Rob's Running Blog

5 Miler in the spring sunshine – 51:23

My first 5 miler since… November. It seems a long time and my running has been going in fits and starts with all the colds. I managed to shake off the latest cold more quickly, maybe that is something to do with the spring weather!

I was tired after a few nights’ restless sleep, but know that time is ticking as the Great Manchester Run approaches, and I can’t afford any more laziness in saying “oh well, I will pick up the fitness as I go on…” So in a way having a race booked into the diary is giving me renewed motivation.

As usual, I had to force myself out through the door, and the first k felt a bit of a struggle – I soon had to unzip my running top and started to wonder whether I should have opted for shorts for the first time. But I kept going and planned to do at least 5k, with 6 or 7 being a possibility. I had taken my bus pass with me so had a bit of freedom to go wherever I pleased near the main roads, without the worry of having to run back if I went too far out. This seemed to help psychologically. I ran out towards central Manchester through Gorton, had an altercation with a car that tried to kill me and then yelled “dickhead” at me, which caused me to have an adrenaline burst and speed up for a while. I did some hilly backstreets then got back on to the main road. At 6k I started to think about doing 8.05k and crossing the magic 5 mile barrier, and figured it might be just what I need as a boost, since my training has been so up and down of late…

It did start to get a bit tough after that but I slowed down and just kept going, and towards the 5 mile mark I felt a rush of endorphins which just carried me through the final stages of the run. It was exhilarating to finally cross the barrier and know that 6.2 miles in May is going to be achievable – and if things go well I might even be able to start thinking about a half decent time – at the moment I want to at least beat the 58:12 I did for my first ever GMR, and who knows the 52:49 I did in 2009 might even be in reach. Will see how it all goes 🙂