Ducks, Daffs, Donkeys and a Dog

10.79k
Start 18.45

Ok, spotting the 'donkeys' might be a hard one but the dutch word for donkey is the same as the one for easel and I do love a bit of gratuitous alliteration.  The easels were in the idyllic artist's hut in the grounds of the park a bit of my run went through.  And since I've just finished reading 'Specht en zoon' which is written from the viewpoint of a piece of canvas (sounds dreadful but works better than you'd think it would) I thought I'd incorporate this reference in my run.  The running itself went much better than I'd thought it would.  After getting up at 5.30 for a planned early run I put it off when I saw the rain and wind and didn't get out till it was almost too late to do so.  Picked up Sproet on the way home. 

Towards Waddinxveen

10.57
Start 18.45

 

Even slower than usual as a muscle in the back of my left thigh was not co-operating fully.  Not so much 'sore' as just a continual whining that it would rather be lying down reading a book and drinking tea.  I turned my podcasts up a bit louder to drown it out and just churned out the distance, even getting a tiny bit of 'hill-training' in when I had to wait for a bridge to close.  Ah well, it provides entertainment for the waiting queue of cars to see me repeatedly slogging up and down the embankment.  

Wandering in Gouda

10.13k
Start 18.45

Hmm, why has Blogger decided to rotate my lovely sunset photo of the Steve Biko Bridge...? 
I've worked out that I have to do just under 200k every month now if I want to reach my 2013 year total after taking March off. Doable but it does mean I should really get at least 10k in every time I go out if I want to get back on my ideal of a 36hour interval schedule.  Seeing how far behind my target I've dropped on the Garmin site is a bit discouraging but on the other hand it also provides an incentive to put in the runs necessary to 'catch up with myself' again. 

Amelisweerd

11.2k
Start 13.15

Out along the Kromme Rijn - lots of walkers and cyclists now that spring has finally sprung.  Got caught up in a sea of football fans when I ran past the stadium on the way home.   

De Bilt + bank

10.83k
Start 15.30
One of my standard circuits out and back via De Bilt followed by a round the block to the shops to the cash machine.  Photos later.
My legs are still wimpering a wee bit in protest but I think they've realised that I'm definitely back in running mode again and that they're just going to have to deal with it. I actually feel brilliant, as if my whole chest cavity has been opened up, my heart and lungs have more room, my shoulders have relaxed. The first 20 minutes or so were hard going but by just ignoring the initial reluctance of my body to get into gear and concentrating on enjoying the podcast I was listening to I soon found that I was covering the distance and glad I was out.

Gouda

8.15k
Start 19.00
Exploratory run from the Kattensingel out to the Reewijkseplassen, which I'd seen from the map were about 2k away. The back of my thighs and calves were protesting a bit for most of the way but my breathing was more or less problem free.

  Had to stop to ask the way when I was back in town on the return leg as I crossed the railway at a different point than on the way out and had lost my bearings a bit. 

Back on track

6.08k
Start 16.30
Beautiful sunny weather and round 10 degrees so decided to get myself out running again after an extended break involving a check up with a lung specialist, a new inhalation chamber thingy to help the Alvesco be more effective in it's preventative function and strict instructions to remember to take Ventolin before every run (rather than my more haphazard way of 'if it's cold and/or wet and if I remember...').

  I was a bit apprehensive beforehand ('Do I still know how to do this?') but once I was out the door and Caity McCardell was singing her daft barefoot runner song in my ears (which is the 'themetune' I start all my runs with before the podcasts start) I knew I was glad I'd made the effort.  I took it gently and while it wasn't 'easy' it wasn't particularly hard either.  I stopped a few times to take photos and to listen once when I thought I heard the faintest of squeaky noises in my chest.  Although I felt fairly 'done' when I came in, my breathing has returned to normal fairly quickly so I think I may not have lost as much fitness as I'd feared I might have.