Having re-read my last two posts, I realised I've been beating myself up too much over the past couple of weeks - and moaning not a little in the process! So I set out to be positive about my running this week with good results.

My standard 2-mile recovery run on Tuesday was just that - a nice, easy effort, both miles run at 10:45 pace.

Thursday morning I had my exercise test at Frimley Park hospital. It's the first time I've had the "pleasure" of running on a treadmill - how on earth do people run 10K or more on one of those things? I was only on it for about 10 minutes and found it mind numbingly boring... After being attached to about 10 cables (I now have two large bald patches on my chest after matron insisted on using the shaver on me) and having a blood pressure gauge attached to my arm, I walked and then ran as they gradually increased the gradient until I reached my theoretical maximum heart rate - 169 in my case although I noticed I actually reached 176 and in fact have registered 188 whilst doing a speed session so I wasn't really that extended. I'm back to see the consultant in a few weeks.

Later that afternoon I decided to go for my scheduled 4 mile tempo run. My target pace for the middle 2 miles was 9:45 so I was delighted to find that I'd run 9:32 and 9:25 to complete the 4 miles in 41:15. Really chuffed with that! I have to say one of the most enjoyable miles I run is that last warm-down mile after I've managed a good tempo pace. Once you've got your breath back, there's just something totally satisfying about completing that last mile.

Yesterday was our 23rd wedding anniversary which we celebrated in our usual fashion by dining out at Tylney Hall where we spent our Wedding night - we've been back there on our anniversary every year bar one. It's one of the highlights of our year - fantastic food in stately surroundings but not necessarily the best preparation for a 5-mile LSR today. Or maybe it is? As it turned out, the run went really well, just over 56 minutes at 11:15 pace.

It's been a good week. I'm back in double figure weekly mileage with 11 miles run and will be upping it again next week by adding a mile to both Thursday's tempo run and Sunday's LSR.  Amazingly, once I complete my run on Tuesday, I'll have totted up 14 runs in May, the most I've ever managed in a calendar month! Not only that, my total mileage of 38 for May will be the most I've achieved since July last year.

It's been a positively good week!

Enjoy your running!