On The Road Again

Well I'm so tired of crying but I'm out on the road again I'm on the road again
You know the first time I travelled out in the rain and snow in the rain and snow
On The Road Again-Canned Heat

HA!!!! Just when you thought it was safe to check the blogosphere again,"yer man" is back at it!!!!!
Following a near nine week hiatus this past week finally felt like the right time to get back into the swing of things.....and we all know how I love to swing.......that sounded SO much better in my head.....!!!!!!
After my Masters 800m at Franklin Field I said I was ready to resume training....and I did.....I ran one 6 miler the week after.....and proceeded to remain on me arse on the feckin' recliner for another fortnite till throwing said feckin recliner out{and replacing it w/ a brand new futon I hasten to add}
During last weeks living room renovations I had to move my National Championships medals from one wall to another.....this just so happened to be the week of 2016 Masters Nationals in Michigan and maybe repositioning my considerable collection lit a fire under me arse that I'd like to add to that collection next year and after checking the results from Michigan,where I feel I could've been in contention for a medal in all three events{800m 1,500m 5,000m} I knew it was time to get back after it so here's a brief summary of "The Week That Was"......all journeys have to start somewhere yeah?

Wed 6 Miles
On the day I returned to work after 6 glorious days off I elected to resume training w/ an easy 6 miler,I have to say w/ no sense of ego this felt right and where I needed to be.
Little in the way of knee lift and leg turnover.....which was to be expected but it wasn't too rough on me....I had to hope Thursday would follow suit....

Thur 6 Miles
Not only did I sleep right through my 5.25am alarm I awoke to the feeling somebody and worked me over w/ a Louisville Slugger.......No Pain,No Gain yeah????
Despite an evening appointment at nearby Camden Waterfront to catch Duran Duran I made sure I got my 6 miler in first.....a few weeks ago I was blowing off runs and pissin' and moanin' about always "putting the run first" so this told me I was back on the right path.

Fri 6 Miles
The original game plan was 3 x 6 milers plus a return to the track this weekend for 24 miles......ah bollocks!!! I knew after my opening two runs I wasn't track ready just yet so why not make it 5 x 6 miles and give myself a 30 mpw,w/ a view to bump next week up to 40 mpw including a return to the track???
#olderwiser
After two evenings of 83 and 87 degs I was now confronted by low 90s and running at 3pm not 4.30pm and I had to dig deep mentally and physically to get this one in,the temptation at 2.5 miles to make this a 5 miler was vast but I knew if I "buckled" now at the first hurdle I may not "clear the next hurdle" whatever that may be and since this is NOT "my first rodeo"  I thanked the fact I have Dental coverage at work and gritted my teeth,another 6 miles under my belt

Sat 6 Miles
The next challenge now was to get back into the routine of training on the weekends,don't get it twisted I've enjoyed the feck out of making Full Irish Breakfasts the past two  months and sitting on me hole or feckin' off to Fado's to watch the footie......but that kind of behaviour tends not to lend it's self to podium finishes so lite breakers and out the door to run was the order of the day
W/ talk of temps between 95-98 degs the earlier I got after it the better,out said feckin' door by 11.30am and back gone 12.30pm,yes I was knackered when I got home and lay on the futon till I had to get a shower and head upto New York City to see Eddie Izzard @ The Beacon but I now had 24 miles under my belt,four down one to go!

Sun 6 Miles
Despite not getting home from NYC till gone 2am and not getting to bed till 3.30am I was up by 9.30am,another lite breakfast and back out for another 6 miles
Yes my knee lift and leg turnover have deserted me{for now} my strength,stamina,speed and conditioning have all gone to shite.....but my desire is back......and so is my fiestiness.....
After two days over being made to feel I was treading quicksand by runners,who it has to be said weren't exactly breaking land speed records as they passed me today on the inbound 3 miles I heard footsteps behind me
As "yoke" drew along side me my competitive side rose to the surface and rather than "roll over" I began to match him stride for stride
A runner ahead of us suddenly stopped to talk w/ another runner,"Yoke" decides now is the apt  time to not only overtake me me but also cut right across me leaving me to almost clatter the two stationary runners  to my right
"Ya fuckin' dickhead!!!" I hollered as I pulled alongside yoke and proceeded to leave  him in my wake  you know the code "fuck w/ the bull,get the horns" and this running devil is just getting warmed up!!!!

So my first week back,as each day has passed the soreness in my legs after a nine week hiatus has slowly diminished,yes there's still a long way to go but I feel I'm on the right track moving forward.