I’ve been mixing it up a little, the last few days.  I was supposed to run intervals on boxing day, and do a long walk on my birthday.  But rich food, good company and late nights conspired to make me good for not much on boxing day, so I ran birthday intervals, instead.  Today was supposed to be 30 minutes at 5k pace.  I woke up to a cold (-2 deg), white, icy frost.  The hill out of the village was sheet ice.  So I went to the gym.

I haven’t been to my local gym for a long time – possibly over a year.  I loathe treadmill running with a cold and deep loathing.  I find the display so distracting, and dispiriting at the same time.  I think I’m going great guns, and then I look at the display and I’ve not been as long or as hard as I think I’ve been.  Or I feel a bit puffed, and I know I can turn the speed down.  So I do.  I find the discipline of maintaining what I’m doing virtually impossible.  And so I do what I can, and I come home crushed and disappointed that I haven’t done what I set out to do.  This morning was no different.

Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to do a 45 minute tempo run.  Between you and me, I’m not sure what pace ‘tempo’ is, but I’m assuming a little faster than long slow running pace.  We’ve come down to Devon, and there are serious hills here, and mostly tiny single lane, windy roads.  So Mr P wasn’t sure I’d be able to find a route, but we did a recce this afternoon, and I think we’ve found just an adequate amount of pavement to cover.  And mostly downhill, too, which is a bonus.  Saturday’s long slow run may have to wait till we get home.  We’re going to be here increasingly often, though, so I will have to find some longer routes.

Meantime, after tomorrow’s run we’ll take the dogs to the beach.  Genil is not well – he’s been ill for almost a year now – and we’re not confident he’ll recover, so it’ll be a particular treat for him.  Or for us to watch him.  One or the other…

And I’ll be trying not to have to resort to the treadmill again this side of the marathon.  This training plan has no room for short cuts. So I’d better not give myself the opportunity to take them!