Can I really do this?

gypsylee

Did my recovery run last night. Should probably have ran on Sunday but I was physically wrecked.

4.1 km. 28.50 duration.

Splits: 7.05, 6.57, 7.05, 6.57, 7.03 (0.1).

Nice easy run, legs felt so much better after it and I thought I would be hurting. I guess these recovery runs work!

My plan now is to try and improve on my 5km times, really want to get under 30 minutes.

Next 10 km will be the Gingerbread Run in November and want to improve on last Saturday's time.

gypsylee

I still get such a buzz out of being able to run any distance without stopping and looking at how far I have come in terms of my fitness since I started running in February inspires me to keep going. Running is definitely addictive!

Took a different route last night just to change things up a bit. Weather was perfect.

4.9 km, duration 34.03 mins.

Splits: 6.41, 6.39, 6.55, 7.01, 7.02 (0.9).

gypsylee

I had intended to do a LSR on Sunday morning but I just wasn't feeling up to it. It was very warm too which didn't help.

5.4 km, duration 36.13 mins.

Splits: 6.24, 6.27, 6.41, 6.49, 6.49, 6.55 (0.4).

Signing up now for The Gingerbread Run so I have ten weeks to get ready for the 10km run.

gypsylee

Last night's run was pretty uneventful. Very warm and not as far as I had hoped but every little helps.

4.6 km, duration 32.12 mins.

Splits: 6.36, 6.55, 7.03, 6.54, 6.49 (0.6).

I know that I need to increase the distance of the shorter runs and run a bit faster but at the moment the heat is making it difficult for me. Much prefer cooler weather for running. Hopefully the humidity will be gone next week and I will up my game.

Sunny Dayz

gypsylee wrote: »

I know that I need to increase the distance of the shorter runs and run a bit faster but at the moment the heat is making it difficult for me. Much prefer cooler weather for running. Hopefully the humidity will be gone next week and I will up my game.

+1 Agreed. I love good weather and heat. But just not when I'm running!

gypsylee

Did my LSR on Saturday morning. Was a lovely morning weather wise and really enjoyed the run.

8.6km, duration 1.08.

Splits:

7.21, 7.57, 8.15, 8.13, 8.03, 7.46, 8.13, 8.03, 7.27 (0.6)

Have signed up for a 5km run on the Curragh next Sunday for the Irish Guide Dogs Association. It is on grass though so not sure how that will go time wise. Its a while since I did a 5km run, last one was in June in the lashing rain in a time of 33 minutes. Looking forward to this run.

gypsylee

Lovely evening for a run yesterday. As it was not too warm I decided to try and up my pace a bit. Started well but slipped back a bit then. Enjoyed the run though and was happy enough with the time. Will have to work on getting a bit faster though.

5.5 km, duration 35.10.

Splits: 5.59, 6.01, 6.33, 6.20, 6.46, 6.38 (0.5).

Probably wont get out again now until the run on the Curragh on Sunday morning. Looking forward to seeing how I run on grass.

gypsylee

So I did the Gallop for Guide Dogs 5km on the Curragh this morning. It's always windy on the racecourse and it was pretty damp too. Most of the race was on grass so ended up with very wet feet.

I had not run on grass before so I was hoping for under 35mins. Just managed it. Official time was 34.15 so happy with that. It was an enjoyable run on home turf.

Strava results were 5.1 km, duration 34.23.

Splits: 6.06, 6.42, 6.39, 7.09, 6.54, 6.39 0.1)

I don't think I would like to run on grass all the time although someone told me it is better for your ankles etc. Don't know if that is true.

gypsylee

Evening run yesterday. Was lovely out so got out for a run before it got dark.

5 km, duration 32.30.

Splits: 6.16, 6.23, 6.20, 6.49, 6.24.

gypsylee

I was at a party on Saturday night which went on way too late.... which led to hangover and tiredness on Sunday so a lazy day all round.

Legs really felt like they needed a good stretch on Monday so got out for a run on Monday evening.

Weather was lovely and I really enjoyed the run although I thought my time was better than Strava says. Obviously Strava is correct and I am not as fast as I think!

5.5 km, duration 36.57.

Splits: 6.16, 6.23, 6.45, 6.57, 6.53, 6.50 (0.5).

Planning on getting out again tonight and doing a 10 km LSR on Saturday. Need to get back on track for the 10km run in November and 12 km in December.

gypsylee

Wednesday night was very wet and windy here but I went out anyway. Nothing spectacular but I was glad I made some sort of an effort. Didn't feel like a lunatic when I saw so many people out running too!

