Getting easier...

I was particularly pleased with this weekend's efforts.

Friday...

I managed to get back home from work at a reasonably early time thanks to the Bank Holiday traffic being very light. So I opted to head out on a run from home on a course that we call the 'Bourne Hill Sprint'. It's about 4.5 miles and takes in pretty much all of the hills in the nearby Bourne Woods. This makes it a pretty tough run and the idea is to time the run and sprint round as fast as possible. On this occasion, though, I decided to do the run with my back pack which has about 8 kilos of weight in it. I knew that I wouldn't be breaking any records for speed but hill running with added weight is a really good workout for the calf muscles and something I need to do fairly regularly before tackling the Picnic in June. It took me about 40 minutes to complete the circuit - slightly longer than usual due to the back pack. The run was also slightly extended as the film production people had fenced off a couple of areas which I had to detour around. But all in all a good run.

Saturday...

I decided to treat Saturday as a bit of a rest day but went on the usual 4 mile run at Hankley Common with Jenny and Jackson. We ran the course a bit faster than usual. I think Jenny's finding these runs a lot easier and manages to get round in a good time. She's looking quite lean and athletic lately!

Sunday...

I've set myself the goal of a long run every Sunday, except on weekends when I have a race. This Sunday I did my usual run which is split into two; the first 4 miles with Jenny at Hankley Common, after which she drives home and I run back via Frensham, Tilford Reeds and the North Downs. I've been adding extra loops to this run over the last few weeks and the total distance now stands at about 14+ miles.
I arrived home after about two and a half hours and felt in very good shape, which, considering the distance and terrain, was encouraging. The training is having a noticeable effect and these long distance runs are beginning to get less arduous! And I even managed a game of squash with Richard a couple of hours later. It was a pretty competitive game and I was feeling fairly confidant at two games all and leading the final game. But a late comeback by Richard sealed the match and he produced his first win against me!