It's been a while since my last post (again)... but you can't really write a running blog when you're not really running.
That's not to say I haven't ran - it's just been a 5km here and a couple of miles there whenever I get the chance here and there to keep the legs ticking over. But with the race season just around the corner and the definite decision that I'll do the half marathon again in September, I need to up the frequency and distance I'm running or instead of having a (hopefully) a summer of PBs and good race memories I'll have a summer of panicking about DNFs and giving up.
So doing what I do best and being over-organised with military style planning, I've just got the old week-to-view out and mapped out my training for the next two months, taking me through a couple of races and up until the end of the absolute madness which will be my final Uni hand in when I can start really focusing on running again.
For the next 8 weeks I know when I'll be running, when I'll be resting, when I'll be studying and, most importantly, when I'll be partying!
And with all that will no doubt come more blogging! Here we go then...
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Monday, 27 February 2017
Clough Taylor (and a bit of Doris) 10k
So my last blog post turned out to be a bit of a fib. No running streak happened, in fact very little running has taken place at all since my last post. A fairly last-minute decision to move house, thrown in with a busy time at work and Uni and some rubbish weather added for good measure, all mean my lovely new trainers haven't seen many miles at all.
As a result of this, and heavily influenced by Storm Doris's rain, wind any everything else in between, I came the closest I've ever came to sacking off a planned race. I hadn't done nearly as much training as I wanted to, the course (two laps of Holme Pierrepont lake) wasn't very exciting and I don't 'do' cold and rain so by mid-week I was all but ready to cancel my 7am Sunday alarm and be done with it.
But I didn't. Spurred on with some encouraging words from the ladies in my running club and not being one for giving up, I thought better of it. And as the weekend ticked round and I began that familiar pre-race routine I even started to feel quite excited.
One of my favourite parts of any race is the buzz on the start line and the Cough Taylor 10k had a really friendly atmosphere as everyone huddled in the wind making small talk and getting ready to go.
I set off surprised at how strong I felt, my feet fell into a good rhythm quite quickly, it was a flat course and that great atmosphere from the start line was continuing through the first couple of miles. Lack of training at the back of my mind, I had this.
Then I changed direction at the top of the lake.
My God the wind! I honestly don't think I've ever ran in wind like it. It was like running through a horrible two-mile wind tunnel and it was bloody hard work. Everything ached, my ears were ringing, and eyes and nose streaming. I did not have this.
Things didn't get much better after I finally turned into the second lap of the course and away from the wind either. As if I didn't have enough to be dealing with, a flipping massive attack of stitch crept up on me, making to slow to a walk for about the 5th time in the race. It was at this point, as I awkwardly walked around holding onto my side that I even started thinking along the lines of "If I threw my myself onto the floor and hurt myself, I'd have to pull out of the race"... I think the only thing stopping me was the worry of ruining one of my favourite pairs of capris.
Persevering through I trotted into a run again and ended up falling into pace with a lady who was running beside me nicely in time for that evil second half of the lap again. Able to speak just enough to get a few words out, we both agreed that it seemed to be even worse this time, it was fully evil.
But we plodded on, offering a few words of encouragement here and there until we were into the last mile-ish when another woman came up and started with the "come on ladies we're nearly there" etc. And we were!!
Once again I started with the "I've got this, I'm doing it" thoughts, we were round the last corner and the end was in sight! I'd used absolutely everything I had in those bloody winds so there was no sprint finish this time but I finally crossed the line and I'd done it!!
Time-wise, it was my slowest race ever by a good couple of minutes. But I really did like it. I liked being with other runners and that excellent sense of community and the contrast it had to the friendly rivalry between those of us in red tops and those in blue. All in all, a decent morning and a good first race of 2017!
As a result of this, and heavily influenced by Storm Doris's rain, wind any everything else in between, I came the closest I've ever came to sacking off a planned race. I hadn't done nearly as much training as I wanted to, the course (two laps of Holme Pierrepont lake) wasn't very exciting and I don't 'do' cold and rain so by mid-week I was all but ready to cancel my 7am Sunday alarm and be done with it.
But I didn't. Spurred on with some encouraging words from the ladies in my running club and not being one for giving up, I thought better of it. And as the weekend ticked round and I began that familiar pre-race routine I even started to feel quite excited.
One of my favourite parts of any race is the buzz on the start line and the Cough Taylor 10k had a really friendly atmosphere as everyone huddled in the wind making small talk and getting ready to go.
