This entry is for my Wednesday night run - short of time I needed to put in a training effort, so I decided to try out the incline on the treadmill.
As I run I'm finding out just how different it is running on the treadmill to running outside. Exercise generally is just so new to me that things that are probably blindingly obvious to most people are still just becoming noticeable to me now. Outside, my feet and legs will ache within in minutes and breathing is difficult - "they" recommend that you can carry out a conversation as you run but I have found up to now that I have to breath heavily especially when it's cold.
But inside, breathing and aching are not such issues, but I will build up a sweat a lot more easily. Moving from one to the other has been quite a challenge.
My marathon training book now suggests I should be following one or other of the schedules. The "best endeavours" schedule seems to accept that we'd all love to run long and often but have busy lives, but at this stage I should be running 3 times a week (check) with a couple of smaller runs 3-4 miles and a longer one - with these longer ones certainly gaining in length over the weeks. Wednesday was only ever going to be a short one.
Anyhow, the Wednesday run - I wanted to run half an hour or so, so decided to put the incline on the treadmill. I kept the speed at my usual speed so that I was running a little harder. It did seem to go slowly, perhaps as I didn't rig up the iPod, but I didn't have any real difficulty completing 30 minutes.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Mission accomplished
Having now successfully negotiated the small outdoor 2.25 mile loop twice, I returned to the 3.5 mile loop where I failed so spectacularly just after Christmas. Running at about 5pm it was already dark but not too cold, so relatively ideal.
As always the hardest part was the first quarter mile or so, but as I headed out round the Bicester ring road there were plenty of joggers out. I think the hardest thing for me is to make sure I don't go too fast - if I need to maintain running for as long as will eventually have to, it's got to be slow!
A little while in, a novice runner emerged from a side road and ran 100 yards or so in front of me. It was clear that she wasn't fast but was steady, but I showed no signs of catching her, so the best thing was to use her pace as a guide. If she too is running and blogging, then I apologise to the lone female runner who had some long-haired polyester clad bloke following her for a mile or so.
She dropped out and I continued, and again it was handy to use different landmarks as incentives to run the next small section. The roundabout off the ring road, the train station, the junction with Launton road, the railway bridge, Homebase, and before you know it I was home.
It did occur to me that the combination of any number of 2.25 and 3.5 mile loops would be ideal for building up my distances. So much so that as I approached home I considered throwing in a 2.25 mile loop for good measure. OK, I didn't do that as it wasn't my goal for the day, but I'm glad I felt I had the energy and morale to try it.
Highlight of my run was running past one of those automated signs that flashed up "30 - slow down" exactly as I ran past! Of course, it was the 35 mph car behind me that did it but it's nice to think that I'm running fast enough to set off speed traps!
As always the hardest part was the first quarter mile or so, but as I headed out round the Bicester ring road there were plenty of joggers out. I think the hardest thing for me is to make sure I don't go too fast - if I need to maintain running for as long as will eventually have to, it's got to be slow!
A little while in, a novice runner emerged from a side road and ran 100 yards or so in front of me. It was clear that she wasn't fast but was steady, but I showed no signs of catching her, so the best thing was to use her pace as a guide. If she too is running and blogging, then I apologise to the lone female runner who had some long-haired polyester clad bloke following her for a mile or so.
She dropped out and I continued, and again it was handy to use different landmarks as incentives to run the next small section. The roundabout off the ring road, the train station, the junction with Launton road, the railway bridge, Homebase, and before you know it I was home.
It did occur to me that the combination of any number of 2.25 and 3.5 mile loops would be ideal for building up my distances. So much so that as I approached home I considered throwing in a 2.25 mile loop for good measure. OK, I didn't do that as it wasn't my goal for the day, but I'm glad I felt I had the energy and morale to try it.
Highlight of my run was running past one of those automated signs that flashed up "30 - slow down" exactly as I ran past! Of course, it was the 35 mph car behind me that did it but it's nice to think that I'm running fast enough to set off speed traps!
Saturday, 24 January 2009
On the road again
*** From Friday 23rd but found in my drafts, whoops! ***
A post for yesterday, a Friday evening run after another rare on-time finish from work.
I decided again to stick to the 2.25 mile loop, so that I could hopefully again experience a run outdoors but give myself a good chance of achieving it this time. Once again, it just feels every bit as hard half a mile in as it does an hour or so into the treadmill, or at least a different kind of exhaustion.
