Yesterday's long run marks quite a big improvement in my mindset, and really shows how far I've come (still a way to go, but stuff that, I'm getting ever-closer). It was - on the face of things - a slow run: I did 9.8 miles in 2:06, lots and lots of walking breaks, but this is actually a reasonable pace for me (once I get above 5km type distance) and what I was happy with was the consistency of the splits. Well, that is after running the first mile and a half at quite a fast pace for me, especially conidering I was setting out on a run that I'd intended to be about 8 or 9 miles! I did the first mile in 11:17, but then settled into run/walk miles of around 13:15-ish right through to the end.
My half marathon PB (13.1 miles), in September, is 2:53:45 - though I've ran nothing LIKE that distance since then. In fact, yesterday's long run is by far the longest I've ever ran on my own. I've worked out that in order to beat my PB, after the run I did yesterday I would have needed to cover 3.3 miles in 47 minutes or less! And that's completely doable!! So, basically, the run yesterday gave me a lot of confidence for getting my HM PB in 5 weeks' time. *bounce*
Some other positives - I managed to push myself to keep walk breaks short, and was pleased about the difference in my self-talk. No beating myself up, just encouraging myself to get running again; that kind of thing. Another plus, I ran for the first time with my Workplay waist pack, which holds a water bottle as well as space for things like phone, keys, and a little cash (I carry a bus ticket too). It's designed especially for women, and sits in the small of the back, on the hips, really well. I hardly noticed it was there, which really surprised me. :) It was a hot day yesterday, and I didn't really drink enough water - my fingers got all puffed and swollen after 1 hour - but I sipped from my bottle a couple of times, and drank enough before/after to not see any mild dehydration issues, such as headaches. Happy with that, but as the weather gets warmer, I need to address hydration better, and figure out how to stop the swollen fingers effect!!
I was thinking afterwards about the Autumn races I'm doing. At the pace I did yesterday, I would finish a 16 mile race in 3:26, which is significantly outside of my goal of doing the Southside Six race in 3 hours, in November. There's 27 or 28 weeks to go, though, and I'm positive that if I train well, consistently, and with a bit of intelligence, there's no reason I can't hit that target. I've got a lot of work to do!!
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