Good evening. Well, this evening was a good run. It was speed work tonight, which was a mile warm up then a half mile at 8:30ish pace with just over tenth of a mile recoveries done four times followed by a mile cool down. Speed work is always a tough session and tonight had its moments but also because yesterday was a rest day it was easier than if it were on Thursday evening. But, by far, the best thing about tonight’s run was at the very end.
There is a relatively steep hill about a quarter mile from where I start running. I was headed up said hill tonight running around 10:45ish pace in the cool down mile. The teen boys in this country tend to wear hooded sweatshirts with the hoods up and, as they have done for more than ten years, jeans hanging half off of their ass, underwear proudly on show. A boy who looked around 15 or 16 came riding up on a BMX-style bike by my side and overtook me at the bottom of this hill. Technically it is illegal to cycle on the pavements (sidewalks) here in the UK but unless you’re an adult and/or doing it dangerously you can generally get away with it. It doesn’t mean that it’s still not just a bit annoying and unsafe.
This young’un just had to squeeze past me on the pavement and started up the hill. He got about half-way up and gave up peddling and started walking the bike up. A good song came on and I felt a surge of energy so I picked up the pace by quite a bit and zoomed past him up this steep hill. You could say I left him in the dust. It just made my day to go past this little twerp at some speed up a hill when I turn 29 in a couple of days. I smiled all the way home and actually didn’t want to stop running I felt so good.
Tomorrow is a slow seven miles.