Monday 30 November 2009

The more grueling the better

HI, Can anyone else relate to this?? lol

I have just done an 8 miler, I walked a little - about 1 min per mile - as it was only my third 8 mile run and I have just had a cold...

So not a hell of a lot of training behind me, but hoping to step it up a bit and get enough miles under my belt to really do my best on this 10 mile race on the 3rd of Jan.

I went twice round a circuit and enjoyed the second time round more than the first, I think if I have to reach into the depths to pull something more gritty out - then i am having a good time...

It was really nice and cold, not too much wind, nice and sunny, end of the sunshine, early eve... I did exactly 14 min miles ... which is okay... improvement... used my specially adapted camelbak -(adapted with a bolted on leather pouch - where i keep my coffee beans and chewy sweets)- which seems to leak if i over fill it or don't close it properly - had horrible water going down my back lol

however I was perfectly dressed for the climate which makes a really nice change - as i tend to overdress or wear a waterproof which ends up wet through and take that off and tie it round my waist and it's still raining - so this made a nice change - great run all round really,

my sister did one circuit, faster than me and then read in the car while i went round a second time...

Thursday 19 November 2009

11.55 min miles

Hi, I did a 2 mile run today and am very excited that soon I will be improving more and more with speed and am already improving a lot!!!

This is the first time i have looked at my Garmin and seen anything under a 12 min mile avg and this run was only pretty short - a 2 mile run - BUT i did have a slow section where I chatted to my fiance, slowed down, shouted back to him walking, got my heart rate back, recovered, and then went on at a pretty average I thought pace... after running the first mile downhill in 11:03, so no surprises i was slower on the way back,

Thinking about doing another Cooper's Test instead of a 2 miler next time - good measure of my progress, i think i might be able to pull out of the forum archives my last result...

Tuesday 17 November 2009

4 miles

4 miles is fast becoming a short run... my shortest run at the minute is still only 2 miles, but soon it will be 3 then 4 lol

I did treadmill run in 49.03 today for 4 miles, 1.0 incline.

It is feeling so short and achievable and not a big deal is what i am saying... I was a little daunted to see rest, 4, rest, 4, 7or8, 2 for the week, but this medium short medium long run doesn't feel challenging any more really - whether run fast or comfortably...

This feels massive because i remember really struggling with it not so long ago... beginning of summer, end of winter kind of time

Monday 16 November 2009

Nice time for 4 miles

Hi , different course, will have to compare like with like but i was amazed at coming in at less than 56 mins for a 4 mile run yesterday!!

I think I used to struggle to come in in less than an hour really, and this was not far off sub 50 mins... w o w that sounds like something to aim for - I had a 4 mile run in 51:28 and feel great about it!! I think under 57 mins used to be an achievement and this feels like quite a differece...

BUT like i said it was for a different course - so not Really comparing like with like... might get the chance to try same route out as the 56 something tomorrow...

:-)

Monday 9 November 2009

Tavy 7

HI, 7 mile race in 12.24 min miles!!!!!!!!! 4th from last out of 800, i don't understand why i am so slow!!! but i tried my best my hr was really up there and I finished in 1:27:01,...

The finishing line was very vague and i think i could have got in in under 1 27 if I hadn't slowed down so much - the guy on the mike said - by the way i'm over here - which really confused me because i was looking for my fiance... and I think i slowed down to a walk before he said - no, carry on!

LOL

So, i was not really awake, pscyhed up, or ready for this race i had done an 8 miler 2 weeks before, (slowly) and a couple of shorter runs but the last time i'd done a run before this race was a fast and easy 5 miler a week before - I was dieting and concentrating on losing weight and lost all motivation for anything else - was physically so drained trying to live on shakes and bars and one meal a day - and was only just feeling better a day or 2 before the race.... so I was a bit de trained!

The run was lovely really - I kept up with the oldest guy in his running club for the first couple of miles - and infront of 2 big guys in yellow jackets untill the last half mile...

a gentle up hill gradient for the first 2 or 3 miles and apart from another shorter gentle hill it was all downhill from there - elevation gain (and loss) of about 716 ft, so not a completely flat race but not hilly either, haven't looked at how that compares with my super hilly 10k that I love, but it bugs me slightly that i'm not really getting faster very quickly!

I suppose my slowest race ever was in 14.39 min miles so I am improving a little...

Bit exasperating looking at a list of 750 names and being 4th from the bottom...

Don't know how bothered I am...

Sunday 1 November 2009

recovery run!

Hi, today I did an EASY 5 miles, (if you follow this blog you will know about my unhealthy obsession with getting to the point where i can do EASY 6 milers)...

But after last weeks 8 miler, 5 seemed good for a recovery week,
been feeling really drained with my diet and actually 3 weeks of 14% increases avg. so that wasn't a good idea.

I will start again next week with a 13 mile week with a race at the end of it, unless I decide I need less than the 2x3 miles for a taper but should be ok....

Really looking forward to the 'Tavy 7' as in nr Tavistock 7 miles and it's T-shirts to all finishers,

I loved seeing 'Tavy 7' on a T-shirt when i did the '6 moor miles' race a while ago and thought about how nice it is to see that someone can race for 7 miles on a T-shirt! ROFL

I wonder if I will get fanatical about seeing Marathon T-shirts in the future... I actually already have a Marathon T-shirt - as it's a long term goal i guess it doesn't matter too much that i haven't done the Berlin Marathon '09 - and it's written very small... I am such a cheat!

The 5 miles went very well because i have rested 3 days before and was more than 3 mins ahead of my average time for the distance I did 12.52 min miles, which is not far off my hilly race speed (on a very gradual up and down incline) !!!!