Week Three - Day 4

Yahoo.... YAHOO.... I did it!

I compromised and had a semi-lie in, rather setting the alarm for 5.30, I put it back an hour and got up at 6.30 am ready to be out of the door for 7.30. All went according to plan and armed with my daughter's Ipod I set off. I wanted to run the 8 mile route that Steve had shown me a couple of weeks ago, I was pretty sure I knew the way now. It's pretty much a one way out keeping the train line on my left, cross over the bridge, and then back again following the river and train track.

My biggest problem is water, or lack of it, whilst out running. I get so damn thirsty, my mouth is dry and it's all I seem to be able to think about... As it wasn't sunny and seemed quite overcast, I decided not to take my water bottle today - it's such a bind to carry, especially when empty! I was doing okay at the start, the temperature had gone down by a couple of degrees and I was enjoying the run. However, it didn't take long until I start feeling very HOT and I was licking my lips wishing I had brought my water bottle. Water was all I seemed to be able to think about - maybe because there was so much around me, so close yet so far! Well, after about 40 minutes there was a rumble in the sky and my prayers were answered, it started to... well, I would like to say rain.... but it was more a drizzle, a very fine drizzle. Oh well, better than nothing... It was enough to give me a new lease of life - well, that's probably exaggerating a bit, lol. It certainly helped, that's for sure.

I was heading home when I took another glance at my watch, 60+ minutes - feeling quite tired but determined to do the full 8 miles, when I came to the junction where I could head straight home and thus do 7'ish miles - I took the turning that would take me on the 8 mile route. It was hard, that final mile, really hard and I had to push just to keep one leg in front of the other, the drizzle had long stopped and I was hot and tired. Another quick look at the watch, 77 mins - Aaarrrgggghhh, I was really hoping to get in under the 80 minutes so with one last desperate effort I pushed ahead for all it was worth.

The actual time it took me was 80:35. That's okay, I'm not disappointed... How could I be, I have just run 8 miles, that is a heck of a lot longer than I have run for such a very long time. I am slightly questioning the distance because it certainly didn't feel like I was running as slow as 10 minute miling but, then again, perhaps I was and it's just that I'm not so fit, that it feels like I'm going faster.... you get my drift?

And perhaps the answer to the water problem is to have a disposable bottle so that when I have finished with it, I can just, well..., dispose of it!