and miles to go before I sleep...

hollypink

I've been running for a few years but mostly ambling along so my pace has been relatively slow and has never really improved. I've decided it's time to push myself out of my comfort zone and also train more consistently. I haven't (yet!) got a GPS watch but hopefully I can make some progress without one. I'm also trying to lose weight (10st 8 right now and I'm not very tall) so I'm tracking my food on fitday.

I've entered the Connemarathon half marathon again next year and am determined to do better than this year (which wouldn't be hard - I really didn't train properly for it). I ran it previously in 2 hrs 7 mins and I'd love to go sub 2 hrs next year although I'm not sure if that's achievable with my current times. We'll see..

Current times:
1. Jingle Bells 5k 2009 28 mins
2. Aware 10k (that was actually just under 9k ) 2009 53 mins
3. Connemarathon Half marathon 2 hrs 24 mins Just wasn't prepared.
4. Adidas Irish Runner 5 mile 47mins
5. Adidas Frank Duffy 10 mile 1 hr 49 mins another

Goals for 2011:
Planning to run the races above (first 3 already entered)
1. Sub 25 min 5k
2. Sub 55 min 10k
3. Sub 2 hr Half

Wednesday: fit4life run - 6k with fartleks - need to get a head torch!
Today: 5k (very approx) run in 28 mins (forgot to start my watch so the time is approximate too!)

(I do a beginners muay thai class on Mondays and yoga on Tuesdays so don't normally run on those days). I usually do a slightly longer run on Sunday mornings - around 10k usually. I'm not sure whether to increase the mileage yet - according to the schedule for the Hal Higdon half marathon training plan I should be starting the plan in January.

jcsmum

Best of luck with your log and your goals for 2011. You'll get so much support and advice on here!

poisonated

That is pretty impressive. Best of luck.

by the way, I was studying that poem the other day.

donothoponpop

by the way, I was studying that poem the other day.

You got my vote for favourite log title, good luck with the progress.

hollypink

poisonated wrote: »

That is pretty impressive. Best of luck.

by the way, I was studying that poem the other day.

donothoponpop wrote: »

You got my vote for favourite log title, good luck with the progress.

It is a lovely poem isn't it? Thanks for the encouragement.

GoHardOrGoHome

Yes, great title Holly. I can remember the picture that came with it in the poetry book in school. Lots of yellow leaves.

hollypink wrote: »

I haven't (yet!) got a GPS watch but hopefully I can make some progress without one. I'm also trying to lose weight (10st 8 right now and I'm not very tall) so I'm tracking my food on fitday.

You don't need a GPS watch but I love mine. It makes it easy to keep track of all your runs and see the weekly and monthly totals building up. Very motivating.

One thing to be aware about losing weight is that it's quite likely that you will lose fat and gain some muscle weight. Muscle is heavier than fat (I'm sure you know all this anyway) so although you may have only lost a small amount of weight you could easily be shrinking! A better way is to check your belt loop and see if you're using a smaller eye hole. What you want to lose is fat not weight.

hollypink wrote: »

Current times:
1. Jingle Bells 5k 2009 28 mins

hollypink wrote: »

Goals for 2011:
Planning to run the races above (first 3 already entered).
1. Sub 25 min 5k
2. Sub 55 min 10k
3. Sub 2 hr Half

Wednesday: fit4life run - 6k with fartleks - need to get a head torch!
Today: 5k (very approx) run in 28 mins (forgot to start my watch so the time is approximate too!)

The fact that you're doing a training run at your current 5k PB means that you're well ahead of last years level. It also probably means you're running a bit too fast on your training days. I often run 5k in 30 minutes or so which is a good bit slower than you. My PB for 5k is 19 minutes. I'm not boasting , I'm just saying that most of your runs should be super comfortable and at an easy pace. That way when you do your fartleks (great idea by the way - I must do a few of these myself) you'll be able to give a lot more effort. As Kennyb3 (and many others) say, your hard days should be hard and your easy days should be easy. I'd go one further and say that most of your days should be easy.

hollypink wrote: »

(I do a beginners muay thai class on Mondays and yoga on Tuesdays so don't normally run on those days). I usually do a slightly longer run on Sunday mornings - around 10k usually. I'm not sure whether to increase the mileage yet - according to the schedule for the Hal Higdon half marathon training plan I should be starting the plan in January.

