Up and running again! by gloshawk

Oh, what a beautiful morning, indeed!  The weather seems to be alternating at the moment - one day good, the next your worst nightmare.

Fortunately, today was defo an Oklahoma day.  The sun was shining, the lanes around the village were glistening with the shimmer of a frost, and all was happy.

So, got the girls to school; we walked the dogs there, and I then carried on with them around the fields to get back home.  Then, let's get those running shoes on, and get out for what promised to be a very honest session indeed!

I had to do a 10 min threshold run, followed  by 4 lots of 3 min bursts at 10K pace, finished off with another 10 min threshold.  There were to be 2 min recoveries between each rep.  It's only a year ago that i wouldn'd have had a clue what that meant, let alone been able to contemplate doing it!

So, through the village to the pool, and from there up Starveall. I started the first 10 min burst at the pool itself, and pretty much rounded it off at the A46.  Then, the 3 min reps were on the road to Didmarton, before returning to do the final, glorious burst back up Starveal, and hence home for a well deserved shower.  And, all without the ipod!  I had it, but didn;t wear it - it started as I realised that I needed to run in the middle of the road, as that was where there was no ice.  I felt like I ought to be able to hear, and so ditched the music.  And, I felt free, as if I wasn't being intruded upon.

Overall, a pleasing session, anyway.  I finished off at 7 miles, at 7.53 pace.  Pleased with that.  Bizarrely, it is pretty much exactly what I did last year as well in the same run; about 1/2 mile further, but nothing more than that.  In a way, that worries me - I have told myself that I will go quicker than I did in London.  Maybe, though, i ought to prepare myself for that not being the case.

Took the girls to their riding lessons today; great to see them so confident on animals that I still regard with a bit of suspicion.  I love them, but have never been trained how to ride them, and, when you're 6 ft 3, it's a long way down from any horse they put you on!

The rest of the beef and anchovy casserole for tea, and a sit down for the start of a new Masterchef.  Happy days.