I've found the cure... rest!

Today's run: 6.4 km, 49 mins 36 secs

Today's run was fantastic. I ran the furthest that I've run so far (ok, so for all you people who have been running for a while it's still pretty measly), and it was a really comfortable run the whole way through. I found a great rhythm, and my breathing was pretty easy. I even managed to pick up the pace in the 200m or so stretch before I finished.

I think there were a couple of reasons why today's run was great. The first is that in the park where I run, there was a fair or something setting up, as well as the local triathlon club doing some training. So I had plenty of things and people to look at, which helped keep my mind from what I was doing. I find sometimes that when I run and it's quiet around, I start thinking too much about how much effort I'm putting in, and how tired my legs are! The other reason is that I have run less last week, since I've just started back at work after the holidays and have been knackered. I had just had two rest days before today's run, and it made such a difference! My legs felt really fresh.

I have always been an overachiever, and I am so impatient to be able to run much more quickly and to be able to run much faster. Hopefully the great run I had today will remind me that rest days are important and will help me run better!