It certainly seemed like the whole loop was uphill and into an icy headwind. You've probably seen the flaw in that description, unless I was running on an Escher-designed landscape. I wasn't, I was dodging the chavs in Bicester.
Although it's physically harder outside I'm sure it can't be that much more difficult, so I'm happy to be getting mentally better at this. The advantages of running outside rather than pounding the treadmill are that it's less boring - the landmarks and targets are more tangible. In this case, once passing the one mile mark just after the doctor's surgery, then it's the traffic calming device, the ring road roundabout, the bollards at the end of the cycle path, the dog turd bin, the gate at the other end of the cycle path, the cut-through field and then home. And imagining the end of the path to home as the final 385 yards of the marathon probably helps too.
A post for yesterday, a Friday evening run after another rare on-time finish from work.
I decided again to stick to the 2.25 mile loop, so that I could hopefully again experience a run outdoors but give myself a good chance of achieving it this time. Once again, it just feels every bit as hard half a mile in as it does an hour or so into the treadmill, or at least a different kind of exhaustion.
It certainly seemed like the whole loop was uphill and into an icy headwind. You've probably seen the flaw in that description, unless I was running on an Escher-designed landscape. I wasn't, I was dodging the chavs in Bicester.
Although it's physically harder outside I'm sure it can't be that much more difficult, so I'm happy to be getting mentally better at this. The advantages of running outside rather than pounding the treadmill are that it's less boring - the landmarks and targets are more tangible. In this case, once passing the one mile mark just after the doctor's surgery, then it's the traffic calming device, the ring road roundabout, the bollards at the end of the cycle path, the dog turd bin, the gate at the other end of the cycle path, the cut-through field and then home. And imagining the end of the path to home as the final 385 yards of the marathon probably helps too.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
New PB
A wet Wednesday evening and if I was going to run tonight it would be on the treadmill. A very bad day at work meant I was in a foul mood which I assumed from the start meant I would manage either 5 minutes or a personal best depending on how I transferred my mental state to my running.
Well the entry's title should be a pretty good clue. I kitted myself up with the iPod again and ran in the dark of the conservatory. The advantage of the dark and the iPod is that I didn't look at the timer at all until 57 minutes in, then 65, 71 and finally stopped at 75 minutes. It's still nothing compared to how far I have to go in a little less than 14 weeks but nice to improve my PB my such a long way.
Have to focus on outdoor running when I can now though.
I have now signed up for the Silverstone Half Marathon on March 15th, just under 8 weeks away. There's a chance that today I ran about a quarter of a marathon, so that shows how far I've come and how far I've got to go ...
Well the entry's title should be a pretty good clue. I kitted myself up with the iPod again and ran in the dark of the conservatory. The advantage of the dark and the iPod is that I didn't look at the timer at all until 57 minutes in, then 65, 71 and finally stopped at 75 minutes. It's still nothing compared to how far I have to go in a little less than 14 weeks but nice to improve my PB my such a long way.
Have to focus on outdoor running when I can now though.
I have now signed up for the Silverstone Half Marathon on March 15th, just under 8 weeks away. There's a chance that today I ran about a quarter of a marathon, so that shows how far I've come and how far I've got to go ...
Monday, 19 January 2009
Agorophobia Part III
Sunday 18th and there was only one thing to do - go out and do exactly the same thing I failed so miserably to do yesterday.
The result - nailed it! OK I shouldn't get so excited so much about a 2.25 mile run when I have a marathon to run in April, but this felt like quite an achievement given my previous demons.
This time I ran at about 5pm which meant it was pitch black. I think that helped - on Saturday I was hangdog and unwilling to look up at passing cars in case I recognised anyone, already self-conscious and aware I was walking large chunks. In the dark, despite my flourescent running top being visible as far away as Northants, I felt less conspicuous.
The run was just as hard - as I reached the mile marker I felt as bad if not worse as yesterday. But I ran through it - I knew mentally that there was no reason to stop there. And the further on I got the more determined I was to complete the course. Thankfully I did, and the next target can now be the 3.5 mile circuit I'd hoped to run all along.
The result - nailed it! OK I shouldn't get so excited so much about a 2.25 mile run when I have a marathon to run in April, but this felt like quite an achievement given my previous demons.
