Training: nice and gentle 5K

With the Allendale Challenge just 2 days away, the mantra for yesterday's lunchtime run was nothing more than "Don't get injured". Around this time of year back in 2010, I did exactly that in the run-up to the Allendale Challenge and while the knee problem I picked up wasn't my biggest problem on the day, I certainly could've lived without it. So... nothing daft today.

That meant a pretty gentle run along the quayside, heading along Skinnerburn Road to the business park and then back along the riverside path. And, just to complete 5K, the end saw me actually run up the hill back to the office for once instead of quitting by the Guildhall.

In the end, despite the fact I would've been content with a 5:45/km or even 6:00/km pace, I maintained a 5:20/km pace for the majority of it. (We'll ignore the much slower pace once I had to climb back to the office. 😂) But the most important thing was that I never felt any kind of twinges that might hint at having done something daft. 👍

So that completes my wind-down week in the run up to Allendale. Have to say, I'm really excited to be going back, even if my feet were a mess after it last time. This time round, the focus is on avoiding that happening again, which hopefully means I'll be able to just enjoy being out on a walk in the hills for once. And in less than 24 hours, I'll be doing exactly that. See you on the flipside. 😁

My alarm, set for an unholy time in the morning

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