I left the house a bit late this morning and had to cycle like a woman possessed. I joined the back of a peloton in Richmond Park but they shook me off on the first hill. I arrived in Bushy Park with only 5 mins to go, so got to practice a speedy cycle to run transition, shove my gear in a random car boot and knock back all the water intended for my run.
It was a gorgeous day again, very slippy underfoot but I think the temperature was just about spot on. I finally met my internet stalker and somehow found myself in the middle of the pack as the race began. This forced me into a nippy start with the first km wrapped up in 6:36 almost a minute quicker than the previous runs.
I was trying to do the maths to determine what my pace could safely slip back to and still allow me to cross the finish with a pb. Unfortunately my mental arithmetic goes to pot when I run, probably cos I starve my brain of oxygen. I felt blown out anyway and my pace seemed to be dropping to an all to low while I tried to recover. I almost stopped to walk I was going that slowly. The garmin beeped for the 2nd km and strangely my split time was still faster than usual. This piled on the pressure a bit more – I just had to hang in there til the end.
The final straight at the BPTT is a killer, a deceptive 1 km stretch that keeps egging you on to sprint but then refuses to yeild the finish line. Hollywood joined me for about 500 m of hell and pushed me to a new max HR of 185 and a hint of a cardiac arrest. The final photo shows me suffering – check out the frown.
Final result: 5km in 35:08
A new PB!
Ok now for the new b.r.a. (that doesn’t stand for anything, I’m just trying to foil the dodgy ads) bit of the post. I mentioned yesterday that my new Enell contraption had arrived. It was my second one of the week but I returned the first as it was far too comfortable. The second one gripped me like a vice which seems to be the recommended consistency. During the run I felt I was being grabbed by the Bachelor’s Hug-in-a-Mug bear but I can safely say that my bits and pieces didn’t budge an inch during that run.
I award this weeks personal best to the Enell sports bra.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Well done on the PB and b.r.a.
Congrats on the new pb. Thanks for posting at my place
Congratulations on a pb, especially after a hurried start. You’ll have to amend your goals.
Great job on the PB. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your progress, you are doing amazing! I wanted to also follow up and thank you again for linking your blog to our Running Blog Database. It has now grown to bloggers from 36 states in the US and 20 other countries all ages and abilities.
Well done on the PB, Your blog has been great reading this week
When will your magazine come out?
Ta.
The mag is apparently going to be out in about 2 weeks.
I’m sure I’ll make some mention of it when my copy comes through the post. Mind you if its too embarassing I’ll probably just transfer it straight to the recycling bin and forget all about it.
I’ve never read the mag before but I spotted a copy in Sainsburys yesterday, the front page tagline was disturbing but I can’t repeat it without boosting my blogs ranking in the porn searches.
Doesn’t bode well.
Congrats on the PB. 7 minute k’s – woohoo!! That’s where I want to be – but I’ve still got another 3 minutes to go. I LOVE my Enell – I couldn’t run without it. Seriously – I couldn’t! Sometimes I don’t think that “smaller” women understand just what “bounce” means. When I strap myself in, everything else jiggles but not the front bit!
Hi – Thanks for your comment on my blog. Your header photo looks strangely familiar – is it somewhere around 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach? Also, I’m jealous of your mountain bike – I’ve always had Rockhoppers, so there’s definitely some Stumpy envy on my part.
Congrats on setting a PB. Keep up the good work!
Congratulations on the mag opp. I like your blog a lot. If you’re ever in the Washington DC (USA) area, join us for our Wirefly National Marathon in March. It’s a Boston qualifier.
Well done on your pb. See you on Saturday.
Hi Donald – the header photo was taken in Asilomar just south of Monterey.