Slow run

This is a backdated post. I've been a bit out of the loop. I had the beginnings of shin splints and decided to take a break from running for a long weekend in Berlin. Turns out my body was about to force me to take a break anyway, because no sooner had I stopped than I got a bloody cold! Anyway...

On this particular evening I thought I would do 5 easy miles before setting off to Germany. It ended up not being a great idea, because I took the 10-hour 'night bus', got practically zero sleep and ended up with seriously miffed calf muscles. Frustrating, but probably a sign I needed to give myself a break...

Sore shins

Eh up!

I changed at work and combined my commute home with a run this evening. I ran 8 miles at 7 mins/mile, my target pace for The Hague half marathon in a few weeks. Not particularly challenging for my lungs but another stern test for my legs, which are still sore from last weekend. United are on now. Bye.

Horrendous

Turns out my legs weren't up to it. And when your legs aren't up to it, 16 miles is an awful long way. I was already tired by mile 4 and had a bit of a funny turn at mile 5, so had to ease right off. It was a bit of a struggle from there on in. That's what happens when you're stupid enough to do 90% of your weekly mileage in one weekend. But at least it's over with. There will always be good and bad days, and this is the first bad day I've had for quite a while.

Somehow I managed to pick things up a bit towards the end and averaged exactly 8 mins/mile. So if I can do that feeling like crap, I'm confident I can hit my target on the day. Here's hoping...

Now to eat my own body weight in spaghetti. Toodle-oo!

One morning, two runs

I've buggered up this week. I went to see Anderlecht vs Ajax on Thursday night and then I was exhausted for one reason or another when I got home yesterday evening, all of which meant I missed my mid-week threshold run. So this morning I headed out for my usual slow run with Annie (5 miles), came home to refuel a bit and then went straight back out for a steady 7-miler (averaging 6m 45s per mile). As a result, my long run tomorrow will have to be a little bit slower - perhaps around the 8 min/mile mark. Not an ideal situation, but I reckon my legs are up to it.

Easy peasy!

Just finished a 10k interval session at the track. I've no idea why but it felt much easier than last week. The format was much the same - 800m fast, 400m slow. The whole 10k took me just under 41 minutes. I might have to shorten the recovery times a little next time - not much point running the 800m intervals any quicker than 3 mins. Otherwise I might double the intervals to a mile and extend the recoveries to match.

My god... could I get any duller? This must be how golfers feel! "It's not as boring as it looks or sounds - honest!" Unless you're an exercise freak, you've probably given up reading by now. Maybe I should start spicing things up - running in a tutu perhaps? I'd probably have more to write about when I got home!

Foray into the forêt

Perfect day for running today: about 10 degrees, overcast but no rain or wind. I took about 1h 45m to run just short of 14 miles. I thought I'd wear my heart rate monitor out of interest, so if you wanted to know (and I'm sure you did!), my average HR was 161 bpm. A year or so ago you could probably have added another 10 bpm to that. Interestingly, the relationship between work and heart rate differs depending on the activity and the number of muscle groups used during that activity. According to Brian Mac, you should expect a higher maximum HR for running than for cycling because running uses more muscle groups than cycling. So there we are.

It was nice to head into the forest today. Very squelchy. I now feel my gore tex trail shoes were a legitimate purchase.

And so ends another week. I'm still only managing about 30 miles per week but have significantly upped effort levels recently, so it's not because I'm lazy ;-)

Easy run

A few easy miles around the park to loosen up my legs before my 14-miler tomorrow. This time I'll try not to get lost :-)

Where did that come from?!

In truth I was a bit frustrated with my run on Tuesday, so tonight I vowed to go out and average a decent pace over 7 miles. I intended to run the first mile in 7 minutes and fall into a rhythm, but my legs seemed to have other ideas. I ran the first mile in 6m 34s and then didn't really feel like slowing down. I probably ran too hard and increased my risk of injury, but I covered 7 miles in 45m 30s, averaging 6m 30s per mile. I probably won't up my mileage too much this week, otherwise I really will be pushing it. I feel awesome, though. I'm probably as fit as I've ever been and I'm only 5 weeks into my training plan ;-)

Anyway, that's enough speed work for this week. Rest tomorrow, recovery run on Saturday and long slow run on Sunday. Come back soon for more dreary running monologues!

