And so; now that Spring is in the air (apparently), it's time to hit the roads and get some stamina and experience into those legs. I've been running from work to Northampton railway station a few times, with routes varying from 2.75 to 3.0 miles. At the moment it's taking about 26-28 minutes, and to be honest, it doesn't feel too bad. The biggest problems I currently have are ones relating to pace (I really shouldn't be doing consistent sub-8.30 miles) and traffic - this latter issue really disrupts my patterns and it's always the second mile of my regular runs that causes the problem.
I've also done couple of long runs - typically 4 to 5 miles and despite the obvious tiredness at the end, I'm feeling pretty good about them. Having never really liked running too much when I was younger, I've really appreciated the opportunity to get out around Caldecotte Lake and even managed to affirm my navigation around the suburbs of Sunderland!
I'm now very confident that 5 miles is do-able: something I'd have struggled with this time last year. My next target (for the end of April) is to be reach 7 miles. That is over half of the Great North Run distance, so if I can get to that figure, I'll be confident that I can at least reach Hebburn!
