Scottish weather 1 - Me 0

Having run over 5 miles last Monday, I decided to head out for a 6-miler this morning. I planned to go at a steady, comfortable pace, as I was increasing distance so I didn't want to push the speed as well. I thought I'd aim to average 9 min/miles.

About an hour after breakfast, I left the house at about 9am. It was cool but not cold, there was quite a nice breeze, and the sky was overcast - it felt like good running conditions. I felt really good, and ran the first mile quite gently. When I checked my Garmin though, I'd done it in 8m50s. So I tried to slow down but keep a steady speed for the next mile, but that also beeped at exactly 8m50s!

I felt really good - I was feeling strong and fit, running well and I knew I could easily run 6 miles, and hopefully keep this pace up for the whole run. This was also my first run over the Forth Road Bridge since injury - one of my favourite routes, despite the fact that it is always windy. I got onto the bridge, ran about half a mile across it - and the heavens opened. Suddenly the rain absolutely poured down, and for a few moments it was hail. The wind picked up, and within seconds I was drenched. It was really uncomfortable, as all my clothes got heavy with water, and my socks were squidging around in my trainers.

After some miserable metres, I decided to turn back. It was just horrible to run in, and I was worried about chafing or blisters from my wet clothes and socks. I turned round and it was even worse! The wind was blowing straight at me, and the rain was almost horizontal. The force of it stung my eyes, and I ran to the end of the bridge with them mostly closed.

As I got off the bridge the wind died down, but I was thoroughly soaked, so I stopped in a bus shelter to squeeze water out of my shorts and top, and wipe my glasses. The run home wasn't too bad, but my wet clothes and shoes made me feel pretty horrible.

So in the end it was only 4.6 miles. I did maintain 8m53s / mile average pace, so I was pleased with that, but I was a bit fed up that I had felt so strong to start with and still didn't complete 6 miles. When I got in I dripped water all over the house before jumping into a hot bath.















Absolutely drenched!

As for the rest of the week, I have been very strict with my diet everyday, and avoided cakes, biscuits and other snacks between meals. At times I found it quite difficult, and the lack of chocolate made me pretty grumpy. But I weighed myself yesterday morning, and I had lost 3 pounds! Yay! 1 more to get me back to my pre-Christmas weight! I think I'll try and be good this week too, as my parents are visiting next weekend, and we'll probably treat ourselves most days.















Stuffed Butternut Squash and salad - one of my healthier recipes!

In total, I ran 15 miles this week, which is 5 miles further than the previous highest week, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Next week I'll have to try that 6-miler again, so I'll be keeping a firm eye on the weather forecast and choosing my day carefully. Needless to say, the rain soon blew over after that downpour, and it turned out to be a lovely, sunny afternoon. At least I got my own back by hanging my washing out on the line and getting it all dry in the sun - take that Mother Nature - KAPOW!