A chilly, overcast morning. So tempting to stay in bed but I'm a woman with a mission!!!! It got a bit late so I didn't have a coffee before I set off, just half a banana in case I needed some energy and then it was out the door and off to the forest for the planned Fear Less 5k suggested on the Plan.
I was struck by a thought the other day. The first 2 runs this week are recovery runs, one is 35 minutes, one is 5k. For me, the 5k is the longer run but I suppose if your pace is quicker the 5k would be the shorter run! A faster runner could easily cover 6-7 km in 35 minutes.
NRC tells me the temperature was 1C, Garmin says 2C, like I said, brisk. Realised I forgot my gloves but couldn't be bothered to turn back. After ten minutes or so I was glad I didn't have them with me as I'd warmed up nicely.
We started slowly and gradually the pace picked up. Said hello to the stray dogs that live by the sausage factory, looking sorry for themselves in the gloom. There are 2 or 3, don't worry they are well fed and friendly.
Running through the forest, the puddles we saw on Saturday had subsided so I could go a little bit quicker. The route involved crossing the railway tracks, at a level crossing on the way out and then on the way home we crossed 'unofficially'. This slowed me a little as I picked my way across the rails and sleepers so once I was over I upped my pace. I only had about 1km to go and with NRC telling me my average pace every km I'd worked out that I might get negative splits.
Yes, I know I'm always going on about how speed doesn't matter, and it doesn't, but sometimes if you're in the right mood it can be fun to push yourself. The overall numbers are pretty meaningless, Saturday's run was more challenging underfoot and I was choosing to run relaxed, today I knocked 19 seconds per km off my average pace. When I say I managed negative splits, I covered 5.1 km and the final 0.1 km was much slower than the 5th km. I'd realised my chest was aching, a sure sign that my heart was working a bit harder than it likes, something my watch confirmed, so I decided it was time to stop.
Coach B doesn't talk much on this run which is quite relaxing. Next run is a speed run, intervals. I like interval runs so will spend the next day or so deciding where to do it. Mind you, it's just started snowing so I may have to leave it a little longer 
