The Long Run

I actually did this run on Tuesday, but other events on that day needing to be recorded meant I have been holding it in reserve for a day like today, when the weather is so miserable that I haven’t left the settee, never mind the house!
In my first blips, back in June, I mentioned I had just achieved my lockdown exercise goal of running 10K before I turned 60. Since then, I have mainly run 5K when I’ve gone out - partly because of time constraints but mostly because I’ve had issues with my knees which have precluded regular long runs.
However, as my sister has entered me in a 10K race next March, I felt I really ought to try and do that distance again before winter sets in. I’ve been doing exercises in the gym to strengthen my knees and, with a bit of strapping, managed 8K & 9K runs over the last month or so. With rain forecast for the rest of the week - and the worry that increased Covid restrictions might stop me coming down to Chester for a while - it was a case of “now or never” when the skies cleared on Tuesday afternoon.
It got a little scrappy at the end as I found I’d slightly underestimated my route and had to do a couple of laps round the home block to bring up the requisite distance. As it happened though, I felt quite comfortable doing those so thought I’d do one more lap in order to make sure it was the furthest I’d run. I’m going to stick to doing shorter distances for the next couple of months - I don’t want to wreck my fragile knees and I want to work on my pace.
Having said all that, the latest gloomy predictions that this second wave could be with us until next March, does mean there is an element of doubt over whether the race will actually be able to go ahead. Let’s hope the doom merchants are wrong and things take a turn for the better in the new year.