As I sat down to tap out my latest update Daft Punk came on the radio and I couldn't think of a better title for this week's post. It's been another good week only slightly hampered by those ongoing pesky blisters.
The particular highlight was my first 4 mile run of the week. My flatmate joined me for only the second time since I began my training. The first time was about a month ago where he pulled me round Battersea Park and made me work hard. Fastforward to last Tuesday and it was a different story. Not only had we knocked off 4 minutes from our previous jaunt I was the one dragging him around. Admittedly he has done very little, if any, running between our outings but it still felt good to hear him cursing under his breath, constantly asking how far we had left to go and out-sprinting him to the finish line.
Obviously not to be outdone by a girl he joined me again for a mid week six miler and was back on form although we were pretty evenly matched and maintained the 9 minute mile pace of a couple of days before. The fourth mile was tough as the blister on my right foot reminded me it was still around. By the time I got home it was a bit of a mess, so much so that I had to abandon the third run of the week less than a mile in. I walked for a couple of miles but decided to rest up ahead of the long one.
I'm still wedded to Richmond Park for the longer runs and with temperatures forecast to hit 26 degrees I got up early to avoid the real heat. Luckily at 8am is was overcast, slightly drizzly with a nice cool breeze. Needing to work off the mahoosive plate of pasta from the night before I decided to aim for 14 miles this week. The schedule calls for only 12 but having missed a few of the mid week runs and with a holiday on the way I just wanted to bank that extra couple whilst I still have the enthusiam and strength. It was a bit quieter than the last two Sundays and as I settled into the first mile the blisters weren't feeling too bad. I was really positive about doing the whole 14 miles and no part of me seemed to disagree at any point which made for the easiest and most enjoyable long run so far.
I actually felt strong right up until the final mile... which seemed to go on forever. The multitude of hot topless men striding around the park helped to keep my spirits up as well. Ha! To date I've only braved a smile and nod or maybe a quick hello but think I am going to aim for the odd high five before training is out. So I felt pretty good when I finished and without the addition of a Bodypump session I was far far less achey than the week before. The blisters coninue to grow and i'm really going to have to look into maybe a new pair of trainers (definitely time anyways) as well as some better preventitive measures.
The stick continues to work wonders, I haven't yet tired of the Raspberry flavoured Lucozade Sport, I'm taking Glucosamine Sulphate tablets, drinking bucket loads of water and trying to eat more healthily. Did I mention I've lost 7lbs... 'bout frigging time. Hoorah!
The Medium Run
Distance: 6.54 miles
Time: 59minutes and 49 seconds
Average Pace: 9minutes and 9seconds per mile
Calories burnt: 725
Lessons learned: Boys will only let you beat them once in their lifetime
Monday 31 August 2009
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Week 6 - Pain in the Ass
Not a very elegant title to this week's post but appropriate nonetheless. The Monday after my long run I definitely had some aches and pains in my thighs and the top of my hamstrings. My training manual says that now i'm into double figures I should try to take the day off from running before and after - so Monday I put my feet up.
By Tuesday I was feeling pretty much back to normal but the blisters were still looking pretty angry. I strapped them up with some Compeeds and set off for 4 miles round the bridges. I had a great run and stormed home in under 37 minutes and 4 seconds - which is one of my fastest solo runs. The only slight hiccup was that about half way through I managed to rip off the skin across the entire blister on the back of my right heel. Grim Reaper.
So despite feeling the fittest and most positive I have since I began my training I was confined to four rest days in a row. I braved iodine tincture (thanks Grannie) which definitely sped up the process and at 92 pence a bottle was an absolute steal. I had to forego a planned 10k around Regents Park on Thursday evening as it just wasn't healed enough to risk missing the weekend run. On Saturday I decided to fit in a session of Bodypump in an attempt to make up for dodging the midweek runs which made me feel a bit better. But come Sunday I was raring to do my long run (who would have thought it).
This time I was better prepared. I made sure to drink loads of water over the weekend. I charged up the new iPod shuffle. I strapped up the blisters and went back to my usual socks. A return to Richmond Park seemed like the most appealing option so I got up early and arrived at the park before 9am. Despite this it was already scorchio. I set off from the same starting point but decided to run in the opposite direction in an attempt to knock out some of those troublesome hills. Screw dominating them. I started off slow and like before I found the miles between 2 and 5 the hardest. However this time I knew I could go the distance, I had an iPod with a decent battery and was a lot fresher from my four days off. So much so that pretty early on I decided I was going to run an extra mile and shoot for 12 instead of the scheduled 11.
