Week One - Day 2

I was exhausted yesterday from the lack of sleep on Monday night so I had an early night. I set my alarm for 5.30 am – OMG, I can’t believe I did that, 5.30 am!! My intention was that if I was feeling OK I would get up, but if I still felt under-the-weather, I would turn over and go back to sleep and do my run in the evening.

The alarm went off and I felt ok so up I got. I need about 45 mins to wake the old body up and have a little bit to eat before I am up to running and my plan was to leave about 6.15 am. I had worked out my route for the 5 mile run, pretty much what I was doing for the 4 mile run but with an extra one mile diversion in the middle. It’s a very pretty run, round the lakes and then the extra mile is up a hill (!) – quite hard work but have to remain positive and think of it as a good workout – and through some woods, past a golf course and then back to join my usual run.

All went according to plan and I left the house just after 6.15 am. The weather was a bit more suitable to running, still quite warm but at least the sun wasn’t beating down. There were several other runners out, about 8 or 9 in total – the most I had seen on my morning runs. Everyone was very polite and we bid each other a “good morning”. I loved running through the woods, it made a nice change to have different scenery and, of course, the advantage of having to run up the hill is that I could look forward to running down it.

Getting nearer to home, my legs started to feel a bit heavy and on looking at my watch, it was about 35 minutes – just a little longer than the time it usually takes me to do the 4 mile run. I guessed that is about right, the body becomes accustomed to running a certain distance, I know that from stepping up the 3 mile distance to 4 miles. The last mile today was tough going but I forged on and completed the run in 42.51 – not bad going!

I’m guessing the distance is about 5 miles – Steve is going out on his bike at the weekend to measure it – oh please, let it be 5 miles and no less!