Well I have to admit that week 8 started off pretty well. A season’s best Parkrun 🏃‍♂️on Saturday was followed by a gentle 4k jog 🏃‍♂️around IBM’s lake at Portsmouth North Harbour with Dexy5 on Monday. Wednesday was ridiculous weather-wise so Graduation Day was postponed, and logically it should have been again today, with 20+ mph winds forecast and a 20%+ chance of rain. Did I mention I’m a fair-weather runner? However, there was Ju-Ju’s schedule to maintain and the Billy Trail is partially sheltered, so the cunning plan was to start running south, into the wind, for 4k, then do 1k north, 1k south and be blown home for the last 4k. Thinking was if I could maintain 6 mins/k for the first 6k, mostly into the wind, I should be able to hang on over the last bit.

So off we went, with me leaving Dexy to her own devices from the start for once.🏃‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️ Mr Garmin’s instantaneous pace readouts were all over the place to begin with, as per, but settled down to around 5’50” to give the first 2k in 11’39”. The next 3ks were a bit quicker, though not deliberately, around 5’42”, and the 6th, back into wind but mostly sheltered 5’45”, so at the last turn, with 4k to go downwind, I was a minute and a half ahead of target at 34’31”.👍

Now my brain is going “don’t push yet, don’t push yet”, knowing I haven’t cantered further than 7k at a stretch yet, having had spells of trotting in all previous runs, but my legs don’t appear to be listening☹️. 7th k 5’31” (“steady on now”), 8th 5’23” (“look out for the wall you idiot”), 9th 5’18” (oh what’s the use”) and the last k 4’54” if my watch is to be believed, which I find more than a bit difficult. 10k in 55’38”, thanks very much …… now where’s Dexy gone? We’d crossed after my first turn, as expected, me having gone 4.6k to her 3.4k. We should have crossed again after my second turn and her first and only, around 5.7 for me against 4.3 for her. But I get to my final turn at 6k and there’s neither sight nor sign 👀…….. a mystery to be solved when she posts perhaps …….

While I’m celebrating, I should perhaps remind people that I started this “Bridge to Madness” from the position of being disappointed if a Parkrun took over 26’, which means it just doesn’t compare with the efforts of those of you who have done it, or are still doing it, as an extension of C25K. And I now find, thanks to some swine 👹 providing a link to Jack Daniels’ calculator, that although 55’38” is inside the target I set myself, given my starting point of 26’ Parkruns I should be able to manage 53’59”. So perhaps the madness will have to continue ……. and all because the lady loves C25K. I never thought when Dexy got off the Couch in March that it would lead to me running 10k again. And now she’s mumbling “Great South Run” 🙄…… behave yourself, woman!

We are off for a gourmet dinner with excessive wine this evening to celebrate. And we’ll raise a glass 🍾 to Ju-Ju’s magic plan, and everyone on the forum eyeing up the Bridge, part way across it, or collapsed next to me on the far side. May the Plan be with you all!