Weather dry, bright, 16c, 85% humidity. Time of run, quarter to five in the afternoon. Total food intake: Brunch = 1 x veggie sausage (3 sausages) sarnie, two cups of tea at about 11am. Water and other calorie free soft drinks during the afternoon.
One Revive sports drink at about 4.30pm = 50 calories.
Kit = quickdry vest; sports bra (OF COURSE!) capris; padded socks; Brooks Adrenaline running shoes. Sony Walkman with a long running playlist read to rock n roll. Garmin 110 Forerunner strapped on, and ten miles of road to cover. I have been prevaricating for half an hour, "Hello chooks, we're back from doing the shopping, how are you all? I think I need to drink more water before I go out. Oh, these laces don't feel like they're done up properly, and hmmm, I'm still dry, I think I'll just have a bit more water..."
Just setting the scene you understand.
Several different routes spring to mind; I pretty much know where the half way mark of five miles will take me to; and I can extend that if I have to around a another couple of housing estate loops; why don't I go down (down hill is GOOD as long as it's not TOO STEEP, when my poor abused knees will let me know about it, but not till later you understand; and certainly they will the following morning, when I am at work and all my workmates will roll their eyes and tell me that they thought this RUNNING BUSINESS is supposed to BE GOOD FOR YOU!) to the waterside and do a few loops on gravel and muddy track; thinking I can just build in more and more loops; hmmm, but I am quite a boring runner and at least my usual route holds no surprises and builds in a few inclines which I like to include just for the challenge.
Ok, the usual loop wins, and yes, I do add another best part of a mile all around the houses. I am keeping an eye on pace throughout. Since my 200 bpm HIIT pyramid run on Friday when I spent most of the workout COUNTING 1, 2, 3, 4, at various speeds, I have sort of got my head around the 180 count speed which is near the beginning and the end of that workout. I understand that I CAN'T possibly maintain ten miles at 190-200bpm; that is just STUPID and will probably cause me to have a HEART ATTACK but I can keep bringing myself back to that 180bpm count whenever I feel that I am slacking off.
On March 11 this year I ran ten miles ahead of the Saltash Half Marathon. That ten miles ended in two weeks when I couldn't run, because I ran eight of that ten miles on a twinging ankle which I shouldn't have ignored and I certainly paid for it in having to take injury time off afterwards. LET THIS BE A LESSON, never ignore real pain!
What I was going to say is that my time for that ten miles was 1:41:23 at an average speed of 5.9mph.
Today I did the same distance (and with no injury at the end of it except slightly protesting knees!) and I did it in 1:36:08, average speed of 6.2mph, knocking five minutes off that previous time. Could I have gone further? Honestly I'm not sure. I did try quite hard in the last couple of miles to keep up the pace - if I'd have had 3.1 more miles to do (in total half marathon distance like I did in May) I think I could probably have done it, but I don't think the pace would have been maintained.
connect.garmin.com/activity...
I think I'm quite happy about that!
Usually Monday is gym day, using lots of aerobic machines, but no treadmill. This week it has to wait till Tuesday as I have a family event (son's graduation ceremony on Plymouth Hoe).
Wed I will run; not sure whether to go back to a quick HIIT or give myself a break and just do four - five miles easy.
Now where is that event diary? Time I put this training to some use!
CaroleC
It also a good lump of "me time" and far enough I can get in a whole mish mash of running surfaces if I want.
5K run tonight and another PB!
I’ve run for 80 miles!!
9 Miles (14.5km) in 1:28:43 - Not as difficult as I thought it would be
