The No-Need for Speed

Hey Folks,

I hope you're all still out there and running. I am, I'm just not posting quite so regularly at the moment - lousy work getting in the way.

Anyhow, I've been provoked into action by a few posts on forums that I've seen lately which are from beginner runners who are preoccupied with speed. Now, I know it may sound a bit rich coming from me, but as a beginner runner the word "speed" has no place in your vocabulary - at least not in the sense of going fast. There are two good reasons for this:

1. Until your body has become accustomed to running, speed is not an adequate or even desirable measure of performance. To illustrate further - many beginner runners are either unfit, previously sedentary  or overweight - and often a combination of all three plus some more like, current or former smokers, asthmatics etc.  For this type of beginner runner  the only way to survive on a running programme is to work for time and perceived exertion.  Even beginner runners who are fit need to take care when they start running.  Aerobic endurance is the key to distance running, and it won't develop if you run so fast that your heart rate goes into the stratosphere. All you'll develop is the ability to run through the unpleasant effects of lactic acid build-up, which is a good thing, because by training anaerobically all the time, you'll have a lot of lactic acid build-up to cope with.
2. Speed develops best with the increases in fitness that a new runner experiences. It happens incrementally and only ever in line with what your body can cope with. As an example - I have been known to go a little quickly myself - so I have recently made a concerted effort to keep myself in check. On yesterday's run, I set off at a nice easy pace, made sure that my breathing was even and that I was always in control of my pace. When I got home I discovered that I had taken 30 seconds off my best time for 3 miles. I was utterly shocked, because it felt as if I'd been just coasting along, but obviously my fitness has improved and my natural, easy pace has got faster without me even trying.

Please folks, do me a favour? If you're going to do C25K, then please do C25K. Follow the instructions, run to the specified times, always warm-up and cool-down, ALWAYS stretch at the end of a run and don't go too fast. You can't be a runner if you can't run. C25K was designed specifically to help you become a runner whilst minimising the risk of injury. So let it help you to achieve something you'll always be proud of.

Easy does it.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

A Cautionary Tale

Time 6.30am - Weather Fine and Bright 9.8 degrees C - Wind E 2mph

Distance 5K - Time 31:44



There's an old saying for those who struggle with their finances, which goes a little something like this: 'Let your means dictate your lifestyle and not your lifestyle dictate your means'; in plain English, don't spend more than you can afford.

What has this all got to do with running? I hear you ask. Well, quite a bit actually. I have, for a long time now, let my pace dictate my energy levels. I set off like a mad thing and , about half-way round, realise that I can't keep it up and get more and more ragged until I finish. The sensible option, of course, is to work the other way round. Set off slowly, build up to a pace that feels comfortable, and sustain that the whole way round. The benefits of this method are fairly obvious: you're less likely to tire (or give up completely) before the end, your heart-rate should stay within acceptable parameters, and you're far less likely to look like a gasping sweaty mess as you run along your favourite route.

At the moment I'm living beyond my means. I start too fast, use up all my CV endurance early and have to use my anaerobic system far too much. I guess it's the equivalent of having an overdraft. I guess it must be a machismo thing; I need to feel that I'm going fast enough to qualify as being a proper runner. This morning's run was done at an average of 10.13 m/m, which is great, but my average heart-rate was 170 - a staggering 88% of max. It's a situation I have to resolve.

So, be warned, run slow and run long. Let your level of fitness determine your speed.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Getting Over my Loss

Time - 5.10am, Weather - Damp (shocker!) 10 degrees C, Wind - E 2mph
Distance - 3 miles, Pace - 11m/m

If you'd have told me, nine weeks ago, that I would miss C25K I would've looked sideways at you with a somewhat rye grin. I guess the truth of the matter is, and my wife agrees with me here, is that we never expected me to finish C25K. My wife - God bless her - is very used to my fadishness: for some years now she has smiled sweetly at me when I've started raving about my latest obsession, humoured me for the duration of it, and tried to feign surprise when I threw whatever it was out of the window to pursue something else that had piqued my curiosity. She had similar expectations of my running career. It was only a few nights ago that she admitted as much to me. I confess that, at first, I felt a little hurt, but when I saw it from her perspective I really couldn't blame her. I'm not particularly reliable, I have issues with discipline and I always thought that commitment was a movie about an Irish soul band.

So to reach the end of C25K left me in a very unfamiliar place. I'd actually finished something; what does one do when one finishes something? There were two obvious answers: do nothing or do something else. I decided on the latter, but then it came to actually doing it and I felt awkward, uncomfortable, alone. The best thing about C25K for me was the community, the shared pains and triumphs, the forums, the blogs, the being a part of something. I still contribute to forums, and write this blog and read others, but I'm different now. I'm a veteran. I take a great deal of pride in that, but I miss being green. There's a lot of security in following a plan, doing as you're told; it's not so easy when you have to think up the orders for yourself.

Thankfully my orders at the moment are not too complex. I'm just going to do 3 miles a day, 3 days a week until my 5k fun-run on October 4th. After that I'll have another plan. In the mean time, however, the motivation and discipline are my responsibility.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Beyond the Finish Line?

C25K Week 9 Day 3 - Time 5.30am - Weather Bright and cool 8.5 degrees C - Wind SW 1mph

C25K COMPLETED

Following on from Friday's post to a certain extent, I guess I'm still reflecting on the true nature of the finish line; does it ever really exist? Do we ever really cross it? Should we ever want to cross it?

