Just because I felt like it

[rcp27]

Before I started on c25k, I thought I would have a hard time motivating myself to get out there and run, and I would need to muster up willpower to go out on every run. Sure, there are some days when that is the case, but at least as often I find that I am practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation of hitting the road and going for it. It's funny because on every run there is a point in it, usually about 10 minutes in, where things get uncomfortable and I have to rely on the rhythm (or instructions from Laura) to keep moving, and of course the end of the run is always a bit of a battle to push through, but somehow I always manage to forget that part even before the end of my warm down walk.

Today was one of those days where I was sitting in the office in the afternoon, thinking how much I wanted to get out there and go for a run. My schedule called for W8R1 to be tomorrow, but I wasn't in the mood to wait. I got off the bike after cycling home from work, put a couple of beers in the fridge for later, pulled on my running kit and hit the road. My usual route can be anywhere from about 4.5 km up to about 5.4 km depending on where I start and finish (the balance being worked into the warm up and cool down walk). Since the start of week 6 I have been including a few longer runs in when I feel like it, usually the run that falls on the weekend.

Today the temperature was up in the late teens, so for the first time in a while I could go out in a t-shirt and shorts, which set me up in a good mood. I didn't want to knock myself out, so I figured I'd take it at an easier pace, so I started the run in a location to allow for a longer distance. I set the running app on my phone to record the run, hit random on my running playlist and decided to do the loop the other way round to usual for a bit of variety.

I found my pace in km 1, but all of km 2 was somewhat uphill (I live in Switzerland, so hills are a way of life here), which dropped the pace, but from the end of km 2 there was a nice long drop back down, and the pace picked up nicely. As I neared the 4.5 km point, at about 28 minutes in, I started to feel like I was nearly done, but then the most excellent song came on my playlist ("Shopping" by the Barenaked Ladies), and somehow the last 4 km just didn't matter. I was so buoyed by it that I pushed on through and ended up at 5.33 km in a few seconds short of 35 minutes.

I'm now sitting back and enjoying that nice cold beer, happy in the knowledge I can have a lie in tomorrow and not have to find time for the run.

[misswobble Graduate]

Well done you! That sounds like a wonderful run. One of those where everything goes well. They don't happen too often so savour it. Hope you savoured the beer!

Happy running

[rcp27 Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Perhaps I should put a beer in the fridge before every run! (note, not recommended for early morning runners)

[ChrisL Graduate]

Sounds very pleasant rcp27 - 5.33 in 35mins sounds very impressive if you are running up & down the Alps!

[ch77as Graduate]

Excellent. That great feeling when you feel you can do anything is wonderful. Any lonely goatherds up there?

[rcp27 Graduate]

I fear I have painted a picture of where I live that doesn't really bear out the facts. I am in the relatively urban north of the country where I am more likely to encounter lonely bankers than lonely goatherds. I've been sticking to the suburban streets where I live because I don't want to have to travel a long way to actually start running, and the built up area is the valley bottom, which is as flat as it gets. GPS tells me the highest point of my route is only about 20 m above the lowest point, so it's not exactly mountaineering.

There are some very nice trails in the woods on the hills above the valley, and I plan to head there when I have more endurance, and to escape the heat when summer arrives. I am told they form part of the Jura range of hills, so I guess you could say that I live next to Jurassic Park!

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You deserve your nice cold beer and a lie in. Happy running. Best wishes.