Sigh. What a day. The day hasn't been that bad, but I was all geared up for a run when I got home, got changed and drove to the end of my road so I could have a new route along the road to Bel & Dinger's. Off I went, happy as Larry. I don't think I was even 500m into it when my shins started to hurt. I persevered, thinking maybe it would improve as I warmed up. Bel passed me on her way home, then a truck did, then another car did. The car stopped and reversed to come up next to me and I was wishing I was invisible and they'd just go away (very self conscious about exercising in public) but it was only Bel's brother, asking if I was alright or if I needed a lift or anything. Aww! So nice of him! I think maybe I should've taken him up on his offer...
I got to the farmhouse on that road and there was a dog on the verandah that started barking at me. I looked around to see if its owners were alerted, thinking that I'd wave hello, but I couldn't see anyone. The dog started to come off the verandah and I just thought oh no... Then along comes another truck and I stumble off into the bushes so that I'm out of its way. After the truck passed, I thought that I needed to turn around and get back to my car because my shins were just hurting too badly. I don't even get anywhere near the house and the dog starts barking again. So I turned back towards the intersection and called Bel to see if she wouldn't mind picking me up. No answer. I sent her a text, and put one foot in front of the other, thinking that I'd probably have to get to my car the long way which was going to be a looooong walk. Not much I could do about it though. A few minutes later, Bel called and then came and got me. I was so grateful to see her! Disappointed I had to call it off but oww. I think rest is in order for the next couple of days.
I've decided that when I go to Adelaide for work next week, I'm going to splash out and get fitted for some new sneakers. Hopefully that will make a big difference!
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Week 1, Day 4
I was feeling surprisingly good today. A few little niggles, but nothing compared to the soreness I was expecting. The work day seemed to drag out though - I just wanted to get home and get moving! I can't stop thinking about New York - am slightly ashamed to say I've even looked at the airbus plans to see where the best seats are in economy. And yes, I'm still talking about doing the marathon... in 2015! I looked up last year's results and the female winner did it in 2hr 28min - the fastest Australian female was 2hr 51min. Is that possible? Like... is it possible that I could have a time like that and - dare I even imagine it - be at the front of the pack?! Dare to dream.
When I got home from work, I got changed, got the dogs, and set off for my walk. I could feel a slight tightness in my calves (particularly the left one) and was glad to see that loosen up as I got warmer. By the time I got to my halfway point, my shins were very very sore. By the time I got home, I could barely walk. And that's supposed to be my recovery walk! A quick Google of shin splints and I applied some ice gel after I got dinner in the oven. They're feeling much better now, but I'm a bit concerned about how I'll go for my run tomorrow. I'm scheduled to do another 5km. Might even go to the chemist tomorrow and see if I can get some orthopedic inserts or something for my sneakers. Could even be time for new sneakers? Will see how the bank accounts are looking next week when I have to go to Adelaide and see if we can afford some really good sneakers for me. I'd rather get them now than in a few weeks - want to get used to them before the big race!
When I got home from work, I got changed, got the dogs, and set off for my walk. I could feel a slight tightness in my calves (particularly the left one) and was glad to see that loosen up as I got warmer. By the time I got to my halfway point, my shins were very very sore. By the time I got home, I could barely walk. And that's supposed to be my recovery walk! A quick Google of shin splints and I applied some ice gel after I got dinner in the oven. They're feeling much better now, but I'm a bit concerned about how I'll go for my run tomorrow. I'm scheduled to do another 5km. Might even go to the chemist tomorrow and see if I can get some orthopedic inserts or something for my sneakers. Could even be time for new sneakers? Will see how the bank accounts are looking next week when I have to go to Adelaide and see if we can afford some really good sneakers for me. I'd rather get them now than in a few weeks - want to get used to them before the big race!
Monday, 18 July 2011
Week 1, Day 3
This morning started around 5:30 when I woke up and decided to change my alarm from 6:15 to 7 and skip my planned run. Not skip, just postpone until this afternoon. Throughout the day I felt the stiffness in my hips from sitting at my desk for too long and did some laps of my office to loosen up a bit. A coffee at 4:30 had me raring to go for my run once I got home.
