It has been some years since Bury St Edmunds has been fortunate enough to have its own specialist shop catering for runners. There are 1-2 general purpose sports shops but nothing which caters directly for the runner.
That's all changed now that we have Runability in St Johns Street Bury St Edmunds. Its down the hill on the right hand side more or less before you get to the fish and chip shop.The shop has only been open a couple of weeks or so and is still gearing it self up in terms of new media presence - website etc. However I paid a visit today as I needed a hat. It was really cold and frosty this morning and my previous hat had lost its elastication and kept falling off in strong winds. So I bought a Ron Hill beanie hat.
There is already a good range of running shoes for men and women and a gait analysis machine to help you choose the right type. Loads of bright winter wear to keep you safe and lots of gels which again have been something often hard to find in Bury St Edmunds.
Hopefully all locals will pay a visit and support this new store as it is great to finally have a running shop in Bury St Edmunds.
A small collection of running medals that I have kept from races over the years. I think I said in a previous blog post that given the choice I much prefer to receive a medal than a t shirt on finishing a race.
I recently had a big clear out of race t shirts which seem to be more popular with race organisers to give out as prizes in recent years. Is that because runners generally prefer a t shirt, or is it cheaper as a prize or better for sponsors to have their company logo in big letters on a t shirt. I have to say the general quality of the race t shirts given as prizes isn't great to actually run in. These tend not to be your technical t shirt more your cotton variety.
For those interested if you hover over the photo there is a note indicating the race and date when you view this in Flickr
What about you do you prefer a medal or a t shirt or perhaps something entirely different? Perhaps nothing and cheaper race entries?
Uggh bitterly cold and breezy morning. Overnight there was a dusting of snow but I had no second thoughts about the need to keep to my training schedule. I haven't broken it yet though I am sure I will at some point.
The air was cold this morning to the point where it effects my running. I have read about this before and experienced this before in the previous cold spell earlier in January where I find I come to a complete halt when the air is really cold. It is as if I can get get enough air into the lungs and consequently I will walk a bit and then run on.
I read this on a site called Dr Pribut's Running Injuries Page "A balaclava is a fine idea to use to cover your face, and keep the cold air from triggering bronchospasm. A number of articles over the years have found that it isn't merely breathing cold air that contributes to asthma and bronchial constriction, but "facial cooling" that triggers the response. This is considered a reflexive triggering of the vagus nerve. Facial cooling can trigger other vagal nerve reactions, including slowing up of heart beat, which will limit your ability to exercise.
I will certainly try running with a scarf over my face and mouth if the cold weather continues to see if this overcomes a perception that the cold air might be affecting my breathing. Then again I might be over analysing this!
I still managed to put in my 7 miles and again I had a slight time improvement with the following splits 8.29,8.51,9.09,9.03,8.52,8.39,8.44 for a total of 1hr 1 min 51 seconds. Three seconds faster than yesterday.
Todays run took me to Nowton Park. There is a good circular run of around 2 miles folowing a woodland trail in parts. The ground was generally frozen rock hard so there was problems with slipping.
Day 27 of the Runners World SMART Coach schedule completed
Left it a bit late in the day for a run but considering last nights race didn't start to 7.45pm I think it is fair enough. I ran out along Westley Road and the Newmarket Road under the A14 and up past the Crematorium and out to Risby.
Left the camera behind but wished I had brought it as the hedgerows are absolutely beautiful. However feeling a little tired I enjoyed the run more than I thought I would.
I have ordered some new running shoes but this time from Do Running instead of Joe Jogger mainly because i fancied a change from the Asics Gel GT 2110 I have worn for the last 1000 miles. The prices on Do Running compare well with Joe Jogger and they do throw in a free t shirt so worth a try I think . We will see how the delivery takes. I am going for a pair of Reebok Prem Ultra III's which seem a bit on the bargain price size and time will tell if this is a false economy.
