Long run getting easier

Distance 43km [total: minimalist 285.6km: Barefoot 3079.3km] Week 26

Monday, 25-Jun. 6km

A nice relaxed short run tonight, no pressure. A bit warmer than the chilly weekend, maybe the overnight rain and cloud stopped the temperature from dropping too low.

Wednesday, 27-Jun. 11km

Last day of the good weather before the return of the rain that will be with us until the end of the week. We have 3 minutes of extra daylight since the shortest day, that means that I wont have to rush as much when I escape from my day at work. I have been getting more into the habit of leaving at 4pm rather than 4.30pm, after all why should I put in any extra time when I get zero appreciation for it. Tonight I parked at the Grange hotel as there are roadworks on Grange road and the traffic slows to a crawl. It adds an extra 1km onto my run. I ran the last 2km on the beach to time myself, it was cold and dark but I still managed a respectable 10 minutes on the unpredictable surface. The sand felt very cold underfoot  and I was glad to get off the beach and wash the sand off under the tap by the jetty.

Saturday, 30-Jun. 22km

We had quite a bit of rain on the Friday so I was quite happy to have a rest day. It was a cold start to Saturday morning with some early morning rain. I got out for my run at 10am. My feet felt good this morning, didn't have any numbness from the cold sand, the only time they felt cold was when I ran along the footpath which was wet. On the return journey I was running into a south westerly wind and it was quite chilling. I did my best time on this length of run mainly because I didn't suffer from the fatigue at the end. Maybe my running has become more efficient. My time for the run was 2:03:41.
Tomorrow is a relaxed run with the small group of barefoot runners on our what I am hoping will become a regular first Sunday in the month get together.

Sunday, 1-Jul. 4km

A rainy day, I was woken by the sound of rain at 7am and hoped it would all be out of the way by 9am but it stayed showery for most of the day. The monthly meeting of the barefoot group was in the riverside suburb of College Park. I was first to arrive, it rained as I was driving over but stopped as I waited for the others to arrive. I wondered at first whether they might have abandoned the idea but no, David and Jenny turned up 5 minutes before the appointed start time. We set off along the river pathways that wove along the winding river, quite undulating. It was a relaxed easy pace so I could concentrate on perfect foot placement. The ground was cold but not excessively. It was a tranquil place with birds in the trees and the sounds of animals in the nearby zoo, there were a few other runners that had a double take as we ran silently past. The sun shone for the duration of the run then, when we finished and retired to the cafe for a coffee the rain returned. The next meeting will be on the first Sunday in August and will be a lap of the lake at West Lakes. It makes it interesting to run in different areas.