Some things that I have to say today:

• I am incredibly proud of my achievement. I set myself a goal and worked hard for its attainment. I have reaped the rewards of my effort and commitment. Nobody can ever take this feeling away from me.
• I have taken a positive step towards increasing the quality and quantity of my life; I have made an investment in my, and my family's, future.
• I have found a passion which I plan to pursue.
• I have many people to thank for their support during this challenge. That includes you, dear reader. Just the knowledge that you would be checking in made me get out of the door on the (thankfully rare) occasions when I didn't want to run.

I genuinely dispute the whole concept of the finish line. I think there are check points where we can briefly stop to measure our progress and reevaluate our goals. But to say that there is a finish line implies that we have to stop, to say that we've had enough and that we don't want to go any further. To regard C25K as an end in itself is not enough for me; it is just the beginning. It is a check point where I come up for air, to contemplate what the future holds. I think that the photograph is interesting. The finish line is on the horizon, and I think that the implication is that that is where it will remain; always just out of reach and inspiring us to go ever onwards.

So, what does the future hold for my running. I have entered a 5k fun-run early in October, so my aim at the moment is to continue at 3x30 minute runs per week to maintain a good level of fitness. After that I will be following Bob Glover's intermediate runner training plans which should get me up to a base level of 20 miles per week. After that, I guess I'll reevaluate again. But I'm very sure that I want to keep running.

I will keep this blog going, with the same intention that I always had, of reflecting on my experiences. If any of this is read by others - and even found remotely inspirational - then that's fantastic.

Thank you for sharing this small part of my journey with me. I really hope that you can stop by, from time to time, just to see where I'm up to.

Keep running friends...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Finish Line

C25K Week 9 Day 2 - Time 5.20am - Weather Fine 11.5 degrees C - Wind SSW 5mph

I guess I'm getting to the stage now where the runs don't seem to be quite as momentous as they once were. I'll have to give some context here: in the early weeks of C25K progress is astonishingly fast. In fact, only in the last day or two several members of the c25k.com forum have reached such a level, and I remember only too well what it was like when I was at that stage. It's very easy to get giddy on the euphoria of achieving something that you thought was beyond you, and doing it in a period of time that is so short that it's almost unfathomable.

As you near the end of C25K I think you get a little more circumspect about your achievements. It's not that they're trivial; they're just a little more gradual. I know that I can run for 30 minutes - I'm not going to say that I can do it with ease or comfort - but I get round very well. As I sit here and think about how I want to take my running forward, I know that - whatever plan I choose - it will be based on gradual progress through incremental stages. In short, there isn't too much to get giddy about.

Thinking about C25K in these terms makes it easier to understand why so many people complete the programme and then stop. That may seem inexplicable to someone who has just dragged themselves through the dreaded Week 5 Day 3, but I can understand it. I think so many of us like our adrenaline fix so much that we see our goals as things to be done, checked off and set aside so that we can go and chase another high. We stumble from one experience to the next, vainly searching for something to take our minds off whatever it is that haunts us the most.

So, I've been trying to get to the bottom of these thoughts, and to think again about why I decided to take up running. I came up with a list:

1. I am not getting old. Old people can't run so, if I run, I'm not old. (I know old people can run; I didn't say this list made any sense)
2. I don't want to die. If I have to die then I at least want to make it past 70 (preferably longer).
3. I want to live to see my children's children.
4. I don't want to be in pain.
5. I want to be happy and healthy.
6. I want to experience the joy of knowing that I can do anything that I set my mind to.
7. I don't want to have to treat my body as a limiting factor in any of the decisions I make.

I think that's quite a shallow list. It makes me seem like all I care about is me. But then I have to care about me. It was not caring about me that wound me up in this flabby unfit mess in the first place. I deserve to be cared about and running is an expression of my self-worth. In the final assessment I don't run so that I can say that I can run. I run because it gives me health and strength, peace of mind and a sense of pride in myself that I haven't felt in many years, perhaps ever. I can - and will - set myself goals and targets to keep the passion in my running, but one thing that I've realised is that it will never stop. There is no finish line - just a transition from one goal to the next.

I've loved the journey so far and, by Sunday (God willing) I'll be a C25K graduate. But I'm really looking forward to what comes next.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

One Down, Two To Go...

C25K Week 9 Day 1 - Time 5.20am - Weather Drizzly 12.2 degrees C - Wind WSW 15mph.

So - I love saying this - I'm a 30 minute runner !!!!!

When I fist started on C25K I had three objectives:

1. To run for 30 minutes non-stop.
2. To complete C25K
3. To run 3 miles in 30 minutes.

I've now achieved one and am very close to two and three. And it feels great, I have to say. It feels very new, and different and empowering to be the guy who set himself a goal and achieved it. It's taken some time, a little pain and more than a little willpower and commitment, but I saw something through. I know I haven't finished C25K yet - and I will - but it feels like anything is possible.

So - to any of you reading this who are mid C25K and struggling, or thinking about doing C25K - take heart, dear friends, it can be done.

Keep running!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Week 8 Done!

Week 8 Day 3, Time 6am, Weather Windy 11.5 degrees C

OK. So here we are again. An apology to those of you who thought I might've quit and decided to head back for the couch. In truth it could easily have turned out that way, so let today's post be a cautionary tale about advance planning.