I set off surprised at how strong I felt, my feet fell into a good rhythm quite quickly, it was a flat course and that great atmosphere from the start line was continuing through the first couple of miles. Lack of training at the back of my mind, I had this.
Then I changed direction at the top of the lake.
My God the wind! I honestly don't think I've ever ran in wind like it. It was like running through a horrible two-mile wind tunnel and it was bloody hard work. Everything ached, my ears were ringing, and eyes and nose streaming. I did not have this.
Things didn't get much better after I finally turned into the second lap of the course and away from the wind either. As if I didn't have enough to be dealing with, a flipping massive attack of stitch crept up on me, making to slow to a walk for about the 5th time in the race. It was at this point, as I awkwardly walked around holding onto my side that I even started thinking along the lines of "If I threw my myself onto the floor and hurt myself, I'd have to pull out of the race"... I think the only thing stopping me was the worry of ruining one of my favourite pairs of capris.
Persevering through I trotted into a run again and ended up falling into pace with a lady who was running beside me nicely in time for that evil second half of the lap again. Able to speak just enough to get a few words out, we both agreed that it seemed to be even worse this time, it was fully evil.
But we plodded on, offering a few words of encouragement here and there until we were into the last mile-ish when another woman came up and started with the "come on ladies we're nearly there" etc. And we were!!
Once again I started with the "I've got this, I'm doing it" thoughts, we were round the last corner and the end was in sight! I'd used absolutely everything I had in those bloody winds so there was no sprint finish this time but I finally crossed the line and I'd done it!!
Time-wise, it was my slowest race ever by a good couple of minutes. But I really did like it. I liked being with other runners and that excellent sense of community and the contrast it had to the friendly rivalry between those of us in red tops and those in blue. All in all, a decent morning and a good first race of 2017!
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| I do bloody love medals |
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| Two laps, not a bad pace overall really, and looks like they threw in an extra 230m! |
Sunday, 15 January 2017
Streaking again!
Not much to report about my running so far in 2017.. I haven't really done that much but most of what I have done I've really felt the benefit of my advent running streak now the constant aching in my legs has calmed down.
The most exciting thing regarding running so far this year is that I got some beautiful new running shoes yesterday! I've had some money set aside since the summer and never fully got on with my old ones but wanted to wait until I'd got a decent mileage on them, so having some new ones which (hopefully) won't decide to rip my feet up every now and again is a really exciting concept.
Which leads me (somewhat tediously) to my plan...As I was bouncing along on the treadmill tonight I started thinking about how I should just do loads of short runs this week to make sure my lovely new shoes are nicely broken in ready for a long run next weekend.
Then my brain carried on ticking over and thinking to all the benefits I had of my Advent Running streak. Ok, so I'm almost definitely looking upon it with very much rose tinted glasses, but overall I did enjoy getting out there every day and getting the miles in.
Considering this, I've come up with a training plan which should hopefully break in my trainers nicely then help me start building up my fitness etc for my next 10k on the 26th February which I'm struggling to get into some form of training routine for.
So my plan is, every other week I'll run every day then use the non steak weeks to build up my distances. I've checked my diary and it fits in well with everything else I've got planned in for the next six weeks so I think it seems like a good idea.
Give it a week and I'll probably remember everything I hated about 'runchtime' and 'first thing gymming' but I've always been a very much all or nothing person so here we go.. the new concept "every-other-week's-a-streak"
Wish me luck!
The most exciting thing regarding running so far this year is that I got some beautiful new running shoes yesterday! I've had some money set aside since the summer and never fully got on with my old ones but wanted to wait until I'd got a decent mileage on them, so having some new ones which (hopefully) won't decide to rip my feet up every now and again is a really exciting concept.
Which leads me (somewhat tediously) to my plan...As I was bouncing along on the treadmill tonight I started thinking about how I should just do loads of short runs this week to make sure my lovely new shoes are nicely broken in ready for a long run next weekend.
Then my brain carried on ticking over and thinking to all the benefits I had of my Advent Running streak. Ok, so I'm almost definitely looking upon it with very much rose tinted glasses, but overall I did enjoy getting out there every day and getting the miles in.
Considering this, I've come up with a training plan which should hopefully break in my trainers nicely then help me start building up my fitness etc for my next 10k on the 26th February which I'm struggling to get into some form of training routine for.
So my plan is, every other week I'll run every day then use the non steak weeks to build up my distances. I've checked my diary and it fits in well with everything else I've got planned in for the next six weeks so I think it seems like a good idea.
