So today was run 2 of week 4 for me and it felt really good, mainly because I learned something valuable. I had been thinking that I was running as slowly as I could, but when I read the forums (yes, the creep is insidious isn't it, before you know it I'll be writing on the forums...) I saw that my pace, while not being a run was still fastish for a supposed "gentle jog" and not all of the people going more slowly than me were necessarily people with shorter legs!
Anyway, I did the Week 4 run for the first time on Monday and found it hard. You increase the amount of time actually running as you go through this programme and this week is the first time you run for a full 5 minutes (twice, as well as two 3 minute intervals too). On Monday, I was really feeling it in the final 5 minutes, I had to work through the soreness in my upper thigh and groin.
But today, I'd decided to slow it right down, to focus on running well, and as slowly as I actually could without it being a walk. It felt much slower than before, but actually, when I checked at the end, my pace had been pretty much the same, just a little more even. So by apparently slowing down, I was just making it easier for myself.
Also, because I run mostly on the river bank, I've found myself looking down a lot, it's not that rough, but there are the odd tree root and lumps of rock, but pulling my head up and trusting that I'll see those things before I need to, really helped with how I felt throughout the session.
Ready for Friday!