Shiny new toys!

I'd clearly offended the running gods in my last blog when I said that my first running set was gradually increasing, as my next couple of runs were back down to starting with a somewhat pitiful three and a half minutes. But no matter, because I had some shiny new toys that I'm confident are going to improve my running dramatically (let's face it, they're probably not but I'm doing my best to remain optimistic here).

Realising that I need to be doing more cardio work than my little legs are capable of running, my first new toy was a rowing machine, and an abundance of nectar points meant this bundle of joy cost me a very reasonable £5!

Easier to stow than a canoe I guess

So far, for the price, it seems like a pretty good little machine. Pretty much no frills but it has 3 levels of resistance, was pretty easy to put together (of course I put the seat on back to front at first), not too noisy, and not too big. The blurb claims it folds up for 'easy' stowage but really it just becomes a very tall V shape, which is far from inconspicuous unless you've got a big cupboard you can store it in. 

So far I've been using it on non-running days (apart from Friday's which have been total rest days) building up to 25mins, and occasionally doubling-up if it's been a short run. Ok, it's only been two weeks so I shouldn't be too impatient, but I can't say I've seen much benefit yet, although I can definitely feel my thighs working.




My second, and considerably more expensive, new toy is my somewhat inconspicuous GPS watch. Yeah, inconspicuous it's not, and having been blessed with skinny wrists (and yet decidedly chubby ankles - how does that work!?!) I was concerned that this was going to be too big for me, but no fear because obviously this watch - despite being huge - is designed for people with significantly less body fat than me, so I could probably still lose half an inch on my wrist and still be able to fasten it. And although it feels quite heavy when you first pick it up, it's surprising just how quickly you forget that you're wearing it. Or you would, if it wasn't for the constant bleeps every time you reach a kilometre, or pass somewhere you've previously pressed the lap button, or pass somebody wearing a heart rate monitor. Along with the accompanying vibration - which really is good enough to warrant this little watch it's own episode of Sex And The City -  it certainly manages to stop me from falling asleep. 

Forerunner 310XT (glamour shot)

I'm gradually working out all the settings, and maybe it's because I'm a little OCD but I think the instructions - when you finally manage to find them to download -  could be clearer, and possibly in a language I can understand, because this little watch is more complicated than your average clock radio (and every single one of them I have come across you've needed a degree in rocket science to operate). It does amazing things, but so far getting it to do, or stop doing them, has been trial and error.

The fantastic thing for me is that it will tell me as I'm running, how fast I'm running. Unfortunately it has no means as yet of actually making me slow down (maybe that vibration could be extended to a small electric shock), and as yet I am still unable to find that elusive 14 mins/mile that I'm meant to start training at. What I'm less impressed with is the amount of problems I have getting it to download to Garmin Connect, which again seems to be a process of trial and error, and swapping browsers - every single time. Because it's pretty much meant to do it itself once you bring the watch within 3m of the computer, there's very little in terms of instructions in case it doesn't quite seem to be doing what it should. At first I thought it was a problem with the watch but apparently Scott also has to close and reopen the browser to get his garmin to download so I'm hoping it's not just me, but I am surprised that none of the Amazon reviews I read mentioned this.

So only time will tell if these can help my running (and I've just received instruction that our next parkrun is the 5th Oct so only two weeks to go).

WEEK 10

Monday 9 September (evening)
16m 38s. 1.35 miles. Average Speed 4.86 mph. Average Pace 12:20 min/mile
3:38r / 2:00w / 0:59r / 1:46w / 1:25r / 1:30w / 1:30r / 1:31w / 1:08r / 1:11w

A disappointing little jaunt through Morris Wood. From the outset everything just felt wrong, even my trainers didn't feel like they fit me. Trying to keep telling myself that there is no such thing as a bad run, but to be honest this felt like a bad run.


Wednesday 11 September (evening)
26m 03s. 2.07 miles. Average Speed 4.8 mph. Average Pace 12:30 min/mile
3:39r / 1:42w / 1:23r / 1:59w / 2:03r / 1:03w / 1:46r / 5:23w / 2:35r / 1:11w / 0:57r / 0:43w / 0:51r / 0:40w

Dark damp run round the Abbey, finishing up at the chinese takeaway as a treat. It was also the first run out for the garmin, and I wish I'd known that you don't have to wait for it to locate satellites before altering the settings, because it would have been nice to have done that from the comfort of my sofa rather than out in the rain. It wasn't a great run, my calves feel tight, and the guy in the takeaway seemed concerned until he worked out I'd been running.

