Back on Nights....

It was an early start for me this morning. I was in work for 7am for a conference that was starting first thing. It was dark when I set off but the morning sun rose up and poked its head out of the clouds as I came within view of the town hall. The Victorian building was perfectly silhouetted against the fiery sky so I stopped to capture the scene.

Early sunrise above Barrow Town Hall

 

 

I had a busy day at work with two kids shows of Dinosaur Zoo in today, (which was bloody brilliant) so I was kept going all day. I walked home and made dinner and lunches for tomorrow as Im on early again in the morning. Joanne wasn't well when I returned home and she spent the rest of the evening resting in bed. After Id sorted the house and meals out, Oliver went to bed and I settled down to watch some soaps. Only kidding I put my run gear on and went for a run, I returned and did my core strength exercises, had a quick shower and went to bed to write this blog.

Running: 8.6 miles  7:19 /mi   1:03hrs

It was good to get out for dark night run again. I hadn't run this circuit for a while, probably since the dark evenings left us in the spring. Its a good route in the dark as there are no unlit roads and plenty of visibility. Its also an excellent time to switch to a later run, the ultra will be finishing in the dark after 13 hours, so it makes sense to run after a long day when Im really tired.
I made my way off Walney and noticed my pace was quite quick so I stayed with it, relaxing into the quick turnover. I made my way onto Park Road and along to Ormsgill Lane. The lane climbs up from the pub on the corner up and over to the Hospital. Its an excellent climb that takes around 5 min to do. As I ran up it my pace didn't drop, it felt easy, light and I felt really strong. I pushed up the 3 sections of the hill, each one getting steeper and was at the top much sooner than I thought, breathing hard but not needing to stop. I continued at the top and down past the Hospital to Abbey Road.
The return 4 miles is a good run from there, its down hill for a bit and a good chance to stretch my legs and my pace. I thought a lot about my forthcoming race and how I would tackle it. I need to solidify my race plan in the next couple of weeks. I slowed down as I came onto Walney and my last mile. The drop of pace slowing my heart and cooling me down as I reached home. I really enjoyed the run.
When I downloaded my GPS watch data I found I had run a PB for the hill section on Ormsgill lane which, again is a good sign of my improvements. I went straight into my strength work and stretched out before getting a shower and my head down for the night.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:
Mini Shredded Wheat with Blueberries and Skimmed milk

Lunch:
Mackerel Salad with brown rice

Dinner:
Thai style Basa Fillets with Brown Rice, tender stem broccoli and chilli vegetable stir fry

Snacks:
Nuts and seeds, 2x apples, celery sticks, pineapple, oat bar