4.5 km, duration 32.04.

Splits: 6.52, 6.57, 7.03, 7.15, 6.44 (0.5)

ariana`

gypsylee wrote: »

Wednesday night was very wet and windy here but I went out anyway. Nothing spectacular but I was glad I made some sort of an effort. Didn't feel like a lunatic when I saw so many people out running too!

4.5 km, duration 32.04.

Splits: 6.52, 6.57, 7.03, 7.15, 6.44 (0.5)

Well done, it's tempting to skip when the weather is awful but i find i feel even better afterwards when i run in bad weather

gypsylee

ariana` wrote: »

Well done, it's tempting to skip when the weather is awful but i find i feel even better afterwards when i run in bad weather

It is tempting but as the winter is coming and the weather will be getting worse if I want to stay on track then I will just have to embrace all kinds of weather

gypsylee

Saturday morning was ideal for a run and I really enjoyed my LSR. This cooler weather suits me much better.

10.3 km, 1 hour 23 mins duration.

Splits: 7.02, 8.05, 8.16, 8.25, 8.1, 8.17, 8.01, 8.19, 7.56, 7.46, 7.46 (0.3).

I hope to get out and repeat this run every Saturday morning until the Gingerbread Run on the 20th of November. I would love to do the 10km in 1 hour 10 mins so aiming for that.

gypsylee

I decided to try and run a wee bit longer on my mid week runs. Was a lovely night for it.

6.5 km, 42.30 duration.

Splits: 6.23, 5.58, 6.01, 6.38, 7.05, 7.06, 6.44 (0.5).

Hoping to repeat this exercise tomorrow night all going well.

gypsylee

Went for a run last night, shorter than it should have been but I wanted to visit my Mammy after it so cut it short. Very uneventful, which probably how runs are supposed to be!

4.5 km, 31.05 duration.

Splits: 6.30, 6.36, 7.03, 7.07, 6.49 (0.5).

Looking forward to my LSR in the morning. Weather is perfect for running.

gypsylee

Note to self: Do not drink alcohol the night before a LSR!!!

It was only a couple but that was enough to make for a sluggish LSR on Saturday morning.

9.4 km (should have been 10 km but did not happen!), 1.12 duration.

Splits: 7.11, 7.47, 8.02, 7.50, 7.56, 7.49, 7.44, 7.5, 7.29, 7.23 (0.4).

It was a beautiful Autumn morning and I was happy with the times for this run.

Hoping to do the 10km Gingerbread Run in November and a 12km "The 12k's of Christmas" on the 10th of December so need to focus on those two now. Last December was the first time I attempted a race with no training and finished the 6km race as part of "The 12k's of Christmas" in a reasonable time. That run is responsible for me getting the running bug and I hope to complete the 12km race at the same event this year. Progress indeed!

gypsylee

Nice run last night. First time to run in the dark. Plenty of street lights though so it was grand.

5.5 km, 36.10 duration.

Splits: 6.29, 6.18, 6.21, 6.52, 6.43, 6.53 (0.5).

Legs are feeling a bit stiff this morning, possibly I did not stretch enough after the run. Hopefully it is just a temporary thing.

gypsylee

I was away for the weekend so I did not get to do the LSR. Had a great weekend of eating and drinking tough!

Because of this I got out for a run on Friday evening. I don't usually run on a Friday after work but it was a lovely evening for it.

5.3 km, 34.20 duration.

Splits: 5.56, 6.02, 6.35, 6.51, 6.31, 6.27 (0.3).

I really want to get more 5 min splits showing on these runs, don't know if I can run much quicker though.

gypsylee

Got out for a run last night. Weather was perfect so I was hoping to improve my splits. Did not happen though.

5.6 km, 36.25 duration.

Splits: 6.07, 6.19, 6.26, 6.49, 6.41, 6.51 (0.6).

Not a sign of a 5 in those splits and I really want there to be!! I feel if I start the run too fast I will really drop back later in the run. Ah well, I'll just keep plodding along and hopefully my pace will increase over time.

Harika

For running quicker you can add different training sessions into your program, look up Fartlek or Intervals. This will give you some extra speed.

gypsylee

Thanks for that Harika. Complete novice here so was not sure how to improve the pace. Will look up those you suggested.

gypsylee

Saturday 22nd October

LSR. 10.3 km, 1.27 duration.

