27k tempo

So having ran yesterday night to check that I was not too stiff after the monster 11 hour drive I knew today had to be the day.

Post rice last night and brekkie this morning I treated it as if it were a race.  Did my stretch / yoga warm up before I left for the 4k jog to the park which I think definitely helped. Had to wait on the top bend as my food was repeating but then finally plucked up the courage to start and was relieved straight away when the ks were passing comfortably below 3.45s.

After 5k the average was down to 3.43 and then it was a case of getting through to 13 or 14 ks and so I'd be half way.  Still the ks passed relatively comfortably with 10 miles in a low 58min and Half marathon in a low 1.18. Perhaps a lack of patience but kept upping the pace with the last half being a fair bit quicker than the first (Strava said a low 1.17 for the final 21.1ks) finishing with some lowish 3.30s for a 3.40 final average.  5 seconds quicker than what I had decided on.

Let's see where this takes me. There is a massive difference between 27k vs 42.2k but without question I am finally onto something. 36k for the day with a warm down with Messi who smashed out 25k in 3.36s - he is a certainty for 2.34.

Busy for the rest of the day with the boys' football - in fact my warm down was a jog to Bromley FC around the corner where I met J who had a change of clothes for me.  Ryder played well and Jack's team won easily but again more violence at the game.  There was a full on fight between two boys mid way through the second half ending up with the respective mums on the pitch almost coming to blows.  South East London is nuts, I know because I grew up here.  It was disgusting and was not happy and ended up speaking over the coach ensuring all the other parents heard that there is no place for fighting on a football pitch. Special mention to our Jack who was the only boy or parent for that matter who tried to break it up - he was straight in there risking a black eye and all.

Jack's team are all counsel estate boys from inner South East London and fighting is in their DNA.  That's why they always smash the teams they play against but is also symptomatic why England does not develop its football.  The level of aggression here is OTT and you would never see this in Germany (for example).