So having completed a 35 minute Jeff and a 26 minute interval run this week, the time had come for my long run! My favourite.
I believed the weather forecast. Overcast and chilly, raining, increasing wind. Wrong! So I ended up overdressed 🤣.
I walked up right to the top of the hill, further than usual for my warm up walk. This run would be longer than any of my runs this year.
Starting my watch, I increase my walking pace before gliding into a slow jog down the hill. This is truly easy effort! Carrying on, I head towards the path through the wooded area, past the back of Tesco, on towards the pond. The clouds part and the sun comes out! I have to take my windproof jacket off and tie it round my waist.
I carry on towards the little pond. It’s really pretty here and I’m loving the easy effort as I listen to one of Coach Bennett’s podcasts. I notice that my heartrate is increasing and slow down a little.
Back on the main road now and on an uphill gentle incline before a downhill, I’m using a little more effort, but still easy conversational pace. Then back into the green space towards the pond again. I stop monitoring my heartrate and just enjoy the run. There are ducklings on the pond and moorhen chicks walking nearby with their parents. A pair of swans with their sole surviving cygnet. A couple of fisherman are unloading their gear as I run towards them. Of course I have to speed up! 🤣 ‘Good Mornings’ are said.
I’m now heading back towards Tesco. I wondered if I might be ending my run within shouting distance of Tesco so I could pop in and get a coffee, but no. Mistimed it! I run on.
Checking my watch, I notice that my heart rate has increased again and I’m now running in Zone 4. Probably because I speeded up to impress the fishermen 😀. If I keep at this pace then I’ll do about 6K in the hour of running I had planned. So I keep it steady and do exactly that. Run complete! I was a little out of breath at the end, but not overly so and most of my run was in Zone 3.
Home for stretches and coffee! 👍🏃♀️
