Despite a two day rest and plenty of stretching, the legs still felt very cumbersome when I set off for the first run of week 6 of the magic plan.
It started slowly, a plod along a flat footpath with a short walking break to get up the steep bit to the church. From there, a right turn took me down the (mercifully dry) footpath running alongside some waterlogged fields, to emerge a kilometre later at the common, where a charming number of cottages make the area feel reminiscent of a French village.
I paused for a minute to watch the sparrows dancing in a lovely holly tree before continuing and finding so far the soreness had not eased up. Ahead there was a young mother walking with a pushchair, her pace almost matching mine. It took a long while to catch her up, and then what felt like an eternity to overtake, but thankfully the footpath bent around a hawthorn hedge and I became blissfully, albeit briefly, out of sight.
As I headed back towards the village I knew I had quickened slightly and made an effort to slow back down as this was supposed to be a recovery run, after all. By the time I reached the 4 kilometre mark the muscles had loosened up and the walk home was complimented by the emergence of the sun.
The run came in at 27 minutes with some truly thunderous footfalls courtesy of the stiff legs! Time for some stretches and the plotting of a new 5K route for run 2.
Happy running everybody ☀️
Sunday long run...…..longest in a long, long while :)
First run after Covid (the 3rd time): a deliciously drizzly, cloudy run
A toughed-out 5k: An investment in my future
Benchmark run Garmin 
