Training has been a bit thin on the ground this week too because of the frozen canal.
We were away at the weekend and I meant to go for a run but forgot my trainers so two complete days off and a fantastic Christmas meal with friends – good food, good company, good wine and rather excellent port!
By Monday I was missing not being out and doing stuff – and not sleeping very well. Kirsty, my friend and running partner did our 5 mile circuit… or would have done had we not forgotten to cross the river. We ended up crossing the next bridge (Shrewsbury has lots of bridges!) which added a good section – and a couple more hills into the middle of the course. It ended up being around 5.5 miles which we finished in 55 minutes. I was really pleased – although as we finished, she nearly passed out and I nearly threw up. We had clearly worked hard!
I’d agreed to go out with Emlyn tonight – the rest of SHP having joined Andy in the hedgehog branch – not to be seen until the spring. The first 500m was mostly fine. Emlyn was paddling on the left (northern) side of the canal – and it was definitely colder up north as he crunched through the ice and I sailed through the water a critical metre to the south!
Then we went through the bridge. The ice got thicker and thicker. Eventually I couldn’t get enough drive through my paddle to break it and ended up nearly following my skating paddle across the ice sheet. A nice high brace returned me upright. (A high brace – an elbow bashing high brace – in a lancer. AND I’d forgotten my spray deck… I was so proud) Fortunately the ice was thick enough that it kept the water out of my cockpit!
We did a gentle reverse (which I’m sure was at least twice as far as we’d gone in the first place) to find some water to turn around in and we tried the other way. Got to 20m from the club house – just under the A5 and hit more ice – not quite as thick, but it was only going to get worse.
We did some loops. Emlyn hates loops. But he did them anyway (thanks mate – much appreciated the company!) although he did make a couple of particularly germane points along the lines of… “you know you can do this on an ergo… in the warm… in the light…” and “I wonder how many other prats are stupid enough to be out tonight?” (Looking at UK rivers, it turns out there were quite a few!)
Wednesday’s run was also cancelled because of ice – I really didn’t fancy sliding through the quarry and either sliding into the Severn or breaking something. I managed to get out on Thursday though – 3 minute intervals of recovery, normal ‘pushed’ pace and fast over a four mile circuit. The sprints were pretty slow – I have to count paces so I know when I’ve nearly finished – otherwise it seems to take forever- usually its 180 paces but I was only managing 160. Whole thing took 37 minutes.
Went down to the canal in the evening; found the senior coach asleep in his car, woke him up, established the canal was frozen solid, and came home again.
Short run today- 3 miles easy run along the river to the Welsh Bridge and back through town. I love Shrewsbury’s street names… Mardol, Shoplatch, Wyle Cop, Dogpole…
Going away this weekend too (can’t take my k1 on the train) so I’ve packed running kit and want to go for a longer run on Sunday morning. That will require getting up BEFORE my mother-in-law gets back from church which I’m not sure I’ve ever done.
Still, a week on Sunday Kirsty and I are doing the Telford 10k road race. Its my first road race ever so I’m quite looking forward to it. I’m also looking forward to the week off from running which will follow it and training more in a boat than on my feet!