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| my lovely new Merrell's - still waiting to be unleashed |
As my usual circuit has approximately 200 yards of wood to run through and about a mile of tarmac to get there, my new trainers are still sat in their box, patiently waiting for me to pluck up the courage and take them somewhere exciting (and preferably flat).
Reasons for indulging my shopping habit aside, my run with Scott was an eye-opener and really highlighted the one big lie that runners (particularly those on the internet) tell non-runners -
"running is easy and free, you just put on a pair of trainers and head out the door"
Now technically this is true, and maybe is even true in practice if you already do regular exercise and have a good level of fitness, or are closer to 20 or 30 years old than you are 40. However, I'm convinced this lie is the main reason that a lot of people quit after their first run. Running just doesn't feel easy at first, it feels bloody hard, and frustrating, especially if you are making life hard for yourself and your expectations are too high.
It's fair to say I've consumed a decent amount of running books and starter training plans in the 7 months since I took up running, and the information is there, but, for me at least, turning that into something that means something out on the road is easier said than done....
So here are a couple of things I learnt that Scott, within about 20 seconds, identified that I was doing wrong, and that is already making a huge difference to my running.
Pace...
Everyone will tell you that you should run at a pace at which you can still hold a conversation. Great. I run on my own, and live in an area where running and talking to yourself is likely to end up with you being sectioned. My first problem is that the legacy of my mother frog-marching me everywhere means I'm a fairly fast walker anyway (I'm generally a top finisher in the Platform 3 Rush Hour Commuter Death Race), and very often I don't even walk at a pace which I could comfortably hold a conversation. Add to this the fact that my logic says that walking is slower than jogging, and jogging is slower than running, so in order to feel like I'm actually "running" I have to go at quite a lick. Unfortunately this big slobbery lick is far too fast for me to be able to maintain for very long.
So newly armed with the knowledge that I was running too fast for myself, all I have to do is slow it down, right? Turns out this is easier said than done. This week I have been managing to run further, but I'm still going far too fast. I have no idea when I set off whether I'll be able to maintain the pace I'm running at 4, 6, 10, 15 minutes (if I ever get to 15 minutes I'll be very happy) down the road, and regardless of how slow I start, I have a tendency to speed up. So, it's clear that hoping to use any sort of inbuilt speedometer is not going to work for me. I do own a very simple sports watch (simple as in it does the basics, it's certainly not simple to operate), but I basically just use the lap timer to record the length of my running and walking sets (imagine my mirth when it flashes up 'BEST' at the shortest time when I know full well this is most likely the shortest time I managed to run before giving up). This means I have no idea how fast I'm running until I've got home and mapped the route out using MapMyWalk (I can't quite bring myself to use MapMyRun yet, I don't really feel I've earned the right). Although common sense tells me it's pointless to drop £100 on a GPS watch when I'm barely running 7 miles a week, that little trainer-wearing, credit-card-waving, devil on my shoulder keeps whispering in my ear that at least I would be able to pace myself....
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| My perfectly good little sports watch that is increasingly likely to find itself consigned to a drawer in favour of a more expensive option... |
Gait....
Nearly every running website will tell you to go and get gait analysed to make sure you get trainers suitable for you. I personally believe this is largely baloney. Buy trainers that feel comfortable. My one caveat here is barefoot trainers, I love my merrell's, they fit like a dream and feel like slippers on my feet, and they feel great to run in, but.... even though I am a forefoot striker and therefore should be perfectly suited for them, I suspect my feet and ankles are a bit weak at the moment for running more than very short distances. I really do believe that generally "barefoot running" and hence barefoot trainers are the way to go for injury-free running, but they shouldn't be slipped into lightly....
Anyway, my point about gait is not about trainers, but about how you move your legs. As I've mentioned before, my over eager calves are my big problem, and it doesn't take much before they tighten up like the proverbial lid on a jar of olives.... Scott instantly saw that I was barely lifting my feet off the ground as I ran. Contrary to all logic, lifting my knees up and staying bouncy (when I'm trying to remember how it feels, I know I'm about right if it feels kind of like I'm playing horsey - I just hope I don't look as stupid as I feel), seems to actually conserve energy and stop my calves tightening up so quickly.
