Weather has been crap, work has been busy, and the body is protesting!
While I am still working on getting to grips with my fancy new watch, there are some really nice features. I am enjoying the sleep monitor, which is mostly accurate but can be adjusted if not. The app is really useful and easy to keep track on what is going on.
All runs this week were fairy short for various reasons. Wind and cold were the main feature of the week. I didn't push the distance too far, still preferring to try and get the body used to running multiple days. However, my left hip firstly, then knee, then foot, then heel, all started to protest to varying degrees. As always, I just push through, and after a few miles it always seems to improve.
Monday 6.2 miles 8:07 avg
Tuesday 6.2 miles 7:13 avg
Wednesday rest
Thursday 6.15 miles 7:28avg
Friday 6:03 miles 7:34 avg
Saturday 6.2 miles 7:05 avg
Today should have been a long run, but it lashed rain and I though four days in a row might be a bit much, so with the weather forecast better for tomorrow, I will try for an 11 mile run then.
Sunday 21 January 2018
Monday 15 January 2018
A Slow Start
Slowly I am starting to ramp up the distance, and it is not going as well as I had hoped.
The new watch is great for giving me all the information I never had before, such as heart rate, cadence, calories etc, everything most people have taken for granted from their watch for the last 5 years!
Monday I did an easy flat 6 mile loop, part of it on the track, average pace 7;32.
Tuesday I went to speed training for the first time in a long while. I thoroughly enjoyed the company as I normally tend to run on my own. I took the session very easy as I didn't want to push it too hard too soon, not that I would have much in the tank to push right now anyway! It was nice to kind of blow out some cobwebs for a change.
Wednesday was a rest day, and I really needed it after the speed training the night before, my legs were tired, but not quite sore. Thursday again was an easy 6 miles, same pace as Monday.
Friday I decided to re-introduce some hills into the training. At the off, my left hamstring was very tight, and within the first two miles I was almost heading home. I began to think that I was pushing too many miles too quickly, but I have found in the past that if I push on for a few miles the pain / injury / discomfort normally dissipates eventually. This is probably never a good idea, but seems to have worked so far. Anyway, 4 miles in and I had warmed up and the discomfort was a lot less, although the pace was very slow. The only bonus was that the steep hills were no harder than the flat segments. 7.1 miles at 8:15 average.
Saturday I took as a rest day, the weather wasn't particularly good so I was happy to sit it out. On Sunday I wanted to test the pace a bit over a longer distance. With a potential half marathon in mid March, I needed to find out if it was worth even trying to train for it. So with a planned 11 miles, I set my watch (eventually) for a 7;25 pace. As I set out, I was a bit confused at the pace display which seemed to have me running a lot slower than I would have expected. After the first while I figured out I had set the pace at 7:25 per kilometer, and not mile! So I had to revert to a different screen and run average pace. Anyway, it took about two miles to settle into the pace which felt quite tough initially, but then I settled into a nice stride and it felt a lot easier. Finishing the 11.1 miles at 7:19 average, I was kind of glad it was finished, but pleased with the result. It's a long way off 26.2 at 6:47 I was doing just over two months ago, but as I know my body, I am confident that I can improve if I can get some consistency over a few weeks.
Today was just a recovery week of 6 miles which went well, but I was glad when it was over. It will shortly be time to re-introduce the tempo runs, and the mile repeats sessions, which usually provide the quickest improvement. That's if I can get this watch figured out!
The new watch is great for giving me all the information I never had before, such as heart rate, cadence, calories etc, everything most people have taken for granted from their watch for the last 5 years!
Monday I did an easy flat 6 mile loop, part of it on the track, average pace 7;32.
Tuesday I went to speed training for the first time in a long while. I thoroughly enjoyed the company as I normally tend to run on my own. I took the session very easy as I didn't want to push it too hard too soon, not that I would have much in the tank to push right now anyway! It was nice to kind of blow out some cobwebs for a change.
Wednesday was a rest day, and I really needed it after the speed training the night before, my legs were tired, but not quite sore. Thursday again was an easy 6 miles, same pace as Monday.
Friday I decided to re-introduce some hills into the training. At the off, my left hamstring was very tight, and within the first two miles I was almost heading home. I began to think that I was pushing too many miles too quickly, but I have found in the past that if I push on for a few miles the pain / injury / discomfort normally dissipates eventually. This is probably never a good idea, but seems to have worked so far. Anyway, 4 miles in and I had warmed up and the discomfort was a lot less, although the pace was very slow. The only bonus was that the steep hills were no harder than the flat segments. 7.1 miles at 8:15 average.