Feel the burn

So tonight was my first serious interval session. I ran 7 x 800m followed by 400m recoveries, hitting the 5-mile mark in 33 minutes (though the GPS data I uploaded to Runkeeper differed very slightly). It really started to hurt the last couple of intervals - my lungs were burning earlier and earlier every time. Next week I'll run 10k at the same pace, if not quicker. I had already run a few miles before I started my session this evening and felt a bit tired.

I'm exhausted now, but I think it's a bit of a sugar low. A few weeks back I bought a bulk load of isotonic drinks and now I keep getting cravings for them. It's worrying. I had two this evening and now I feel like I've downed a bottle of Benylin.

Might do a few easy miles tomorrow evening. Ta-ra for now, folks.

Un peu perdu

Today I covered 12.45 miles in 1h 36m. While I enjoyed my run, I took an entirely different route to the one intended. Had to stop and ask a man for directions, who proceeded to tell me three different ways to get to where I wanted to go - most confusing. I decided simply to follow a local cycle path and then picked up a tram line I recognised to make a nice, long loop back home. Not record-breaking pace but steady enough.

I'm wondering whether my long runs should be quicker. All my books tell me to do my slow runs 20% slower than my target marathon pace, but that seems a bit much to me. I guess I'll slowly build up my threshold runs until I'm covering a decent distance at 7 minutes per mile. Ramble, ramble...

Had a snazztastic day otherwise. More than made up for lost calories at an Italian restaurant in town. Spaghetti carbonara and tiramisu :-) Bit of sightseeing with some visiting friends and then back home for tea and biccies. You might have noticed by now that my diet doesn't exactly go hand in hand with my training plan!

Pootle and a pancake (or three)

Just finished a 4-mile recovery run in the park with Annie. There's a different kind of discipline involved in recovery runs since going too quickly defeats the object. In theory, I should be nice and refreshed for my long run tomorrow. Here's hoping my legs don't start complaining!

Made pancakes with maple syrup when I got home. Can't beat 'em.

No pain, no gain!

Ouch! I gave it a bit of welly tonight.  I covered 5 miles in 33m 36s, by which point I'd forgotten how to breathe. Good to know I can still keep up a decent pace over a moderate distance. Will be interesting to see where I stand after a few weeks of more dedicated speed work. A few easy miles tomorrow and then a half marathon on Sunday (not an organised one - just me and my Garmin!).

Enjoy your weekend, folks. I'm off to the local chippy, 'Maison Antoine'. It's not as upmarket as it sounds ;-)

Oops!

I forgot to set my alarm this morning (honest!), so I'm going to have to run three days in a row from tomorrow. I blame the dark winter mornings =)

A few pics of my local running haunts

Parc du Cinquantenaire / Jubelpark

Parc de Tervuren / Tervurenpark

Parc de Woluwe / Woluwepark

They don't look quite as sunny and inviting at this time of year, but you get the idea =)

Another steady session tomorrow morning. I'd go in the evening but I have Dutch class. I'm a bit worried because I've skipped about 5 levels. Steep learning curves are good, right? =S

¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!

Well, not quite. But tonight was my first scheduled session with a bit of speed work. I did 2 miles slow to steady, then 3 miles threshold and another 2 miles steady, clocking in at just under 51 minutes for the full 7 miles. From here on in I'll gradually build up my weekly threshold run to about half-marathon distance. The real killer will be the weekly interval session, which I plan to do at a local track. I probably won't start those until next week, though. Eventually, most of my running will be pretty quick, with the exception of my long slog at weekends!

I'm listening to the freezing rain bounce off the roof tiles at the moment. Thankfully, I just about beat it home! Now I'm going to tuck into a nice big curry. Gotta keep my energy levels up, right? =)