Diary Of A Road Runner

On the Comeback Trail – 5k run/walk – 37:36

Well it’s been a long time.  Happy New Year to everyone – I hope 2009 is my year for running, although it hasn’t started off too well on a personal level, as my mother is very ill at the moment and has moved to a hospice.  She doesn’t know I’m there a lot of the time.

Fortunately, it seems I have at least managed to start with the running again, I did start it to work off stress after all – but have since got more into the running and and doing races and going for PB’s!

Today was no PB, but just getting out there was almost a miracle – after 3 months off with a stress fracture followed by flu and recurring chest infections – just to be putting on my neat little Asics running shoes felt wonderful!  And I felt good out there, probably just due to the fact I was running again.  I managed 3 slots of 5 minute walk, five minute jog, even put in some bursts of speed, and had another 5 minute walk and jogged until I’d made up the 5k in a time of 37:36.  At least that gives me something to aim for, but need to just build up slowly as cardiovascular wise I felt fine and could have done more, but need to let the bones and muscles develop a little strength and solidity again!

I have already entered two races which will give me something to aim for, the March edition of the Trafford 10k, and the Great Manchester Run 2009, have done both before, so have some course PB’s to demolish, I hope

It’s a Long Road Back

Apologies to anyone who thinks this blog is dead (or that I am dead, it might well look that way, but I only feel half dead at the moment!) – I did manage a couple of comeback run/walks, managed to run for 15 minutes out of 30 at a time, and the hip injury didn’t make so much as a whisper.

So after 8 weeks – or a couple of months, I was just getting back into it when I got hit with flu and a chest infection – so will be off the road again probably until early 2009.

It is so frustrating, but I am determined to get back to fitness and enter some races again soon!

Doing the Big Race Shuffle

It had to happen sooner or later! I had two races come up on the same day, and had to make a choice between the two.

I entered the BUPA Great Yorkshire Run shortly after I had completed the Great Manchester Run, as I had such a thirst for the atmosphere and the experience of running with other people; at the time I had no idea there were plenty of smaller accessible races for mere newbies like me – I thought the Great Runs would be my only opportunity, and with the Manchester one only coming round once a year, I would have to travel to get a taste more often than that!

Thank heavens for the smaller races, and sites like Runners World for providing so much information about all the races in one place – I have been spoilt for choice at times!

I was looking forward to the Great Yorkshire Run, but logistics and cost issues finally swayed me to run in my own back yard so I’ve pulled out of Sheffield and opted for the Mizuno Trafford 10k instead – and I hear the course is fast and flast and good for a PB (a sub 50, who knows – I have a bit of a rivalry going with a nice chap from Runners’ Forum to see who can get sub 50 first!). Mind you the last race I did, they said was flat, and it had a few big hills near the end – but of course the earth isn’t flat, as most will acknowledge!

So instead of Sheffield, it’s Trafford here I come – but I would recommend the Great Runs to anyone who is thinking of entering a run for the first time, you don’t even have to run the whole way, unless you want to!

Running is good for you – and keeps you younger!

Some people have said to me that running is bad for you, and just wears out the body quicker! I find these are usually people who are a bit jealous thay I’ve got off my backside and have got fit, and usually they smoke and drink and have a lot of ailments, and don’t do 30 minutes exercise in a year, never mind a few times a week!

So I was delighted to read news of a serious long term study which appears to prove that running IS good for you, and keeps you looking and feeling younger and healthier even as you grow older

Running on a regular basis can slow the effects of ageing, a study by US researchers shows.

Experts said the findings in Archives of Internal Medicine reinforced the importance that older people exercise regularly.

Read more from this BBC Article…