Despite the issues setting the watch up, and the fact it seems to think I clambered over the top of a fair amount of Kirkstall Abbey, I'm really pleased with it, and I'm sure that will increase the more I get to know the watch.







Saturday 14 September (afternoon)
36m 29s. 3.1 miles. Average Speed 5.1 mph. Average Pace 11:43 min/mile
7:44r / 2:01w / 2:47r / 2:58w / 1:45r / 2:01w / 2:04r / 2:01w / 1:35r / 1:20w / 1:27r / 3:01w / 1:20r / 2:01w / 2:15r

Decided to continue what is becoming a routine Saturday afternoon run down the canal, only this time, instead of running in a loop I chose to just run out half-way and then run back. Can't say I was particularly looking forward to it but once I got out there it was ok. As I wasn't running on the road I opted to wear my trail Merrells and quickly realised during the walk to the canal just how sticky the sole feels on tarmac. Nothing much to note on the run, my right achilles hurt on and off throughout, not content with swallowing the local insect population I managed to get a midge in my eye, and the garmin managed to pick up a passing runner's heart rate monitor. I also succeeded in getting an "Look daddy, a jogger", which I guess is an improvement on last week's "If that's a runner, why is she walking". In my defence I had finished my run and was cooling down.

WEEK 11

Monday 16 September (afternoon)
35m 40s. 2.82 miles. Average Speed 4.7 mph. Average Pace 12:54 min/mile
3:03r / 1:36w / 1:50r / 1:04w / 1:22r / 5:01w / 1:13r / 2:05w / 1:11r / 3:41w / 3:10r / 2:11w / 0:51r / 4:10w / 1:20r / 1:44w

I love running with Scott, having the company is great and he has been immensely helpful with my running. He's also remarkably patient when, despite his protests, he must find 'running' with me very frustrating. So when he invited me for lunch followed by a bimble round the chevin as a recovery run following his new half-marathan PB setting run at the Great North Run the day before (and before going on to set a new marathon PB in Oslo the following Saturday - the mad fool), I jumped at the chance.

Company aside, this was not a great run. The minute we set off nothing felt good, my legs felt heavy, I struggled to get a rhythm going, and just generally felt very off-kilter. Very quickly I became worried that I was going to be enforced to embark on my first bear impression. No I don't mean scaring the dog walkers or stealing marmalade sandwiches from random picnickers , no I mean in terms of the great philosophical questions such as 'Is the Pope Catholic?' You get my drift. Anyway, it wasn't pleasant, nearly impossible to concentrate on breathing, pace and monitoring the stomach at the same time. In the end it proved to be a very stop-start affair, until I was very glad to get back to the car.


Wednesday 18 September (evening)
15m 50s. 1.4 miles. Average Speed 5.3 mph. Average Pace 11:18 min/mile
6:52r / 1:31w / 1:42r / 1:31w / 2:39r / 1:01w / 0:34r 

Another short lap through Morris Wood. Having learnt from Monday's experience I made sure it was a good couple of hours after I'd eaten before I headed out. Unfortunately it had also been a couple of hours since I'd had anything to drink, and I don't think that helped much. It wasn't a great run but I did manage a final, slightly uphill sprint home at 7:49 min/mile pace (ok, so that's a sprint for me) and that felt surprisingly good. It was only much later that it occurred to me that I didn't have to stop just because I'd reached home, I could have just have kept on going. I think I've become too fixed in taking set routes.




Thursday 19 September (late afternoon)

37m 42s. 2.87 miles. Average Speed 4.6 mph. Average Pace 13:09 min/mile
6:08r / 2:03w / 1:55r / 1:35w / 2:01r / 2:42w / 1:30r / 4:21w / 2:46r / 1:31w / 1:01r / 1:01w / 1:04r / 2:00w / 0:36r / 1:48w / 0:22r / 0:30w

Felt lethargic all day and the weather was a bit grim so I wasn't desperately looking forward to heading out, and set off without knowing where I was going. It ended up being a bit of a dark and dismal affair around the Abbey (hmmm, I'm getting a sense of deja vu). It was also the first time since slipping on a twig that ended up with me at the physio that I became worried about slipping on wet leaves and other general tree detritus that was littering the pavements. I'd much rather take my chances with mud and tree roots!

