This will make me faster

4 miles of reps
1 mile - 5:50
1 mile - 5:30
2miles (running 2mins hard 1 min stationary recovery) - 9:58

Very happy indeed with tonight's session. Running faster like this will make me a faster runner. Seems an obvious thing to say but its a fundamental point in a training program that can easily be forgotten.

The first mile was more uphill than down, it was also headwind and I wasn't particularly well warmed up, so 5:50 is not a bad time at all. The second mile was still headwind (not strong) but more or less flat. I was surprised to run 5:30 as I wasn't really 'going for it' because it was the ensuing 2 miles that I really wanted to run as hard as I could.

Five 2 minute bursts with 1 minute stationary recoveries (stationary meaning I restart where I got to in the 2 minutes - rather than jogging or walking further on, but I do move around a bit - it's not a game of statues). As with the 3 mile session last Thursday this gives a time for the 2 miles. I knew I would run a fast time as long as I could maintain the effort in the fourth and fifth reps. They were the ones that proved really tough, as, just as expected, I was operating way way beyond my comfort zone. The one minute recovery seemed ridiculously short by the time I had covered the first mile back, but conversely, by the time I was properly into each effort they soon seemed to be over with too. With about a minute to go I realised I may well go under the magic 10 minute barrier and am utterly delighted to have ran 4:59 pace for the two miles. OK it featured 4 separate rests of 60 seconds but nevertheless it's a step in the right direction. I did once run a mile non stop inside 5 minutes. I probably never will again but it's nice to get a result starting with a number 4.

Thursday needs to be another hard session but at at a different pace to tonight so i'm thinking of doing 5 miles in 30 minutes. Or ideally in 29mins 59 seconds.

Yesterday (Monday) was a very short jog with Scamp - scarcely 4 miles - but it keeps me in the routine of running 6 days per week.

Sunday was an awful day for running. It was red hot, around 24 degrees C. After putting it off in the hope of rain I finally ventured onto my 13 mile road circuit. The first eight miles were good - sub 6:30 minute miling without trying and not too troubled by the heat. Unfortunately I forgot to collect a bottle of water I had placed near the 10 mile point. I had past it by 150 metres when I remembered but couldn't be bothered to turn around as I felt OK and 'only' had 3 miles to go. BIG MISTAKE INDI'. Those final couple of miles were sheer hell. I don't ever recall being so pleased to stop running as I was when I crossed my 'finish line'. 1hr 26m 15s is something like 6:37 per mile, so I lost a lot of time in those final miles, despite being overall downhill.

Saturday was back to the familiar pattern of 2 laps of Gelt. Darren was with me and we took it easy for lap 1. Two weeks ago we ran a short 33 minute lap for our second and I was confident I could beat that time by at least a minute on this occasion. I ran steady from the off and put in decent efforts whenever the gradient was against me, really powering over all the small, sharp rises. This was sufficient to drop Darren after 10 minutes, though to be fair he was complaining of still feeling the effects on his chest of a recent cold. 31:52 is a good time which I am pleased with. I would like to run a lap with someone faster than me to really test me and see what I could achieve at 100% with my current fitness.

No pertinant images with regard to todays post so this gives me a chance to go off topic and give some publicity to my brother Jason - taken on the way off Fairfield last Christmas time.