Workout #3....Long Run

I Wish......

Old South Road where I won't run again in a hurry!  Cars seeing just how fast they can go and taking the many bends on a maximum of 2 wheels!  Lovely place to run otherwise.

This week's long run I decided to try to run a little faster as it was only 15km;  in fact when I got home, looked again at the program, I saw it had 13km for today, not 15k!  No matter, not much difference.

For the first time in ages I ran along Old South Road, past the airstrip, the reason for this being that tomorrow there's an air show on and I wanted to see if there were any preparations going on.  I'm going to take a look tomorrow as it's only a few minutes drive from home and there are few things more exciting than seeing planes going through those death-defying aerobatic routines!  According to their website, there'll be planes from all over Australasia arriving and taking off :  new, old and home-made!  The last of these I simply have to see! I would love to go up, up and away in one of the others!

 Back to the run which I think I'm satisfied with even though I was slower than I wanted to be:  Early days yet:

15km @ 6:51 to 6:54 m/k
Time 1:49:45
Avg. Pace 7:19 m/k;  Best  5:30m/km
5km splits  :  39:10 (avg 7.5);   35:46 (avg 7:09);   37:27 (avg 7.30) 


Now for the rude awakening I had this morning!

Unwisely and vainly I suppose, I quite often feel when running, particularly in the early kilometres, that I look as good as I feel.  Well,  any such conceited notions were dispelled this morning!  A van driven by a over-large gentleman exited one of the properties on Old South Road, slowed down and, without so  much as a by your leave, said, "You're too old to be doing that!"  I looked around to see to whom he might be referring!  Surely, not me, in my NYC marathon singlet, smart little shorts, cap, Newton shoes and expensive sunglasses!

Alas, no one else but me in sight, so I gave him my best and brightest smile and through gritted teeth  replied,  "I can still run; I still love to run and race,"  - there his eyebrows shot up an inch or two  -  "so age has nothing at all to do with it!"   Take that, I thought and continued on my way!

Now, what pained my pride most was :  how did he know I was an older runner?  Most wrinkles were hidden by the cap worn low over the brow;  the arms, possibly;  the legs most definitely not!  So it has to have been that my running form wasn't all I've thought it to be.  Ah, the unkindest cut of all :  for all these years I've been running under the illusion that I look, certainly not like an Olympian, but surely like a decent runner!  I now fear this may not be the case; however I'd already run 13km and I take consolation in knowing not everyone looks their shining best towards the end of a run...even a short one of 15km,

Of course, on the other hand,  he might have been joking!

Three Key Workouts : 31.8 km (I don't include any cross-training days in the total).