I ran...

I ran, I ran, I ran, I ran, I ran.

Only half an hour - from the Terrace gym around the waterfront to Fisherman's Table and back. I made myself take it really slowly and my lungs are still a bit congested, but it felt remarkably ok for my first time out there in, what, three weeks?

The conditions were horrid all day. More Wellington spring-time gale Northerlies and rain. I expected conditions to be bad and had to really kick myself in the butt to get back out there again. What is it about not running for a while that makes me terrified about trying again? Like I would have suddenly been reduced to total newbie territory in such a short period of time.

In the end I didn't need my wind parker, and there was a bit of a head wind on the return split, but nothing really to be scared of. Perhaps it was the novelty of being back out there again, but everything felt fresh and new. A rest really is as good as a vacation. Everything seemed sharp and beautiful. The container ship sitting out in the harbour, the haze obscuring the Rimutakas in the distance. Little signs of spring that have emerged since I last ran this way several weeks ago.

I opened up a little for the last few hundred metres, and funnily enough my perceived rate of exertion didn't really change. I think I become a lazy runner at the lower speeds. When I run faster I engage my large muscle groups more, so I don't necessarily feel like I'm working any harder. It's only my mind that keeps me running slowly. Something to work on. I want to get a bit more technical about my training. I've written before about heart rate training. I've been thinking about doing the Tuesday night Loaded Hog runs as well, so that I can learn to pace myself over 5km, then continue trying to improve. If I'm not going to be running with the Squad then I need to ensure that I'm continuing to train at my best possible speed and that I don't allow myself to slacken off.

Anyway, enough. A quick word of commiseration to those runners who weren't able to finish the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. The conditions sounded extreme, and although I'm not sure the organisers handled things as best they could, given the number of people dropping like flies I think the decision to call the event off sounds like the right one. I hope you can all find other events to train for, and that this doesn't put anyone off running in the future.

And, oh yeah, I RAN!!!!!