This mornings forecast was going to be a cooler 12 degrees and the air quality excellent! Oh yes, now we’re talking! I didn’t have to run quite so early. I even had some time for chitter chatter with my brother, but fortunately no political or Covid opinions as he was half asleep 😬 (I never learn, always get sucked in 😂)
I took my cuppa outside to listen to the Kites and I could immediately tell that the air quality was going to make a much better run for me this morning.
Preparations done and off I go on my warm up walk towards the village. I was planning a straight 3K run, hoping for a little faster than of late. Off I go! I rein it in a little as I do like to run negative splits as it makes the run so much easier - but I don’t want to run too slowly. My first km is under 8 minutes; I was a little surprised!
Where is everyone? I wasn’t particularly early, but there is no-one about and no traffic. I immediately take advantage of the lack of traffic by running on the road!
All is going well - until towards the end of the second km I start to get a stitch. How annoying, I haven’t eaten anything. It’s uncomfortable and I stop and do a few stretches, which doesn’t seem to help. I try and run through it, but have to stop again. I think about abandoning the run, then it starts to ease and I start to increase pace ready for the last km.
I start the last km and run through the village high street. It’s too early for the shops to be open, apart from the little grocery shop that sells fresh coffee. Mmmm I can smell coffee as I run past. Maybe I’ll walk back later and treat myself! A large white chocolate ‘cookie’ would be nice with it. I haven’t got anything planned for today……..
I drag my thoughts back to the run and I’ve already run up the last slope while I was thinking about coffee. I revel in the flatness for a few seconds and take off the brakes as I run down the road, past my Dad’s and past the lady who lives opposite. She’s standing in her drive and raises a hand indicating that she wants to speak to me. I’m running quite fast now, downhill with about 300 metres to go - no way am I stopping 😬. I say ‘back in 2 minutes’ and run on, down the side road. Soon the run is over and I stop the watch and walk back up the slope for a chinwag 😊
Back home, I look at the stats. Well, it’s a reasonable run, but better than that, I felt my former fitness isn’t too far away. If I keep on doing what I’m doing now, I’ll get there! 😊
Splits:
7:49, 7:17, 6:37
Written by
Jools2020
Graduate10
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That is amazing 🙌🙌 look at those splits - and that's after getting a stitch! You're pretty much there, so happy for you Jools 💪😊🤗 hope you enjoyed your 🍪
Hi Jools,Well done on your speedy run. 👏😊🏃🏻♀️I wonder whether you had the cookie and coffee. And also wonder whether Mr Garmin took your VO2 max up and of course your fitness age down. 😂 Really good to hear that you feel that your former fitness isn't far away.
I again ran without any tendon or knee supports. I think my brain wasn't in gear as I can't really remember how my tendon felt, noticeable for a little bit of the time, but not bad I think. Knee fine 😊 I only relatively recently discovered the podcasts icon on my phone, now I must investigate how to make a play list. Using the podcast icon as opposed to iTunes play list, I have to stop and choose my next podcast. Most appropriately for Olympics season, I listened to Desert Island Discs Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill this morning. Amazing that she suffered a stress fracture to her ankle and subsequently learnt to change her take off foot for both long jump and high jump. Anyway, I don't really want to stop during my runs and 'artificially' reduce my heart rate data, so I shall put investigating playlists on today's to do list.
With my injuries, I need to take things gently. My data was 11 degrees, 6:11am, 3.74km, 32 minutes, 8:43 km/min, 34m elevation gain, average heart rate 124bpm. I am hoping to run my first 8km since my knee injury this coming Saturday. Not wanting to repeat loops, the run will have more elevation gain. After last Saturday, I do not want to try the tendon support. I look forward to comparing notes 😊
I was later this morning, 6:47 a.m. elevation gain 11 metres. Heart rate higher than yours, average 143. I will run slower if it goes too high because I don’t like to be working too hard on a longer run, for this morning I didn’t take any notice as I knew it was a short run and I was working quite hard.
Good luck with your 8K run on Saturday! I’ll be probably running a similar distance, but I’m focussed on time on my feet, big on distance. Planning for 75 minutes minutes (same as last week) but I’ll listen to my body and reduce it or extend it depending on how I feel. It will be a slow run.
Not at all surprised that your heart rate was higher than mine as your pace was higher. Here's to injury free enjoyable Saturday runs for both of us. 😊🏃🏻♀️
Well done for being able to beat that stitch! With me it's mostly if I have eaten anything within a 2 hour radius of my run and mostly it's at the start of my run. Have not yet been able to bite through it though, the times it happened, I had to give up.
Coffee with a cookie sounds nice, did you go an get it? I am so jealous of people who drink coffee. I have tried everything to get myself to drink coffee, but I just don't like it. At most I can force myself to drink a 50% milk + 50% coffee with some cacao mixed in too. But even then it tastes foul and bitter. While I do like the smell of coffee for example. I'm just so jealous whenever I see someone enjoying a cup. I could do the same with hot chocolate milk, but chocolate milk tends to stick to the legs and tummy (fat) while coffee doesn't...
I think I’ve only had stitch once before, so no idea where it came from today. I didn’t eat anything, just had my usual cuppa! No stress, ambled out when I was ready. Only difference was I upped the pace a bit. Maybe my body was objecting to that 😊
Yes, I did go and get a coffee! After shower and breakfast and a few chores. I do love my coffee. Had a cappuccino and a (large) white chocolate biscuit. It’s just a grocery shop in a small village, but they have a professional coffee machine and the coffee tastes soooo good! Wish you could enjoy it 👏 maybe you need a milder, slightly sweeter coffee.
Wow…you are heading back towards your old fitness levels! Brilliant! 👏🏽
I’m only running twice a week at the moment…partly because I prefer to run first thing, but waste so much time on faffage that I miss the opportunity as other stuff then takes priority.
I’m also going to have to rejig my running week if/when Park Run restarts on the 14th…
Lol your brother sounds like my OH! Politics and covid - his fave topics! I sidle off …. Well done on a great run, the conditions sound lovely. 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Thanks, Peter, I was thinking I hadn’t seen any runs from you, lately! Hope you’re well enough to run again soon. I’m hoping to do the park run here at some stage, although I don’t feel ready just yet. 5K isn’t my favourite distance! 😊
You are definitely getting back up there - that's another great run Julia, still with your trademark negative splits, despite getting a stitch.I hope you enjoyed your coffee and cookie..
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