A day off from running yesterday and time to think about my choice of next goal.
I remembered that after my knee injury a number of people telling me that when they got injured it was an increase in speed that had caused it, so for me I have made the decision I am happy with my plodding pace so lets go for distance. Next Goal - 10K Had a look at some online training plans including this one - HERE Have realised that I am already well on my way so can see if I can sue the plan to get me to 10K over the next few weeks. I am aim for the middle of July as a goal. Today, accompanied by Chris and Eddie (in my ears), I set off just to see how I felt as I was plodding along. I decided to follow a similar route to my normal one, and just let my body tell me how I felt about how long to run for. I tried to consciously not look at my watch. Very soon I knew I was more than 3K and added an extra bit of the park that I haven't run through for so long, it was great to see what changes they have made, I remembered last year they were beginning work in one area and this now seems to be nearly complete. After that bit of the park I headed back this time retracing my route, to conquer 'The Hill' which I should stress is no more than an incline, but back last year when I started this journey it was one of my initial goals 'run up the hill'. Toady I sailed up there and just kept plodding until I had decided I'd had enough for today. Check of watch - 6.13k complete I did feel as though I could have gone on, but enough for one day, we don't need to do it all in the first week. I have noticed my breathing recovers much quicker now, so had a look at a few more stats, and have noticed my Avg.Heart Rate has reduced from 177bpm to 166bpm - this has to be a good thing. I checked my 5k time but there wasn't much change in it so haven't recorded it as part of my Movember's Miles For Mates. - there is still time to take part, support a great cause and do something amazing for your physical and mental health Here is the link. According to the plan it's a quieter day tomorrow, so will see what Saturday brings.
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Yesterday wasn't a great day. Nothing in particular, just a day when things don't feel great.
We were busy most of the day which helps to occupy the mind, a 5K walk, finish decorating the spare bedroom, grass cutting, a log burn up. We looked at our planned holiday for this year which looks more unlikely each day, so maybe that was what was in the back of my mind, my knee twinged a few times but seemed to correct itself so or maybe it was just one of those days.... A fresh start today and out for a 5K walk/run, I tried a slightly different route figuring it would be around 5K - turns out it is 5K to my front door (result). Even though my time was lsightly slower than the other day I still did 40:34 - there are less downhill bit and more on the flat so I feel this is abetter representative of my time. This route also gave me no Red sections on my map mainly Yellow and Green. I have said it before music is a great motivator for me when running, but you do need the correct BPM - otherwise you can get carried away by the beat and then have to slow or stop. Today at just the point I needed I was joined in my ears by T Rex - I love to boogie (88 BPM) perfect to plod along to. I will have a look at other songs of s similar speed and make a new playlist. Being aware of your mental health is so important and if you are not having a great day, then recognise this and ask for help, often just talking to someone can help. Movember Miles for Mates is as much about mental health as it is physical - thefixevents.com/movembers-miles-for-mates When my daughter was younger our house was full of the singing of Troy and Gabriella, I'm sure many of you can empathise. On todays run, however, it can safely be said that my Head was not in the Game! I think it was a combination of a number of things: - not running for 5 days - spending a lot of time on my legs over the weekend - stiff legs and sore knees - damp humid weather - thinking of others The weather today is damp and humid, which made it slippery underfoot. I was speaking to a former olympian over the weekend (get me) and he advised running on grass to save my knees. but I think wet grass wasn't the best of ideas, so I went back to the path. I decided to put on my lightweight running jacket but whilst this helped with the dampness it didn't help with the warmth - lesson learnt. I actually started off well, and as I entered the second kilometre I felt good....however at just after 2k everything started to get more difficult. Breathing was harder, legs were heavier, knees jarring. I decided to take the advice of Sam2.0 an reduced speed and returned to Jeffing. I needed to get around the course (plus by now I was nearly 2.5k from where I parked the car). Running what I could, and walking the rest got me through the next 2.5k and back to where I set off from. It was only then I checked my time and distance tracker, only to find I was nearly 2 minutes