Perfect for a run this morning, not warm or sunny. I decided I'd push myself a little bit.
We're getting to know the routes so we ran to the pier and back, plus a little extra at the end when I had to run through the car park to make it up to 5km.
I felt like a different person to when I ran on Tuesday. It was one of those runs where it all comes together and though I was going faster it felt pretty effortless. I started slow and gradually sped up quite a bit, my final km being a minute and a half quicker than my first. It wasn't quite negative splits but nearly so.
As I ran I got quite philosophical (side effect of too many runs with Coach B!). 41 years ago a car pulled in front of my mate's motorbike while I was a pillion. As my life flashed before me I remembered a piece of pub advice from a biker gang I knew that if you knew you were going to hit something stand up on the foot pegs and you'll be thrown clear. Flying through the air, over the top of the car I was sure I was going to die or at the very least be paralysed. Somehow I walked away with bruises. My friend broke his femur. Today I thought about that incident, what an absolute miracle it is that all this time later I can not only walk but run. Talk about thankfulness and mindfulness. An arthritic knee that occasionally reminds me of its presence is nothing compared to what could have happened.
So, I end June on a high note, 52.48 km run, grateful for what's happened so far and looking forward to what next month brings.