Couch to Marathon

MarySamsonite

This is it. I am officially off the couch and heading for Merrion Square! It's a scary thought and one that has started to keep me awake at night, but if I don't do it, then I definitely won't sleep until I do. So, here I go - a beginner runner with and all or nothing attitude (all talk and nothing to show for it so far this year...) who is going from completing a 5K (LAST YEAR) to undertaking a marathon. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger, right? :eek:

Why, you might ask? Well, one of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to run Dublin City Marathon 2011. I made that resolution on 1 January when I was capable of running 6 miles and thought another 20 would surely be a doddle (and I wasn't even drinking at the time:rolleyes:). So, having made my daring declaration, I decided the best plan of action was naturally inaction... For some reason, that my brain is refusing to remember, I decided that that 6 miles would do and that I didn't need any further training until the middle of the year... I am now looking at the beginning of June and I'm in a state of near panic.

I started running for the first time ever this time last year (May 2010) and managed to complete the C25K at the end of July with a 5K race (35:31). I then took a long unplanned rest and didn't get back running until September with a plan to run a 10K on St. Stephen's Day (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056083381). My training went ok with some on-off knee injuries. I managed to complete 6 miles in training at the beginning of December, but that run left me with an ankle injury that persisted throughout the month and ruled me out of the Christmas 10K. I used my injury and Christmas as an excuse not to run until well into the new year. I eventually went to a physio and got my leg sorted, but even that didn't motivate me to start on any kind of concrete training plan. I have been running on and off for the past few months now and 3.5 miles (St. Patrick’s Day) was my longest run since Christmas until last Sunday when I did a 4-miler.

I am going to start Hal Higdon's 18-Week Novice Marathon Training Plan on 20 June (giving me a week's leeway until 31 October) and when I realised last week that I would need to be up to 6 miles comfortably by then I panicked and decided that I needed to take some action, and fast. I was very happy to be able to complete a 4-miler on Sunday (albeit at tortoise-pace), with the knowledge that I could have done another mile, if it wasn't for the fact that my old injury from my 6-miler last December kicked in at about 3 miles.

I went out early (8am) and did the route on which I managed to complete my famous 6-miler (it's a 15 minute drive from home, but I needed the psychological motivation of knowing that I managed a long run on this route before, and the route I use close to home is a 3-mile out and back and I know I would've been more tempted to stop at the 3...). The morning was dry but very windy. It usually takes a mile for my lungs to open, but this morning's first mile was hell. I felt really heavy and unfit and could really feel the excesses of the last 2 weeks of overeating and not exercising (I was away on holiday for the first of those 2 weeks and spent the second trying to eat just as much as I did on holiday (which was a lot...)).

Once I had warmed up I found the run ok. I think that I was just glad to realise that I wasn't going to totally collapse. I went past the 2 mile mark on the way up the road so that I could walk to cool down after hitting the 4 on the way back. When I got to 3 miles, I felt the twinge on the inside of my right leg, just above the ankle. I recognised it straight away, so I knew that I could push through it. It was quite painful coming up to the 4 miles and the outside of my right knee began to hurt then (I think both areas are linked). Once I got to 4 miles I was happy that I could have continued if not for the pain, as I didn't feel exhausted. I walked the rest of the way back to my car and within 5 minutes the pain had almost completely disappeared. I realise now though that this isn't something that's going to go away on its own and that I will have to do something about it asap. I am going to book a physio appointment for this evening.

My 4 miler was extremely slow (50:21) but it has definitely alleviated my panic. I can still run and so I have a chance of finishing the marathon, even if means crawling up Nassau Street as the pubs close:D

Sunday, 29/05/11 -
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 50:21
Pace: 12:35
Weather: Dry, very windy
Analysis: mile 1 - hell; miles 2 and 3 - ok; mile 4 - ankle and knee pain; finish - could've continued for maybe another mile if not for the pain.

MarySamsonite

I went for a sports massage on Tuesday evening and it really helped ease the muscle on my inside right calf above the ankle. Both my ITBs were extremely tight also (especially my left leg) and my muscles felt quite aggravated after the massage so I didn't run on Wednesday or Thursday:(.

I went for a gait analysis last November in London and was given a pair of Brooks Ghost 3s. I loved them straight away as they felt so light and flexible after training for months in Asics Kayanos, which I found out were unsuitable for me as I have a neutral gait. My husband has been trying to convince me for months now that the Brooks were probably responsible for my leg problem and I have been refusing to listen as I loved to run in them. I eventually conceded last Thursday that it was very likely that he was right and so I went for another gait analysis. The shop owner was fantastic and was able to show me straight away that I rotate my right leg quite a bit when running and that this was causing my problem. He recommended three shoes to sort this and I loved the Mizuno Wave Inspire from the second I tried them on. They felt so light and flexible, yet my foot felt well supported.

I went out for dinner on Thursday night and didn't get to bed until 1.30 so my brain went through every excuse imagineable on Friday morning when the alarm went at 6.15. I kicked myself very crankily out of bed though and went to the local football pitch. I thought it would be better for my injury to run on grass (plus I could drive there and if I felt the need I could just stop and get in the car instead of having to run or walk home ).

