Long Road to Redemption/ Fitness

sportfanatic

Hi All,

Im new to the hole boards thing but I'm hoping to get bak into some running and i feel that a training log might be a usefull tool.... all feedback and advice is very much welcome.

Background....

From the age of 7 to 18 i done a lot of cross country and mountain running, i would have dabbled in other sports but athletics was definitely were i found most success. At 16 to 18 i would have focused on it most and done 1 track season where i ran PB's of 15.28 for 5km and 8.58 for 3Km in championship races.

I was part of a good training group at the time and im sure i could have gone faster but i was very easily distracted, went to college and had way to good of a time!! Since then i havent been able to put together any sort of prolonged training and have picked up a few injuries and probably just used them as an excuse.

I'm now 27 (5Ft 9Inches, 13 Stone) and working in Belfast but spend a lot of time in Dundalk and Dublin for personal reasons.

Hopes....
- to get to a fitness level where i can enjoy my running
- hopefully drop some weight, get to 12stone ASAP....i do way to much of eating badly and drink way to much. Loads of space for improvement here.
- Plan to run a marathon late in the year (I've committed to doing one with a mate so wont back out of this), but i'd like to do some road races from 5km and upwards. Once the marathon is done i'll be focusing on more of the shorter stuff.
- i do quite a bit of cycling and would like to build that into any training.
- As im in Belfast most weeks from Monday to Thursday i'd like to get involved with a running group up there, any suggestions would be appreciated. (I'm not looking to join a club though)

As i said, i hope to use the log to trak my progress and as a motivational tool. Any advice on where to start and where to go would be greatly appreciated.

All the best and happy new year,

Sportfanatic

specialk1977

Best of luck sportfanatic with de log..ill be following with interest

sportfanatic

1st run of the year....

On treadmill, 6.5Km in 30.20mins. Felt ok, been skiing for the past week so not in best of shape for any running. Good to get started and looking forwards to a longer run tomorrow again on the treadmill.

sportfanatic

On treadmill again today. Not feeling too bad after yesterday and today went ok too.

Would have preferred to do longer at a slower pace but happy enough with how i felt. done 11.2Km in 48mins.

Realise that the treadmill is very artificial, but for the time being i find it more convenient and hopefully at will help with getting myself some fitness.

Bak on the treadmill tomorrow and see how it goes, but will hopefully get out for a jog or on the bike later in the week.

sportfanatic

On treadmill again tonight, went ok, under a lot of pressure but happy enough with how it went.

14.5Km in 59.30mins.

Fitness isn't good but getting through it just about, small steps for the time being but looking forward to a months time when the distance/ speed comes that bit easier.

Good feeling after getting off the treadmill. Spending a good bit of time stretching whih will hopefully keep the injuries away.....

tomorrow will be easy run or day off, see how i feel.

sportfanatic

....took yesterday as a break, didn't feel too bad but taught i might as well take the day off.

Felt really good this evening. On treadmill again (watching Leinster game which was very bad, at least they got the win).

Wanted to do a steady run and finish off nice and strongly. Ended up doing 80mins and felt really good. Done 18.5Km and happy that i was fit to finish quicker than I started.

Looks like i'm going to do be doing the cliffs of Moher marathon on the 24th of September. Will have to find some good races before that but at least i have something to work towards.

Will get outside for a run on Sunday and think i'll go out on the bike tomorrow....

All in all happy with how the run went tonight and looking forward to some more runs....long may it last....

sportfanatic

Took yesterday off, had good intentions of going out on the bike but the snow/ slippy roads kind of put me off......

Got out for a jog this evening and felt good. It was mostly down hill and flat (point to point) which made things a lot easier.

Done 8.4Km in 35-minutes. Slower than i've been doing on the r
treadmill but probably more realistic of my current fitness level.

At some stage im going to have to face some type of hils and not really looking forward to that. Don't want to avoid it for too long but i'm enjoying the runs which is a big thing for me at this stage.

