Day 32

Week 5 Thursday 16th August

Today' run should have been 4 miles at a faster pace.  Sam texted me to say she wasn't going to the club tonight so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do the Milton Road run that Kath and I had said we would like to try to do.  Since it was cool, in fact cool enough for us to want to keep our jackets on, Kath agreed that we will run it tonight.

We set off up Keelings Road and up to the Sneyd Arms then down Milton Road and Mornington Road and along Leek New Road to Berwick Road.

I glanced at some of the side streets going up and thought "Oh, my God, what have I let myself in for?" I saw a bus turn up Milton Road and I could see from the angle of the roof that it was climbing straight away.  Kath confessed that she didn't run it quite all the way up when she did Potters Arf which made me think that if Kath couldn't do it; then I would have no chance.  She reminded me that she had already been running for 11 miles and it was very hot at the time of Potters Arf.

We turned the corner and I saw the bank for the first time and thought it didn't look as bad as some of the others further down the road.  I ran up in my usual way by looking at just the area in front of me which appeared flat.  Half-way up my breathing was so laboured that I thought I would have to stop for that reason even though my legs were fine.  I suddenly remembered my breathing exercises which I had completely forgotten about and practiced a few.  Sure enough, my breathing eased off a little so I managed to run all the way up.

It amazed me that Kath was still able to talk.  There was no way I could do that even with my breathing exercises but I was so pleased that I had done it and know now that I dodn't need to worry about any races that might have hills in them.  Now I know that, providing it isn't too hot, I can run up them.

We decided to do this again a couple of weeks before Congleton half but add another mile loop to it.