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Long run for this week now completed. Am feeling very proud of myself for having kept up the training this week. In fact, it's the first time I've actually done four (difficult) runs in a single week. Makes up for the excessive eating that's taken place fairly steadily and the occasional drink-too-many.
Sunday 30 December. Run 8 miles. Time taken 1 hour 7 minutes 29 seconds. Was aiming for 1 hour 10, so doubly pleasing. Loads of people out running along the seafront these days. Will perhaps do some searching online at the marathon site for a training partner.
A thirty minute jaunt. Felt much better than yesterday. I have a real mental block about fartleks, in case you hadn't noticed. Today's straightforward 30 minute run went much better and I covered more ground, despite the fact that there were sprints thrown into yesterday's session of the same length. Must try harder.
Friday 28 December. Run for 30 minutes. 3.7 miles covered.
Out to lunch this afternoon, and for drinks and nibbles this evening. Then with extended family for what will no doubt be a very messy day tomorrow, although I'll be driving and therefore a highly amused onlooker rather than falling all over the place myself. Long run for this week is an 8 miler, which I'll therefore be doing Sunday. The extended family tomorrow includes the lovely young lady I do these runs for and her family, so I hope to start collecting more sponsorship money very soon. Hayley (my inspiration) is actually doing really well these days and studying full time at University (at last!) for a degree in dietetics, getting 1sts all over the place. Hopefully all her student colleagues will be new source of sponsorship and really boost my total this time!
Broken record, or what? I know they help, cos my mile times got better last time. Doesn't stop me hating them, though, and NOTHING will stop me whingeing about them.
Thursday 27 December. 30 minute Fartlek, including 8 bursts of 30-second sprinting. 3.62 miles covered. Then a lot of sitting down for the rest of the afternoon.
Grey and dreary, eh? Hope everyone is with friends or family and generally set up for a day of festive fun.
Tuesday 25 December. Run 20 minutes. 2.43 miles covered.
Up at 7.30 this morning and out the door by 8.15 after a strong coffee. I had to get to the supermarket after the run, as I drove round the car park for half an hour yesterday before giving up and wanted to get there when it opened today to stock up for the week. NEVER AGAIN - I got there at 9.30, got one of the last 5 or 10 parking places, stormed in at 10 and didn't get home till 12. That's 2 and a half hours of my life I won't get back. Anyhoo, all done and now I'm showered and warm and ready for a nice afternoon at the cinema.
Sunday 23 December. Run 7 miles. Time taken, 58 minutes 39 seconds. A bit slower than I was hoping for, but I set off quite conservatively and definitely neagtive-splitted this one. I've also identified that I MUST from now on take drink with me on these long runs.
Office party last night. I tried to be good a semi succeeded. I've had a horrible chesty thing since Thursday (went home from work to dose up and wrap up) but dragged by sad carcase to the office so I could legitimately get my freak on. A cocktail of brandy and cough mixture got me to 10:30, but then I had to bow out and go home. I was in bed by 11:30 and up this morning at 6:30 feeling not too bad, all things considered. I could really have done with today's session being a normal run and not this bloody joggy, sprinty nightmare, though. One of the sprints was only 15 seconds long, with the balance spent throwing up in the fortunately abundant shrubbery on the sodding hills.
Saturday 22 December. 25 minute f*****k, with 6 30-second sprints. 3.10 miles covered.
7 miles tomorrow, and in the afternoon we're going to see The Golden Compass with parents & other family.
My pedometer failed again. I'm wondering if it's because it's an LCD display and in the weather at the moment, the C stops being L? I certainly don't remember having this problem before.Wednesday 19 December. Run 30 minutes. There I was, like, running. All going very nicely. I checked the pedometer. '22 minutes 29, 2.71 miles' it said. Just time for another full lap, I thought. I got to where I thought the 30 minutes were up. '22 minutes 29, 2.71 miles' it said. Various things, I replied.
It was just too cold for me last night and I'd got a lift to work and caught the bus home and couldn't face a warm up in that weather, let alone a run. But I cycled in to work this morning and will use the cycle home as my warm up, so will do this week's first run (I'm not doing the hill session), a 30 minute job, this evening while Colin's at college. I'd asked for company tomorrow night doing the first fartlek (see my home site for information on these sessions, link in a previous post below) but it doesn't seem to be attracting a positive response. These guys know what they're doing, as they've trekked deserts and climbed mountains so I'm not at all suprprised. I'll be doing that session alone, then. Whether I do it tomorrow as planned (this was based on running last night, not tonight) or leave it till the weekend (it would have to be Saturday so I coulsd do the long run on Sunday, but it's my work's Christmas party on Friday) I'm still not sure.
Just checked, and I have indeed now completed my third marathon during training. I've covered 79.96 miles in total. The fourth one could be a little while coming up, what with my refusal to do the dedicated hill training sessions, but I can't wait to see how much running I actually do in preparation for the big day. And I'll be doing my first fartlek (see http://www.smicol.co.uk/Marathon%202008.htm later - I can only edit that page when I'm at home - for my opinion on these hellish works of evil) this Thursday evening after work. I may have company on that run, for the first time, if I can bully a couple of guys from work into joining me.
