October 31st 2010

Halloween! All of the most scary creatures enter the darkness of night. Witches and vampires, werewolves and mummies, Lady Ga Ga's (apparently this years most popular costume), and of course, zombies. Especially zombie joggers. With my homemade Zombieland Rule One: Cardio T-shirt, and a face covered in red and green make up, off I set. It was 5.20, and the street was full of Trick or Treaters. I was accompanied by my faithful horse in a hoodie Billy. He just wanted to try out his horse mask in public, again.
We started of gently, but couldn't resist a couple of quick "zombie pursuing horse" sprints. Nothing too strenuous, and nothing my lungs couldn't handle. Billy's lungs - that was another matter. Horse mask and hoodie are hardly ideal running attire and he was struggling after half a mile. Quarter of a mile later he said he was going to walk the rest of the way and the zombie jogger was on his own. I didn't mind. I was happily plodding along. I was not aiming for a fast one, just a comfortable one. The mile mark came, and I decided to go on. As Billy had come along, I hadn't brought my mp3 player, but was enjoying the sights and sounds of Halloween. Okay, so the decorations weren't up to the standard of the forthcoming Christmas ones, The occasional vampire outside a house, cobwebs in windows, that sort of thing. The kids were happy in their costumes. Very few adults in fancy dress, although I did see some parents with a group of children, and the Mummy was a mummy, head to toe in bandages. Suddenly my effort didn't seem as good. Still, I plodded happily and steadily away, and had no trouble completing another mile.



Garmin stats: 2 miles in 20minutes 19.29seconds. Nice and steady. First mile just 2 seconds faster than the second. An more importantly, no problems with asthma. The only problem is that I have stained my running cap with red make up which may never come out.

Photos to follow....

Peak Flow Results

I've had a week off running. Haven't missed it, mainly because I've been more worried about the asthma. I've been religiously taking peak flow reading now for 5 days, and making sure the brown puffer is used morning and night, 4 puffs each time at the moment for a quick improvement. The graph shows the outcome.

Okay, I'm still well away from the 500 plus I would like, but there's been a noticeable improvement even in such a short time. Morning readings and evening readings have both increased by about 50, and there's a clear upwards trend. The blue dot above the line shows how much effect the reliever has - it improved my peak flow in seconds by nearly 100 after two puffs 

The monitoring will therefore continue. I've obtained from Asthma UK a "Be In Control" Pack. The useful thing that  it contains is a peak flow diary. That now sits by my bed as a constant reminder that I must take these readings twice a day. It'll also help me detect early if I'm developing a chest infection or something.  The diary has enough space for a over a year's worth of readings. Hopefully I won't have to monitor it for that long, but you never know, it may just develop into a habit.

Good news is I feel well enough for a mile or two this evening. And it's Halloween, so I might as well get in the spirit of things too...



Quote of the Day

People often ask how I stay motivated, particularly on my long runs - but I actually enjoy running. It makes me feel alive and free. When I'm running along the coast or through beautiful forest, I can't imagine anything better. Of course there are days (afternoons especially) when I'm tired and I think it might be nice not to have to train - but it's when you conquer a tough session that you were nervous about that you feel the best.

Paula Radcliffe

Quote of the Day

When I think about running, it feels like the best 45-minute investment I make in a day. It's enjoyable, it makes me feel better, and it's probably paying dividends way into the future. Running is a really easy choice.

John Fixx, son of running legend Jim Fixx

Asthma Action Plan

I've decided to cancel all running for this week. The reason is that Sunday's run seems to have triggered problems with my asthma. On checking my peak flow today it was well down on what it should be. Having had breathless symptoms over the past few days, I decided to take my peak flow this morning. My max peak flow is (or rather was) 550 l/min.I struggled to hit 350. Not good.

For those who don't know, peak flow is a measure of lung function. The idea is to blow into a peak flow meter, expelling all the air in your lungs as quickly as possible. The meter transfers your effort into litres expelled per minute. For my age group, the average was about 630. My best ever was 550, in the lowest 5%. I was also given other peak flow thresholds. 440 would be increase medication, 330 seek medical advice, 220 get to a hospital.

What I didn't know was that in 1994 peak flow meters changed, and so did the scales. They could now measure more accurately, and were made easier to blow into. The equivalent of my maximum 550 became 516. When did I discover this improvement? Today, 6 years after. Last year I has an asthma check and my peak flow was well over 550, and that was on the new scale.

