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Couch to Marathon
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Sometimes it's the short runs that can be the most difficult. I find that sometimes I only get into my stride
after 3 or 4 miles.
Maybe your body was finding it difficult to wake up this morning. Tomorrow will be better.
+1 on the above.
I have to agree i find my short runs tougher than my long runs. Wait and you will see you will probably enjoy your long run more. You are doing great and you ran on holidays too so well done on that front too. keep it going
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I agree with the others MS.. well done on getting the runs done while on holiday and in that heat too!
I notice that on the runs that you suffer most that your fastest mile is your first. I'm guilty of this myself but have changed tack lately especially on the long runs. I now make a point of my first mile being the slowest.... so slow that I almost don't feel like I'm running.... and only go a bit faster when it feels right to do so and when it starts to feel hard and I still have a lot of miles to do then I slow right down again.
Do you wear a hrm? on long runs i sometimes just switch the garmin to hrm and ignore pace altogether and focus on keeping hr under a certain level at whatever pace it takes.
Or you could try Bally8s approach of run/ walk. B8 can correct me on this but as far as I remember her first marathon and training was based on run 9 mins/ walk 1? Or was it run 1 mile/ walk one min? (B8?)
I think you need to find an approach that works for you and doesn't leave you feeling despondent. been there done that
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Ir you could try Bally8s approach of run/ walk. B8 can correct me on this but as far as I remember her first marathon and training was based on run 9 mins/ walk 1? Or was it run 1 mile/ walk one min? (B8?)
I think you need to find an approach that works for you and doesn't leave you feeling despondent. been there done that
Ya littlebug it was run 1 mile/ walk one minute and it worked great for me at the time. It made the runs much more manageable for me at the time as it was broken into little blocks and that helped so much from a mental point of view. I know lots of people on here are against walk breaks but it worked for me.0 -
Bally 8, Jcsmum, Maria74, Nules10, Littlebug, thank you all so much for the replies and the brilliant advice.
Bally 8, Jcsmum and Nules10, your words (the first 3 miles of every run are tough/I only get into my stride after 3 or 4 miles/I find my short runs tougher than my long runs) were going through my head on my run this morning and, sure enough, once I hit my 4th mile it all got much easier. This is probably why I find my long runs so much easier in general. I was delighted to realise this (so I should be really looking forward now to the weeks ahead when my short midweek runs will be longer than 3 miles
).
Maria 74, glad to hear that I’m not alone in being nervous on runs in unfamiliar territory! I was laughing when I read your advice about just getting the gear on and seeing how I feel after the 1st mile. It really is about trying to trick our minds! I always tell myself, ‘sure once you’re outside you can always just go for a walk if you don’t feel like running’ :P
Littlebug, I took your advice this morning and started off much more slowly. I was half way through my second mile when I realised that it had actually worked and that I hadn’t suffered at all on my first mile (I started to suffer on my second mile but that was because I was running up a slope rather than upping my pace). I really like Bally8’s strategy of the run a mile and walk for one minute. I’m not sure when to incorporate this into my runs? I know that I will have to do some walking during the marathon and I would much prefer it to be planned walking than waiting until I’m exhausted and have no choice. Should I start trying out the run 1 mile/walk 1 minute on my upcoming long runs or should I wait until my long runs get longer in a few weeks I wonder?
Thanks everyone for your posts, they really motivated me to get out of bed this morning, albeit 45 minutes after my alarm went off
. I was delighted to see that it was a nice morning and I headed down a different road to the beach this morning to add the extra mile for my 4 miler. I avoid this route usually as it’s downhill which, of course, means a climb back up… I felt great on my first mile which brought me as far as the beach but I had to walk for a minute half way through the climb back up at the beginning of mile 2. I didn’t walk for long though and continued to run until the road levelled out again. I found mile 3 was ok but really got into it in mile 4 and just relaxed and enjoyed the last mile of the run. It definitely gave me confidence for my 9 miler at the weekend as I felt that I could have gone on and done some more today. It’s amazing that one day you can feel like 3 miles is hell and the next day a 4 miler feels ok 
. My time wasn’t great, but I keep saying that, so I’m going to stop now and just forget about pace altogether and concentrate on just putting the miles in.
