Boom!

On paper today was my most challenging run for quite some time. I was  following Ballymena Runners week 4, day three schedule which called for an eight minute run followed by a two minute walk repeated three times.

I was quite apprehensive about it. It was mentally challenging to know I’d have to keep going for so long. I mean, I can run/walk for a long, long time but knowing I’d have to run for 80% of the time was quite daunting.

As I said, the schedule meant I had to repeat it three times ….. so, being something of an ambitious and stubborn bugger, I did it four times.

And you know what? It wasn’t *that* bad. Yes, I was tired but never really did I think of stopping. If those thoughts did creep in – and they did from time to time – I just pushed through them.

It helped that there were three football matches being played on the pitches beside me so I ran round there for a while knowing that I couldn’t stop for fear of being seen giving up. If I can’t run with a group then run around a gathering of people, same thing really.

Wait! Hang on! Me deliberately run where I’ll be seen? What is this? Where has ‘run in the dark so no-one will see him’ Martin gone? I’ve still got the podgy belly and the stumpy legs but I’ve got a confidence I never had before.

I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t dip below the 40-minute mark for 5k but it was my fastest time out of my last ten attempts so I suppose that’s something. It’ll come, I know it will, especially as I get stronger doing longer running segments.

Anyway, 401 Challenge update …..

I haven’t really decided what strategy to adopt tomorrow. Do I attempt the eight minute blocks as I did today or do I tone it down a bit given I’ll be out for a lot longer?

Sunday 9th October – 8 miles

401 Challenge update – 18.2 miles done, 8 miles left

Sunday 2nd October – 7 miles
Tuesday 4th October – 2.1 miles
Wednesday 5th October – 3.7 miles
Friday 7th October – 2.1 miles
Saturday 8th October – 3.3 miles