Hard conditions for 4 miles but loved it!

I've not run in nearly a week due to other commitments but was determined to complete my 4 mile run this week.

Not the best conditions but as you can tell from the video, it all went rather well

 

Best run by miles…

Starting the half marathon training a week early may sound mad but this is probably the only time this week or next I'd get in the long run which this time is 4 miles.

In an attempt to mix it up again I've extended my route and this time made my way into Highwoods Country Park. Richard and I have only been there once and it is on our doorstep so I'd be mad not to include it in my runs and explore it.

As you can see I made it into the country park and turned around at the half way marker. From the satellite image above you can see exactly how big the park is. I am sure it'll be a great commodity as I increase my mileage. Of course running the park will be even more enjoyable if its as beautiful and sunny as it is today.

I really found my rhythm today and just got on with it. I think the new route was a bit of a distraction and running through the fields of buttercups was lovely.

Running with Paul last week has given me confidence too. Finishing the 10K and running a steady 5K Wednesday has woken me up and getting through the 5k and into 6 was good going today. I didn't worry about it. I simply got on with it.

I'm glad I took Paul's advice and reverted back to kilometres instead of miles as I can gauge my efforts based on each km. I've also reduced the amount of information iSmoothRun provides mid run so I am not swamped with stats.

Busy day at work but the run has really helped me switch off and start my weekend with a great boost.

I started to read Zen and the Art of Running today and its given me some ideas of how to further boost my mental attitude to my runs. Most importantly it will help me balance my doubts about my abilities and the voices in my head that stress me when I worry about juggling all my training with my time at home and work commitments.

Fastest track today (giggles) was Runaway by Janet Jackson.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Sunny Lunchtime Run in London (#nationalrunningday)

I planned to run at lunch today and Paul agreed to join me.

It was glorious day and as they say mad dogs and English men… Well it was certainly warm and we seemed to have joined all the office workers and as many tourists as possible during the run.

We didn’t quite make it to midday as we’d planned as work threw in a few spammers but I was determined to get out there and Paul and I started half an hour later.

We ran along Victoria Embankment, snaked our way around to the Tower of London before heading up onto the bridge, across and then back down the South Bank passing HMS Belfast, More London and the Tate Modern.

It was tremendously busy and in places we had to do a lot of ducking and weaving about to avoid everyone out enjoying the sun.

I ran in my new shoes again and was a little worried as my right foot was really sore yesterday. Thankfully apart from an odd niggle I managed to carry on ok and feel a bit tight now but nothing major.

I honestly believe that the Brooks Green Silence I wore to work yesterday didn’t provide any support and were too tight which cause my right foot to Theo’s throughout the day.

Paul had already cycled 40 km in the morning but had boundless energy on the run (he actually managed to run 10K in total).

Cause of the crowds, his ability and his experience he did charge ahead in a couple spots and I had to concentrate not to run into anyone or lose him. At one stage I nearly went up onto one of the bridges when he had run under it.

I have walked these routes many times before but never actually run them. It’s good to run with someone who knows the routes as Paul was confidently pounding the pavements and cobbles on sections I would have been inside about.

I found some of the running a little tough. The combination of the heat and keeping up with Paul was a challenge in places. I am happy that I didn’t actually stop at all though and even though my pace was slower than his, I did keep going.

I did run in miles again but on mentioning this to Paul I am going to revert back to KMs as its a unit I am familiar with and it makes sense to me.

I knew we’d covered some distance but it wasn’t till I converted the run for miles that I realise how far I had gone.

This was a lovely route to run though. We saw so many sights and it was lovely running along the river and taking in all the famous London landmarks. I’m sure the tourists think we are nuts but we are very lucky we get to see all of this every day.

For another follow up run from a race I am happy with my progress. I now want to do the first long run of 4 miles. I just have to decide whether to do it Friday or Saturday.

I am happy with the progress in my new shoes. Two runs in and they are breaking in nicely.

And such a glorious day for it too! Long may this lovely weather continue.

All Change

My first run following Saturdays 10K and its all change tonight…

New trainers – my old Lunarglides were starting to hurt my feet but I decided to wait until I completed the race to change them (I did clock up 318km/198 miles in them).

I can certainly feel the difference. There is definitely more bounce and obviously more cushioning as a few times I scuffed the floor whilst running.

I have a pain in the ball of my right foot which is where I am getting support I wasn't with the old pair. It'll be a matter of time but I am sure I will get used to them.

They are a bit bright though, I may need to get them a bit dirty!

This will probably be my last pair of LunarGlides as Nike seem to be discontinuing them. Looks like I will be moving to Flyknits after all!

I don't actually start my half marathon training until next week but have a week of crap and upheaval in work so have decided to start from tonight.

