Pushing it - TGI Friday

I went out on Friday with the firm intention of running faster than Thursday. I know that I have to put in the mileage and that since I'm not able to get to the club sessions, I have to push the pace at some point during the week.

I'm not able to motivate myself sufficiently to run interval sessions by myself, especially since time is tight in the morning. I just pulled my kit on and set the Garmin and then set off in the dark at a moderate pace. I kept it this way and as I ran along the Seine and then beside the racecourse, I upped the rhythm slightly. I was feeling good again, perhaps not quite as energetic as Thursday but still fairly fresh nonetheless.

When I got into the park at Maisons Laffitte, I felt that I was over half-way now and that I didn't need to hold anything back. I stretched out along the gravel track beside the road and ran towards the castle. I reached the roundabout at the intersection between Albine Avenue and Egle Avenue and turned back. It feels harder running in this direction and I slowed slightly at this point. I pushed on and then out of the park and up through Maisons Laffitte into Le Mesnil. I felt slightly tired but not the point where I felt that I was over-exerting myself at any moment.

Down the hill past the townhall and back home. I stopped the watch, expecting to see a good time: 57:00 for 13.3 km. 38 seconds faster than Thursday. I looked up my time over this course when I was preparing for the Paris Marathon: 1:01 so 4 minutes faster. I'm definitely going well at the moment and able to run faster with less effort than the past. All bodes well.