And we're off for 2013

January 1st: very windy walk up Bennachie with Judith and Minnie January 2nd: 2 bike rides: warm up clockwise around Pitmunie at 24.5km/hr (6.8km) then time trial loop to Kemnay: 27.0km/hr (13.6km) Total 20.4km

10km sort of tempo

10.01 km in 52'45" - around the Pitmunie loop anticlockwise, then along to Home Farm, rickety bridge and home (with a few hundred yards up the road to make the distance. 5'16" per km, which with the climb at kilometre 2 was pretty pleasing. Tight right hip flexor still, though.

Pitmunie loop running

Clockwise around. 7.06km at 5'03" Nice calm, cool evening, but still a twingy hip

Pitmunie loop

7.08km at tempo pace - 36'35" - 5'10"/km. Nice run, but 13 seconds slower than last time.

Running loop around Pitmunie, clockwise

A clockwise loop, at a good pace - 7.22km at 5'03" - although it was around 5'20" to Ardneidly and then the rest gained on the downhill home.

Pitmunie loop

Not much going on, legs felt heavy, but still knocked out 7.13km at 5'15"/km

Long and slow

11.04 km in 1hr and 22 seconds, at an average pace of 5'28"/km (5'26" moving). Clockwise around Pitmunie and the Rickety Bridge.

Felt ok, although the big heartrate spike up to 240 in the first 3 minutes suggests more warmup is necessary (or the HR monitor isn't working quite right at the start - the belt was a bit loose)

Pitmunie loop in the rain

Anticlockwise. First run after four days. Legs felt good, could have gone longer. Horrible rainy and cold though.

Time 37'33", distance 7.20 km, pace 5'13" Great stuff.

Hot sunny evening

A beautiful evening, well above 20 degrees.

Aimed for a long slow, but went too fast - 10.94 km in 59'58" - 5'23/km. Great start for June.

Two runs on a sunny evening

5.01 km at better than 5'/km and I finished uphill of where I started. Average pace 4'51"/km, based on Nike + without GPS signal. Felt really strong up the hill to Pitmunie/Brankinentum.

Then a sprint up and down the hill back home. 2.52km at 4'42"/km. Uphill first 1km was 4'40, downhill around 4'20", but couldn't hold the average 4'30 on the flat.

Another month begins

with 7.29km around the Pitmunie loop at a pace of 5'25". Early in the morning. Sun rising - nice!

And I've gone to the blue level on Nike+, meaning I've now completed 1,000km running since the end of 2009.

Yeah baby

The Pitmunie loop - 7.26km in 38'09" - average speed 5'15" per km. And I can probably take another couple of seconds per km off that, as I had to stop to let a car past.

This run was in the dark, with a head torch and flashing armband and carrying my fibre flare rear light in my hand. Just after 5km, I fell into the muddy gutter - whilst waiting for a car to come past from the front - and was filled with adrenalin for the rest of the run! Result - great run (and, before the fall, a personal best for 5km, including the climb to Arneidly - 25'59")

13.34 km so far this week. And only a bit sore in the ribs

And we're off!

A lateish night (home at about 2am) at Max's, but stayed sober as a judge.

So up at 11am, and off for the Pitmunie loop plus the rickety bridge.

9.43 km, in 53'06" - a pace of 5'38"/km which is fine for a longer slow run, especially in the conditions.

Cool and breezy, with difficult footing, especially on the hill up to Ardneidly with packed ice all across the road and only patchy grit and by the river, where the choice was ice, hard-packed crunchy snow or mud.

Ahead of the curve already!