Yet another not-great run. My running pace is still far too fast for me to maintain

Saturday 21 September (afternoon)

37m 37s. 3.11 miles. Average Speed 5 mph. Average Pace 12:00 min/mile
6:41r / 2:01w / 1:01r / 2:01w / 2:32r / 1:33w / 0:32r / 1:31w / 1:44r / 2:01w / 1:48r / 1:46w / 1:43r / 1:45w / 2:01r / 2:01w / 2:01r / 1:16w / 1:26r

Another non-eventful bimble out-and-back along the canal (apart from receiving a nod of thanks from a cyclist whose way I'd skipped out of - sadly my experience is that you can already be crammed into the edge and they will still barely give you room let alone slow down or even acknowledge your presence). It was surprisingly warm, certainly too warm for the full-length running leggings I was wearing and I wish I'd taken some water with me. I maybe lost 30 seconds stopping a couple of times to try and stretch out my calves, but it was a long way from being a brilliant run. I did ratch up my battle with the local insect population and instead of my usual swallowing of midges I managed to headbutt a wasp or bee instead.

Another uninspiring couple of weeks all-in-all.

The loneliness of the short-distance runner

Alternative title - I blog because I'm crap and when you're this crap running can be a lonely business...

Although my parkrun hadn't been monumentally faster than my previous best time for 5k (35:29 compared to 36:59), the fact that I'd managed to run for a solid 18 minutes compared to my previous best of 10 minutes, and was so stratospherically better than my usual performance, meant I knew full well that I wasn't going to be copying that performance any time soon. So it was with a bit of a heavy heart and sense of foreboding that I headed out for my next run two days later...

And I wasn't wrong, the length of my first running set (the one which sets my mood for the rest of the run) fell significantly, back to my more usual times of 6/7/8 minutes. Needless to say this has somewhat beaten my post-parkrun euphoria into submission and I've been struggling to even look forward to runs, let alone enjoy them.

The following photos, both taken from the parkrun, pretty

 accurately demonstrates the range of highs and lows my running suffers from

wow, I'm off the floor and everything! (seriously need to do
something about that fringe though)

 

somewhat later in the run (at least the fringe looks better)

That second photo is courtesy of the organising running club's website.

Needless to say, if I ever become good enough to join a club - it won't

be that one 

Fortunately a combination of my slightly OCD personality and my love of a good spreadsheet has provided a slight sliver of hope. I decided to list all my post-physio runs along with the time splits, and suddenly I realised that although the improvements are incredibly slow, generally those first running sets are getting slightly, but more importantly, consistently longer. 

no wonder I'm myopic

So although I'm struggling with motivation a bit at the moment, I'm determined to keep going, and do more to hopefully improve my running, so next I am going to blow my nectar points on a rowing machine so I can still work on my cardio on non-running days.

WEEK 9

Monday 2 September (evening)

17m 30s. 1.64 miles. Average Speed 5.63 mph. Average Pace 10:40 min/mile

7:29r / 1:30w / 2:27r / 1:31w / 2:02r / 1:31w / 1:00r

I think my legs were possibly still tired from Saturday. Calves felt crampy from the start and my ankles sore. I doubt I was doing myself any harm though so I really need to work on running through the discomfort.

In addition to the run (which turned out shorter than I'd planned), I was going to do some hill sprints but after running up the first of the Normans and wanting to throw myself under the traffic at the top rather than carry on living, I decided not to bother.

Post-run damage - calves felt REALLY tight

Wednesday 4 September (evening)

39m 17s. 3.22 miles. Average Speed 4.92 mph. Average Pace 12:12 min/mile

8:06r / 1:30w / 2:01r / 1:31w / 1:21r / 2:01w / 2:10r / 2:01w / 0:37r / 0:42 stop to get rid of pebble / 1:07r / 2:00w / 1:30r / 1:30w / 2:01r / 2:30w / 2:25r / 2:30w / 1:44r

A nice evening run round the Abbey just as the sun was setting. Unfortunately I was diverted off track as a stage was being built for what turned out to be this year's Classical Fantasia (more on that later).

