Summary of Week 5

This week, I managed to make two sessions out of 4 and enjoyed them immensely. They were also such an improvement as can be seen below.

Thursday - 5km: 33 min (goal: 30 min)
Saturday - 9km: 70 min (goal: 54 min)
Average speed: 7.92 KPH (YAY!)

Procrastinating, that it is what the problem is. I kept putting off the first run of the week until it was time for the second one. When I finally went out on Thursday it was 22:30hrs. It is safe to say I was in a hurry to get back because normally it takes me over 40 minutes to do 5km. It was already dark and too late to run around so I couldn’t go the planned 8km.

Thursday
Thursdays run was great and this is probably why:

1. Rest - Having run just 1 session the preceding 14 days, I was all rested and ready to take on the trails again.
2. Meals - With 8 small meals spread out through the day my energy was at a high that day. I used to do it when I primarily trained with weights and it worked wonders especially with weight loss. When I started running I stopped planning the meals that way - as it proved to be time consuming - to concentrate on the running.
3. The atmosphere was just right for running. The temperature was quite agreeable and the wind was mostly still. It was a bit humid but I like humid when running in the evenings.
4. Music always gives an extra oomph. With the bustle and hustle of the day off the roads, I cranked up the volume on my MP3 player higher than usual and took on the sidewalks  like I owned them.

Saturday
The 9km on Saturday was also very enjoyable. I incorporated the fartlek technique which meant that I could sprint or run fast between any chosen distances and then run extremely slow for shorter periods of time to recover. At times I walked but it wasn't for long.
To my surprise recovery was very quick and I was energized after the quick run as opposed to being worn out.

I had no clue how long I would be there so I took water with me. It was the best decision of the day.

I can still feel the (positive) effects of this run 24 hrs later so I guess it was about time I moved on to longer distances. I wasn't getting that feeling anymore. One problem is that my feet hurt like crazy.

I can’t wait to go out again.