31/05/2012

First 5k

Today's run: 5 km (3.11 miles) in 35:59.
Injury check: The Knee made itself felt, but no real pain.
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Quietly pleased with today's effort. It wasn't superbly fast but it was steady, and it was a full 5k. I ran the opposite direction around my usual path, which meant the short, sharp slope upwards that I've been dealing with on every circuit became a nice, short slope downwards. Much better. I could have gone further if I'd had to - not a lot, but I wasn't completely dying. 


Today I tried out my newest running accessory: an arm band to carry my smartphone in. Up until now I've been fine with the tiny mp3 player I have for my music, but now I have a running app so I need a holder for my phone. Although that sounds a bit poncy (and/or geeky), the app also gives me regular audio feedback - a time and distance check - which really helps me to keep going. I need that encouragement, that notification that I am getting somewhere with each step.


I also have the app telling me what speed I'm going at as I pass each time or distance check. I'm not sure what distance it thinks it's averaging that over, because it's often blatantly wrong (11 km/h? Really, app? I don't think so. Not yet, anyway.), but those overly optimistic speeds do give me moments of amusement during the slog. 


To reward myself for this evening's efforts I am now eating an entire bar of Galaxy Caramel. Not the small bar; the big one. And I'm totally allowed because I ran 5k today. Yum. 

23/05/2012

Wanna Make You Sweat

Today's run: 4 km (2.5 miles) in 27:41.
Injury check: The Knee made itself felt, but no pain.
______

Today was tougher than I expected. It was a lovely day, sun shining and everything (maybe summer is finally here?) but unfortunately by the time I made it out of the office it was also somewhat muggy. It was alright to run in, but I was sweating a lot and it just sat on my skin, not cooling me down a lot. I also ran the last kilometre with a stitch.

Consequently I did not reach my 5k goal. I almost gave up at 3k but then decided I probably had another 500m in me... and then decided to at least make it to 4k. And then I laid down on the (newly mown) grass in the sun and panted for a bit. It was a really lovely evening for relaxing in the sun.

By the time I'd recovered and stretched out I had many little bits of grass sticking to my arms and legs and - I discovered once I'd ambled back to the changing rooms - my foreheadI am so cool. 

20/05/2012

Clothes Maketh The Woman

Today's run: 3 km (1.86 miles) in 19:03.
Injury check: Felt The Knee on the last 50m sprint, but otherwise ok.
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So I went out and bought some shiny new togs for running in: lightweight tops and shorts to help me fly like the wind. They're lovely, and (even if I do say so myself) I think I look pretty cool in them. Until I actually start exercising and my face turns strawberry red - and then I exude all the coolness that I normally do during a gym session...

However, the gear is nice to run in and the 19:03 is a personal best over 3k, so I'm calling that a win. 

17/05/2012

Short Run

Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 16:39.
Injury check: All clear.
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A short run today, in the gym on the treadmill. I didn't push it today either, so it's not a fast time; I just wanted to do a little run to see how the knees held up after taxing them on Monday. All appears to be ok.


This short run is the length I've been working on for a while for an entirely different goal - which requires me to speed up a good deal over this distance rather than increase my endurance for the long runs. So, diametrically opposite my marathon goal.


Hmmm.


Conclusions from today: I need to buy some of those fancy running tops that help you keep cool, because I overheat like anything when I run. (I go red in the face pretty much as soon as I do any exercise. So does my mum; it's genetic.) I also need to sort out my breathing because I got stitch again. That happens more on the shorter, faster runs than the longer, slower ones. My body was definitely built for endurance over speed.

14/05/2012

First Run

Today's run: 4.71 km (2.93 miles) in 33:53.
Injury check: felt The Knee for the first 2 km and then the last one, but no pain. Bizarrely, it was the good knee tweaking by the end. Am icing it as I type.
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Three days ago, on Friday 11th May 2012, I agreed to run the 2013 London Marathon. This was my first training run. I actually ran 5 km but I don't have an exact time for that, since I managed to poke my phone at the wrong moment and stop the recording before I reached my goal distance (it's a new app, I'm still figuring it out). 


It was not exactly an auspicious beginning: it started pouring with rain just as I was waiting for a GPS fix to start my run - and then it started to hail. I don't mind running in the rain; I draw the line at hail. I ducked inside for five minutes until the hail stopped, then waited another five until the rain was nearly done too. And then I ran.


5 km is the longest I've run in a really long time. It's only a start, but it's not a bad one.