Archives for Regular Runs category
Posted on Apr 15, 2012 under 5 miles, Regular Runs |
Having already run 11 miles this week, I could have been forgiven for staying in and reading, or eating carrots, but I felt like at least doing an easy run and getting some more miles on the clock!
Had been sunny earlier but as I stepped outside in my shorts I felt chilled to the bone and there was an icy edge to the wind, especially apparent when the sun went behind some very dark clouds. Undaunted, I donned my shades and set off at a leisurely pace and just elected to run random streets with a vague aim of an easy 5 miles in my head.
Before I reached 1km I was feeling some kind of weird sensation around my lower calf, and figured this might be due to the chill in the air, so stopped for a few moments and gave it a good rub. I kept the pace to a minimum, and almost decided to go back home, but figured I would keep going and just monitor the leg without doing anything heroic. There were a few odd slight twinges here and there, but figured it may well have been down to the muscles getting a bit chilled – it was pretty cold, so cold it wasn’t until about half an hour into the run that I broke into a sweat!
I felt pretty good all the way round and barely got out of breath, there were a few hills which I coasted up and thought were pretty easy compared to how challenging I was finding the same hills last year. This year my running seems to be coming much easier, possibly because I am not as obsessed with times or pace.
Accelerated a little in the last 2km but nothing crazy, and coasted to a stop with my breathing barely stretched above normal, making for a very easy and enjoyable 5 miles, and nicely warmed up by the end!
Posted on Apr 10, 2012 under 5 miles, Regular Runs, Season's Best |
Had meant to run on Sunday but events took over! And was out till very late yesterday, so the post Easter Tuesday was the day to get back to some running!
Wanted to do 5 miles, but had no target in mind, just wanted to see how I felt and run accordingly. Set off and felt a bit tentative at first, but started to subtly pick up pace, even though the first km went by in a pretty slow 6:30 and the Garmin seemed to tick over a lot later than usual on a my regular starting route. Felt that my body was responding and decided to take a slightly hilly route, with a big downhill but some uphills to compensate for the easy ride! The next KM’s started to tick over quicker, with 6:04 and 6:09, and the pace was thereabouts, with just a little slowing during the hills.
As I was getting towards the business end of the run I could see that I was possibly going to be able to achieve a sub 50 5 miles, something I’ve only done once before this season, and I had to be careful not to get carried away and sprint, ever mindful of the calf, but I did pick up the pace and with 3k to go it was well on the cards. I felt really good, breathing hard but not struggling at all, and I did the penultimate km in under 6 minutes, which meant I had about 6.5 minutes to do the last km! As much as I eased off the gas a little, figuring sub 50 would be good enough at this point, at one stage it looked like I would hit sub 49 so I had a stretch of running pretty fast without sprinting, and then eased off the gas as it looked like I would make 8km easy – of course too late I realised I needed another 50 metres to make up the full 5 miles, but it was too late so I just coasted to a stop at 49:08 having done the last km in 5:40 – despite the tough hills and easing off at times for fear of going too hard too soon in my recovery, I finished with a season’s best 49:08, so am pretty much where I was before the calf injury, if not better, and if I can keep my progress steady, I can start to think about maintaining that kind of finishing pace for longer, and look forward to perhaps beating last year’s time in the Great Manchester Run 2012!
Posted on Apr 05, 2012 under 5 miles, Hill Work, Injuries, Regular Runs |
Am starting to hope my calf injury might be a thing of the past!
Was out early today socialising, so was looking forward to an early evening run. Although it was cold early on, and there is still snow on yonder Pennines (Snake Pass closed!), the sun came out and although chilly, was bright. Put on shorts and set off, felt really cold, but Garmin found a signal quite quickly so could get going and warm up a bit.
Took in an incline that sometimes leaves me gasping at about 1.5k and felt fine, then headed down the long hill into the woods, and negotiated the loop by the river. At one point a little dog’s owner started calling it, and then it popped out of the undergrowth and started barking and snapping at me, running alongside me. The owner was very apologetic but I waved it off quite nonchalantly, funny little pooch!
Headed through the woods and experienced some kind of pain around my left chest, which disappeared when I stopped briefly, so figured it was some kind of stitch, and I felt fine so carried on and it went away. Saw some well behaved dogs, and reached 5k just as I got to the bottom of Stockport Road, a big hill which has defeated me on recent outings.
I took it slow and steady, keeping the legs turning over, and got up the really steep bit on one piece, then carried on, noting that the next km turned over in 6:36, exactly the same as the last 2, so I had managed to maintain my pace up the hill! That seemed to be a springboard for the last stage of the run, and although I was careful not to lengthen my stride (and therefore stretch the calf muscles) too much, I did get them turning over quicker, and did the penultimate KM in 5:51 and the last one in 5:45, the fastest couple since the calf went twang.
Had hoped to come in under 51 mins but it didn’t really matter to go a few seconds over, another 5 miler in the bag, 10 miles for the week, and might even add a few more on Sunday. Still need to get my confidence back in terms of running at pace and really pushing it, will just keep up with regular runs and perhaps run a little quicker for a few KMs in the middle stages.
So far so good!
