#11

Two laps this morning.

1st: 11:30
2nd (immediately following): 12:10

3.35(6) miles in 23:40, for an average of 7:03 per mile. For someone that only runs thrice a week for a total of around 10 miles, I think that's pretty alright. I still can't get my head around doing long runs to cut seconds off my time. I jogged all the way to 4 miles instead of 5 as I had to rush back to get ready for work. In any case, the thought of running an extra 12 minutes around the same loop at that pace was a bit too much for me to fathom.

In terms of number of runs, I'm more or less on the same pace at this point as I was last year. I shudder at the thought that two years ago, I probably ran all of ten times from fall to spring.

That's all for now - happy running!

Too lazy to think of titles so it'll be.... #10

Today I was a bit pressed for time so it was just a simple 20-minute run in the morning. In between I did the loop again in 11:30; at 6:51 pace. I'm satisfied with that, more so than I'd been if I did 2 sets of 12:00.

I'm going to work on this tempo-running approach for a bit, I think, and learn to run 7-minute-ish paces for increasingly longer distances. I hope to work up to 7-minute miles for 5 miles. I don't feel shorter intervals like 400s do me much good, because I'll never want to run myself into the ground *gasp* *gasp* *gasp* and do it all over again, and I also feel running longer distances at this stage is a bit pointless. I don't have the stamina. Running slow, running long ... you get the logic.

Here's the plan for the next few:
#11: 5 miles, at least one loop under 12:00
#12: 2 sets of 12:00-ish, no rests

Numbers

1.678

That's how many miles my running loop is. (2.7km, if you prefer metric.) I've been running that loop for what seems like forever. I got bored with it over the summer, but apart from a few sojourns into other areas, I've always returned to it. I like its familiarity. I know what times I should be looking at over various stages of the run - 1st bus stop, 2:00; traffic lights, 4:00; grit bin, 5:30; 2nd bus stop, 7:15, cafe, 9:00; 3rd bus stop, 11:15. I know where to push, and where to hold, and where to vary my strides to take advantage of the climbs and dips. I always run in the same direction - otherwise I have to start off the run with a climb, which isn't really my kind of thing.

At 8-min mile pace, I should complete a loop in 13:25. On Thursday, I did the first in 12:00 (7:09 pace) and after a 90-second rest, I did the second in 12:30 (7:27), which I was satisfied with - especially after Tuesday's rubbish run. Weather was 28C/82F. Still, I was stubborn - no one's yet got a glimpse of my bow legs.

This cool morning I did the first in 12:00 and, without rest, did the second in 11:57. 24 minutes, 3.35 miles, run at 7:09 pace - for now, that will suffice.

Weights in the evening. Here's a quick roundup:

Tuesday #7: 3.5 miles, 7:50 per mile
Thursday #8: 2 x loops (12:00, 12:30); total (including rest) 3.5 miles, 26:30
Saturday #9: 2 x loops (12:00, 11:57); total 3.5 miles, 25:30

Have a good weekend!

Disappointing, but never mind

I don't know about you, but of late some of the blogs I subscribe to via Bloglines never show up as updated.

Sunday's workout:

Pressups - 100, beginning with slow sets of 12, working up to around 16 for most sets. Last and highest set (maintaining good form and motion) was 20 reps. For me, doing pressups with a phonebook under each hand eliminates the neckache caused by raising the head too much to get the pectorals to touch the floor. I don't go any lower than the height of the phone book now. Having my hands in a shoulder-width-apart split-triangle (as opposed to fingers pointing directly ahead) also makes the muscle really work for me.

Legs - 3 sets each of calf raises, standing hamstring curls, and lying-down lateral raises, around 20 reps per set, all supersetted. I find the lateral raises hard, even without weights. By about 15 my legs are tired.

Modified crunches - to one side at any time to prevent pulling of the head forward.

Shoulder presses and curls - sometimes as separate sets, sometimes as one complete motion i.e. curl the weight and then press it.

My calves were still tired when I went running today. I did 3.5 miles at 7:50 pace. My stomach was uncomfortably bloated throughout the run, but I managed to complete what I set out to do. I'm not at all satisfied with that time, really. I've done 3.5 miles at 6:40 pace before, so 7:50 is a bit of a let down. Even without too much exertion, I should be able to do 3.5 miles at 7:30. Oh well, there's always another day to improve on that.

Hang Man

On Thursday we walked for over 2 miles and then ran for 20 minutes, to make it 45 runs to go for me. I wasn't really bothered about pace, and focussed more on conversation. It would be the last full day free for both of us, and - including weekends - the next time we get a day where both of us are not working won't be until Christmas, so I wanted to get my priorities right.

Run #6 was four 8-minute miles today. I did the first 3.5 in 27 minutes, then jogged the rest of the way. It was an uncomfortable run all the way; the post-run discomfort lasting for as much as the run itself. My knees threatened to read me the riot act on occasion, and I felt tired from the start. Maybe it's all the walking I've done these past two days. The school I'm at covers a wide area, and if students are still unsure of their routine, and forget to show up for lessons, we have to call their boarding houses, the library, and the study areas; and if we still can't locate them we have to then go for a walk around the campus to see if we can find them somewhere. (Just to make sure they're alright, and to give them a good kick.) I've walked 5 miles since yesterday.