I've been attending a conference which is closely related to my academic specialism and, let me tell you, they can suck the juice out of your life for a few days. It's not that they're dull or anything (at least not to me), it's just that the whole itinerary is designed to be a big mixture of work and play (with heavy emphasis on the former, I hasten to add), which doesn't leave much time for anything else. I decided on Wednesday that trying to get a run in before the weekend would be too difficult, so it seemed only fair to do it on Saturday. When Saturday morning rolled around, however, could I get my fat ass out of bed? No way! It just would not move. So I spent all day yesterday feeling guilty and resolved to make amends this morning.

I've never had a three-day lay-off on this programme before, so I was a little apprehensive about how I'd perform. I know that it takes a lot less time to lose a level of fitness than it does to attain it, so I was very eager to get going when the alarm went off at 5.30am. Thankfully I had little reason to worry. I made a conscious effort to set off fairly slowly and ease into a steady pace. If anything suffered I think it was my breathing, as it took me a while to get past the huffing and puffing and settle into a comfortable rhythm. My muscles, however, felt very refreshed and didn't seem to have suffered much at all. I ran as far as I did on Monday but, I felt, with less effort.

So, all in all, the lay-off has been beneficial. I got to rest-up some niggles, have managed to change my training days fairly seamlessly into a pattern which will better suit my working week and any increases I may add in the future, without any major downturn in fitness. But I have also taken this lay-off as a warning. Turning over in bed yesterday was far easier than I ever thought it could be, and it was a real act of will to get out today. It's very easy to be lazy - I guess that's why so many people are - and it's very easy to be seduced by the easy life. But, thankfully, I don't want an easy life - I want a life I can be proud of - and I'm ready to work to get it.

Keep Running!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Just a Quick One

Week 8 Day 2, Weather - Wet and cool 9.8 degrees C, Wind WSW 5mph

Time - 5.35am

This will be a really brief post today, as I'm attending a conference and don't have much free time.

A difficult run today. In performance terms it was great: I went even further than Monday. In terms of how I felt, however, it was pretty hard work. I haven't been sleeping too well of late, though, so perhaps two good nights' sleep will get me back on track.

Keep Running!

Playing Away from Home

C25K Week 8 Day 1, Weather - Bright (eventually) and Cool, 10.5 degrees C, Wind NNW 1mph Time 5.20am.

There's only one major flaw with C25K. In fact, that statement is unfair; it's really only a minor flaw and it's not really C25K's fault. It's just that, when you're a heavy person like me who's trying desperately to get fit and lose weight, you're never quite sure that you're doing enough on C25K to get you fit/ burn fat. You seem to spend alot of time on your rest days wondering whether it's acceptable not to be doing something physical. Of course the simple riposte to this assertion is that you can do something physical as long as it isn't running; you can swim, cycle, walk - pretty much anything you like - as long as you don't run.

That solution, for me, has always been the biggest part of the problem. You see, I didn't start C25K exclusively to lose weight and get fit; I started it to try and turn back the clock a little, to my teenage days when I was a pretty good runner. But, I guess most importantly, that I always loved to run, and I want to experience that love again. It's not quite nostalgia for a first romance, but it's close. My focus on running, then, has always discouraged me from doing any other activity on my rest days because I was scared of injuring myself or being too tired on my running days to make progress.

Until this weekend...

In my garage I have an almost new and very swanky Proform cross-trainer machine. I bought it several months before starting C25K and didn't have a chance to use it (he kids himself) because I was too heavy for the safety limit of 252lbs (yes, I know, next time I buy an expensive piece of fitness equipment I'll check that before I buy it!). It sounds like a lame excuse - and it is - but the one time I tried to use it, it almost collapsed under the weight of me. Anyway, I'm now well under the weight limit so, in a fit of apparent madness, I decided to go out and use it on Saturday. I noticed two surprising facts: firstly, I was able to really go for it without elevating my heart rate over 160, and secondly, I absolutely loved it. I felt as if I'd worked just as hard as on my running days, but with no impact, within target heart rate, and with an upper body work-out to boot. I loved it so much that I went out and did another 45 minutes yesterday.

And this is where the worry comes in. I managed to convince myself, before bedtime, that I had broken some kind of cardinal rule; I had cheated on my beloved running, and, cruel mistress that she is, she was really going to make me pay for my philandering today. I was somewhat bemused, then, when I awoke this morning (before the alarm) feeling fine and strong and raring to go. I did my usual warm-up and set off at my usual (too fast) pace. I was bounding along quite happily when I became aware of some very mischievous thoughts creeping into my mind. What if, I thought, I don't worry about my heart rate and just try and keep this pace up a little longer? Madness, surely, utter madness - but maintain the pace I did, and without too much effort. What if, I thought, instead of being scared of my nemesis hill, I decide to attack it and maintain my pace; I started to scare myself at this point - but I did attack it and I did keep up my pace.

I reached my time-check point and had a glance at Garmin who told me that I'd been running for 21 minutes. Wow! I thought, that's pretty fast for me, and then I remembered that I was running for 28 minutes today and not 25.

Some of you may recall a recent post in which I discussed the finer points of the psychology of running, or, at least, the psychology of my running. In that post I discussed the "just get on and do it and complain later" technique, which involves, well, just getting on and doing it. So I did, and I kept up my pace all the way to the end of the 28 minutes. I did 2.61 miles at about 10.44 minutes per mile, and my heart rate never got over 179 (on the hill, go figure). To say that I am pleased with this is something of an understatement. I felt strong all the way round and I just went for it.

