Weekly Running Update - my new local area!

Just two runs in the last week, no excuses really, I've just been in chill mode and have just done enough to keep the form topped up by doing two exploratory runs in my local area.

One quick 5K (which will be my standard, fastish 5K route with a little modification) and one longer 8K run, which will probably vary as there's so many options for runs on local tracks in the area, lucky me!

I track most of my runs with Garmin, which auto uploads to Strava.

Weekly running summary:

• Total kilometres this week: 13k
• No. of runs: 2

Monday's Run - 5K holding run

This is now officially my 'standard' 5K run route - an 800 metre run/ walk up the hill outside the Qunita to warm up (I don't like starting uphill) - then a 3K loop and what will next time be a 2.5K loop, now I know the path I did an out and back on loops round to where I'd hoped!

It's a pretty perfect route, except for a particular dog I've been warmed about which likes chasing vans, so probably runners too. However I don't think it's on site at my usual running time in the mornings!

Thursday's Run: 8K longer run to the foot of the mountain pass

This was a nice run - a repeat of my 5K and another 1.5ks to take me into my local town, Vale de Prazares, and then to the underpass under the railway line, from where the path carries on up into the mountains proper - I guess I'll drive up here and use this as my starting point when I want to do hill circuits, but that's one for next week.

For now it was just nice to run around the local town and join up a few dots in the local areas!

Next week's plans

I'm hoping to stick to a routine of 3 runs - Monday, Wednesday, Friday, quick 5K, 5-8K hills (building up) and then >10K long run, probably not hills.

The 5K will just be more or less the same every week, the hills runs first time out will be exploratory, actually I must get out for a walk before Weds to at least get an idea of my route up, and then the longer run will probably just be outs and backs, maybe some loops.

After I've got back into the swing of running after a few weeks and know the area a bit better I'll be in shape to combine long runs with hills - but I need to be careful with this, the hills around here become mountains within 5Ks, and the hills are sapping enough, so combining a long run with hills isn't something I want to do just yet.

For the next couple of weeks if I can just stick to my Monday Wednesday Friday routine and scout out a few more tracks in the process, I'll be happy with that.