North Norfolk Boot Camp

This bank holiday weekend has seen a removal to North Norfolk for the first round of the intensive training for the half-marathon.

It's only in the isolation of rural, uninhabited countryside that man and his pair of "technical" trainers (more of which another day) can really get acquainted. After all, this will become a serious relationship.

Apparently my trainers are to be my new best friends.

Having been quite "competent" (a comparative term) on the gym treadmill for thirty minutes continuous jogging, I felt it was time to see the road come up to meet me (or rather, a 5 mile combination of disused railway line, farms track and country roads making up part of the Weaver's Way). For those that know East Anglia, I've added an interactive route map here (to show I can) which tells the tale of Saturday's outing.

So, a combination of jogging and walking enabled me to complete this in 58 minutes, and the finish post was, conveniently, the 17th Century Banningham Crown . The road crew met up with me at this point and, although probably not a UK Athletics approved isotonic rehydration fluid, a pint of Woodfordes Wherry was quickly dispatched.

Now, I ran continuously for only the first 2 miles and thereafter did a walk and jog combo. A kind reader yesterday observed that this wasn't a bad strategy, but at this rate the route marshalls on the day would have taken in the cones and allowed the traffic back onto the course.

I can and will do better, for I have a Plan. And I will talk of the Plan in tomorrow's post.

Thanks for reading, and please take a look at my page for the good cause I'm running for.