A nice run this evening. 5.55 miles at 10:30 a mile. Which was a disappointing and surprising pace, as I seemed to be bowling along like billy-o for much of the jaunt, and had convinced myself that I was on in line for a something much nearer to 10 minutes a mile.
It was my usual long round-the-block run, half of the one I did so unhappily on Saturday afternoon. Tonight it was cooler and I was in a more positive frame of mind. I even took the extraordinary step of doing some stretching, followed by a half mile warm-up jog before starting the run proper. And it seemed to make a difference. I felt stronger and more confident.
The first day of my renewed diet (yesterday) was a success. This morning I was 2.6 pounds lighter than yesterday. In my quest to be faster and more blister-resilient this time, no single thing will help more than to be… less dense. As a friend of ours said yesterday when we were talking about the difference between running at the weight I am now and the weight I would like to be (13 stone) by taper-time: “It’s like running 26 miles carrying your week’s shopping.”
Gulp. An illuminating insight.