Give it a week and I'll probably remember everything I hated about 'runchtime' and 'first thing gymming' but I've always been a very much all or nothing person so here we go.. the new concept "every-other-week's-a-streak"
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
25 in 25... advent running complete!
Wanted to post a quick summary of my final week of Advent Running while it's still fairly fresh in my mind.
Really, it was quite uneventful - a couple of early morning treadmills and a couple of lunch time runs took me up until the 23rd and before I knew it I was finishing work and packing to head home. Just because it was uneventful doesn't mean it was easy though, I don't think I stood up all week without moaning about being stiff, my legs had officially turned to led. It was weird really, because towards the end I could really tell that my fitness had improved but many legs just couldn't keep up with what my head and everything else wanted to do. But whether a plod or racer pace, I managed to bash out some good 5km runs throughout the week.
Christmas eve came round and with it what I was classing as my last "proper" run of Advent Running, knowing full-well that Christmas day would have to be a little hangover pootle to visit my grandparents. I'd been looking forward to this run for a while, I'd decided I was going to just about round off Advent Running with a local Park Run.
One of my key aims of Advent Running was to chase the sub 30 5k which I've not managed since my half marathon training in the summer, so Parkrun seemed like the perfect setting to really go for it. I always love the friendly Parkrun atmosphere and find I normally perform a bit better than my average solo run pace so was really motivated and ready for it.
Unfortunately it didn't quite happen, I came in about 30 seconds over the mark... but never mind! I had a great run, and after not running that route for a while I'd forgot just how bloody hard the hills are! So, unusually for me I didn't beat myself up for not getting to where I had wanted to be. I'm confident I'll crack it in a week or two when my legs are fresh again.
Really, I can't finish up without a brief mention of my Christmas day run! In the familiar Christmas morning hangover haze I really contemplated just not bothering - I was already proud of what I'd achieved already and I was pretty sure I'd end up seeing some of the previous night's alcohol on the way round. But I talked myself round, got out my Advent Running t-shirts and my trainers, made sure I had plenty water and off I went. 2.5km done and dusted... and with it the entire challenge done!
So, what has Advent Running taught me?
Final stats
Out door distance covered: 73.61km
Treadmill distance covered: 40.55km
Total distance covered: 114.16km / 70.93 miles
Time spent: 12:40:52
Now to start looking for the next challenge!
Really, it was quite uneventful - a couple of early morning treadmills and a couple of lunch time runs took me up until the 23rd and before I knew it I was finishing work and packing to head home. Just because it was uneventful doesn't mean it was easy though, I don't think I stood up all week without moaning about being stiff, my legs had officially turned to led. It was weird really, because towards the end I could really tell that my fitness had improved but many legs just couldn't keep up with what my head and everything else wanted to do. But whether a plod or racer pace, I managed to bash out some good 5km runs throughout the week.
Christmas eve came round and with it what I was classing as my last "proper" run of Advent Running, knowing full-well that Christmas day would have to be a little hangover pootle to visit my grandparents. I'd been looking forward to this run for a while, I'd decided I was going to just about round off Advent Running with a local Park Run.
One of my key aims of Advent Running was to chase the sub 30 5k which I've not managed since my half marathon training in the summer, so Parkrun seemed like the perfect setting to really go for it. I always love the friendly Parkrun atmosphere and find I normally perform a bit better than my average solo run pace so was really motivated and ready for it.
Unfortunately it didn't quite happen, I came in about 30 seconds over the mark... but never mind! I had a great run, and after not running that route for a while I'd forgot just how bloody hard the hills are! So, unusually for me I didn't beat myself up for not getting to where I had wanted to be. I'm confident I'll crack it in a week or two when my legs are fresh again.
Really, I can't finish up without a brief mention of my Christmas day run! In the familiar Christmas morning hangover haze I really contemplated just not bothering - I was already proud of what I'd achieved already and I was pretty sure I'd end up seeing some of the previous night's alcohol on the way round. But I talked myself round, got out my Advent Running t-shirts and my trainers, made sure I had plenty water and off I went. 2.5km done and dusted... and with it the entire challenge done!
So, what has Advent Running taught me?
- Running at lunch time is brilliant and great for clearing the head after a rubbish day
- First-thing gymming isn't quite as enjoyable, but not as bad as I expected
- Similarly, hang-over running isn't great, but isn't too awful
- Planning and organising laundry takes a huge amount of effort when you run every day
- You get bloody sick to death of washing and drying your hair
- Despite fitness increasing quite a bit, led-legs make some of the last runs bloody difficult
Final stats
Out door distance covered: 73.61km
Treadmill distance covered: 40.55km
Total distance covered: 114.16km / 70.93 miles
Time spent: 12:40:52
Now to start looking for the next challenge!