The weather was unbelievably warm and I struggled through the first mile. The Mizunos felt great though and I love how they cup the heel so that the foot doesn't rise out of the shoe at all. They were very, very comfortable. I decided to run just two miles as I felt sorry for myself because of the little sleep I had the night before... Once I got to the two mile mark though, I realised that stopping there would just be pure laziness and nothing else. I had absolutely no pain (not even a twinge) and so I had absolutely no excuse (no valid one anyway) not to continue. I kept going and managed the 3 miles. I was totally shocked by my time of 32:27 which is faster than both times I had in both 5k races I did last year and that was having stopped at the 1 mile and 2 mile marks to drink some water... Maybe I should stay out late more often .

Friday, 03/06/11 -
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 32:27
Pace: 10:49
Weather: Sunny, very warm
Analysis: mile 1 - tough; mile 2 ok; mile 3 - ok.

Bally8

Best of luck with the training. Hope your injury stays away

MarySamsonite

Thank you Bally8. Your first marathon thread was really inspiring and encouraging. I don't think I'll manage as good a time as you did (I'll be happy to come in in under 5:30), but maybe someday... All I want for DCM11 is to finish it in one piece!

I know from my past few runs that I feel much better and less worried about the marathon so long as I'm training, no matter how well or how badly the run goes, at least I feel like I'm doing something (which I haven't been doing for the past few months ).

Looking back on some of my training runs last year I noticed that I did a 3-miler at 10.49 pace last October and I couldn't believe it. I had totally put it out of my mind because I remember being very disappointed after that run because I had to walk some of it and so the pace didn't mean anything to me at the time because I felt that I had cheated. I walked for about a minute or so twice during the run. I did the run first thing in the morning in the middle of Dublin and, as it was a Bank Holiday Monday, I didn't think that there would be many people out. Of course, it never dawned on me that I was picking a main route into Merrion Square and past hundreds of runners on their way to the start of DCM 2010!!. My husband had just left the hotel on his way up to the start line but I hadn't thought about other runners being out and about so early. It definitely helped up my pace!!

Thinking about this last night in bed, I decided on trying a run/walk strategy for my LSR this morning. I decided that I would walk for a minute at every mile mark. I went out at 7.30 this morning and the weather was perfect - dry, with a light breeze. I did the same route as last week's LSR - a quiet bog road a short drive from home. I think that it was the first time ever that I didn't totally suffer for the first mile, but I did welcome the minute walk.

I then ran again for the second mile and had to actually stop running just before coming to the second mile mark as there were hundreds of cows (ok, maybe about 10 :rolleyes:) blocking the road :eek:. I tried to shoo them like a wuss and when they totally ignored me I thought about turning back (yes, sad I know ). After about a minute I decided to be brave . I held my breath and headed straight for them. Of course once I got near them they scattered like hell away from me. Yes, I'm a scaredy cat! Thank God there was no one around to see that sorry sight .

I felt my calf injury shortly after that (no, I didn't attack one of the young cows, I'm talking about my leg ). I felt the injury once I was on a side-road off the bog road. This road has a rough surface and there was a lot more movement in my ankles going over the stones. I felt slight pain but it wasn't too bad. I ran through it and as I went back on the main bog road again I realised that I run on the right side of the road going out and back and I remembered my husband saying something about camber once upon a time. I moved to the middle of the road and my leg improved hugely. I can't believe that this was most likely my problem all along!

Once I got to 3 miles, I didn't feel like taking a walking break and just continued to run. For only the second time ever I realised that I was enjoying running and that my pace was actually quite good (don't have a breakdown of pace per mile as I have lost my Garmin charger and am waiting for a replacement). I got to 4 miles and still didn't feel like a walking break. I had done 4.5 miles by the time I got back to the car and I felt great. I saw from my watch that my pace was 10:15 for the last half mile although I hadn't made any conscious effort to speed up. I can't wait to get a new charger so that I can upload my runs and see exactly how I'm doing on each mile.

By the end of the run, I didn't feel exhausted and was delighted to be injury-free. My time was very slow (54:08) but I think I could knock about a minute off that for the cow herding which would bring me down to an 11 something average pace but I don't think that there's an auto-pause on my Garmin and I didn't stop it manually. I was glad to finish comfortably though, without any injury.

Sunday, 05/06/11 -
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 54:08
Pace: 12:01
Weather: Dry, slight breeze
Analysis: mile 1 - not bad at all!; mile 2 good; mile 3 - good, mile 4 - enjoyable, mile 4.5 - enjoyable.

maria74

MaryS, great to see you back!

I agree it is always the first mile, even 2 that I find so hard. Once I get to 3 things always get easier.

Best of luck with training. Have you any races planned before the big one??:)

littlebug

Best of luck with the new goals MaryS, especially the big one :eek: and great to see you're enjoying it again
Careful with those injuries though... is there anywhere you can run on grass some of the time to try to minimise the impact? Football pitch etc? It might make recovery faster and mean less risk of further injury when you hit the big miles. The pitches in at Dangan are good, plus there are a few of them so you don't feel like you're running in circles so much :pac:

MarySamsonite

maria74 wrote: »

I agree it is always the first mile, even 2 that I find so hard. Once I get to 3 things always get easier.

How well you predicted your 10k yesterday!! From now on you will have to add "by 4 it's no problem, 5 is fantastic, and once I get to 6 it's just a breeze":D Well done again on your PB.

