Wow! So that's what it's like to run on the flat!😲😁💪🤸🏼‍♀️

[Woollyweaver]

In all my 15 months of running I have always been too lazy to jump in the car to go for a run. Even when I have been struggling with injury, bouts on the IC and months on the runners' naughty step ("take it easy, no hills!" chides my physio), I have preferred the repetitive monotony of seeking out flat(ish) bits on the fields and tracks right outside my front door.

I have often longingly read posts on here about seaside, or canal-side runs (yes! You know who you are!!) and wondered to myself "what is it like to run somewhere completely, pancake flat??"

Well today I did it! I was so fed up dodging skittish cows that I dragged my lazy **** all of 15 minutes in the car to a local lakeside beauty spot and ran the most glorious, completely flat 5km in PB time of 32.25mins. I tried really hard to be sensible and slow down but I still shaved 4 minutes off my previous PB 😁. I was in the cool shade all the way too - those pesky hills make a good early morning sunshade 😎🌄

Does this mean I'm back on track for my "whenever" 10km quest? I do hope so. I'm still going to run from home 2 X a week - I know those hills will eventually make me strong - but I think it will give my morale a much needed boost to hit those lakeside trails for a celebratory once weekly long flat run.

Happy running everyone!

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

Great PB! flat running is bliss after hill running, hill running does make us stronger though

[Woollyweaver Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

Isn't it just! Such a confidence boost when I thought my fitness was going backwards 😅

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

Fantastic searching out a new route - and in such a lovely location. Great new PB. Take confidence from that and have a great journey to 10k. Happy running 🤗

[nowster Graduate10]

Flat can sometimes be overrated.

I did a PB 10K at the end of last month (Bank Holiday Monday) on the flat round doing three circuits round a lake (63'02").

I then did my usual undulating 10K route the following weekend and beat that PB (60'48").

Then the weekend after I did a very hilly 10K route and did it just under the hour (59'43").

I have no explanation for how that happened.

[Woollyweaver Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

Those are pretty remarkable times! Maybe that flat run acted as a confidence boost which sub-consciously speeded you up on your next runs 🤔🧐?

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Woollyweaver]

Possibly!

[Magellan Graduate10]

I remember my first ever flat run. I couldn’t believe it. It was like I was flying. I was a second Paula Radcliffe, I was the goddess of running. 🏃🏻‍♀️🏆

(I wasn’t really 😊)

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Magellan]

Did that include a "comfort break"? 😉

[Magellan Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

❓❓

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Magellan]

She's well known for stopping and "doing her business" in the middle of a run.

[Magellan Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

I wish I’d known better than to ask.

[Woollyweaver Graduate10 in reply to Magellan]

Ha! We can but dream 😌

[Cmoi Graduate10]

I really don't enjoy running on the flat. What passes for flat round here are the straight roads along the valley and on the rare occasions I run them (like yesterday) I find them just so monotonous. There again I have the boredom threshhold of a gnat!

I'm delighted for you though, and wish you a happy and successful 10k quest. 😀

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

On the other hand your usual routes would challenge a mountain goat. 🤣

[Woollyweaver Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

It's true, I may get bored, when the novelty wears off - but my poor hill-weary body has been suffering a lot with injury, so it was kind of nice just being able to enjoy the run ( and gorgeous lake/mountain scenery) without always thinking "is that a twinge? Was that hill too much?" Not to mention wondering if my fitness is going backwards every time I slog up another (yawn) hill!!

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate10]

It's definitely a boost to get off the hills from time to time. Hills make you stronger, flats make you faster. Always good to get a bit of both 👍🏻😁

[Frenc Graduate10 60minGraduate]

That sounds like such a nice run, and a lovely place to do it! Isn’t it funny how it can take us ages to try something different - and look how brilliantly it turned out! Long live your celebratory lakeside runs 😊😊😊.

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10]

I used to live in NW London which is all hills. 12 years ago we moved to one of the flattest counties in England. I love it! As you can see I don't need an altimeter

The changes in elevation on my run. Impressive yeah?

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to Yesletsgo]

"Very flat, Norfolk." (Noël Coward)

Though Lincolnshire is much flatter in parts.

Factoid: the OS Landranger map square (on land) with the fewest features is in South Yorkshire near Ousefleet. It contains no contours or buildings, only a portion of electricity line in its bottom left corner and is otherwise blank.

streetmap.co.uk/map?X=48350...

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