Breathing....
In my defence, when I ran with Scott I was already struggling to get used to a pace that felt abnormally slow, as well as trying to think about lifting my knees, and consequently trying to find a regular breathing pattern was proving difficult - and despite nearly 4 decades of experience, breathing is something I'm not very good at anyway, as any of my yoga teachers would attest. But, finding a regular breathing rhythm that works with your pace really does help (at least until the wheezing eventually takes over).
I can't admit to bottoming out any of these problems yet, but they have given me something to work on, and although the improvements have hardly been earth-shattering, I am relatively happy with how this week's running has gone.
WEEK 5
Monday 5 August (evening)12m 06s. 1.05 miles. Average Speed 5.22 mph. Average Pace 11:29 min/mile
4:50r / 2:00w / 2:06r / 2:00w / 1:10r
This was the first time I've tried using a running app on my phone. Apart from the GPS going a little haywire it seemed to do what it was meant to, but setting it and getting it back in the armband was a bit faffy and can't say it was worth the effort. It was also a bit disconcerting when I started to hear a slightly robotic female voice suddenly talking to me as I ran through the wood. By the time I'd realised that all my mental faculties are intact I'd missed whatever it was she was saying.
It was a short run, and still too fast, but I'm generally pretty pleased with this. I had some right achilles pain pre-run, but fortunately it's still continuing to ease off as I run. My calves also finished in better condition than usual, which I'm sure must be down to lifting my knees more.
Tuesday 6 August (early evening)
15m 08s. 1.25 miles. Average Speed 4.96 mph. Average Pace 12:06 min/mile
6:21r / 1:50w / 3:34r / 1:30w / 1:23r (including Morris Mount) / 0:30w
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| evidence of off-road action - yes that's actual grass seeds and mud |
I didn't bother taking water with me on this run, and can't say I missed it that much, with the exception that I seem to be to midges what whales are to plankton, and it's kind of nice to be able to wash them down with some fluid.
Friday 9 August (early evening)
42m 45s. 3.44 miles. Average Speed 4.83 mph. Average Pace 12:25 min/mile
10:01r / 5:01w / 2:30r / 2:30w / 2:54r / 2:31w / 2:00r / 2:00w / 1:31r / 3:01r / 2:00r / 4:01w / 2:39r
Having had two days off (I confess the offer of lunch beat the prospect of a run yesterday), I thought I try for a longer run. And considering it's been a while since I've run round the Abbey I was quite looking forward to it. Although an upset stomach during the day meant it nearly didn't happen at all, but a test with some Camembert and bread and with no ill-effects after an hour I decided I was safe.
As usual my right achilles was a little painful pre-run but again I managed to run it off and also didn't experience any calf pain. Really pleased to manage a 10 minute solid run, although again I covered a mile in this time and the pace was far too fast for me (4-5 minutes too fast), and no doubt contributed to having to walk for 5 minutes in order to recover. I did manage to get into a fairly regular breathing rhythm though, and barely even broke stride when I came face-to-face at head height with a squirrel on my way home. To be fair, he also barely quit chewing on his dinner so I can't have looked like much of a threat.
Saturday 10 August (late afternoon)
14m 21s. 1.21 miles. Average Speed 5.04 mph. Average Pace 11:54 min/mile
3:25r / 3:50w / 1:31r / 1:00w / 2:35r / 1:00w / 1:20r
With the knowledge that there was going to be a chinese takeaway featuring in my near future I thought I'd better squeeze in a final little run for the week. I decided to run my Morris Wood route in reverse so I had a decent length of flat road to start off with before the hills started - not that it helped, my first set was the shortest of the week. I also decided to release my Merrell barefoots from their solitary confinement and give them a little try. I don't know if it was this or just that my legs were tired from yesterday but my legs felt tired right from the start and my right achilles quickly started giving me grief, which is unusual as I normally manage to run that pain off. I think I might lay off the Merrell's for a little while.
Although I'm a little disappointed in that last run, all in all it's been a very positive week where I've felt freshly invigorated and also started to think smarter about my running - not that I'm necessarily achieving that!
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