In my wisdom, I had decided to run from work back to home to save faffing on when I got home at about 10.30am. This way I got to start the run at 10am and not bother the dog until I was home for good. The bad thing about this decision was that the route I have to run is a very hilly and difficult one. In fact, I haven't ran this course for nearly a year... and I've never done it with the XL vest on either! I felt very nervous about it to the point my stomach was in knots... it was like I was about to do a massive race or something!
I was going to try new gels today (from MyProtein) and in my infinite wisdom had taken one 20 minutes before starting the run to see what they were like. This was a mistake, it made me feel all shaky and full of adrenaline which I didn't like the feeling of. It's the same sort of "rush" I get from gels with caffeine in... and that's also the reason I never buy them.
I left work and began the run, hoping the horrible nervousness I was feeling would subside. At nearly 3 miles I was still feeling the same way, although I had my first walk break here and things seemed to settle down. My next running section of 25 minutes went well apart from a couple of minutes at the top of a hill where I wanted to walk. I didn't, but I really wanted to. However, at 24 minutes I couldn't muster any more energy at the top of another hill and walked a minute earlier than I should have. The walk break was great, and as the hilliest parts were next in line, I chose to take another gel here to see if it would help.
About 4 minutes in, and after another steep hill, my chest was really hurting but I thought it was just the hills and tried to ignore it. I did walk here for around a minute then started to run. Within seconds I had to walk again and took my inhaler on the off chance it would help. It did, to my amazement, and despite the next mile or so being a gentle uphill slope I managed great. The fantastic downhill that followed was fab, and at one point I was running a 8.20mm pace.
Fortunately, the biggest hill on the route (with the crest reaching 17 degrees) was on a walk break. I was totally delighted, although it was still hard work to walk up it. Then there was a lot of downhill on the next 25 minute section which was fantastic. I even got lost in my thoughts here and forgot about the time, the run and everything else. When I have done this run previously, I have even resorted to walking down this hill, so it's a marked improvement.
As usual, I had to end the 25 minutes on another hill, so was more than ready for the next walk break. I felt in a bit of pain by now though, and running doesn't feel so comfortable any more. I'm running and it's very flat but it still hurts.
The last 3 miles were really tough as the accumulative effect of the hills took it's toll, and I do confess to running as much as possible interspersed with the odd walk break. When I got home, I could barely walk through the house because my legs were in agony. However, with an overall pace of 10.37mm I'm very pleased. The fastest I've done this previously has been an average of 11.52mm!
So, after a lovely bath, I took Lincoln out for a walk. We walked for about an hour and it was probably only around 2-3 miles, but the relief I now feel with my legs is great, so I'm glad I went. Lincoln had a fab time, trudging through muddy puddles and running all over. He was a right state when I got him home and needed a bloody good bath. We've been back about an hour now... and he's still fast asleep! :-)
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