So apart from telling you how good your lungs are at any one time, how else can this information help you? By monitoring over a period of time, ans seeing how your readings change by taking readings morning and night, you can get a good idea how well controlled your asthma is. If it's controlled your readings will hardly vary. If not, the readings will be up and down all over the place. The graph below explains it better than I can.

My plan is this. For the next few weeks I will monitor my peak flow closely, taking the readings morning and night. This will also act as a reminder to regularly take my brown beclamethasone inhaler, and inhaled steroid preventer which should quickly improve my readings. I should then use the blue salbutamol reliever inhaler less.

And exercising? I must make sure I use the reliever before I exercise. If it's very cold outside, I must also ensure I warm up properly. If it's too cold, go to the gym and use a treadmill instead. Not ideal, but better than what happened on Sunday.

Let's see what happens...

Quote of the Day

I think there is a couple of ways to look at guys stepping up their game. Either be inspired by it or give up. I have always chosen to be inspired.

Ryan Hall, Winner of the 2008 United States Olympic Marathon Trials

Weekly Review and Plan

Summary of Last Week


No of Runs- 3 (as planned)
Total weekly mileage- 4.93 miles
Total time running : 35mins 33 seconds

BEST RUN: 2.00 MILES IN 21:25.10 (Tuesday) Not quick, but an enjoyable gentle run
Weight now 11st 4lb (no change)

Plan for the week ahead

Forget speed for a week, just run 2 miles comfortably. I may have to decide if I want to improve distance or speed.


Monday - 2 miles
Wednesday - 2 miles
Friday- 2 miles

Sunday 24th October

Meltdown run. This attempt to run quickly was a major failure, and there could have been a few reasons for it.The graph shows I started of for the first quarter of a mile at over 7mph. My chest felt really heavy and I was struggling, so decided to drop back to recover. It was cold when I started running, but then the rain moved in and it got even colder. Breathing got even harder. The cold air was triggering my asthma. I struggled on and completed one loop, but that was it, I had to stop. 0.93 miles in 8 mins 33.51seconds.

So why had it failed so badly. I hadn't eaten, so perhaps it was lack of fuel. Possible, but shouldn't have been as it was just a 2 miler.  I'd started off much quicker than even I normally do, so perhaps I over strained my lungs. I hadn't warmed up either. Then the freezing rain moved in and finished me off.

I had hoped to try again in the evening, but still don't feel up to it, so that's it for the day. Learn the lessons from the failure, and try again another day.

Saturday 23rd October

Late again, but better late than never. Time to try to run the 2 miles in 20 minutes. It was a sunny, but very cold morning. As usual I set out too fast, but I quickly realised so slowed it down. Got to the slope at the half mile mark and let gravity pull me down it. My plan was to have quite a quick first mile, so I could ease off for the second one. However, I was quickly running out of power. After the slope I decided to try to maintain a 6mph pace. My hope was to keep this up for as long as possible and hope that my extra speed over the first three quarters of a mile would be enough to keep me around the 20 minute mark. I maintained that for a mile, but then my speed dropped again as I struggled on, pushing myself to the 2 mile mark. Did I do what I wanted?



Garmin reported 2.01 miles in 19 mins 33.69secs. Half a minute faster than I'd planned, averaging 6.2 mph (first mile averaged 6.4mph, 2nd mile 6.0). I'd actually gone faster than I'd planned. Now just got to see what I can do tomorrow when I try a fast run.

The Official London Marathon Register

A new book has come out for everyone who completed the London Marathon between 2001 and 2010. The Official London Marathon Register lists every finishers name and finishing time. Surely it's a must have memento for all London Marathoners. The cost, a mere £30.00. That's £30.00 for a book in which your name appears at most 10 times. And that's a special price - normal cost £60.00.

Why would anyone want to buy this book? For me the medal is a far better memento. I've also got the t-shirt, and the race number I wore is safely tucked away. There's also my Asthma UK vest which I wore on the day, even though the E fell off so my name is now MIK.

In order to save money, rather than buy this overpriced volume simply print this page if  you want a record of my time.

