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Thursday 10 January 2013

Week 4, Day 3: 8 miles in Unsoiled Lycra While Snorting at Michael


Week 4, Day 3

Goal: 8 miles at 8:30 – 9 min/miles
Actual: 8 miles at 8:27 min/mile (I would have been bang on target if I hadn’t remembered the chocolate coins in the fridge on the last mile and sped up too much)


This one was to be another night run and it was very cold and misty so I wrapped up well. It was a bit of a gloomy night so I took my headphones and decided I’d listen to an audiobook and enjoy this run as it was a nice steady session.

I had been listening to Woman in Black but I hadn't felt a ghost story based in mist would be very appropriate to a misty run. Some dog walker would materialise out of the fog and be treated to the sight of me simultaneously soiling my Lycra and falling into a hedge in terror. It probably wouldn’t be terribly good practise for pace control and how would I explain to Asics why I needed new running tights?

I decided on Michael McIntyre’s audiobook and it kept me entertained the whole way round. The only problem was that because I was doing loops I was passing the same people ... they must have thought they were being circled by a lunatic as every now and then I’d materialise out of the mist grinning like a pumpkin (at the audiobook) and then vanish again ... leaving only the fading sound of running footsteps and an occasional snort of laughter.

I did my usual 4 mile loop twice to make up the distance so I didn’t really have to think about the route and could just enjoy the run. I didn't bother with a headtorch as I’d left my usual – and favourite - one in Dorset so I would have had to rely on my 2nd best one which has a tendency to flicker and fall down and bump on the nose. OK in a pinch but not really worth the nose blisters for a run on street lit pavements.



Summary

Time: 1:07:34.
Distance: 8.00
Average Pace: 8:27

I felt that my pacing wasn’t too terrible except I got a bit carried away on one of the good downhills at mile 3 and at mile 8 I got a bit excited at the thought of the chocolate coins waiting for me in the fridge and sped up a bit too much which took the pace average a bit higher than I wanted. But overall only .03 min/mile outside the time range ...! Woo!

Mile 1  8:40 
Mile 2  8:40 
Mile 3  8:16 
Mile 4  8:25 
Mile 5  8:32 
Mile 6  8:25 
Mile 7  8:23 
Mile 8  8:09 

2 comments:

  1. Good choice of audio :) and damn your pacing looks pretty good to me, just need to promise of chocolate coins at every mile :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha ha!! I reckon that would definitely keep me going!! I should leave a trail of chocolate coins to lead me home!! :)

    ReplyDelete