By the time I got to 6 I was feeling pretty happy and it was a whole different story from the week before. Running anticlockwise round the park was admittedly a bit easier than the alternative but the run just remphasised how much of this is about mind over matter. Miles 10 to 12 were hard and I felt my form disintergrate. In total it took me just over 2 hours. No prizes for speed but a definite tick in the box for endurance. Grrrrrrrrrr.
So at the end of Week 6 I felt a mixture of achievement and disappointment. I really wanted to get a full house of four solid runs which I didn't manage but then again the long run felt very comfortable and the thought of running twice that distance didn't totally freak me out. Although I felt sore at the end of the run I wasn't compeltely exhausted. I stretched and stretched and stretched, I attacked myself with the stick, I also took a couple of Ibuprofen and got a reasonably early night. Fast forward 8 hours and I sprung out of bed with the elegance and grace of a 95 year old. Can't wait to feel the burn the day after 26.2 miles. Seriously... I forsee a world of pain coming my way over the next 10 weeks but somehow it all seems totally worth it. I've surprised myself with how much I'm loving the running.
Bring on Week 7.
By Tuesday I was feeling pretty much back to normal but the blisters were still looking pretty angry. I strapped them up with some Compeeds and set off for 4 miles round the bridges. I had a great run and stormed home in under 37 minutes and 4 seconds - which is one of my fastest solo runs. The only slight hiccup was that about half way through I managed to rip off the skin across the entire blister on the back of my right heel. Grim Reaper.
So despite feeling the fittest and most positive I have since I began my training I was confined to four rest days in a row. I braved iodine tincture (thanks Grannie) which definitely sped up the process and at 92 pence a bottle was an absolute steal. I had to forego a planned 10k around Regents Park on Thursday evening as it just wasn't healed enough to risk missing the weekend run. On Saturday I decided to fit in a session of Bodypump in an attempt to make up for dodging the midweek runs which made me feel a bit better. But come Sunday I was raring to do my long run (who would have thought it).
This time I was better prepared. I made sure to drink loads of water over the weekend. I charged up the new iPod shuffle. I strapped up the blisters and went back to my usual socks. A return to Richmond Park seemed like the most appealing option so I got up early and arrived at the park before 9am. Despite this it was already scorchio. I set off from the same starting point but decided to run in the opposite direction in an attempt to knock out some of those troublesome hills. Screw dominating them. I started off slow and like before I found the miles between 2 and 5 the hardest. However this time I knew I could go the distance, I had an iPod with a decent battery and was a lot fresher from my four days off. So much so that pretty early on I decided I was going to run an extra mile and shoot for 12 instead of the scheduled 11.
By the time I got to 6 I was feeling pretty happy and it was a whole different story from the week before. Running anticlockwise round the park was admittedly a bit easier than the alternative but the run just remphasised how much of this is about mind over matter. Miles 10 to 12 were hard and I felt my form disintergrate. In total it took me just over 2 hours. No prizes for speed but a definite tick in the box for endurance. Grrrrrrrrrr.
So at the end of Week 6 I felt a mixture of achievement and disappointment. I really wanted to get a full house of four solid runs which I didn't manage but then again the long run felt very comfortable and the thought of running twice that distance didn't totally freak me out. Although I felt sore at the end of the run I wasn't compeltely exhausted. I stretched and stretched and stretched, I attacked myself with the stick, I also took a couple of Ibuprofen and got a reasonably early night. Fast forward 8 hours and I sprung out of bed with the elegance and grace of a 95 year old. Can't wait to feel the burn the day after 26.2 miles. Seriously... I forsee a world of pain coming my way over the next 10 weeks but somehow it all seems totally worth it. I've surprised myself with how much I'm loving the running.
Bring on Week 7.
Sunday 16 August 2009
Week 5 - Eat It!
August is my least favourite month to be in London. I'd rather be anywhere than stuck in the office with all the traffic and people roaring around on the street below. Unfortunately almost everyone else in my office is actually somewhere else so Week 5 didn't get off to a very fast start. In fact, due to a variety of factors, my first run of the week didn't happen until Friday - whoops!