2008    Michael Radbourne    5 hours 49 minutes 39 seconds

October 20th 2010

Because life got in the way yesterday, I moved the slow 2 miler to today. However I had to be careful. There was a freezing northerly wind outside and no clouds in sight on what was a lovely evening, making the temperature very cold, and cold air is a major trigger for my asthma. However, exerting myself was not the plan. Jog 2 miles in around 22 minutes. It's time to learn to control the speed. For far too many sessions I've gone off fast and ended up knackered. Time to pace myself.

To try and get things right, I decided to concentrate on the variety of music from my mp3. Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police) and Cruel to be Kind (Nick Lowe) started my run in an early 80s retro fashion. These were followed by the randomly selected but appropriate Moonlight Serenade (Glenn Miller) and Vienna by Ultravox (" We walked in the cold air.."). No heavy breathing required, which meant I could concentrate on breathing in through the nose, which warms the air before it hits the lungs. I concentrated on my form too, trying to keep as upright as possible. The only problem I did encounter was a silly sod who walked out of his house and stood in the middle of the pavement, oblivious to me approaching. I squeezed past him, and secretly hoped I made him jump. The Garmin beeped for the second time to mark the end of mile 2, and I stopped, but I felt I could have gone on for further. Sure I'd been slow, but steady.



Garmin stats: 2 miles in 21minutes 25.1 seconds. Average speed a lowly 5.6mph. Almost exactly as planned. I felt so refreshed afterwards, I think I can still do the scheduled run for tomorrow as planned. Tomorrow I have to maintain a quicker 6mph pace to get as close to 20minutes as I can.

Weekly Review and Plan

Well, for last part of week...

Summary of Last Week

No of Runs- 2 (as planned)
Total weekly mileage- 3.03
Total time running : 29mins 7 seconds
BEST RUN: 2.01 MILES IN 19:19.52(Sunday)

Weight now 11st 4lb (no change)

Plan for the week ahead

As today's 2 miler was such a slog, the plan for the next week is to concentrate on pacing

Tuesday - 2 miles in about 22 minutes
Thursday - 2 miles in about 20 minutes
Sunday - 2 miles in 19 minutes

I may also be off work on Friday, so may slip in a quick mile on that day, just for fun.

Sunday 17th October

Sunday, the day of rest arrived. It was meant to be a day off work and a nice gentle 2 mile run. After 5 hours at work, I can home, had a late lunch, and was ready to go. As I ran I found it quite hard going - I'd woken up with the backs of my thighs sore, and no idea why, so I assumed the hard going was because of that. I found it hard to breathe, so assumed that was because of the cold air. By the time I was getting to the end of the second mile it was getting really tough, but I kept going and finished. It was when I downloaded the information that I found what the problem really was.



Garmin Stats: 2.01miles in  19mins 19.52secs. That was not slow. I was planning on 21 minutes. The exact time for 2 miles was 19:10.51. Average speed 6.2mph. Okay, so if I kept that pace up I would complete a 10K in an hour, but I can't keep that pace up yet. Not surprising at that was as fast as my best 2 miler since I got back into running. I must pace things better

Quote of the Day

I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible.

John Hanc, running writer

Foot Care Fish-style

I've never really bothered with my feet, having been lucky and not had many veruccas or athletes foot. However, perhaps with all the running I will suffer a little more wear and tear on them. I was intrigued when Dr Spa opened in Norwich, and today was the day I tried it out.

From their website, here's the science:-

Garra Rufa or Spa Fish are the name of the primary fish used in the spa treatment known as a fish pedicure, fish reflexology which involves the Garra Rufa fish nibbling at the dead skin to leave feet feeling soft and smooth. Also known as Doctor Fish or Kangal Fish - named after the town in Turkey where the fish are found in abundance - these Garra Rufa fish have become very popular in the development of spa techniques across the world.

They claim the fish will:

• Work through unsightly built up hard skin on heels and soles
• Effectively assist with treating psoriasis and eczema
• Stimulate acupuncture points
• Improve blood circulation
• Relax the body reducing fatigue

 So how did it fee? Having soaked  my feet in warm water for a few minutes, we were ready to enter the main tanks. I followed the instructions carefully. Lower the feet slowly into the water so as not to scare them, and don't stand on the bottom of the pool or you'll squish them. As soon as my feet entered the cool water hundreds of tiny fish swarmed around them and began nibbling away at whatever was there. There was no pain, just tickling as they worked all over the foot's surface. There were a few uncomfortable moments when the little buggers went between my toes. I wiggled my feet to get them out, and then tried to close my toes tighter together. After a while it stopped feeling like tickling, and was more like a tingling, a vibrating sensation as they continued removing the dead and toughened skin. With my 15 minutes up, I slowly removed my feet and the fish held on for as long as the could without coming out of the water. A quick dry and antibacterial spray, and then it was finished.

