For you, Grandad.

Desire.

I would like to dedicate this log and everything I do to my Grandad, who passed away on the 19th of January. My Grandad was an avid runner and was the Munster Cross-Country Champion for a number of years.

My aim is to win. I'm going to win everything and anything that I can. It will be tough, there's no doubt about it, but I have my reasons and I'll never be short of motivation and inspiration.

I am starting from square one with regards to fitness. I've just recovered from a long-term injury and I can barely walk up the stairs without being panned out. I will be doing the C25K program initially to build up my fitness and I'll take it from there.

I look forward to the many adventures and challenges which lie ahead.

Izoard

Go for it...you'll get plenty of support from around here.

RacoonQueen

Best of luck. There's nothing like have the inspiration of a loved one to pull you through the tougher training session and races.

Krusty_Clown

Desire. wrote: »

Day 3 - Wednesday 22nd June.
I've decided I'm going to do the Courtmacsherry/Timoleague 10KM road race. It's over a year away and I'm sure I'll do other events before then, but my friend goes down to Courtmacsherry and he is doing it on Friday. I'm looking to break the course of record of 33.45. How hard would a sub-30 10KM be?

Also, could anyone recommend a cheap Garmin or something to track my runs as it would come in very handy as I progress? Something around €20 if possible, but the most important thing is that it does a good job.

Hi Desire: If you're going to follow a program (e.g. a c210k) then stick to it pretty religiously, unless injury or fatigue prevents you from doing so. If you start missing out on sessions on week 1, you might as well forget about it. Get it done early in the morning, and you'll have the rest of the day for footie etc.

Secondly, a sub 30 minute 10k would be nigh on impossible in your first year of training, for all but the most talented of runners. If you run a 10k between now and the race, you'll get a better idea of hat you can achieve, but the course record of 33:45 is probably not one you should be targetting for a couple of years, unless you get indications in your training that you have a real aptitude for this stuff.

Finally, for €20 you are better off picking up a good stop-watch with a lap timer. Use mapmyrun to figure out your approximate run distances and the stop watch to time yourself. Remember, training isn't about how fast you can run every time you head out the door. Getting fast takes time.

Good luck.

Desire.

Day 1 - Monday 27th June 2011.

I would like to start by thanking "ecoli" who has kindly offered to make out a training plan for me.

I did a 10 minute run at an easy pace. It was grand, I felt alright for the whole run. Legs got a bit tired but I had been out all day so it was to be expected. Diet was good also, didn't drink any fizzy drinks or eat any crisps.

In other news, the record that I am aiming to break has been broken. The new record is 31:53 so I want to be aiming for sub-30 to be sure.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 2 - Tuesday 28th June 2011.

There was no prescribed running for today, I did some flexibility exercises. I went for a small cycle on a mountain bike with flat tyres, so that was tough on the legs. Diet wasn't great to be honest.

I also did Week 1, Day 1 of a push-up program. I did sets of 10/12/7/7/15 with one minute rest between each set. The last set is maximum reps.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 3 - Wednesday 29th June 2011.

I did another 10 minute run today at an easy pace. Once again, I had no problems and was comfortable for the whole run. I repeated the press-ups that I did yesterday and concentrated more on proper form. I did 10/12/7/7/13, so I managed two less on the last set.

My diet was alright. I went for a game of tennis and a game of football with the lads also. I am hopeless at tennis. I can't even hit the ball. I lost 6-0, 6-0.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 4 - Thursday 30th June 2011.

I just had flexibility exercises again today. I did 20 push-ups before I went to bed, concentrating on form. Diet wasn't great today, I was out a barbecue for most of the night so I had quite a lot of rubbish there.

I really need to sort out my sleeping pattern. I stayed up until 5AM Thursday night. By the time I wake up, a good portion of the day is gone... and I would prefer to go running in the morning.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 5 - Friday 1st July 2011.

I had a ten minute run today at easy pace... though it wasn't very easy. I just didn't get into it at all. My legs were very heavy and didn't seem to want to run at all. Still managed it though.

I did eighteen push-ups also. Diet was alright, not great but not too bad either. I didn't go to sleep until 7AM though! Need to sort that out.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 6 - Saturday 2nd July 2011.

I didn't have any running planned for today. Instead I had to do some circuit work, which was grand. I did 21 push-ups also before I went to sleep.