On Friday I decided to hook up the heart monitor for the first time to see how much of my 'i'm about to die' feelings are all really just in the mind. All I had to do was strap it on and turn on the watch. I haven't quite worked out how to accurately calculate my maximum heartrate and therefore what my appropriate training intensity should be in terms of bpm. Historically Friday evening runs haven't worked out that well for me because I'm usually tired after a long week at work and trying to squeeze in the run before heading out to start the weekend. This one was much better. Over a distance of 5 miles I averaged 9 minutes 39 seconds per mile had an average heart rate of 174. All in all it was a solid run and I felt in control throughout. Saturday morning was sunny and I hit Battersea Park for a quick 3 miles. The heat slowed me down a bit but it was still a pretty good run. I'm finding that I am enjoying the middle distance runs the most at the moment. 5 miles is long enough to settle in, too long to try and rush it but not long enough to get really tired. At 3 miles I am trying to push myself and the first and second miles seem to go on forever.
And so we reached today. 10 miles... hitting double figures for the first time. I was slightly nervous but also excited. On the advice of a friend I got in car and drove out to Richmond Park to run round the perimetre. I arrived just after 09.30 and it was overcast but warm. I strapped on the heart rate monitor, plugged in the iPod, switched on the Garmin and grabbed my bottle of water. One lap of the perimetre is 7.2 miles so I would need to double back a bit to make up the distance. I had no aches or pains from my previous two outings (could be something to do with The Stick, which I have been using religiously, but still too early to tell) and after the first mile I began to settle in to a run that was going to take me an hour and a half at the very least. Not long after, I encountered my first hill which was pretty tough going - but having hit it so early on I dominated (as my flatmate would say) and carried on. The sun had come out and I began to worry that I hadn't hydrated enough before the run.
My major problems began at mile 4, primarily because I thought I'd already run a mile further than I actually had but also beacuse my iPod decided to die (time for a new one I think) and I could feel the beginnings of a painful blister on my left foot (new socks - not a wise move). The iPod was annoying but no big deal, the mileage was disappointing but still overcomeable and the pain wasn't so bad as to need to stop but it was the combination of factors that put me in a bad frame of mind. Whilst grumbling away to myself I obviously took a wrong turn (no idea how - it was a fairly well marked trail) and ended up at a dead end with the only option being a slightly sketchy looking hill path through some trees. The hill was hard and I had to walk after about three quarters of the way to the top. It was at this point that I encountered some weirdo/scary looking dude picking blackberries whilst on a bicycle. I almost turned back to re-find the place i'd originally gone wrong but was near the top of the hill so stumbled on and luckily popped back out near one of the main entrances to the perimetre of the Park.
I needed a break to regroup and pull myself together. I stopped for a couple of minutes and downed a lot of water. Today was going to be a mental battle and so far the desire to give in was outweighing the will to continue. Starting off again I felt much better and my talking to seemed to have done the trick but I couldn't help feeling that if I'd had someone else running with me things would seem a whole lot easier. So I visualised that they were. The Non Runners Guide to Marathon Training really does seem to anticipate exactly what I'm going to feel like every single week. The latest chapter recommends creating films in your head to help you along the way when things get tough. Some suggestions include, remembering your greatest run so far... the sounds, sights and smells and where you were; another option is imagining you are as light as a feather or that all the muscles in your body are rowers you can command at will. I chose to imagine friends and family members accompanying me along the way. Some would join me for a mile or so and I would imagine what we would talk about, others would cheer me on from the sidelines and tell me to keep on going. I know it all sounds a bit strange but it massively helped.
My legs felt fine and my breathing was shallow so I knew it was all in my mind. The visualisations worked up until about 8 and a half miles, by which time I'd already done one lap plus a mini loop and was just passing the car for the second time (aghhhhhhhh). After that I just gritted my teeth and furiously clock watched for the next fifteen minutes. By that stage there was no way on earth I was going to stop before my 10 miles was up. I had worked it out perfectly and collapsed over the car bonnet in a sweaty bedraggled mess.
10 miles. Done. However it made me realise that the long runs are going to get even harder and that this is going to be as much of a mental battle as a physical one. I also need to pay more attention to what I'm eating and drinking ahead of the long runs. I think my mind was partly tired due to insufficient fuelling beforehand. Once home I checked the blisters (massive one on each foot - the new socks are now in the bin) gave myself a good going over with The Stick and sunk about a litre of water. Roll on Week Six.
