It's Not The Kill,It's The Thrill Of The Chase

I can't deny it w/ that smile on her face,it's not the kill it's the thrill of the chase
Feel it coming it's knocking at your door,you know it's no good running it's not against the law, the point of no return
Knocking At Your Back Door-Deep Purple

Since I no longer"indulge" I was none the worse for wear when I woke up Sunday morning following my friend Kerry's 40th b'day bash Saturday,back in the day I wasn't so fortunate and I'm reasonably confident there were numerous Sunday long runs that were cancelled,down graded to less miles or just absolute torture from the night b4,thankfully that's no longer a concern
Up by 9.15am I did my traditional pre long run routine, a cup of tea and a lite breakfast while getting my weekly dose of "Eastenders" sucks that we're eight and a half years behind the present storyline in England but it is what it is I guess.
Caught the end of the Liverpool Chelski game.....uh oh! 2.0 to Chelski which may have scuppered Liverpool's chances of a first title in 24 years,two more games to go b4 the season comes to and,I feel now as I have for the longest time that it'll be the final Sunday of the season on May 11th will determin who wins the title,who makes the Champions League,who makes the Europa League and who stays up and who drops into the Championship.

Out the door by 11.04am it was sunny and warm but w/out trust Peco Tower on the weekend I have no idea what the temprature was,give or take 10 degrees cooler than Saturday whatever the temps were it felt like ideal running conditions.
Given my calves were a little trashed following Saturdays 8x300x200x300m repeats I just wanted a nice easy 12 miler this morning I wasn't going to worry about pace,speed etc......and w/ that you'll just have to picture my nose growing longer a la Pinocchio!!!!
Making my way north along Schuylkill Banks towards the Art Museum I heard footstoops right behind me at just over 2 miles into a 12 mile run I should have just let whoever it was go by me......yeah like that was going to happen!!!!

For once on a Sunday no regatta out on the Schuylkill so no bobbing and weaving between Columbia bridge and Strawberry Mansion bridge for once......the irony of which wasn't lost on me!
At week 5 of a 7 week plan to focus on two repeats a week I'm at that stage no where I'm ancy to get a race under my belt,to use a boxing term you can spar till the cows come home but there's no substitute for stepping into the ring w/ your opponent,May 15th will be here sooner than I know it.....let's just hope I don't end up on my arse or even worse knocked out!!!
W/ 4 miles to go once again I  heard footsteps right behind me,if said runner had overtaken me I'd have probably said "have it" but tucking in behind me kind of riles me when the running shoe is on the other foot sure I use runners ahead of me to work off of but I always overtake them, I don't tuck in behind them once I've caught up to them so I figured if I had to "work it" a little over the next mile to Lloyd Hall b4 he went his separate way no harm no foul.......
As I made my right hand turn off of Kelly Dr on to the Schuylkill Bank I glances to my left his bright orange running shirt was nowhere to be seen.......till I looked to my right.....sneaky orange bastard had cut the tangent infront of Lloyd Hall and was now trying to get ahead of me as the path of the bank winds its way south along the river.......oh hell NO!!!

Once again I picked up the pace to drop him I figured if I was lucky somewhere along the banks he'd turn off as runners often do......NOT TODAY!!!
Just when I thought I'd done enough to shake this guy he went by me but not w/ conviction so yet again I dug in and picked up the pace I figured either at the  Market St steps or the turnaround a the foot of the Schuylkill Path footbridge he'd be done and as I attacked the uphill and downhill of the footbridge w/ 2 miles to go I though I'd seen the last of him........
Making my way towards the South St bridge I happened to look back over my left shoulder and there he was still giving chase......it'd be just my luck now to get caught by a red light at the end of the bridge and negate all the space I'd worked to put between us.....thankfully the light was in my favour and that was the last I saw of him.
In a lot of respects I admire him,he did what I've done countless times work off of another runner  but "in the heat of battle" it was hard to see that.
W/ my legs suitably trashed now I made my way home over the closing mile and a half w/ very little in tha way of knee lift or leg turnover,home by 1.52pm......1.48 again probably thanks to that guy in the orange running shirt.....I just hope he's not out there on Monday when I'm meant to run an easy 8 miler!!!!