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Don't Panic! The sofa-dweller's guide to running.

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    #92
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    Up to 8.52km today :)

    <RedRunner, please stop reading here... move along, nothing more to see...> ;)

    Ran the first 8.00km today in 54:48... 57 seconds quicker than my 8km last Friday :D

    RR - I upped the distance too, so please forgive me! :o


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    #93
    RedRunner
    Registered Users Posts: 3,606 ✭✭✭RedRunner


    davenewt wrote: »
    Up to 8.52km today :)

    <RedRunner, please stop reading here... move along, nothing more to see...> ;)

    Ran the first 8.00km today in 54:48... 57 seconds quicker than my 8km last Friday :D

    RR - I upped the distance too, so please forgive me! :o

    All is forgiven!:)..making great progress. Keep it up. Gradual, gradual, gradual...is all I'll say. Set yourself a target of running 10k now within next 4-6 weeks


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    #94
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    Thanks RR. I can definitely see and feel the improvement now. I needed that push from hovering around 5k/6k ---> 8k otherwise it would've taken me another couple of months to get there myself. I can definitely feel a 10k coming on ;)

    The only problem now is the time it takes... never dreamt I'd be running for an hour at a time... it's a large chunk of time to take out of the day when I should be doing other stuff. It also distracts me in the mornings because I run at lunchtimes, so I worry about it all morning and am less productive as a result :(

    I should probably start running at the start of the day...? Perhaps that's something else I need to try now, especially as it's lighter and a bit warmer in the mornings now.


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    #95
    RedRunner
    Registered Users Posts: 3,606 ✭✭✭RedRunner


    davenewt wrote: »
    Thanks RR. I can definitely see and feel the improvement now. I needed that push from hovering around 5k/6k ---> 8k otherwise it would've taken me another couple of months to get there myself. I can definitely feel a 10k coming on ;)

    The only problem now is the time it takes... never dreamt I'd be running for an hour at a time... it's a large chunk of time to take out of the day when I should be doing other stuff. It also distracts me in the mornings because I run at lunchtimes, so I worry about it all morning and am less productive as a result :(

    I should probably start running at the start of the day...? Perhaps that's something else I need to try now, especially as it's lighter and a bit warmer in the mornings now.

    Simple, do it in the morning and at the weekend so that it wont interfere with anything else, assuming you don't work weekends. Do shorter ones midweek.


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    #96
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    April 2013

    Here's how I did vs. goals set at end of March...
    Let's see... I have 13 runs pencilled in on my spreadsheet for April (Mon, Wed, Fri). I hope to do at least this many, and possibly more (e.g. 15 or 16) if I can start running a little more frequently and the weather picks up a notch.
    • Not so good with the number of sessions. Managed only 10 runs.
    I'd like to aim for a 7km run by the end of the month, too.
    • Boom! 2x6km, 1x6.5, 3x8, 2x8.5km. :D
    I will also use more smileys in my posts. Yes, this will be my toughest challenge!
    • Think I did OK on this important goal also :rolleyes:

    Month|Distance (km)|Weight (kg)|Notes
    Jan|37.5|111.8 (-0.9kg)|Best 5k = 33:58 = 6:48/km
    Feb|51.3|109.1 (-2.7kg)|Best 5k = 32:19 (-01:39) = 6:28/km (-20s)
    Mar|39.7|107.4 (-1.7kg)|Best 5k = 33:36. Best distance = 6km
    Apr|71.67|109.1 (+1.7)|Best 5k = 32:47. Best distance = 8.53km.

    I have now run over 200km YTD (200.4 since January 11th). Over 70km in a single month is also a nice feeling. Yay. (Mock enthusiasm, due to...)

    So, yes. The elephant in the room. Aka "me" (before you think it). What is up with THAT? OK so I kinda knew myself that I wasn't losing much this month (several nights out involving beer, family visit involving beer and chocolate, conferences including beer, lazy weekends involving chips and pizza... no, it doesn't look good 'on paper') but still... when I've been feeling so much fitter...! :mad::mad::mad:

    Balls. Big jammy doughnut balls from hell.

    Always look on the bright side I s'pose. More to lose next month!

    :(


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    #97
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    Time to shake things up a bit with a shorter time for my midday run, so I decided to do a few laps of the park to reach 5k and see how far I've come since my last 5k back on March 4th, which I did in 33:36.