MarySamsonite

Thanks Littlebug. Great suggestion about running on grass for some of my runs. I actually hadn't thought about that really even though I felt no pain at all last week when running on the pitch. For some reason I had it in my head that I was taking the easy option running on the pitch because psychologically it seems easier to run around a pitch 12 times for a 3 miler than running 1.5 miles down the road and back again. I know that that's probably just something that's in my head though . I did my run this morning on the local pitch but purely because it was raining when I went out and wanted the option of sheltering in the dugout if it got really wet . I felt no presence of injury at all this morning so I might do all of my midweek runs on the pitch for the next 2 weeks at least and do my LSR on Sunday on the road .

I nearly stayed in bed this morning when I heard the rain lashing outside but I knew that I would be sickened if I didn't get up. I drove down to the pitch at 5.30 and sat in the car for about 5 minuntes wondering if I was prepared to get drenched . Once I decided to get my ass out of the car the rain stopped!

I decided to push myself this morning and I ran my first mile much quicker than I normally would, telling myself that I could take a break at the mile marker if I needed. By the time I had completed the mile though my lungs had opened and I felt fine so I continued running. I saw from my Garmin that I had done the mile in 10:29 so this motivated me to try for another good pace in mile two. It was definitely tough to keep running at a quicker pace than normal and I found myself slowing down whenever my mind drifted. When I caught myself doing this however I consciously upped the pace again and pushed myself harder. I can't remember what my Garmin said for the second mile (hopefully I will have my replacement charger soon so that I can upload info and see the breakdowns of individual miles) but I decided to continue pushing and finish as strongly as I could. I felt the third mile quite tough but not excruciating and I was delighted to finish at 31:00 on the dot. I couldn't believe it - a PB for me . This will definitely help to push me harder on my midweek runs as from now on I know that I will try to better that. Delighted that I got out of bed to run this morning.

Tuesday, 07/06/11 -
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 31:00
Pace: 10:20
Weather: Mild, light drizzle for third mile
Analysis: mile 1 - ok; mile 2 tough; mile 3 - tougher.

MarySamsonite

I was due to go for a run on Thursday morning and I slept through my alarm . I was so p***ed off. I had to rush out to go to work knowing that I couldn't run that evening or Friday because of family/work commitments and that my next run would be Sunday morning - my LSR. I was so annoyed and and couldn't get it out of my head all day. I had to go to Dublin for work on Friday and I bought Women's Running magazine in Heuston Station and read it from cover to cover on the way home on the train. I have to say it really motivated me.

I went to bed on Friday night with one part of my brain telling me to get up on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning for my LSR (seeing as it had been 4 days since my last run) and the other part of my brain telling me that I was crazy to give up my weekly lie-in (my husband gets up with the kids on Saturday morning). Of course, I knew that there was only one logical and reasonable thing to do but it was such a battle to try and convince myself that getting up was for the greater good :rolleyes:. I eventually decided to set my alarm for 7 and to make my mind up then. When my alarm did go off I knew that my choice was to switch it off, wake up at 10 and feel like crap for the rest of the day or get up and feel fantastic having completed my run. I jumped out of bed before the lazy part of my brain woke up and tried to convince me to stay put.

I drove to my usual LSR route and the morning was fabulous - blue skies and a very mild breeze. The first half of my first mile was fine but then I really started to struggle in the second half. All I wanted to do was to stop and walk, but I pushed on. I had completely forgotten about my run/walk plan from the previous week until then and decided that if I needed to walk at any of the mile markers that I would do so for about a minute. Once I got to the first mile though my lungs had opened and I felt a bit better so I kept running. The second mile was fine and so was the third (even though this did bring me on to the rough path around a lake - which is about a mile loop - and this is where my calf pain kicks because of all the movement in my ankle on the rough surface. I really appreciated the support of my new shoes here and although I felt the presence of the muscle rubbing against my shin there was no pain really and I had no problem running through it). I found the fourth mile really tough for some reason and felt myself slowing down an awful lot. I realised that this was the pace I used to run all my miles at and was delighted that I had been able at least to do the first three miles at a quicker pace. Once I had completed the fourth mile I got a great second wind and really enjoyed myself for mile 5. I was so glad to complete in fairly good shape and with no sign of injury (although I did feel my hamstrings getting tight for the first time so I made sure to take plenty of time after to stretch these).

I was delighted with myelf to have completed a 5-miler by 9 am on Saturday morning and certainly had more energy after than I would have if I had stayed in bed (I am writing this so that I can read back on it next time I'm torn between both choices ).

Saturday, 11/06/11 -
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 57:53
Pace: 11:34
Weather: Dry, sunny, light breeze
Analysis: mile 1 - 0.5 ok, 0.5 tough; miles 2 and 3 - ok; mile 4 - tough; mile 5 - pleasant.

maria74

great run, well done on ignoring that snooze button and getting it done.

May even motivate me to head out tomorow!

MarySamsonite

I had to head out this morning at 5 to be back to the kids so that my husband could head out training before I left for work at 7.30. I felt surprisingly alert but the sunny, clear morning certainly helped. I went to the local pitch and had a feeling it was going to be tough as my diet has been awful for the past few weeks and I could really feel it on my run this morning.

