Zig-zag or Zag-zig?

Distance: 3.71 miles
Time: 30m23s
Mile 1 - 8m25s
Mile 2 - 8m07s
Mile 3 - 8m07s
0.71m - 5m43s



This evening called for a 30 minute "brisk" run. I decided to run straight after work, on the 4-mile route I normally do, and run as much of it as would fit into 30 minutes. Somewhere around 3½ miles. I set off a bit later than planned. Why do I still procrastinate? I know I enjoy running now. Why don't I just get out there and do it? I think it's because my legs still feel a bit tired and sore after the weekend (did I mention I ran 20 miles on Sunday?)

Anyway, it was a lovely evening, or so I thought, and I head off. I'm soon into a brisk pace and worrying myself that as per usual I've set off too quick, and won't keep it up at this rate for 3 miles, let alone 30 minutes. But hey, I'll see what happens. My legs are on autopilot already and I zip round Mile 1 in under 8½ minutes. Then when I head West out of Sutton Courtenay I feel the wind on my face. Ooh, this doesn't feel good. Normally a bit of a breeze doesn't bother me, but this I can really feel. It must be slowing me down, right? Um, no. A quick glance at my Garmin and I'm running sub-8-minute-mile pace. Good grief. When did I speed up? Well this wind is annoying me, I'll keep it up until the corner at least, and hope when I turn South the wind drops.

I turn into Milton village, and the wind is still against me. This doesn't feel good, but strangely the rest of me does. My legs refuse to slow. I miss Mile 2 go by as I'm watching out for cars as I run along the narrow pavement. Darn. Oh well - it must have been quite good as I haven't clocked up 17 minutes yet. When I reach Milton Park I realise I'm going to end up running past my work at this rate (the normal 4 mile route takes me past where I work and round the block). Perhaps if I double back round some of the roads in a zig-zag it will mean the 30 minutes is closer to work, so I don't have too far to walk back when I'm done. And it'll make for a good map on my Garmin (see above), and give me an excuse to tell a terrible joke (see below).

So I run back and forth round some of the units in the business park. I feel like I'm tiring a little, but am pleased to see I'm still keeping up an ~8-minute-mile pace. Mile 3 clocks up at 8m07s and I'm only about 5 minutes away from work. And far from slowing down now, I just keep on running. I'm really enjoying it this evening. Where did my aches go? They disappeared when I started running. Perhaps I should stop walking everywhere and run instead. It feels so much better. 30 minutes looms and I'm on the road back to work. I was going to stop dead on 30 and walk the rest, but I was so close I ran the last 23 seconds too.

Back to stretch, and change, and then home for coley fillets with parsley sauce topped with cheese all on top of a huge pile of brown spaghetti for dinner. Maybe an odd combination, but I have to mix things up a bit with all the pasta I eat these days so that I don't die of boredom! While I was cooking I let my Garmin upload its data, and was pleasantly surprised to see I'd run 8m07s for both Miles 2 & 3 and averaged an 8-minute mile pace for the last 0.71 mile section.

To finish... the joke I promised you. Enjoy!

Two dyslexic skiers are at the top of the ski slope. The instructor says "Right then, you just go down here, zig-zag -zag zag. Follow me!" and heads off down the mountain. The first skier is about to go, when he turns to the other and says "Did he say zig-zag zig-zag or zag-zig zag-zig?", and the other replies "Ooh, I dunno. I'll ask this bloke with a sled, he'll know..." so the second skier turns to another chap and asks "Excuse me, when we go down this slope, do we go zig-zag zig-zag or zag-zig zag-zig?" to which he replies "Sorry, I can't help you there, I don't ski. I'm a tobogganist" and then the first skier says "Oh, that's good. Can I have 20 Marlboro lights and a box of matches?"