You can start the HH plan in January but definitely keep up your current running. A good way to increase mileage is to do 15 or 20 minutes in the morning before you shower. Just head out the door for 7 or 10 minutes, turn around and head back and shazam! You've 20 minutes in the bag. Over the course of the week that will add up. It's worked for me and it means you've recovered by the time you head out on one of your evening runs.

hollypink wrote: »

I do a beginners muay thai class on Mondays

Yikes! :eek: Look after your shins!

hollypink

GoHardOrGoHome, thanks for the advice, really appreciated, in particular these bits:

GoHardOrGoHome wrote: »

The fact that you're doing a training run at your current 5k PB means that you're well ahead of last years level.

That never occurred to me, I'm chuffed!

GoHardOrGoHome wrote: »

It also probably means you're running a bit too fast on your training days.

That never occurred to me either - I always felt like I should be trying to run faster during training. Will take note.

GoHardOrGoHome wrote: »

A good way to increase mileage is to do 15 or 20 minutes in the morning before you shower. Just head out the door for 7 or 10 minutes, turn around and head back and shazam! You've 20 minutes in the bag.

That's a good idea. I'm very bad for getting up in the mornings but that's just laziness!

hollypink

10.21km in 1:04:01

I was initially going to wait until tomorrow to go for a run but I was afraid if I didn't go out today the conditions would be too icy to go out at all for the next few days. (and I hate the treadmill ) The sun was shining and the Phoenix Park looked beautiful with the snow/hail but the paths were slippery in parts so I tried to run in the grass as much as possible. I forgot my gloves so my fingers were cold by the end but otherwise it was grand

shazkea

Best of luck with the training and the log Holly. Your goals are similar to mine for next year so will be keeping an eye on your progress

shoegal!

Good luck with the training Holly! I'm doing the Conn half next year as well and I'm well impressed with all your achievements so far. I haven't run any races! You will be flying it!



PS Love the thread title too, Frost is one of my favourite poets of all time... I will definitely be following your log!

hollypink

shazkea wrote: »

Best of luck with the training and the log Holly. Your goals are similar to mine for next year so will be keeping an eye on your progress

shoegal! wrote: »

Good luck with the training Holly! I'm doing the Conn half next year as well and I'm well impressed with all your achievements so far. I haven't run any races! You will be flying it!

Thanks, will be keeping an eye on your logs also None of my friends are into running so it's great to be able to follow other people's experiences, especially when they have similar goals.

I bought those yaktrax online yesterday, knowing my luck they will arrive with the thaw! Still, if we have a winter like last year, I'll get use out of them at some stage.

Edit: just checked the weather forecast on rte.ie:

"The cold snap will continue for the rest of the week and probably into next weekend"

aw hope the Jingle Bells run on Sat doesn't have to be cancelled.

hollypink

3.2 miles in 33 mins approx

My watch died about 5 mins from home so I'm only guessing the time it took. I think snow got in it. It was only an Argos HRM watch that I've had for a while so maybe the Fates are telling me to get a Garmin I felt a bit sorry for the swans I passed on the canal; there was only a small patch of water that wasn't frozen over so they looked a bit forlorn.

hollypink

yoga class tonight, did some inversions - can't do handstand yet but got into headstand up against the wall

My watch came back to life - yay! Also I got a new phone today - it's an Android and I downloaded a mapmyrun app just now. I'd like to try it out on one of my runs but am also a bit nervous of taking the phone on a run in case I lose or break it. Still maybe it defeats the object of a mobile phone if you don't carry it with you!

hollypink

5.89 miles in 1:13:02

I found it very difficult to run in the snow in the Phoenix Park so it was a slow run, but it felt good to be out. The mapmyrun app on my phone isn't working properly; it mapped the route correctly but it displayed the distance as just over 3 miles :eek: I'm slow but not that slow I hope! I mapped the route on the mapmy run website and it was 5.89 miles. It also gave me an error when I tried to save the run so I'll have to try a different app.

