So this morning was W9R2, I'm getting a tad bored of my usual route so thought I'd check out another route I've been working out. And because its Sunday, I wasn't restricted by time so allowed myself a bit further distance. My last 3 runs have been 5k or thereabouts. This new route was 5.5k
Anyway, it seemed a lot flatter in the car! The first km was literally up hill all the way. Not an overly steep hill, but oh my, it was hard work. I stopped about 50m from the top and walked the last little bit. Once I reached the top of the hill, I ran for another km which was pretty much flat (the odd up & down bits but on the whole, flat) which was nice but I was still knackered from the first uphill section. I then remembered this flat road had a pretty unforgiving dip & uphill section at the end. Not a long hill, but a hefty gradient.
I gave it my all, and got to the top but then walked for another minute or so to catch my breath.
The next section of the run was downhill, a blessing or so I thought. To stop myself running too fast with momentum, I was holding back. If I run too fast, I end up with shin splints. But because I was holding back, it was putting pressure on my back and after another km it really started to get painful.
Decided to call it a day, I managed 3km on and off and in total, ran for about 20 minutes.
Walked back (took half hour but was quite nice). And then I happened across the local park where the Park Runs take place. Thought I'd give part of the course a go and soon regretted it.
How do people run on grass? I find the undulations and unstable surface makes for a really tough time. Think I managed 400m on the grass running before stopping again!..
Tough times, but Tuesday will see me back on the streets. This time, I'll stick to my normal route!