So, dear readers, let this be a lesson to you. My performance has improved and I owe it all to cross training, recovery, losing weight and not worrying about what Garmin says in the slightest - or a combination of all four.

But I'm definitely having a rest-day tomorrow.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Week 7 Done

Time 5.30am - Weather Cloudy but Bright, 15 degrees C, Wind WSW 10mph

You may have noticed over the past few days or even weeks, dear reader, that I've been waxing somewhat philosophically about the nature of running, rather than just noting times dates places etc. This isn't because I'm much of a philosopher; it's more because running gives you the opportunity to think, to take a step back from your life and put things into context. Much as I loved Robert Ullrey's podcasts during the earlier weeks, I couldn't wait to shed them once the intervals had finished so that I could have a chance to listen to my thoughts.

Some months ago - when I was at my heaviest, still a smoker and crippled with depression - I saw a counsellor who (though she may not think it) helped me immensely by explaining how behaviour patterns are formed and changed. I like to think that thanks to her, and my own hard work, I've managed to break free of many of the mind-forged manacles I used to imprison myself in my old behaviour patterns. Yet it's interesting that in my new lifestyle, even in my running, I can see bad habits forming.

---

The Hole in the Road



The following is taken from a printed sheet that my counsellor gave to me. If it is copyrighted, please be assured that no money is being made from its use. Many of you may have seen it before. I find it a very powerful series of statements to reflect on.


Reflection can slowly bring us to wisdom. We can learn to realise how we, again and again, fall into rigid, repeating patterns of behaviour. And we can begin to long for a way out. Of course it can happen that we, again and again, fall back into old behaviours, but we can slowly let go of them and change ourselves. The following affects all of us:

1. I'm walking down a road.
There is a deep hole in my path.
I fall into it.
I'm lost...
I'm without hope.
It's not my fault.
It takes ages to get out of it.

2. I'm walking down the same road.
There is a deep hole in my path.
I pretend that I don't see it.
I fall into it again.
I cannot believe that I'm back in the same place.
But it's not my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

3. I'm walking down the same road.
There is a deep hole in my path.
I see it.
I still fall into it...it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It's my own fault.
I get out of it immediately.

4. I'm walking down the same road.
There is a deep hole in my path.
I walk around it.

5. I walk down a different road.

---

Ok, so what has this got to do with anything about today's run. You may have guessed: I'm still tearing off like a bat out of hell at the start. I see the hole and I jump into it. It's all my fault. I think I need a new road.

Other than that, though, I was very please with today. It's great to be through week 7 and I'm only 2 weeks away from completing the programme. Next week the running goes up to 28 minutes, which should get me a little nearer to the magic 5k. Currently I'm doing about 2.25miles (convert it if it rubs your Buddha), which is a little behind, but nothing I'm going to stress about.

Run on, brave souls. Just keep an eye out for the holes in the road.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Is This Half-Empty, or Half-Full?

Week 7 Day 2, Weather - Pouring down (for a change), 15.6 degrees C, wind WSW 13mph

It may seem like a strange question with which to begin today's post, but then it is my post, and I like strange, so I'll just be asking whatever questions I choose. Seriously, though, perhaps it's a question we just don't consider enough. And, amazingly, I see it as being fairly relevant to today's run.

Today was another day of firsts: it was the first time that I'd ever woken up on a run day and wanted to go straight back to bed (this feeling wasn't helped by the sound of torrential rain coming from outside the window); it was the first time that I'd ever knocked a bottle of water over myself whilst groggily stumbling around the kitchen trying to find the bananas for my pre-run snack; it was the first day that I had ever run my usual course in reverse; it was also the first day in C25K where I have run more than 2 miles!!!

My point here, I guess, is that you can never judge a day, an hour, or even a minute, as being consistently good or bad. Had I gone with my mood this morning I wouldn't have even made it out of the bedroom. However, I think you reach a point, when you have a goal and you cherish it, that nothing - NOTHING - will stop you. As I walked out of my door this morning - banana in mouth and fidgeting around in my very soggy kit - I only had the goal in my mind. And the beauty of exercise, and particularly running in my humble opinion, is that it opens your eyes to the positives in life. I saw this morning's setbacks for what they were - obstacles - rather than the insurmountable blocks that my former self - the 270lb, smoking and unfit self - would have used as an excuse to get back into bed.

You can get around obstacles; obstacles make you stronger. It's only by pushing or pulling against resistance that a muscle gets stronger. Only by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can your will to succeed get stronger. If you're lucky, and I consider myself to be blessed this morning, you get to see the funny side as well.

Take heart comrades; keep running!

PS - as an afterthought, yesterday was also the first time that I had ever swallowed a fly whilst running. I say swallowed: it got part of the way down before my choking and spluttering ejected it back to where it belonged. To my credit, I believe, I barely broke stride.

G

Blogged with the Flock Browser

I'm Still a 25 Minute Runner

C25K Week 7 Day 1 - Time 5.30am - Weather: Cloudy and Dull, 15.8 Degrees C, Wind SSW 13mph.

