Official First Day of Week #1 Training - The Monday 8K

1:00:17

Pace 7:32 min/km

What an incredibly gorgeous day! The temperature is up to 13 degrees C and the sun is shining. A great day for a run. :) So hard to believe that I was writing about the potential of snow last week!

So ... ta da! Today marks my first day of my latest 17 week journey - 10K in 60 minutes - in an effort to keep me motivated over the winter season, and (hopefully) improve my pace for next year's running. It was very apropos that my new program starts on a day like today - a good omen. :) The weather was such that I could get away with wearing a t-shirt and shorts; I even removed my baseball cap @ the 4K mark to help me cool me down. It felt a little odd to see all the walkers wearing coats and hats as I ran by them, but I am quite sure that if I slowed down while in the shade in the park, I would be asking them if I could borrow some clothes! As long as I kept running and stayed mainly in the sun, it was easy to stay warm. The very good news is that the weather is supposed to be in the double digits for the next two weeks so this should get me off to a very good start.

Angus and Wallace joined me on this run. I am very lucky to have three young male dogs who all love to run. It's still fun to see how excited they get when they notice my "pre-run routine." Smart fellas, too! They run to the door, and wag with their "pick me! pick me!" excitement. I do run into a few challenges with them, like when they stop on a dime to expel (!#@!), or if squirrels and certain aggressive dogs come within our running range. However, the benefits I derive from my 4-legged running group far outweigh the challenges, and I think they are enjoying this endurance adventure I am on ...

I also changed my Garmin's data fields. I altered it so that I only can see two views - my current pace and the total mileage. My training program for the next 8 weeks is all about easy runs with a designated distance; therefore, I have the total mileage data field on-screen so I know when to stop running. I also have the pace data field on-screen so that when I feel curious as to how fast (or slow!) I am running, I can check it. The rest of the information can wait until I get home. :)