It’s been ages since I posted my local runs, so here I am again.
My first long run since the Great South Run was along the Hayling Island Billy Trail last week when UpTheStanley and I ran together at an easy pace for 7k. It was quite chilly and we had to dodge a lot of puddles ( I still can’t run through then) but it was nice to be back there for the first time since August according to my garmin records. It was a full moon last week and with high spring tide it meant the water level of Langston harbour was higher than we’d ever seen it on our runs before. We saw little egrets by the pond and Highland cattle grazing instead of the usual black Angus. You would have got a photo of the lovely beasts but on our return leg they’d disappeared to the other side of the field.
Then we had Saturday parkrun with my youngest niece and her boyfriend, while UTS volunteered before disappearing to London to play hockey. The boyfriend does duathlons and came in at 3rd, 2 seconds faster than when he last ran here coming 1st. He’s had a calf injury so says he’s not at peak condition yet 🤣🤣. I didn’t get a PB but I was pleased that I was faster than not only my friendly rival, but also his 2 daughters who are in their 40s.
My non-running niece and hubby arrived after we’d showered and we were able to enjoy a lovely weekend, which obviously included much eating and drinking.
Saturday afternoon had seen the new aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales sailing into Portsmouth harbour for the first time, which brought hundreds of visitors from far and wide to wave her in. Oldgirlruns posted a picture on the bridge forum.
So what a lovely morning it was today with bright blue sky and wall to wall sunshine. It was to be our weekly speed challenge so UTS and I walked to the prom throwing in a few dynamic stretches along the way and the intention of 3 gentle kms to get warmed up. Now 2 years ago I would have laughed at that statement as I couldn’t run further than the nearest lamp post. We saw several runners enjoying the quietness of the seafront after the busy weekend when families with dogs converged to enjoy the fresh air, often taking over the full width of the prom.
So, we ran 2 km eastwards and then 1km west at average times of 7:45, 7:32 and 7:22. We said hello to walkers and runners as we went along. UTS accelerated towards the end of that 3rd km , me increasing more gradually. I wasn’t going to go off too fast and end up crashing. So I started running at 6min/km and then increased bit by bit. During this time I waved and said hello to a smiling tot in a pram pushed by a running mum, which probably meant I wasn’t going at full capacity, but she was so sweet. I managed to run all the way and get a final km time of 5:53. It doesn’t beat my fastest time in this challenge of 5:40 when I had the wind behind me, or my fastest ever 1k in July of 5:36, but it was 2 seconds faster than my final parkrun km this weekend and felt controlled and good. I do think this exercise is helping me to feel what my body is capable of doing and understand what I can do to improve further. I am sure that after today I will be able to end the challenge on a high.
The great thing at the end was after catching my breath on a bench - jogging mum came up to us and said how amazing our running was and gave me a high five. We told her all about parkrun as she didn’t know she could run it with a pram. This was definitely a feel good run ending with a cappuccino in the Beach Cafe, of course, where water is delivered immediately we sit down. 🏃♀️🏃♂️☀️
Happy running folks, and good luck with your personal challenges.
Running on Holiday