I wasn't particularly sure what to expect from today. In week 5 you do the 20 minute run on day 3, and then you're right back to intervals at the start of week 6. You get a nice gentle return to running and build up gradually to the 25 minute run on Week 6 Day 3. Today, however, you just get thrown straight back in at 25 minutes. Not that I'm too upset about that; it's actually nice to be able to run without the podcasts and just look at your watch every now and again. But it did concern me that I might not be strong enough after pushing myself on Friday. Yet again C25K has proved me wrong.

I've stopped looking at Garmin during the run, other than at a pre-arranged point close to where I usually finish to check the time, because I seemed to be devoting more attention to it than to the road on Friday. I thought it would be nice just to listen to my body and see whether my perception of the run measured up to Garmin's report. My warm up suggested I was fairly strong, and I certainly felt loose, so I set off at a nice steady pace. I actually realised after a few minutes that it was probably a bit ambitious, so I eased back. I started finding things difficult after the first mile, and by the time I got to the hill things were getting progressively harder. I say hill: if you were walking up it you would probably barely notice the slope, but running up it, let me tell you, is an altogether different experience.

By the time I got to the top of the slope I was pretty much shattered, but after recovering for a little while running down the slope at the other side I started to feel better. In fact, by the time I got back on the flat again I got a sudden urge to pick up the pace. This was at about 23 minutes in to the run and it felt for all the world as if I was kicking to the finish. A sprint it was not, but I felt that I finished as strongly as I started.

I'm also very pleased to report that Garmin pretty much agrees with my perception, so that can't be bad. I covered less distance today than on Friday, probably due to my poor pace management, but I still felt good and was much cheered by my strong finish.

If you really want to - and if you're anyone other than me it may be quite a dull experience - you can view my Garmin stats by clicking the following link:

C25K Week 7 Day 1

Happy running folks.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

I'm a 25 Minute Runner

C25K Week 6 Day 3

Time - 5.30am, Weather - Cloudy and Dull 10.2 degrees C, Wind WSW 6mph

It's a curious feeling when you're about to push a frontier. That may seem to be a curious sentence, considering that I'm only running, not launching into space or conquering a mountain, but I do see a level of parity between the pursuits. The only difference worthy of mention is the matter of scale rather than achievement. No doubt it is a particularly noteworthy experience to scale Everest or make it into space - some would say a lifetime's achievement - whilst my 25 minute shuffle can hardly compare. Yet it is in the comparisons that truth tends to emerge. For example, if I compare what I was doing in my life two months ago, six months ago, a year ago, to what I am doing now there would be little comparison. In fact, If I go one step further and compare myself in the present to myself 6 years ago, I would essentially be comparing two different people living two different lives.

I'm sure most frontiersmen felt something similar when they compared their lives before and after their achievements. They made a decision that they wanted to do something, achieve something, which would require sacrifices and commitment. And so have I.

Now, after all these grandiose statements, I have to put this all in some sense of context. It was a 25 minute run with no walk-breaks; a marathon it was not. But if you'd suggested to me that I run for 25 minutes 8 weeks ago, I'd have called for the ambulance before I set off. Yet, by following a training plan, trusting that plan and my body, and remaining disciplined, I've achieved something that I last did in my high school days. By continuing on this plan, and subsequent ones to be decided, I hope to go well beyond this achievement to attain many of the goals that I have set for myself.

Today was hard, but I never felt like quitting. I maintained a steady (almost sedate) pace and heart-rate and made it to the 25 minute mark. The only disappointment today was that it took me 3 minutes to catch and overtake a man who was walking the same route. To be fair to myself, it was near the end of my run, and on a steady incline, but it really did take the cake to find that, when I finally passed him, he was smoking a cigarette! I wonder if that happened to Sir Edmund Hilary?

Remember folks, all you have to do is believe that it's possible.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Week 6 Day 2

5.30am - Weather: Cloudy but bright 14.8 degrees C - Wind Westerly 16mph

Felt very good today. Managed to find a much better running surface and a much better running rhythm. The difference it made was noticeable. The first ten-minute interval was actually something of a pleasure. Also, my heart rate peaked at 171bpm today - most of the time it was in the mid-160s - and I felt so much better for it.

The only source of unease was that I felt the walk-break was very short; it seemed that I'd barely slowed down before I was being asked to up the pace again. It was only after I'd got home and checked that I realised it was only a three-minute walk break today. I genuinely believed it was five. I think the important lesson, however, was that I just got on with it and was fine. I remember writing here, only in Week 4 I think, about how the change in walk-break timings had been so detrimental to my performance. I didn't really give it a second thought today, and it showed in how well I coped with things mentally.

Of course, all these observations are purely academic now as the walk-break is no longer part of the programme. 25 minutes to be run on Friday and all next week. I can't wait.

Week 6 Day 1

Time 5.30am. Weather: Heavy rain 13.3 degrees C, Wind SE 15mph

I felt so good today once I'd warmed up and finally started running. Obviously, today was quite an easy day compared to Friday, but I think it was far more about consolidation than it was about taking a step backwards. If there's one thing that I've learned so far on my journey, it's that all of this structure and change is done for a very good reason. To reach twenty minutes on Friday was amazing, but to rush on from that without letting me consolidate the gain would be utterly reckless. Even more so considering that I'm building up to 25 minutes by the end of the week, and that this week signals a goodbye to the walk-break from Friday onwards.