Posted on Apr 02, 2012 under 5 miles, Milestones, Regular Runs |
Went walking yesterday and my feet had felt a little tired, but wanted to get a run in today, and take advantage of having Monday off Uni for the first time in a while!
Felt pretty cold out there, so was glad to get going to warm up, the first km ticked over in 6:31 which was pretty good considering I felt I was just tip toeing to warm up. At about 2.5km I was glad I had a Harvest chewy bar in my pocket, as I had felt I might need a sugar boost along the way, eating this will breathing hard was interesting, but it seemed to do the trick as I eventually felt my hunger pangs disappear and felt pretty good all through the run after a few minutes of feeling a bit hungry.
The 4th km ticked over in 6:12 and there were times when I noticed my pace go to 5:50 per km, whereupon I slowed deliberately, not wanting to push too much too soon and not wishing to experience any sudden twangs in my calf – as it was maintaining a pace of just under 6:25 and doing 5 miles would be enough at this stage, no need for heroics.
I felt I could run at that pace all day, and in the last km increased the foot turnover a little bit, midful not to stretch my legs too much, and I managed an uphill segment and a last km of 6:03 without any calf niggles. I did feel one minor something or other about half way, but it could almost have been a ghost in my mind, and there was nothing running the last km, and no pain on stretching afterwards.
All in all good to get past the 5 mile milestone, as the last 5 mile run was when my calf went, and incredible I am running it now when 5 weeks ago I couldn’t walk. Time wasn’t all that far off my season’s best for 5 miles either, only a couple of minutes out, which bodes well, so if I can just keep upping the distance and pace very gradually I should be OK fingers crossed!
Posted on Feb 09, 2012 under 5 miles, Milestones, Regular Runs, Season's Best |
Phew, at last one of those runs where things click into place and the work seems to be paying off!
Had some things on in the afternoon and some notes to write up when I got in, so had to make sure I ate something and then the clock was ticking to get a run in before it got too late in the evening. Was very cold out and had been utterly pouring with rain most of the day. Fortunately this turned to light drizzle so I got out, trying out the green supernovas I raced in last year, for a change. It was cold out, so cold in fact that the Garmin froze before it found a signal and I had to take the batteries out to restart the damn thing! Then it took ages to get going as yet another paranoid looking youth smoking weed walked past me…
Set off a bit quick, hoping to do at least 5k to get some kind of proper run under my belt, and settled into a comfortable rhythm, then took the risk of heading down a route that would take me in a big circle and be about 5 miles. Attacked the hill over the motorway bridge and passed another mad runner, and noticed the hill didn’t hurt TOO bad, then it was a case of coasting to the half way mark, which I got through in about 24 minutes, and figured that all I had to do was keep my pace and I could run sub 50 for the 5 miles. So far so good.
Was barely breaking into a sweat due to the cold and the light, refreshing drizzle, which was nice on my head but I had to keep wiping the Garmin with my sleeve. Mind you this Garmin, battered as it is, has been with me for some 4 years now so can’t complain! As I turned the corner to start the long straight back home I felt my energy dip a little and had to slow down, as I knew another torturous hill was coming before I was done. Had put in a few sub 6 minute kms but the Garmin told me I was slowing. Even so, when I had 2KM to go I calculated I could probably run them in 7 minutes each and still get under 50 minutes, so just tried to keep my pace as best I could.
The big motorway bridge at Denton Rock slowed me as much as I attacked it, and I briefly stopped at the top, before ploughing on and trying to inject some pace. I now knew I would get under 50 minutes it was just a question of by how much, and I wanted to finish relatively near home. Saw another mad runner and then it was just a matter of reaching the last oasis of streetlight so I could see the Garmin, and the 8.05KM ticked over in a time of 49:10. According to my records, I have not run a 5 miler anywhere near as quick as that since 2010, so it may be a sign that I still have some speed left in me as long as I can stay uninjured.
I recovered pretty quickly and felt good, so was really happy to break 50 minutes, and if I could have kept going it would have been 10k well under the hour. So my next targets are really a sub 49 5 miles and a sub hour 10k, and then I will start thinking about intervals as I look forward to the Great Manchester Run.
Posted on Feb 03, 2012 under 5 miles, 5-10k, Milestones, Regular Runs |
4 days since my last odd little run, and seeing as it was a bright day decided to do my first day time run in ages. With race season approaching I need to start getting used to running earlier, and while evening runs in the dark have had their own appeal during the winter, it was good to get out and have the sun in my eyes today!
This run saw me setting off in appropriate running kit, ie jogging pants and hoody top, thermal hat, and shades. It was at least half way and a big hill before I even started sweating it was that cold! Decided it would be nice to run through the woods so set off in that direction, enjoying the contrast between the glorious sunshine and the freezing air. The pavements were thankfully clear of ice but there were lots of water filled ruts and pockmarks in the woods that were filled with frozen solid water showing how cold it was.
Kept a steady pace not pushing too hard as all I really wanted to do was run 5 miles and enjoy it, not really too bothered about a time. At about 5k the massive Stockport Road incline loomed and I took the opportunity to pause for a second to remove my Nike running beanie hat! Then it was up the hill with just a little pause for breath as I crossed – it’s a tough hill that one!
