So Sarah keeps telling me I need to mix up my training and do some short fast runs as well as trying to do distance. Today I went out for a short run around new campus with the aim of and average pace of 9:30. I did 3.88 miles in 37:39 giving an average pace of 9:43 so didn't quite make my target. It's quite hard trying to run at any other pace than plodding! Apparently I need to do some interval sessions … I don't even know what they are but I've seen what they do to Sarah so they can't be very pleasant!

Last day of January and therefore last day of Janathon tomorrow. I've not managed to do as much as I had hoped this time round, but my running distances are well up on November. The main difference is having not been out on the bike very much. That's partly due to some icy weather early in the month but also due to trying to cram in the running. I've certainly not managed every day as I did in November so that's hurt the numbers. Although if I can carry on trying to get out 4 – 5 times a week I'll be quite happy. The effects of trying to exercise every day, and succeeding in exercising most days, have been pretty impressive so far. Since September I have lost about 11 pounds and since February last year I have lost nearly 25 pounds! I am no longer 'Obese' and now just 'Overweight' but am hoping to get towards the 'Normal' range before this year … if I manage that I'll have lost nearly 4 stone!

I went out for a run with Kelly and Sarah today. We built in a shorter loop for Kelly and then headed out to the beach aiming for around 10 miles. At about 3 miles I didn't think there was any way I was going to make it to 10, especially not with Sarah running 2 paces in front of me all the time. I don't know why but it really winds me up. Sarah definitely has a very different running style to me … I'm very much a plodder whereas she likes to push it as hard as possible all the time. I had planned a route in advance to try and take in some of the trails in the woods around Formby that we used to mountain bike on when we were kids. I figured Sarah would really like them as she is much happier off road than on. In the end we managed 9.81 miles of which around  5 miles was offroad with that being a mix between the beach, sand dunes and pine woods. I think we both could have gone a little further but we were starting to run out of time and light! Average pace was 10:56 and we were out for 1:47:17. 

A result of all the offroad is that the tops of my feet hurt now. I think I curl my big toes up when I am coming down steep uneven terrain which pushes the top of my feet against my trainers. Hopefully it will subside soon. Then I need to stop myself doing weird things with my feet when offroad! 

Just did 3.96 miles today around the two University of York campuses. Felt a bit tight but it is my first run out after the Brass Monkey. 3.96 miles in 40:06 giving an average pace of 10:08. 

So it has been a few days since the 2012 brass monkey and I've had some time to think about how it went and what it was like. 

Usually when I do something as silly as running 13.1 miles I can't walk for a week afterwards and coming down stairs is something to definitely be avoided. Even the last half marathon I did, the Great North Run, back in September caused at least 3 or 4 days of proper inability to function in the leg department! This time though was different, for the first time ever I trained well for the event. I'd been nowhere near the distance but was consistently running 6 – 8 miles almost or at pace and being able to go out and do it again the next day. If it hadn't been for the break in training over the new year I may even have run the distance before the event, maybe?! 

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