I stopped to take a photo or two; I encountered a chap called Ned but I thought he looked a bit dodgy....;)

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2010-12-02 13.20.24.jpg

hollypink

3.32 miles in 30 mins (9 min/mile pace)

I decided on the treadmill today so I could run a bit faster. I had the settings at 1% incline and 10.7km/hr which was probably a bit fast but I wanted to see how I'd get on.

There was a tv screen built into the treadmill so I watched some of Home and Away (it's a long time since I watched it so it's full of new characters - Alf was the only person I recognised) and Oprah (in China, people are having operations to make them taller as height is a status symbol apparently). So pretty dull viewing all in all. A little different from yesterday's run through the Narnia-like Phoenix Park, catching flakes of snow on my tongue.

hollypink

Went to yoga earlier, the paths were very slippery. I haven't done any running since Friday for various reasons including an essay that had to be submitted by yesterday. The yaktrax I ordered haven't arrived yet so as I'd suspected they will probably get here just in time for the thaw

I wonder if the Aware run will go ahead; I see they are going to make a final decision tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

hollypink

6.55 miles in 1:00:40

Hmm I didn't think I was going that fast (fast for me ) - maybe the distance isn't accurate, better check mapmyrun. This thaw is great, it was exhilarating being out in the Phoenix Park again. Some of the paths in the shadier parts are still icy so on occasion it was a bit like a game of hopscotch negotiating the thawed parts between the ice. I saw an old fashioned train going past as I started out, I wonder if it was the Santa steam train.

I collected my number on Friday for the Aware run, hopefully it will go ahead in January. I'm hearing talk of more cold weather next weekend that I'm trying not to listen to. My yaktrax arrived on Thursday so I just tried them out on the icy paths in the estate and they seem the business alright. So at least I'm prepared if there's another snowmageddon. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Jingle Bells run next weekend.

hollypink

5.4 miles in ~50 mins.

Went on a group run this evening, I found it difficult to keep up as the pace was faster than I'm used to. Pleased with myself that I didn't stop and walk though. I'll hopefully get another run in tomorrow at lunchtime.

hollypink

Jingle Bells 5k this morning. I was so excited when I woke up and checked the Donore website to see that they were going ahead. The route was changed so presumably the furry glen was still icy. So I can't directly compare with last year's time because there weren't any hills but I was happy when I saw 27 minutes on the clock as I reached the finish

It was a lovely dry sunny morning with blue skies but very cold indeed. A very cheery atmosphere at the start line and it was lovely to see parents out running with their kids. Well done to Donore Harriers for an enjoyable run.

(update - checked my chip time and I got a pb! Yay!)

RacoonQueen

Congrats. Was tough going out there, cold and slippy.

hollypink

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Congrats. Was tough going out there, cold and slippy.

Thanks, congrats to you too! I didn't mind the cold so much but got a bit nervous around ordinance survey road when it got slippy. But really I was glad to be out and that there was no snow - I'm heading West for Christmas and the road conditions are bad over there right now so running over Christmas is looking uncertain.

hollypink

Combination of Christmas celebrations, icy conditions and now a cold has resulted in very little running. But I did a short run yesterday and found I was way too warm! It will take time to adapt to these balmy temps :-D

3.07 miles in 30:02. avg pace 9:46 min/mile.

hollypink

3.33 miles today in 0:31:11. Avg 9.21 min/mile.

Finally recovered from illness and am no longer coughing, didn't think it would take so long. I'm doing the Aware run at the weekend which is going to be tough after so little training for the past few weeks. I'd be happy if I ran it in under an hour. I've started using the Endomondo app on my phone (android) which I'm finding quite handy as it records distance, average pace, lap times and splits. It's not 100% reliable but it will do until I can afford a Garmin watch.

hollypink

Aware 10k today. I think I did it in just under 59 mins. I was feeling pretty ill this morning so really didn't think I would manage it at all. My inner voice managed to convince me to at least head over to the start line and see how I felt. As I locked up my bike, another runner who was doing the same gave me a wry 'are we mad to be out here' smile. The wind, rain and hills made it a tough race but I was very proud of myself for being out there. I was lucky enough to get talking to another girl for the last few kms which really helped me to keep going. I kept somehow missing the distance markers, the first one I saw was the 4km one, and I missed the 9km one as well. It was my companion who pointed out that the finish line was in sight.