Once the hill was negotiated I kept going, noticing my pace was a little quicker without more effort, which usually happens with hills! I was starting to feel the pinch a little, and so slowed and just concentrated on getting to 7k, so I could decide how to run the last KM. I put in some pace towards the end, nearly collided with a pair of pensioners coming round a corner to a chorus of “Good god he nearly frightened me to death” for which I dutifully apologised, and then it was a stagger to make the last half km.
Stopped my trust Garmin in a time of 51:56, one of my fastest 5 milers since November last year, and since it included the hill I am very pleased with it. Can’t recall a sub 50 five mile run for some time, and of course the heady days of almost running sub 40 are way back in 2010 – maybe 2012 will be the year I get some pace and speed endurance back 
Posted on Jan 18, 2012 under 5-10k, nutrition, Regular Runs, Slow Runs |
As the deadline looms for my latest Uni assignment I have been putting the finishing touches to it and have developed a sort of tunnel vision, in order to fully concentrate on getting it done. Unfortunately this means I have not been eating quite as well as I might normally – been snacking quite a bit today and having forgotten to eat something in between frantic research, ended up eating a chocolate bar…
All of which was not good for my run, I knew I wanted to get a run in to clear my head after a day handcuffed to the laptop, and felt OK as I got out into the cold and set off. Felt fine for a couple of kilometres and then started to just sense that something wasn’t quite right. I had a plan of doing 7k in my head, but by the time I got to 4k I was starting to get really puffy and feel very hungry. I had to stop and walk a few times, and did consider trying to get through to 7k by hook or by crook. I revised this down to 4 miles but as I was going to pass my house on reaching 6k, with cupboards full of food, I decided to call it a day and settle for the 6k.
Felt fairly puffed out and tired from the run, but knew it was down to not having eaten properly, so will try not to make that mistake again!
Posted on Jan 13, 2012 under 5-10k, Regular Runs |
A day cooped up with an assignment had made me feel quite irritable, and although I slept a bit better last night, by early evening I thought I was going a little bit crazy! Rather then throw the laptop and notes out of the window, I thought a run would help blow away the cobwebs so I put the laptop to sleep for a bit, and got my running kit on.
Planned to do 6k and if feeling good make it up to 4 miles. Felt pretty cold outside and my breath was pluming, willed the Garmin to find a signal so I could get going. Had been feeling a non specific tenderness in right hamstring area so wondered if it would affect the running, as it didn’t seem related to it.
Set off at relaxed pace and felt no problems with leg, was feeling quite pleased about getting more use out of my old Glide 2s, as I think I’ve been erring on the side of caution a bit too much when swapping to new pairs and think there is life in these yet – as was to be proved a little later in the run!
Planned a route in my head once I got going and settled into what would be my longest run for a while. Ran past my old school and some familiar places, and decided to head down Egerton street past another school. In the distance I could see a couple of runners, who seemed to be going quite sedately, and wondered if I could catch them, and since I felt good I turned on the speed (such as it is for me!) a bit, and was soon level with them, at which point I noticed they were walking rather than jogging! Even so, I flew past them and it was then, for about 100 metres or so, that the Adidas Supernova Glides lived up to their name, as it felt like I was gliding along, and motoring too… Probably a bit of an endorphin rush at that point! I knew I couldn’t maintain that pace so slowed again, wanting to make the 4 miles, but I didn’t feel any ill effects from it and it’s good to know I can still switch gears like that, will be good preparation for the race season.
I managed the last few kms more sedately and the loop was perfect as I finished the 4 miles right at my front door.
Now I feel ready to take another look at the mental rubik’s cube this assignment is turning into
Posted on Jan 11, 2012 under 5-10k, 5k, Regular Runs |
Still not sleeping well lately, but I heard magnesium and calcium can be good for insomnia so I got my Boots double points and threshold tokens and stocked up on my vitamins and minerals, including some iron, and will see if this helps!
Meanwhile, back to the running, it had been raining earlier and not having slept was in two minds about a run, but knowing that this weekend I have some things on where I can’t run, I thought I’d better get at least a short sharp run in, so got my jogging pants and top on and ventured out.
It felt quite mild, and had stopped raining, so as soon as the Garmin found a signal I set off at what felt like a fairly brisk pace – however the first km ticked over in 6:40 so it seemed to be my usual pattern of thinking I am running slower or faster than I really am continues! I felt good and seemed to speed up in reality after that, posting two sub 6 min kms as part of the run, including the last one which was 5:47. I had hoped to get under 31 minutes once I got going and felt ok, but had to motor hard in that last km to make it with just 10 seconds to spare.
Next target is to break 30 minutes again, and will factor in a few longer runs now I seem to be back from the colds and distractions of Christmas.
Meanwhile, I have assignments to do for my Uni Course too!
Posted on Jan 08, 2012 under 5k, Regular Runs |
Just a quiet Sunday 5k – was dark but didn’t feel all that cold. Had sleeping pill last night as been sleeping atrociously, so may have been a bit of hangover from that, but managed to trot round, no fireworks but a run’s a run!
