Training day 28: 12K

Today the alarm went on when I was just rolling over to one side to get one slosh of delightful, peaceful sleep from the deep well of slumber that my ancestors have bathed in for centuries. The bed was warm and sleep beckoned and seduced me softly, hugging me in its soft bosom. There is time to gather energy, and time to spend it Jack, my mind purred softly. And now was time to gather energy. I agreed completely as the god of sleep gathered me in his bosom. I pulled the blanket over my head and just left a small vent that exposed my nose which sucked air out of the room then expelled it. Zzzzzzz....

The alarm went on. I lay still then rolled over and picked it up with my right paw. I took the alarm and stared at it as if I had never seen it before. Like it was an unwelcome intruder in my bedroom (yes, thats a pleonasm). After staring at it irritatedly, my frowning face relaxed and I asked myself, "Jack, are you going to be strong today or are you going to be a wimp?" So I swung my feet off the bed. I was up at 4:35am. We will see who is a wimp.

And I did the usual routine: gulp some water, rush it around my mouth, swallow it in sips as the oral rapids run dry, do the toilet thingy, wrap bandages firmly round my right knee and left shin, put on my running T-shirt, sweat shirt and luminous jacket, skin tights and truck. Stretch a little. Swing this way and that for my back, reach for my toes and swing my hips.

And I stepped out just as the watchman was stirring from his sleep and blinking at me.

I was feeling great really. And I was feeling strong. And I was strong. I decided I was gonna better my time since I had fresh legs and no real injury or whatever. So I started fast. Marathon really, is a test of how relentless one can be because you have to use up your energy and continue using it for several Kilometres. It is relentless forward motion (RFM). And your relentlessness is dictated by your fitness, which is a combination of available energy, lactate threshold, capillary density, mitochondrial density, running economy, stride length and mitochondrial enzyme activity among others. So I hit it.

I met Kamau coming back at the 5th Km Mark and I crossed 6K in 28:40 and ran back intent on trying a negative split. I was strong and shit but at the 10th Km, my upper back started paining and it reminded me that I had fallen on the stairs last week and something in my spine yelled. At any rate, that pain disappeared after a minute or two. I met Kamau at the 12th Km and yelled at him. I stopped my watch at 57:22. Very pleased with my sweaty self. That is more than one minute off Friday's attempt. I bounded up the stairs. Feeling pumped up.

I stretched thoroughly then did push ups and crunches. Since I am feeling fine, I will attack another 12K tomorrow. By end of August, I should be doing 12K five times a week. Cheers.
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