Archives for Milestones category
Posted on Apr 17, 2011 under 10k, Long Runs, Milestones |
Got up quite early and put the Virgin London Marathon on the tv. Noticed it was sunny outside. The elites finished their races in the time it took me to fully wake up, drink coffee, and eat breakfast! But I was quite inspired to try a run in the sun.
Splashed on the sun cream and donned my shorts and blue Nike tick running top. Went out and let the Garmin find a signal, then set off feeling OK but a little weird, having not run since the precious sunday. I ran through Victoria park and then out through Dane Bank. Was wondering if I could make 5k at that point as felt a bit puffy. At 2k I felt a jolt of pain in my hip and back but it just seemed to be a spasm and went away – and at that point I started wondering about running 10k. After all, I have done quite a lot of running lately and maybe my approach has been a bit hyper cautious – it’s not like my legs will have softened up or anything. I was getting hot at 5k and glad I had taken a bottle of water with me, took some sips after I got delayed at a road crossing, and had doubled back so I could go down the road that leads back to one of the main roads in and out of Manchester.
Safe in the knowledge I had my trusty travel pass with me I kept going, feeling the heat, feeling it in my legs, but keeping going. I thought if the London Marathoners could do 26.2 miles today, I could managed 6.2 
I got a bit lost, took a sip of water, and ended up in a very cosmopolitan part of South East Manchester… running through Levenshulme and into Longsight I had a burst of speed and then had to slow down, staggered over a kerb then got my balance, and eventually crawled down to about 12 minute mile pace, but I did it, I had run 10k… I jumped on a bus and eventually got home, after noticing a parade of mocked up London buses going bast the roundabout at the Manchester Apollo…
And I realised that today was also the day of the Bolton 10k, where I got that awful injury a year ago that ruined all my running plans for so long. It was as if I came full circle, and back to full form.
The Great Manchester Run is only weeks away and I know I can run the distance now. Just need to take it steady and see how close I can get to around 55 minutes. Have also entered the City of Manchester 10k in July, and spotted one or two more local races. Feeling good now!
Posted on Apr 10, 2011 under Easy Runs, Jogs, Milestones |
This has turned out to be a higher mileage week – over 10 miles for the first time in a long time, so my easy 3 miler was a bit more tiring that I thought it would be – probably due to the heat and the mileage in my legs!
However, managed to complete the 3 miles after previously deciding I would stop at 4k, was melting a bit by the end… But good to finish the week having done 11 miles, with a longer run, a tempo run, and now an easy shorter, slower run.
Posted on Apr 06, 2011 under 5 miles, Long Runs, Milestones, Season's Best |
My first 5 miler since… November. It seems a long time and my running has been going in fits and starts with all the colds. I managed to shake off the latest cold more quickly, maybe that is something to do with the spring weather!
I was tired after a few nights’ restless sleep, but know that time is ticking as the Great Manchester Run approaches, and I can’t afford any more laziness in saying “oh well, I will pick up the fitness as I go on…” So in a way having a race booked into the diary is giving me renewed motivation.
As usual, I had to force myself out through the door, and the first k felt a bit of a struggle – I soon had to unzip my running top and started to wonder whether I should have opted for shorts for the first time. But I kept going and planned to do at least 5k, with 6 or 7 being a possibility. I had taken my bus pass with me so had a bit of freedom to go wherever I pleased near the main roads, without the worry of having to run back if I went too far out. This seemed to help psychologically. I ran out towards central Manchester through Gorton, had an altercation with a car that tried to kill me and then yelled “dickhead” at me, which caused me to have an adrenaline burst and speed up for a while. I did some hilly backstreets then got back on to the main road. At 6k I started to think about doing 8.05k and crossing the magic 5 mile barrier, and figured it might be just what I need as a boost, since my training has been so up and down of late…
It did start to get a bit tough after that but I slowed down and just kept going, and towards the 5 mile mark I felt a rush of endorphins which just carried me through the final stages of the run. It was exhilarating to finally cross the barrier and know that 6.2 miles in May is going to be achievable – and if things go well I might even be able to start thinking about a half decent time – at the moment I want to at least beat the 58:12 I did for my first ever GMR, and who knows the 52:49 I did in 2009 might even be in reach. Will see how it all goes
Posted on Mar 19, 2011 under 5-10k, 5k, Milestones, Tempo Runs |
Experimented slightly with breakfast today, had a banana and pure porridge with some pure fructose thrown in (am going to try glucose as is healthier apparently).
In any case, I wanted to do a sub 30 5k, so set off feeling good, and was feeling OK by the 1k mark which I managed in under 6 minutes. Then came the long incline to the top of the Haughton hill, which slowed me down, then it was coasting for a while, with intermittent bursts of exuberant running speed. I had to reign myself in a little to make sure I got the end at some points!
Felt another burst of speed near the end and wound down and stopped the Garmin on 29:01 – sub 29 should be easy next time I try it!
First k was quick, then there were a coupld of sedate ones, and the last 2 were both well under 6 minutes, which bodes well.
Seems the strategy of the slightly slower longer runs followed by a quick session, has worked on this occasion – and of course maybe the breakfast experiment had something to do with the running too.
