Tuesday morning I was up bright and (very) early and impressed even myself by managing to fit a 3.4 mile run in before work. It was a gorgeous morning with the sun rising over the park and it was lovely and quiet with just the crazy people of the world out and about (some woman feeding the squirrels and us runners). I also managed to do it in under 10minutes/mile which made me really happy.
Wednesday was another beautiful morning in the park and for change of scenery I did the 2.8 mile route - again putting in a sub 10 minute/mile time. I felt really good after the race - ready for the day. And thankfully the rain had the courtesy to wait till after I was done running before arriving. :)
Sadly on Thursday the public transport let me down. To compete in the 5k race I had to get to the venue by 7:20pm at the latest, meaning I had to arrive home from work at 6pm. Due to heavy traffic and then train cancellations I didn't get home till 6:30pm. And by then I was utterly exhausted so decided to get an early night and catch up on some much needed sleep - I'll need all of my energy for this weekend! It'll be action packed so hopefully that'll make up for the lack of running.
As I'm now managing to run my current routes with relative ease I'll be looking to increase my max distance to 6 miles by the 11th of September, even if to start with I have to walk parts. That'll hopefully take my running route past Buckingham palace - what a great place to live!!
Friday 27 August 2010
Sunday 22 August 2010
Week 8 update
On Tuesday I chose to take it easy after my dodgy run on Sunday so I did a short 2 mile run which went well. On Thursday I picked up the pace and did the 3.4 mile route in a reasonable 35 mins despite the rain.
Saturday I just couldn't be bothered, but on Sunday I pushed myself out and managed to do the complete 2 parks (5.4 miles) in a good 55 mins, running the whole way and only stopping to cross roads safely. It felt good to get such a good run in and it was a good end to the week.
My plan for this next week is to run Tuesday, Wednesday and then run a 5k race on Thursday as I'll have to take next weekend off as I'm away for a friend's hen-do. I'm really excited about the 5k race as it'll be exactly 2 months after my first one and it'll be a good comparison.
Saturday I just couldn't be bothered, but on Sunday I pushed myself out and managed to do the complete 2 parks (5.4 miles) in a good 55 mins, running the whole way and only stopping to cross roads safely. It felt good to get such a good run in and it was a good end to the week.
My plan for this next week is to run Tuesday, Wednesday and then run a 5k race on Thursday as I'll have to take next weekend off as I'm away for a friend's hen-do. I'm really excited about the 5k race as it'll be exactly 2 months after my first one and it'll be a good comparison.
Sunday 15 August 2010
Week 7 update
This past week I've been pretty busy so didn't have time to go travelling across London to compete in races, but I made up for it by making sure I did the equivalent distance in Hyde Park instead as I could be out and back in under an hour.
Thursday night I did the full top of both Hyde Park and Kensington Park Gardens and back - a route of 3.4 miles in a reasonable 35 mins.
Saturday I decided not to run as I wasn't feeling too great - generally pretty exhausted.
On Sunday instead of the 5 mile race I did the complete 5.4 mile circuit around both parks. However half way round I had to stop and walk for a while as I wasn't feeling well - which was really frustrating as I knew I had it in me to run the full thing.
Despite the week starting well it's ended on a bit of a bum note but I'm hoping it'll pick up this next week. I'll wait and see how I'm doing this next week before I make any further plans.
Thursday night I did the full top of both Hyde Park and Kensington Park Gardens and back - a route of 3.4 miles in a reasonable 35 mins.
Saturday I decided not to run as I wasn't feeling too great - generally pretty exhausted.
On Sunday instead of the 5 mile race I did the complete 5.4 mile circuit around both parks. However half way round I had to stop and walk for a while as I wasn't feeling well - which was really frustrating as I knew I had it in me to run the full thing.
Despite the week starting well it's ended on a bit of a bum note but I'm hoping it'll pick up this next week. I'll wait and see how I'm doing this next week before I make any further plans.
Weekly Weigh-in - 15/08/10
My weekly weigh-in sessions will be suspended until further notice as my bathroom scales are proving to be both inconsistent and inaccurate. I'm going to try and find some form of work around, but for now I'll not be posting my weigh-ins.
This morning my weight was somewhere between 72.7 and 74.2 - so I've either gained weight or lost it....not the most useful information.
At the end of the day I'm not so concerned about actual weight as I am about body shape - but it would be useful to be able to track my weightloss, especially when it's gradual.
This morning my weight was somewhere between 72.7 and 74.2 - so I've either gained weight or lost it....not the most useful information.
At the end of the day I'm not so concerned about actual weight as I am about body shape - but it would be useful to be able to track my weightloss, especially when it's gradual.
Tuesday 10 August 2010
First Work Handicap Race
Today I ran my first handicap race at work. I was really nervous about it before hand but it went really well.