    Result? A much needed trophy.png (PB) on Endomondo's calendar (haven't seen one of those in a while!) and a time of 31:21.

    I found setting Endo's lap audio prompts for every 500m helped, as I started a bit too fast at 3min per 500m, and held myself back to a more maintainable 3:10-3:15, with all my 1km splits coming in under 06:30 which I'd never have believed possible a couple of months ago.

    So all in all, very happy with a 2:15 improvement in 8 weeks :)

    I was thinking about doing another 5k on Friday, but might be tempted to push for time again... so perhaps I'll do 6k at an easier pace, and hopefully go up to 9km at the weekend. Next week the plan is to run 10km for the first time, as it's my birthday on the 10th...! ("10k on the 10th"?!)

    (only putting that out there now to make it harder to cop out!)


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    #98
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    So much for an "easy" 5k! I tried to keep the pace down (which was fine, 7:02/km) but aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgghhhhhh my shins are sore today. I couldn't have gone faster if I wanted to :(

    Worried now about getting a longer run in over the weekend. Is this the dreaded "shin splints" which I've avoided up until now? Is it a direct result of the faster run on Monday just pushing a bit too hard when I wasn't used to it?

    How to recover quickly? Should I stretch lots, or what?

    This sounds like it, alright... http://strengthrunning.com/2010/07/how-to-get-rid-of-shinsplints/ (talking to myself, ha :) )

    They're not painful per se, but a dull "overstretched" kind of ache like my legs just want to be left alone for a bit!

    Might try applying some ice, after some proper cool-down stretching of course...


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    #99
    RedRunner
    Registered Users Posts: 3,606 ✭✭✭RedRunner


    Try maybe do some runs on grass if you can too as well as the extra stretching. More likely to be as a result of just "more" running rather than the faster run earlier in the week. Running form may need to be adjusted too so maybe have a look at that? It's a trick one that alright cos everyone is different in terms to responding to different approaches to lessening the effects of shinsplints.


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    #100
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    Happy Bank Holiday Monday folks!

    An easy pace 5k today in 34:39, around the park to run mostly on grass.

    Also did a pre-run stretch of the legs for a few minutes to better warm up the calf muscles as I have to admit in previous runs I haven't been doing much pre-stretching or even walking for more than a couple of minutes before starting to run.

    In case it helps anyone else (and as a reminder to myself):
    • Sitting upright in a chair, knees at right angles, lifting front of foot up slowly x10 each foot (feel the stretch on shin).
    • Still sitting, leg out horizontal, point toes, lift foot up to pull top of foot towards shin, feel stretch and hold for a second, x5 each foot.
    • Calf stretches against wall.
    • Slightly longer walk before running.
    Feel much better now, no shin pain and it was very nearly a relaxing run. Feels great to say that. Warm one today, too!

    Oops, no smileys yet. :):D:) There, that's better.


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    #101
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    Hmm. How does "10k on the 8th" sound? Yeah, not great.

    How about "10.5k on the 8th"?

    That's a bit better ;)

    Avg 7min per km. Sun's out, birds are singing, shins are ache-free, only thing wrong is I've no beer in the fridge so a large glass of adam's ale shall have to do.

    Why the change of plan? Well, it's a lovely day. Once I got to 4k (at a guess) I thought "sod it, I'm not waiting til Friday to have a crack at this" and kept running. I didn't look at Endomondo at all, just kept listening to the 500m audio prompts and hovering around 3:30 so knew I was running within my capability.

    Was terrified to check my distance until I got back to the park, afraid it would say something like 8k... and it said 10.3! Result. So I ran to 10.5 and walked home feeling smug :)

    Cheers, everybody, and especially big big thanks to all who've posted on my thread over the last 10 months! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D :pac:


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    #102
    career_move
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,934 ✭✭✭career_move


    Good work . Well done :D


    All you need now is a race to aim at ;)


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    #103
    davenewt
    Registered Users Posts: 482 ✭✭davenewt


    career_move wrote: »
    Good work . Well done :D
    Thank you so much, and for all your posts cm :)
    career_move wrote: »
    All you need now is a race to aim at ;)
    You had to go and use the "r" word didn't you. What have you opened there? A can of some description I fear... :)


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