Well something has clicked into place. After yesterday’s 5km non-stop run I was quite nervous about going out again today. I can’t remember the last time I had two really good back to back runs (maybe Dopey?) so the chances of this one being a good run seemed rather remote. In a fit of post run madness yesterday I’d also suggested/agreed that I should indeed practise running on uneven surfaces and get more sure-footed so that I can be less pathetically scared about some of the trails Kath has been trying out – oh and so I don’t break my ankles trying. So getting off the nicely maintained, even and familiar section of towpath and swapping it  for the grassy, muddy (actually not really at the moment) and uneven section going out towards Silsden seemed like a good idea when I first mentioned it.

But talking about it and actually doing it are different things! We fed the lambs, took the bottles back to the car and then set off from there. Wow. If yesterday felt easy and effortless today felt, well not easy and effortless. So a few differences – yesterday I started on the flat and downhill. Today we started undulating with uphill slopes that always get me and the golf course downhill which still terrifies me. Yesterday everything was road or even canal towpath. Today we were mostly on uneven surfaces. Yesterday I was on my own. Today Kath was with me. Yesterday I didn’t have tired legs. Today I probably did. I wanted to run consistently without walking again as well as focus on running the uneven bits confidently. A little ambitious maybe.

Kath was ok with me setting the pace. I really just had ‘slow’ in my mind. The run was good really. Hard but good. It played out like this:

Start: Oh we’re really doing this. Wonder if I’m too slow for Kath. No, she looks happy.

First slight slope: WTF

Back downhill past our sheep: Yay my wooly cheer squad!

Up the track to the wood: WTAF. Pace? 13. something. Ok all good but WTF

Down the cobbles in the wood: Hate downhill, hate hate hate

Onto the golf course: Ok, phew, no broken ankles.

Down the golf course: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

Track down to the canal: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

Bridge across the canal: Phew

Right turn and onwards on the (well maintained and even towpath): Ok, doing ok. Have we done a mile yet? No? Why not?

Further along the towpath: ONE MILE BEEP – wow, hard. 13minute something mile. All good. Ok now let’s see if I can keep the pace at this level and note slow down on the uneven bit

Bit further still: We’ve started going faster. No no no. Stop going faster. SLOW….

Stone bridge: Ok, here goes. Pace now 13.05

Further along: still no broken ankle. Probably slow, really slow. Nope, still 13.05

Further along hopping over some tree roots: Wow still 13.05

Swing bridge in view: OMG still 13.05 Kath mentioned lambs charging – don’t look, you might trip. Oh but lambs, there, glanced and didn’t fall, progress

Swing Bridge and TWO MILE BEEP: Yay, ok 2 miles, good, still feel ok, legs sort of tired now, hamstrings a bit tight, ok. Still 13.05

Back at those tree roots: Hm, ok, I’m doing ok. No broken ankles and how is the pace still at 13.05?

Stone bridge in view: Awesome, hard section nearly done. Watch must be broken, still 13.05. Can’t be. Watch is broken.

On towpath catching up to a canal boat: Oh we saw that earlier, we’re going to overtake it. Yay THREE MILE BEEP

Nearly at golf course bridge: Wow, hard now. Not sure I’ll make 4 miles. Oh shut up.

Random look at watch a bit further along: ARE YOU MAD. SLOW DOWN. YOU ARE GOING  MUCH FASTER THAN YOU WERE

At yesterday’s toilet incident point: Half a mile left. I can do half a mile. Just over 6 minutes of running left. Ok. Good. Wait – WHAT DO YOU MEAN SIX MINUTES

Endpoint comes into view: FOCUS

FOCUS

FOCUS

Nearly there, nearly there, nearly there. Kath’s watch beeps for 4 miles. Why is she ahead of me? Hm, Nearly there, nearly there, nearly there… How can I be nearly there for such a long time. Watch must be broken…

FOUR MILE BEEP