I found the first mile ok and ran it in 10:20 but I had to walk for 30 seconds at the mile mark. I found the second mile awful, trying to keep up pace and I felt really heavy, struggling around the pitch. I walked again at the 2 mile mark for 30 seconds and I knew that I couldn't keep up my pace for the third mile so I just plodded around. I managed to finish in 31:42 which is slower than last time but I'm happy that its much quicker than the paces that I used to have. Having a consistent 10-something per mile on my 3-milers now is very encouraging .

Tuesday, 14/06/11 -
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 31:42
Pace: 10:33
Weather: Sunny, clear, bright
Analysis: mile 1 - ok; mile 2 very tough; mile 3 - tough

ILOVERED

MarySamsonite wrote: »

I had to head out this morning at 5 to be back to the kids so that my husband could head out training before I left for work at 7.30. I felt surprisingly alert but the sunny, clear morning certainly helped. I went to the local pitch and had a feeling it was going to be tough as my diet has been awful for the past few weeks and I could really feel it on my run this morning.

I found the first mile ok and ran it in 10:20 but I had to walk for 30 seconds at the mile mark. I found the second mile awful, trying to keep up pace and I felt really heavy, struggling around the pitch. I walked again at the 2 mile mark for 30 seconds and I knew that I couldn't keep up my pace for the third mile so I just plodded around. I managed to finish in 31:42 which is slower than last time but I'm happy that its much quicker than the paces that I used to have. Having a consistent 10-something per mile on my 3-milers now is very encouraging .

Tuesday, 14/06/11 -
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 31:42
Pace: 10:33
Weather: Sunny, clear, bright
Analysis: mile 1 - ok; mile 2 very tough; mile 3 - tough

Well done Mary, That is fantastic commitment to get up at 5 and out!
Your great results will be well deserved!

Bally8

ILOVERED wrote: »

Well done Mary, That is fantastic commitment to get up at 5 and out!
Your great results will be well deserved!

Totally agree- I dont know how you do it! I've twice set my alarm for 6 to get out for an early run and I've twice turned it off and rolled over till time to get up for work. Would love to not be lazy!!

littlebug

5 am my goodness :eek: I think I'm doing well if I go out at 8. Fair play MaryS!

MarySamsonite

Another 5am start this morning and I really struggled to get out of bed . I headed to the local pitch as usual but I knew before I had even set foot on the grass that it was going to be difficult .

I decided to take it really slowly this morning as I had a feeling that I could easily decide to opt out at 2 miles if I felt wrecked. The first mile was fine (because I was crawling :rolleyes:) but the second mile felt like it went on forever. I was actually convinced at one stage that my Garmin had lost connection with the satellite and was still taking time but not recording distance . The third mile felt just as long but I managed to plod through.

My breathing was completely normal at the end of the run so I knew that I hadn't pushed myself in the slightest. There was absolutely no exertion whatever in this morning's run so I don't think that I got much benefit out of it. My recent consistent 10min something/miles disappeared and each mile was 11-something but at least I did it I suppose :mad:. Hopefully I will have a little more energy tomorrow morning...

Thursday, 16/06/11 -
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 34:05
Pace: 11:21
Breakdown: M1-11:06; M2-11:27; M3-11:28
Weather: Dull, light breeze
Analysis: mile 1 - ok; mile 2 - ok, very long; mile 3 - ok, very long...

MarySamsonite

I went out this morning at 7:15 for my LSR, my last one before I start Hal Higdon's Novice Marathon Programme next week. I went to the usual bog road I use for my Sunday runs. The weather was perfect for a run and, as usual, my first mile was tough as I was warming up. I decided half way through it to walk if I needed to once I got to the mile mark. By then though I felt fine and kept running. I usually turn off the main bog road just before the mile 2 marker but decided not to today as the surface is very rough and I was hoping to keep my calf/ankle injury at bay.

I realised by the end of mile 2 that my pace was far too quick. I did mile 1 in an 11-something pace and was determined to do the same for mile 2 but I felt shattered after it and was left running really slowly for mile 3. I then made up my mind to forget about pace altogether and just try and get through it.

I was really disappointed to feel my leg pain reappear coming up to the end of mile three but decided to run through it. As I wasn't taking in any sideroads today to make up the miles I had to double back on the main bog road and thought that this would be very hard psychologically but it wasn't as harrowing as I thought it would be .

Coming up to the 4 mile mark I felt more relaxed and realised that the pain in my leg had gone. I was delighted about that and felt miles 5 and 6 go by really quickly (in my head as opposed to on my watch ). I picked up the pace again coming up to end of the run as I felt that I had unspent energy. It was good to feel that I had a mile or so more left in me once I finished (it would be great to feel like this at the end of every LSR during my marathon programme, especially that 20-miler ).

I finished the run in 1:10 with an average pace of 11:49. Overall, I was delighted with how it went and really happy with my time. It made up a little for the crap run I had on Thursday.

My next LSR will be in Croatia (and the first of my marathon programme) and I will have to make sure to get up extra early to beat the heat. I was doing my C25K last year in Croatia and even though I was out at 5 in the morning it was still very warm, and that was only 30 mins of run/walks... Hopefully I'm a bit fitter this year though and that may get me through it...

