Archives for above 15k category
Posted on Jun 21, 2009 under Long Runs, Milestones, above 15k |
Lungs felt a bit tight and I was feeling a bit tired when I got up this morning, Guinea Pigs Rachel claims she has swine flu and I only saw her the other day, so I did wonder if I was starting with something horrible!
Also felt a bit sick and light headed drinking my morning coffee, so wondered about even running today never mind doing a 10 mile long run. So I thought I would set off and take my bus pass and some cash so I could always make an emergency stop and get back if I needed to!
It turned out to be a great run and any feelings of tiredness, nausea or tight-lungedness soon dissipated. I was targeting a sub 1 hr 30 time and felt good after a few k’s, and felt I could keep going around 5:30/k pace but I was running a new, more or less random route, and it turned out to have some monster hills! Very long and quite steep, as well as a shorter one in Vernon Park (which has some killer hills as part of my next 10k!) which I sprinted up and astonished this lad on his bike as I blasted bast! Good thing about the run was that the hills slowed me down, but I was able to resume pace once things flattened out again.
I was feeling good at 12k and thought I might be able to push a bit as I was behind schedule for the target time due to the hills, but I was on course for a certain 10 mile PB, until the long snaking hill back up into Bredbury, which I dealt with OK, but after nearly a mile of it getting steeper I had to walk for a couple of minutes and after that I was flagging for the rest of the run, and had to just keep the legs turning over, with the thought of stopping and raiding the Spa shop in the garage keeping me going. Ticked over only 20 seconds off my 10 mile PB in the end, but I regard this as my best 10 miler, as it was pretty hilly and the PB one was totally flat albeit along the canal – a route I am still avoiding after picking up my injury on it last year.
Appropriately raided the Spa for Gatorade, Monster Munch and chocolate then walked the last few miles home. I must take more cash next time as I could have done with an extra chocolate bar to sustain me 
Posted on May 31, 2009 under Long Runs, above 15k |
10 mile run in the blazing sun. Had to walk at some points, especially a few hills, also sojourned in an air conditioned Co-op as I had foolishly gone out without water but wisely taken some emergency money – which came in handy, although I was a penny short for the gatorade so had to make do with Oasis and the tight shopkeeper git wouldn’t let me off for the penny 
Really needed the drink, but 10 mile mission accomplished, though it hurt a lot by the end and was going very very slowly but enjoyed it.
Posted on Oct 05, 2008 under Injuries, Long Runs, Misc, Trail Running, above 15k |
My enthusiasm got the better of me today, as I wasn’t feeling in the mood for a 10 miler but watched the Great North Run on tv and was suddenly raring to go! I got my trail shoes on after banging the mud off them from my last canal side run, and set off walking to warm up. It was cold, but the sun was out, so I had shades on! I set off at a nice slow pace and by the time I had got to the hill down into Haughton Dale I was feeling quite comfortable and good. The hill up to the canal was a bit slippery and tough, but settled back to a sedate rhythm, planning to get past the long tunnel at Woodley, and turn back at 9 or 10 k so the ten miles would tick over near home. The real fun began on the canal path, which was deep puddles every few footfalls after the heavy rain yesterday. Some of them were pretty deep, and where I could I ran to the side of them, which sometimes involved running at an angle or runnning through slushy mud and trying to keep my balance near the edge of the canal.
After the long tunnel, my feet and legs were soaked and numb with the freezing water! I was still feeling good though, and turned back as planned. On the way back I started to feel quite heavy legged and felt I was tiring – but with only 4k to go to reach the 10 mile mark, I knew I could do it. Shortly after that my right hip started to twinge a bit, so I slowed, and just decided to make it back to Hulme’s Wood so I could then walk home. I passed what I thought was the right marker before my entry back into Haughton Dale via the waterfall, but soon I was approaching the cobbled footbridge on the way to Hyde, so had to turn back. This was when the real problems began – I headed into what I thought was the right path, and this ended up being a dead end into bushes. Out again, and I tried the next one – this looked more promising, but was very unfamiliar, I thought if I followed the path it must lead back through to Haughton Dale – I had no idea where the correct path had gone! There was a treacherous path, wet and unstable, over a deep drop, and then the path went down a very steep hill covered with tree roots, and I ended up at the side of some kind of river or stream, with no further way forward – now I was at the bottom of a huge hill, and looking up it I couldn’t make out where the “path” was I had just come down, so I had to make my way up and it was almost vertical; I had to grab tree roots with my hands to drag myself up at some points! Finally I got back to the canal and the next path I tried, although unfamiliar, did lead through to the waterfall. I had expended a lot of energy for a 10 minute kilometer and was feeling really dead now, but managed to tick over the last k and by 16.1 at the foot of the hill back up into Haughton Green I could hardly pick one leg up after another.