The Stats
The Long Run
Distance: 10.02 miles
Time: 1 hour 41 minutes and 57 seconds
Pace: 10minutes 11seconds per mile
Calories Burned: 1107 (yes!)
Average Heart Rate: 175bpm
New experiences
Blisters the size of 10 pence pieces
Feeling dehydrated after a run
Running in Richmond Park
On Friday I decided to hook up the heart monitor for the first time to see how much of my 'i'm about to die' feelings are all really just in the mind. All I had to do was strap it on and turn on the watch. I haven't quite worked out how to accurately calculate my maximum heartrate and therefore what my appropriate training intensity should be in terms of bpm. Historically Friday evening runs haven't worked out that well for me because I'm usually tired after a long week at work and trying to squeeze in the run before heading out to start the weekend. This one was much better. Over a distance of 5 miles I averaged 9 minutes 39 seconds per mile had an average heart rate of 174. All in all it was a solid run and I felt in control throughout. Saturday morning was sunny and I hit Battersea Park for a quick 3 miles. The heat slowed me down a bit but it was still a pretty good run. I'm finding that I am enjoying the middle distance runs the most at the moment. 5 miles is long enough to settle in, too long to try and rush it but not long enough to get really tired. At 3 miles I am trying to push myself and the first and second miles seem to go on forever.
And so we reached today. 10 miles... hitting double figures for the first time. I was slightly nervous but also excited. On the advice of a friend I got in car and drove out to Richmond Park to run round the perimetre. I arrived just after 09.30 and it was overcast but warm. I strapped on the heart rate monitor, plugged in the iPod, switched on the Garmin and grabbed my bottle of water. One lap of the perimetre is 7.2 miles so I would need to double back a bit to make up the distance. I had no aches or pains from my previous two outings (could be something to do with The Stick, which I have been using religiously, but still too early to tell) and after the first mile I began to settle in to a run that was going to take me an hour and a half at the very least. Not long after, I encountered my first hill which was pretty tough going - but having hit it so early on I dominated (as my flatmate would say) and carried on. The sun had come out and I began to worry that I hadn't hydrated enough before the run.
My major problems began at mile 4, primarily because I thought I'd already run a mile further than I actually had but also beacuse my iPod decided to die (time for a new one I think) and I could feel the beginnings of a painful blister on my left foot (new socks - not a wise move). The iPod was annoying but no big deal, the mileage was disappointing but still overcomeable and the pain wasn't so bad as to need to stop but it was the combination of factors that put me in a bad frame of mind. Whilst grumbling away to myself I obviously took a wrong turn (no idea how - it was a fairly well marked trail) and ended up at a dead end with the only option being a slightly sketchy looking hill path through some trees. The hill was hard and I had to walk after about three quarters of the way to the top. It was at this point that I encountered some weirdo/scary looking dude picking blackberries whilst on a bicycle. I almost turned back to re-find the place i'd originally gone wrong but was near the top of the hill so stumbled on and luckily popped back out near one of the main entrances to the perimetre of the Park.
I needed a break to regroup and pull myself together. I stopped for a couple of minutes and downed a lot of water. Today was going to be a mental battle and so far the desire to give in was outweighing the will to continue. Starting off again I felt much better and my talking to seemed to have done the trick but I couldn't help feeling that if I'd had someone else running with me things would seem a whole lot easier. So I visualised that they were. The Non Runners Guide to Marathon Training really does seem to anticipate exactly what I'm going to feel like every single week. The latest chapter recommends creating films in your head to help you along the way when things get tough. Some suggestions include, remembering your greatest run so far... the sounds, sights and smells and where you were; another option is imagining you are as light as a feather or that all the muscles in your body are rowers you can command at will. I chose to imagine friends and family members accompanying me along the way. Some would join me for a mile or so and I would imagine what we would talk about, others would cheer me on from the sidelines and tell me to keep on going. I know it all sounds a bit strange but it massively helped.
