IMG_3790If you’ve got this far, mythical reader you only have yourself to blame given the title. Although I have forgone the option of posting a selfie in my nice new lycra.

As stories go it’s not the most interesting, but having bought my first ever item of lycra – luminous yellow to keep me safe on weekday evenings are I run around Lewes – I put it on. Man is it unflattering, accentuating my slight middle-aged belly. I guess I’ll know my running has been successful when I don’t feel utterly embarrassed to be seen out it it.

Anyway, today was run #42 and fresh from the success of last week I thought I’d try to run a bit further. My route took me directly from home, alongside the gallops and then along the Downlands Challenge route. I felt much stronger this time, which does suggest I’m getting fitter – although I also ran a relatively slower pace too which probably helped. I set out hoping to run 7 miles, but over-estimated how much longer bit I’d tacked onto the route at the beginning was. This meant that I’d set my heart on stopping at the bottom of Landport Bottom, which turned out to be only 6 miles. Still, a landmark of sorts in my new running career.

Apart from the luminous yellow, tight lycra top, the only other thing of note was that I ran this without headphones again (first time being last week on the race). I barely noticed for large parts of the run, and towards the end really felt like I was getting into a different headspace, more meditative. I guess this has something to do with the run not being broken into short pop songs and constantly dragging my mind somewhere else. I might start doing it more often.