Good evening lovely running friends,
I know I probably post too often on here, so I'll keep it short. Mind you, that's what I said about today's run, look how well that worked out lol Yeah, anyway... day off today, so thought I'd do a little run.
I seem really bad at little runs. I was only aiming to do between 5 and 7k today, and I was in a bad mood for some reason. Probably hormones, I don't know, male menopause or something. Anyway, given that I was only supposed to be doing a short run, I thought I'd have a crack at negative splits again. In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, how hard can it be?
Turns out, really quite hard. I have Strava set to nag me every 0.5km. As some of you will know I've been divorced for a year or two now, so I guess Strava is filling that void in my life, apparently I needed to be nagged again. Determined to conquer this negative splits thing, I set off at what felt like an astonishingly slow pace for me. Honestly, when the first nag came in I was fully expecting my pace to be 7:30/km or something, or for Strava to start doing that auto-pause thing it does when you run too slowly. After 0.5km my pace had been 6:06/km. Doh! At this point, the grumpiness set in, because I knew I had failed this challenge, but I sure as heck wasn't going to give up. I deliberately slowed down some more. Trouble is, as I was doing this, I was warming up, so despite my best efforts I couldn't get my pace down at the start. I was trying to aim for 7:00/km but I was way off.
So - I had already failed at the splits, so time to fail at something else: running for only 5 or 7k. The point at which I would turn back home for an approx 7k run came, and I felt especially grumpy. Every bone in my body wanted to give up, but I made a decision. I was going to keep going, I needed to do this for me. Well, me, you lot, and my favourite best VRB of course (Sadie-runs) . I ignored 2 further options for shortening the run, using the excuse that it was either too steep, too muddy or both, so at this point I was committed to a run of a little over 11k. Fine. Whatever. I've run that far before, I can do it again.
I nearly lost my nerve at about 10.5k when I remembered belatedly that I'd chosen the route with the stupid hump-backed canal bridge which, at the end of a long run, looms like everest, and is as hard to get down as it is to get up. I managed it though, without Strava auto-pausing, and on I went, to complete my run where I started, after 8 miles. That's 11.3k in a time of 1:18:31 with a personal record for a 10k. Strava called out 10k after 1:08 something, though it now says 1:09:04. Who knows!!
I know I've banged on about this rather a lot, but this running lark is great for improving your mood, isn't it? 
If you've read this far, well done (and why???!)
Run safe,
Neil
It didn't feel like a great run certainly in the first half, but you know what, it wasn't so bad was it? I have this little routine now of punching the air and cheering when I pass the 10k mark. Goodness knows what the other towpath users must have thought.
Yet another 5k, so nearly a PB too...
10k PB
Another 10k, just missed my PB
I did it!! Vitality 10k done and a new PB! 