It was a struggle to walk home, and the hip started flaring up more and more. After sitting down to check a few emails, etc, I stood up and almost fell over, wincing with the pain of putting the slightest weight on my right hip. I had to take mega painkillers to be able to do a couple of things I needed to do. In all, I think the atrocious underfoot conditions are what caused both my hip problem and unusual tiredness – there was a lot of slipping and sliding, running at odd angles with weird impacts and over such a long distance/time this took its toll. The Indiana Jones excursion into the wilderness didn’t help either, as I was already struggling by then!
Ah well, it is a lesson learned, that 10 milers over rough underfoot conditions are probably not a good idea, at least for me. Maybe 5 miles next time, and when the hip is better I will try a long run on the road. 
Posted on Sep 14, 2008 under Long Runs, Milestones, above 15k |
First really long run in a couple of weeks, and at 17k or about 10.5 miles, the longest I have done to date!
There was a carnival parade on outside my house, so I took a detour round some back streets instead of heading straight down the road to the woods. This got me nicely warmed up though. I was planning to do 8 miles, but to carry on beyond that if I felt like doing more, so I got to the canal trail heading towards Marple, and whereas last time I had turned back at the long tunnel (Woodley Tunnel), this time I braved this dark and dank 160 metre long affair, with a nice splash into God knows what in the pitch darkness near the middle of the tunnel! Running through a dark tunnel with uncertain footing was certainly a test, but I kept going and made it through to daylight!
I decided to keep going along the interminable canal path until I got to 10k, and then turn back – anything else was madness, as the path goes on for many miles and branches off onto other canal networks further on, so I didn’t want to get carried away and strand myself!
I was feeling good all this time, and even managed little bursts of extra pace now and then, but was generally going very slowly (about 6 mins per k). On the way back I did start to look forward to stopping, and by the time I got to the 17k mark, I considered carrying on up Stockport Road to make it a round 11 miles, but decided my legs had had enough without adding a steep hill into the equation, and I think I was right as my legs felt very wobbly on the 10 minute walk home.
All in all a good run and didn’t feel too bad afterwards, apart from feeling pretty sleepy a few hours later!
Posted on Sep 02, 2008 under 5-10k, Easy Runs, above 15k |
The ever mis-named easy run – was feeling reluctant to go out for some reason, having had two days off had a mini crisis about whether I was able to run and keep going – after all this time! So had to force myself out telling myself it would just be an easy run – I kept the pace very slow, following a new route which I have walked before. Used trail shoes – felt a bit puffy in the early stages and some steps cut in the hillside took it out of legs a bit as I ran up them, just kept going very slowly, ended up going uphill up Stockport road and just jogged lightly home – whereupon it started raining again – I seem to keep missing the September showers.
How I felt on this run worries me a little, as I felt I couldn’t have gone much faster and maintained it – so hope another couple of rest days and an easy run before Sunday’s race will stand me in good stead!
Posted on Aug 24, 2008 under Long Runs, above 15k |
Nice 10 mile long run in the sun. Ran down Windmill Lane and around random streets in Reddish. Found alternative route to Reddish Country Park and had little run through there, even ran up the big hill back into Reddish! Felt really good up to about 12k, started to flag a bit, but had been going quite quickly at times – set Garmin to alert me if I went quicker then 5:30 per k, and ended up with an average pace of about 5:40 per k, could have gone quicker at times but was ready for stopping after the last mile and little respite from the sun.
Just the second time I’ve ran this far, and a few minutes faster than the last time
Posted on Jul 13, 2008 under Distance, Long Runs, above 15k |
My longest run to date – both in terms of distance and duration. It was a hot and sunny day, and starting out at 12pm, I knew I would need some liquid so took a bottle of gatorade which served me well.
Set off at a benign pace and my lungs and legs appreciated this, didn’t find myself struggling too much but settled into an enjoyable pace and kept going until reached canal, last time I had run along there was when I was at school doing the summer “mini marathon” many years ago!
Had to negotiate some very muddy bits, fortunately I had my trail shoes on and not my brand new white Asics! Had mud all over my legs but felt like a proper runner that way! Kept going at a manageable pace, felt really good – when I reached the long canal tunnel at Romiley, I turned back, as the last time I had been through there I was walking, and needed a flashlight and delicate footing – running through was no go unless I was going to happy spraining an ankle!! Will have to see if there’s another way round for next time, as it kind of curtailed the run. I had done about 6 or 7 k by that point, so had doubled that by the time I’d run all the way back with a few detours and an interesting hill which I found quite easy to my surprise. Had to run around the streets a bit to make it up to my intended 16k, which is more or less 10 miles – first time I have ever covered such a distance (will have to run the extra 100 metres to make it an official 10 miles, but the uphills and mud probably added that anyway!!)
A really enjoyable run, nice to run in hot sunny weather, had to really slow down at the end, but felt throughout I could have gone faster if I had wanted or needed to – but that would have defeated the object of having a long, slow run!
My legs were a bit wobbly when I stopped running – but I had run for over an hour and a half continuously and at a reasonable pace (6mins per kilometre) – feel it will stand me in good stead for the future, and I find the long runs are really good for mental endurance as well as building physical stamina 