My legs felt fine and my breathing was shallow so I knew it was all in my mind. The visualisations worked up until about 8 and a half miles, by which time I'd already done one lap plus a mini loop and was just passing the car for the second time (aghhhhhhhh). After that I just gritted my teeth and furiously clock watched for the next fifteen minutes. By that stage there was no way on earth I was going to stop before my 10 miles was up. I had worked it out perfectly and collapsed over the car bonnet in a sweaty bedraggled mess.
10 miles. Done. However it made me realise that the long runs are going to get even harder and that this is going to be as much of a mental battle as a physical one. I also need to pay more attention to what I'm eating and drinking ahead of the long runs. I think my mind was partly tired due to insufficient fuelling beforehand. Once home I checked the blisters (massive one on each foot - the new socks are now in the bin) gave myself a good going over with The Stick and sunk about a litre of water. Roll on Week Six.
The Stats
The Long Run
Distance: 10.02 miles
Time: 1 hour 41 minutes and 57 seconds
Pace: 10minutes 11seconds per mile
Calories Burned: 1107 (yes!)
Average Heart Rate: 175bpm
New experiences
Blisters the size of 10 pence pieces
Feeling dehydrated after a run
Running in Richmond Park
Monday 10 August 2009
Week 4 - Return of the Rhythm
Perseverance paid off this week as I tried to put a bad week behind me and rediscover my rhythm. I set off for my first run of Week 4 with some trepidation, but heading back to the tried and tested Battersea Park loop worked out well and I completed a relaxed, uneventful 3 miles in 30 minutes which is just what I was hoping for.
This week the distance of the medium run upped from 4 miles to 5. The route took me round the bridges and I set off down the north side of the Thames towards Vauxhall. For a change I had remembered to recharge the iPod so brought it along and started slow. The pace was steady throughout and by the end I still felt comfortable. Remembering the pain the following day of my long run in Week 2 I spent a lot more time and attention stretching and icing which definitely made a difference.
I took a four day weekend off work and headed home to Cornwall for a friend's wedding. Foreseeing that Sunday was probably going to be a write off after the Saturday celebrations I decided to switch around my training and run the long 8 miler on Friday morning. Luckily for me I had the company of Julie, who took me along a beautiful stretch of the Bissoe trail, starting in Twelveheads and jogging out to Point. The weather was good and we had lots to talk about so the first 4 and a bit miles flew past. We stopped for a few minutes before turning around to head back to our starting point. We ran 8 miles in just under an hour and twenty minutes but it felt like less. Having a running buddy definitely made things easier and I was really pleased to have completed it without any worrying aches or pains. In the final mile my left knee reminded me it wasn't entirely happy but after some decent stretching at the end it seemed ok.
The strategy was right as on Sunday I wasn't best positioned to run for 8 minutes let alone miles. So I pushed back the final short run of the weekend to today. I went back to Bissoe and met up with Julie and we covered off a shorter section of the same route from Friday. We talked all the way along which I could never have managed at the start of my training and reminded me about how my fitness has improved already. After describing my pain from the previous week Julie had brought along The Stick. It's a device to massage your muscles and it is designed to provide relief from soreness, improve muscle strength, increase endurance and accelerate recovery time. I'll let you know how I get on with it.
So i'm 25% of the way there... well at least in terms of time (rather than miles to run before the marathon). I'm definitely back on track but I'll have to keep working hard to stay on course. Next week I'm hitting double figures with a long run of 10 miles. Fingers crossed I make it.
The Long Run
8.0 miles
Time: 1 hours 18 minutes and 59 seconds
Average Pace: 9 minutes 55 seconds per mile
Total miles run this week: 19.3
New Experiences:
Running in Cornwall in sunshine
The Stick
Lucozade Sport (Raspberry flavour)
This week the distance of the medium run upped from 4 miles to 5. The route took me round the bridges and I set off down the north side of the Thames towards Vauxhall. For a change I had remembered to recharge the iPod so brought it along and started slow. The pace was steady throughout and by the end I still felt comfortable. Remembering the pain the following day of my long run in Week 2 I spent a lot more time and attention stretching and icing which definitely made a difference.