It wasn't an intense run tonight as I had to do 30 minutes at a steady pace. This seemed ideal for the new shoes and was just about right to run following the 10K.

Given the shoes and the fact I only had a days break I am feeling remarkably well except for a minor niggle here or there. After the Mo Run I was in discomfort. Just shows how much I have grown since November.

I think I may try to find some more 10Ks before the half marathon though to give me as much experience as possible before race day.

Although (above) Nike is reporting in KM I have made the switch to miles to ensure that I am running at a measure that makes sense for the half marathon. As the first set of runs are based on time rather than distance it'll give me chance to get used to not running in KMs and mentally waiting for my usual distance markers to come up during the run.

I am also running different routes to shake things up a bit. By August I'll be running 10 miles so I'll need to get some new routes sorted otherwise I'll go mad. There's plenty to do around here, I just need to branch out and forget my old loop methodology. I'm not sure I will branch out as far as Paul did when he ran here but then again 10 miles is some distance!

The training with Gipis did ok but I am going to move to a half marathon training plan I have seen on Walk Jog Run. This allows me three runs a week and up to four when it gets full on in August.

I can tell that something triggered in me on Saturday and I kept on my feet today, ignoring any doubts or concerns. In fact to be fair I didn't have any. I just got out there, managed to program iSmoothRun to the right pace and apart from a couple points where it told me to go faster (mainly as I went under the railway bridge) I was on pace throughout the run and enjoyed it.

As I wasn't held back by concerns over the distance etc I was free to just feel my way around the run and enjoy myself. It was a lovely evening and I was really glad I got out and running.

I think juggling all my running around work is going to be tough but I am determined to crack the training and complete the half marathon in a time I will be proud of.

Fastest track this run was When a Fire Starts to Burn by Disclosure. If you want a great album for running you cannot go wrong with this English Deep House gem. It certainly kept me motivated!

Roll on the next run (which will be in London with Paul).

 

A laze in the sun and a short fast hard run

Another sunny (but breezy) day makes this the perfect bank holiday Monday to go out and explore.

Richard and I sorted the house then decided to head out on foot for a walk to the local supermarket for provisions before heading off for a picnic.

We were going to Castle Park in Colchester but as we were near Mylands I suggested we walked to High Woods Country Park. When Paul (yes Guru Paul as hes become to be known on the blog), stayed at the house he discovered a route whilst out running, into the park from close by the house which means we can walk there in around 20 minutes.

There's loads of fields, farmland and paths to explore and we picked a sheltered spot amongst the buttercups to enjoy our alfresco dining.

It was lovely to see lots of other people out and about enjoying the weather and equally nice to see children out running around and riding their bikes – this seems like a lost art to some children these days.

When we got back I headed out for today's run and Gipis had me running a short run with fast splits. I thought today's run would be ok and was expecting to just go out there and do it but unfortunately I found it a little hard going.

I did the splits ok and ran the fast sections as advised but the main general pace sections were difficult and I found I had pain in the soles of my feet. I guess it was just one of those runs.

We did walk 6k today, I believe we did similar yesterday at Charlecote Park and at Woodbridge on Saturday so it's been a fairly active weekend.

On the way back yesterday I read through the plan I have opted to do for the half marathon and it talks about running at a rate scale of comfort and ability. This can also be measured in percentage of heart rate which lead me to consider getting a heart rate monitor.

I'm not sure if I will get one or not as today's run has me thinking about how I measure my activity or comfort. To be honest today was a challenge but when I get home I felt a little better. I wonder if the monitor will help me realise my potential and not to listen to my head or certain aches and pains. I'm not sure…

I did consult Guru Paul about this and he suggested maybe not getting one as its more tech to wory about. As the GPS failed Friday he has a point as it did put me off.

I think I will start the training and see how I go but I am not sure how to measure the difference between a steady run and a conversational pace… Maybe I need to get running with Paul a bit more to gauge exactly what that's like. Maybe this weekends 10k may help me pace myself better.

I am happy I have a running schedule for the Half Marathon now, this kicks off the week of the 10 June which is possibly one of the busiest weeks at work but I am determined not to let work get in the way.

Gipis has me running Wednesday with a fast 15 minute and slow 5 minute split which I am going to avoid as its the final work out run before the 10k on Saturday so again, at Guru Paul's advice I am going to go for a steady run on Wednesday and that will be it until race day.

I'm looking forward to this weekends race. I am not sure how I am going to keep up with Paul but I am sure we'll have a fun day.

 

Sunny Sunday

The glorious bank holiday weather continues and today Richard and I spent the day in the company of good friends Rob and Chris.

We drove to Charlecote Park in Warwickshire which is one of our favourite National Trust locations.

