Its harder in real life

When you are forced to sit at home for 8 weeks without running a step you cant help thinking about what it will be like when you resume running. Knowing you are losing fitness every day that passes....

You vow to yourself that you will train so intensely hard when you can run again.
You see yourself pounding the streets at night after work.
You long for that hurt in your legs and lungs and pledge that you will endure the pain like never before.
You picture yourself running fast and long and hard.
You relish the idea of running 20 miles and more
You plan the races you will enter and times you will achieve


Well,

I've been back running for about a week and half now.
I've gone through the run-walk-run-walk stage.
I've ran over a lot of grass and stepped in a lot of cow poo
I've tentatively ran on tarmac
I've managed to run for 45 minutes without stopping
I though it time to begin living out my 8 week daydream and do something a bit more difficult

So tonight (Matthew) I put myself through a little fitness test to see where I'm at pace-wise.
I have a 5 mile circuit I like to complete most nights at this time of year. I like to try to run it as close to 30 minutes as I can without flogging myself in the process. I decided 5 miles was a bit far for the first time so after a mile warmup jog I ran 3 miles and timed it at 19:45 (yes fact fans its the return of posts full of statistics).

Now I know what you are thinking - you're thinking 19:45 isnt very good for 3 miles (or if your name is Penrith Stu you are thinking 'blimey thats fast - did he mean 2 miles?'. But I must stress that this wasnt me running 3 miles flat out to see how fast I could do it. This was me running 3 miles at a decent pace, a steady effort, but well within myself. The weather was terrible tonight, storm force wind and driving rain which I reckon might have knocked a few seconds per mile from my pace. I also think that my first effort run in over 9 weeks was bound suffer from a lack of recent similar workouts and surely the next time I do the same I will be faster?

The distance felt fine and I have no qualms about increasing this to 4 miles probably next Tuesday. I may also do some mile reps on the track on Thursday. But I wont be risking any road based long ones for a while yet. Stick to the fells for Nov and Dec.

Ill be honest with you here and say I wasn't gonna include a photo. But Reeds Runners would only complain so here's Cumbrias answer to Chubby Brown on a recent field trip