More weights and pressups this evening. Pressups mess with my neck - I always get a sore neck the day after, and I've found doing them with my hands on phone books (or something thick) reduces or gets rid of the ache. Crunches are another cause of neck ache - I have to do more planking, or find some other suitable exercises. Any suggestions for alternatives? (I've already tried leg lifts while hanging from train handrails, so don't suggest that one please.)

4 down, 46 to go

Run #3: A simple 25 minutes just under 8 minutes per mile - just to establish some running consistency, and avoid leaving a week between runs. Sunday trot done, I ticked the log and hunted for a little sticker to award myself.

Run #4: The weather looked alright before I set off this morning, but within two minutes the rain clouds had managed to re-align themselves to hover above me with Garminic efficiency. Much as I dislike running in the rain, it's even worse, having decided to run, to head back home and wait infinitely for the rain to clear. I suppose it's like pacing the start line forever waiting for the starter's gun to fire. The only sheltered area in my usual loop was this stretch of trees, so that was today's workout decided for me: yucky intervals. 1 minute sprints in one direction, 1:30 recovery jogs in the other. And like Teletubbies, again, again, again. (Detect my little nephew's influence?) By the end of it, I was an 80s pop group: Wet Wet Wet. Okay, enough of the bad puns.

Work-wise, my days are pretty-packed with lessons. It's good to have more teaching work, but I don't have the luxury of lunch-time runs on Mondays and Fridays anymore. I wonder how long a loop on the train from the first train carriage to the last takes. And if I do chinups on the bars, will I get arrested?

Moving... slowly

Instead of circuit training, a short 20-minute run last Sunday morning kicked off the annual TryAthlete Get-Your-Rear-Moving #50. It was slightly less than okay, especially when I barely made it at 8-minutes per mile pace. I did jog the rest of the way to 4 miles, but the message was clear. Disgraceful. Out of shape.

Sunday morning seems like a long time ago, and it is. I've had much of the week free, and while I did weights, kicking myself out the door to run never happened. I only managed #2 this morning - 5.25 miles in 41:10. I'm not going to kid myself; I've run faster before, and it's a sign I've lost fitness, although at the same time there is a slight relief that I managed to get to 5 miles at that pace in the first place. My assessment of my state of fitness made me think I wouldn't get that far.

Trawling the internet brought up some inspirational stories. Nick Bdera was 55 when he completed the U.S. Olympic Trials 50K racewalk in 5 hours, 4 minutes, 31 seconds, nearly 10 minutes per mile. Sister Marion Irvine, the "flying nun", ran the California International Marathon in 2:51:01 and qualified for the 1984 Olympic marathon trials ... when she was 53. Her 10K time at the age of 61 was 40:37.

I'll tell myself, I'm not slow, I'm merely peaking for later age groups.

Pond Life

I grew up in the city, with a glamourized view of country life - the vast acres of space, the more laid-back pace of life and all. Over the years I've been weaned off this romantic ideal. Everything seems slow. The things people find interesting seem to be the new shop that's sprung up in the village, how the local Tesco seems to have better/worse stuff than Asda, how the flooring in someone's house has been redone, how the beer in a certain area and stored differently tastes different, and relatively menial things like that. There are acres of space in the country, yes, but it seems to take too long, for my liking, to get anywhere - a trip to the supermarket, from the initial pre-amble about the stuff on offer, to completion, could well last a weekend.

My relatives on the other side of the family all grew up in the country. They still live there, and their views of cities are perhaps best summarized by one family member who says "the best view of the city is the one through the rear view mirror".

Throw in other differences of opinion emanating from generation gaps, culture and lifestyle, and you realize that ten, eleven, days is just about enough time to be away from home. Thank goodness for the distraction of toddlers.



I don't want it to sound like I didn't have a good time, but it's always nice to get back on your own turf and way of life. Oh yes, it would also be nice not to have to bring back a cold.

We did manage to get a few runs in but most of the time it rained, as expected, which meant indoor workouts. I won't bore you with details of traditional exercises ("traditional" except done with a rucksack and other household items), but I did discover this good stretch - sit on a chair, cross one leg on top of the other (like men do), then try to touch the floor with your hands. The traditional hamstring stretch is also another one you can do while sitting down.


Over the past few months, gas and electricity companies in England have been raising utility prices, blaming the rising costs of wholesale prices worldwide for the need to do so. The public have been especially disgruntled, particularly when the afore-mentioned companies have simultaneously recorded higher profits than in previous years. Switching your gas and electricity companies in the hope of a better deal is commonplace. While comparing the different suppliers and their deals, we worked out our yearly expenditure and discovered that in the past nine months, we have used more electricity than we did in the previous year and a half. The culprit? The evil computer, which my father-in-law advised to leave in standby, because "turning it on and off damages the components". I'm keeping it off when I don't need it - fry the components and all. The unnecessary excess I pay in bills yearly would pay for a new computer. It also means I'll have to blog more at work now instead of at home.


Work partly resumes sometime next week, and fully the week after. I love the flexibility of work - having some control over the hours and timing of one's own work is great. I enjoy my work because I know I have more control over it than it has over me.


And what about exercise? September, for me, means I start the 50 workouts campaign again. Today will be #1 - the usual Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes workout. Last year I hit 50 around the post-Christmas mark, and I'll try to beat that. I expect the bulk of my workouts will be formed from circuit training and shorter runs (pfffft - at 20-30 minutes, it's not as if they can get much shorter!). It's not anything fancy; I just need to get into the habit of exercising regularly.

That's all for now - have a good weekend, folks!