I have actually just run 6 miles. Me! Subzeroness continues, but shiny tops and the woolly frightcap are giving all the protection I need until my muscles start generating their own heat.
Sunday 16 December. 6 miles. Time taken 49 minutes 25 seconds.
I may well have just completed my third marathon. Will get round to checking at some point, I'm sure.
Gor blimey, yes. Even colder this morning than last time. These weekday runs at the moment are deeply doddlesome. Perhaps a reward for not dying in the last 8 weeks, or something. Will be doing the first properly challenging 'long run' tomorrow.
Saturday 15 December. (Can anyone tell me where this year went?) Run 20 minutes. 2.46 miles covered.
A bright, brisk morning and no mistake. Thermometer struggling to get to 40 degrees. But it was actually very nice to run in. I've not yet bought the horrible knee supports, as I seem to be OK as long as it's dry. Cold I can handle, but it seems to be when I get wet and cold that things get painful. To ramp up the terrifyingness of my appearance during my runs, therefore, I've started wearing possibly the ugliest woolly hat in existence. It started off quite cool (it bears the Nike tick mark and everything), but following numerous washes it's now stretched and shapeless. Anyway, this was my first run of the main training programme and it went very well.Thursday 13 December. (Level 2 - but this means nothing and I won't be mentioning this type of thing again - see below), run for 25 minutes. 3.04 miles covered.The next run is supposed to be a hill run. I may have mentioned, you know, just in passing, that it's quite hilly round here. So I'm not going to be doing specific hill training. I may go out and do a general run for the same length of time as that one's supposed to last, but I may just miss that session out altogether.
I should be going out tonight for my first run of the proper training programme. It's a 25-minute job at 'Effort Level 2'. Please see my home site at http://www.smicol.co.uk/Marathon%202008.htm to see my views on 'Effort Level' things (and everything else, in fact, to do with running about). I'll be updating that page later when I get home.But I'm really extremely tired after a hard day's work and it's bloomin' freezin'. I'm working from home tomorrow, so I'll do the run in the morning before settling down to a day of workflows and process diagrams.
I remembered to check today. I have covered another 41.82 miles since I covered my first total marathon in training. Adding the 26.64 I'd covered at that point, I've done 68.46 miles altogether. Deeply chuffing.
8 weeks' worth of training completed. It's taken longer than 8 weeks, admittedly, but I'm really getting into it now and tonight wasn't anywhere near as hard as I expected. Am into the real training build up from now on - the wonderful world of fartleks, etc.
The weekday runs (except the fartleks, I can't wait to get to those and tell you what I think of them!) will be easy after tonight, but the weekend ones (1 long run a week) start at 6 miles and get longer, and longer.....and longer.
Monday 10 December. Run 30 minutes. 3.58 miles covered.
Overslept very slightly this morning. Got half my running kit on and then this gale came out of nowhere and the heavens opened, so I'm taking the easy way out and not going for a run this morning. It's my mum's 60th birthday party today, but I am driving so won't be drinking. Depending on the filthiness of the weather when I get home, I may go out this evening instead. Just 1 more run to do before starting serious training - will get it done asap!!!
...before the rain kicked in. The furthest I've managed to get in a single run so far.
Saturday 8 Dec. Walk 1 minute, run 15 minutes, twice. 32 minutes total. 3.78 miles covered.
I will try to remember to check tomorrow whether a second marathon has been covered in these training runs. The last run of this 8 week preparatory programme will hopefully be completed tomorrow - running for 30 minutes non-stop. The first time I've attempted anything of the sort in over 2 years.
Tuesday 4 December. Walk 1 minute, run 15 minutes, twice. 32 minutes total. Yes, well. The batteries in the sodding pedometer died after 22 or so minutes (2.58 miles). Doing the same run on the same course as last time, so call it a tie.
Feeling less than sparkly today after an enjoyable evening with a bottle of brandy, X Factor (just how wrong has that gone, and is it now utterly pointless even finishing this series?) and Strictly Come Dancing. We have to record that and watch it later, so we can forward through Brucey. He's gotta go. Anyhoo, I waited till today's lovely hurricane was over and finally went out around 2pm to finish week 7 of the introductory training programme. 3 more of these 'easy' sessions to go, so that's probably all I'll do next week.
Sunday 2 December. Walk 1 minute, run 15 minutes, twice. 32 minutes total. 3.68 miles covered.
Bloody knees playing up today, but I think that may just be down to the drunken behaviour. Will see how it goes, but may need to invest in some nice elasticated supports to go with the flattering lycra glory I already troll about the place in.
Luddy ell it's cold. Just got a text from my parents, who recently moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to the South coast of Spain. They're on the beach with great big drinks. Love them as I do, the immediate thought...well...it started with a 'b' and went downhill from there. Speaking of downhill, I'm coping better with the old slopiness lately.
Saturday 1 December. (Can't believe it's December already.) Walk 30 seconds, run 10 minutes, 3 times. 31.5 minutes total. 3.71 miles covered.