I was the first person to start which A) was nerve wracking as I didn't know the route very well, and B) made me think everyone would fly past me. But another woman joined at the last minute and ran with me which meant I had someone to talk to on the way round (I know, I know, no talking when racing - but hey, it was the first one!)
The good news is that nobody caught us up and at despite having to walk up the hill that's at the halfway point I managed to finish strong with a good sprint across the finish line leaving the other lady behind.
With a finish time of 30mins 40secs I was pretty pleased as I beat my projected time but set a nice reasonable time to beat in the future.
I'll need to do some work on my hills in future so that that darn hill doesn't slow me down, but apart from that it's all going good. Of course the builders wolf whistling at me half way round just left me confused - I mean REALLY? I was bright red, sweaty and gross - do they have no standards?!
I was the first person to start which A) was nerve wracking as I didn't know the route very well, and B) made me think everyone would fly past me. But another woman joined at the last minute and ran with me which meant I had someone to talk to on the way round (I know, I know, no talking when racing - but hey, it was the first one!)
The good news is that nobody caught us up and at despite having to walk up the hill that's at the halfway point I managed to finish strong with a good sprint across the finish line leaving the other lady behind.
With a finish time of 30mins 40secs I was pretty pleased as I beat my projected time but set a nice reasonable time to beat in the future.
I'll need to do some work on my hills in future so that that darn hill doesn't slow me down, but apart from that it's all going good. Of course the builders wolf whistling at me half way round just left me confused - I mean REALLY? I was bright red, sweaty and gross - do they have no standards?!
Sunday 8 August 2010
Weekly Weigh-in - 08/08/10
No big surprises with my weight this week.
My new weight is: 73.4 kg (161.8 lbs).
Week weight loss: 0.2 kg
Total weight loss: 0.4 kg
My new weight is: 73.4 kg (161.8 lbs).
Week weight loss: 0.2 kg
Total weight loss: 0.4 kg
Saturday 7 August 2010
Week 6 update
After my mid-week review of my aims in running I put in a good week.
Thursday morning before work, despite sleeping in, I was able to nip out
for 2.8 miles down the side of Hyde Park. As I knew I was running late I
pushed myself to run the whole way, but it wasn't too difficult as I found
a good stride and managed to do it in about 25 mins.
Saturday morning was the Serpentine's monthly handicap race. It was a grey
muggy day with some drizzle. A couple of the girls I ran the race with last
month were there and we started at about the same time. It was nice to have
people to pace myself with and it was our aim to do the full 4.3 mile race
without having to slow to a walk.
After a quarter of the way round I was struggling so I slowed and let them
pull away, I really didn't think I'd catch them up again. I managed to keep
going for the second quarter when I caught up with a girl who'd started
earlier than us. Now last month we stopped to walk at the halfway point to
catch our breath, so although I'd made it this far and was overtaking this
girl I knew if I didn't pace myself I wouldn't be able to make it all the
way round without walking. So I decided to fall in with her and keep it
nice and slow and steady.
This got me through the third quarter but it was a struggle. By the time we
got to the 3/4 mark we were starting to get overtaken by the main body of
runners making for the finish line. The girl I was running with had to slow
to a walk but I was determined to run the whole way round and strangely the
people overtaking me gave me extra energy to push on.
Then as I came up to the final 1/8th of the race I started to overtake a
couple people - this really gave me a buzz and I powered on. It was a
struggle not to go hell for leather too soon, but I held back knowing I
didn't want to burn out before the finish line. I overtook one of the girls
I started with - I really didn't think I'd catch her but I did. Then as we
came up to the finish line she came sneaking up behind me - I wasn't having
none of it! I was only planning on jogging across the finish line but this
sudden burst of competitiveness found me some extra energy and I sprinted
across the finish line, beating her by 2 seconds! I got quite a fun buzz
from it too! :)
My final time was 46mins and 31seconds - a personal best, shaving a couple
minutes off my time from last month.
This next week I have a further 3 races which will cover my training quite
nicely. On Tuesday it is my work's handicap race - a circuit of 3 miles.
That'll be a new experience for me, running at lunchtime, running with my
work's running club and running in Reading so it'll be interesting to see
how it goes! Hopefully it will go smoothly as I'm planning on making it a
regular occurance, especially when the winter draws in and running
before/after work stops being an option.
Then on Thursday evening I have the athletics league 3.5 mile race followed
by the summer league 5 mile race on Sunday. I'll give them my best shot,
try to do them without having to stop to walk and see how it goes! I might
go running with the club on Saturday morning, but I'll decide on that
closer to the time - I'll see how my body is doing as I don't want to
overdo it. So here's to a good week!
Thursday morning before work, despite sleeping in, I was able to nip out
for 2.8 miles down the side of Hyde Park. As I knew I was running late I
pushed myself to run the whole way, but it wasn't too difficult as I found
a good stride and managed to do it in about 25 mins.