Saturday, 17 December 2016
I am lucky
I did a lot of thinking today, as I ran for the 17th consecutive day. The last week has been full of ups and downs with the old Advent Running. Some days it's been easy, others it's been a huge struggle. It's been a busy week and some days it would have been so easy to give up, not least at 5am yesterday when my alarm chimed to send me off on my first ever pre-work gym session (early morning sessions are weird and I'll definitely do a blog featuring them in detail at some point!)
So naturally, I've done a fair bit of moaning this week. I do love a good moan and running has given me plenty to moan about over the last 7 days... "it's cold" "I'm too busy" "I'm too tired"... the list goes on!
Today while I was running, I started to think about how really, I shouldn't moan at all (or at least not as much). This train of thought began when I was thinking about my route. I'd already ran through the crowds who were starting to gather for football, soaking in an atmosphere that I've only ever experienced during the pre-match buzz. Then I started to head out of the city on a long, tree-lined stretch of road.
I wanted to bank an extra mile or so today, in anticipation of tomorrow's inevitable hangover so I added in a bit of a loop around the park. It was gorgeous, quiet and peaceful and that's what made me start to think about how lucky I am. I can go from being in an urban centre which I love, being surrounded by people to being by a tranquil lake with only a few ducks for company, which I also love.
Then I started thinking about all the other reasons I'm a lucky runner.
I'm lucky that I can run pretty much whenever I want. I'm lucky that even at night, I can run by myself in the dark knowing I'm pretty much as safe as anyone can be. I'm lucky that I can run on roads, by rivers, over bridges and through the city. I'm lucky that I can afford to go to a fancy gym when I don't feel like running outside, or if I fancy a swim instead.
I'm lucky because of the people who support my running - I've got a fantastic family who have made sure I've never crossed a finish line without familiar faces clapping and cheering. I'm lucky to be part of a brilliant running club which means I'd never have to run alone if I didn't want to. I'm lucky to be a member in several online running groups, thousands of people at my fingertips to give advice, encouragement and inspiration. I'm even lucky for the fantastic friends I've got who listen to my regular conversations about running.
And, I suppose when it all comes down to it, I'm lucky that I can run at all.
So naturally, I've done a fair bit of moaning this week. I do love a good moan and running has given me plenty to moan about over the last 7 days... "it's cold" "I'm too busy" "I'm too tired"... the list goes on!
Today while I was running, I started to think about how really, I shouldn't moan at all (or at least not as much). This train of thought began when I was thinking about my route. I'd already ran through the crowds who were starting to gather for football, soaking in an atmosphere that I've only ever experienced during the pre-match buzz. Then I started to head out of the city on a long, tree-lined stretch of road.
I wanted to bank an extra mile or so today, in anticipation of tomorrow's inevitable hangover so I added in a bit of a loop around the park. It was gorgeous, quiet and peaceful and that's what made me start to think about how lucky I am. I can go from being in an urban centre which I love, being surrounded by people to being by a tranquil lake with only a few ducks for company, which I also love.
Then I started thinking about all the other reasons I'm a lucky runner.
I'm lucky that I can run pretty much whenever I want. I'm lucky that even at night, I can run by myself in the dark knowing I'm pretty much as safe as anyone can be. I'm lucky that I can run on roads, by rivers, over bridges and through the city. I'm lucky that I can afford to go to a fancy gym when I don't feel like running outside, or if I fancy a swim instead.
I'm lucky because of the people who support my running - I've got a fantastic family who have made sure I've never crossed a finish line without familiar faces clapping and cheering. I'm lucky to be part of a brilliant running club which means I'd never have to run alone if I didn't want to. I'm lucky to be a member in several online running groups, thousands of people at my fingertips to give advice, encouragement and inspiration. I'm even lucky for the fantastic friends I've got who listen to my regular conversations about running.
And, I suppose when it all comes down to it, I'm lucky that I can run at all.
Friday, 9 December 2016
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
A couple of weeks ago, as mentioned in my previous blog, I had the bright idea of taking part in some thing I'd briefly seen called Advent Running.
Really, I'm not sure why I decided to do this. I'm not exactly someone who has bags of time on their hands, but phrases like "it's only half an hour" and "making time for yourself every day" had me convinced it was a good idea.