Thursday, 21/07/2011
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 46:58
Average Pace: 11:43
Breakdown: M1-11:12; M2-12:24; M3-11:43; M4-11:36
Weather: Dry, bright, pleasant
Analysis: M1 – very nice!; M2 - tough; M3 – ok; M4 - enjoyable
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W4 R4
I did my longest run ever on Saturday last and I loved it. I was really dreading it as 9 miles seemed so long and I was planning on a completely new route but I came home elated and really remotivated.
I purposely missed W4R3 (3 miles) which I was due to do on Friday because I wanted to do my LSR on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning and wanted a rest day beforehand.
I headed out at 5:45 on Saturday morning and took on a completely new route for me (it meant turning left at the bottom of my road instead of turning right
). The morning was lovely and I headed off towards a pier that is roughly 3.5 miles away. I would have the choice of turning back towards home at that pier and then doing the extra 2 miles on my familiar route (the right turn at the bottom of my road :rolleyes:) or, if I was feeling really adventurous, continuing on at the pier and doing a very large loop which would invlove some rolling hills :eek:.
I was very conscious of keeping the pace slow for mile 1 but I still found it tough enough (not as bad as I used to though). Miles 2 and 3 still felt like work and it was only once I got into mile 4 that I really relaxed into it and was pleasantly surprised to realise that I was actually starting to enjoy myself. I started to notice my surroundings and the run didn't feel like work anymore.
Once I got to the pier I had no intention of turning back as I was having such a good time and so I continued on to a new road. I stopped checking my watch every minute and felt great for the next few miles. I had an option at mile 6 to add in an extra loop which includes a very long hill and I decided to do it but to walk that hill. Once I got to the bottom of the hill I really didn't feel like walking so I started to run up the hill. It was really tough though so I stopped and walked. I couldn't help looking at my watch though and was annoyed at my pace falling and so I started to run again. The last bit was steeper than the rest and so I stopped to walk up that part. I was annoyed that this hill would add so many minutes to my time but I consoled myself that I was getting a tougher workout.
Once I got my breath back from the hill I got into my stride again and by the time I reached the bottom of my road home I had 0.7 miles to go. I thought that it would wreck my head to have to keep running instead of heading for home but I was delighted that it didn't bother me at all as I was still feeling great. I continued on for .35 miles and turned back. I really pushed myself for the .35 on the turn back and felt that I had another mile in me if I had to do it (which gives me great confidence for next week's 10 miler). My last mile actually turned out to be my quickest. I was so happy when I got home and delighted to have completed a 9-miler before 8am on Saturday morning. I was definitely on a huge high for the rest of the day.
Saturday, 23/07/2011
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:46:19
Average Pace: 11:48
Breakdown: M1-11:44; M2-11:57; M3-12:04; M4-12:03; M5-11:30; M6-11:29; M7-11:40; M8-12:31; M9-11:14
Weather: Dry, bright, pleasant - perfect running weather
Analysis: M1–M3 – ok; M4-M7 - enjoyable; M8 - toughish (included long hill); M9 - enjoyable.0 -
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I can't believe how dark it has gotten in the mornings. I don't know what I'm going to do when my midweek runs get longer and I have to fit them in before work. I don't want to go running in the dark
I headed out this morning at 5:20 for my 3-miler and it was fine. It's funny how 3 miles seems so short now when not so long ago it was a daunting distance for me. I felt fine on mile 1, for a change, and mile 2 was no problem either. I started to feel my legs getting quite heavy on mile 3 though but not so much that I wanted to stop. I headed out with the intention of taking it really slowly just to get the distance done and then was disappointed with my slow time at the end. I'm really confused about whether I should be trying to up my pace on the short runs or just getting the distance done and forgetting about the pace
I have a 5-miler tomorrow morning and this morning's run suggests that another 2 miles should be ok. I know by now though that no run is any indication of how the next one will go :rolleyes:. Anyway, my first run of week 5 done and I'm happy enough.
