Measuring progress

Over the last 5 years of my journey in becoming an "endurance athlete" the one thing that has remained constant is that I have kept records of all my training.  Various Garmin watches have come and gone (4 to be precise) but almost every session has been recorded.  This way I can tell if I'm on target with my fitness.  This is particularly important when getting back to fitness after a 4 month layoff.
So yesterday I went out for 50 miles on the bike but forgot my heart rate monitor. It would have made interesting reading as I struggled to keep up with the group and was eventually dropped with 5 miles to go. Nobody likes being dropped but it makes me more determined to get back into shape. So I'll fit in some turbo sessions before next weekend 50 mile race which I don't want to be dropped from!
This morning I went out for my first run in three weeks. Wearing my neutral trail shoes with my orthotics felt fantastic. No foot trauma.  I ignored my Garmin the whole way round Chatelherault and on finishing I found it was my fastest time ever - it was only 5 miles! It also felt like it as my heart rate was unhealthily high which confirmed my lack of fitness.  But now I have a benchmark so I'll be able to monitor my progress.  The final piece of good news is I've lost 1/4 of a stone from the holiday - much more to go as I don't see the point in dragging this all over the place. A bit like running with a weighted rucksack! :-)