G3 Part 3

Up early again for another 10 k on the Downs. D and I both felt odd (hot, queasy) during the night : a bug? some food not right?

I continued with the queasy sensation during the run, but no emergencies of any kind. A much simpler route than 1 or 2, characterised by long flat sections, tracking along the contours of the North Downs, and equally long steep bits at right angles. I started well, moving forward in the bunch in the first km, then lost places when my shoelaces unravelled. As usual, the steep southern approach to St Martha's is amusing in the extreme. A walking family looked on us stumbling up the past aghast - had we been running all the way from Canterbury perhaps? No just 35 minutes around those fields. "We're having fun, honest!"

It occurred to me that in these sorts of distances, that there's nowhere to hide. You have to concentrate continually to keep your footing, so turning off mentally is not an option. Physically, the pace is pushing all the time, at what atherletes like to call the Lactate Threshold. For me, that's three steps per breathing cycle, as opposed to the four steps of a half-M or Sunday run.

Likewise, progress in gaining speed endurance fitness isn't accompanied by any less discomfort. You feel crap if you're doing well or badly, just that if you can go faster for the same amount of crap feeling you'll place higher. Assuming you're competing consistently.

Similar time to last couple of outings 10 km = 1 h 08 m.

Ghastly photo and nerdy stats to follow.