Sunday, 19/06/11 -
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 01:10:56
Pace: 11:49
Breakdown: M1-11:48; M2-11:20; M3-12:23; M4-12:11; M5-12:12; M6-11:00
Weather: Dull, dry, light breeze
Analysis: mile 1 - ok; mile 2 - ok; mile 3 - just ok; mile 4 - enjoyable; mile 5 - enjoyable; mile 6 - good.

krankykitty

Hey Mary - just wanted to say I'm enjoying your log and getting inspiration from it. I too had a long unexpected break and just returned to running (or any exercise at all, really!) about 8 weeks ago. You seem to be doing great.

One thing I've noticed is that in your earlier logs, you find the first mile or half mile ok then the second one is really tough - but in the later logs that doesn't happen as much? That's been happening to me too, the first bit is ok, then I'm dying and sometimes need to walk, then my last kilomters are my fastest (I'm only at around 5k at the moment). Just wondering if you have any tips, or is it just something that gets better with time and experience?

All the best with your journey and I know you'll get great encouragement around here.

MarySamsonite

Hi krankykitty, it's so good to hear from someone at the same level as me.

It's funny that you find the later miles easier aswell. It must have something to do with the body warming up or the lungs opening or something (I'm sure that there's a perfectly logical scientific explanation for it :rolleyes:).

I ALWAYS spend the first mile (and sometimes into the second mile) asking myself 'what the hell am I doing?' and then relax (well, not exactly relax, but you know what I mean) into it. Once I realised that this is probably how it's always going to be for me I just tell myself to get through the first mile and things will be better. If they're not , I tell myself to just complete the next one and see how I feel. Usually once past the second mile I'm ok and can go on.

The best tip I ever got though was from my husband (who has done a few marathons) when I started off. He used to run with me in the beginning (well, he used to walk beside me ) and I had a habit of stopping when the going got tough. He told me not to stop but, whenever I felt a need to stop, to just slow my running down completely and run as slowly as I needed to to continue. I tried this the next time I felt out of breath and needed to stop and it was like a eureka moment. It gave me a chance to get my breath back and to gradually pick up the pace again. It's also the thing that keeps me going whenever I panic about the marathon. I just think - I can always just slow down completely and even walk for a while if necessary.

Do you have any targets set, krankykitty?

MarySamsonite

Well, here goes, I’ve started… I did the first run of my marathon programme today .

I slept through my alarm this morning but thankfully I woke on time to get a run in before work. It was a 3-miler and I went to the local pitch to do it. The morning was really dull and heavy and I felt that my run would be the same – and it was.

I experienced the usual lung-opening on mile one but it wasn’t too bad, even though I knew that my pace wasn’t great. Mile two was tough and long and I decided to just forget about pace this morning as my body just didn’t feel up to it for some reason. Mile 3 wasn’t any better and although I was going around at snail’s pace, I didn’t even have a burst of energy in me to up the tempo for the last stretch. I was really sluggish and just glad to finish. I was happy enough with my time as it’s still faster than any 3 milers last year but it definitely needs improving.

I really think that it’s time to do something about my diet and my water intake. I’m not eating healthily at the moment and I’m certainly not drinking enough water. I know that this will definitely be something I will need to be careful of on holiday when I will need more rehydrating because of the warmer weather.

The weather this morning felt really heavy, almost thundery. I’m going to blame that for my sluggishness!

Tuesday, 21/06/11 -
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 32:38
Pace: 10:52
Breakdown: M1-10:45; M2-10:55; M3-10:53
Weather: Warm, dull, heavy
Analysis: mile 1 - ok; mile 2 - tough; mile 3 - tough.

krankykitty

Hey Mary,

Would love to know that about the lungs too, plus cold air gets me worse too. Even when I was fit enough I would end up giving up in the winter with the cold.

Thank for the tip about slowing down, I've tried that but I find that when I slow down (but still jogging/shuffling) my legs hurt until I start walking - but they'd be ok going a faster pace! Does that happen to you? Mad stuff altogether. So I end up slowing down to a brisk walk if I need to slow it down. I know what you mean about having it in your mind that you can walk if necessary during the marathon - I used to beat myself up thinking I had failed if i needed to walk before I thought I was meant to, but all it usually means is that you can go for a bit longer at the other end of the session!

My main target at the moment is just to build up a base of fitness really and increase the time/distance I can go for.

MarySamsonite

Week1Run4

I did my first LSR of my marathon programme this morning and I can safely say that it was the nicest and most pleasant run I have had since I started running . After a disappointing start to the programme (I missed 2 out of 3 of my midweek runs for various reasons that I won't even bother mentioning), I really enjoyed my 6-miler this morning.

I was dreading it more than I would a job interview and barely got 2 hours sleep last night. I am in Croatia on holidays and was worried about the heat, being dehydrated, being harrassed* and basically not being able to complete the full 6 miles.

I decided to set my alarm for 4:30, to be on the road at 5. I thought my phone had updated its time automatically but it hadn't, so I ended up being an hour late heading out. I was delighted to discover that it was a really breezy morning and the breeze was actually quite cool. I walked for the first 10 mins to get to the bottom of a hill and then I started running and couldn't believe how much easier it felt compared to when I last ran on that route this time last year.

I can normally give a breakdown of how the different miles felt but today it all felt so nice and easy. I didn't suffer on the first mile like I usually do (probably because of the 10 minute warm-up walk) and I couldn't believe that I was actually enjoying the run right the way through - no mile felt any harder or easier than the one before it. When the sun came over the hill at about mile 4 I realised how much harder it would be to run this route during the day as it felt quite hot even at 6:45 in the morning. I completed the run feeling relaxed and really happy that I had done it and that I had actually enjoyed it. I will certainly make up tonight for last night's missed sleep though!

