'age is still niggling. I've been doing squats and various other exercises to try and strengthen it. If it continues to get on my nerves then it's off to the vets....sorry....docs, for an inspection!
I love reading your run reports - so funny and feel like I'm almost running it with you (AS IF I could run 10k in 56 mins...or at all! Maybe one day!)
It truly was a beautiful day. I took the dog and my wee cousins for a very long walk in the woods - no run for me as it was a rest day from my graduation run yesterday (sorry, did I mention I graduated yesterday?? Not that I like to shoehorn it into every conversation possible or anything...) - and it was just perfect, bright blue sky, not too cold, plenty of mud underfoot!
The soup sounds delicious - and very well deserved!
'course you can run 10K in 56 mins. Stick at it like I did and BINGO!!
And did you mention that you GRADUATED? Did you? I missed that.....HAHAHAHA!!!
WELL DONE ON YOUR GRADUATION!! Keep it up katie and before long, you'll be up to Juicyju distances!
Fecking great story Dan! Wish we could see you in your wonderful outfit, it must have been that that made those fecking eejits get out of your way! Fecking great time too, BUT how could you pass up a pint of Old Peculier? You must have a will of steel...
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This is what we do!! Post Grad Run 11! 
First Park Run - but what a hill - aaaaahhhhhhhh
What do we all think about while we're running?
Week 1 Run 2 so much easier than Run 1 - what a relief!!
Graduated Run -Wow I have Done It!!! What a Beauty!