See what i feel like tomorrow, but will get out and do something. Joining a new training group in Belfast on Wednesday night so hopefully that goes well.

Probably would like to get another 6 weeks of miles under my belt (Looses weight) and then look to start doing some formal "sessions"(hills, tempo runs, track sessions).

One week done and looking forward to next week!

sportfanatic

Been without Internet for a few days so just getting a few runs updated now.

Wednesday night joined up with a new group in Belfast and it was great to be running with others!! its been a while.....

Perfect night for running, light rain and not too warm.

Went with the middle group (Slower than the top lads but quicker then the ladies!!) Not sure of the distance or time but think it was 5.2miles (around 8.3km) in about 40mins. started off nice and slow (around 8min miles) but pace went to 7.05- 7.20 for the last 2 miles. felt pretty comfortable....just need to learn now to put 26 7minute miles together now!!

Thursday night (belfast) went for a nice slow jog...7km in 40mins. felt good to stretch the legs.

Tonight i went for a jog at home (louth). Done a short run at a good speed. 5km in 22mins 50 seconds. felt ok on the run but my right shin and hamstring was sore when i got bak to the house. done a good but of stretching but still feeling a bit sore.

Think tomorrow is a day off with a bit of stretching and a lot of rugby on TV. Sunday i might try a long run. Have a long loop at home (8miles) but its fairly hilly.....have to face it at some stage so i may give it a go!!

sportfanatic

bit of a disaster today....

Done a good bit of stretching before i started and had intended to do 50-60mins running.

Had a bit of a disaster. not happy at all.

got 5mins into the run and my right shin started to feel tight again. taught id be able to run through it and would feel better after a while but got to 15mins in and was struggling badly. right leg was more or less useless and couldn't get any rhythm in my running at all.

stopped and tried to stretch it out for about 5-10mins. wasn't doing much good so headed for home.

very sore by the time i got home. iced it and heated it for a few hours and feeling better after that.

probably spend as much time in the next few days trying to loosen it out and see how im feeling but hopefully get bak out on tuesday or wednesday.

sportfanatic

Ok, shin was still quite sore on monday so just done no running.

Tuesday, went out on the road bike for 58mins 20 seconds, 23km. Was taking it nice and handy and enjoyed the spin. not sure if its doing much for my fitness but better than sitting at home i suppose. Have to say i enjoy the bike.

tonight (wednesday) i was with the training group up in belfast again. was worried about the shin but got through the run ok. still not feeling right but wasnt the same level as sundays run. done 5.8miles (prob just under 9.5 km) in 48mins. great night for running, not too warm though!

No work tomorrow so will get out for run or bike, and then some more at the weekend... can't wait!!

sportfanatic

Thursday night. Went for a good slow/ short jog and felt ok.

5km in 23.38. Feeling a bit fitter and stronger.

Roads are a bit slippy but enjoy running in the cold weather, not sure what it is but enjoy the contrast of the cold weather and body temp increasing as the run develops.

tomorrow i'll do nothing and get something done on saturday morning and a longer run on sunday.

sportfanatic

good run tonight, not the long run i had hoped to do but really enjoyed it.

need to do a check on the distance but think its in or around 7km (will update when i get a proper distance) in 30mins 20seconds. Steady up hill and then turned and came back home. Dont want to get ahead of myself but felt that i had a good flow to my running on way back. shin didnt really worry me too much.

good night for running and was happy with how it went.

New pair of runners bought the other day. went for the brooks adrenaline GTS. first time i had them on me tonight and i'm very happy with them.

sportfanatic

No running for me for the past 2weeks, had a cold/flu that turned into a chesty cough and missed a few weeks running.

Back out tonight. done 7.1km in 33mins 18seconds. felt ok for the first 20mins but struggled for last 10mins.

hopefully get a bit done this week.

sportfanatic

Felt really sore today, mainly my lower back.

Out for another run tonight and felt ok, but really sore again now!! nothing serious, just wished i hadnt missed the last two weeks, paying for it now.