I got home to the sounds of someone doing some circlework a few paddocks over. I couldn't see anyone, so figured all was safe to begin my run. I'd been planning on going down the Gunbarrel, but that's where the car sounds were coming from so I decided to head in the other direction towards the tanks. In my first running spurt, I felt great. Invincible! Quite amazed that I was running despite only having a day's rest from my long run. I got to about 1.45km and turned around, planning to do the route twice in order to reach my planned 5km. Two cars passed me, but they were fine. On the start of my second loop, I started to feel some tension in my ankles and pain in my shins. I'm quite determined once I get going, so I just altered my style to what was comfortable and kept plodding along. I really started to notice the difference that posture makes to pain - when things started to feel quite painful, it made me realise that I was slumping forward - a bit of a straighten up with my back and the pain was instantly alleviated. In my walks, I concentrated on flexing my ankle fully to loosen it up and keep it warm. I felt like I was running a lot more than I usually do - well, running is a bit of a strong term. More like a turtle shuffle! I kept my eyes off Runkeeper on my phone so that my pace could be a surprise when I got home. To my surprise, it was slower than I thought. Way slower. But I guess its not too bad really - a nice easy run.
Today's Stats:
Distance: 4.87km (oops not quite the 5km I thought I was going to reach)
Time: 48m 24sec
Average min/km: 9m 56sec
Weather: very very still. I finished around 6:10pm and it was too dark for my liking. The last 10-15 minutes were quite hard because I wanted to run but couldn't see where any potential potholes were. Luckily I didn't roll my ankles or anything - for my next run, I might see if I can leave work a few minutes early so I can start my run early and finish in daylight. The good news is that now I don't feel so bad for changing my alarm this morning - for me, running and darkness just don't mix.
I got home to the sounds of someone doing some circlework a few paddocks over. I couldn't see anyone, so figured all was safe to begin my run. I'd been planning on going down the Gunbarrel, but that's where the car sounds were coming from so I decided to head in the other direction towards the tanks. In my first running spurt, I felt great. Invincible! Quite amazed that I was running despite only having a day's rest from my long run. I got to about 1.45km and turned around, planning to do the route twice in order to reach my planned 5km. Two cars passed me, but they were fine. On the start of my second loop, I started to feel some tension in my ankles and pain in my shins. I'm quite determined once I get going, so I just altered my style to what was comfortable and kept plodding along. I really started to notice the difference that posture makes to pain - when things started to feel quite painful, it made me realise that I was slumping forward - a bit of a straighten up with my back and the pain was instantly alleviated. In my walks, I concentrated on flexing my ankle fully to loosen it up and keep it warm. I felt like I was running a lot more than I usually do - well, running is a bit of a strong term. More like a turtle shuffle! I kept my eyes off Runkeeper on my phone so that my pace could be a surprise when I got home. To my surprise, it was slower than I thought. Way slower. But I guess its not too bad really - a nice easy run.
Today's Stats:
Distance: 4.87km (oops not quite the 5km I thought I was going to reach)
Time: 48m 24sec
Average min/km: 9m 56sec
Weather: very very still. I finished around 6:10pm and it was too dark for my liking. The last 10-15 minutes were quite hard because I wanted to run but couldn't see where any potential potholes were. Luckily I didn't roll my ankles or anything - for my next run, I might see if I can leave work a few minutes early so I can start my run early and finish in daylight. The good news is that now I don't feel so bad for changing my alarm this morning - for me, running and darkness just don't mix.
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Week 1, Day 2
I feel like a half dead turtle today. Every little movement reminds me of yesterday's effort. I can't even sneeze properly because it hurts my stomach muscles. Even though I've mostly been whingeing to myself about it, I'm secretly pleased. I love recovery - and no, not because it gives me a good excuse to do bugger all, but I love feeling exactly which muscles I worked out.
I've done a bit of stretching today. Sitting at the computer for too long stiffens my hips right back up, so I've had to tear myself away from the Cool Running forums a few times and shuffle back to the lounge to do some stretches. I think I'll have to keep up the stretches every couple of hours, just to keep the blood moving and the stiffness at bay.
I've been thinking of my running goals. After my last City to Bay, I pretty much stopped running and I contribute that to the fact that the event that I'd been training so hard for was over and I hadn't thought of setting another goal to reach for. I've decided on the following (pending husband approval):
Adelaide City to Bay (12km) - September 2011 (already registered)
Puffing Billy (13.2km) - February 2012
Great Ocean Road (half marathon) - May 2012
Pichi Richi (half marathon) - June 2012
Australian Outback Marathon - July 2012
Adelaide City to Bay (12km) - September 2012 (obviously shorther than my previous goals, but I hope to have a much faster time next year)
And, the ultimate......
NEW YORK CITY MARATHON in 2015 for my 30th birthday (also gives me a few years to save up for it!).
I'm going to aim for a few races per year to keep me in line, but the NYC marathon.... I can't even put into words how unbelievable it would be. Not sure if hubby will want to go though, and I don't want to go by myself. Looking forward to discussing it with him. It sounds so huge at the moment - even just the flights to get there! I've never been on a flight bigger than a domestic 90 minute one, so to be stuck on a plane for 40+ hours is a little scary. I think perhaps it would be a good excuse to get in a few more domestic flights leading up to it, exclusively for preparation reasons of course.