Tried to concentrate on lifting my knees (and I do mean 'lifting' rather than 'pushing' my knees up) and keeping everything below the knees floppy. It really does feel like playing horsey, but afterwards my calves didn't feel too bad, and it was certainly an improvement on Monday.

possibly the last time I'm going to be able to do this route
post-work without a torch

Saturday 7 September (late afternoon)

37m 40s. 3.1 miles. Average Speed 4.94 mph. Average Pace 12:09 min/mile

6:40r / 1:30w / 1:00r / 1:32w / 1:39r / 3:30w / 0:45r / 1:30w / 2:30r / 1:30 / 2:20r / 4:00w / 1:36r / 2:00w / 2:03r / 1:30w / 2:05r

Another run along the canal, and through several weather systems. Overall it was faster than I should be doing for a training run but the running bit isn't getting any better. Finished feeling a bit despondent.

So not a fabulous end to the week, just one where I feel like I just have to keep plugging away. On a brighter note, one benefit to living where I do on the top of a hill, I am in a prime position to watch the aforementioned Classical Fantasia firework display. This year's was particularly impressive, and my photography couldn't come even close to doing it justice, but here are some photos anyway, just for the hell of it. I was hoping to arrange them better but Blogger has defeated me.

Fear and Loathing in Woodhouse Moor - my first Parkrun

Fran's modest representation of our run

I mentioned in my last blog that I was somewhat nervous about the impending Parkrun that Scott had decided I was going to do. This wasn't an entirely honest reflection, in truth I was absolutely freaking out. Totally, batshit crazy, freaking out. You'd have thought I was about to take on Badwater.

I know it's ridiculous. As Scott pointed out "What's scary about going for a bimble around the park?". But this was a bimble around the park with people with stopwatches waiting for me at the end, and a list documenting just how badly I'd done (it's a good job I hadn't realised that there would be numerous people there taking photos too). It felt more like a school games lesson than anything else I have done my entire adult life, and as I previously said, games lessons don't hold fond memories for me.

A couple of not-brilliant runs earlier in the week had succeeded in building my conviction that this was going to be a messy event. Not that these were horrible runs, no ambulances were called, no obituaries were written, but somehow in my head I was convinced I was going to do spectacularly badly. So two days before, when Scott announced that his friend Fran was going to run with us my fate was sealed, not only was I going to humiliate myself in front of people who don't know me from Adam, but also in front of Scott's friends. I got 2 hours sleep that night. On a plus note I had no appetite so great for helping drop some weight pre-race!

6am Saturday morning and the alarm goes off after 4 hours sleep. It usually takes a good couple of hours for me to wake up but abject fear did the trick and I was pretty much wide awake from the off.

Now normally I have a fairly rapid, if nervous, digestive system so I was counting on 2 hours being plenty of time to get my breakfast of toast out of the way (in every sense of the phrase). Oh no, not today. Today my stomach went into shutdown, causing extra anxiety that it was going to spring into action at some inopportune moment.

Arriving at Woodhouse Moor it was sunny and slightly cool, pretty much perfect weather actually. There didn't seem to be very many people around when we got there (a few of them stretching and clearly taking this very seriously), on the plus side this meant that there wasn't going to be many people to witness my collapse, but on the downside there was an increased chance most would be on their second post-race coffee by the time I got to the finish line. The fact I wasn't vomiting at this point probably indicates my whole body had gone into denial.

Honest I'm not nervous at all

We walked down to the starting line and found what looked to be a small huddle of people but turned out to be nearly 350. We tucked ourselves in at the back and after a bit of chatter about returning missing finishing tokens and a welcome for the newbies - we were off!

Having only ever run either alone or with Scott on a couple of occasions, running in a crowd was a little weird but not as bad as I expected (yes I have a crowd phobia too, it's really quite amazing I manage to leave the flat), and the crowd pretty quickly stretched out. It was nice to realise that I wasn't immediately flagging at the back, and it didn't really register when we started getting lapped - and I had only the thinnest sliver of despair when we passed the finish line to start the second lap and there was already a queue of people waiting to have their finish times logged.

the route

Scott did a fantastic job of  keeping me going and it was 18 minutes in, and over half way, when I finally succumbed to walking. That was 8 minutes longer than I've previously managed to run in one go so I was more than pleased with that, but I confess that then seeing people that I'd been keeping up with, heading off into the distance was disheartening, and made it mentally more difficult to get myself running again. It was a small, and very pathetic, achievement that on the home straight I managed to whip up enough energy to outrun a guy I had been swapping places with for the last kilometre.

The eventual result - 35:29 minutes, and 323rd out of 342 runners, which put me behind a 3-year old, who'd even had time to stop en-route to relieve himself, and several babies in pushchairs, but people were still queuing to have their times recorded when I got to the finish line so I didn't feel so embarrassingly slow.

