This morning I fully intended to do Parkrun. I'd planned everything in my head last night but as I was going upstairs to bed I noticed that my Garmin's battery was in the red. Went downstairs again and plugged it in for 10 minutes to get me through the night (to record sleep/body battery).
I woke up around 8 this morning. The weather was fantastic, clear and sunny after yesterday's classic November gloom. Yes, I could have made it to the park in time but it was so nice being in bed. While there was no question that I'd be running, I just wouldn't be Parkrunning.
We set off around 9.30 to do 5km through the fields. I warned my husband that I was going to go slowly. If I hadn't told him he'd probably have been encouraging me to speed up but as it was he followed me, recovery runs are supposed to be slow.
I was doing my best to keep my heart rate below 140, which is what Garmin says is where the 'Maximum' zone starts and pretty much managed it. I noticed that the roughness of the terrain raised my HR as much as running faster.
We ran and ran. The one downside to going slowly is that things take noticeably longer.
When I reached 5k the NRC app announced my average pace was 8:55/km. That was exactly what I was aiming for but it's probably a fluke I hit that number.
I was around half a km from home at this point. I've promised myself that I'm going to increase my distances so decided to carry on running, speeding up a bit. I passed an acquaintance who asked why I was still running when my husband had turned in the other direction. It would have taken too long to explain so I smiled and said I was in 'the zone'. As I carried on I realised this was the truth.
I reached 5.5km and wondered if I could make it to 6km. I calculated that if I carried on running along the waterfront to the chip shop then cut back down the high street it should be around 500m further and, for once, I was right. I hit 6km just outside my house but carried on walking for a few minutes as I always like to cool down.
Some days you could just run and run. Sunshine in November is a rare treat and I am so thankful to be able to enjoy it 
10 km in the sunshine
