Running is always so Hard!

My intention this morning was to go out and run 4 miles outside then come in and do another 3 on the machine ... note, my intention!

I woke up having not slept too well, I had a bit of a headache and I was just a tad grumpy. I had made up my mind before I got out of bed that the day wasn't going to go too well.

I got out - later than planned and inched my way up the road with Andrew on the bike beside me. In my head I was fighting the growing temptation to turn around and go home. I did the first mile in 13 minutes which is faster than the machine thinks I run. I managed about half of the second mile when 'Will' took leave and I was walking and muttering at the same time 'I can't do this, how can I ever do this' I was so cross with myself that I hadn't even made it to the 2 mile mark that I decided, with the 30 mile sign that marks 2 miles in sight, that I would run fast to get to half way. I couldn't sprint as it was still a little way but I did try to cover a little more ground with each stride. When I arrived I announced that I sometimes think it's easier to go a little bit faster than when I go so slowly - so started a 2 mile debate about 'running strides' you see, I seem to exert so much energy not actually going very far at all, my stride is about the length of my foot. The thinking for this is that if I place my foot just a couple of inches ahead of the other one then I'm conserving energy. When I'm on the machine and I speed it up, I don't change my stride I just take a lot more in a shorter space of time. Our thinking is, that if I just open up my stride by a fraction, without speeding up at all, then I will cover more distance without using any more energy. I tried this in fits and starts all the way home, tried walking it first which proved the point that I do actually walk faster than I run because my walking stride is that much longer. Andrew kept abandoning the bike and trotting off down the road to demonstrate how he runs and the difference in our techniques. Problem is that in changing your stride you also have to change the way you breathe and what you do with your arms ... I'm not sure that with 5 weeks to go, now is the best time to change my technique, on the other hand, I'm not sure I'm going to make it if I continue as I am. I think my technique is possibly the reason for my lack of progress and the maybe the elusive 'running bug'

If there is anyone out there who lives reasonably close to me and runs and knows about strides and technique I could really do with a bit of a master class!

I didn't run on the machine when we got back, it's probably good for general fitness but I'm not sure it's helping me at the moment. The plan is - and it's 4 o'clock now and I've not started what I planned to do today - to go back out this afternoon and do another 2 miles ... not feeling it right now but maybe later.