Last in my age group...at least I can't get worse

Overall my experience of the event was positive, and I would recommend it to anyone. I am totally in awe of the commitment of the organisers and volunteers that turn up at silly o'clock every Saturday morning to do this, all of whom were friendly and encouraging. And having managed not to humiliate myself too much, and Fran having achieved her goal of running her first full 5k, we've decided to return in October to give it another go, although once the endorphins had settled down I went from hoping to improve my time, to the fear that I wouldn't be able to repeat the day's performance. I guess only time will tell...

Post-run, and those are genuine smiles

WEEK 8

Sunday 25 August (evening)
23m 16s. 2.11 miles. Average Speed 5.45 mph. Average Pace 11:00 min/mile
3:03r / 1:00w / 3:03r / 1:01w / 3:02r / 1:01w / 1:40r / 1:00w / 1:01r / 1:01w / 1:46r / 1:30w / 1:01r / 1:01w / 1:22r

Turns out a 4-mile dog walk isn't the ideal warm-up (at least that's my excuse). Felt tired right from the start and calves felt very tight.


Monday 26 August (afternoon)
37m 29s. 3.1 miles. Average Speed 4.97 mph. Average Pace 12:05 min/mile
3:02r / 1:30w / 2:01r / 1:00w / 1:32r / 1:29w / 2:22r / 1:01w / 0:59r / 5:01w / 1:31r / 2:00w / 1:18r / 2:00w / 1:33r / 2:01w / 1:32r / 3:01w / 1:01r / 0:52w / 0:42r

Today I ran my canal route in reverse, and discovered that despite all laws of physics, what feels like a nice flat route in one direction feels like a slow uphill slog in the opposite direction.

It wasn't a great run, despite lots of cloud it was surprisingly hot, and being a bank holiday the canal was like the Tour de France with added dogs. I lost the plot somewhat mid-run (spot the 5 minute walk), but managed to pull myself back together.


Wednesday 28 August (evening)
27m 12s. 2.21 miles. Average Speed 4.87 mph. Average Pace 12:20 min/mile
7:34r / 2:01w / 2:38r / 2:01w / 1:38r / 2:02w / 1:32r / 2:41w / 0:47r / 3:41w / 0:37r

I wasn't entirely sure where I was heading when I set off. The first 7 minutes felt good, and a lot better than my last couple of runs, but was probably facilitated by a couple of downhill segments. Having to stop running at one point because it was too dark to see is the first indication that the nights are starting to draw in.


Saturday 31 August (too damn early)
35m 29s. 3.1 miles. Average Speed 5.3 mph. Average Pace 11:20 min/mile
18:00r (yeah baby!) / 1:36w / 1:52r / 2:00w / 3:32r / 1:11w / 3:07r / 1:07w / 1:24r / 0:39w / 0:56r

Yeah, I've already bored you enough with this one. Apart to say a HUGE thank you to Scott for getting me round in the time I did, and for keeping me running for as much as I did. I have no doubt I wouldn't have done so well without him - and he didn't even get to officially record his early morning sacrifice as he didn't want to log it because it would be severely detrimental to his stats.

Finally feeling like a runner and the fear of competitive sports

This week one event achieved two running firsts....

Popping my running face-plant cherry

Scott clearly didn't find me too irritating on our last run so I was delighted when he suggested another bimble round the Chevin (unless he really is looking for somewhere to bludgeon me to death and ditch the body) - and it finally gave me a chance to try out my new Merrell's :-)

Things were going really well, I'd completed a full kilometre at 10:05 min/mile pace and still feeling pretty good when, it finally happened - I struck a tree root and suddenly decided to pay the floor some close-up attention. Fortunately in my case it's true what they say about trail running, the landing is softer and the view on the way down more scenic than running on the road, so all I suffered was a couple of bruised knees and hip. I didn't even notice I was bleeding for another couple of miles.

I'm not sure why it should be that lying face-down in the dirt should be the thing that finally made me feel like a runner - but it did. In my mind I felt like I could proudly pronounce that I do adventurous and dangerous (sort of) stuff, and now I have the bruises to prove it!

the immediate aftermath

a couple of days later,
the bruises coming out nicely
(good job midi dresses are in
this season)

Whilst I found flirting with breaking various bodily parts fun and exciting, something else happened this week that would fill me with fear and dread...