So on 1st December, with fresh legs and still on the post-race high of EMA 10k, I excitedly packed my PE kit to take to work as the only time I'd fit a run in that day would be at lunchtime... 'runch' was a concept I'd heard lots of runners talk about but never something I'd tried. I must admit, I really enjoyed it! Getting a bit of fresh air and time away from the office was great! And it's for the best really, as next week I'll be doing it for 4 out of 5 days.. but that will be a story to tell next week.
Day 2 was good as well. I've hugely wasted my gym membership for a good few weeks so it was nice to get my stuff together and head down for an early gym session on the first day of a week's annual leave. A gentle 30 min interval treadmill session went by fairly quickly and pain-free. I was loving this advent running thing I'd started so much that I even decided to order an official t-shirt to sport during my festive frolics.
Day three was another story, and the first of many times (so far) that I've said Advent Running is a stupid decision. I headed out in the semi-darkness and still with mild hangover symptoms, full of self loathing for not taking on an easier going advent hobby. But I got it done, even though I could easily have thrown the towel in.
The next few days were quite uneventful, some outdoor and some treadmill running, mainly smiley and grateful in the panic stricken days that come before an exam (again.. another story) that I'd set aside time to run and clear my head each day.
Then another couple of tricky days followed.. third treadmill session in a row followed by trying to fit a run in on a stupidly busy and again slightly hungover day triggered lots more thoughts of "This is stupid, why am I doing it?"
Today was good again though.. after my first day back in a stuffy office on a rubbish tip I was dying for some fresh air when work was over and really enjoyed my warm winter evening 5k.
So I figure that's how it's going to be, some days I'll love it and some I'll hate it. But either way, every day I'll be doing it.. purely to piss of those who think I'll give up if anything! I'm over a third of the way though so I'm definitely not packing in now!
Distance................42km/26.25miles
Time......................5 hours
Major stops...........3
Minor strops..........about 20
Small accidents.... 1
Really, I'm not sure why I decided to do this. I'm not exactly someone who has bags of time on their hands, but phrases like "it's only half an hour" and "making time for yourself every day" had me convinced it was a good idea.
So on 1st December, with fresh legs and still on the post-race high of EMA 10k, I excitedly packed my PE kit to take to work as the only time I'd fit a run in that day would be at lunchtime... 'runch' was a concept I'd heard lots of runners talk about but never something I'd tried. I must admit, I really enjoyed it! Getting a bit of fresh air and time away from the office was great! And it's for the best really, as next week I'll be doing it for 4 out of 5 days.. but that will be a story to tell next week.
Day 2 was good as well. I've hugely wasted my gym membership for a good few weeks so it was nice to get my stuff together and head down for an early gym session on the first day of a week's annual leave. A gentle 30 min interval treadmill session went by fairly quickly and pain-free. I was loving this advent running thing I'd started so much that I even decided to order an official t-shirt to sport during my festive frolics.
Day three was another story, and the first of many times (so far) that I've said Advent Running is a stupid decision. I headed out in the semi-darkness and still with mild hangover symptoms, full of self loathing for not taking on an easier going advent hobby. But I got it done, even though I could easily have thrown the towel in.
The next few days were quite uneventful, some outdoor and some treadmill running, mainly smiley and grateful in the panic stricken days that come before an exam (again.. another story) that I'd set aside time to run and clear my head each day.
Then another couple of tricky days followed.. third treadmill session in a row followed by trying to fit a run in on a stupidly busy and again slightly hungover day triggered lots more thoughts of "This is stupid, why am I doing it?"
Today was good again though.. after my first day back in a stuffy office on a rubbish tip I was dying for some fresh air when work was over and really enjoyed my warm winter evening 5k.
So I figure that's how it's going to be, some days I'll love it and some I'll hate it. But either way, every day I'll be doing it.. purely to piss of those who think I'll give up if anything! I'm over a third of the way though so I'm definitely not packing in now!
Stats so far:
Runs......................9Distance................42km/26.25miles
Time......................5 hours
Major stops...........3
Minor strops..........about 20
Small accidents.... 1
Sunday, 27 November 2016
A quick glide around East Midlands Airport
Race day then! As I explained in my last post, running has taken a huge back seat since September when everything else in my life went into crazy overdrive. So I went into today's race with no expectation other than to soak up the once-in-every-15-years opportunity along with the race day atmosphere and take in the scenery as I trotted around the airport for about 6 miles.