Sunday, 26/06/2011
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:11:21
Average Pace: 11:53
Breakdown: M1-10:52; M2-11:47; M3-12:59; M4-11:42; M5-12:05; M6-11:52
Weather: Cool, pleasant
Analysis: M1 to M6 - enjoyable!

*Last year, while doing the C25K training on holiday in Croatia, I used to walk/run to the local football pitch and do some of my 30 mins on the pitch before finishing the 30 mins on the way back. One morning I heard what sounded like a group drinking near the pitch and so I avoided it and turned back (as it's quite isolated). Moments later I heard a car speed up behind me and I was grateful it passed. It stopped, however, a couple of metres in front of me and reversed back. There was a group of lads in the car and they started shouting out at me as I ran along and tried to look all calm (even though I was lobster red from running...). They took off when I ignored them but I hated going up that road after that as it can be really quiet up there in the mornings. Anyway, I think that this has been festering in my head and that that was bothering me about going out this morning...

MarySamsonite

W2R1

I had the first run of my second week this morning and it was awful. I was expecting a 3-miler to be easy having done 6 miles two days ago. I found it really hard to get up and it was nearly 6 by the time I got out. It was definitely warmer than it was on Sunday but the heat can't have been totally responsible for my really slow run. I suffered from the start and all I wanted to do during the torturous third mile was to walk . The inclines that I had glided up on Sunday felt like mountains today. I thought that I was running at a decent pace throughout, especially in mile 1, but I was actually running slower than normal according to my Garmin. I was really disappointed with it overall, but glad that I didn't walk.

Tuesday, 28/06/2011

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 34:49
Average Pace: 11:35
Breakdown: M1-10:55; M2-12:21; M3-11:29
Weather: Warm, dull, very light breeze
Analysis: M1-ok; M2-tough; M3-tougher

MarySamsonite

W2R2

I don't know what's wrong with me these days but I'm finding it really hard to get up in the mornings. I'm eating much better than at home with no rubbish whatsoever, I'm drinking lots of water and I'm going to bed early. It makes no sense .

Anyway, I had a bad feeling about this morning's run before it even started (probably because I had such a bad run on Tuesday). I had my usual warm-up walk and felt reasonably ok starting out. The weather was more humid than Tuesday and there was no breeze. I started off ok and felt that I was running at an ok pace, but half a mile into it, all I wanted to do was stop. I had to walk once I hit the mile mark and again after the 2 mile mark. I started to feel a bit better in the last half mile but felt defeated at that stage. My time was really disappointing but more disappointing was the fact that I had to walk. I am heading to the mountains in Montenegro today so hopefully it will be a little cooler there and easier to run...

Thursday, 30/06/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 36:47
Average Pace: 12:15
Breakdown: M1-11:12; M2-13:05; M3-12:27
Weather: Humid, warm
Analysis: M1-ok; M2-very tough; M3-tough

MarySamsonite

W2R3

Travelled to Montenegro yesterday and we are staying in a ski resort in Durmitor National Park. The weather is much cooler up here, cold even. Headed out later than usual this morning for my run as I didn't have to worry about the heat. I wasn't actually going to do it at all as I wasn't comfortable heading out on my own in unfamiliar territory but my husband was good enough to suggest coming with me. I was delighted and very, very grateful as I don't want to miss any more runs. We headed out with the kids at about 10 am and went to a place called Black Lake which is a fabulous wooded area around a beautiful lake. My husband headed off for a walk with the kids in the pushchair and I went off for my run.

The first mile was on a nice tarmac surface but then the route around the lake itself was rough. I found the first mile tough going and put it down to altitude (4,500 ft. above sea-level) but I think it was just my usual first mile suffering. The second mile was very stop-start because the surface got so rough that I tried to short cut through the woods to get to what I thought was a smoother surface below me closer to the lake. Once I got down to it though I realised that it was a dead-end and I had to climb back up to the original pathway and just turn back because it was too rough to run on. I was at 1.3 miles at that stage and once I got back to the tarmac surface I just went back and forth until I got to 3 miles. I found mile 3 was ok and I upped my pace a bit but I knew that I wasn't going to break any records this morning. I ended up with a really, really slow time but I was quite happy overall as I felt I'd had a good workout with some nice inclines and no walking breaks. It helped that the route was so scenic. I was so glad that I managed to get the run in (thanks to my husband) as I was so close to not doing it .

Friday, 01/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 38:43
Average Pace: 12:54
Breakdown: M1-11:59; M2-15:35; M3-11:07
Weather: Pleasant, cool, sunny
Analysis: M1-ok; M2-stop/start; M3-enjoyable

MarySamsonite

W2R4

I decided not to do my long run on Sunday morning as I was still in Montenegro and to do it in Croatia on a familiar route on Monday morning instead. Things didn't quite go to plan though as I spent Sunday night in hospital in Dubrovnik with my 1 year-old (he had bronchitis) and I missed my run on Monday morning as I didn't leave the hospital until 10:30 am. I thought about just forgetting my long run altogether and repeating week 2 and doing week 2's LSR next Sunday. Instead, I decided to head out this morning and start week 3 on Thursday morning.

