Glorious victories and a dodgy 14 miler

So what a weekend, England stun the world with a fantastic display of some of the forgotten art within the wonderful game we call rugby, and I do another 14 miles stomping around the streets of North London.

Yes, I know I said I was going to try and stop going off topic, but come on, wasn't that truely fantastic? I always said that if the pack could turn up and they had a flyhalf they had a chance, and on Saturday both happened.  The pack (led be Sherri) gave an amazing performance, the Aussie back row has been legendary on the run up to this tournament (something akin to the England back row last time round) yet they were taken apart at the breakdown by the likes of Moody, Corry, Easter and Shaw, the ball carrying from the forwards was relentless and the support at the breakdown was staggering in comparrision to previous games, let alone what the front row and tight 5 did to the scrums.  The backs were also very close to being able to show what they can do with quality ball in hand.

Anyway, bring on Le Blues.

So back to the running, I had quite a good week last week following my 16 miler, and picked up early in the week with some good quicker short runs, and also I didn't need 4 days before I was able to walk again, which was a huge relief.  But this weekend was always going to be difficult, I had intended to run 18miles but having my daughter and England playing the Aussies was going to mean it was difficult to fit the time in (and now it is a long time).  Saturday came and went and I was left having to do the long run on Sunday (before the 3rd quater final).

I set off from Winchmore Hill this time, and ran up to Southgate, and up past the home of Southgate RFC and on to Cockfosters and trent park.  This was all really straight forward and my times were wonderfully consistant.  I refulled at the shop, and headed back down Southgate and past the Fishmongers Arms (the other home of Southgate RFC) and down to Grange Park.  I didn't have any real idea of route in mind, but I've done so many miles round the area now that I know I could link particular runs I'd done together to form a long run over familiar terrain.  From Grange Park it was up and over the hill on Old Park Ridings (which I still think is quite a steep climb) and down through the park, this was around the 7-8 mile mark and I'll be dammed if I didn't feel really good, so good in fact that I desided to put Windmill Hill into my route and started to do the 2nd climb in 2 miles, with the benefit of hindsight I think that might have been a mistake, I laboured my way up the hill which was really disapointing as I'd sailed up the fist climb, and then as I reached the top this little slip of a lass came bouncing past me, and I mean bouncing, I swear she used more energy bouncing upwards than I could muster to propel myself forward, still better than  being overtaken by the suit running for his bus last week.

As I headed back down into Enfield around the 10 mile mark me legs were really starting to feel it and I began to get quite down about how little time I had left to build the strength up in my legs before the marathon itself, I had stopped to get another bottle of water and think that in doing this it might not have helped, but I pushed on and after a few miles the pain subsided from my calves and then moved up my legs into my thighs, then groin and then the lower stomach. 

The per mile pace of the last few miles of my run resembles the Alps, with everything from a really poor 12 minutes to a 9:50 as I started to get angry with myself.  At this stage I'd also like to apologies to the lady with the small child who probably didn't need to overhear those sort of words at such a tender age, and also if anyone out there knows if you can get running insurance, you know, hyperthetically for someone who perhaps whilst running collides with a child in the street and flatterns them?  

In the end I pushed myself onto 14 miles, and then took myself home to watch the rugby and spend some time with my family.  It wasn't quite the success I'd wanted, but on the positive side I did another run over half way.