Big Runner » Training

Juneathon III – Days 1 & 2

Mark — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:34:56 +0000

So, Juneathon started yesterday The goal is to exercise every day, but me being me I completely forgot it was starting (despite the hint in the title…), but luckily for ol’ me, I walk 2 miles a day anyway. So Days 1 and 2 sorted :)

Tomorrow I start my fitness plan proper again. What this entails is:

3 days (wednesday, fridays and sundays) doing strength work (i.e., compound lifts at the gym: squats, deadlifts, bench press etc)
3 days (thursday, saturday, monday) cardio (i.e., runs through the park)
1 day (tuesday) “rest” (which, since it’s a work day, and I walk from the train station to work – c. 1 mile each way – counts as exercise, nyah)

My running is going to start from scratch as I mentioned t’other day, and I will be following Running From 30’s tip of doing the Couch to 5k plan, and then the Non-Runner’s Marathon Guide after I can do 5k without stopping. That’ll be interesting, since after a year of ‘running’, I can still barely managed 1.5k…

No other races lined up as yet (other than the BUPA London 10k next year), so right now I am concentrating on fatloss and endurance. My lung capacity is shit, and am hoping that dropping 3 or 4 stone will help with that.

Happy Junathonning!

Back to it – Training run #1

Mark — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:08:50 +0000

Run: 2.17km
Where: Tooting Bec Common
Time: 17:39

A tiring, short run today as I went back to the park for the first time since February. I tried to concentrate on my pace, and my breathing, and my stride, and all those things which after doing this for this long I should be able to do properly without having to think at all.

The first km was easyish, but the wheels fell of during the second, when my walking breaks started lasting much longer than I wanted them to, and my running breaks much shorter. However, this will improve over the next few weeks as I go back to the gym to improve my general fitness (following some Turbulence Training workouts), and plodding the trails 3 times a week.

Day 1, Back At It (Briefly)

Mark — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:52:31 +0000

Today was day 1 of my new training plan, so I put my kit on and rugged up with an extra layer, stepped out the front door into snow! I hadn’t realised it had snowed (although it was a sprinkling really), but as I was already dressed I went out anyway.

I was supposed to be going for 45 mins, but lasted 10 before I turned and ran back home, with freezing fingers. Perhaps some gloves are in order. And warmer layers. (A chance to buy more running stuff, perhaps?)

But my legs held up much better than I’d feared, so that’s something.

Another 5k PB

Mark — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:00:49 +0000

My first run in two weeks went much better than I thought. I’ve been concentrating on gyming and HIIT in the last two weeks to try and drop as much fat as possible before the 10k on the 28th (last night’s Mexican dinner and tub of peanut M&Ms probably didn’t help though).

Anyway, went out today and was hoping to do 7km, just ‘cos, but only managed 6.25km (including the run/walk home), with a 5km PB of 39′08.

Very pleased.

5k PB (Unofficial)

Mark — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:04:54 +0000

Off I trundled to Tooting Common for what was to be a very, very determined effort to not only complete 5k but to beat my previous best effort of 44.06. That was the second 5k in my 10k back in May, when I was absolutely fucked, so if I couldn’t manage to beat it today I would have been very cross. As it happens, I beat it by almost two minutes – 42.25!

I had to run up and down the top (or what I consider the top) of the common for the last 800m or so just to hit the 5k mark, and I wasn’t helped by my Garmin which kept losing signal to the heart rate strap, which I’ve sadly come to rely on to tell me when it’s time to stop rather than my own senses.

Very pleased with myself. Now to get 42min even next weekend!

Is a PB ‘official’ even if it’s done in training? Or does one only consider a PB a PB if it’s done in an organised race? Perplexed, I am.

Hello, runners!

Mark — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:25:12 +0000

Here I am. If in doubt, start a blog – that’s my motto. With a week gone since my first ever race, a 10k through the streets of London which I struggled through for ninety – 90! – painful minutes, I have begun to get the itch again. Also, my legs have slowly stopped hurting enough for the idea of going for a trundle around Tooting Bec Common not to strike me as insane.

Tomorrow I am planning to begin a “5-week to 5k” training plan provided by the good folks at Runner’s World (since, honestly, I was nowhere near ready for the 10k to begin with!). I plan to attend a 5k time trial in Banstead with some workmates at the end of July, and have a 10k booked at Hampton Court at the end of September (paid for and all, so I have to do it).

JogBlog is what inspired to start this blogging-me-jogging lark, funny gal she is too.