Right from the start it was a great experience (helped in no small part by the spot-on organisation) right from "check in" number collection and the familiar pre-race nerves barely even surfaced, despite roaming around on my own for an hour until my fan club arrived. It was a bit surreal really being at the sort-of closed airport surrounded by a few thousand other people donning their best Lycra eagerly anticipating the starting gun.
I'm not going to lie, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, it was flipping cold! I put off dropping my bag and hoody with the baggage handlers for as long as I possibly could but all too soon it was time to do the final bits of prep and head to my pen ready to start.
As soon as the first wave set off it seemed to take no time at all until I was crossing the starting line myself and heading off along the route. After about five minutes I was nice and warm and able to start properly enjoying the run. As I trotted along I really thought about how lucky I was to be a runner, to be able to take in these scenes normally reserved only for airport staff, surrounded by loads of other people all rhythmically putting one foot in front of the other and seeing off the November chills.
At around 3.6km the leader came past me and the people running around me, he seemed to breeze by with ease on his second lap! After that it was easy to recognise the second-lappers flying by the rest of us, it was a great motivator (I'd like to say it was from their running but it was definitely more from following all those lovely shoulders and well chiselled calves!)
To be honest it was a pretty uneventful run other than that - that's not to say I didn't enjoy it, it was brilliant!! But I didn't have any major struggles (ran all the way which doesn't happen massively often), and there was no other drama to report. As such, before I knew it I was passing the 9km marker and was very nearly done!
I'm not going to lie, despite all my "I've barely trained so I'm going for enjoyment not time" talk, I did keep half an eye on my (shiny new) TomTom as I made my way around the course, and I could see that I was going to come in at well below my estimated time of about 1:05. Surprisingly, I came in at 1:01:54 which is up there in my best times ever and a good 4 minutes improvement on last weekend's 10k!
So all in all, it was a great morning to round off my race calendar for 2016. I'm nowhere near finished running for this year though - after a bit of thought I've decided I'm going to go for an advent running streak attempt - at least 30mins a day from the 1st until the 24th December. It will be tricky getting it in some days but I reckon it will be worth the satisfaction by the time Santa comes! As always, I'm sure I'll have at least one overly long and waffley blog post to detail my progress.
Finally, here's some photos from today, thanks for reading!
Right from the start it was a great experience (helped in no small part by the spot-on organisation) right from "check in" number collection and the familiar pre-race nerves barely even surfaced, despite roaming around on my own for an hour until my fan club arrived. It was a bit surreal really being at the sort-of closed airport surrounded by a few thousand other people donning their best Lycra eagerly anticipating the starting gun.
I'm not going to lie, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, it was flipping cold! I put off dropping my bag and hoody with the baggage handlers for as long as I possibly could but all too soon it was time to do the final bits of prep and head to my pen ready to start.
As soon as the first wave set off it seemed to take no time at all until I was crossing the starting line myself and heading off along the route. After about five minutes I was nice and warm and able to start properly enjoying the run. As I trotted along I really thought about how lucky I was to be a runner, to be able to take in these scenes normally reserved only for airport staff, surrounded by loads of other people all rhythmically putting one foot in front of the other and seeing off the November chills.
At around 3.6km the leader came past me and the people running around me, he seemed to breeze by with ease on his second lap! After that it was easy to recognise the second-lappers flying by the rest of us, it was a great motivator (I'd like to say it was from their running but it was definitely more from following all those lovely shoulders and well chiselled calves!)
To be honest it was a pretty uneventful run other than that - that's not to say I didn't enjoy it, it was brilliant!! But I didn't have any major struggles (ran all the way which doesn't happen massively often), and there was no other drama to report. As such, before I knew it I was passing the 9km marker and was very nearly done!
I'm not going to lie, despite all my "I've barely trained so I'm going for enjoyment not time" talk, I did keep half an eye on my (shiny new) TomTom as I made my way around the course, and I could see that I was going to come in at well below my estimated time of about 1:05. Surprisingly, I came in at 1:01:54 which is up there in my best times ever and a good 4 minutes improvement on last weekend's 10k!
So all in all, it was a great morning to round off my race calendar for 2016. I'm nowhere near finished running for this year though - after a bit of thought I've decided I'm going to go for an advent running streak attempt - at least 30mins a day from the 1st until the 24th December. It will be tricky getting it in some days but I reckon it will be worth the satisfaction by the time Santa comes! As always, I'm sure I'll have at least one overly long and waffley blog post to detail my progress.
Finally, here's some photos from today, thanks for reading!
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| Ready and raring to go! |
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| The obligatory post-race pint |
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| Flying feet! Also check my new leggings, definitely helped the family spot me! |
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