Posted on Mar 13, 2011 under 5-10k, Milestones, Regular Runs |
Noticed a problem with my Garmin, in that the battery housing seems a bit loose, so the battery contacts aren’t very flush, which might explain why the Garmin’s been switching itself off recently. Tried to wedge them in as best as possible, then set off, hoping to do at least 5k, and take it slowly. Noticed at someo point the battery issue had had an unknown side effect – my training assistant lap timer had reset itself to a mile, instead of the usual 1km, but I seemed to be running under 10 mins per mile just about, so that was good.
Got to 4k and was struggling, then at 5k had a second wind for about half a k, before staggering more or less through the final half k to reach the grand total of 6k! Hard work though!
Posted on Mar 06, 2011 under Milestones, Tempo Runs |
Set out hoping to do 4k in sub 25. Was quite sunny but a bit cold to start with. Was warmed up after 1k and started to go a bit faster, and after 6:20ish first 1k, did the second and third in 5:56, which is the fastest I have run consistently since January. Slowed in the last k but was really struggling and hurting by that point – the moderate increase in speed was tantamount to an exponential increase in discomfort but I managed to keep going
Posted on Mar 03, 2011 under 5k, Milestones, Regular Runs |
It seems to be the benchmark for when I am starting to achieve some kind of fitness again – or at least one of them. The 5k milestone always seems significant – I have gone from running a couple of miles, to running over 3 miles, and to me means my basic fitness level has been achieved, and that 5k can now be a platform to start increasing speed a little and gradually adding more distance. I’m not running that quick at the moment – time today was 31:31, but I wasn’t trying to run too quickly, just settling into a comfortable (relatively speaking – I was breathing very hard by the end!) pace and going with it.
To run 5k in under 30 minutes will be the next milestone, but may take a few more runs to get there, I also hope to get above 5k in terms of distance soon too, and keep fingers crossed I stay injury free and can run 10k by May 15th!
Posted on Feb 10, 2011 under Easy Runs, Jogs, Milestones |
Haven’t really got a running plan at the moment, am just taking each day as it comes, and today I had decided to run 3k, then thought why not make it 3.22 and round up to 2 miles.
Set off rather quick and knew I had to slow down, struggled a bit for the second mile and lungs were gasping all the way – but managed to stuck it out and do the 2 miles in sub 20. Few weeks and I will be up to 5k and can start thinking about longer runs and a bit of speed… lol..
Posted on Jan 19, 2011 under 5k, Milestones, Regular Runs |
Finally got a few hours of sleep last night after a rotten few days where I didn’t sleep for 3 nights 
Had meant to go for this run yesterday, but was a bit worried about running when feeling exhausted and I had an important event to get to so didn’t want to feel even tireder (even though running usually wakes me up a bit, I was feeling VERY tired).
Anyway, wanted to reach the 5k milestone after a couple of 4k runs recently, so this was my goal. Set off at a gentle pace, without any weights or situps as a warmup today. Slowly started to breathe harder, but was determined to keep the pace slowish and not go for speed, but just to get my body used to running a little further again.
Did start to struggle at 4k, had to force myself to keep going – have not run 5k for some time, so knew it wasn’t going to be a fantastic time. By the end was petering out, 5k was my limit today, but good that I reached it, in 31:26. So my next target is to run 5k under 30 minutes and then take it from there
Posted on Jan 15, 2011 under Milestones, Regular Runs, Season's Best |
One of the many things I like about running, is that usually (not always, of course), the perceived effort produces rewarding results. This can give a real psychological boost. You put the work in, you get the reward. Bit like with lab rats… But anyway, today I had to force myself out again, it’s a grim day, rain, clouds, and while I was warming up it was pouring down, but I wasn’t going to let that deter me – I needed to wake up somehow!
So out I went and trudged the streets until the Garmin found its satellites and locked in, and then set off, just wanting to get the run over with so I could get back to the house. It had stopped raining by now. Don’t get me wrong, I love running in the rain, I especially love long runs in the rain, but rain at the start of a run, before you’ve warmed up, can be more of an annoyance. In any case, I set off, and felt good, and noticed that I was breathing hard by about half a kilometre – checked Garmin, and I was going a bit quick, and I ended up doing the first k in under 6 minutes, which is what my last k had been in my last run (I often seem to start off as I left off!). I tried not to slow, but inevitably a bit of a faster paced start had got me into oxygen debt, so I just tried to maintain pace and complete the 4k. Some rain would have been good at that point!
At 2k, I was breathing very hard and wondering if I would even make 4k, but I also knew if I did make 4k, I was going to run it in sub 25 and quite a bit quicker than the 4k effort I did in the week (25:11). That kept me going, even though I had to grit my teeth and was grimacing. I just kept going, kept going, no pain, no pain, whispering the Mantra of Rocky
By the last K I was starting to feel an endorphin rush, I passed a woman I had already passed once in my looping route, and at that point my legs felt like feathers, I sped up to near 40 minute 10k pace, feeling like I was flying, before dwindling down to a jog and stopping the Garmin at 24:02. I was really pleased to knock a minute off the time for the same distance from only a few days ago, and pleased that my effort had paid off. I worked hard, and got my little reward. I also beat the downpour that started just after I got in!
Of course one of the other things I like about running is that, I will soon be running that kind of time with far less effort, and increasing the effort will result in faster times, and I hope some longer runs too.
One thing is for sure, running wakes me up, which is one of my biggest perceived daily efforts
