Following last week's 20 mile/20 mile back-to-back (when I wasn't well!), and bearing in mind the next couple of weeks will be tough, I'd intended to keep the overall mileage relatively low for this week but still put in a long run. I'm paranoid about getting injured at this stage.
So I just put in 40 miles this week including 9 miles in the dark around the lanes and across the fields to test out my head-torch of choice for the Mds, the Petzl Tikka XP2. It has 80 lumens of power (whatever that means) and was impressive.
The instructions say "Do not stare directly into the beam." Being male I have that particular gene that interprets such instructions as "Stare directly into the beam to assure yourself that this new toy is in fact very bright", so I did and I can confirm this head-touch is indeed ideal for burning one's retina.
I also did another full 26.2 mile marathon this week with 6.5kg in the rucksack, getting 2,658 foot of ascent and covering the distance in just over 6 hours with a largely 5 minute run/5 minute walk strategy while walking the inclines. The next morning the legs felt tired but otherwise OK so I went for a quick 5 miler.
The highlight during the marathon was passing a field of about 30 sheep and my first sighting of this year's spring lambs, 40 or so of them, with the farmer trying to get them downhill into the barn across the track which was my running route. Rather than be mown down by this charging mass I stopped for 10 minutes or so and took on some food and drink.
I'm glad I did! There was one last sheep with its two lambs that was refusing to go anywhere it didn't fancy. The sheepdog tried all it could to circle it and push it along. I couldn't believe what happened next: the sheep growled (I didn't know they could do that) and started charging at the sheepdog, knocked it over and started head butting it on the ground!
This went on for a good few minutes, this lone ASBO sheep attacking the sheepdog. I think by now the farmer was suitably embarrassed by his poor example of the canine species so decided to have a go at rounding up this lone sheep and its two lambs using his quad bike. The farmer revved and hared towards the sheep, the sheep stood still and faced-off the quad bike: the farmer stopped, the sheep growled again (this both looked and sounded wierd) . . . and then charged at the quad bike, head butting the bike's front grill!
Eventually the sheep thought better of it and trotted across the track towards the barn. This was very entertaining! I gingerly passed with a big smile on my face . . . keeping well clear of this seriously hard sheep.
