16 October: Last Blast

Raging toothache in the morning isn't the greatest way to start the day but by teatime it's pretty much sorted.

I'm still wondering whether to do the hill session come 6 o'clock but somehow or other running kit magically appears on my body and I accept the soft option of a lift to Rudheath. A gentle drizzle is falling even as we start on the shallow hill at Castle. It's not hard to guess how hard to go out on the easier set of hills: conservatively! We've split into two groups and most of my usual pacing partners are in the other group, but Dave is still suffering from his post-Italy malady so we do the first set together. A cloud of char-grilling smoke (if that's what it's called!) billows out over the street at one point but we survive the fumes.

The second set is up the steep hill - I seem to have plenty of energy tonight and I always enjoy hills anyway, so it seems reasonable to go for a blast on the 8 reps. I nearly come unstuck on the seventh as a car pulls out on me from a side-street, but otherwise I'm having a whale of a time and really enjoy the session. It's even stopped raining by the end, and with a lift back home afterwards it's seemed like an easy session.

I'm going to have to make myself not burn off too much energy on the next two sessions - it's going to be hard as the effect of not doing a long run for over a week is beginning to make itself felt: I almost feel ready to run a marathon now!