I think I’m starting to like the idea of getting a run in while working from home. This time I braved the cold and headed out after the kids left for daycare and before settling in for the days work. It was still damn cold, so I trialed a long sleeve top I had bought during the recent 2XU flash sale. Bargain – $100 top for $40! The fabric felt quite heavy, so I wasn’t sure what it would be like for running in but figured it was a good time to try it as I wouldn’t be too far from home. Plus, if it worked, it would come in handy for the weekend run up in the Blue Mountains.
The top was magic! Even before I started running I didn’t feel cold. The long sleeves with thumb holes, I could pull right down over my hands and kept them toasty warm too. I kept it on for the first 4km before heating up too much, then a double knot around my waist and I barely even noticed it for the rest of the run.
A 10km run was on the schedule, easy pace but I didn’t feel like doing the flattish runs from last time around, so I plotted out a hilly route to see how much more elevation I could add after my last hilly run. It started out easy – 2kms of flat and downhill. Third kilometre kicked things up a notch being pretty continuously uphill, starting with 300m at average 9% grade. After that there was a bit of up and down and it took me through some pretty suburban streets in perfect weather. People nodded hello, there were autumn leaves still in the gutters to crunch through, a garden of beautiful smelling lavender and minimal traffic.
A wrong turn had me facing a very steep hill I wasn’t’ prepared for which had me walking once I hit the top (I was determined to run up the damn thing, but my heart rate was telling me to slow down by the end of it). Then, a slight reprieve before the final long, steep hill and then two blissful, easy, flat kilometres home.
It felt like a much hillier run than the previous week, so I was pretty disappointed to see that it was only about 15m more of elevation in it than the 6.5km run the previous week. I probably pushed too hard again based on heart rate, and my pace was slower than my goal, but it was a good run. I felt strong, the daily calf raises are definitely helping and my fitness hasn’t dropped off too much with the reduction in weekly runs. The time was pretty good too – only a couple of months ago this would have been my time for 10km with barely half the elevation.
Numbers
- Distance: 10km
- Elevation: 152m
- Time: 1:16:11
Now we’re half way through the year, I’ll have to do a post soon to see how I’m going on my goals for the year. But first – the annual Turkey Trot. Approximately 12km up in the Blue Mountains waiting for us.
Faster Mummy Faster 