Following the last abandoned run, I was feeling a little apprehensive about running in the wind or cold, as I hate the feeling in my chest when my lungs just don't want to play ball. Thankfully, Miss Running had been shopping for all things lycra, and was kind enough to buy me a new compression base layer. Now, I know that it being compression doesn't add anything, but I feel more the part in them and it means I'm not trying to wear two or three tops that are the same size. So with my new shiny new top under a normal running t shirt, I sent out on a slightly chilly run.
Just as hoped, the extra top was what I needed to keep my temperature up along with my pace. The run was the "new" 6km loop that is likely to become my new short distance route. The lack of the short but sharp uphill section at the start is helping me no end, whilst the rest is gently rolling. This run was finished in 38:35, giving a pace of 6:10/km, which is roughly where I want to be for now.
The next run was a little bit different as I would be running with Mrs Running, Miss Running's mum. I was told that she likes to whine and moan about as much as I do when running, so we figured we'd get on well! This run wasn't about going all that far or that fast for me, but more to get out and do at least 8km and push Mrs Running past her usual 5km mark. As we ran from her house, the route was different and was a loop to Stanford Hall, the home of the Summer and Winter Wolf Runs. Having done the Winter Wolf, the house looked a lot nicer this time around with some ancient re-enactment under way on the front lawn! This sight did mean that we had to turn round and head back up the hills we'd not long run down. But hills are good training, and I managed to not stop on them. There's no real pace info for this run, as I left my phone holder at home, so the times and distance are approximate.
From here, Miss Running and I were off to Dublin for three days of imbibing, err... culture, and not much running was going to happen. Much imbibing however, did happen! We did at least attempt to keep up the exercise a little by walking everywhere. Dublin was a great place to visit, but every bit as expensive as we'd been warned. However, the Dead Zoo, aka the Museum of Natural History, is well worth a visit as it's both free and gives a distinctly Victorian view on collecting animal specimen.
So back in Blightly, and it was back to running the 6km loop, only with a bit extra to make it 8km as it was a Saturday. This was never going to be quick after a week off, three days of beer and what felt like a lot of unintended passive smoking, but it did feel good to be back out and blowing out a few cobwebs. I do still look like a bit of a wreck when out running. That's meant to be something like a smile, and was the best of three goes at it!
The next Tuesday saw me back out with Mrs Running, and running in the proper dark for the first time in a while. This used to be a staple way of running when I lived with Felix, so I should've known better than to leave my head torch at home. Miss Running had drawn up a roughly 8Km route for us to try, but that was done via google maps which doesn't show you how far down the side streets lamp posts go in the fog......
As such, Mrs Running decided she'd had enough after a very wriggly 5km loop of the village. To be fair, it was quite foggy and not brilliant running conditions. I decided to head back to the far end of the village and back to put another quicker 1.5km on the run to finish.
From here, I was actually busy at work (quit that sudden gasp from all that know me well), and back to being on call where I was even busier for the week. As such, I didn't get any running in for 10 days and wasn't back out until the 12th. As it was a Saturday, it was long run day again. Yay. And it was drizzling. Extra Yay!! Still, it means it's a lot harder to over heat, so every cloud and all that.
My target for this run was a little different to before. The plan this time to run for 45 mins away from home/round in circles/etc and then head home for 45 mins, so running for 90 mins with no real distance target. As I was keeping half an eye on time, rather than distance, I set out on the 6km loop, with the intention of extending it as I have done before to 8Km and seeing where I was time wise at the turn around. As it happened, I got to the turning point a bit quicker than I thought I would, but equally, I hadn't really put any real thought into it either. This will surprise no-one, I'm sure. So with a few mins to spare, I set off down a different road with the intention of getting to a particular farm track and turning back from there. I stopped for a quick breather at this point, but rapidly wished I hadn't as my glasses steamed up. This photo shows the issues of wearing glasses as a runner in the rain. I can't see much without my glasses, but I could see more without them! Also, note the potentially receding hairline.......
So as I got back under way, I knew I had to take something other than the short route back, as I had in excess of 35 mins left to go, but straight home was roughly 15 mins. So when I got back to the A5, I decided to return back the way I'd come. I knew this would be pushing things a bit, but that was the point of this run. So off I went, with the knowledge that making it back home should use up just about the rest of the time for today. Things were going well to start with as I seemed to find a groove that was working, but as I neared the top of the bigger or sharper rises I was having to slow down more than I liked. But I persevered and kept going; I still had to get home one way or another. As I rounded what I hoped was the last bend, a quick look at my phone showed 2 mins remaining. Bugger, I had to go back around the block! But as I rounded the last bend again, the timer went off and I could stop. At this point I was starting to feel the extra distance quite a lot and I don't think I could've gone for much further. Having said that, the pace chart shows my pace in the last 4km or so to have been fairly even, which was a pleasant surprise.
So what was the final distance? 13.8Km!! I was really pleased with this, as I had wanted to top 12Km even though I was mainly targeting a time on my feet. This is the furthest I've gone in more than a year, and to get this far after only 8 weeks felt really encouraging, as this is about 1/3 of the way to a marathon. Now I just need to work more on regularly running three times a week and seeing about getting my pace up, as it's been a bit hit and miss this month!
