I went on my first long run of the plan yesterday – I didn’t have a mileage target, I just had to run for 60 minutes. The whole day I was dreading my run, I was tired, I couldn’t be bothered and my legs felt heavy. But the plan said I needed to run and I’d already cancelled my Pilates session for this so I decided to man up and go. I knew I had to run for 60 minutes but I decided I wouldn’t look at my watch – I didn’t want to run to a specific pace, I just wanted to run.

Mile 1 went well, it’s my favourite mile of the whole route because it’s a slow decline for the majority of the way. I normally try and run as fast as I can but I always end up burning out and walking for a couple of minutes afterwards so this time I held myself back and it worked.

I Hit Mile 1 and carried on running. Mentally this was challenging. For so many of my runs, I have walked straight after mile 1 to recover but after a quick pep talk, I pushed myself. I decided I would bank those walking minutes for when I needed them later on in the run.

Before I knew it, I’d hit mile 2. I didn’t look at my Fitbit but I’d listened to around 3 songs in-between so I knew my pace was ok. Miles 3 – 4 were loop miles; I need to be mentally prepared to run the half marathon in two loops so I thought I would get some practise in! The first loop was ok and I felt ready to do the second loop although I’m sure it will feel different when it’s another 13 miles rather than one.

Mile 5 was difficult. My legs felt tired and my Fitbit had decided it was going to stop. I quickly restarted it and headed off, knowing I was really close to home. I was so desperate to finish it that this ended up being my fastest mile at 9:30 minutes – even if my Fitbit decided to break it up! In total I ran for 54.18 minutes (slightly under target) and 5.15 miles with an average pace of 10:50 minutes – not my fastest but I’m happy considering the distance.

And the best part about my run – I DIDN’T STOP ONCE. There were so many times where I could have walked and wanted to walk but I didn’t. There were times when I wanted to give up but I didn’t. There were times where everything hurt and the thought of running another mile made me want to cry but I carried on going.

Yes my time wasn’t the best but I don’t care, I managed to run continuously for 54.18 minutes and I am so happy with that! Sometimes it’s best to focus on the run rather than on the pace; so what if you ran slower than you wanted, you still went out for your run and that’s awesome!

So next time you go out, remember it’s your run #myrunmypace

What is your best run?

What runs has everyone got lined up for the rest of the week?

L x