18.9 miles steady

After a low mileage weekend I had planned a long run for Monday morning. After deciding the rain wasn't going off any time soon I set out for Newton Mearns. I felt not too bad by the time I reached Shawlands, and by then the rain had more or less gone off, leaving ideal conditions for running - fairly cold and damp. The Ayr Road hill seemed longer than ever but en route I had decided to try to add some distance by heading straight along Barrhead Road, which added a sharp downhill with a corresponding climb, and down Stewarton Road. By the time I reached the highest point of the route at the roundabout, just past the halfway mark, I had an average pace of around 7:22/mile, and I picked it up over the next few downhill miles. I hadn't brought anything to drink but I had an energy gel just before Pollokshaws East station. Got back home in 2:14:56 for 18.86 miles, average pace 7:09/mile indicating significant negative splits. Average HR was 147 although the chest strap was loose again and I had a few spurious readings.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:43 (135), 7:14 (142), 7:17 (140), 7:10 (139), 7:18 (137), 7:23 (143), 7:31 (142), 7:20 (148), 7:26 (149), 7:10 (147), 6:51 (144), 6:38 (147), 7:03 (148), 6:57 (151), 7:18 (150), 6:52 (153), 6:50 (155), 7:04 (159), 6:49 (165)
HR zones: 0.2%, 19.0%, 75.0%, 5.4%, 0.3%