Saturday I took as a rest day, the weather wasn't particularly good so I was happy to sit it out. On Sunday I wanted to test the pace a bit over a longer distance. With a potential half marathon in mid March, I needed to find out if it was worth even trying to train for it. So with a planned 11 miles, I set my watch (eventually) for a 7;25 pace. As I set out, I was a bit confused at the pace display which seemed to have me running a lot slower than I would have expected. After the first while I figured out I had set the pace at 7:25 per kilometer, and not mile! So I had to revert to a different screen and run average pace. Anyway, it took about two miles to settle into the pace which felt quite tough initially, but then I settled into a nice stride and it felt a lot easier. Finishing the 11.1 miles at 7:19 average, I was kind of glad it was finished, but pleased with the result. It's a long way off 26.2 at 6:47 I was doing just over two months ago, but as I know my body, I am confident that I can improve if I can get some consistency over a few weeks.
Today was just a recovery week of 6 miles which went well, but I was glad when it was over. It will shortly be time to re-introduce the tempo runs, and the mile repeats sessions, which usually provide the quickest improvement. That's if I can get this watch figured out!
Wednesday 3 January 2018
A First in Five Years!
Today was a first for me in over five years, although in reality it was probably achieved a few days ago without me realising, such is the nature of the circumstance.
I knew I was getting close over the last week or two, solid progress towards the target evident with each passing day. Even the arrival of my shiny new Garmin, with all its fancy applications such as built in heart rate monitor, stairs counting, steps counting etc, couldn't stop the end result.
Yes, for the first time in over 5 years, I weigh more than 11 stones. 11 stone 1 pound to be exact.
An unrestricted diet of pretty much whatever I wanted got me to this point, coupled with a serious lack of training. Cake, any kind, but especially Christmas cake, chocolate, but particularly peanut M&M's and quality street, and biscuits, much mince pies and a fair few takeaways of mainly fried chicken, chips and Chinese resulted in every tightening jeans. And I enjoyed every single calorie!
The intention was to resume normal service yesterday, but wouldn't you know, I have caught an illness. A serious headache, coupled with a sore throat, and a slight temperature meant I decided that it would be unwise to further stress an already under pressure immune system. The fancy new watch showed a resting heart rate average of less than 40 go to over 50 in two days, coinciding with the onset of the adverse feelings. Not sure how that might play out in the future but it will be interesting to observe the correlation, if any.
So the new regime will begin tomorrow, refreshed and polar bear like in my new layer of natural thermal insulation, ready for winter training , although the days now are getting longer, and as we Irish like to say 'sure there's a grand stretch in the evening'. I know that I have lost a serious amount of fitness since Dublin, but in a way that motivates me afresh. Progress will be observable quite quickly, rather than if I had retained a similar level, and made little improvement, and I am hoping that it won't take too long.
Half marathon target in March, 10 mile target in April, Berlin training begins mid May. I don't expect to be over 11 stone for very long. It's quite amusing actually. Observing the weight on my body, I see it as 'something' rather than me. I know I am underneath it, I just need to shed it again. But I sure did enjoy putting it there!
I knew I was getting close over the last week or two, solid progress towards the target evident with each passing day. Even the arrival of my shiny new Garmin, with all its fancy applications such as built in heart rate monitor, stairs counting, steps counting etc, couldn't stop the end result.
Yes, for the first time in over 5 years, I weigh more than 11 stones. 11 stone 1 pound to be exact.
An unrestricted diet of pretty much whatever I wanted got me to this point, coupled with a serious lack of training. Cake, any kind, but especially Christmas cake, chocolate, but particularly peanut M&M's and quality street, and biscuits, much mince pies and a fair few takeaways of mainly fried chicken, chips and Chinese resulted in every tightening jeans. And I enjoyed every single calorie!
The intention was to resume normal service yesterday, but wouldn't you know, I have caught an illness. A serious headache, coupled with a sore throat, and a slight temperature meant I decided that it would be unwise to further stress an already under pressure immune system. The fancy new watch showed a resting heart rate average of less than 40 go to over 50 in two days, coinciding with the onset of the adverse feelings. Not sure how that might play out in the future but it will be interesting to observe the correlation, if any.
So the new regime will begin tomorrow, refreshed and polar bear like in my new layer of natural thermal insulation, ready for winter training , although the days now are getting longer, and as we Irish like to say 'sure there's a grand stretch in the evening'. I know that I have lost a serious amount of fitness since Dublin, but in a way that motivates me afresh. Progress will be observable quite quickly, rather than if I had retained a similar level, and made little improvement, and I am hoping that it won't take too long.
Half marathon target in March, 10 mile target in April, Berlin training begins mid May. I don't expect to be over 11 stone for very long. It's quite amusing actually. Observing the weight on my body, I see it as 'something' rather than me. I know I am underneath it, I just need to shed it again. But I sure did enjoy putting it there!
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