31minutes 3seconds, 6.60KM. Probably about the same pace as last night. Very flat route tonight. Nice cold evening, no rain, no wind.

working late tomorrow so wont get out, probably just do some stretching and sit-ups/push-ups.

Next run will be thursday morning....

sportfanatic

got out for a good run this morning before work.

No wind, no rain.no problems!

Got 7.6km done in 36minutes 12secs.

Started using the run keeper app, not sure how accurate it is but its been useful.

It had my pace per miles as the following:
8.14
7.46
7.32
7.25

Glad that its indicating that im picking up speed as i go but going to have to start upping the miles. to up the miles/ km going to have to start getting more disciplined and try and stay in the 5min/per km for the time being, which i find nice and comforatble.

1/2 Marathon on the 15 of May and dont really have any targets yet.

sportfanatic

just back from run in time for the rugby....

Down at the local track, became a bit boring but had the ipod with which helped.

Done 52mins 10secs, and 10.5km.

Was making an effort to be more disciplined with my pace and stay a steadier more relaxed speed.

Probably should have kept going for the full hour but got a but bored at the end.

Anyways. Happy enough to get it done and out of the way for the day and glad to be upping my distance somewhat.

Thinking 8minute miles are my target for the half marathon which would give me an ok time. as the fitness improves i'll reassess this.

sportfanatic

Run went well. Hamstring had been a bit sore all day but felt fine on the run so happy enough.

Ended up doing 8.5km in 41mins 30secs. Again, trying to hold back and not get too carried away going to fast.

Not say i was cruising at this speed, feel tired when i get back to the house!!

Working tomorrow night so no running for me but will get out on Wednesday night. hopefully do 6mile plus....

sportfanatic

Had to get my run done quick tonight as i had to go somewhere for work. \

wanted to do in or around 5km in a steady enough pace. got started ok but didn't feel good at all. not really happy with how it went.

done 4.6km in 21mins. think i tried to go to start from the start and didnt give my self a chance to settle in to run. was feeling really under pressure for most of the run and couldn't get any rhythm going. That probably makes perfect sense.
Anyways, didnt enjoy the run.

Meetings in Dublin all day tomorrow and then in cavan for another meeting...fun fun fun and no running for me!

Will probably get finished with work early on Friday and get out for a good run.

hopefully it goes better than this evening!

sportfanatic

Should probably have got out for a short run yesterday (Friday) but was a bit lazy/ tired after work....tough week!

Not to worry, went for a run this morning instead. Great morning and was even to warm after about 15-20mins.

At home for the weekend so done one of my old runs, very tough and a lot of hills. have been staying away from hills over the last while and today was a bit of a shock.

Done 10.10Km in 52mins 10seconds. not sure how i was feeling to be honest, the hills were tough alright but never felt like i needed to stop but don't feel like i have any speed.

feel sore now but im sure i'll manage!!

might try and get out for short jog tomorrow.

sportfanatic

Short jog done tonight. had started with the intention of going nice and easy but picked my speed up as a i went. done 5.1km in 22mins 28secs.

Felt ok, but would prefer if i had a bit more speed in my legs.

i know i've only got a few weeks training done but would prefer if i had a bit more speed, feel very sluggish and cant really up the speed at all.

Tried concentrating on a longer stride tonight which probably helped some what.

I'm finding the steady runs ok and feeling that my fitness is improving but would still like to see the improvement in speed.

sportfanatic

Pretty bad week but ended with a decent enough run today.

Tuesday morning i went to go out for a nice short run, just a bit of a loosener before work. Didn't go well at all. Shins were in absolute bits, not sure what time/ distance i covered but it was shocking slow and very uncomfortable.

Was well pissed off and busy with work so didnt get out again until this morning. done 11km in 56.05mins. about the same pace as last week but felt very comfortable, more or less the same route as last week but with a bit extra distance. felt really good. lovely morning again.

felt good on the hills and the pace was very comfortable.

has me thinking that maybe 3 sessions (or 7 sessions every 2 weeks) a week of more quality, would be more beneficial?

sportfanatic

Great evening for running....

went well and felt good enough.