Saturday morning was the Serpentine's monthly handicap race. It was a grey
muggy day with some drizzle. A couple of the girls I ran the race with last
month were there and we started at about the same time. It was nice to have
people to pace myself with and it was our aim to do the full 4.3 mile race
without having to slow to a walk.
After a quarter of the way round I was struggling so I slowed and let them
pull away, I really didn't think I'd catch them up again. I managed to keep
going for the second quarter when I caught up with a girl who'd started
earlier than us. Now last month we stopped to walk at the halfway point to
catch our breath, so although I'd made it this far and was overtaking this
girl I knew if I didn't pace myself I wouldn't be able to make it all the
way round without walking. So I decided to fall in with her and keep it
nice and slow and steady.
This got me through the third quarter but it was a struggle. By the time we
got to the 3/4 mark we were starting to get overtaken by the main body of
runners making for the finish line. The girl I was running with had to slow
to a walk but I was determined to run the whole way round and strangely the
people overtaking me gave me extra energy to push on.
Then as I came up to the final 1/8th of the race I started to overtake a
couple people - this really gave me a buzz and I powered on. It was a
struggle not to go hell for leather too soon, but I held back knowing I
didn't want to burn out before the finish line. I overtook one of the girls
I started with - I really didn't think I'd catch her but I did. Then as we
came up to the finish line she came sneaking up behind me - I wasn't having
none of it! I was only planning on jogging across the finish line but this
sudden burst of competitiveness found me some extra energy and I sprinted
across the finish line, beating her by 2 seconds! I got quite a fun buzz
from it too! :)
My final time was 46mins and 31seconds - a personal best, shaving a couple
minutes off my time from last month.
This next week I have a further 3 races which will cover my training quite
nicely. On Tuesday it is my work's handicap race - a circuit of 3 miles.
That'll be a new experience for me, running at lunchtime, running with my
work's running club and running in Reading so it'll be interesting to see
how it goes! Hopefully it will go smoothly as I'm planning on making it a
regular occurance, especially when the winter draws in and running
before/after work stops being an option.
Then on Thursday evening I have the athletics league 3.5 mile race followed
by the summer league 5 mile race on Sunday. I'll give them my best shot,
try to do them without having to stop to walk and see how it goes! I might
go running with the club on Saturday morning, but I'll decide on that
closer to the time - I'll see how my body is doing as I don't want to
overdo it. So here's to a good week!
Tuesday 3 August 2010
Review of Race Entries
At the start of the week I was planning on competing in the 1 mile club
championship race taking place this evening. However upon assessing how far
away the venue was from my apartment and figuring out how difficult it
would be to get there I began to review why I was competing in the race and
whether it was really worth it, especially considering it will take me five
times as long to get to the venue than it'll take for me to run the race
itself! So this made me review - why am I running and what do I hope to
achieve?
First and foremost, I am not running to win races, I'm training for a
marathon - 26.2 miles. The bulk of my training is focussing on building up
mileage. Any races I do between now and the big day will be purely for
preparation purposes. I am under no delusions that I'll win any of them,
there's far too many faster, fitter people around. As stepping stones to
running the marathon I would like to compete in a 10k, a half marathon, and
other similar distance events. I'll also work on interval training to
improve my fitness and my speed, as well as some hills work, all of which
will work toward preparing me for the marathon.
Short 1 mile races however wont exactly give me any benefit. They do not
fit into my objectives to run a marathon. They would be ideal if I were
training to do sprinting, or to compete seriously in shorter
distances...but I'm not. So what is the minimum race distance I'm willing
to do? As my first ever race was a 5k I can see benefit in doing future 5k
races for comparison purposes to see how I'm improving since the last one.
I think it is reasonable to set this as my minimum race distance.
There are however a series of races that I DO have a chance of winning.
Both the Serpentine running club and the running club at my work do monthly
"handicap" races. These work by staggering the start times for the runners
based on their previous race results with the idea that everyone finishes
the race en-mass. As you are running against your own previous time, the
first person across the line (and therefore the "winner") is the person who
has improved on their previous time the most. As *fingers crossed* I will
be improving over the course of the next 9 months as I train for the
marathon then these are the races that I stand a chance to win - and it is
my aim to win them! Quite simply - this is an achievable goal which meets
my objectives.
So what did I do this evening instead of competing in the 1 mile race? Well
I chose to use my time more wisely and go for a run in the park - making
the most of the extra time I have to go for a longer run than I typically
would mid-week. I ran from my flat, the full length of the top of Hyde Park
and Kensington Park Gardens and back - a distances of 3.4 miles total which
I did in about 35 mins. I ran quite fast as I wanted to get home before it
started to get dark and I took short breathers to tide me over but all in
all it was a good run.
championship race taking place this evening. However upon assessing how far
away the venue was from my apartment and figuring out how difficult it
would be to get there I began to review why I was competing in the race and
whether it was really worth it, especially considering it will take me five
times as long to get to the venue than it'll take for me to run the race
itself! So this made me review - why am I running and what do I hope to
achieve?
