Drifting off!: Not posted for a while but had a... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Drifting off!

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate
20 Replies

Not posted for a while but had a good couple of weeks. Got a PB of 30:28 for 5.02k (6.04 pace). Soooo close to my goal but just not quite! Didn't manage the same this week but still relatively pleased with 31:11 (6.12 pace) so still a vast improvement for this month overall.

Last week's long run was 8k, nice, steady and slow. Today I did 8.88k in 59:20 (6:40 pace) and pleased with that too.

It was a lovely run. The mountains were hidden behind a wall of cloud but the birds were singing and as I headed away from the main roads there was a field full of Redwings and lambs in abundance. The roadsides were littered with snowdrops in profusion and I caught myself viewing my world with wonderment. What a lovely way to shrug off all your troubles and set yourself up for the day. The only thing is.... when I find myself drifting off into this wonderful world and then slowly returning to reality I suddenly realised that both my pace and cadence has dropped. How long for?? And that, in turn makes me wonder if I could really run faster than I actually do. If only I could concentrate! :D

And now I have to find a longer route. Initially I was thinking of taking two more weeks to do the 10k but if I add 10% to my total for today that will only leave me 0.23k short of 10k. Hardly seems worth worrying about tipping over the 10% for such a short distance. So here I am, on the couch, trying to plan my next route of 10K :D

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hilbean profile image
hilbean
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20 Replies
GettingFitter profile image
GettingFitterGraduate

Great run HB. Plan away your run for today is done ;-)

great stuff Hilbean :D i have said before I can run faster than my brain tells me !!

Your times and distances are great , you are just in front of me distance wise on the 10k ,like you am adding 10% distance wise each week ( usually about 0.5k)

I am going to have to look at longer routes for 10K+ want to be able to run 12K+ so i know my I can def do 10K :D

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply to

Haha Rob. I'm really beginning to understand what you mean there :D

Not really sure what I'll do after getting to 10k. Think I might just stick at it for a bit until either I get bored with the route or we are able to get out to other locations :)

Happy route planning for your 12k :D

in reply tohilbean

thanks Hilbean :) where will it all end haha

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply to

Hmmm... let me see now.... HM??

in reply tohilbean

haha i didn't say that ;)

Curlygurly2 profile image
Curlygurly2Graduate in reply to

I know what you mean too,every time I do a longer distance the one just behind it seems much easier if you know what I mean...(as soon as I did 8, 7 seemed easy etc)

JohnBlake profile image
JohnBlakeGraduate

I love your descriptions, Hil! And you're doing so well! Your pace leaves me rather lagging, wish I could get that fast!

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply toJohnBlake

You will, I'm sure John. And don't be too hard on yourself... you've just got over a nasty bout of flu! It's definitely the cadence that has got me running faster but it takes a while to get used to it.

AncientMum profile image
AncientMumGraduate

Great stuff Hil. Quick times and lovely descriptions of where you run. Be grateful for the distraction your beautiful scenery provides: those snowdrops have got to be worth a few seconds per km :)

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply toAncientMum

Thanks. It really is beautiful and I have absolutely no regrets on slowing down for it all :) I'd take my camera with me if it weren't so damn big! :D That'd definitely slow me down :D

pot58 profile image
pot58Graduate

Sounds a lovely run...and who cares about pace when there is much to take in! But must admit you would leave me way behind anyway and so I would need you to be distracted😀😀

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply topot58

Indeed it was :) And I wouldn't leave you behind. I'd be too busy pointing at little lambs and suchlike and going 'oooh look'! Haha :D

pinkangel16 profile image
pinkangel16Graduate

Super speedy me thinks!

I agree with pot, there's no way I would worry or even think about speed, with the glorious views, sights etc around. I love Britain and enjoy nothing more than the lovely long walks with Mr Pink :) He doesn't run (and aint never gonna!) so that's something we can enjoy together. And snowdrops are a real favourite of mine..

You're so close to your 10k then - touching distance.. do you have any 10k races planned?

Thanks for your reply to my post - been busy with chores etc since then! I'm more and more sure that I will be able to do it. The route looks fairly flat too, which has helped. I love Bristol and the thought of running it is very appealing..

Enjoy the rest of your weekend :) xx

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply topinkangel16

Thanks. We certainly are blessed with lovely countryside. And the snowdrops are lovely :)

Hopefully 10k next week all being good but no 10k races planned. Have a 5k RFL at the end of May which will do me for now unless there is something very local that we can manage.

Good luck with your 10k training and I'm sure you'll do well with your Bristol run :)

Off out with DH shortly to take a look at the high tides :D

poppypug profile image
poppypugGraduate

Whoah Well done Hilly !

Oh fab stuff, you are doing brilliantly , you should be chuffed to little mintballs with that , thats great !

Its a beautiful time of year this isnt it ? I love snowdrops, you can just catch a glimpse that spring is just around the corner, all the birds are singing their little nuts off , and tiny lambs are galloping around the fields kicking their little legs up , Flippin' gorgeous ! :-)

Keep striving Hilly, that 10k is yours for the taking ! :-) xxx

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply topoppypug

Very chuffed indeed PP :D Absolutely lovely time of the year. :D

Hope you're getting some progress with your hip xx

useitorloseit profile image
useitorloseitGraduate

If you drift off and slow down, try a metronome app. Just keeps the pace up :)

Curlygurly2 profile image
Curlygurly2Graduate

Sorry Hilly I missed this! That's a good time for nearly 9K! Sounds like a fab run too, do you really want to go faster and risk missing all that beauty? That's what we run for really isn't it? Your time sounds pretty good already!

Yes I'd say you can make that jump to 10K, I did almost exactly the same thing. I hadn't quite got to 9, but the next long run was 10. I messed up the planning and ended up running round in circles for the last 8oo MTs lol You can do it and it'll give you such a buzz! XX

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate in reply toCurlygurly2

I felt really pleased to be honest. And no I didn't mind that my pace had dropped but it was such an unconscious process and such a lovely time of year to enjoy that I just wondered whether I could have carried on at a faster pace or whether my speed would have dropped over all. Just a mental process really :)

Thanks for that bit of encouragement. I had been wondering whether that jump might be too much but now I will definitely go for it and have my route all mapped out :)

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