Nice gentle paced 8 miler – got a bit puffy in the first place but first 2k were a bit quick. Kept the pace down to 6 mins+ per k, and mixed in a few faster bursts up hills then just coasted the last few miles with a few race pace strides in the last K. Bit slower than my last 8 miler but slightly different route anyway, but felt like a good aerobic workout and recovered nice and quickly.
Nice 8 miler at recovery pace, with a few hills which I took easy, in all averaged 6:03/k pace so was spot on at keeping it nice and steady and I managed not to speed up as idea was just to recover from the race on Sunday and get a bit of nice slow time on feet in, felt like a nice aerobic workout not too heavy. Didn’t feel too many after effects from the race and am starting to find running quite comfortable now I’ve got back into it after the little break. Certainly the most comfortable I’ve felt for a while. A few more of these, some intervals, fartlek and a longer run every week and I should start to see more results.
Have not done a one mile trial for a bit so hope to fit one in soon!
12.1k run ran nearly 4 minutes faster than the one in the week. Pushed hard and just kept going, went past the 5 mile mark at 5 mile flat out PB pace, and went through 10k in 52:08, third fastest 10k ever, then did another 2k without losing too much pace. Managed to just keep the legs turning over even at the end when I was starting to feel the pain. Didn’t take too long to recover and felt good.
Now plan an easy short run on Tues in preparation for Weds evening 5 mile race – on this evidence, I am hoping for a sub 40 but may have to pray for rain
Was meant to be a 10ker, easy, but felt good so I tagged on an extra couple of k. Managed to maintain a decent enough pace but was holding back at times, though did a few strides here and there near the end and felt good, recovered quickly. Actually felt I was enjoying it and sped up rather than slowed down as the run went on!
Very nice longish run in the sun, and hilly too – uphill most of the way in fact, and maintained same pace as on my last 8 mile run, so not bad at all – but felt a deserved the last 2 miles cruising downhill on the route I planned (followed at the end by a very steep incline which killed my legs in the end!)
My weekly mileage has been atrocious for a while, not the kind of mileage needed to start attacking my sub 50 10k target at all – but I have been progressing well, so am confident putting in some more miles will work wonders. So decided to go for a long Saturday run and just take it easy, if I got to 12k and felt ok, would make it up to 14, or an 8.5 miler approx.
Set off at a nice gentle pace and felt good, ran sub 6 minute k’s all the way with some fluctuations in speed, there were times when I felt really good and picked up the pace a little, and at 8k I felt I could go on and on. At 11k I was starting to tire though, as I have not been doing many long runs, but I slowed the pace and got to 14, and it felt really good to stop, but at no point had I really struggled which is reassuring seeing as it’s my longest run since I came back from injury. It’s this type of run that will give me the endurance to put in those faster second halfs in 10k races, and who knows maybe I will find a half marathon and do that one day 
Longest run for a while, took the pace very easy as had a hard week last week, and was feeling tired for it, so took a few days off running before getting back into it with this longer, slightly slower run. Felt good apart from a buffeting from the wind now and then, was feeling tired in the later stages but managed to put a burst on and do quite a speedy last kilometre, and recovered very quickly. Ran it 7-8 minutes quicker overall than my last 12k outing (which I found hard) so am improving, and was nice to stay under 6 mins per kilometre all the way and run at just over 55 minute 10k pace.
Average pace 5:40/k
Longest run since I hit the comeback trail – ended up in a graveyard, ran out through Gorton/Reddish and back via Hyde Road – totally done in by the end! 
Ran around the backstreets before heading into the woods, and round usual 10k time trial route.
This was supposed to be my long Sunday run, but I set off too quickly, and got a bit mixed up as it was on my 10k time trial route again (note to self – must do long runs elsewhere!). I felt a bit heavy legged and hot as the run progressed.
It was cold when I started and felt ideal, but sun came out and soon got hot, so I cut the run to 11k with a steep uphill climb up Stockport Road at the end. Ran a decent pace across the 11k but nothing special, and was pretty knackered by the end – will try to run a bit more often this week, and need to get some more longer runs in, as I think this is what’s affecting my pace over slightly longer distances.
With the Birchwood 10k coming up, I want to get some tempo runs in this week, along with some easy runs, but nothing too hard as want to make sure I have plenty of energy saved for the race!
This was a bit of a strange run really – in the sense that I was intending to run 12k, which I did in the end, but I was indecisive at times whether to turn it into a 10k time trial. Set off and was feeling a bit heavy legged, even though not going for a crazy pace. Found some rhythm by time I got to woods and tried to keep up a fastish pace I was comfortable with. Because this was my usual 10k time trial route up to a point, I couldn’t help keep checking the Garmin, and think I went over 5k in just about 26 mins, not bad considering I was pacing myself for a 12k (or was at least supposed to be!). I carried on, and psychologically I was looking at my Garmin and thinking, if I carry on the regular time trial route, I could get a training PB easily, and was tempted to do it. I felt good, and that I could add more pace if necessary. But I thought I would carry on up to the canal, and just see what time roughly I got past 10k in, and then carry on for a few more k at that pace if I could.
Then disaster struck, I kind of got lost on my way up to the canal (this is where a bit of formal planning might have helped instead of just ad hoc’ing it!), and had thought there was a small hilly bit with not too much of an incline, but ended up going substantially uphill and this slowed me down. Then I reached a huge almost vertical wooden staircase going up and up, and had to walk up this, there was no way in hell I could have run up it by that point – getting to the top more or less destroyed my rhythm and set my heart fit to bursting – I started running again on the canal path, but my legs felt gone, and I could never get better than 7mins per k after that, my legs were heavy and I was tiring. I thought i might finish at 11k, but carried on, back onto the last bit of road leading to my house, and ran up a susbtantially steep bit of road, which nearly finished me off again, but I carried on until I staggered to a stop at 12k.
If I could have continued on the flat I could have kept up 52m 10k pace for the 12k, but the inclines and huge staircase killed me. Will not do a time trial now before the Moonraker 10k race next week, as it might be a nice surprise if I do better, instead of expecting it because I’ve just done a good training time.
It was interesting that I ran the first 8k at what would have been a PB 10k pace by about 2 minutes, and then was at least able to carry on beyond 10k, even surviving hills and staircase – so hopefully it will add to my fitness and take me up a few more rungs on the ladder. Am tentatively hoping for 52 mins now at the race next week!
This week, I think a little speedwork, tempo run and easy run, and a couple days rest before the race, and we’ll see! (Although I believe the first 2k of my race is uphill, so I may have nightmares both before and after!) 
