The gremlins may have stopped me from running yesterday by telling me it might be very icy in places, and where it wasn’t icy it’d be very wet - but today although they tried their hardest to put me off, I managed to summon up enough self-discipline to get out there! I was desperate for one of my girls to join me, so I could do an easier run than W6r2, but they claimed such trivialities as homework were more important. Bah. 
It’s a lovely afternoon, and although one bit of path was very slushy in my warm up walk, the paths around the park were pretty much clear of ice, and just well supplied with large puddles! I started running as I got to the river, just as in r1 of the week, so knew roughly how far I should get in my ten minutes. I’m not entirely sure that helped!
My breathing felt uncomfortable from very early on - it wasn’t that I was short of breath, but just somehow it didn’t feel right. But I persisted, and eventually a minute or so after I turned away from the river Laura said I could walk. Lovely Laura!
As I got almost back to the start of the river loop it was time to run again, so I gathered all my mental strength and picked up the pace. Slightly! A steady plod was definitely all I was managing, and it really felt as though it would take a miracle to get me through this one. As I passed the homeless man on his regular bench he cheered me on, which buoyed me up nicely. I kept going, and suddenly that was half way! Ok, just five minutes to go. I can do this!
On and on, glad I was running the opposite direction to the majority choice since no one else was running the same way as me. I’m happy overtaking walkers, but do find it a little disheartening to have a sprightly twenty-something student-type zoom past me! Last couple of minutes to go as the turning away from the river approached, so I sped up just a little, just to prove to myself that I really could do this and it wasn’t a fluke. And then finish.
Five more minutes walking, up the car park and back, and done! Phew. Definitely a test of my mind at least as much as my legs, but both made it through.
Now to get changed and go face the trial of the supermarket shopping. I think I’d almost prefer to run again!
I’m planning on taking it easy for the rest of today, for sure (she says, sitting on the bed with a cat on her lap and another one eyeing up the space beside...!)
Lovely Laura and her Dreaded Intervals
5 miles done! (and an adventure with cows)
W1 done and just done W2 R1 
W6R2, last interval run done ✅ 
