Proper Runner

Today's run: 1.87 km (1.16 miles) in 12:41 + 1.99 km (1.24 miles) in 14:45.
Injury check: All clear.
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Not that I am actually claiming to be a Proper Runner yet, but I looked it today. As in: proper-crazy runner, out slogging through the streets on a blazing sunny day, with my sunglasses on, headphones in, and a rucksack on my back.


I ran to the Post Office, to pick up a package - hence the rucksack, to carry it back. I checked the distance first and, as you can see, it's less than 2k to the Post Office. However, I live on a hill, and the Post Office is the other side of town, back up another hill.


So the first 60% of this run was fine - downhill at a good pace (knee support on), through town and then uphill for the last 30%. And then I got a ten minute break while I stood in the queue and then fiddled with my Runkeeper app (it crashed when I paused it for my queueing time). 


And then it was time to run back again, which - as you may have guessed - was a bit harder. Not only did I now have two bottles of contact lens solution in my rucksack (not exactly heavy but not as light as an empty bag), but more of the return journey is uphill.


However, I made it. The final rise was pretty slow but it was still just about a jog and not a walk. And I enjoyed actually running to somewhere, as opposed to the nowhere of the treadmill or the circular route I run around the training fields out behind the gym. I shall have to try more purposeful runs in the future. 

Count It Out

Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 16:45.
Injury check: All clear.
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Not a fast one today, I was just aiming to tick off an easy 2.5k on the treadmill. My plan was to spend the run trying to keep my pace even and equal - to run The Knee without putting any extra pressure on the good side. 

And on that criteria: success. 

'This would be easier if...'

Today's run: 3 km (1.86 miles) in 22:50 + 2 km (1.24 miles) in 14:50.
Injury check: Hmmm.
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A two-stage run tonight. Not my intention from the start, but summer arrived at the weekend (I have the watch-strap tan to prove it) and this evening I had clear blue skies and bright sunshine on my outside run. This made it hot. I don't do so well in the heat. Still, I started out and after the first 1k or so I found a rhythm, slower than usual but fairly steady. 
I kept it up until the 3k mark when I was just too hot and then I sloped back into the gym (with its lovely, lovely air conditioning) and got on the treadmill for another 2k. So there was a break between the two stages of about 5 mins but I still totalled 5k - I'm happy that I managed the distance without a repeat of last week's Knee Fail. 


I was wearing a support on my bad knee this evening, which did help. It survived the whole 5k, although it's aching just a little now. But, again, it was my good knee tweaking just a little at the end of the run. 
I'm sure that I've unconsciously adapted my gait over the years of bad-knee/weak-knee/bad-knee-worse/bad-knee-fixed/bad-knee-hurting-again so that my steps aren't entirely even and I favour my right, good knee. So when I'm running my right knee actually takes just a little more of my weight than it should and suffers because of that. Well, that's my current theory, anyway. 


But it was the heat that really slowed me down today. And it was on my wander back from my route around the playing fields and up to the treadmill that I found myself musing on the weather and thinking: 'I'll find it much easier to run the marathon if it's raining.' 
This is undoubtedly true, although not as valid as my next thought: 'I'd find it much easier to run the marathon if it was shorter.'


Sigh.

Pain Stops Play

Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 19(ish) minutes.
Injury check: Knee.
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Today I tried a different kind of interval training: run for 1 km (~7 mins) then walk until the next audio cue on my app (9 mins) and then run another 1 km, and repeat. 

I managed the first 1k, the walk, and then another 1.5k - and then The Knee struck. A minor stab of pain - which, with my knee, isn't actually beyond expectation - so I stopped to stretch out. It felt ok so I tried again and made it another 100m before it tweaked again.

So that was that. 

Total Mileage: Not Worth Boasting About

Today's run: 1 km (0.62 miles) in 6:20.
Injury check: Minor twinges.
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Yes, a very short run today. But having been lazy/busy/not well enough to run [delete as appropriate] for the last couple of weeks, I thought I'd take it easy. My bad knee has been twinging (for no obvious reason) for the last week, so I didn't want to push anything - but it felt alright after the first minute so I pushed enough to get a pretty respectable time. 

However, I probably do need to up the ante. The organiser of this whole marathon effort has recently posted that he and his other half are making good progress in their training and are "up to 15 miles a week and it is kinda fun now".
Just done a quck tally on my tracking spreadsheet (if it surprises you I have this, you don't know me well enough) and including today's effort I have now just passed 15 miles in total since my training efforts started. 
And believe me, it has yet to be 'fun'.

Anyway, I'll take tomorrow off and try a short run outside on Thurs. Probably not back up to 5k yet, but hopefully further than today.