This morning was beautiful when I looked out of the window. A bit chilly maybe, 5C, but glorious sunshine. It was on with the running jacket, gloves and hat and out the door by 9.15.
I decided I was in the mood for an easy run, so, with great originality went for NRC's 'Easy Run'. I've done it before, a long time back, but was in the mood to be reminded that easy runs are valuable and that it's good to take the time to slow down.
It was all going really well until the final 10 or so minutes of the 25 minute run. I'd run through the fields, along paths that had a few muddy patches but were in pretty good condition. The sun shone, the breeze blew, the sheep took very little notice.
For the final km and a bit I chose to climb up the sea wall. First the wind hit me, pretty much a headwind. Then the path started to deteriorate, getting muddier and muddier. I could have gone down to the path below the sea defences but the bank is very steep and I worried that it might be slippery too. I had no alternative but to slow right down to a very careful walking pace.
The run ended way before where I'd normally expect to finish a 25 minute run. Shortly after this the path's surface improved and I could run again. I tried to get the app to continue once Coach B had finished but it wasn't cooperating. Oh well, I know I ran it.
In terms of effort, the muddy walk was a lot more strenuous than the faster easy running. Oh well, just goes to prove that speed is a meaningless metric unless you're actually in a race you want to win