This time I ran at about 5pm which meant it was pitch black. I think that helped - on Saturday I was hangdog and unwilling to look up at passing cars in case I recognised anyone, already self-conscious and aware I was walking large chunks. In the dark, despite my flourescent running top being visible as far away as Northants, I felt less conspicuous.
The run was just as hard - as I reached the mile marker I felt as bad if not worse as yesterday. But I ran through it - I knew mentally that there was no reason to stop there. And the further on I got the more determined I was to complete the course. Thankfully I did, and the next target can now be the 3.5 mile circuit I'd hoped to run all along.
Agoraphobia II - the sequel
Saturday afternoon and I've been feeling good that I can make it up to one hour, but want to start running properly on the streets. After all the marathon isn't on a treadmill unfortunately.
It occurred to me that my efforts so far, in Oxford in a Santa suit and in Bicester on a freezing morning, have been pretty pathetic, so although I have a 3.5 mile route lined up, I decided to go to mapmyrun.com again and figured out a shorter 2.25 mile circular loop. If I can nail this, then I should feel better about myself than abandoning a longer trip.
The fact remains that I'm still not comfortable running outside - once I stepped outside I felt genuinely nervous, so much so that after striding confidently to the end of my road, I turned right, started running, and eventually realised I'd gone completely the wrong way. Just a false start but not a good sign.
It's just harder running on the road. The legs felt heavy from the start, but I had in mind where I knew the first mile marker was. At this point I checked my watch and was pleased that it had taken ten minutes so far. Unfortunately then I just decided to slow down and walk for a bit. It was feeling tough but I don't really know why I did stop and not try and run through it.
On a treadmill I have a mission, to run for a set number of minutes. If I don't, then I fall off. On the street, my mission is to run from A to B. Problem is, if I don't, then I walk, but still get there!
Eventually I did run a little more but the impetus had gone, and I was beating myself up mentally. There seemed no real need to run any of the remainder, since I'd already failed the task, so each time I tried to run again I felt tired or got stitch, and ended up walking again.
I've blogged before that I actually don't enjoy running that much yet. I am really enjoying the fact that I am fitter than ever, and am meeting so many challenges I have set myself. Conversely, if I fail then it just makes me miserable, and a very fed up 24 hours ensued. I chose a deliberatley short run so I could beat my demons and do a run from start to finish and didn't even manage half of it ...
It occurred to me that my efforts so far, in Oxford in a Santa suit and in Bicester on a freezing morning, have been pretty pathetic, so although I have a 3.5 mile route lined up, I decided to go to mapmyrun.com again and figured out a shorter 2.25 mile circular loop. If I can nail this, then I should feel better about myself than abandoning a longer trip.
The fact remains that I'm still not comfortable running outside - once I stepped outside I felt genuinely nervous, so much so that after striding confidently to the end of my road, I turned right, started running, and eventually realised I'd gone completely the wrong way. Just a false start but not a good sign.
It's just harder running on the road. The legs felt heavy from the start, but I had in mind where I knew the first mile marker was. At this point I checked my watch and was pleased that it had taken ten minutes so far. Unfortunately then I just decided to slow down and walk for a bit. It was feeling tough but I don't really know why I did stop and not try and run through it.
On a treadmill I have a mission, to run for a set number of minutes. If I don't, then I fall off. On the street, my mission is to run from A to B. Problem is, if I don't, then I walk, but still get there!
Eventually I did run a little more but the impetus had gone, and I was beating myself up mentally. There seemed no real need to run any of the remainder, since I'd already failed the task, so each time I tried to run again I felt tired or got stitch, and ended up walking again.
I've blogged before that I actually don't enjoy running that much yet. I am really enjoying the fact that I am fitter than ever, and am meeting so many challenges I have set myself. Conversely, if I fail then it just makes me miserable, and a very fed up 24 hours ensued. I chose a deliberatley short run so I could beat my demons and do a run from start to finish and didn't even manage half of it ...
Another hour
A few runs to catch up on, this is for Thursday 15th. My last blog said I have to push on, and it being Thursday night I have gone for another treadmill run.
