Ha ha, I had a fab run this morning, decided to set minimum goal of 30 minutes, but aiming for 40, distance no matter. So I set off pretty slowly, with only a very rough idea of the route I would take, flexible enough to make adjustments on the way if there was a risk I would arrive back at the club too soon or too late (including cool down walk). Good brisk walk to start, then out onto the open road, press the garmin, start running slowly to get an idea if there are any aches and pains I need to account for. Nothing hurt, breathing started to steady, glanced down at my watch about 4 minutes in, only to discover I'd hit the 'pause' button, instead of lap, arrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Not to worry, I fixed it (still running) and noticed that I'd clocked up 0.6 mile on my walk, so I estimated probably another .4 at least in the run, but I wasn't worried about distance anyway. To err on the side of caution, I thought I'd add 3 minutes to whatever my finish time was.
So, why am I a fake, I hear you asking. Well, I don't know if I'm the only one to do this, but I was running really slowly, my excuse was that I was trying to keep my heart rate below 160 for the majority of the run (I succeeded, apart from uphill and when I stretched out the pace a bit). But, I noticed that every time I saw someone else running, I speeded up 
I think they made me feel guilty, all those 'proper' runners, so I felt compelled to fake being a proper runner too 
By the time I got back to the tennis club, there was no need for guilt, slow or not. I ran for 41:56 on the garmin, which is about 45 minutes including the extra I did at the beginning. My heart rate was really good and steady in the mid-150s most of the way (which I think is partly due to the slow speed and partly due to the fact I've done several runs in the last week and a half), and I'd completed 3.95 miles, which means I did over 4 miles whoop whoop, another lovely run under my belt.
There were little hilly bits (I appreciate we don't have proper hills around here, unlike some of you!) and I'm finding that i'm less worried about encountering the odd hill now, which is great, as it broadens where I can run. I've already packed my running gear for the coastal run I hope to do (with my daughter) on Tuesday, as we're down for the funeral tomorrow and staying over. If we don't have time, then I think we'll try running on Chobham common, can't wait!
I'M JUST SO CONFUSED!!!!
That's it! I'm officially miffed!
Hooray - I'm back running after 6 weeks!
I'm never going to make it!
How do you deal with fake gym runner 'advice'?