Done 7.94km in 36mins 12secs.

First half of the run was 18.21 and 2nd half was 17.52.
Happy that i finished stronger. Need to start getting closer to 7min miles.

Hopefully the weather stays good for a while, makes it a lot easier.

sportfanatic

Good run tonight (Friday).

Upped my mileage at last and felt good enough. The hills really killed me but was glad with the time i was out for.

75mins 30 secs.......15.6Km. very hilly route and really suffered on the hills.

feeling very sore now, but nothing serious. Have no worries about the distance in the half marathon, just need to find some speed from somewhere.

Doing the runamuck 5km run tomorrow in kildare, should be fun!!

sportfanatic

Saturday 5th March...

Done the runamuck challenege.....
http://www.runamuckchallenge.com/

would definitely recommend it. didnt race it or anything, done it a group of mates from college, great days craic. body was still a bit sore from fridays run, but wasnt under too much pressure so it was grand.

Tuesday 8th March...

I keep talking about feeling sluggish and having no speed so tried a fast tempo run tonight. Done a loop close to my house in belfast. my legs felt good but was breathing very heavily. need more sessions like this to find some speed. Need to learn to concentrate on trying to push myself and my speed, wasnt expecting anything much so was happy enough with how it went.

done 4.52km in 18mins 41secs. would have liked to have done the full 5km but will know for the next night to extend the loop slightly.

Going to do a 5km race/ charity run on St. Patricks day close to home, so will hopefully run slightly quicker then tonights run. should be a flatter route and will have plenty of people ahead of me!!!

After that its a 10km in Dundalk at the start of May and then the half Marathon on the 15th of May.....should be ready!!!

sportfanatic

Thursday (10th march). Really good run this afternoon, felt good and enjoyed the run.

Was out along the belfast- lisburn towpath, really good route for running.

Done 8.7Km in 40mins 02secs. Was slightly windy but it was a good flat route, really getting into it now and looking forward to my runs. Think two runs during the week and a long run at the weekend has worked better for me, legs havent felt as tired and feeling stronger on the runs.

5km race/ run on Paddy's morning should be good, will try and go out nice a steady and hopefully hang on until the finish, not too worried if i blow up and struggle for the last mile. not sure if its a good plan, but feck it, nothing to loose!!!

sportfanatic

Been without internet for the past week so time to update a few runs.....not a great week but probably gives me a better idea of where i am with my fitness. NOT GREAT!!

Saturday 12th of March

Was in Waterford for a College reunion so took the chance to go for a run with of the lads that im doing the marathon with later in the year. Went to Tramore for a run on the beach, wasnt a great idea, was very sticky and difficult to run in at times. Done 7.9km in 39mins 3secs. Was very windy towards the end and i suppose i was happy enough to finish the run nice and strongly. Wont be going to back to the beach until my holidays!

Tuesday 15th of March

Back in Belfast, just a nice steady run to loosen out the legs, felt ok and picked up the pace towards the end of the run and felt ok. No wind or rain, nice evening to be out running.

Thursday 17th of March

At home for Paddy's day and went in "5km" local race. Was a bit of a shambles. Ended up being 5.4km and no-one really there to run with apart from 1 guy. Anyway, started off too quick and struggled once i hit the 1st hill!! lesson learned for my next run. I was actually leading by quite a bit for the 1st 2km, and then i was struggling, should have eased myself into the race better. Anyway, the eventual winner caught up with me at about half way, ran with him for the next Km, and with 1 km to go he pushed on and i didnt have anything to go with him. Possibly was catching him in the last few hundred but he was well clear (probably about 8-10secs). Finished in 22.10, probably would have equated to about 20.45 for the 5km which is a bit disapointing, lesson learned for again.

Plenty of work to do.

sportfanatic

Short run done tonight.

Didn't feel sore after yesterday so wanted to get out and do something. Wasnt happy with how i went yesterday and probably had that in the back of my mind.

