Posted on Sep 27, 2008 under 5k, Easy Runs, Jogs, Recovery Runs |
I’ve had 8 rest days out of the last 9 days, and the only run out of that was my PB race - so I figured it was high time I got back out on the road before I lost my motivation altogether, as it would be all to easy to sink into lazy habits!
Planned a 5k jog around random streets. It felt a bit cold to start with but soon warmed up and the sun seemed to be beating down. Pace was nothing special but legs were feeling a bit heavy. This was my first run of my “off” season - I have no races planned, and the next 10k (my preferred race distance at the mo) looks like being not until next year. It was a bit strange running without the motivation of an upcoming race and the possibility of a PB - so just made sure I completed 5k, and think I will need another few recovery runs like this back to back just to get back into the swing of things, before I start attempting time trials and hill work and long runs again 
Posted on Sep 16, 2008 under 5k, Easy Runs, Jogs, Recovery Runs |
Just a nice easy/recovery run after last week’s hard miles (total of 23 miles for the week including longest run and hill work). Felt fine with no hangover effects from long run or mileage.
Posted on Sep 09, 2008 under 5k, Easy Runs, Jogs, Recovery Runs |
Easy recovery run after Trafford 10k on Sunday. Found a lap’s worth of streets going down Town Lane and leading back to Stockport Road.
Legs and CVS system still felt fresh - no hangover from racing. Ran a pretty mixed pace run, started off a bit quickly, did a kilo as slow as 5:30 but went quicker for short bursts, slowed down for the last one, completed 5k in 26 23. Felt fine and could easily have gone quicker for longer - but it was an easy recovery run!
Posted on Aug 19, 2008 under 5-10k, 5k, Easy Runs, Recovery Runs, Uncategorized |
Nice little 5k recovery run after Sunday’s race. Full of confidence from my PB, I set off far too fast for a recovery run, running at sub 25 pace, and felt the pinch a little later and slowed down, was breathing hard by the end - shocked that I ran 10k at the weekend at the same average pace! Still didn’t take too much out of me, and felt like the 10k hadn’t taken too much out of the legs etc. Look forward to a bit more intensive training now over the next couple of weeks in preparation for Sheffield, aiming for sub 50!! Or at least sub 52!! 
Posted on Jul 30, 2008 under 5-10k, Easy Runs, Recovery Runs |
This was a very sedate and slow run, just to get back into the running after Sunday’s tough race.
I do have a problem with running slowly. OK, compared to an elite, I am very slow anyway - but what I mean is, once I get going, I am always tempted to up the pace, as I don’t feel I’m really doing much unless I’m breathing hard and feeling pain! Yet easy runs are very important (I am still not sure why scientifically - but will save that for a future post) - I think basically, you cannot keep pushing your body, so it likes to tick over in a lower gear for a bit, just as it likes to rest completely sometimes, just as it benefits from some harder punishment now and then
Anyway, it was very hot and sunny, so I set my Garmin to alert me if I went any faster than 5:40 per kilometre. At first it kept bleeping, but I’ve noticed Garmins can be a bit erratic until you’ve done a few kilometres; in any case, it helped me to go very, very slowly - and every time I absent mindedly started going faster, my Garmin alerted me. When I reached the big steep hill leading to the little suburban place called Haughton Green, I took a leisurely walk up, and felt fresh when I started another slow jog back home, and by the time I finished I’d done 6k in a very sedate 36 mins and 30 seconds. With it being another really hot day, it was nice to do a run that I enjoyed - it reminded me a little of when I used to walk a lot - I felt I could have just jogged like that for miles and miles as if it was merely walking - but I would still have done a 10k in about an hour, which is what some people aim for going flat out.
I think my aim will be to slowly increase my comfort pace - so maybe one day jogging 6k in 30 mins will be just as easy - but I always want to make my easy runs easy now - and setting the Garmin really helped, although I couldn’t resist a speedy burst for about 20 metres near the end, just to stretch the legs and remind myself what it was like to go fast! I might do some more of this in future, combining speedy bursts with a slow jog - now whether that’s interval training, fartlek or speedwork I will have to figure out! 
Posted on Jul 08, 2008 under 5-10k, Easy Runs, Recovery Runs |
First run after my 10k race on Sunday, following rest day yesterday. Legs felt tight warming up. Had also bitten the bullet and ordered the Asics online, as I have a pair of neutral trail shoes which have served me fine for mixed/trail training, but don’t seem right for pure road running and races. The new shoes feel comfortable, and very well cushioned and didn’t feel any difference really (but they look quite cool!)
Started off on a random route, through local park then around the streets, ending up on my haughton route in reverse and running all the way back home. As it was a recovery run tried to keep pace slowish, but at one point did throw in some long strides and went up to 3.5 minutes per k for about a minute, before slowing down again, and slowly jogged down to a stop towards the end.
Felt relatively good - and was an easy run compared to Sunday’s race, I look forward to some 5k tempo runs, and some long runs now in preparation for next race, which is not all that far away really!
Posted on Jun 20, 2008 under 5k, Recovery Runs |
I thought it was worth trying a run, so I went for a moderate 5k. It felt great to be putting my shorts on, although my warm up wasn’t as energetic as normal (no pushups or situps just yet!). Felt good to get out into the sunshine, and I was almost as nervous as my last race when I pushed the start button on my timer and set off. Ribs handled well, but it might be the two weeks rest - they did twinge at times, but I didn’t try and push too hard.
Mid way through it became hard work every time I tried to increase my pace a little - not from the ribs, but more from the lost fitness I think. Anyway I trundled round 5k in 27 36, a full 1.5 minutes slower than my time 3 weeks ago, but it was good just to set a modest target and finish for my first run back. I think I have lost a little physical fitness, but noticed that I had a fear of pushing myself harder because I didn’t have a run for the last 15 days - that mental fitness will come back with time, I am just glad I can run again It looks like I will be able to reach the start line of the City of Manchester 10k after all, which is good news!
