Mid-week easy pace run

Route: Great Brickhill road and canal loop
Distance: 8 miles
Terrain: canal towpath and road
Ascent: ~50m
Time: 01:10:51

Went out for the first easy pace training run of the week looking dandy in my new Montane marathon windproof jacket. They manufacture great super lightweight gear and this jacket worked very well - no wind (well except perhaps from me) and not too hot / sweaty.

The run went quite well although I could feel a niggle in my right knee after about 1 mile. It continued on, not getting much worse then went away as I sped up for a fast final 1/2 mile. I'll ice it again tonight and keep an eye on it. Reluctant to take a week off running completely to let it calm down so I'll see if ice will do the job. If it still niggles after the Mickleden Straddle fell race in about 1.5 weeks I'll take some rest time.

Familiar run route along pitch dark canal towpaths and country roads. Easy for the fear to get a grip (what's that noise in the bushes ... ?) but I am almost certainly the daftest person for quite a distance running in the dark with a headtorch. Likely to scare other folk.

Plan is to run midweek runs at an easy-moderate pace and focus speed and hill work into specific sessions then start interspersing faster mid-week runs later on. This has proved a successful combination in previous years.