Kept my promise and took it a bit easier over the weekend. Still managed a 5 mile walk with the dog yesterday but felt better for it and the fresh air.
So Week 8! Never thought I'd get here, and really didn't want to ruin it for myself today. Bitter frosty morning but the sun was out - also managed to get off a fair bit earlier today at around half 9.
Cold air was pretty harsh still but felt like I started at pretty much the perfect pace today, still had a few doubts but knew as long as I took it steady 28 minutes was not beyond me.
First 5 minutes took me to the usual corner at the park and was feeling pretty good & the legs had just about warmed up, the hill up the other side of the park feels much less of a struggle these days, and it seems now to always move onto the next uphill gradient that could be the one to drain me.
Not so much today, think the better preparation had done the trick, the slower pace, earlier start and the break had all helped. The top of dog 💩alley is another milestone where I always feel like I can judge where I am at. Night and day compared to Friday - was tired after the long slog up the hill, but still felt there was energy there. Was going to do this, and I was beginning to enjoy it again.
One more hill left and I knew I would be fine, so kept the momentum going on the downhill flat, and over the last short steep hill past the barbers. 20 minutes gone. I was going to get to extend my route yay! Down the main road, across the roundabout and headed on the shiny new tarmac to an imaginary turning point at the 25 min mark, giving myself 3 minutes to head back closer to home. I felt great and this had been a good run. I didn't care if it was slower - I had just run for 28 minutes! 😁
I didn't lurch to a stop like the last 2 runs last week, I was able to graduate down into a walk again, my calves and back didn't react either. I had only really checked my gearfit today for judging what was left in the tank, didn't check distance or anything and really felt I was in the zone.
Was pretty surprised to see I hadn't dropped the pace as much as I would have thought, Strava always seems to shave a bit off (avg on Samsung Health was about 10:30 p/mile) but for 28 minutes I was proud of that today.
Seems to be a really fine line between a good run and a bad run sometimes, but feel like I'm starting to learn to relax a bit more with it now. Good preperation, pacing and the right mental attitude seems to be the recipe for success. Even found myself correcting Laura on the run today when she stated "it's not about pace it's about distance". No Laura... "its about duration" 🤣
I think in someways because I felt I was going to be pretty close to achieving 5K in the 30 mins I had put a little pressure on myself there to try and reach it within the program. Right now after today, I'd really just rather enjoy my runs again and hopefully I'll get there in consolidation when my legs and lungs say the time is right. Graduation is much more important for me now 😊
Enjoy the runs everyone!
Thank you!
W8R1 - Who even am I?!?
W8R1
W8R1: dizzy at start of cool down
W8r1
Night time meanderings: W8r1 