Splits:7.13, 8.30, 8.38, 8.47, 8.39, 8.32, 8.26, 8.31, 8.28, 8.25, 8.22 (0.3).

Really enjoyed this run. Weather was perfect and very few people out so nice and quiet. Delighted to see my splits were consistent the whole way through.

Tuesday 25th October

Went out later than usual for this run and I don't know if that was the issue but I really was not feeling the love on this run. It was an effort the whole way around and I cut it a wee bit short as it was a struggle. I guess a bad run is better than no run but I did not enjoy this and I don't know why.

4.6 km, 29.10 duration

Splits: 6.23, 6.03, 6.34, 6.11, 6.14 (0.6).

Will go for a run again tomorrow evening and hopefully will have a better experience.

ariana`

gypsylee wrote: »

Not a sign of a 5 in those splits and I really want there to be!! I feel if I start the run too fast I will really drop back later in the run. Ah well, I'll just keep plodding along and hopefully my pace will increase over time.

If you go to 'My Asics' you can get a plan to follow based on your goal so for example you could target a sub 30 5k? You enter how many days you want to run. The plans are very simple, they explain the different 'sessions' quite well, detailing what pace to aim for etc... And you can move the runs around as well to suit real life!

https://my.asics.com/uk/en-gb/running_plans

There's a mobile app as well so you can use it to record your runs as you're running (like Map My Run) or you can enter your runs manually if you prefer.

gypsylee

Thanks for the advice ariana. I will check out the site, it sounds like what I am looking for.

gypsylee

Did my LSR on Sunday morning. Took a different route so was not sure what the distance would be. A nice quiet country road. Really enjoyed it although it was a tad shorter than I would have liked.

9.1 km, 1.12 duration.

Splits: 7.08, 7.55, 8.23, 8.19, 8.12, 8.05, 8.06, 7.48, 7.33, 8.09 (0.1).

Tuesday - 1st November

5.4 km, 35.00 duration.

Splits: 6.23, 6.16, 6.25, 6.34, 6.26, 6.08 (0.4).

The usual route, nothing major to report. I did it!

Thursday - 3rd November

Its been months since I ran early in the morning. My poor legs didnt know what hit them, struggled a bit at the start but it all came right in the end although I had to cut it short a bit due to having to go to work!

4.6 km, 29.30 duration.

Splits: 6.21, 6.09, 6.32, 6.31, 6.25 (0.6).

Same route as Tuesday. Was lovely to get out just before daylight.

Going to try a different route again on Saturday morning for my LSR. The Gingerbread Run is in two weeks. Looking forward to it and hoping to improve on my last 10km time of 1 hour 15 mins. A 1.10 would be lovely.

gypsylee

Sunday 13th November 2016

Ran my last lsr before the Gingerbread Run next Sunday.

Was ideal weather for running and really enjoyed this one.

Distance: 10.2 km, duration 1.18.

Splits: 7.00, 7.33, 7.49, 7.39, 7.45, 7.53, 7.53, 7.37, 7.28, 7.16, 7.03 (0.2).

Was happy with the consistent pace. Hoping to do the 10km run next week in 70 mins so fingers crossed.

gypsylee

Ran the Gingerbread 10km yesterday. A great course. Official time of 65.57 mins. Absolutely delighted. 10 minutes quicker than my last (and only other) 10km in August. Was hoping to do it in 70 minutes so thrilled with that time.

Splits: 6.21, 6.34, 6.29, 6.25, 6.37, 6.19, 6.39, 6.26, 6.42, 6.42, 6.07 (0.2).

Had no idea what pace I was doing, just started running and hoped for the best. I kept the pace consistent. Was hoping I was doing about 7.00, but felt it was slower. How wrong was I!

Around the 8 km mark I struggled mentally, thought my goal was well gone cos everyone seemed to be passing me by and I was sure I was well over the 70 minute time. When I turned into the GAA pitch and saw 1.06.43 on the time I was elated. I smashed it!!

Legs are a little bit sore this morning but it was so worth it.

Getting ready for the 12km run on the 10th of December now. Half way through yesterday's run I was adamant I was not doing it, that I would not be able for it. I feel different now. Amazing what difference the time at the finish line makes to you mentally.

Sunny Dayz

That's a brilliant time gypsylee - lovely splits and great consistent pace. Well done!

gypsylee

Thanks Sunny Dayz. Delighted with the times.