There were still 18 minutes of running today, and the 8 minute interval in the middle did require some pacing control. I haven't been able to download my stats from Garmin (I've started using that as a personal pronoun) as I'm in England visiting my mother, but it felt as though my pace was fairly relaxed. It also felt a little faster, without any straining. I certainly felt strong, even at the end.

A good day.

Holding Pattern

No official post today, as I'm visiting with my family in England. The 100 push-ups will resume shortly.

C25K is completely unaffected, and will continue tomorrow as normal.

Keep the faith.

I'm a Twenty Minute Runner!

C25K Week 5 Day 3

Weather - cloudy but bright, 12.7 degrees C, wind W 1mph

I'd love to be able to sit here, dear reader, and type away about the grueling challenge of today's run, and how I had to fight valiantly to stagger over the finish line to my own private hero's welcome. Yet, despite the fact that I do feel I have achieved a significant milestone, it was a disappointing run today. In fact, that isn't a fair description; it would be fairer to say that I ran disappointingly today.

Part of the problem concerned how I felt this morning. I only slept for about six hours (and that was interrupted), my breathing was quite wheezy this morning and I just didn't feel anywhere near my best. I even had a bit of a sniffle. Yet I can't really blame these factors for the way that I ran. I think the real problem was just poor strategy.

Now before you start thinking that all this talk of strategy is a little bit over the top for someone who could barely run a minute five weeks ago, I want to emphasise that strategy, even in non-competitive running, is pretty important. It's about playing to your strengths to get the best possible result, whatever that might happen to be. At this stage of the game it's all about running for a set amount of time, but the same principles apply pretty much across the board.

An excellent strategy for me today would have been to start out at a slow, steady pace and gradually build up to a slightly quicker steady pace, which I could sustain for the major part of the run. That way I would maintain a good average pace, not go too hard on my body, be working in my target heart rate zone and be building a firm foundation for future distance increases. The strategy I actually employed, largely unwittingly, was to tear off like a bat out of hell wondering why I was having trouble breathing, send my heart rate through the roof and spend the final 15 minutes decreasing my pace to try and bring my heart rate down, only to see it spiraling upwards out of control.

I have to remember the positives about today: namely that I did run for twenty minutes, and I did feel that, even though I was tired, I had enough left in the tank to run for another two or three minutes had there been a crocodile chasing me or something. The sense of pride in my achievement does, barely, outweigh my negative concerns. But I am beginning to wonder just how long it will take me to learn the fundamental truth that I must set off slowly and build my pace gradually.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Let's See Those Muscles Working

Week 1 Day 2 of the 100 Push-up and Crunch Challenge.


There's a very good reason why I've done so little upper-body work in my life...I suck at it. The results today almost confirm that this is a universal constant. It's not that I failed, I just didn't succeed with a flourish. Perhaps my expectations are just too high at this stage. All I know is that my whole upper body hurt all day yesterday and wasn't much better today. My maximum set on the push ups was a bit of a joke. I met the recommended minimum maximum (?), but it was a close thing. Here's the breakdown:

Push-ups

level 1      9
level 2      8
level 3      6
level 4      5
level 5      6 (maximum set)

Crunches

level 1      12
level 2      12
level 3      10
level 4      10
level 5      40 (maximum set)

Not quite so much enjoyment today, but I'll still be pushing hard on Saturday. Perhaps I have to think more along the lines of C25k. I know that if I do the work and have faith in my body, it will all work out.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Week 5 Day 2

Weather - Wet and windy, 12 degrees C, Wind westerly 7mph
Time - 5.30am

Before I get to the meat of today's post, I just want to take a brief moment to pat myself on the back for a month of sustained and consistent effort, which has led to a 16lb weight loss in roughly four weeks. That leaves me with only 14lbs to go to reach my first interim target, and it makes me feel very good.

As for the running...

I felt pretty positive, despite the ubiquitous rain, and, surprisingly, I really enjoyed the first eight-minute interval. I was bouncing along listening to the Ullrey podcast and didn't even feel unhappy when he told the Day 1 crowd that they could start walking. All very lovely. In fact my only difficulty was that I felt I was going too fast, but I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to tinker with anything. I really wished I had, because the second interval bit me squarely in the behind.

I genuinely thought I had slowed down for the second interval (Garmin disagrees), and I was plodding along steadily until about two minutes from the end. It felt like someone had kicked the wind right out of me and I was back to looking at the floor, hoping for a finish-line to appear. I inwardly rejoiced when I heard Ullrey's voice only to discover, to my absolute horror and disbelief, that he was calling 20 minutes for the Day 3 session and that I still had a minute to go! I very nearly cried. It was like Week 4 Day 1 all over again, without the cold, and I had to just resolve not to stop, not to quit, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'm not sure how I managed it...but I did. And that is the marvelous thing, I did it. I now know that when I push myself to these extremes I can do it, and, what is more, I come back stronger.

Had there been anyone around I'm sure I'd have made quite a sight at the end of this run. I just remember saying out loud, over and over, "You didn't quit!  You didn't quit!", just to reinforce how tough it was, and how tough I was to get through it.

I've decided to get the heart rate monitor strap for the Garmin to see if that can help me to control my pace. It should arrive today so that I'll have time to get two morning resting heart rate measurements before my next run. Bring on Day 3.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

One Hundred Achy Muscles Tomorrow

Week 1, Day 1 of the 100 Push up and Crunch Challenge.

OUCH!

