easy running

Everybody knows I'm not a fan of long, slow distance. Me, I'm a died-in-the-wool fan of the Coe-Ovett-Cram British school of training: quality not quantity. And yet...

it was Olympic medallist Lorraine Moller who first suggested I put the Garmin and the stopwatch to one side and focus on running easily, well within my fitness level. It would, she said, help me rediscover the joy of running after a year spent frantically trying to catch up with the level of fitness I thought I "should" be at.

A mighty 25 miles this week!

Is that pathetic, or what?

In my defence, I would have clocked more, but for the snow. I've put the hours in, but today, for instance, I was ploughing through snow at 11 minutes a mile or even slower.

We're just starting the third week of Bobby McGee's 45-week sub-5 minutes miling program. Are we havung fun yet? Oh yes! This training is very different from anything I've done before. And speaking to Kyle, it seems I'm not the only one whose body is enjoying the slower pace.

We've been given a heart rate max which we're not to exceed during some of our runs. And it feels slow. Now, this will also sound a hit pathetic, but dude, running more slowly makes me feel good! I'm actually coming back from runs invigorated rather than exhausted. I'm recovering well between runs and there is no struggle to get out the door because I know I can do the speed I'm "supposed" to be do. Duh! I know, I know, it's blindingly obvious. But I've never done it this way before.