Was this a good run or a bad one?

[Beachcomber66]

Decided to do 2.5k as the first run in Ju-ju's plan and I changed my route from a disused railway to the surrounding woodland for a bit of variety. First snag encountered; no matter which way I went there was a very substantial climb( I mean lots of cyclists get off and push!!) and there are other similar hills along the way. So I found myself, after doing about a mile or so, having walked as much I had run. The terrain was ok after that, and the views were wonderful, but I bumped into people I had not seen in ages; so had to stop to exchange a word. I reset my watch after a mile or so of this and the. did a slow 2.46 miles, including another chat. My pace ended up at 14:52 minutes per mile..a lot slower than my norm. On the good side max heart beat was 144, I enjoyed the scenery and meeting people, got some steep hills into my legs and ended the "run" feeling pretty good. So maybe it wasn't the best start on my quest for 10k, but I enjoyed it anyway and it has convinced me that there is room for run/walks in my weekly schedule. Back to the railway line for the next run though.

[misswobble Graduate10]

It’s good 😃. Enjoyable so that’s a positive. You now know what it’s like for when you run it next time when there might well be no one around. Try midweek morning say 😃

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10 in reply to misswobble]

Thanks. I think that walking up very steep hills is going to be a feature of any 10k run from home unless/ until my fitness builds up. The paths all lead up through woodland and eventually onto the North Yorks Moors. I will get there(10k run I mean), but it will just take longer than it would have done 40 years ago! I think that I will use the old railway line with its gentle incline for two faster 5/6ks per week and enjoy the scenery for one longer run/walk per week through the woods and hills.

[Equi-geek Graduate10]

Sounds like a good run to me!!! It’s not all got to be hard work and rigid schedules 😁👍

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Any run is a good run Beachcomber66. For the last 2 parkruns I’ve been far more interested in talking to people than thinking about my time , and although I have kept running it’s been a slower pace. It’s nice to chat to people you know during the short run. You’ve also got hills to contend with . Eek 😬

Enjoy your time on the plan; I’ve just started w4 today. 🏃‍♀️👏

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10]

Thanks Dexy 5. As will be obvious from posts I am just trying to achieve a balance between my natural drive to progress in terms of time and distance , the reality of starting to run in my sixties (though I am in my twenties in my head!!) and enjoying the lovely place in which I live (ignoring the steep hills). I think I can do it, but just not all on the same run. Just reset my garmin for 6.5k as statement of intent. Thanks for the encouragement.😊

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

That sounds like a good run to me, hills are tough and you have a baseline now. So the next time you do it you can shorten the walk breaks and before you know it you will be powering up those hills.... well done.

[Elfe5 60minGraduate]

Definitely good - sounds like you had a lovely time, which is really what matters. 😃

[UnfitNoMore Graduate10]

As a quick answer, there are no bad runs... they may feel bad at the time, but then you have to dig deep and get through it... nothing wrong with testing you still have it mentally. The next run will benefit from this one. Either you learn something or you put more into the legs for the next one. You ended it feeling good... it was a great run.

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thanks. Talking to local experienced runners, a fair percentage opt to walk up these hills, they are both steep and long. It is just going to take time and trying to run a bit more each time. There is no escaping them on longer runs around here; everywhere is uphill!