I took a four day weekend off work and headed home to Cornwall for a friend's wedding. Foreseeing that Sunday was probably going to be a write off after the Saturday celebrations I decided to switch around my training and run the long 8 miler on Friday morning. Luckily for me I had the company of Julie, who took me along a beautiful stretch of the Bissoe trail, starting in Twelveheads and jogging out to Point. The weather was good and we had lots to talk about so the first 4 and a bit miles flew past. We stopped for a few minutes before turning around to head back to our starting point. We ran 8 miles in just under an hour and twenty minutes but it felt like less. Having a running buddy definitely made things easier and I was really pleased to have completed it without any worrying aches or pains. In the final mile my left knee reminded me it wasn't entirely happy but after some decent stretching at the end it seemed ok.
The strategy was right as on Sunday I wasn't best positioned to run for 8 minutes let alone miles. So I pushed back the final short run of the weekend to today. I went back to Bissoe and met up with Julie and we covered off a shorter section of the same route from Friday. We talked all the way along which I could never have managed at the start of my training and reminded me about how my fitness has improved already. After describing my pain from the previous week Julie had brought along The Stick. It's a device to massage your muscles and it is designed to provide relief from soreness, improve muscle strength, increase endurance and accelerate recovery time. I'll let you know how I get on with it.
So i'm 25% of the way there... well at least in terms of time (rather than miles to run before the marathon). I'm definitely back on track but I'll have to keep working hard to stay on course. Next week I'm hitting double figures with a long run of 10 miles. Fingers crossed I make it.
The Long Run
8.0 miles
Time: 1 hours 18 minutes and 59 seconds
Average Pace: 9 minutes 55 seconds per mile
Total miles run this week: 19.3
New Experiences:
Running in Cornwall in sunshine
The Stick
Lucozade Sport (Raspberry flavour)
Tuesday 4 August 2009
Week 3 - Ow Ow Ow
Week 3 was not quite as much fun as I had hoped it was going to be. After bragging about my easy six miles and generally mouthing off about my progress I woke up the following morning barely able to move! Obviously this running marlarky is a bit more stress on the body than I'd appreciated. Despite my attempts to ward off aches and pains with a bit of ice, the back of my left knee was letting me know it wasn't happy and kept clicking every time I extended my leg. After Googling the most common running injuries I settled on Iliotibial Band Syndrome or ITBC which sounded serious but also curable. After a few discussions with my various mentors and a lot of hobbling I changed my mind and decided it was runner's knee - only to later discover they are one in the same. Whatever it was I needed a break and so RICEd for an evening with a bag of frozen peas wedged in the offending area. The following day felt much better but I was still a bit unsure about running so took off an extra day for precaution.
Work got in the way of the planned shorter run which meant by Thursday I still hadn't managed to get any miles on the scoreboard. Beginning to panic and falling short on hours I made the decision to operate more efficiently and run home from work. After remembering to pack a small rucksack with my gear and setting the Garmin (which took a bit longer than usual to get going) I began my journey home. I headed off down Chancery Lane and through the Middle Temple before hitting the Embankment and jogging along to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The rucksack felt awkard and heavy and, combined with all the people stopping to take photos of the various tourist attractions, I slowed down to a walk whilst navigating the concentration of traffic lights. On emerging the other end I started running again but didn't get very far before slowing back down to a walk. Some runs seem almost effortless and the distance just slips away as my mind wanders. Others, like this one, are a real struggle and each step feels heavy and slow. Once i'd stopped for the second time my rhythm was shot and I spent the rest of the distance walking and running (with more emphasis on the former).
My copy of the Non-runner's marathon trainer has been my absolute Bible since the decision to embark on training for New York. In addition to providing a suggested running schedule it is also packed with helpful tips and hints on mental exercises, nutrition, stretching and injuries... plus lots more besides. The chapter corresponding to this week talked about performance and arousal. The book suggests that remaining calm (low level arousal) produces the best results over medium and long runs. When we are highly aroused our nervous system becomes activated and results in increases in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and excessive sweating. I don't know if I would describe myself as 'aroused' on my Thursday evening run but I was definitely stressed, both as a result of work and through lack of running, and I'm fairly sure this sets off a similar set of symptoms. From there Week Three descended into total chaos after I overslept on Saturday morning and very nearly missed the Eurostar to Brussels. Having packed my trainers, i was planning on a 7 mile run through one of the city's parks with my NY Marathon buddy. However, after a heavy night on the belgian beers I slept through most of Sunday morning and and when I did wake up it was pouring with rain. No excuse I know but rain + hangover = no chance of running. Disaster.