 

Are my feet softer now? There's certainly less rough skin. Are they healthier? Don't know. Was it relaxing? I personally found it hard to relax while being eaten alive. Will it make me a better runner? Probably not, but it was a very interesting experience.

 

 

 

Olympic Tickets

Today they announced the prices for the Olympics tickets in 2012. We could only really afford the cheapest, but I've registered an interest in them. Becks says she'd like to go to the opening ceremony. The cheapest tickets are £20.12, the next price up £150! We'll just have to try for the cheap ones. Apparently there will be a ballot for the tickets, and I don't tend to have much luck in those, do I?

Friday 15th October

With dinner in the oven I had a choice. Eat dinner, wait 2 hours, then run, or get in the planned mile before tea finished. I chose the latter. This left no time for a warm up, it was straight out into the cold air. That meant my lungs and heart rate hadn't got going properly, and almost straight away the cold air made my chest hurt. I slowed down until it wasn't so bad, and then tried to speed up. I'd made my usual mistake of not taking it steady as planned. Still, although it wasn't blistering pace, it showed I was getting well and truly over the bug. I got home just before tea was ready, got changed, ate (no time for stretching either), and then uploaded the results.



1.02 miles in 9mins 47.62. The time for the mile was 9mins 35.47. Respectable considering I was recovering from the virus,ands hadn't prepared. Next run on Sunday. That one I'll do properly.

Quote of the Day

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing the things people say we cannot do.."

Walter Bagehot, 19th Century Journalist

Weekly Review and Plan

Okay, so it's very late, but on the bright side it will make the weekly plan easier.

Summary of Last Week(ish)

No of Runs- 3 over 9 days instead of 7
Total weekly mileage- 6.14
Total time running : 60mins 50secs

BEST RUN: 3.12 MILES IN 32mins 1 second (Tuesday - WFOR)

It was a bloody virus after all, which made the fact that I actually managed to complete the 5K at all. On Wednesday I felt even worse, so I wasn't sure if the aching legs were DOMS or the bug. Probably a bit of both. During today it seems to have cleared up. Just a good night's sleep and I should be fine.

Plan for the Rest of the Week
Friday : 1 mile very gently, just to see if I am over the bug.
Sunday: 2 miles very gently.

So on Sunday evening I should be know if I can plan for Parkrun in Norwich a week on Saturday.

Commonwealth Steeplechaser Disqualified for Using Pot

This is my favourite story from the Commonwealth Games..

In a Commonwealth Games beset by issues away from the events, a bit of light relief is definitely welcome - and that came in the form of Papua New Guinea steeplechaser Sapolai Yao.The news isn't such light relief for Yao, though, who was disqualified from the race after he used a flower pot to help him over the water jump. The athlete stands a little under 4 feet 10 inches tall (1.52metres) but is already a firm crowd favourite in Delhi after his antics at the weekend. Towards the end of the gruelling race, the diminutive runner couldn't quite muster the energy to get over the water jump. So the resourceful Yao did what any other vertically-challenged individual would - using his surroundings to help him out. Spotting the pots below the hurdle, Yao gave himself a leg up onto the beam, stopped for a quick breather, and then leapt over into the water. Somehow, despite his troubles with that particular jump, he still managed to finish 9th of the 13 runners. Makes you wonder what the other four were doing exactly...



Worldwide Festival of Races - Kick the Couch 5K

Was my tiredness due to the travel at the weekend? Was I coming down with a virus? Today came, and I felt worse. Went to work and was told I looked awful (Thanks). Had to work late as well to get the manager details for tomorrow. Joy. So by the time I got home I was totally knackered. Fell asleep, cooked tea, ate tea, and felt a bit better. Time to Kick the Couch! It would also be a good chance to see if the mechanics I'd performed on the Garmin had worked. I switched the units from lies to kilometres so I could measure the 5K. and pulled on the 2150s. It was a cool windy evening. I was ready.