As I have mentioned previously, I do not exactly have what you would call an illustrious athletic career behind me. In secondary school, where team sports was more of a popularity contest, I often ended up being chosen after the kid with the limp (I'm hoping this was equally due to being rubbish at sport as to not being in the "popular" clique), I don't really remember doing any running, except being sent out on the local park as "cross-country" once a year (I only remember the year I finished last, after numerous girls who already at that point had a 10-a-day habit). Sports day itself was voluntary and I can't say the teachers ever bothered me about entering.

Junior school, bizarrely, was a very different matter, there were weeks of heats in the run up to sports day, where we would spend PE lessons running various distances up the school drive (looking back it was great hill training) to determine who was going to run the actual races on the day. Those who didn't make it in were dumped in the ball-and-hoop team race, where we were encouragingly told that we all got a point just for taking part. Even my 8-year old brain could work out that we could all just not take part and it would have no affect on the House scores. Needless to say I was in the ball-and-hoop team every year.

Clearly this has left me mentally scarred as when Scott decided I was going to take part in the local Parkrun on the 31st, the Fear started. Watching the Leeds and York 10k I thought that possibly I could do that, there's lots of people who are not necessarily runners but are doing it for charity and a worst case scenario I know I could walk 10k within the cut-off time and not be noticeably at the back. But these are people keen enough to be up and running round the local park at 9am on a Saturday morning - I barely even know Saturday HAS a morning!  Having spent an hour avidly checking previous results I have ascertained that I'm going to be somewhere in the last 10, and if it's even a fairly quiet week - most probably last (Scott is adamant that I will run better than usual but I have no idea how that is meant to work...). I'm sure everyone there is a lovely bunch, but the truth is I am ashamed of level of fitness, I know I should be able to run better than I can. I'm not overweight, recovering from a heart attack, or 103-years old. I pretty much have the build of an olympic swimmer (long legs, broad shoulders, small boobs) - if that olympic swimmer had spent 8 hours a day for the last 13 years sat behind a desk rather than down the pool. Seven months in and I should be able to run 5k by now, rather than being grateful if I manage to wheeze my way to a mile. The shame of the poor volunteers having to hang around waiting for me to cross the finish line, when they could be off getting a coffee and a bun is weighing heavy on my mind...  

WEEK 6 - a 4 run week - GO ME!

Monday 12 August (early evening)
18m 05s. 1.5 miles. Average Speed 4.96 mph. Average Pace 12:05 min/mile
3:21r / 1:30w / 1:23r / 5:00w / 1:39r / 1:00w / 2:06r / 1:00w / 1:06r

As I was leaving the flat to go for this run, two of my neighbours were also clearly heading out for a run. Fortunately I took the long route off the street and they took the shorter option, meaning I was behind them and able to witness them running off into the distance in beautiful smooth harmony, while I wheezed and wobbled behind. But I'm not jealous, not at all, honest.....

Come to the conclusion my right achilles is generally just a miserable little tendon. Getting out of bed this morning I was walking like a pirate (i.e. wooden leg, not swaying from too much drink, although that is equally as possible), but although I was aware of it whilst running, it didn't feel too bad.

Not the best run of late, as well as stiff calves I also spent a fair amount of time walking, trying to find my way back home. Seriously, I really should wear my contacts if I'm going to try a new route.


Tuesday 13 August (late afternoon)
14m 10s. 1.26 miles. Average Speed 5.32 mph. Average Pace 11:17 min/mile
4:50r / 2:15w / 1:40r / 1:00w / 2:33r / 0:33w / 1:19r

This was my regular short route along Morris Lane and up through Morris Wood. Still a fair bit of walking involved but only on the uphill sections so I'm feeling pretty happy with this.


Thursday 15 August (afternoon)
38m 43s. 3.12 miles. Average Speed 4.91 mph. Average Pace 12:13 min/mile
5:20r / 2:00w / 1:36r / 1:59w / 2:16r / 1:00w / 1:33r / 5:00w / 1:23r / 1:11w / 1:59r / 2:35w / 1:17r / 2:00w / 1:32r / 1:00w / 1:32r / 1:00w / 1:45r / 0:45w

Living on a hill that seems to run in at least 3 different directions at once, I thought heading down to the canal would provide me with a nice flat-ish run, so I was disappointed to have to start walking so early. I don't know if it was a result of the massage yesterday but my legs felt really tired, and despite there being a lot of cloud it was surprisingly warm. At one point a runner and his dog flew past me.  As they passed me again in the opposite direction (probably having run another 5 miles before turning round), and shouted kind words of encouragement I managed a grimace and made a mental promise to myself that if he passed me again I was throwing my trainers in the canal.