I've done a bit of stretching today. Sitting at the computer for too long stiffens my hips right back up, so I've had to tear myself away from the Cool Running forums a few times and shuffle back to the lounge to do some stretches. I think I'll have to keep up the stretches every couple of hours, just to keep the blood moving and the stiffness at bay.
I've been thinking of my running goals. After my last City to Bay, I pretty much stopped running and I contribute that to the fact that the event that I'd been training so hard for was over and I hadn't thought of setting another goal to reach for. I've decided on the following (pending husband approval):
Adelaide City to Bay (12km) - September 2011 (already registered)
Puffing Billy (13.2km) - February 2012
Great Ocean Road (half marathon) - May 2012
Pichi Richi (half marathon) - June 2012
Australian Outback Marathon - July 2012
Adelaide City to Bay (12km) - September 2012 (obviously shorther than my previous goals, but I hope to have a much faster time next year)
And, the ultimate......
NEW YORK CITY MARATHON in 2015 for my 30th birthday (also gives me a few years to save up for it!).
I'm going to aim for a few races per year to keep me in line, but the NYC marathon.... I can't even put into words how unbelievable it would be. Not sure if hubby will want to go though, and I don't want to go by myself. Looking forward to discussing it with him. It sounds so huge at the moment - even just the flights to get there! I've never been on a flight bigger than a domestic 90 minute one, so to be stuck on a plane for 40+ hours is a little scary. I think perhaps it would be a good excuse to get in a few more domestic flights leading up to it, exclusively for preparation reasons of course.
Week 1, Day 1
I'm training to do the 12km City to Bay fun run in Adelaide. I've done it before a few years ago. I'd never run before and didn't think I could do it, so just finishing was a real high and big achievement for me. After that, I had no goal and I never really ran again. A few half ditch attempts at the Couch to 5km program, but I could never seem to make it past week 3. About two months ago, I decided to do something utterly crazy: run from my house to the nearest town (which was 10km away). And you know what? It felt AMAZING!
Eager to keep this elusive runner's high, I decided I would make it a weekly run. I'm roughly 20kg overweight and play social netball twice a week, but even so, I was very unfit. I've never been a big fan of exercise. I like the idea of it, and I like group things like aerobics classes or netball, but after a few weeks, I start to get even more self conscious of myself and eventually make an excuse and drop out. I'm also a planner - I could plan something til I'm blue in the face. I've written up detailed exercise plans that incorporate my ability, potential growth, and encompass a whole body fitness plan so that I don't fatigue a particular muscle and forget another. But somehow, I never finish any of my plans. Life gets in the way. I'm a bit of a faux party girl - I love to have my best friends over and get stuck into the alcohol. I say 'faux' party girl because I just as equally love my bed and have a hard time extracting myself from it on the weekends. Especially when my husband is off to work - no one there to come into the room and say "are you still in bed?!".
But I digress.
Today I went for my 5th long run. And man, did it take some pushing. I started the day by lazing in bed, catching up on the Grey's Anatomy and Offspring episodes I've missed in the past two weeks. Yesterday I'd written yet another highly specific training plan for the next 9 weeks leading up to City to Bay. Including calculating my total weekly distance, incorporating any work meetings I have that may hold me back from training on a particular day, and colour coding each week so I can read my chart easily. And to make it look pretty! Today is Week 1, Day 1, and I'd scheduled myself for a long run. My normal route was not very enticing. After doing it a few times now, its become boring. I sat in my lounge room debating with myself:
"Maybe I'll do the run tomorrow"
"No you won't. You've been saying all week that you'll run 'tomorrow'. Tomorrow is now!"
"That's very Zen of you, but I don't wanna. Its boring!"
"But you told your husband that you were running today."
"I know...... but there's half a packet of bbq chips and a block of cadbury cashew chocolate here and there's a rerun of The Love Boat on tv."
"Oh, by all means - gorge yourself on junk food! That will make you feel better about yourself and also provide optimum nutrition so that you really can complete the City to Bay (which you registered for yesterday by the way)."
"Ok...... but where else can I run today? Oh wait I know - the beach! I could drive to the beach and do that walking trail!"