First and foremost, I am not running to win races, I'm training for a
marathon - 26.2 miles. The bulk of my training is focussing on building up
mileage. Any races I do between now and the big day will be purely for
preparation purposes. I am under no delusions that I'll win any of them,
there's far too many faster, fitter people around. As stepping stones to
running the marathon I would like to compete in a 10k, a half marathon, and
other similar distance events. I'll also work on interval training to
improve my fitness and my speed, as well as some hills work, all of which
will work toward preparing me for the marathon.
Short 1 mile races however wont exactly give me any benefit. They do not
fit into my objectives to run a marathon. They would be ideal if I were
training to do sprinting, or to compete seriously in shorter
distances...but I'm not. So what is the minimum race distance I'm willing
to do? As my first ever race was a 5k I can see benefit in doing future 5k
races for comparison purposes to see how I'm improving since the last one.
I think it is reasonable to set this as my minimum race distance.
There are however a series of races that I DO have a chance of winning.
Both the Serpentine running club and the running club at my work do monthly
"handicap" races. These work by staggering the start times for the runners
based on their previous race results with the idea that everyone finishes
the race en-mass. As you are running against your own previous time, the
first person across the line (and therefore the "winner") is the person who
has improved on their previous time the most. As *fingers crossed* I will
be improving over the course of the next 9 months as I train for the
marathon then these are the races that I stand a chance to win - and it is
my aim to win them! Quite simply - this is an achievable goal which meets
my objectives.
So what did I do this evening instead of competing in the 1 mile race? Well
I chose to use my time more wisely and go for a run in the park - making
the most of the extra time I have to go for a longer run than I typically
would mid-week. I ran from my flat, the full length of the top of Hyde Park
and Kensington Park Gardens and back - a distances of 3.4 miles total which
I did in about 35 mins. I ran quite fast as I wanted to get home before it
started to get dark and I took short breathers to tide me over but all in
all it was a good run.
Sunday 1 August 2010
Weekly Weigh-in - 01/08/10
Not surprisingly after another week of not running I've put weight back on again - possibly also water as I've been super-hydrating to try and treat my sunburn. It's a bit frustrating to be pretty much back at my starting weight, but I was speaking to another runner the other day who said once I get up to 30miles/week then I'll really struggle to keep the weight on, so that's encouraging!
My new weight is: 73.6 kg (162.3 lbs).
Week weight gain: 0.9 kg
Total weight loss: 0.2 kg
My new weight is: 73.6 kg (162.3 lbs).
Week weight gain: 0.9 kg
Total weight loss: 0.2 kg
Week 5 update
Thankfully after a very long week my stomach bug finally cleared. However last Sunday we went to the Farnborough Airshow and although I was prepared for hunger, thirst, rain, cold, and even dry eyes, I stupidly wasn't prepared for direct sun! I got absolutely scorched, definitely the worst burn I've ever had. My poor shoulders and chest blistered and the sunglasses outline burned into my face caused great amusement at the office. Since movement and sweating wasn't exactly desirable I decided to take another week of running.
Yesterday I helped out at a club track and field event (smothered in suncream this time!) but it got me itching to get out running again, so although I'm not 100% healed I got on my running shoes today and hit the park. Man it felt good to be out running again!! I took it easy, although I did the full 5.4 mile circuit of the park I walked to the park and back and alternated running and walking around the park, running a mile fairly quickly then walking about a half mile. I got a real buzz every time I got running and I'm looking forward to my next time out!
On Tuesday evening I'll be competing in the 1 mile club championship race, then I'll do a 2.8 route on Thursday morning before work and finally a long run in the park on Saturday before heading off to help at another track and field event for the club. I'll be gently easing myself back into running, and then next week I'll ramp it up a bit more, I want to start getting some more mileage in.
Yesterday I helped out at a club track and field event (smothered in suncream this time!) but it got me itching to get out running again, so although I'm not 100% healed I got on my running shoes today and hit the park. Man it felt good to be out running again!! I took it easy, although I did the full 5.4 mile circuit of the park I walked to the park and back and alternated running and walking around the park, running a mile fairly quickly then walking about a half mile. I got a real buzz every time I got running and I'm looking forward to my next time out!
On Tuesday evening I'll be competing in the 1 mile club championship race, then I'll do a 2.8 route on Thursday morning before work and finally a long run in the park on Saturday before heading off to help at another track and field event for the club. I'll be gently easing myself back into running, and then next week I'll ramp it up a bit more, I want to start getting some more mileage in.
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