I did say that my next treadmill run must be at least an hour, and this time it was. Indoors at least, using the iPod seems a good idea as it stops me clockwatching and gives me a focus for the next three minutes. I deliberately chose Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty to listen to (yes, fascinating I know ...) because the last song on the album is my favourite, but I hadn't reckoned on the whole thing being only about 40 minutes from start to finish.
Still, I did continue to a full hour, which in my mind is six miles. I'm pleased with this but am still ducking the oustide run which I have to start getting more used to.
I did say that my next treadmill run must be at least an hour, and this time it was. Indoors at least, using the iPod seems a good idea as it stops me clockwatching and gives me a focus for the next three minutes. I deliberately chose Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty to listen to (yes, fascinating I know ...) because the last song on the album is my favourite, but I hadn't reckoned on the whole thing being only about 40 minutes from start to finish.
Still, I did continue to a full hour, which in my mind is six miles. I'm pleased with this but am still ducking the oustide run which I have to start getting more used to.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
January part 2
This weekend saw the need to run twice to meet the minimum of 3 runs per week but it just didn't happen. Saturday, instead of running, involved lunch and a boozy day at friends. Four months before the marathon, that's still the right priority in life, isn't it? I think so but may not be thinking that in March, or Feburary ...
Once again Sunday was the best opportunity to run outside but my domestic duties for the day were not done until it was cold and dark. At least the domestic duties included a trip to the shops and clearing out the sale clothes from the local running shop, so the longsleeved winter running tops are now the latest addition to the kit. The treadmill beckoned again, having at least made the decision to lug it in from the cold garage to the almost as cold house, and this time I ran for 45 minutes. I certainly had it in me to go a full hour I think.
I still need to push further though - the next treadmill run must be another hour and the next outdoor run must happen this weekend or sooner (and be more successful than the first one). I'm getting into a habit of starting each month slowly and then rusing albeit successfully to my goal at the end of the month.
Lucky for me the marathon is on the 29th of the month!!
Once again Sunday was the best opportunity to run outside but my domestic duties for the day were not done until it was cold and dark. At least the domestic duties included a trip to the shops and clearing out the sale clothes from the local running shop, so the longsleeved winter running tops are now the latest addition to the kit. The treadmill beckoned again, having at least made the decision to lug it in from the cold garage to the almost as cold house, and this time I ran for 45 minutes. I certainly had it in me to go a full hour I think.
I still need to push further though - the next treadmill run must be another hour and the next outdoor run must happen this weekend or sooner (and be more successful than the first one). I'm getting into a habit of starting each month slowly and then rusing albeit successfully to my goal at the end of the month.
Lucky for me the marathon is on the 29th of the month!!
January
Well the year started with great optimism but after my first attempt on the road it just got colder and colder. First attempt at a run was on January 4th (Sunday) but it was just going to be too cold for this southern softie.
I decided in the end to go for the safer option of the garage, where even inside it was -2 degrees. I wanted to at least run the 3.5 miles I would have done had it been outside, so covered 40 minutes on the treadmill. The temperature is not so bad when you get started, on the treadmill anyway, but it was just such a deterrent to a run outside. Finally kitted up with a new ipod to conquer the boredom of treadmill running it seems it can be a good incentive to listen to a define list of determined length. This time though I haven't sussed all that so it was a Travis album or nothing - if I'd not thought the last few songs were boring I maybe would have run further!
Next run of the year was Thursday 8th - with only evening options then once again I plumped for the treadmill. Time was short so I ran 25 minutes this time in a balmy +2 degrees. Not much to write about this one - time is so short during the week. Not an unsuccessful run but not really pushing my goals of running further and running outside
I decided in the end to go for the safer option of the garage, where even inside it was -2 degrees. I wanted to at least run the 3.5 miles I would have done had it been outside, so covered 40 minutes on the treadmill. The temperature is not so bad when you get started, on the treadmill anyway, but it was just such a deterrent to a run outside. Finally kitted up with a new ipod to conquer the boredom of treadmill running it seems it can be a good incentive to listen to a define list of determined length. This time though I haven't sussed all that so it was a Travis album or nothing - if I'd not thought the last few songs were boring I maybe would have run further!
Next run of the year was Thursday 8th - with only evening options then once again I plumped for the treadmill. Time was short so I ran 25 minutes this time in a balmy +2 degrees. Not much to write about this one - time is so short during the week. Not an unsuccessful run but not really pushing my goals of running further and running outside
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