Tuesday, 26/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 35:12
Average Pace: 11:43
Breakdown: M1-11:53; M2-11:51; M3-11:25
Weather: Dry, dull
Analysis: M1–M3 – good; M3 - legs felt a bit heavy but ok overall.0 -
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I'm never going to win anything anyway so my achievement is completing the distance!
We could arrange a race for just the two of us and one of us is bound to win it (plus, we'd get that dreaded 'I came in last' out of the way too).
I came across your thread yesterday and really enjoyed it. I see that you do quite a bit of strength training. I have been talking about doing this for ages and I think that your thread was my cue. I did a Callanetics class once a week for six weeks a couple of months ago and got the DVD when the classes finished. I will definitely have to start back on it - maybe tomorrow morning...
Getting up in the mornings to train isn't as bad as it seems (even though I don't think I would've said that this morning at 5:30). It's great to have the run out of the way for the day and not have to think about it. Plus, it will still be quite bright in the mornings in August when you head back to work.
Best of luck with the training, I look forward to your updates. 0 -
My alarm didn't go off yesterday morning and I missed my 5-miler because of it. I felt guilty all day and tried to figure a way of doing it in the evening after work. I didn't get home until 7.30 and couldn't get in touch with my sister-in-law or mother-in-law to look after the kids for awhile so I put the youngest to bed (he usually goes down at about 7 anyway) and brought my 3-year old out to the shed with me to do the run on the treadmill. I put on the tv for him and I started a very slow run.
The miles semmed to pass really slowly and by the time I got to 2.7 miles my 3-year old was running out of patience and I used it as a great excuse to finish up at 3 miles. It took me 44:19 :eek: to do 3 miles and I was wrecked after it.
Wednesday, 27/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles (treadmill)
Time: 44:19
Average Pace: 14:46
Breakdown: N/A
Weather: N/Al
Analysis: Long, slow, tiring0 -
I really struggled out of bed this morning (yes, I know, it's a struggle every morning lately :rolleyes:) and managed to leave the house at 5:45. I turned right at the bottom of my road and ran for about 2 minutes when I decided to give up. I was wearing a new top that was really annoying me (a cycling top from Aldi that kept riding up, no pun intended), my legs felt like lead, the morning was so dull, all I wanted to do was close my eyes... :mad:
Anyway, I turned back for home. Once I arrived back at the bottom of my road I felt even worse because that most awful of running pains kicked in... GUILT... aaaaagh... and so I just kept going... I decided to head to the local football pitch and try and do my 5 miles there. I wished I'd thought about it earlier and had driven down but I could console myself by the time I got there that I had already completed the first mile...
I was into mile 2 when I started on the grass and it felt much more difficult to run on after being on the road. I plodded around and at 2.6 I stopped and decided that I could go no further. I blamed last night's run and that I hadn't given myself enough of a break in between both runs. I was desperately looking for a valid excuse and that was the best I could come up with (I even mentally scanned my body looking for a niggle that I could turn into a pain - my knee did definitely feel a bit off after the treadmill last night :P). I thought that if I ran home from here it would bring me to nearly 4 miles and that would do. I knew that I would feel like crap for the rest of the day though if I didn't do the prescribed 5 and so I had to look long and deep for the tiniest bit of energy to spur me on
I decided to count down laps and it was some comfort that the last time I did this was in 30-something heat in Croatia and that if I could do it there, this should be no problem :cool:. It was really, really tough but I took it lap by lap and managed to finish it slowly but surely. I decided to finish it on the pitch instead of finishing it on the way home and to walk home as a cool-down. All I could think was 'I hope I don't have one of these mornings on the 31st of October'...
I'm glad I did it and was very surprised to see that, of all the 5-milers I've done, this was the quickest. I couldn't believe it as I felt like a real tortoise this morning. Another surprise this morning was the fact that this is the first time since the start of my marathon programme that I have done all 3 of my midweek runs... I didn't realise until I looked at my Garmin calendar that I have missed at least one run every week in the past four weeks . I will not be doing that again .
