I knew it was going to be a warm one this morning! Sleeveless tee shirt and shorts. Stretches done and tech synced. Tea drunk and a glass of water for good measure. Sports glasses and sun visor on, quick glance in the mirror (yes, still gorgeous) and off I go!
I leave the house slightly later than planned as the sun is already up, but the air is still cool and fresh against my skin and it’s a feeling that I love. I decide to try and run in shade where I can so it will be a ‘there and back’ route this morning. I need to take it steady as I suffer in the heat and my heart rate rockets when I get too warm!
My unnamed coach starts to speak and talks about the 3rd run of the week. I must have pressed the wrong button in the app! I’m not going to faff about with it now. I’m already listening to Mr, Blue Sky 🤣. I’m annoyed, though. The runs are the same in Week 7, all 3 are simply 25 minute runs so it doesn’t make any difference, but I must have mild OCD - doing the runs out of order is bad!
So I press my watch to time the run and start walking a bit faster before gliding into a slow jog. All is well. Breathing under control and slow pace. Because I’m running in the shade of trees, the pace is showing 10:30, but I know it’s not accurate. I’m forced to run by feel, which doesn’t hurt at all. As I keep telling people, pace isn’t important anyway.
Halfway through the second km I start to feel really hot! My heart rate is already in Zone 4 so I pull back a bit. I’m not going to be able to speed up during the third km, so I accept that and keep running at a slow pace. The most important thing is to keep going! I have roads to cross, but because it’s early, there is no traffic. I’m in the zone and suddenly I’m approaching the end of the wooded area - I’d missed the turning to run round the large pond! It’s time to turn back anyway. That halfway bell is so useful.
I’m a sweaty mess by the end of the run. Surprisingly. I covered very slightly more distance than the last run. Strava thought I’d achieved negative splits but Garmin didn’t! Never mind. Whether I did it or not, it was a successful run. I’m out of breath though as I make my way home for stretches and coffee.
Take care out there, fellow runners, it’s hot! ☀️🥵🏃♀️☕️
Written by
Jools2020
Graduate
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yes! Still Gorgeous & a fabulous run!😊. I so resonate with you with that feeling of cool crisp air on the skin..one of the reasons I love running in the early morning! Great run .. good to listen to your own body & to overcome the little challenges that are always there in every run! Well done!
Thank you! When I was going through tough times, I was told to look at myself in the mirror and tell myself I was gorgeous. It stuck 🤣! It’s good to adapt plans according to the conditions.
Wonderful to see your progress. Very impressive running in warm weather! I’m a bit behind, just finished week 5 yesterday. Knee is holding up really well, so fingers crossed! Take care and hydrate!
I’m not usually a trail runner. Given the choice, I’ll run on hard paths through a park, but for some reason I like running on rural roads. Actually on the road itself. Weird, I know. I think it’s because it reminds me of running in the Fens.
lol… yes, we are all so different, aren’t we. My hubby walks daily now, but only on roads or paved paths. And I spend hours with my maps just to avoid even a few meters of paved sections. (But then the reason he walks on roads is that he doesn’t want to spend hours perusing maps 🤣🤣🤣)
Where are you now, if you’re not in the Fens anymore? I did actually miss the regular routes you used to post from. Hope you found some great routes in your non-Fens surroundings!
I’m with your husband on this one! I just want to go out of the door and run!
I’m in Berkshire. I had to move back to the area to be near my family after my former husband left. I miss those routes, too! I even debated staying in the area, but it wouldn’t have worked - I was too far away from my family and desperately lonely.
I haven’t found any great routes - not yet, anyway. They are here, but a car ride away. I’m fairly close to Swinley Forest (check it out) it’s huge and I would definitely need a map! Probably the ghosts of people who got lost haunt the place at night …..
I was there checking it out last week! I was hoping for some marked trails, so maybe didn’t look hard enough. You have to pay for parking though. It’s a cycling place, too and has Go Ape and Segways for hire. It’s gorgeous there.
I have never worn that type of top - it's a runner's thing, a woman's thing, a man with a large beer belly thing. I'm happy in my short sleeve tops - and actually, all joking aside, in the shorts too. I shopped around, got a pair I was happy with and it's great: much comfier once I get started and warm up.
Well done on that run Jools. You knew from experience to listen to your body and when to ease back. Whether it was negative splits or not, it was a good run for you.
And well done on getting out early. At 7am I turned over and went back to sleep! 😴
Nice top. I'm looking for a sleevless t- shirt cum tank for summer. I have a couple of vests but they're racer backs and I want something with a bit more protection from the sun
‘Winter’ here and forecast for tomorrow is 17-27 degrees, lol! Though I just watched the news and it was reporting how hot it was in London and showing the musicians passing out from the heat at the event with the royal guards.
Oh yes, I saw that! I’m only about an hour from London. After my run, I had a coffee outside, then it really started to heat up so I stayed at home. Temperatures where you are seem crazy, too . Similar temperatures here today, with a likelihood of storms later.
haha, thank you! The daily mirror practice actuality works! Yes, photo was a couple of minutes after my run, when I’d caught my breath! I felt a lot hotter than I looked. I did have to wipe my glasses before taking the selfie and they started to steam up again straight away 😊
Love that glance in the mirror comment, made me smile...when I was struggling through something years ago I used to force a smile at myself in the mirror in a "fake it until you make it" sort of way. Now I always give myself a friendly smile in the mirror, I think I should steal yours to go with it 😊
Great run, well done, it's such a struggle in the heat! I was up at 7.15 and out around 7.45, heart rate was still crackers & though I walked to reduce it on some of the hills I was daftly trying to keep my speed up to get home quicker! 🤦♀️ I like you, was also swapping back & forth across roads to chase the shade 😆
It was still too hot, think it would have been much more pleasant at around 5.30 but I can't bring myself to get up that early on a day off work. If I remember rightly your early morning runs are earlier than mine?!🕕
Yes my early runs are usually at about 6. Yesterday’s run may have been a tad later, but it was really hot! I don’t usually have any trouble getting up early 😊
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Week 8, Run 2 - Best run yet!