My diet was actually good, until I got carried away with the biscuits. Went to sleep at 2AM, so getting better, but still not good enough.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 7 - Sunday 3rd July 2011.

I went for another 10 minute run today at easy pace. I found it alright again. I generally feel comfortable for the duration of the run, though I do start to tire near the end. I'll have to see how I handle my first 20 minute run tomorrow.

I have an awful phobia of running with people around. I usually go to either of two local football pitches and I once waited twenty minutes for someone to leave before I started running. It's rather sad really.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Week 1 - Training Plan.

I thought I might as well post my training plan just incase anyone wants to take a look at it. I'd like to thank ecoli who has very kindly put this plan together for me. It is much appreciated.

Monday: 10 minutes easy.
Tuesday: Flexibility.
Wednesday: 10 minutes easy.
Thursday: Flexibility.
Friday: 10 minutes easy.
Saturday: Circuit work.
Sunday: 10 minutes easy.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Week 2 - Training Plan.

Once again, I'd like to extend my thanks to ecoli for putting this plan together for me.

Monday: 20 minutes easy.
Tuesday: 10 minutes easy + Flexibility.
Wednesday: 20 minutes easy.
Thursday: 10 minutes easy + Flexibility.
Friday: 10 minutes easy.
Saturday: Circuit work.
Sunday: 20 minutes easy.

R.I.P.

clubcard

good luck with the programme.seems like alot of pressups,are you doing any work on your back so you dont have an inbalance.

Desire.

clubcard wrote: »

good luck with the programme.seems like alot of pressups,are you doing any work on your back so you dont have an inbalance.

Thanks. No, I'm not. What can I do to work on my back?

Desire.

Day 8 - Monday 4th July 2011.

I had a 20 minute run today at an easy pace. My first 20 minute run -- I've never run for this long before. I wasn't particularly looking forward to this run as it was a big jump up from 10 minutes.

Turned out that I was right not to look forward to this run. Before the 10 minute mark, I was absolutely panned and was dreading the fact that I had to do another 10 minutes. I soldiered on until just before the 15th minute, when I had the urge to get sick and started gawking. I ended up stopping and walking for 2 minutes as there was a couple behind me and I didn't want to get sick in-front of them.

I was disappointed with myself after that and I wanted to make up for stopping. After my walk, I ended up running for over ten minutes to bring the time of the run to 25:55. I did slow the pace down though as I had probably set off too quickly in the first place.

Overall, it was an interesting experience and I'll enjoy my 10 minute run tomorrow.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 9 - Tuesday 5th July 2011.

I had a 10 minute run today at easy pace and also some flexibility exercises. The run went well. It was a relief after yesterday's experience. I pushed myself and upped the pace for the last 2 minutes of the run, running a total time of 11:48.

I also found a good place to run which is out of the way. I was delighted when I found it. It's a big grassy area hidden in the middle of my local park. Only a couple of people walked through walking their dogs but I don't mind that as they're easily avoidable. Only problem is that the terrain is fairly rough and the area is used by teenagers to go gatting.

It'll be interesting to see how I get on with my 20 minute run tomorrow. I'll probably slow the pace down a bit.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 10 - Wednesday 6th July 2011.

I had my second 20 minute easy run today and I'm pleased to say that it went a lot better than the last one. I slowed the pace down to a sustainable level and I must say I was feeling fairly comfortable. I ran listening to the radio for the first time and I didn't have my stopwatch in my hand the whole time. It makes a big difference when you just go out and run, not staring at the time every few seconds. I ended up doing 22:38 and I ran the last half-lap at 10K pace.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 11 - Thursday 7th July 2011.

10 minutes easy and flexibility today. Run was grand, getting comfortable at this stage with ten minute easy runs. I also did 20 push-ups before I went to bed.

Decided to get my diet in order starting today. Had no biscuits, ice-cream, crisps, chocolate, jellies, or fizzy drinks. It was tough to stop myself reaching for the biscuits where I would have before.

R.I.P.

Desire.

Day 12 - Friday 8th July 2011.

I just had a ten minute easy run today. Once again, I had no problems with the run. My diet was also good today -- no bad food, so happy with that.

I started the push-up program and actually did the push-ups properly. I did Week One, Day One today. Sets of 10, 13, 7, 7, and 11 - with a minutes rest between each set.

R.I.P.

CK2010

All the best, your Grandad would be proud, keep us posted