Well today was my long run day and the plan was another 10K and I wanted to see if it would be more comfortable than the one I did on the 3rd April.
And it was !
And for that, I thank James Dunne and the NRC training plan.
And maybe some effort from myself π
I felt so much looser and so much stronger .
It was bright but slightly chilly as I set off in running vest and shorts , but the sun was out and I knew I would be dressed just right .
I was well hydrated and feeling good !
It was a 12 minute drive to my start point where I parked up and started my warm up walk, I had done my Dynamics just before leaving home !
Tech started, and run started at my preferred 10k start pace, nice and easy .
It was extremely comfortable, and the temperature was perfect with a gentle cooling breeze which felt so nice in the vest .
I wanted to keep the first few k nice and easy so as to finish strong .
Down through the village of Whittington, past my previous house , turn left and on past Whittington castle , there was a swan guarding an egg in its nest , I paused a second or two to take a suitably distanced picture as I know from experience they are very protective !
Then the long haul along the road towards Gobowen , past the famous Orthopaedic hospital .
A left turn at the roundabout and a couple of k on towards the Oswestry bypass.
Another left turn at the bypass roundabout taking me up and over the hump backed bridge crossing what is now an unused section of the railway line .
A gentle downhill and again passing the hospital before a right turn into Park Hall.
Park hall was an area of service houses during the war and of course close to the hospital .
The area has since been tastefully developed into a pleasant rural housing area.
Through park hall and back to where my car was parked up and 10K done .
I had planned this route last night on "Plotaroute.com" and it worked out quite accurate.
Very happy with this run as the pace was increasing throughout and as the 2nd half was quicker than the 1st half , I'll take that as a successful negative split 10K
And did I beat my time of 3rd April ?
Yes I did ..... By 4.5 Minutes !
Happy days π