Disappointed at the time, and disappointed I finished by walking the last set but by the time I got to my virtual finish line (the doorway of the Vesper Gate Inn) I honestly thought I was going to vomit, and my complexion was a still a disturbing shade of puce half an hour later.


Saturday 17 August (early evening)
15m 06s. 1.35 miles. Average Speed 5.37 mph. Average Pace 11:11 min/mile
6:17r / 1:32w / 2:19r / 1:01w / 3:12r / 0:45w

Another day another dubious stomach, but ravioli on toast and I was good to go an hour later. This was my regular little jaunt along Morris Lane and back through Morris Wood (although somehow it always seems to come out at a different distance when I map the route afterwards - another reason for a nice shiny GPS watch methinks...).

Rain and nettling aside I was happy with this run (although still too fast). 

WEEK 7

Sunday 18 August (afternoon)
36m 59s. 3.1 miles. Average Speed 5.03 mph. Average Pace 11:55 min/mile
6:28r / 2:00w / 1:12r / 2:00w / 1:47r / 2:00w / 1:02r / 2:00w / 2:02r / 1:01w / 2:09r / 2:30w / 1:04r / 2:00w / 1:39r / 2:01w / 1:38r / 1:00w / 1:27r

A nice sunny day, not too warm and with a pleasant breeze so another 5k run along the canal. I set off with the aim of not allowing myself to walk for more than 2 minutes at any point (apart from the massive hill two thirds of the way round) and I had to run for at least a minute per set. The only problem being that I managed to end up having to run up the locks. Calves felt a little tight but otherwise I'm relatively happy with this, managed to knock nearly 2 minutes off my last canal run and finished feeling pretty good.


Tuesday 20 August (evening) - my longest (in speed and distance) and slowest run to date
1h 08m 34s. 4.26 miles. Average Speed 3.73 mph. Average Pace 16:05 min/mile

The now infamous Chevin "bimble"...

trust me - it's hillier than it looks

don't think that 2nd split was too bad considering
I was lying down for some of it

I'm pretty sure this isn't really a path....

I'm rapidly realising that Scott's navigational skills are a little iffy without a satnav so what followed involved a lot of walking, wheezing, fear, praying to any deity that would listen, and scrambling uphill pretty much on my hands and knees (at least for me, Scott meanwhile was making like the proverbial mountain goat) whilst we covered 587ft of elevation.

another hill....

....and the rest of it

I have to say that although I felt like I was dying for a lot of the time, it was just the best fun. Obviously just having company alone is so much more enjoyable, but the difference between trail and road running is like the difference between a chocolate hobnob and a rich tea biscuit. Time flies by, and although it's hard, it feels so much less like the seemingly endless slog that road running can feel like. 

Following day damage - my knees look like they belong to a small child and I'm moving like a 90-year old!


Friday 23 August (evening) 
13m 31s. 1.17 miles. Average Speed 5.18 mph. Average Pace 11:35 min/mile
2:39r / 2:00w / 1:23r / 0:20w / 1:01r / 1:00w / 2:25r / 1:30w / 1:13r

Finally feeling like I could move something vaguely like normal after Tuesday, and the fear of an impending Park Run in a week's time, I headed out for a short run. I'm glad I did it, although it wasn't the greatest success, and I felt exhausted from the start. Made me feel better about the 4 pints I then went on to consume that night though.

The big lie they tell you about running....

Feeling newly motivated following my forest run with Scott last week (read his excellent blog hesscotttorun which is full of runs actually long enough and interesting enough to read about, and lots of pretty photos - not of him, he's almost exclusively gurning), and more importantly, armed with a new feeling of hope, I did what any normal person would do...went out and splashed out a chunk of cash on some new trail trainers.....

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....

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

evidence of off-road action - yes that's
actual grass seeds and mud

Really pleased with keeping going for over 6 minutes for the first set, particularly as that includes a couple of hundred metres of slightly uphill gradient. I could probably have run longer for that first set had I not decided to investigate a new path through the wood which eventually petered out into brambles and long grass and took some navigating (and guess who didn't wear her contact lenses again). I'm not sure what the passing motorists thought as I crashed out of the wood and clambered over a wall but I'm hoping they realised I was a runner and not a burglar.

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!