quite chilly at 6am , swapped my shorts and t-shirt for my cycling trousers and jacket , they worked quite well, trousers better than jacket though!
it was an intersting run and i set off trying to keep my pace around 8:30/Km
the last thing i wanted to do was to burn out early and if there was any left in the tank then i could pick it up towards the end and see if we could get a couple of negative splits .
i managed to do this reasonably ok for the first 2 or 3k then i let it drop a little more on the hill as there was still over 5k to go.
it was feeling comfortable at 3 and 4k but at first a bit daunting when you reach 4k and realise your not quite half way 😐
at 5K things were feeling good so decided that i would continue to the 8.5
i noticed my pace was naturally picking up a bit but thought it's perhaps a bit early to let that happen so tried to keep it down again.
at around 6k i decided not to watch my pace so closely , i let it naturally pick up onto 7K and then on to the end it was certainly quicker than the start , so i was happy that i managed to control it to finish quicker than i had started.
i felt slightly daunted by this run before i started but in fact it went absolutely fine, a nice enjoyable run 😊
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Good run for you today Ian, as a cyclist for over 40 years and a runner for about two and a half years I also like to vary between 🏃🏾 running and cycling 🚲, I also like to go long walks 🚶, especially during the winter months.
I am very happy to know that you enjoyed your run today, glad that your run was not daunting but as you say nice and enjoyable. 😊 🏃🏾
need to get some proper running gear for the cooler weather though!
the bike gear was ok but not the best , i also enjoy some long walks but not done any now for a long time , i had a favorite 17,000 step walk but a few dogs loose around farms put me off the route! shame really
It’s fun doing these slower runs. And well done for the 8.5K 👏👍
Isn’t it great, knowing you can run for over an hour? I felt slightly daunted, too when I set out on my new 8K route! Into the unknown! And I had the same feeling as you when I got to 4K. But then I thought - if I turn back now, I will still have either run or walked 8K so I may as well keep going 😂
Wow, that sounds like a fabulous run and a great distance!
Interesting about the pacing too. It's tricky to get it right on the longer runs. It depends on the day, the weather etc too. I am reassured by what you said about it being a bit daunting but in the end a comfortable run. It is so much a mental challenge!
you are right , it was very much a mental challenge for me anyway !
i think after the 5k it was never in doubt,
i think the key for me was keeping the pace down until i knew i was capable of finishing , infact that was probably the trickiest part , i guess my natural pace is a bit higher than i was trying to run so it was nice towards the end when i could just let it be natural
I strained my calf very early on in the program by trying to go too fast which cost me 10 days. I've been paranoid about going too quickly ever since and is probably the main reason why I am still so slow.
Plus years back I had ITB issues and acute bursitis in my hip following a car accident. Since then everything always feels tight down one side. I haven't had a flare up for a good while now, but it is permanently in the back of my mind.
I'm not sure if it would help, but I might look into some of the James Dunne stuff you have recommended elsewhere
We all have our challenges to overcome, but it's great that we can come on here for support, advice etc
I’m debating whether to run today or have another rest day 🤔 Trying to time it right with the start of the Magic 10K plan on Friday ....
The temperature has dropped hasn’t it? I’ll let you know when my online shop is live - it has a 5 piece men’s running set! And I’ll be open to suggestions for winter stock 😉
Thanks Chrissie, getting the pace under control was tricky in the beginning as I naturally wanted to run a but faster, but it worked well and I could let it pick up for the last bit !
I did a shorter ‘faster’ (for me) yesterday with my son and his 21 year old legs in an attempt to get my pace up ever so slightly. Did 4K at my best pace to date (still not fast) which was the plan but afterwards felt shortchanged I’d not done the extra 1k. Silly I know cos Monday is shorter run day 🤪.
I think I’m liking the longer slower ones better (Blimy!) but as you say, it’s all about pacing yourself at the start.
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Getting there...slowly
Yessss ran my first 5k! 
10K Goal Achieved ;o)