faster than my last run, where I didn't walk at all! Clearly I had set off at a faster pace...... Over the weekend I was at a number of events and had fun talking to people about my running journey. It still seems strange to be able to have an actual conversation with other runners and know exactly what I am talking about. It was lovely to meet some of the members of the South Wales Running Community in person. I love being part of their online group, and to be able to put a face to a name was fantastic. Let's hope the next run will be a bit easier, although I've seen the forecast and the word heatwave was mentioned..... In passing today, I was offered a place in Windsor half, in September. Now this is a very achievable goal, but also remember I am yet to run 5K without stopping. With this in mind I set off in the drizzle to see how far I could do with minimal 'Jeffing'. Attached my headphones, choosing a suitable playlist, actually 'Don't Stop me now' was probably a bit fast for a first track, but it got me started and I was soon off and running. I like to set myself small 'distance' goals and today extended one of my sections to the longest distance yet. Note to self - make sure you have water, either with you or in the car for when you finish. Despite the drizzle there was a number of runners making their way around the park, some faster than other but all having a go. I saw some great #MondayMotivation today - "Run when you can, Walk if you have to, Crawl if you must; Just never give up." this kept me going as I went around the park. Now seeing as I need to do 13.1 miles by the end of September, this week the distance goes up to 5K. I am still seeking a 5K event for the end of June, I'd like something special as my first race, my colleague and coach Sam2.0 has said if there isn't an official event then she will get me a medal from the office. Running around the park is one thing, but soon it will be time to actually complete a race, since meeting Kerrie in the week this has been a thought that has been playing over in my mind. This weekend I managed to run the majority of my current route (2.6 miles) which considering the issues with my knees is still a really good thing. The route was also interesting as we had a downpour on Friday night which left some very large puddles to negotiate. It was interesting that the river wasn't overly full but the roads did have difficult dealing with the amount of rain water It did also create some difficulty for us runners, who had to find alternative routes or face the possibility of wading through the puddles, not knowing what was under the water, never a good idea. After completing our run, Mrs C decided to look for races to take part in. She found the Pizza run, and even though it sounded fun, it was this weekend, and also sold out already. So I'm on the look out for a 5k around the end of June, start fo July, suitable for runners of all abilities. Anyone with a suggestion let me know, and also looking for people to run with. Had a really great day today. The morning was spent in a conference but over coffee and in the networking session there was quite a lot of talk about fundraising events and running....I was a champion at all of this. Then back to the office for a special visitor. Some f you will already know Kerrie Aldridge a truly inspirational runner whose story, and video, went viral during this years London Marathon. Kez came in to talk to us about her journey and share her experiences. Even though, in her own words, not everything was the way it should have been, she still has positive memories of the Marathon. Kez tells her story with such great humour. I loved her telling the marshals to call the police, but she couldn't give a statement as she "had a marathon to finish"....well at least they would know where to find her on The Mall. And at the finish line, shouting at the tourists to get out of the way, and then running through them as they made a cheering tunnel. We talked about medals, T-shirts, Jeffing, inspirational runners, Expo, Gym Buddy and taking part in a proper race. I am already looking at some of the suggested races as something to aim for at the end of June - watch this space. Thank you Kez, it was amazing to meet you today. You can read more about Kez's story on her own blog - www.kezthisisme.blogspot.com Jeffing. There you are its out here now....Jeffing! The art of Run-Walk-Run, technique by former 10,000 metre Olympian Jeff Galloway. If it is good enough for him its good enough for me. Although I do still plan in running a 5K without walking by the end of June. Boy it was hard tonight! I know I had a few days off work last week, but I still got out there and did walking (plus steps) and running. I don't know wether it was having spent a day back in the office, perhaps I sat down for too long or something else but my legs were like lead. We tried a new route as well, maybe that made an impact, I was talking to Sam2.0 in the office about how the next distance increase would take me to 5K but having looked at the map it seemed like a