Time to Run 2013 :: part 3

Hello lovelies,
After my fab short run on Wednesday I woke up with the start of a cold on Thursday.
It always seems to be the case that I get a cold at this time of year...it's not a problem , unless you are training for a specific goal. Then it's very frustrating and can set you back for a couple of weeks if it turns out to be the sort that goes to your chest .
 Desperate to get in my long run, before it got any worse, I headed out anyway..........

I knew this week my training plan told me that I needed to do a ten mile run, not so much further than my 8.75 mile run last week, but psychologically a big leap into double figures .....and a big distance to keep your legs going . I haven't run this far at all in 2013.

Music is always good to give me a much needed boost on a long run. At home I really don't listen to music much at all these days, preferring the sound of silence when I get the chance. But an upbeat tune can really make a difference when I'm running.I do find the need to ring the changes with my playlist or I simply don't listen to it most of the time.
  I uploaded a few tracks from the boys CD to my old MP3 ( now 85!....I remember the very first one....shhhh don't tell anyone).
This week THIS track grabbed my attention and lifted my spirits when the going was getting tough.Yes I AM loving every second, minute, hour....Really I am :0)

Other songs I have on this tiny machine that I always love hear for various reasons are :-
(There is a sample of the songs you can listen to in these link pages if you like.)
VALERIE....because Amy's voice is just wonderful..... brings a lump to my throat

THE LAZY SONG because it reminds me of my first ever half marathon in 2011.It was a local race that I did with the support of a good friend, giving me lots of advice in training then running beside me and encouraging me all the way. I loved the irony of running 13 miles while listening to a song about doing nothing and when this song came on we were outside the hospital where my boys were born and where my eldest had recovered from a torn spleen a couple of years before .
 I have so much to thank the people who work there for.

DANCE WITH ME TONIGHT because it reminds me of my second half marathon. It was the first time I had run one by myself and this track came on about half way through . It was May last year and  I was running past masses of bluebells. I finally relaxed and started enjoying myself instead of worrying I wasn't going be be able to do this without my friend for support.

So how did this weeks long training run go?
Well fine really. I ran along local streets then around a lake. I loved seeing lots of swallows darting past and swans flying low over the shimmering water. It's a long straight boating lake and the outward side was so easy, then when I started heading back along the opposite bank I realised I had had a a good tail wind....the return journey was much tougher !
 I didn't notice my cold at all and even the heavy rain that began at mile seven didn't bother me too much. It's quite refreshing when you are hot. I had a water bottle with me and my usual wine gums for a bit of energy. I also had an old energy gel  but it tasted funny so I only had a bit , then dropped it in the nearest bin. I must get some new ones as I do think they help on long runs.

This is  a GPS watch.... It's amazing the technology you can wear on your wrist these days.

It's new and I'm quite excited about being able to track my progress in this way.
The top figure is distance....10 miles exactly....whoop :0) it's great to know accurately just how far you went.
The big numbers are time taken.....not really the most important thing to me.
 The bottom figure is pace in minute miles. I don't know why it shows 8.04....I can't run that fast. My  pace for this run was 10.31 ( which means it took me 10 minutes 31 seconds to run a mile on average )
It connects up to your computer and tells you loads more information , like a map of your route and the gradients you ran up and down.
It's a luxury you don't really need but I'm certainly loving mine....it even has pretty leaves and a touch of pink :0)

By Friday my cold had really kicked in , I'm refusing to believe I've made it worse by running in the rain.
My weekend runs will have to be missed but as I've already run 17 and a half miles this week  it's not a disaster. I just hope this flippin cold goes away soon.....it's only 4 short weeks till my next half marathon.

You can read about how I started running three years ago  HERE

I've also added a couple of running blogs I'm enjoying reading at the moment to my blog roll for anyone who is looking for more inspiration. They are Mile Posts and Hungry Runner Girl

Jacquie x