{"id":10118,"date":"2026-11-07T20:38:26","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T20:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dankew.me\/?p=10118"},"modified":"2026-11-07T20:45:06","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T20:45:06","slug":"two-very-different-runs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dankew.me\/index.php\/2026\/11\/07\/two-very-different-runs\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Very Different Runs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

North Downs Ridge 50k Training Block - Week 2\/17<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This entry covers Thursday and Saturday, and what a contrast they turned out to be. One run where I had absolutely nothing in the tank, followed by another where everything seemed to click into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes easy runs aren't easy, and Thursday's was particularly troublesome. I don't know whether it was the recent increase in training load, but whatever the reason, my legs felt incredibly heavy. I had absolutely no motivation, felt completely flat and, to be honest, just didn't enjoy any of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I stuck to my old faithful route, heading out towards Goring before turning back halfway along Ilex Way. I've probably run this loop hundreds of times, so I know exactly how it should feel under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, there was nothing normal about how the legs were feeling today. I managed to get the planned 9km<\/strong> completed, but there was absolutely nothing redeeming about the run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one saving grace was knowing that a rest day was coming next. And it was very welcome indeed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to Saturday and, as it's parkrun day. Before getting to the start line, I needed to add an extra 2.5km to bring the overall distance up, so I headed out along the promenade. Very little wind for once, and a lovely early morning scene as the mist lifted and the sun began breaking through the clouds. Exactly the sort of conditions that make getting out of bed worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was a little more to today's run than simply enjoying the scenery, though. Runna had scheduled a tempo session:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • 2km warm-up<\/strong> at conversational pace, no faster than 6:15\/km<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2km at 5:25\/km<\/strong>, followed by 120 seconds walking recovery<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 1km at 5:15\/km<\/strong>, followed by 90 seconds walking recovery<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 1km at 5:15\/km<\/strong>, followed by 90 seconds walking recovery<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 1.5km cool-down<\/strong> at conversational pace or slower<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I knew fitting this around a parkrun might be a little tricky, but as it turned out, it worked surprisingly well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    I completed the warm-up and part of the first tempo interval before parkrun got underway. Once the run started, the usual Worthing parkrun bottleneck kicked in. The route narrows in the early stages, and with so many runners setting off together, the first kilometre is inevitably much slower than you'd ideally like. Once I'd worked my way through the crowds, though, I was able to pick things up nicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I caught up with a few club mates who were running at around 5:15\/km<\/strong>, so I settled in with them. We chatted our way through the remaining distance, which made holding the pace feel considerably easier than it might otherwise have done. I crossed the finish line in 26:25<\/strong> - a pretty brisk 5K for me, and a pleasing result given that this was part of a larger training session rather than an all-out parkrun effort. More importantly, I managed to hit all the planned tempo targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But the absolute best part? My legs felt really good.<\/strong> After Thursday's struggle, it was a huge relief to feel strong again. The difference between the two runs was remarkable, and it was encouraging to see that whatever was going on earlier in the week hadn't carried over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    With today's running done and dusted, attention now turns to tomorrow's long run. The plan calls for a half marathon distance, and having checked the weather forecast, conditions are looking particularly promising for Sunday morning. I've decided to have a go at a personal best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There's no specific finishing time in mind, other than beating my current half marathon PB of 2:12:00<\/strong>, set in Portugal in 2025. It will be interesting to see what I can achieve. The training has been building steadily, and today's session has certainly restored some confidence after Thursday's disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One thing is for sure: I'd much rather be heading into a PB attempt feeling like I did today than how I felt on Thursday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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