It’s my third run this week! I had 45 minutes between getting home from work and taking delivery of my child, so despite it being sunny and muggy and feeling tired and under-watered, I went. There wasn’t time to be choosy about the podcast so I fumbled-started ‘A Whole Run’.
Let me say, the orange stats are misleading. If you take a look at the ascending red line over the green elevation graphic, you will see some rather alarming dips in heart rate. Those first three dips correspond with the uphill longgggg 3-4 kilometre section into a hot wind. They also corresponded with Coach Bennett saying something along the lines of how mental strength is more important that physical fitness. I was walking when he said that and felt like giving him the bird, to be honest. But he is right, as usual. I was mentally tired from work, conscious of the time as I needed to be home, and a bit unprepared generally. I just didn’t have the mental reserves to keep going.
I managed to get going again on the downhill, but as the road started going up again I felt a corresponding rise in body temperature. I know it’s only 5.5k but I really could have done with some water. I was sweating so profusely that bugs were sticking to my face. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and was internally singing ‘there was a middle aged woman who swallowed a fly’. One poor sod flew right into my eye and despite salty lop-sided tears and furious blinking, stayed put for the last few minutes home.
Coach Bennett chose that moment to say that some days the brain just isn’t in the game. Yup, he got that right. But I got out there anywhere and turned myself toward the long 5.5k circular circuit, where you can’t back out. That felt plucky.
The stats were a bit strange. I think that by pressing the pause button when I walked for 30 second intervals, the average heart rate drops, and then the recovery time is given as far less. I did a nonstop 34 minutes 2 days ago and the Garmin told me to rest up for 48 hours; today it said 22 hours! I’m not trying to fool the thing - I just like to see how far I have actually run so today stopped the watch when I walked. I’ll take the recovery time with a pinch of salt, anyway!
Despite the walking and the difficulty of it, I am really pleased to have got out there. It’s a bit mad dogs and Englishmen, running in this heat. I shall try to run earlier or later when I can, and have ordered a couple of little 250ml squishy water bottles for my pockets.
Happy running, peeps!
It would be interesting to find out how many flies hU has swallowed collectively as I had 2 on my 10km run and I’ve seen a fairnfew similar posts...
60 minutes run!
An early morning 13K run 
New 5km Tempo Run - but beware the sneaky extra 3km!!
