Right, still going with the plan, still managing to get out and run. This is, I think, the most consistent running streak since London (and maybe even since before London).  We were going to go this morning after doing our food shop but it was hot. Or rather neither of us really felt like going and it was hot enough to use it as an excuse.

We sat and had coffee and a dark chocolate and courgette bun instead – have I told you about these buns? I must check and if I haven’t already, I will share the recipe. They are one of the most delicious treats on the planet and the recipe came out of a Runners’ World so they must be good for you (hm!?!). Anyway, I was perfectly happy not running and pottering about in the garden (mostly chatting to our neighbours rather than actually doing anything useful) and about 12.30pm I suggested lunch and Kath suggested a run. It had clouded over and was cooler than it had been in the morning and there was a pleasant little breeze. It made sense. Still, I liked my suggestion better.

I agreed to go though because otherwise I’d spend the rest of the day wondering about how I might get out of running today – best to just get it done. We set off  – sheep loop again  -and today I wanted to run for 45 minutes non-stop. I figured if I could run 5k without stopping in just over 40 minutes 2 days ago, I could do 45 minutes. And I can. I settled in quickly and it felt nice to be out and though warm, the breeze was enough to make it pleasant. Mile 1 went fine and even the slope up to the wood just before the golf course wasn’t too bad. I also managed to not slow down to ‘walking a small dog with tiny legs pace’ going down hill and then we hit the towpath. Someone had stolen all the air. It wasn’t much warmer but the breeze had gone and it felt really humid. Hm. Had I known I would never have gone. I hate humidity.

Not a lot I could do though so I kept going. Half way came and then 2 miles and a little while later we turned round. I still felt ok actually and was breathing pretty evenly. the 3 mile beep came and we went through 5k in 39.15 which is 1.5 minutes quicker than 2 days ago and then just kept plodding along until the 45 minutes were up. I even managed to speed up a bit over the last 2 minutes with another push in the last 30 seconds. Average pace of 12.33 minutes per mile. Happy with that.