Portsmouth 5k

I mentioned in my post from 7 Aug that I had a bit of a worry about the 5k on the 8th. Well the 8th has come and gone and to be honest I'm more pleased than I had thought I would be. It must have been the nice slow run on the 7th that helped loosen the muscles etc, but I ran much better than I thought I would.

The conditions were better this time, which probably contributed to the better time. During the run on July 4th, shortly after the turn around point (the course is essentially an out-and-back) we were greeted with a vicious head-wind. This time the wind was mostly from the side so it probably didn't play a major factor in the times.

I tried to improve on pacing this time as well. I did my best to resist the urge to go out too fast. Basing my pace off my heart rate monitor I tried to maintain an even, slower pace during the first half. It didn't necessarily work as I felt like I couldn't maintain the pace by about the 3.5k mark.

I also tried to run 'with' people during this one. A dangerous tactic I'm sure, but I figured in a 5k I might be able to get away with it. I found a group of people running at about the same pace I was trying for and tried to stick with them. It worked okay until the end, when a gentleman at least 2 age divisions above me that I'd been running near demonstrated significantly more 'kick' than I possess.

It all worked out in the end though. My time (by my watch) was 22:48 (besting my previous time on the course by nearly a minute and a half).

(Oh, and I bought a new pair of shoes the next day.)

Music

I usually don't use an ipod when I run. Firstly, I'm too cheap to buy an ipod. I've just got a generic run-of-the-mill mp3 player. Secondly, I like to listen to what's going on around me, and have a little inner monologue when I run (except when I'm in the gym at work where they play some of the most atrocious music ever made and I feel the need to try to blot out the sonic weapon of mass destruction that surrounds me, but that's a different story).
I ran today for the first time in too long. I'm calling it a 'planned rest'. Actually, it's just difficult to stay motivated during the summer break. I had planned to do some speed sessions over the weekend in preps for a 5k tomorrow. They just never materialized. I did a lot of active things, hiking, walking, gardening, just no running. Which makes me worry a little about the 5k tomorrow (but like music in the gym, that's a different story).

The sad thing is, the entire time I was running I had the same song in my head. Was it something inspiring? Something up-beat to keep me going? No, it was the theme song from Bits and Bobs. Yes, fatherhood is a wonderful thing. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, if you click on the 'fun and games' you can get an idea of what this is like going through your head...even if it isn't the theme song itself).

My Other Obsession

I didn't run today. Had an offer from a neighbor to go for a run 'early' which was 6:30. Sorry, just didn't feel like getting up that early today (it's a holiday and all). So we went out for a walk in the Forest of Bere. More than a walk really. The lovely wife had promised a picnic/Geocaching day out for Father's Day back in June. For those of you who don't live in England, I think this was one of the first really 'nice' days since Father's Day. So off we went.

After enjoying a simple but very nice picnic lunch (salami, cheese, bread, fruit). We were off on our walk. The day was absolutely perfect: sun shining, son shining, a gentle breeze, animals about. To top it off, we found the cache we were looking for (only minimal bushwhacking required and very little mud).

I can't really call it exercise. Although we were walking in the woods for a few hours, it was at a 3-year old's pace. (But it was better than sitting on the couch with a beer watching television.)

I Love Hybrids

Being a bit tired of running essentially the same couple of routes from home I decided to hybridize. Combining the outbound leg of one run, inserting a bit of a bridge, then the homeward bound section of another I created a new route. Nothing earth shattering there.

It's strange though, the tricks your mind can play on you. I had it in my mind that it would be a 'long' run. (i.e. a bit longer than either of them on their own.) I didn't measure the new route before I went out. I just went and ran it. I was a bit happy when I got home and the time was relatively 'fast' for the length I thought it was. When I went to my trusty mapping website and measured it, I was very surprised. It was short. Much shorter than I thought. So, my 'fast/tempo' pace that I thought I was running, turned out to be not quite as fast as I'd hoped.

The strange part is, I really had it in my mind it was a 'long' run. Distance completely miscalculated. Run wasn't bad though.

(Sorry if anyone was hoping for a sermon on the virtues of hybrid cars. You won't find that here.)

Still Alive

I've managed to keep up the running (somewhat), just not so much the writing. Some of this is related to our non-functioning paperweight of a computer. I'm working on a back-up for now.

I did manage a run this morning. Not the fastest or the best (may have been the 7 day lay-off).
I only managed 3 runs last week, and one session on the rowing machine, for a grand total of not very impressive 9.1 miles.

Now that the summer break has started, it's going to be even more of a challenge to get out regularly I think. I may have to get up a bit early to do it. That would be unfortunate.