One short. One long.

Distance: 2.74m
Time: 20m09s

Mile 1 - 7m18s
Mile 2 - 7m40s
0.74m - 5m09s

Midday. The Stanford in the Vale village summer festival Fun Run. I go along to the Village Hall at 11.20am to register myself and my daughter. I've already agreed with her that we won't run together. Unlike the Santa Fun Runs we've done - I've decided I don't want her slowing me down today. If she can keep up - great - but I won't expect her too. And nor will I wait for her if she can't. She's happy to run at her own pace, and doesn't mind me shooting off ahead to try and get a good time. What is a good time? I haven't done this run before. I expect there will be some that take it seriously, but how fast will they go? I reckon I might just do it in about 20 minutes. 22 minutes is more likely I think.

Everyone gathers together before noon, and the final instructions are given out. Then at 12:08, we're off. I'm in the pack near the front of the "serious" runners. And before I've barely left the Village Hall car park, the leaders have set off at a very brisk pace. I dive around the kids running in front of me, dodging them as we all head off down the road. I glance down and see we're doing a 6 minute mile pace. Phew, that's too fast for me to keep up. Still, I'll do my best settle into a pace I feel I can keep up, and hope my stamina will keep me going longer than some of the faster runners ahead of me.

Half a mile in and I overtake my nephew. I hadn't spotted he was in front of me when we set off! On the outskirts of the village, I'm just about to overtake The Incredible Hulk (oh, fancy dress was optional!), and he spots some supporters with cameras by the side of the road, so puts on a spurt and makes a gap ahead of me. A few hundred yards later, I do overtake him, but he does go on to win the under-8 category!

I can't see the leaders ahead, they've long gone. I do overtake a couple of other racers on the road out of Stanford, and then as we turn left towards Hatford I think I'm about 6th perhaps for the over 18s and maybe 10th overall. The route is well marshaled so cars are waved to slow down for us, and the signs telling us where to go are clear. As we turn left in Hatford onto the footpath back to Stanford, there's even a drinks station handing out cups of water. We run along the public footpath, one I don't think I've used in over 25 years! It's in very good condition, not overgrown at all. Even room to overtake fellow runners as I've passed the half way point and feel I'm on the home stretch.

Back in the village and the marshals cheer us on. ¾ mile to go, and I step up a gear, overtaking another couple of racers. There's still one bloke ahead of me that I've got my eye on, but it looks like he's sped up too, I don't think I've got enough left to catch him. We cross the village green and half the village has turned out to cheer us home. My sister gives me a big shout as I pass. Then through the churchyard, 50 yards to go, and from nowhere a kid zooms past me to beat me to the finish line!

I stop my Garmin, and I've done it in 20 minutes. I don't know what position I came in, though someone told me one of the runners in front of me came overall 10th, so that would make me about 12th. I cool down and wait for my daughter to finish, so I can cheer her on. She finished in about 30 minutes, and was one of the fastest under 18 girls to finish, but again we don't know exactly where, as they only announced 1st & 2nd place in each category on the day. We hang about for the presentation ceremony and applaud the winners. The overall winner did it in 14m57s - so I'll have to go some if I ever wanted to try to win this event!!


Distance: 8.04m
Time: 1h13m11s

Mile 1 - 9m38s
Mile 2 - 9m26s
Mile 3 - 9m20s
Mile 4 - 9m11s
Mile 5 - 9m05s
Mile 6 - 8m56s
Mile 7 - 8m41s
Mile 8 - 8m31s
0.04m - 0m20s

7pm. The heat of the day is finally over. Time for a gentle run then. I was in two minds about this earlier in the afternoon, but by 6.30pm I'm feeling keen again. So before I change my mind and just veg in front of the TV for the evening, I get changed back into running shorts and put my running shoes back on. I filled my water bottle with lucozade sport & ice, and headed off on the same route as the lunchtime fun run.

I covered the first mile and a bit up to the Hatford turn in just under 10 minutes. I was half way round the run on the way back from Hatford towards Stanford at this point earlier. And approaching the woods the other side of Gainfield, about 2½ miles in, I noticed I'd been running for 22 minutes so would have been back already. Well as long as I keep up the pace I'm doing, I'll be happy, as 9½ minute miles isn't back considering the amount I've been exercising over the last 2 weeks.

In fact I achieved what may be a first today. I would have to check back, but I ran each and every one of this evening's 8 miles faster than the previous one. I didn't make a conscious effort to do this, I just kept running at a pace that felt good. If possible I do seem to enjoy running the last 3 miles of a run faster than before, but to run all 8 speeding up on each one is pretty good. I'm quite chuffed with that!