4k. Finally.

For the last few weeks I've been attempting (and failing) a 4 km circuit in the middle of town.

This morning I woke up and felt like another go, despite a 45 minute run yesterday.

Success.  I ran (well jogged really) the entire 4km loop!  First time running outside with the Garmin and I found that the feedback really helped me keep going.  The constant availability of pace also helped me keep a steady pace throughout.

Finished with an average pace of 6:44/km and actually managed to keep it steady throughout, rather than my prior practice of dying at the end:

Pace readout from the Garmin for the 4km circuit

My eventual hope is to get to a 6:00/km or better pace for this course...  I had been feeling like it was an impossible hope, but now I'm feeling a bit more optimistic.

The week in review...

In an effort to encourage myself, I'm going to try and document my running at the end of each week.

• Distance run (including warm-up/cool-down): 23.27km
• Treadmill runs: 3
• Outdoor runs: 1
• Best average pace for an outdoor run: 6:54 (over 4km)
• Longest outdoor run without a walk break: ~3km
• Current aim: Improve my outdoor running endurance.

OK, well here I am, and...

Why exactly?

Since July last year I've been running on a regular basis.  I started with a Couch to 5K but have been running regularly since I finished the program.

My original aim was to loose the 10kg I'd put on in the previous 18 months, but I've since discovered:

• I actually like running.  I knew I'd been reasonable good at it in high school, but actually liking it came as a surprise.
• It's much easier running on a treadmill than on a track or road (this is starting to become an issue).
• I've got a looong way to go until I'm able to achieve the pace I could manage in high school!

This afternoon, after 7 months of mostly treadmill running (and having greatly improved my endurance), I've pulled the plug on one of these.  I've been meaning to do more outdoor running, but the heat of summer has so far stopped me...

So the reason for this blog - to give me some incentive to achieve my running goals (and, while I'm at it, somewhere to publish some of my travel stories, just because I can).

My goal - the Melbourne Marathon next year.  There I've said it.  Hopefully that will provide some incentive to actually doing it!

I'm currently planning to run in the Quirindi Charity 5K on April 1.  Let's see how I go...