A midweek day off gave the chance of a rare daytime run, on the way to picking Luke up from preschool. As the day steadily warmed up, I downed water and a large handful of raisins, and set off for my usual 4.5 mile route.
I had in mind that I should up the pace, after my recent casual efforts and the fact that I’m planning to increase to 6 miles (woo) this weekend. However, I felt horribly unfit and sluggish; the raisins weighed heavily in my stomach and would probably have been better pocketed for a mid-run refuel. I had opted for MP3 entertainment, but Iron Maiden’s thumping basslines seemed to be mocking my leaden gait, and I unplugged the earphones after a couple of songs.
Nothing really improved much, and as is the case with such runs, there were the usual why-the-hell-do-I-do-this internal conversations – although at the moment the answers seem surprisingly simple (previously: the unconquered challenge of running a marathon; now: basic anti-lard measures).
Managing to pick up the pace a little towards the end, I lumbered into the preschool car park, pouring with sweat and definitely outside the comfortable conversation zone. Three days into the new term, and my carefully-constructed image of cool-yet-sensitive hands-on dad was shattered in an instant.
However, the watch showed 6 minutes faster than last week. Since the preschool is only 0.34 miles short of home (courtesy of the excellent measuring tool at
Map 24) then I can count this as a three-minute improvement over the full distance. This takes me back to a lesson from the "old days": if a run feels crap, I’m probably going too fast.
Meanwhile, cheques are in the post for Henley and Marlow half marathons. Huzzah! Both are pretty hilly by all accounts. Henley is only three and a half weeks away.
Aug / Sep The Road To
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