Three good runs

I won't detail my training the past three weeks, but it has been consistent, and it is starting to bear fruit.

My first good run was my latest attempt at improving my 5k time. At my local Parkrun I went out steady, and then ran hard for the rest of the race. At points I couldn't imagined running any faster than I was. My time was 21:11, the best time 13 months.

The week after I ran a local cross country event. It was bitterly cold, and the race featured a large puddle that runners encountered on each of the three lap event.

But I ran well. I traded places with another member of our club who is stronger than me. He prevailed in the end, but just.

The final good run was a long relay race in the hills. My assignment was a hilly 10k section, and I managed it faster than I'd done in my two previous attempts. Moreover, I felt like I could have run all day.

running a faster 5k: part 4

I had a good week of training:

Mon: run 5.6 miles after driving home from England
Tues: run 9 miles with club
Weds: no running
Thurs: swim 1350m (before pool closed for New Year's Eve)
Fri: run 5 miles
Sat: run 4.5 miles (3.1 of which were a parkrun)
Sun: run 6 miles with club in woods

Hey, 30 miles for the week! Haven't seen that for a while.

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My parkrun effort felt good from the start. I didn't go off too fast, but felt strong on the first hill. Along the back flat I kept a fast past. I used the ensuing downhill to stride out. Heartbreak hill, as always, was a challenge, but I ran fast to the base, and survived the climb. On the gradual downhill I again tried to pick up the pace, and maintain it over the last 800m to the finish.

21:23 all in. This was a faster time than any I'd achieved in 2015.

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I suppose the days are getting longer, but it doesn't feel that way. At 8 in the morning this week, my front door still benefited from having the light on.