By the time I got back to London I felt so guilty that I forced on the trainers and set off from the house to try and regain some of my lost ground over the week. Still slightly blurred around the edges this, as you can probably anticipate, did not go well. I very nearly gave up after only a mile but refused to let myself give in. Fighting every step you take is not condusive to good running. My right shin was giving me some serious pain and despite gritting my teeth and forging on, before I'd reached the second mile I was in enough agony that I had to stop. The rest of the 'run' (three more miles) was spent mostly walking. A did a few short sprints and did manage the final mile at a jog, but again it just wasn't flowing like I had managed during the second week.
So I enter Week Four with a massive crisis of confidence. Part of my underperformance was definitely down to not putting the running first. I need to change my lifestyle habits if I'm going to have any chance of finishing this marathon in November but more worrying has been the loss of rhythm and the introduction of some pretty bad pain. I'm wiping the slate clean and beginning the fourth week with a clear head. I need to try and forget these past seven days as I am conscious that if I force the issue too hard and worry about falling behind I'm only going to stress myself out and make things even harder.
Week Three Stats
Miles Run 4
Miles Walked 5
Runs Missed 2
New Experiences - Running home from work
- Pain
- Guilt through lack of running
Work got in the way of the planned shorter run which meant by Thursday I still hadn't managed to get any miles on the scoreboard. Beginning to panic and falling short on hours I made the decision to operate more efficiently and run home from work. After remembering to pack a small rucksack with my gear and setting the Garmin (which took a bit longer than usual to get going) I began my journey home. I headed off down Chancery Lane and through the Middle Temple before hitting the Embankment and jogging along to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The rucksack felt awkard and heavy and, combined with all the people stopping to take photos of the various tourist attractions, I slowed down to a walk whilst navigating the concentration of traffic lights. On emerging the other end I started running again but didn't get very far before slowing back down to a walk. Some runs seem almost effortless and the distance just slips away as my mind wanders. Others, like this one, are a real struggle and each step feels heavy and slow. Once i'd stopped for the second time my rhythm was shot and I spent the rest of the distance walking and running (with more emphasis on the former).
My copy of the Non-runner's marathon trainer has been my absolute Bible since the decision to embark on training for New York. In addition to providing a suggested running schedule it is also packed with helpful tips and hints on mental exercises, nutrition, stretching and injuries... plus lots more besides. The chapter corresponding to this week talked about performance and arousal. The book suggests that remaining calm (low level arousal) produces the best results over medium and long runs. When we are highly aroused our nervous system becomes activated and results in increases in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and excessive sweating. I don't know if I would describe myself as 'aroused' on my Thursday evening run but I was definitely stressed, both as a result of work and through lack of running, and I'm fairly sure this sets off a similar set of symptoms. From there Week Three descended into total chaos after I overslept on Saturday morning and very nearly missed the Eurostar to Brussels. Having packed my trainers, i was planning on a 7 mile run through one of the city's parks with my NY Marathon buddy. However, after a heavy night on the belgian beers I slept through most of Sunday morning and and when I did wake up it was pouring with rain. No excuse I know but rain + hangover = no chance of running. Disaster.
By the time I got back to London I felt so guilty that I forced on the trainers and set off from the house to try and regain some of my lost ground over the week. Still slightly blurred around the edges this, as you can probably anticipate, did not go well. I very nearly gave up after only a mile but refused to let myself give in. Fighting every step you take is not condusive to good running. My right shin was giving me some serious pain and despite gritting my teeth and forging on, before I'd reached the second mile I was in enough agony that I had to stop. The rest of the 'run' (three more miles) was spent mostly walking. A did a few short sprints and did manage the final mile at a jog, but again it just wasn't flowing like I had managed during the second week.
So I enter Week Four with a massive crisis of confidence. Part of my underperformance was definitely down to not putting the running first. I need to change my lifestyle habits if I'm going to have any chance of finishing this marathon in November but more worrying has been the loss of rhythm and the introduction of some pretty bad pain. I'm wiping the slate clean and beginning the fourth week with a clear head. I need to try and forget these past seven days as I am conscious that if I force the issue too hard and worry about falling behind I'm only going to stress myself out and make things even harder.
Week Three Stats
Miles Run 4
Miles Walked 5
Runs Missed 2
New Experiences - Running home from work
- Pain
- Guilt through lack of running
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