Thursday, 28/07/2011
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 57:30
Average Pace: 11:29
Breakdown: M1-11:24; M2-11:55; M3-11:47; M4-11:12; M5-11:08
Weather: Dry, dull at first, then the sun came out - good running weather (like that mattered this morning :mad:)
Analysis: M1–M5 – torture0 -
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Mary, Haven't been on a while so jus catching u now on you progress. And wow, you are doing great. I am still in awe of your 5.30am runs.
And now you are putting in great LSR miles too. I havent made it past 7/8 miles but your post has really motivated me to try get to that 9 and even the magical 10 miles.
Delighted it is all going so well for you. 0 -
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Well, I'm into double figures... I did my 10 mile LSR this morning. I headed off early as usual and the first three miles were just ok. I settled into things in mile 4 but when I looked at my watch at mile 5 I couldn't believe that I was only half way there :eek:.
I chose the same route as last week but left out the loop with the long hill that began at mile six and continued on a flattish route instead. I don't know how I would have been if I had done the loop because I found mile 7 to be hell. I felt like a 90-year-old during that mile (and felt even worse when I realised that there are plenty of 90-year-olds out there who could run faster than I was running). As I came to the turn-off to the football pitch I decided to head on down as maybe laps of the pitch might not feel so bad as having to run another 3 and a half miles on the road.
When I reached the pitch though I realised that I was only at 6.5 miles and would have to do 14 laps to finish :eek:. Having gone through the hell of Thursday's 5-miler on the pitch, I turned back and figured I'd be better off finishing on the road.
I headed toward home and it was a struggle to have to pass my own road to continue on to finish the run. All I wanted was to go back to bed. As my watch beeped for mile 7 I got such a pleasant surprise when I checked it and saw that it was actually mile 8. With all my feeling sorry for myself a whole mile had slipped by .
Getting to mile 9 wasn't too bad, but just as I did I saw a local man out walking up ahead of me. I couldn't believe it, it would mean having to speed up to pass him and then keep my pace to stay ahead of him. I really didn't think my legs had it in them. All I wanted was to stay at my snail's pace... That would have meant either running really slowly right behind him or right beside him - the poor guy would have been freaked out.
So, I mustered up all my remaining energy to sprint out past him. My biggest fear of course was that my energy would be spent before I got past him and that I would have to stop and walk along side him, redfaced and gagging for breath. It would have been funny in hindsight but not at the time. I managed to get past him and I even managed a greeting while trying to look all cool, calm and collected. The road ahead had never looked straighter as I sprinted on, dying to get to a bend where he would lose sight of me and I could stop and gasp for breath. I got to 9.5 before I stopped and walked for a minute. It was really difficult to start running again after that minute break as my limbs felt so heavy. Once I was back into it though it wasn't too bad and I managed to finish in just under two hours (just under - 1:59:51...). I was, as usual, disappointed with my time but at least it's consistent I suppose.
For some reason I didn't feel the same elation after this run as I did after last week's 9-miler. I'm glad that my next run is a step-back run of 7 miles. Then on to 12 :eek:.
Saturday, 30/07/2011
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:59:51
Average Pace: 11:59
Breakdown: M1-11:56; M2-12:16; M3-11:47; M4-11:55; M5-11:57; M6-11:52; M7-12:43; M8-11:50; M9-11:57; M10-11:33
Weather: Dry, bright, pleasant - perfect running weather
Analysis: M1–M3 – ok; M4-M6 - pleasant enough; M7 - very tough; M8-9 - fine; M10 - tough.0 -
I tried to think of an excuse not to run this morning but at this stage of the programme I would need a very, very good one. I started off really slowly but still suffered for that first mile. The second one wasn't much better, nor was the third, but I definitely don't feel as heavy on my feet as I used to. I know I'm still running very slowly, but I definitely feel my form is better. I'm constantly checking my posture and don't hunch over as much as I used to when I get tired. I found this run tough and I know that things are only going to get tougher in the weeks to come as my midweek runs get longer and longer and longer.
