I had to dig out the waterproofs today. I wish I hadn’t bothered - it may have been wild and woolly outside but it was a tropical sweat storm inside my high-tech (breathable!) jacket. I can’t afford yet more gear so I’m just going to get wet from now on, I have decided.
The chest monitor appears to be functioning - the heart rate isn’t mirroring the cadence so closely. But it shows hummingbird-high... 167bpm average... and the aerobic effort given is 5! Apparently I am ‘overreaching’ and need 3 days recovery time! Ok, I was definitely working very hard in the last km, sprinted the last 30 seconds and was a bit wobbly afterwards, but 4k of it was really ok. The cadence is good though - 178spm average, like a little lycra-legged trotting pony.
I made more of an effort today rather than trying to run slow/mouth breathe/keep the heart rate down. I had 5k without stopping in mind and that’s what I did, apart from a quick pit stop at 4k to take off the jacket and knot it around my waist.
Look at those negative splits! I listened to Nike Run Club 90 minute run. There was never an intention to run for 90 minutes, I just fancied a bit of company without excessive chatter, and the long run non-interview sessions tend to have lots of quiet minutes. I do find these sessions helpful. The emphasis on running slow, or ‘smart’, particularly at the start of a run, does hold me back and allows for that gentle increase in pace as the kilometres pass. And there was some helpful advice about keeping the arms lower and relaxed - I realised I hold my arms guite high and they do ache after a while.
I definitely felt the possibility of getting my groove back on this run - there were long minutes of feeling comfortable on the road and a sense of a returning confidence.
Happy weekend all!
Oh my word 😳 9km ✅
