Runstreak Day #267 - nice 'n' easy does it

You know what?  After a really rubbish run there is always a good run.  Or at least, your rubbish run was so rubbish that short of your feet falling off and someone pushing you in the canal while you attempted to rescue your trainers and then realised that you'd forgotten to stop your Garmin... well, compared to that, anything would be better.

So, today's run was better.  Felt grumpily unprepared for it.  And nearly didn't bother going as my brain was busy telling my legs that if they could scarcely manage 3 miles yesterday then there was no chance at all that they could manage 10.  But, I chose to ignore my stupid brain and went anyway.

And I'm glad I did.  My pacing was a bit all over the place as it was a Sweatshop Running Community run and I ran the first few miles with a runner I was chatting to last week.  We were in that weird territory of me slowing to her pace and her feeling that she needed to keep up with me.  In the end, she dropped back and slowed right down - which was fine, but I wouldn't honestly have minded running slower.  Then, another guy started chatting to me.  He was aiming for 9 - 9:30 minute miles, but didn't mind going at 8:45s.  Which wasn't what I was aiming for really, I just wanted to run at a nice gentle consistent pace!  So, he ran with me for the next few miles until he started to flag and then I realised that I was running behind another guy who was running at exactly my comfortable pace.  

I've never had that happen before.  He was running step for step the exact same pace as me.  To the extent where I was being a bit weirded out by the fact that I could only hear one set of footsteps between the two of us!  The next few miles pattered away quite happily, completely in sync, until he too dropped back.  By this point, I was starting to feel like the Duracell Bunny.  Keeping on keeping on whilst the other bunnies conked out!!  Then, I acquired my 4th running partner who started chatting to me... but embarrassingly I couldn't remember that I'd already run with him before.  And he'd done all of the Sunday runs, which I've done too.  But it just hadn't registered in my brain!  Whoops!

Anyway... all this boils down to the fact that it was a nice Sunday run.  Didn't feel like I was on the verge of stopping at any point (hooray!), and managed a nice even pace which, if I keep my act together should comfortably get me under the 2 hour mark for the Robin Hood half, which is my only goal for the rest of the year!

Just goes to show, doesn't it?  You can't judge today's run by yesterday's disaster!

Oh, and the other thing I discovered today was that the thirstier you get, the more likely you are to see other people drinking water.  That is a brand new fact that I've donated just for you.  Fact.  :o)

Tea?

Geeky stats stuff

Distance:	9.83 mi
Time:	1:27:14
Avg Pace:	8:53 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	56 ft