I especially like the buttercup meadow and all the wonderful countryside. As you can see we had another lovely day

 

Sunny bank holiday

So far the bank holiday has started well and the dreadful weather seems to be behind us. It may not have helped yesterday's running but at least it was dry and sunny today.

Richard and I took a drive too Woodbridge where we enjoyed the sun and the wonderful views along the river. Richard just bought himself a Canon M in preparation for Canada and my Olymous PEN is playing up so I took the Lumix G with me.

Sadly my phone battery was a little low otherwise I would have recorded our route as we completed the full circuit of the river, through the wood and back into town. It must have been around 5k easily.

As you can see we both had a lovely day and took some nice shots of Woodbridge and the Deben River.

Long may this nice weather continue into the bank holiday.

Running to Lambeth

I went on another lunchtime time run with Paul today and we extended our route to Lambeth Bridge. This added about 1.5K onto the run we completed last Friday.

We learnt from last weeks experience though and stuck to back roads as much as we could.

That said we had to stop to cross Westminster Bridge at Westminster Palace due to the crowds, government vehicles and traffic lights.

I was happy to run close to Paul’s pace (even though he was on a go slow due to a lively night out on the beer!)

Conditions were ok although it was quite windy in places.

I felt a few twinges here and there but persisted as I was determined to keep up with Paul as much as I could.  As you can see we managed a pace of 5:07 at one point so we were certainly motoring along.

Next week we are going to change tactic and do some speed work instead – this will be more like the work I have been doing with the Gipis training.

Not long to go until the Richmond 10K and the more I run with Paul the more confidence I get and the more enthusiastic I am about race day

Coming back into work and carrying on working does seem to astound my colleagues but I like to think it’s testament to what I have achieved

Short and Speedy

I didn't think I would get to do a run tonight as I left work late and had some things to do which I imagined would take up some time.

Luckily the Gipis training was fairly short today as it consisted of a regular run followed by two fast/slow sessions of repeating 2 minutes. I was out for just over 25 minutes and managed to get to nearly 4k (that's including warm up and cool down).

As you can see there are two sharp green patches in the run which is where I ran as fast as I could.

It was a good run and quite exhilarating this evening as it was very windy. I think my mental state of getting home to do stuff probably made me go even faster!

A day after telling everyone about my half marathon plans and I have already raised £115. I am continually surprised and humbled by how generous people are. I am running for the British Heart Foundation in the Royal Parks Half Marathon on the 6th of October (so I have plenty of time to train). If you can please sponsor me 😃

Fastest track today was Throb (Peter Rauhofer 2013 remix) by Janet Jackson. In fact I only ran to two tracks his evening as my iPhone was quite saddistic and picked two very long and very fast dance tracks for me to run to. Sowing to the slow sections was a bit of a challenge!

 

Runner Watching

It was a glorious day in London and I chose to find a bench on the Embankment and watch the world go by whilst enjoying the sun.

Of course this meant I got to observe all the runners heading up and down the river.

This used to annoy me (as a non runner). It used to give me a chance to look for cute guys too but not any more…

Before long I found myself watching how people run, their form if you will.

I wonder if all the runners have read about techniques, whether they have received coaching or wondered how long they have been running.

I’m no expert but I find it interesting how we all have different styles of running and I wondered what I look like when I run. I did try to catch a glimpse of myself in the window of a merendero on Spain but couldn’t be too critical at speed!

In Chi Running you are taught to lean into the run to help gravity move you forward and these guys seems to be doing that with some success.

So people’s posture was all over the place. These two appear to have it sorted.

I also find it interesting that on such a hot day only these two were running with a drink.

These two seemed to be flying along and their valance seemed to be quite high. I find it interesting that my snap has both of them off the ground so they must being doing something right.

The other thing that fascinates me about runners is their arms. Chi running states you keep you elbows at 90 degrees, push your arms back (not forward) and use them as a pendulum. Trying not to cross too much in front of the body.

I really try to remember this one and was amazed how many people seemed to look like they were trying to fly, didn’t move their arms at all. One guy looked like he was treating himself as horse and jockey and kept slapping his own arse!

I guess when it comes down to it you run what is comfortable and you find your own rhythm.

I may read about this kind of stuff but whose to say I don’t look as ridiculous as everyone else.

Maybe I am being too critical.

All I know is all shape and sizes of runner are out there to observe and it’s interesting to see how we all differ.

That said I would never run like this:

Running topless is a brave move. I think you have to have a certain confidence (which this guy obviously has), but even with the best body in the world topless running is best avoided. You could burn. You sweat faster. Technical clothing exists for a reason people!

And who wants to see that when eating their sandwiches!

I know there are no pictures of women but I find the way they run very different from men as they have very different shapes and curves to consider when running.

Maybe next time I’ll join them and look just as ridiculous running down to Westminster and back… Maybe