That's not all I have to say, but it makes up a a large part of it. After Sunday's initial test, I ranked 2 on the push-ups and 4 on the crunches. For the push-ups, however, I decided to drop myself to the middle set because I only just made it to 11 push-ups. Today's routine was as follows:

Push-ups

level 1 7 push-ups
level 2 7 push-ups
level 3 5 push-ups
level 4 4 push-ups
level 5 6 push-ups (maximum set)

I know that this isn't terribly impressive, but I was quite pleased because 11 nearly finished me off on Sunday.

Crunches

level 1 10 crunches
level 2 10 crunches
level 3 8 crunches
level 4 6 crunches
level 5 38 crunches (maximum set)

I felt much better about these.

I really enjoyed the challenge today, and I know for a fact that I'll feel it tomorrow. You never know, it may just take my mind off the two eight-minute runs and the bad case of jogger's nipple I seem to have developed. Vaseline ahoy!

Week 5 Day 1

Weather - Cloudy turning wet, 12.1 degrees C
Time - 5.30am

Welcome to week 5 of my journey, and what an interesting week it looks set to be. From this week on, running times increase sharply to 20 minutes at the end of this week, 25 by the end of next week, 28 two weeks later, and 30 minutes in the final week. By the end of next week there will be no walking breaks at all for the rest of the programme, and the activity over the next two weeks is designed to consolidate on the first day, expand on the second day and go all-out on the third day. So today's schedule actually reduces last week's running times by 1 minute overall but, by replacing two three-minute runs with one five-minute run (and losing the extra recovery walk) the three five-minute intervals today actually feel like harder work.

The weather was lousy again, but I set off undaunted. It took a long while to get loose, which I think was probably due to the new shoes. It will take a while for them to break in, but I think a lot of it is down to how heavy they are (they call them "The beast" with good reason, they weigh 800g as a pair). The upside of this extra weight was that I didn't feel a single twitch from my ankle the whole time I was running. So, take it from me, if you want to start running get measured up for a new pair of shoes BEFORE you start. If you don't, you're risking injury.

I also forgot my inhaler today. Actually, I'm fibbing; I lost it and decided I could do without. In the physical sense I was correct, but I did miss my little psychological crutch. The run itself was ok, and I class it only as ok because it's very hard to focus on the first run this week. When you're fully aware, as I am, that you'll be running two eight-minute runs on Wednesday, and one twenty-minute bad boy on Friday, it seems quite difficult to get the focus together for three sets of five.

And the strange thing is, despite this apparent lack of motivation, that I ran really well this morning according to the stats from the Garmin. I actually averaged a pace of just over eight-minutes per mile - even during the final interval, which is, frankly, outrageous. It certainly didn't feel like that, especially during the last interval. Who am I to argue with technology? Nevertheless, I will be slowing down considerably for the longer distances later in the week.

Tomorrow I'll be posting my first work-out from the one hundred push-up/ crunch challenge and, later in the day, I'll be posting my weight update. I must've lost something, if only the precarious grip on my sanity :-)

Cross Training

I know it's a little unusual for me to post outside of my training schedule, but I just wanted to add a little update. First off, I decided that I should supplement my running with some strength training, so on my off days I'll be working on the 100 push-ups challenge (http://hundredpushups.com/index.html)). I've actually decided to double my fun and include a self-devised 100 crunches challenge too (OK so it's not self-devised, I just substituted crunch for push-up). Either way it will be a valuable start to my strength training and will help shore up my weak core muscles.

I also caved and got some new running shoes. It's not that I was against new running shoes, I just didn't want to walk into the store to be faced by an assistant looking at me as if to say, "Oh please, you can't run; you're too fat!" I bit the bullet though, and met her withering stare with a few well-judged questions about over-pronation and asked her to discuss the relative merits of motion-control shoes over those with more cushioning. Thankfully she knew her stuff, but she eased off on the whole fat persecution thing. So now I'm the proud owner of a shiny new pair of Brooks "Beasts". Just in case you don't know, they're the perfect shoe for fat over-pronators like me. Damn shoe store assistants and their petty ways. I love them though. The shoes...not the assistants...although they're pretty trim. The assistants, not the shoes. Enough!

Week five begins tomorrow...

Week 4 Day 3

Weather cloudy 10.6 degrees C - wind SW 2mph

Today was incredible! For the first time on this journey I actually felt like a runner, as opposed to the shambling idiot who felt like he was trying to kill himself three mornings a week. This may come as a bit of a surprise to you dear reader, I know, following all the tales of woe and gloom that have graced these pages only recently. Be reassured that this is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. In fact today's events were even more of a surprise because I really had very low expectations this morning. Last night I made the regrettable mistake of having two cups of tea near bedtime, and paid for it by going to the loo 5 times in the night. Consequently I awoke, with the alarm, at 5am - a very grumpy and unrested bunny indeed.

Nonetheless, I shambled out and started my warm-up, secretly expecting this morning to be hell. As I was walking along, however, I noticed something which would turn out to be quite profound. I was slouching, quite distinctly, and this was odd because I'd never noticed myself doing it before. I decided that, from here on in, I would make a conscious effort to stay perfectly upright, keep my head still and raise my jaw-line so that I was looking ahead of me rather than down. The difference was amazing: I trotted quite happily through the first three intervals - I hasten to add that I was still working quite hard (it was a revelation, not a miracle) - and prepared to face the final "five".

