This morning for some reason unknown to man or beast (or even me) I decided that I would do the Speed Podcast. It's ages since I've been out with the lovely Laura, and as I have a busy day today, the shorter run would suit me down to the ground, or so I thought.
Before I'd even got going the five minute warm up walk was a bit of a disaster. After some faffing with my phone to turn on the podcast - inadvertently, and unbeknownst to me at the time, turning off mapmyrun - I started walking purposefully along the road then realised one of my laces was undone. Sensibly, I stopped and retied both laces in a you will never come undone again fashion. After walking about another 20 paces I realised that my laces were now so tight I was beginning to lose the circulation in my feet. But I'd done them up so well that even I had a job to untie them, loosen them off and retie them with a more sensible amount of tension.
At last I was on my my way and sped up my walking pace to try and make up for the two pauses. In my haste to proceed I forgot to look at the ground in front of me and before I knew it I was spreadeagled on the pavement, having encountered a rather nasty (and well camouflaged) patch of ice.
I dusted myself off just in time to hear Laura telling me to start the first run. This was a fairly gentle pace and I was lulled into a false sense of security as I jogged around the park, nursing my wounds. This would be easy I thought, having forgotten that there were speed intervals coming up. The lovely Laura became not so lovely as she then instructed me to run at a much faster pace for 1 minute. But I decided to do as bidden and moved up gear or two.
It was a minute... only 1 minute... it was an extremely long minute and I was so pleased when she told me I could return to a slightly more manageable pace. But before I'd even started to recover there she was telling me it was time to get ready to speed up again. While my poor lungs and legs didn't know what had hit them!
Then there was the need to keep dodging ice patches where the path was in the shade of the trees, which at one point had me running across the grass (I say grass but it was more like marsh land and my feet were very soon covered in mud and decidedly damp). Laura repeated this form of torture 6 times in all, and I realised why it is so long since I've been out running with her. I don't like intervals.
Having survived the intervals and as it was only a 17minute podcast I thought I would continue running to at least cover 5k, but that was when I realised that mapmyrun had been silent, and I had no idea what distance I'd covered. I ran on a through the 5 minute cool down and then a bit further and hope I covered a reasonable distance. My calves were definitely telling me I had.
Next time I'll be back to my own play list and my usually bumbling pace I think.
But you managed the intervals!! I did the same today but with great sun and no ice on my way, and I use the W1 podcast: as I have a 10 mn walk to the park, I started a gentlejg on the warm-up of the podcast and then increased the pace for the first minute... Well, midway, I did walk for 10 seconds to get back some breath. But I felt quite elated at the end of the session. Give it another go some time: I'm sure you'll find it easier. 
Stepping Stones Birthday run with Laura
Intervals were fun - what a difference it makes! 
Consolidation run 5 🏃♂️ Intervals
Help, Problems with Laura
Wk7 R1 - hated it & had a few choice words for Laura