I headed out at 5:30 and was delighted to find that the morning was dull and cool with a light breeze. I think that the weather must have really helped me because I had a really enjoyable run. I felt great on the first mile and didn't suffer in the slightest. The miles rolled into each other after that and I don't recall feeling under any pressure at any stage. I didn't even think of walking and I finished my 7 miles feeling great. That's the longest I've ever run and because I did it very slowly I wasn't exhausted at the end of it. I didn't consider my pace at any stage and was really happy to have done the run in an 11-something average.

My midweek runs in Week 3 should be interesting as so far they have been hell :rolleyes:. I'm glad that my next LSR is a 5-miler so I should be able to complete that whatever the weather. All in all I'm happy that I have managed all my runs while on holiday. Although I have felt that I haven't made any great gains on my midweek runs (with awful times) I'm hoping that my husband is right and that they are all miles in the bank and that they will stand to me in the weeks and months to come.

Tuesday, 05/07/2011
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 1:21:17
Average Pace: 11:36
Breakdown: M1-11:14; M2-11:36; M3-12:03; M4-11:30; M5-12:21; M6-11:17; M7-11:12
Weather: Dull, cool, light breeze (light rain for last half mile )
Analysis: All good, pleasant and enjoyable!!

MarySamsonite

W3R1

I really fell off the wagon this week and despite a great LSR last Tuesday I didn't get up for my planned start to week 3 on Thursday. I didn't get up on Friday either... So, here I am on Saturday doing my first run of Week 3. To try and catch up with my programme I have decided to drop one of this week's runs so that I will be back on track on Sunday week with Week 4's LSR. So, instead of doing 3-4-3-5 this week, I will be doing 4-3-5 and doing them on Saturday (today), Sunday and Monday. That way, I will be able to do next week's 3-4-3-9 on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday. Confusing, I know, but this should get me back on track for Week 5...

I headed out at 5:30 and the morning wasn't quite as hot as I had expected. There was no breeze and I soon realised that although it wasn't hot, it was very humid. I found the first mile fine but the second mile tougher, although not too bad. Miles 3 and 4 were fine also and I considered doing another mile to get my LSR done and do the week backwards (5-3-4) but I decided against it once I got to the end of mile 4. The only hitch today was a group of young male waiters who saw me coming and found it hilarious to start moving tables across my path so that I had to stop (an outdoor café). When they wouldn't move out of my way I had to weave through them as they delighted in their childish behaviour :mad:.

I have been feeling so lethargic for the past week and have not been able to get up in the mornings to run - I'm putting it down to the humidity... I definitely feel better today and know that I am not going to enjoy the rest of my holiday (due to lethargy, guilt...) unless I get up in the mornings to do my run.

I am missing out on a midweek run this week and I have to make absolutely sure that I don't make a habit of this. Once I get home I will have to avoid all excuses and do ALL of my runs no matter what... :eek:

Saturday, 09/07/2011
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 47:18
Average Pace: 11:48
Breakdown: M1-10:48; M2-12:17; M3-12:39; M4-11:30
Weather: Warm, humid
Analysis: Not too bad at all, no suffering

MarySamsonite

W3R2

The heat is really getting to me now and I had to lie down at 5pm yesterday evening. I got up for an hour at 7 but went back and slept for the night. Despite all my sleep though, I was still exhausted when my alarm went at 5 this morning. I really struggled to get out of bed and knew that this run wasn't going to be easy .

Usually once I've started I'm fine and I can plod through it but this morning I wanted to stop just as soon as I had started. I was feeling so heavy and sluggish that I decided to head to the local pitch a mile away and that way I could stop at any time and just do the mile walk home. I don't really like going out there as there aren't any houses around it and it's on the road where I was hassled last year.

Anyway, the morning was really warm and although there was a light breeze, it felt like a hairdryer. Once I got to 1.5 miles on the pitch I didn't think that I could run any more. I knew that I couldn't give up but I really considered walking the rest... I was due to do 3 miles this morning, but I knew that the run was going to go badly and that doing 3 horrible miles would not inspire me to get up to do 5 tomorrow morning. So, my bizarre logic was to do 5 miles this morning even if it killed me because with the way things were going I was never going to run in Croatia again :mad:.

The pitch is smaller that the GAA one at home so 5 times around is a mile here (aaaah!!). Seeing as I kept looking at my Garmin praying that more distance had elapsed than actually had, I decided to start counting down laps. I guessed that I had about 11 laps left and so I started counting as I went around. At lap 9 I decided that I would give myself the opt-out of stopping altogether at lap 5 if I needed to (knowing well that there is no way that I would give up with only 5 laps to go - weird how the mind works :rolleyes:). I eventually finished with a very slow time and I didn't even feel any elation at having completed it.

I started to walk home and to top off an already miserable morning a car of yes, you guessed it, young men, stopped and started to ask for directions in English. I pretended that I didn't understand them but they continued on and seemed to be really enjoying this childish game. Just as I was starting to think that all Croats were assholes a local man came from a side road and started to give them the directions they pretended to be looking for and they sped off. I saw them stop about a hundred yards up to the road to presumably play the same stupid game with a female tourist on a bicycle. A bad end to a bad run... Only four more runs here before home. All I need now is to find a route with lots of people but with no one around to hassle me!!!!

