Chased by the shadows ...& the park keeper !

[Juliet202]

My first post 10K run was wild ! After 2 days rest (apart from a brisk 6k walk on Monday - almost as fast as my slowest jog 😜) I was just raring to go. My motivation now is to put in 15miles per week, but that can include walking aswell - now I’m week 2 into the Pennine way !! The only way I’ll make it in the 5 months (286 miles).

It’s quite fun ! Some amazing views 😉 This photo is from Kinder Scout Charged Rock, (courtesy of google maps). Have already clocked up 21 miles and I’m in 303rd position - I think there are about 600 of us. How on Earth the leader has done 200 miles in just 8 days I don’t know. Surely there’s no fun in that ?!?!

Anyway, back to this evening’s run. I really had wanted to go in the morning when it was sunny but couldn’t wake up early enough and so I promised myself I’d get loads of work done (wfh) and go at 4 to catch the sundown. But of course then the rain came - around 3.30 it was so dark the birds had gone to sleep and there was quite a bit of lightening - I already resigned myself to the fact that it was just too heavy rain to attempt a run. Then it cleared and so I was out the door like a bat out of hell before I could change my mind - and I was just flying - mainly because I wanted to get as far round the park as possible before it went dark and they locked it up. I was racing to keep ahead of the park keeper as he went round (in his van) closing gate after gate - but still lots of people in the park ! Eventually I had to head out the main gate but still had about half my run left so continued around the park perimeter this time on the pavement - by now it’s dark. I had no idea how far or long I had been running as I couldn’t see the detail on my my watch - it was a Garmin training run so would eventually run out of time (hopefully!) and stop so I just kept running running. Had illusions I might even do another 10K without realising it and faster than first time but .... in the end was only 9.25km in 70 mins - but a new personal best 5k at 34.14. Yey !! 🥳 But that feeling that I was just flying was so liberating and I didn’t feel at all tired. 🏃🏻‍♀️

[Oldgirlruns Graduate10]

What do you mean ‘only’ 9.25k?! That’s a brilliant way to end the day isn’t it - you’re knocking chunks off your target as well! 🥳

[Juliet202 Graduate10 in reply to Oldgirlruns]

Actually just realised it was ‘only’ 8.75 km because I walked the first half km to warm up !! But yes! How funny that last week’s longest run is now ‘only’ 🙂

[Oldgirlruns Graduate10 in reply to Juliet202]

😆

[Couchphoenix Graduate10]

Great post Juliet202, I smiled at the thought of you trying to outrun the park keeper as he’s locking the gates😄 Isn’t it amazing when you reach that distance and feel you can still keep going. You think I’ve been in this body all this time and I had no idea what it was actually capable of. I felt like that on Tuesday’s run, I finished my 10k with a sprint and was thinking to myself where’s this energy coming from??

Good luck with your 15 mile a week challenge I’m sure you’ll complete that no problem 👍🏃‍♀️