Back on the road...

For the first time since the Great Manchester Run, I got back out for a run. Last week I was recovering from whatever hit me just before the race and sulking because of the time, this week I didn't want to run on the Bank Holiday (too busy) - so I suspect that's continuing the sulk!

I wasn't going to run today, either, but I needed to pop out to the bank and the aquatics shop for a new pump. My wife is out for the day in the car so I was going to cycle, but it's wet and I couldn't face the bike ride! Eventually realised that a run was the best option.

Pleasant, although a bit slippery and at one point I caught the corner of the top piece of a concrete fence post in my left shoulder. A couple of hours later and it's still quite painful and cut. Why do people need to have concrete bits sticking out on top of those posts? It's not the first time I've managed to clip one as I'm running, and because it's a corner of the post they are very painful!

Also found out that 3 races that I wanted to do - Freckleton Half (too late - it's full), Crosby 10 and Penny Lane 10km are all on the same day - the day that my wife needs the car!

Should be able to get the train to Crosby, so looks like I'll be doing that. Shame about the other 2. After that it will be the Formby 10k - if I ever fill out the entry form.

Bank Holiday, No Long Run

Well, you can't go off doing a 2 hour long run on a Bank Holiday when your family are at home and you are expecting a visitor.

So it became a pleasant 45 minute run - probably around 6.5 miles at a guess - although it was hard for the first few minutes (dehydrated) it soon levelled off and I quite enjoyed a good pace, running around nowhere in particular.

The long runs get longer

Went out for a long run yesterday. Supposed to be 1:45 so I headed off to the beach and ran along the beach for 45 minutes. When I got to the point I was supposed to leave at and run home I realised I was 5 minutes too early - so I thought I'd run to the next exit.

Not a good idea. That little detour meant I was much further from home and the run lasted nearly 2 hours. At least the weather was dry and pleasant!

The training is getting back on track

Well I seem to have got back into training well this week. Managed the usual long and 2 short runs, with an extra run thrown in for good measure - and that was an hour at a good pace.

Really finding the drifting aimlessly around rough tracks much easier to do mentally and my speed is lifting as a bonus. Definitely the way forward, although I do seem to have opted out of the speedwork.

Now I just need some cross training and plenty of time to build up. I've got the latter (at least a year for London or Edinburgh). How will it end?

Going dowhill again...

Well, my new routine is out of the window! Less than a week. Yesterday we were going to visit some friends early evening, so didn't have time for a run in the day time and home to late for the weights. At least they offered to put us up for the Edinburgh Marathon if I do that next year.

Then today, instead of 4 by 4s, I ran to the fish shop to see what she's got in and plan the weekend's purchases.

At least I got a good distance in, even if there was a 10 / 15 minute rest in the middle. And as I ran across the field I should have done the intervals in, the wind was howling and my hands froze - that would not have been any fun at all!

Back to intervals.....

Got back into the 4 by 4 intervals today - not done them properly since the summer. Only 1 or 2 since and they are a real teller on the fitness.

Went around the field clockwise for a change and stuck right to the outside, for the first couple of laps. The first lap took almost 4 minutes - in the summer it was down to 3:25 per lap. I've added abit of time on by running right around the edge, but it shows the difference in fitness!

Good thing was that with these sessions it only took a few weeks to get the fitness up well, so I'll stick at them instead of just plodding the streets! Not long now until the Great Manchester - want to be fit for that...

It's Hard To Be Inspired...

I'm finding it very hard to get inspired for running, which isn't good when I'm supposed to be ready for next week's Helsby Half Marathon. Nothing about the race - just the weather and illness bringing be down.

I think this is going to be my slowest Helsby race yet - I'm wondering if I won't even break the 90 minute mark! The same thing happened last year, but after the Helsby race. One of the reasons I started this blog was to help me to maintain focus, but that seems to have drifted off anyway. Or maybe I'm turning into a summer runner!

Quiet Start To 2008

With the Helsby Half Marathon only 2 weeks away, I really must get down to serious training this week and make sure my eating and more importantly my drinking is correct. That was brought home to me this week.

Because of the end of the school holidays my running has been thrown around a bit and I ended up not running Wednesday, but Thursday then Friday.

Thursday's run was really good - strong and fast. In the evening I felt a little dehydrated and was still dehydrated by Friday lunch when I went out for my run (one of those days when for 2 hours I'm saying 'going in 5 minutes'...). And that run was really hard work!

Over Christmas a few runs have suffered the same way. I really must concentrate on getting that water down me to help my running!

Training Frustration

Been doing my usual 10km route the last few weeks as part of my weekly schedule. But I've been running hard and not breaking 45 minutes. Back in the summer I was breaking 40 minutes.

Really getting frustrated with this - why is the training run so much slower than it should be? Was talking this through after the run and then suddenly I realised what the problem was.

As part of my preparation for the Great North Run I wanted to increase my weekly mileage so changed my daily route and slightly lengthened it... It's not 10km - it's 7 miles.

So it's 45 minutes for 7 miles, not 10km. Feeling a lot better about the running now! (just got to extend it by a further 19 miles...)

A New Leaf!

Trying my best to get back into this training lark - but without a race to focus on it's hard.

Started with the first interval session since before the Great North run - almost 2 months. Surprisingly my speed hadn't dropped off that much. Not got around to the weights yet!

Decided that if I do a marathon next year then I'm going to need to get used to drinking on the run again. So took a bottle on the interval session and sipped it between efforts - which resulted in stiches every time. Hopefully I can sort that out else there will be no point entering a marathon at all as I won't be fit to finish.