Stepped out of the door around 8.30pm, and started off at a gentle pace. My legs felt heavy, breathing was a bit hard to start with because of the wind, but I kept on. I tried to find a rhythm, but it was always going to be a slow on, and it turned out slightly slower than I'd hoped. I had decided I wasn't going to stop. I noticed the second mile was slower than the first, and things were getting harder. My chest was beginning to hurt from the work, and my legs felt more and more sore, especially my right knee which has been playing up for a few days now. But I had decided I wasn't going to stop. When the third mile started I managed to speed up slightly. Not an exceptional increase, but I was determined to finish strongly. My legs were hurting even more, but I was going to make it. I kept going, and managed to run my first 3 miles since I don't know when.

When I got home, I tried stretching, buy my legs were just too sore. I retired to the computer and told the watch to upload. It complied. Thank God it still worked. Actually, forget that. I fixed the bloody thing, not God, so thanks to me, I got my usual Garmin Stats:



It had recorded 3.12 miles in 32mins 0.69 seconds. I had also turned on autolaps so each mile the time is recorded (Mile 1 10mins 2 secs, Mile 2 10mins 25, Mile 3 10 mins 21). Average speed was 5.8mph.

Armed with all my details, I went over to the Worldwide Festival of Races site and entered my time. That time put me 17th among those who ran the Kick the Couch 5K.



I've downloaded the Certificate and Virtual Goody Bag. I'll have a read through it later. My initial plan is to see if this is a virus or just tiredness. Then plan the rest of the week from there. I know it won't include another 5K at the weekend. I think I need more preparation for that first.

Uh-Oh, Garmin Trouble

Despite feeling a bit run down (couldn't decide if it was due to weekend or an oncoming virus) I stepped out of the door at 8.30pm to run my delayed Kick the Couch 5K, my contribution to the Worldwide Festival of Races. Looked down to start my watch, the bloody thing was blank. I went straight back inside to try to get it to work again. It's a fairly new battery, so that shouldn't be dead. I opened it up and found the battery had come loose somehow. I put it back in, put the back of the watch back on, and the screen was still blank. The battery kept slipping out. I tried for ages to get it to stay in place, but it wouldn't.

I looked online, and found a forum wear people moaned at how hard the battery was to change because of a clip thingy which held it in place. I didn't have a clip thingy. My first Garmin did, but I threw that when it got it's chip scrambled. This one I had always taken to a shop for a new battery, so I didn't know if it ever had one. Try as I could, it wouldn't stay in place. I eventually found a few sticky strips on a book of stamps, and had an idea. I taped the bloody battery into position. And it worked. All that was left was to reset it as it didn't seem to work properly now (was this one scrambled too?) That worked, then I had to reconnect it to the footpod (no problem) and the computer. No matter what I did, it didn't like being told to talk to the PC automatically. I eventually got them to talk to each other when I make them, but they won't do it automatically. Having spent 3 hours trying to resuscitate the watch, I decided it was too late to try anymore. At least it was sort of working. Time for bed!

Weekend Away

It seemed strange having a weekend away without a running event on Sunday. It definitely didn't seem like a proper thing to do. However, running still kept jumping into my head. We spent Friday and Saturday in the Nottingham/Derby area. I kept noticing sport shops and had to resist popping in to check out the shoes I couldn't quite afford at the moment. The radio said to avoid Leicester on Sunday morning as it was that city's marathon. As we drove from Nottingham to Derby on Saturday I had to comment that the road we were on was the route for the Kilomathon (26.2km) next March. I noticed gyms offering membership for £10 a month, and wished we had local sports centres which could match that. When we got home, I was worn out so decided to postpone my 5K run and rest instead. Running had been running through my mind all weekend long. I must find something else to think about.

Team Lucozade Competition

Having not made it to London in the ballot, I've entered a competition to win a place in the Marathon, along with professional coaching, kit, Lucozade Sports Energy Packs, and entry into all Lucozade sponsored warm up races. I thought I'd give it a go. Closing date is November 1st, and I'm sure there'll be loads of entries, and my chance of winning low, but it's worth a go.

Here's my entry. It had to be less than 100 words, so was edited, mostly by removing the words "bloody" or "f**king" from in front of the word "bridge".

I injured my knee while training for London Marathon 2008. Despite this I ran on the big day. Big mistake! While crossing Tower Bridge, the knee went again. I continued with a pathetic half run/half hobble, finishing in just under 6 hours. Three ballot rejections later, I still yearn for another crack at London and that bridge. I swear at it every time I see it on TV. I hate it with a vengeance. I will not rest until I have crossed it. I don't expect to finish fast. I'd estimate around 5 hours. Please give me my second shot!

