I really, properly enjoyed today's run. When I got up, it was all frozen outside and the air temperature was definitely offputting. So I spent a couple of hours flolloping on the couch with coffee, watching Eurosport (other people being active in the cold) and working myself up to bothering.

I eventually decided to do the drive-to-the-seafront thing and headed off to find a lot of the parking already taken (I'm clearly not the only one to have liked today's weather) and people all over the place. I don't know if people are maybe following programmes that made this week some kind of starting point for their training, or if everyone except me has been starting their runs at 11am ish, but there were runners everywhere. And dogwalkers, and families pushing little kiddies on training bikes, and skateboarders (seriously, just, no) and rollerpeople and everything.

For me, today was a 6 mile session. It was a full-on hat and glove jobbie - bright, gorgeous, deeply mood-enhancing sunshine aside, it was still nippy - but being shorter than many of my recent weekend runs I was actually looking forward to it.

And it all went swimmingly. Thankfully, given recent body-image issues (not entirely all in my head), I felt like my nipples could comfortably fit in the same postcode and my navel, while substantially still ahead of my nose, no longer feels like it's an airmail distance away. I think it's because the Christmas pastry's all done and I've been in the same room as some vegetables (not just myself) in recent days. I felt like a run-capable article. 4 miles passed in 37 minutes (an average of 9 minutes 15 per mile) and I resolved, feeling not too horrible, to try to complete the 6 miles in 54 miles - 8 minutes 30 a mile for the last 2 miles, in other words.

Without re-reading my old blog, I can't quite recall what sort of pace I was doing in previous training programmes, although I seem to remember targeting 8 minutes 30 per mile on the big day on both occasions. Failing dismally, natch. In terms of this programme, 8 minutes 30 is a lot ahead of what I've been doing lately. But I almost did it!

I spent the first 4 miles cheerily acknowledging fellow runners, owners of dogs that managed to be cute, etc. I spent the last two glaring a bit (although, on me, that's not the scariest of looks), puffing a lot and possibly occasionally telling myself to 'come on' out loud - in short, frightening people. Apologies to people with emotionally-scarred children as a result, I promise it wasn't intentional.

I eventually finished the total distance in 54 minutes 20, meaning I managed 8 minutes 40 for the last 2 miles. So the ugly facepulling was pretty much worth it and, after my hot bubble bath I'm feeling that today's been a rather good Sunday and I have a chinese meal with friends and family to look forward to later. Now it's time for (until the siesta becomes European law) the last afternoon nap for a while. Smug is me.