big step. Sam2.0 suggested running the new part of the route as part of my current distance, so it wouldn't seem as daunting when we include it for real next week. The new route dosen't seem as long now that I've done it but as it is in a new part of the park there were new challenges to contend with - footballs, dogs (on and off leads) and tennis rackets, well it won't be long until Wimbledon. Tomorrow I will be discussing stretching with Sam2.0 and also expecting a special visitor t the office. I had a very interesting day yesterday, which started with an amazing call with a fellow runner, I count myself as part fo the team now, hearing about their motivation and the challenges of starting running. They have faced huge challenges but refused to let it beat them. Over the past year or so I have faced my own challenges and if I can be half as strong I will be super pleased. When I got home I felt really sick so didn't go out, but then found myself missing my run.....this is a very strange new experience. Back to full strength, I was out running on my own again tonight, well I say on my own, though there were plenty of other runners, joggers and shufflers making their way around their own particular route. Lovely to see an old friend, Sam, who was training for a half marathon - thanks for stopping to say Hi. Deciding that I would need some musical motivation to keep me moving I connected myself to my phone/music player/fitness tracker chose a playlist and off i went. Now, without Mrs C to keep me to a steady time I only had the beat of the songs to guide me, and it turns out it is really important not only to have tunes you lie, but also a suitable BPM. I started with a bit of Pulp, Common People is 150 BPM so I guess not the best start, Example, Kickstart 126bpm then Embrace, Ashes 138bpm. I think I need to do some research as to the way to build a playlist for running, It would be good to get some input so feel free to comment below. Top Tip from _.mrst._ - disable the lock screen on your device so you don't need to input the code with sweaty figures. The good news is I completed the 2.2miles without incident, and did it in 25.35minutes. What was also great was running longer than I have without stopping, maybe 5k without walking by the end of June isn't such a far of goal. Seems like an obvious thing to say, but you do need to be able to see when running or walking for that matter. So when running yesterday it was fun to guess where I was as my glasses bounced up and down in front of my eyes. At first it was amusing but as time went on and a little bit of perspiration gathered on my nose, the bouncing glasses were also slipping down. I have often wondered about people who have 'glasses bands', often seen on rather trendy surfer types, I am neither of these. But I can now see the practicality of them. Being able to anchor glasses to my head and not have to battle with an ever moving world will be a bonus. Good news the online price of a band was under £5 including delivery....I am hopeful that despite the very reasonable price it will still do the job - report to follow. On a separate note, I have heard, on the grapevine, that entry for next years VLM closed with 457, 861 entries and as they only allow around 40,000 runners my odds of a place are still slim. This journey is not all about VLM, which is very daunting, I will continue now to just take each day as it comes and 1small-step forward. Today myself and Sam2.0, along with our other colleague, Kensington, were at the Caerphilly 10K. We were promoting Cardiff10K and supporting our runners. It was great to be able to talk to everyone and also gather Top Tips from new runners, and more experience, seasoned athletes. The good news is everyone has a tip about what works for them and most of the things I am already doing have worked for others in the past. It was also lovely to see some familiar faces including Tash from FrontRunner, who advised me to take things slowly and build up my distance and speed gradually. FrontRunner are the team that deliver a number of races in South Wales, including the Swansea Half, which Tash helpfully indicated I could have a place for....I declined for 2019, but who knows what next year will bring. For more information visit www.frontrunnerevents.co.uk Also saw BBC Weather presenter and runner, Sue Charles, who was on hand to start todays race. Sue takes part in lots of races so I took the opportunity to ask her for a tip. Sue recommended being able to get into a swimming pool after a long run. No swimming required just to be able to relax aching legs. It's been a long morning on my feet, my training resumes tomorrow another week of the 2 mile distance before we build up to 5k.
Thank you to everyone who have been in touch after reading my blog. I will be looking for training partners, if anyone wants to come for a run, as long as you can keep up with me. |
AuthorAfter 24 years of helping others to achieve their running goals - it is now my time. Archives
February 2022
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