So that's exactly what I did. I drove about 30 mins to the beach and set off on this cute 5km walking trail that goes between two beach towns. My normal long run is pretty flat terrain. This walking trail is as up and down as a seesaw. I honestly had to push myself every step. It was excruciating - not physically, but mentally. About 2km into it, I was stuffed. All over, red rover. Contemplating turning around and calling it quits. But somehow, I kept going. I remembered an article from an old Runner's World mag (old meaning last month or the month before) about running styles. I decided to try one - I'm a pretty flat footed runner, so I decided to mix things up with a style that made me run off the balls of my feet, apparently propelling myself forward thus taking some of the effort out. I must admit, it felt as if I was running on tiptoes. But you know what? It felt so much easier. Weird, but easier. When I started to get tired, the old flat foot came back and I really noticed a big difference. I made good time with my kms around the 9m 7sec mark - still very much a turtle but its an improvement from my initial 10m kilometre I started with a few weeks ago.
5 hours later and I don't feel too bad. I have some blisters on my big toes and the balls of my feet are sore if I put a lot of pressure on them, but overall I feel good. I might not say the same thing tomorrow!
Today's stats:
Distance: 8.81km (thought the walking trail was 5km long therefore would add up to 10km round trip, but apparently I was wrong)
Time: 1hr 22m 36sec
Average km: 9m 7sec
Weather: sunny - surprisingly warm for winter. Perfect running day due to cool breeze.
Eager to keep this elusive runner's high, I decided I would make it a weekly run. I'm roughly 20kg overweight and play social netball twice a week, but even so, I was very unfit. I've never been a big fan of exercise. I like the idea of it, and I like group things like aerobics classes or netball, but after a few weeks, I start to get even more self conscious of myself and eventually make an excuse and drop out. I'm also a planner - I could plan something til I'm blue in the face. I've written up detailed exercise plans that incorporate my ability, potential growth, and encompass a whole body fitness plan so that I don't fatigue a particular muscle and forget another. But somehow, I never finish any of my plans. Life gets in the way. I'm a bit of a faux party girl - I love to have my best friends over and get stuck into the alcohol. I say 'faux' party girl because I just as equally love my bed and have a hard time extracting myself from it on the weekends. Especially when my husband is off to work - no one there to come into the room and say "are you still in bed?!".
But I digress.
Today I went for my 5th long run. And man, did it take some pushing. I started the day by lazing in bed, catching up on the Grey's Anatomy and Offspring episodes I've missed in the past two weeks. Yesterday I'd written yet another highly specific training plan for the next 9 weeks leading up to City to Bay. Including calculating my total weekly distance, incorporating any work meetings I have that may hold me back from training on a particular day, and colour coding each week so I can read my chart easily. And to make it look pretty! Today is Week 1, Day 1, and I'd scheduled myself for a long run. My normal route was not very enticing. After doing it a few times now, its become boring. I sat in my lounge room debating with myself:
"Maybe I'll do the run tomorrow"
"No you won't. You've been saying all week that you'll run 'tomorrow'. Tomorrow is now!"
"That's very Zen of you, but I don't wanna. Its boring!"
"But you told your husband that you were running today."
"I know...... but there's half a packet of bbq chips and a block of cadbury cashew chocolate here and there's a rerun of The Love Boat on tv."
"Oh, by all means - gorge yourself on junk food! That will make you feel better about yourself and also provide optimum nutrition so that you really can complete the City to Bay (which you registered for yesterday by the way)."
"Ok...... but where else can I run today? Oh wait I know - the beach! I could drive to the beach and do that walking trail!"
So that's exactly what I did. I drove about 30 mins to the beach and set off on this cute 5km walking trail that goes between two beach towns. My normal long run is pretty flat terrain. This walking trail is as up and down as a seesaw. I honestly had to push myself every step. It was excruciating - not physically, but mentally. About 2km into it, I was stuffed. All over, red rover. Contemplating turning around and calling it quits. But somehow, I kept going. I remembered an article from an old Runner's World mag (old meaning last month or the month before) about running styles. I decided to try one - I'm a pretty flat footed runner, so I decided to mix things up with a style that made me run off the balls of my feet, apparently propelling myself forward thus taking some of the effort out. I must admit, it felt as if I was running on tiptoes. But you know what? It felt so much easier. Weird, but easier. When I started to get tired, the old flat foot came back and I really noticed a big difference. I made good time with my kms around the 9m 7sec mark - still very much a turtle but its an improvement from my initial 10m kilometre I started with a few weeks ago.
5 hours later and I don't feel too bad. I have some blisters on my big toes and the balls of my feet are sore if I put a lot of pressure on them, but overall I feel good. I might not say the same thing tomorrow!
Today's stats:
Distance: 8.81km (thought the walking trail was 5km long therefore would add up to 10km round trip, but apparently I was wrong)
Time: 1hr 22m 36sec
Average km: 9m 7sec
Weather: sunny - surprisingly warm for winter. Perfect running day due to cool breeze.
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