Run. Fast. Escape.: Sunday Run Day

It 's now less than a week before I take to the roads of Dronfield and attempt to do my first ever 10k race. The initial nerves have gone now, to be replaced with genuine excitement!

Since my last post my training has been more sporadic than I'd have liked, but in that time I've managed two stints of more than 6 miles with my slowest time being 1:04:09, so there is still progress being made. I had a little bit of a scare after my first 6 mile run. When I was out there I could feel a tightness at the tops of my thighs/outside of my groin, but because it didn't hurt I paid little attention to it. Stretching off was fine, run of the mill type stuff and everything seemed to have gone back to normal. It wasn't until I woke up in the night and tried to roll over that I REALLY felt the pain! It felt like a pulled muscle, but more concentrated, and with it being perfectly in the middle of my body I felt the pain every time I moved. Thankfully that subsided after the following rest day.

I'm not sure what I did differently to cause the pain (I won't call it an injury because it hasn't happened since and only lasted a short amount of time) but I assume it to be starting my run heading downhill and just going further than I have done before.

The same day as I did my first ever +6 mile run my girlfriend and I went to spend a week in a cabin in Sherwood Forest. The plan was to continue my training as usual but it didn't quite happen like that. I managed one run (just over 3 miles) and the rest of the days were spent watching squirrels, lounging in the hot tub or walking through the woods.

Definitely the most scenic run I've done so far, if a little bit lumpy.

Best stretch session I've had so far! Hot tub, mist and nature. Perfect.

I felt guilty for not having put the time and effort into my training so opted for a 6 mile route around Rother Valley. Ran there, round the lakes, walked back. The walk back was really nice, despite the weather, and I had time to actually look around rather than just watch where I'm putting my feet. Whilst the picture below isn't the most imaginative and relies pretty heavily on the filter, it has made me think that I could combine running/photography. The period after a run is almost a concentrated alertness that could be put to better use than it is now. Maybe I could start a running/shooting group?