Tuesday, 02/08/2011
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 35:14
Average Pace: 11:44
Breakdown: M1-11:51; M2-11:34; M3-11:46
Weather: Lovely dry, pleasant morning
Analysis: M1-M3 - tough but bearable.0 -
MarySamsonite wrote: »
Getting to mile 9 wasn't too bad, but just as I did I saw a local man out walking up ahead of me. I couldn't believe it, it would mean having to speed up to pass him and then keep my pace to stay ahead of him. I really didn't think my legs had it in them. All I wanted was to stay at my snail's pace... That would have meant either running really slowly right behind him or right beside him - the poor guy would have been freaked out.
So, I mustered up all my remaining energy to sprint out past him. My biggest fear of course was that my energy would be spent before I got past him and that I would have to stop and walk along side him, redfaced and gagging for breath. It would have been funny in hindsight but not at the time. I managed to get past him and I even managed a greeting while trying to look all cool, calm and collected. The road ahead had never looked straighter as I sprinted on, dying to get to a bend where he would lose sight of me and I could stop and gasp for breath
That is so funny. I think we've all done this at some stage!!! 0 -
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MarySamsonite wrote: »My alarm didn't go off yesterday morning and I missed my 5-miler because of it. I felt guilty all day and tried to figure a way of doing it in the evening after work. I didn't get home until 7.30 and couldn't get in touch with my sister-in-law or mother-in-law to look after the kids for awhile so I put the youngest to bed (he usually goes down at about 7 anyway) and brought my 3-year old out to the shed with me to do the run on the treadmill. I put on the tv for him and I started a very slow run.
The miles semmed to pass really slowly and by the time I got to 2.7 miles my 3-year old was running out of patience and I used it as a great excuse to finish up at 3 miles. It took me 44:19 :eek: to do 3 miles and I was wrecked after it.
Wednesday, 27/07/2011
Distance: 3 miles (treadmill)
Time: 44:19
Average Pace: 14:46
Breakdown: N/A
Weather: N/Al
Analysis: Long, slow, tiring
Hi Mary, there's no way your treadmill could be calibrated correctly? If you are doing 3 miles at 33 minutes, and then 44 mins on treadmill. I'm also doing HH Novice 1 and I've noticed if I do my run in the gym the treadmill is way off compared to routes that I plan and time myself. I have just started using time as my guide instead of the distance on the treadmill, found it very disheartening when keeping an eye on the miles on it! So if I need to do my 3 mile and can't get out, will just do 30 odd minutes instead. 0 -
...Do you eat or just head out the door...i'm always afraid i won't have enough energy so i never get out before 9.30 - 10am?
Hi Younganne,
I don't eat or drink anything before my run. I get up, get dressed as quickly as possible, and head out the door before my mind has had a chance to wake up properly and think of an excuse to go back to bed.
One of the reasons I like doing my run first thing in the morning is that I hate actually thinking about the run beforehand. Taking time to eat would just give me time to start dreading it :rolleyes:. Also, I feel so tired and sluggish in the evenings that I can't image having the energy at that time to head out.
I have recently started taking a sports drink with me on my longer runs (High5 Zero) but, to be honest, I haven't really considered nutrition properly at all. You have got me thinking now about looking into fuelling my runs and it's something that I will definitely have to read up on as my runs get longer.0 -
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Hi Mary, there's no way your treadmill could be calibrated correctly? If you are doing 3 miles at 33 minutes, and then 44 mins on treadmill. I'm also doing HH Novice 1 and I've noticed if I do my run in the gym the treadmill is way off compared to routes that I plan and time myself. I have just started using time as my guide instead of the distance on the treadmill, found it very disheartening when keeping an eye on the miles on it! So if I need to do my 3 mile and can't get out, will just do 30 odd minutes instead.
Thanks so much, Mr Abbey. I had given up on the treadmill after last week's disastrous run and it never even dawned on me to go by time instead of miles (all this running is obviously affecting the common sense side of my brain :rolleyes:). I have been getting worried about how I will fit in midweek runs before work once it starts getting too dark in the mornings. I had totally ruled out the treadmill after last week's run so thanks a million for your post. 0
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