Marathon Runners View of that Bloody Bridge



Thursday 7th October 2010

To zoom, or not to zoom. That was the question. Whether tis better to run fast after my last run went fast when twas meant to be slow, or to run slow when run is planned as fast. I couldn't make up my mind, so I decided to play it by ear.It was a cool but very windy night, and as I'd left it late again, I skipped the warm up (mistake), and decided to try to go quickly. I quickly found out that was a mistake too, that my lungs need a warm up because of my asthma, so I had to slow it down. Having the wind blowing straight in my face and taking my breath away didn't help either. However, after another 400metres, I found I had now warmed up, so picked the pace up again. Nothing blistering, only around the 6.5mph mark, but I was happy with that. It felt comfortable. It was approaching the end that I felt I should really unleash, so despite being quite knackered, I tried to let loose. I worked my legs as fast and as hard as I could, with the Garmin recording a top speed of 10.2. Excellent.

Garmin stats: 1.01miles in 9mins 30.35secs, averaging 6.4mph. Almost a case of 2 runs in one, but I still enjoyed it.

Now for a few days rest before the step up to 5km on Sunday for the Worldwide Festival of Races.

Tuesday 5th October

First run of the week, sticking to the schedule as planned. A gentle 2 miler. Except I forgot the word gentle. Early evening run this time, with it still being light, but no rain. I warmed up on MFC Cardio Workout (passed the next level boxing exam - Yay!) then headed out, but as I said, I forgot the taking it easy bit. I was happily bombing along (well, bombing for me) adn nothing was going to stop me. The after a quarter of a mile I felt a small but sharp pain in my calf. I tried running through it but couldn't. It was toop annoying, and beginning toi itch. It wasn't an injury. I'd picked up an unwanted guest, a cat flea, which had decided now was a good time for a meal. How I hate those little sods. I stopped, brushed him off, and then carried on. However, despite reminding myself this was meant to be a gentle run, I kept the pace up. With half a mile to go, I decided I really should be running as planned, and made myself slow even though I didn't want to.  When I finished I was totally worn out and couldn't have gone another mile. The idea was to finished and have enough energy to be able to consider going further.



Garmin stats: 2.01miles in 19 minutes 19.27seconds. Average speed 6.2mph. Fastest time for 2 miles since I returned to running, so how could this be considered a gentle 2 miler. I must stick to the bloody plan!

Next run: A quick mile on Thursday. Might make it a gentle one instead

Great Eastern Run Photos

Got the following email today from Marathon Foto:-

Dear 2009 Great Eastern Run Participant,
Last year when you participated in the 2009 Great Eastern Run MarathonFoto had the privilege of being the official race photographer and taking your photos.
We are writing to you now to let you know that we will be deleting your 2009 Great Eastern Run images from our online database within the next few weeks. We do this approximately one year after an event because of the volume of images we take each year – over three million – and the high costs associated with storing this amount of data online.
If you need any photos from this event, prior to this deletion, please follow the link below and place your order now.

I was intrigued. Mainly because, although I did enter the Great Eastern Run, I didn't participate. Becks was in hospital at the time of the race, so I actually forgot to go. I clicked on the link to see what I looked like while I wasn't running.

It seems that through all the running, I've lost a lot of weight. And height. I also have a more youthful appearance, about 30 years younger than my true age. And I've changed sex. If anyone knows who the hell this is, please inform MarathonFoto, cos I'm 100% certain it ain't me.

Her finishing time was probably better than mine too.

Lidl Visited

As I said I would, I got up early, and we drove to Lidl to pick up some cheap running stuff. I wasn't the only one. There were a handful of people looking through what was on offer, and as there was not a lot of stuff there, I was glad I'd made the effort. I picked up a running jacket and tights, both black with green reflective patches, and a couple of pair of running socks. The bloke in front of me in the queue had bought the same, along with some compression leggings. I'd already seen a couple of others leave with things, and we'd left a couple more still looking. At this was only 8.10 in the morning. It was worth making the trip, as I now should be fully equipped for winter jogging. Although I could use another pair of shoes...

