Midweek run: time-limited riverside jaunt

After Saturday's disappointment at Leazes Park, I was keen to knuckle down and get on with getting faster again. So, while I managed to fit in less than 20 minutes today, at least I got back out there.

The usual Google Fit report: 3.42km in 17:45, earning 34 heart points

I wasn't really expecting to make it out at lunchtime and consequently forgot to even pack my running shoes when I headed to the office. Luckily, I still use my old Nike RunAllDay trainers for everyday use, so I ran in them instead.

The start of the route was an easy downhill to the quayside and then I ran upriver, past the Copthorne Hotel. I had a meeting to get back for, so decided to turn back as soon as my Google Fit told me I'd done 10 minutes. And given I wasn't going to run back up Dean Street, that meant my run finished after 17½ minutes. So, downhill-followed-by-flat gave me a chance to try to increase the pace. Which I guess I did, but not as much as I'd hoped.

As I ran, Google announced successively slower 5-minute intervals, which again was demoralising. However, once I finished, it recalibrated and it seems my pace was more up and down. Of course, take that with a pinch of salt given the vagaries of GPS (see my trace above). Ultimately though, it reckoned I averaged 5:10/km for a total of 3.42km. I'm happy with that for now. And it feels good to have reminded myself what it's like to run a bit faster, even if there was no uphill section.

My pace: first kilometre involved a lot of downhill, then things got more realistic

Let's see if I can keep it up with another run later this week.

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