Sunday, 20 December 2009

This afternoon’s run was down to Premia de Mar and then along the sea. Up here in Vilassar de Dalt it was a cold but sunny day but I was perplexed about what to wear as I expected it to be warmer by the sea. Finally, I decided on shorts, a t-shirt and two long sleeve shirts. As insurance I stuffed into my back pack a pair of trousers, another long sleeve and my down ski jacket. When I got to the sea I found it to be much warmer than up in Vilassar de Dalt. I took one of my long sleeves off and tied it around my waist. I must have looked like a bit of a packhorse with all that I was carrying.
The wind was quite strong out from the south-east, it was strong enough to have an effect on my speed. After the 20 minute run down from Vilassar I was well warmed up and felt pretty good as I set out along the Passeig Maritim. I felt much stronger than the last time I had run this route. I timed myself from the Premia rail station to the el Masnou-Mongat line at exactly 30 minutes against the wind. I ran on a bit further and did some stretching and jogged back to the line. The time on the way back with the tailwind was 28 minutes and 15 seconds.
By the end of the second timed piece I was feeling the effects of the increased speed and the longer stride. The muscles in the groin were sore and achy. I had hoped that with all the downhill running it would have looked after this problem. After the second piece I ran on to the Premia Club Nautic and then back to the rail station. The total run was an hour and 45 minutes including stops for stretching.
It is easier and more comfortable to run in shorts than in trousers. The back pack was likely detrimental but it is a necessary evil. I was warm running along the sea but by the time I finished my workout around quarter after four it was getting colder rapidly. I had a twenty minute wait for the bus back to Vilassar. I was pleased with myself for having taken the ski jacket and the extra shirt. I would have been frozen without them.