Sunday, 10/07/2011
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 1:04:01
Average Pace: 12:47
Breakdown: M1-11:26; M2-13:02; M3-13:41; M4-13:17: M5-12:31
Weather: Hot, unpleasant
Analysis: M1-M5 - very difficult

MarySamsonite

W4R1

Quite predictably, I didn't go for my 3 miler on Monday morning... I could barely sleep with the heat on Monday night and that was the only excuse I needed not to get up yesterday morning (Tuesday). I got up this morning and was fit to be tied as I struggled to get my gear on as the room was so stuffy and I was so sticky. I was in foul humour going out and my sock was cutting into a blister on my heel to top things off :mad:. It was very hot this morning (not sure of the temperature, around high 20s I'd say, as yesterday during the day was high 30s - it was 38 at one stage :eek:).

I headed out at about 5.30 and wondered how the hell I was ever going to complete a 3 miler in this heat. I walked the usual 10mins up and down a hill to get to the start of my running route and when I started off on my run I realised that I really did not want to be running this morning . I took a short-cut that I took the other day that includes an overgrown pathway through trees with no houses around. I saw two young men chatting on the pathway up ahead and I decided to turn back. Am I being over-cautious? I'm not sure if I would have turned back if I was at home.

Anyway, I didn't suffer as much in the heat as I thought I would but I have started to avoid routes on which I have had 'encounters' with childish behaviour. This means going past that cafe which is on a really nice running route. I decided this morning to hope that all those young waiters would be inside but once I came as far as it, they were sitting outside and I didn't have the courage to pass so I turned around and just went up and down another path and around a supermarket carpark etc. to make up the time...

I did have a positive experience though... as I headed out on the pier I passed a man swimming. He shouted something at me but I knew from his tone that it wasn't anything insulting or aggressive. As I came back past him again he had come out of the water and gave an encouraging 'bravo'. This certainly made the last mile of my run easier...

The run wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be and I did it in an ok time (for me) considering the heat. I even finished it on a very sharp incline!! I certainly haven't ever sweated as much on a run before so I felt like I had a good workout all in all .

Wednesday, 13/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 35:36
Average Pace: 11:52
Breakdown: M1-12:06; M2-11:33; M3-11:56
Weather: Hot, hot, hot
Analysis: M1 - not too bad; M2 - not as bad as I thought it would be; M3 - ok

MarySamsonite

W4R2

I'm very happy to say that I had my last run in Croatia this morning . A huge sigh of relief. We are heading home tomorrow and I will probably miss my third run of the week and do my LSR on Sunday. I was out at 5.20 this morning and the weather definitely didn't feel as stifling as it did in recent days (I read yesterday that the past week has been the hottest here in 100 years :eek:). As the weather has been so hot, I decided to just do another 3 miler instead of 4.

As it felt a little cooler (but still high 20s), I started off all bravado and did my first mile way too quickly. Because of that, I really suffered mile 2. Mile 3 was ok as I was on the home stretch and pushed myself (only a bit though...). My walk home involves a steep incline so I feel like I made up for not doing a 4-miler!! I will definitely miss the lovely scenic routes here but will welcome the cooler weather and obliviousness of other people on my home shores!!

I couldn't believe when I got home that I had the exact same time as yesterday, to the second!

Thursday, 14/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 35:36
Average Pace: 11:50
Breakdown: M1-10:38; M2-13:09; M3-11:45
Weather: Not as hot as yesterday
Analysis: M1 - good; M2 - very tough; M3 - ok

jcsmum

Wow, well done you for running that much on hols. Those guys in cars are everywhere, not just Croatia! :rolleyes:

MarySamsonite

W4R1

I’ve lost all motivation:(. I came home from Croatia on Friday last and was due to do Week 4’s LSR of 9 miles on Sunday. The weather was awful (rain and galeforce winds) and I couldn’t face it. I couldn’t face it on Monday morning either, nor on Tuesday . So, I decided that come hell or high winds I would have to go out this morning :eek:. The thought of doing my longest run ever on a weekday before work was too much though and so I decided last night to repeat Week 4 this week and start off gently with a 3-miler this morning. This now gets rid of my fallback week and so I cannot miss any more runs.

I set my alarm for 5 and couldn’t believe how dark it was. This is a worry because I will have to do most of my runs at this time until next October and the fact that it’s dark at 5 in mid-July does not bode well… I’m hoping that the miserable weather was a factor and that it will be brighter if the weather improves…

I was on the road at 5:30 and I was back to suffering my first mile again. I thought that running was going to be so easy here after running in the heat in Croatia :mad:. The second mile was definitely tougher but I had warmed up quite well for mile 3 and so it wasn’t too bad. I can’t say that I could have run any further though as I was really glad to finish.

I don’t know how I’m going to manage a 4-miler tomorrow morning. It’s so disappointing to be suffering on a 3-miler when I have a 9-miler ahead of me at the weekend… I’m just hoping that I will somehow get through it and that it will re-motivate me :rolleyes:.

Wednesday, 20/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 33:38
Average Pace: 11:12
Breakdown: M1-10:45; M2-11:04; M3-11:48
Weather: Dull, light rain, miserable
Analysis: M1 - tough; M2 - very tough; M3 - ok