Pushing Longer and Harder

Saturday: It was wet and cold today, as usual, and due to time constraints, I skipped the stretching to just walk to warm up. I had a new music playlist today, slower, more depressing songs for the start of the run, gradually moving to faster paced, more motivating tunes. My pace was slow for a great deal of my run, which was intentional because of the need to keep the focus on endurance. I planned around 30mins of running, considering I ran yesterday, and I knew my body still craved a drink to keep going. As the music tracks changed, I just kept going as I felt my body was coping. Initially, at around 6mins, the arch in my left foot started twinging but this died away after a few mins and I was determined not to stop so quickly anyway. The twinges came back a few times but the heart was pumping so fast, I barely noticed it at times and I switched the music volume to maximum to concentrate on running. Having a lot on my mind is helping me run a lot at the moment, it seems to make me not want to stop and push myself to the limits. I did two laps of a route which had some uphill, though it was an easy gradient by others' standards. Doing the downhill after it seemed to re energise the body, and it was a last minute decision to do that uphill twice in one running session, the desire to push to the limits overrided everything else at that moment. According to fetch, I did 7.57km in 60mins 47secs, a new record for me. The strange thing is, I think I could have kept going for a bit longer, even though the last ten mins were the worst of the whole session, but I felt remarkably okay. The most satisfying thing for me is knowing it was all me and not relying on glucose drinks to get me through it. At the end of the day, as usual, the right calf is niggling away, and I have been advised to follow RICE as a method for fixing the problem. It involves rest and ice, and I guess I hoped the problem would go away by itself but I should pay more attention to it, as massages and hot water haven't made enough of a difference. Interestingly, the right calf doesn't bother me much while I run, it may feel a little heavy at times but generally is not a problem during a session, the discomfort is mostly outwith running. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, despite my feet itching to go out again. I'll sleep on it; having had a great run today, I feel the need to keep pushing myself, because the sooner I nail the endurance, the sooner I can start focusing on speed. And the adrenaline rush and deep thinking time is proving addictive in itself.

Running Without Lucozade

Friday: I was itching to run today and especially as I made my mind up to do it without relying on Lucozade. I filled a bottle with Ribena which I left in the car as an after-run drink. The weather was breezy, rather cold, but the sun came out towards the end of my run. I found today rather tough, as expected, I needed to know how over reliant my body was becoming on Lucozade to keep going. A lot more concentration was required and a lot more thought about strategy, focusing on keeping slow at points and deciding when to push ahead faster when the body started accessing energy reserves. It was still enjoyable, I feel I need the music to keep me motivated and to help set a rhythm for running. I was conscious of making the left leg work harder, as the right calf flared up at intervals. However, around 8mins before I stopped, the arch in left foot started to ache, or rather I felt twinges of pain. Despite adjusting my running technique and speed, the twinges were constant. That made me decide to stop at the nearest measurable point and I used up all my reserved energy to basically bolt it. But I still found myself full of energy and decided to keep going to the point after that, which was a killer indeed. I really struggled despite slowing down and when my earphones came out, I could hear my breathing, which was worryingly loud and desperate-sounding. Then again, who knows what 'normal breathing' sounds like. Anyway, it really took everything out of me to get to the last point, and I had to stop moving for a bit as dizziness set in. But I knew I had to keep moving to prevent my body going into shock so I walked back to the car, albeit not in a straight line. In total, I ran for 34min 2secs, covering 4.65km. Interestingly, I felt a lot better after my 50min+ runs than I did today, which tells me how much I needed the Lucozade. Still, I feel pleased I managed over half an hour on my own. At the end of the day, the right calf is aching more and the knee is feeling tender too. Despite this, I need to run tomorrow, if I wake up early enough, otherwise I won't have anyone to watch the kids. Running is becoming more and more important as an outlet for me as time goes on, I am glad I took this up.

Dilemma While Resting

Thursday: I allowed myelf to rest after yesterday's long run and seeing it was sunny today, made me glad I didn't go out. As much as I enjoy good weather generally, I find I get very hot very quickly from running and having the sun beating down on me is uncomfortable. The right calf continued to niggle me, the aches are spreading to the knee and I am wondering if perhaps I should see a doctor about it. If it doesn't improve by the end of the week, I'll get it checked out next week, because it is getting more achesome. The rest of me is fine, tired but luckily nothing else. I discovered that the Salford 5k Run coincides with a Study Day I am due to attend as part of my course - doing both is not an option as they are miles apart at the same time. This is something I need to think about over the weekend, which one I can forego with less heavy heart.

