Wednesday 10 June 2009

On cognitive dissonance

Being smug is an unattractive thing, but feeling smug is, well, pretty good really.
I know this, because I'm feeling it right now. I've done my 6 miles and went out when it was sunny. Now I'm back it's raining!

I did a super route, through the village, along the River Kent, through a golf course, along the river again, and then through some fields to home. Lovely mixed terrain, with few hills. I felt I was running really well and began to think that this (for me) more serious training is beginning to pay off. I'm sure I'm thinner because my Garmin HR strap kept working loose!
So you can imagine my disappointment when the stats showed I was just sort of bumbling along at 9:30s/mile. Mind you, I did have to slow down in the last mile or so because I was trying to find a new way home, but still. I guess that there's a mismatch between how you feel you're running and how you're actually running sometimes.
Something I did notice today; when you run early afternoon mid-week you see an awful lot of people out walking their dogs! One particular lovely black St Bernard-type decided to bound along with me for a bit until he was called off by his owner. He looked a bit disappointed to stop. I like to think he was enjoying himself. I was.
On ultracollie's recommendation, I've entered the Lowther Trail run on 9th August. I think that means there's going to be 11 of us! It looks nice. 13 miles, mixed terrain, c.1500ft of ascent.
Smiley rating 8/10

5 comments:

  1. 11 of us! :0 beat you to be last hayfella!
    i wouldn't worry about your pace..i too sometimes have those runs where it feels great but the pace is...well..

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  2. Am tempted by the trail race too - have you done it before? Just thought I'd share the main reason I started using heart rate was because of these funny distortions of the mind! I can be running 6.45 miles yet think I'm only jogging along and other days feel like I'm working very hard when bimbling along at a snail's pace. Do you use HR much? Finding it a great gauge for effort - it liberates you a bit from worrying about pace in training. You can enjoy the views even more!

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  3. UC
    I quite fancy coming in last. Lots of crowd support if they haven't already gone home!

    RB
    I haven't done it before, but know the area vaguely. It's quite scenic, rolling rather than vertiginous.
    I must admit, I didn't think to look at my HR! Would have been a good idea. Normally do use it, but on hilly terrain it's not very reliable - my 3 miler the other morning was dead slow but my heart was bonkers because of the gradient.

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  4. first one to finish buys the beers (or cakes) RB ;)

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  5. Ran the Lowther Trail as a 75 yr old in 2007 - a cracking race through some beautiful countryside - and was awarded an engraved whisky tumbler for what the organiser described as 'the performance of the day'. The tumbler has been well used since, part of a Friday night ritual, and has been sterilized with an assortment of good malts.
    Cheers!

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