I’m sure I sound like a broken record when I go on about the power of focus, but here’s a good example.
We were going to London for lunch and I had done my usual thing of sitting comfortably, reading and supping quadspressos. This meant that I left myself limited time to run so I decided I would run only eight miles but up the pace. I used the same route as the last couple of weeks but ran out only to Hassocks, ensuring that I keep my mind on the running rather than let it rove around as per normal.
I should highlight that allowing my mind to rove when running is deliberate… I enjoy the whole experience as a result and have interesting thoughts to boot.
Keeping my mind on the running today was merely a case of keeping the pace going, meaning that I ran pretty consistent 8 minute miles and reached the turning point at 32 minutes.
I’ve done so well recently at keeping the distance of my Sunday runs in double figures and this, allied to a curiousity about whether I could keep the pace for another couple of miles led to me turning around at the seven mile marker and heading back a mile before running for home. I passed 8 miles at 1.03, 9 miles at 1.10 and reached home at 1.17.
First 4 miles at 8 minutes per mile (7.5mph), second four at 7.88 (7.74mph) and final two miles at 7 minutes per mile (8.57mph). 10 miles at an average of 7.7 minutes per mile (7.79mph)
I’m pretty pleased with that, especially as I came back, rushed around to get ready, went to London and am now back, all with no discomfort in the leg department!
Potent stuff this focus!
STOP PRESS 13th March
A measurement error has been detected, which means that this run was only 9.75 miles, averages 7.6mph and 7.9 minutes per mile. It transpires that the first turn point was 200m short of 4 miles, so some of the interval figures above are also inaccurate.