Mini Disaster To Major Achievement

Wednesday: The weather was very cold today, icy wind and it had been raining before I began my run. With a bottle of Lucozade in hand, I planned a 20min run, and I spent extra time stretching and warming up to make the run easier on me. It started well, despite a lot on my mind, I felt good and I had a new playlist of songs I enjoyed listening to. However, mini disaster struck, as I discovered my mobile phone's stopwatch had stopped without me noticing. I was furious, I didn't want to have a 'wasted' session, not knowing how long I had been running for and I very nearly stopped. Luckily, I remembered that my run began with the start of the music playlist, so I kept running, deciding I could add up the song lengths later to get an accurate time for my run. After a while, the sadist in me kicked in, and I wanted to see how far I could push myself, so began the 'run till I drop' idea, which, rightly or wrongly, was influenced by an incredibly preoccupied mind. Still, I was fairly sensible in keeping a very slow pace when the body ached, and going speedy gonzales when the arteries to pain were numb. I had a dozen songs on the playlist and I stopped just after the music ended, though I do think I could have gone on, but the worry of injury essentially ended my run. I was gasping for breath at the end but I wasn't as excited as previous runs, perhaps my serious state of mind limited the effects of the endorphins. I did have reason to be excited; I discovered later, when I eventually found the time to calculate my time and distance, I covered 7.41km in 55min 16secs :o) This is the longest I have run to date, as well as the most distance covered. I was surprised I did so much, I could not think about times without my mobile stopwatch, so I had been busy thinking about other things, and listening to music, as well as concentrating on running effectively. I am pleased to have gone over 50mins, it means the last time was not a one-off, and it all helps to prepare me for the Salford 5km Run. I am going to think more seriously about setting myself targets for Salford, even though my performance is still quite inconsistent. Also, my over reliance on Lucozade is bothering me a little, I did at least 20mins without any Lucozade because it had finished and whilst it was really tough, I much preferred not carrying a bottle. This is something I need to consider in plenty of time before my first race. Also, I am planning to set aside time to go shopping for a more supportive sports bra, as I am running for longer, and new lycra bottoms which I have seen many runners wear and I need lighter clothing. At the end of the day, my only major pain is my right calf, despite my attempts to make my left leg do more work today. But it feels more worth it today, I am feeling pleased with today's run, and think I may rest tomorrow, to avoid over straining the right leg.

Sleep Deprived and Resting

Tuesday: After an incredibly late night and early morning start, sleep deprivation and other chores forced me to take today off as a rest day. I had an assignment due but I find I sometimes use my running to avoid my studies, which is unsurprising, as I knew from the start that I'd use the easier one to escape the tougher one :o) Running is tough in it's own way; perhaps because I am progressing better in it than in my studies, I prefer it, especially for the adrenaline rush. The right calf continues to vary between slightly niggling and most achesome, it requires a lot of attention to make sure I don't limp. Apart from that, the body just needs some sleep to sort itself out. Tomorrow is a running day, I have a parents' forum meeting at midday, so it would be good to be fresh and relaxed for that.

46 Days To First Race

Monday: I finally experienced running in hailstones, having experienced nearly every other type of weather, and I can report it is no fun at all. Luckily, they didn't take up the entire running session, but enough to inform me I definitely dislike them. I planned on a 20min run, and I managed to cover 2.81km in 22mins 27secs, which included some uphill and downhill. It's best I measure my distance covered in kms, the same as my races, instead of miles. Today's run was obviously tough due to the adverse weather but nonetheless I was satisfied with my persevarance, assisted by a bottle of Lucozade. The run did aggravate my right calf, however, and I nearly fell down the stairs at home as my right leg gave way. I am doing lots of stretching and massage to strengthen the calf, as it goes stiff very quickly and it worries me it may turn serious. I intend to run tomorrow to keep up the momentum and stretch the right leg. As my studies become more time-consuming, I will need to consider better time management so that neither my marks or my running suffer. Less than 7 weeks to go till my first race, the thought of which is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Reflecting On A Yo-Yo Week

Sunday: An early morning run, I refuse to rest on anything resembling my laurels because I have races to train for :o) I was concentrating on covering at least 4miles per session before but I think it's important I revise my focus on my endurance times. I did 1.34miles in 17mins 22secs. I had set off with the intention of doing at least 20mins, I am no longer going to report on my warming up times or my walking times because it's the time I run for which is of importance. My 20min target was very doable, I was finding it tough but still doable. However, I tripped over old unused tram lines at around 15 mins and I was very lucky not to injure myself. I went flying and jumping at the same time, landing awkwardly, but still moving, though at a reduced rate. After that, I was just ever so paranoid about injuring myself so stopped on reaching the nearest measurable point. The time was in keeping with the program's advice but I was disappointed a little, as I knew I could have done more, but psychologically I knew stopping was best. My online trainer's injury warnings had been playing in my mind and so I guess it is better to have done some running and stayed injury-free, instead of pushing myself to the point of injury.
My runner friend's progress continues to inspire me, achieving the fantastic personal best of 10miles in 90mins in a race today. On hearing that, I was glad I had run today, otherwise the 'cravings' would have been eating away at me :o) Thanks to fetch, I have discovered there are a great many races out there and I have signed up for more, the glutton for punishment I must be. My first race is now to be the Salford 5km Run in April, which I knew I had to do, partly because it is great practice for the Great Runs in May, and partly because the Salford Run is taking place where I train anyway. I am looking forward to having a 5km race as my first ever, though I am perturbed by the undulating nature of the route. It is incomparable to the incredibly hilly 10mile race my runner friend did, but it is worrying enough for a newbie like me, who tries to stick to flat ground for training.
This has been an incredible week for me, going from feeling very anxious about my progress, to feeling on top of the world when I hit 50mins of non stop running. Plus, that euphoria spurred me on to add more races to my race portofolio on fetch's website. My first one is in April now, 40 odd days away; my plan is to focus on endurance timings and less on mileage, hoping to focus on speed nearer to race day. So far, so good :o)

Sleeping In

Saturday: All my plans for today went out the window, as I was up a few times during the night with the kids, and then I slept in. So no tutorial and no run today. The 50min run seemed to be sinking in today, the aches and the tiredness were very real. I kept things easy today, resting my legs when I could and stretching to make sure the body didn't seize up. Perhaps not running was a good thing, my body needed the rest and by evening, I was enjoying knowing I did so well yesterday and enjoying my well-deserved rest.