As I started it I realised that I hadn't tired nearly so quickly as before and that I was actually...wait for it...comfortable. It wasn't easy, but it was distinctly manageable, so much so that my pace actually increased during the final thirty seconds. I actually felt that I had more juice in the tank, and could keep going even longer (I didn't). I enjoyed every step, an achievement made a little easier by the fact that I could see where I was going and just "zone out" a little. The euphoria at the end was amazing.

I'm not going to credit my improved form for everything - there's no doubt that the programme is very good at increasing your strength and endurance (if you follow it), and I am losing weight all the time. Yet I have to say that today was a real change, and I feel very positive about the remaining weeks.

Onward and upward.

Week 4 Day 2

Weather - Huffing it down again!

I was eager to get back on the horse today, after my slightly traumatic experience on Monday. Much to my surprise I felt really good. I knocked the first three intervals over without much problem (3min, 5min, 3min), and it was only during the last 5 minute interval that I began to struggle. According to my Garmin (new toy, LOVE it!) I was doing fine for the first 2.5 minutes and then my pace plummeted. According to my memory I felt OK and then somebody put a 50lb rucksack on me when I wasn't looking. My legs felt like lead and I had to keep focusing on the ground in front of me for the final minute.

The most important thing, however, is that I finished. The bonus is that I felt I had improved on Monday's performance. The emphasis of this programme is to run for the time allocated. It's not about pace (and I'm very glad about that), so to finish is the goal.

I started a new route today which is roughly a 5 mile lap. I figure that the extra walking time at the end will help me improve my endurance and give me more time working at my target heart rate. It's also primarily gravel on the outward section (I can't even begin to think about a time when I might be running beyond that), which is much kinder on my joints. My ankle is still niggly though. I'm beginning to think that it may be a footwear issue.

Just one more day of week four remaining.

Week 4 Day 1

You know when you get a bad feeling about something and you just can't shake it? That's how I'd felt in the build-up to today. You see, this week of the programme is something of a step-up from the previous weeks. For example, this week is the first week where you actually do more running than walking (excluding warm-up and cool-down) and the total amount of running time jumps from 9 minutes to 16. From what I've heard on the various forums that I subscribe to about C25K, weeks 4 and 5 seem to be the ones where most people decide that they were obviously deluded when they made the decision to start running and decide to go back to the couch!

So when I woke up at 5.30 this morning with a sniffle I thought "great, just my luck". I made it out of bed, though, and thought that I should just get on with it; get out of the door, get moving, and see what happened. The warm-up walk was good and I felt nice and loose, and I was fairly optimistic when I started the first 3-minute interval. I was still optimistic at the end of it as well; it was at the end of the recovery walk that it all changed. I actually felt a little upset when Robert Ullrey (that's the guy who made a podcast, set to music, with all the timings for the C25K programme - see http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/page4/files/category-7.html for more details) told me that I had to start running again. It just didn't seem long enough, and it didn't seem fair.

Undaunted, however, I set off on the first 5-minute interval and really struggled. The slight sniffle turned into a "snot-er-fall" which really affected my breathing, and my muscles were not happy. I made it to the end, somehow, and then it hit me that I had to repeat the entire process. I think that was the closest I've come to quitting. I'm not sure if it was momentum or just sheer bloody-mindedness, but I resolved just to keep moving. By the time Robert announced there was one minute to go in the last 5-minute interval I was sure I could go no further. I had to keep challenging and cajoling myself that if I could make it just as far as the next lamp-post or road sign that I would make it. I'm also sure, by the way, that Robert Ullrey counts two seconds for every one.

Anyway, I made it, and I couldn't stop myself shouting "Yes!!" and punching the air when I'd finished (much to the chagrin of the old guy who was walking his dog just metres away). It was such a great feeling to feel so crap and still achieve something, and to know that I had set a precedent. Doing it all over again on Wednesday doesn't feel nearly so scary.

Week Three - Day Three

Pace: C25K Week 3 Day 3
Weather: Heavy rain 15.8 degrees C Wind ENE 8mph

As usual, on day three of my training week, I felt very strong and energised - despite the weather. I think this may have caused me to set off at too brisk a pace. During the first two intervals I felt great but, boy, did I notice the difference in the final two intervals. I wasn't exhausted when I finished, but I didn't have much juice left in the tank. I shall now consider myself well and truly warned about firing off too fast, especially as the heat is turned up significantly during week 4.

On the plus side, my recovery times between jogging intervals are improving greatly. My niggly ankle, which felt great this morning, was sore again by the time I got home. Hopefully the weekend off will help, if not I'll be getting my bike out of the garage.

Getting out of the door...

I've been inspired to create this blog by all the other amazing blogs I've seen which have charted the progress of all those redoubtable souls who have run the Couch to 5K running programme (http://www.coolrunning.com/). Some of the more erstwhile individuals have not been satisfied with merely completing the 8 weeks of physical upheaval which are required to get you through; they have actually decided to go on and become fully-fledged runners and transform their lives.

It was with a similar spirit that I began the C25K on the 14th of July. On that first day I weighed in at 270lbs and wobbled round with a 50inch gut. I had also quit smoking 6 weeks before. I am now on the verge of starting week 4 and felt that I needed somewhere to publish my training diary so that I have to commit and follow through. I'm using it as a tool to reinforce my own motivation, and if anyone else happens to be inspired or motivated by reading it, then that's just a big fat bonus!