Started off good and slow but decided to push on for some of the route home. 4.9km done in 22mins 28secs.

Was nearly happier with this run than i was yesterday, felt alot more in control, i know it was 1/2KM shorter but was feeling a lot stronger.

1st half of the run was done in 11mins 51secs and i was consciously holding back. 2nd half of the run i done in 10mins 37secs (held back on this also).

Still think i didnt do myself justice yesterday, a good deal of my problems were my own fault.

Going to do another 5km at the end of this month in Belfast, the queens 5km, goes very close to my house and its a very flat course, will be well back in the field and will try and pace myself better, 2weeks more training done at that stage so will be expecting a lot better run from myself.

sportfanatic

Wednesday 23rd of March

Good run tonight. You can tell that it's getting close to the marathon up here in Belfast, everyone seems to be out jogging. Absolutely beautiful evening, no wind and sun shining.

Feeling a bit of a twinge in my hip before the run but felt ok on the run.

Eased myself into it at a nice slow pace but picked the speed up well as i progressed and overall pleased with the run.

Done 8.9Km in 40mins 57seconds. Probably not that quick but was pleased that i felt strong towards the end and picked my speed up.

5km race in Belfast (Queens 5Km) next Wednesday (30th), should be a good blow out.

sportfanatic

Good run tonight, felt good but maybe could have pushed harder.

Nice evening again, only a slight breeze, got finished up in work early so was able to get my run done and out of the way.

Done a nice slow warmup in 10mins 42secs, 2.02km, very relaxed.

Then done a session of 3minutes reps with 90seconds recovery. 5 reps in total.

Rep 1- 3mins- 758metres- Max HR 174bpm
Rep 2- 3mins- 789metres- Max HR 178bpm
Rep 3- 3mins- 784metres- Max HR 181bpm
Rep 4- 3mins- 823metres- Max HR 184bpm
Rep 5- 3mins- 853metres- Max HR 187bpm

Happy with the progression throughout the session. HR showing i'm working hard, think its the type of session that i definetly need to get use to the quicker pace that i'd like to be comfortable at.

All in all i'm relatively pleased with the session, long run now on Sunday and it will be a good weekends work.

sportfanatic

Saturday 26th of March.

Typical Saturday, sorted out a few bits and pieces, cleaned the car, caught up with some news and was more or less bored so went for my run instead of leaving it until Sunday, was pleased i done it and had it out of the way.

Done the same run that i done on the 19th of February (see blog), just over 10km over a very hilly route. Done it in 52mins 10seconds back in February.

Was still feeling a bit sore after Friday nights session, but eased myself into the run and generally felt good. Done it in 47mins 22secs, pleased that i've progressed a fair bit in the last 6weeks, close to 5mins quicker over the same route and don't think i was pushing any harder then the Feb run.

Done the run without the IPOD, and definetly feel that it helped me get more in tune with how my body was feeling. More aware of when my pace was slowing and certainly more aware of the discomfort of pushing my comfort levels to some degree.

Working late on Monday night so will get out for a light run on Tuesday and then i have the 5km in Belfast on Wednesday, looking forward to it.

Note to self....will need to get out for a long run next weekend (10mile plus).

sportfanatic

Wednesday 30th of March.

Done the Queens 5Km run tonight. Very well organised and was a very big field of athletes, some quicker then others.

Had my own ideas of what i wanted to do tonight and wasn't far off what i'd hoped for. The race started off fairly quick and got a bit of a shock when i saw the pace so had to slow it down fairly quickly.

Felt good for the 1st 3km, was well on target to finish under 20mins but faded between 3km and 4km, recovered a bit in the last km and finished in 20mins 2seconds.....would have loved to have been 3seconds quicker!!!

Generally happy enough and pleased that i'm progressing. Thats me done with 5km races for the time being, next race is a 10km on the 5th of May, then the half marathon on the 15th of May.

My calfs are in absolute bits tonight but should be ok, light run on friday and maybe a long run on Saturday (plan to be hung over on sunday!)

As i said, very well organised event and very good turn out.