Next job: Sort out the kit drawer. It's getting a bit full,

Weekly Review and Plan

Summary of Last Week
No of Runs- 3 (as planned)
Total weekly mileage- 5.03
Total time running :   49mins  11secs

BEST RUN: 1.01 MILES IN 8:42.26(Tuesday)

Weight now 11st 4lb (-1lb)
Another week completed, and although the 2 miles weren't as fast as last week's, the slower one felt more comfortable. Highlight again was the quick mile. Lost just under a pound in weight too.

Plan for the Next Week
Tuesday: 2 mile (try to get back under 20 minutes)
Thursday: 1 mile (quick)
Sunday: 5km (Worldwide Festival of Races)

Time for another step up. Tuesday's run will be the third consecutive 2 miler, and hopefully after a couple of days rest I can drop under 20 minutes again. Another swift mile on Thursday. Then the step up on Sunday to 5K for my own personal route on the Worldwide Festival. As I'm going away next weekend, the days must be strictly kept to. There's no room for shuffling around this week. If all goes well, it could mean a trip to Park Run in Norwich the week after.

Sunday October 3rd

Yesterday's 2 mile run did not go well, so today I decided to just slow it down and get round comfortably. Sticking to Scarning Loop Route and the Asics 2150s, I set off at 8.30pm. This time there was very little to write about. I kept a slow but steady pace, concentrated on getting the breathing pattern right, and plodded around. I lost the breathing a few times but soon recovered it. No problem with energy. In fact it was only a couple of hours after tea, so I probably had too much food in me. I finished the distance and felt I could have probably continued at that pace for longer.



Garmin Stats: 2.01mph in 20mins 36.33secs. Average speed 5.9mph. Slower, but a better run than yesterday.

Scarning Estate Route Loop

Since I began running again, I have stuck to the Scarning Estate loop. It's almost a mile long, fairly flat, and is good for beginners as if an injury or problem does occur there are plenty of paths through the estate which can be used as shortcuts home.

It's basically like any other estate for running.The route has a  slight decline for the first half, then slight incline at the end. There are a couple problems

• The roads are narrow, so on occasions the cars take over the paths too. Makes it very awkward when running
• There is a footpath with a metal barrier with a gap for pedestrians. This can be difficult to see at night.

 

The only other problems would be from dogs (only been chased once in 3 years) and abusive kids (never happened on the estate - they must be used to seeing me circle)

So that's where I've spent so much time recently. However, I am getting ready to burst out and try something new.

Worldwide Festival of Races

My first "race" since I started running again. Set up by Steve Runner of Pheddipidations podcast fame, the Worldwide Festival pf Races take place next weekend. This race is a free, non-commercial event for runners of all abilities, where everyone is invited to register, train and run with us in the spirit of friendship. All you have to do to enter is register to the website, choose one of 3 distances, and run. Then enter your time on the website and get your virtual goody bag! The distances are World Wide Half (13.1miles),  The Zen Run (10K), or Kick the Couch (5K). You can either enter an organised race on the weekend, or just work out your own course and run that. I've opted for the 5K and will be running my own route. It's the perfect time in my training to try the next stage. The kids have even said they'd join in, and Amy has registered on the site too. As me and Becks are going away next weekend, I'll be running on the evening on the 10th. So far this year I will be joining 560 other runners from 40 countries.

The website, for anyone else who wishes to enter, is http://worldwidefestivalofraces.com/.

London Marathon 1981 Covered

Found this on Ebay for 99p. Always liked stamps covers, so decided to buy it, just to cheer myself up. I know it'll just sit in a drawer and collect dust, but what the hell..

Saturday 2nd October 2010

Finally got round to putting in the 2 miler. The combination of London Marathon rejection knocked me back a bit, and with other circumstances I was still just fed up. I woke up with a fresh outlook having had a good night's sleep. The postie delivered the new aerial for our bedroom TV, so I spent a little time setting that up, and even dug out the DVD of me finishing the London Marathon in 2008 (sob). I then got changed and went out.

Although it was sunny, it was very cold. I found it quite a struggle this time. Didn't seem to have any energy, found the breathing hard and couldn't find a rhythm. Maybe I should have had something to eat this morning! I wasn't going to give up though. I still wanted to complete my target, so I forced myself to keep going. I was slowing all the time it seemed, and getting a stitch even tough I was going slowly. I was glad when I got to the end.

Garmin stats: 2.01miles in 19mins 52.75secs, average speed 6.1mph. I was glad to get under 20 minutes again, but I'd learned that if I'm going to do a morning run, I must fuel properly first.