Well today was a surprise. I had a usual rubbish nights sleep ( never sleep properly in the summer.. too hot) and woke up for the umpteenth time at 6.30 and lay there talking myself out of running. I had done some hip flexors exercises last night and when I tried to get up off the floor my back hurt. I have suffered with sciatica on and off over the years so I thought I was in for another bout so I lay back down and wriggled about a bit on my Pilates spiky balls. Didn’t seem to help much this time so off I went to bed. And on my midnight trip to the loo it was still hurting so I thought running was out for today. As it was, when I woke it felt fine but I still tried talking myself out of it.... perhaps I’ll wait till tomorrow when Lol is down and we can run together...?
Then I gave myself a severe talking to and got up and into my running gear. Ate my banana, drank my water, inhalers done,hay fever spray, one more wee before I leave the house and I was off.
I’d planned to try the Stepping Stones run this morning...and then maybe sneak up to 5.5k and wasn’t sure what to expect without my week9 safety blanket podcast. As soon as I started I knew it wasn’t going to be a speedy run, didn’t have my usual urge to take off too fast so I stuck to the pace that Laura kept reminding me of 1..2..3..4 and managed to keep it up quite nicely. I was a bit wary when she said the second 10 mins was going to be a bit faster but again managed this quite easily too. Then she said the last 5 minutes will be a bit faster still and I thought “ oh it’s only going to be a 25 min run after all “ so I managed to grope in my Fitbelt for my phone and zip the slider for the podcast back to near the beginning and ran it all again.
I’ve been trying to not watch my watch so much so then when I was nearly at the end of the second bit of the podcast ( for the second time) I glanced at my watch and it said 3.64 or somewhere round there and I thought oh for goodness sake !!! Or something like that... so I thought I have to get to at least 4kms. And then I realised that as I’d been running for about 45 mins even I am not THAT slow now so I must be further.... then it dawned on me I was running miles not kms!!!!! So I thought “ blimey I’ll keep going till 4 miles at least” so I turned off THAT route and went up along the river a bit further, then doubled back and went in around Castle Green and ran round that path a couple of times and then I got to the “ I’m either going to run for 60 minutes now or for 5 miles ... whichever I can manage. “ I’d been trying to calculate in my head as I ran how far it was in kms and I’d get so far as “ if 5k is 3.1 miles and 6.5 will be another 1.6ish so that’s ... and then I’d lose myself again and have to start again and suddenly I realised I had got to nearly 4.5 miles so I thought “ Right I’ll either do 5 miles now.. or I’ll run for 60 minutes” Either will be a nice run.
And then , at the last minute, a flipping white van decided to do the crappest job of reversing and turning you have ever seen and I could not get past or round him and had to stop, and just could not start again then. So 57.47 minutes and 4.51 miles. Bit annoying as I hate untidy numbers. 🤣🤣
BUT amazingly its 7.26km!!!!!! Furthest I have EVER run since starting C25k!!
Still can’t quite believe it.. I think Saturdays run will be a little shorter as I don’t want to injure myself but I am well chuffed. Oh!! And the pink face is definitely back this morning ... matches my teeshirt
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