Fair play to the stewards, not very pleasant conditions to be standing around in. And fair play to the guy in the Borat mankini, there was lots of laughter as he passed by!

hollypink

3.27 miles in 30:36

haven't done much running since the Aware 10k, just feeling a bit down or something. Hopefully I'm over that now. I've been going to Muay Thai and yoga though so that should help. Need to find a 4 mile route to run tomorrow, will check mapmyrun later on. A route with at least one hill. I promised myself after the last Connemarathon that I'd include more hills in training.

hollypink

4.14 miles in 0:38:35. Avg 9:19 min/mile.

My lap times are a bit inconsistent - I guess I got a bit tired in the middle :
1 8:52
2 9:21
3 10:04
4: 8:57

Endomondo helpfully displays a hare beside the fastest lap and a tortoise beside the slowest! I'm quite pleased that I ran 2 sub 9 min/miles. On the last mile there was a runner behind me and I was trying to keep ahead of him which accounts for the slight increase in speed (also it was flat). Of course when I finished, I saw him go past and he seemed to be running at a very easy pace so I wasn't as great as I thought I was for a second :P The route wasn't as hilly as I'd intended but not too bad. I got a few hi's and waves from other runners which was nice. I'm not sure whether I'll run tomorrow or not, maybe 3 days in a row is too much, although I haven't been killing myself.

hollypink

Just cycled in and out of town today (just under 3 miles each way), was going to the cinema anyway so I thought I'd take the opportunity to get some exercise in (my persistent inner lazy voice was telling me to drive but she didn't win this time ). Black Swan is a strange, absorbing film, I really enjoyed it.

Week 3 of the training plan starts tomorrow: 3.5 mile runs during the week and a 5 mile at the weekend.

hollypink

3.33 miles today in about 30 mins (forgot to start timing it on my watch). It was incredibly windy which was great at the start because it was behind me but the last half mile against the wind was tough. I looked a bit dishevelled when I got back to the office

hollypink

5.13 miles in 0:49:52 avg pace 9:42 min/mile

quite an enjoyable run today, it didn't look very appealing out but the rain wasn't bad and I only got water in my runners towards the very end when I encountered some large puddles I couldn't run around. I realised it's not rain I mind but rather the combination of wind and rain but I suppose that kind of weather is unavoidable at this time of year :P I got in a few small hills and one decent enough one so happy enough.

hollypink

3.27 miles in about 30 mins, maybe a bit less. I tried to push myself a bit with this run and I felt like I was running a little faster than normal but I'm not sure (didn't bring a watch with me). I went to yoga after work and I feel great now (if tired) so it seems to combine well with a run on the same day.

I don't know how I'm going to manage in a couple of weeks when the mid week runs on the training plan are 5 miles. I can't really fit in a run on my lunchbreak of that length at my pace and get in a shower and something to eat. Just realised I should have done 3.5 miles today, oops.

hollypink

3.5 miles (give or take) in a disappointing 35:32

I read an A/R/T post, I think on the c25k thread, which said that some days you had good runs and some days bad. I had a bad run today, I felt tired and my calves (or shins maybe) were stiff and uncomfortable for pretty much the entire time. I kept going but I had to slow down to a barely jogging pace a number of times. I've been thinking about what the problem was; maybe it's a slight lack of sleep or not eating right or not stretching enough beforehand. I donated blood yesterday so maybe that? But in my head these sound like excuses not reasons and I feel a bit dejected because I don't seem to be making much progress and I'm as slow as ever. I know I need to be training a bit more consistently so I'd better address that.

But to try to be a bit more positive: at least I kept going today and I'm looking forward to going for a 5 mile run this weekend in the park, which is a lot nicer than running around an industrial estate.