Week 6 Run 1: Amazing!

So...this week hasn't exactly gone to plan, hence why run 1 is on Saturday! Work has been very busy this week, meaning I missed running club on Tuesday, and have been getting home so late that I've been wanting dinner and a rest, rather than a run!

I decided to try and fit one run in before my long run tomorrow, so that this week wasn't totally written off! I headed out the door around midday, and ran the mile or so to the nearby woods and lake. I had a rough idea of a route (was aiming for around 4 miles), and decided to keep the pace nice and slow - didn't want to tire myself out before the long run. I often forget to appreciate the lovely countryside around where I live - I much prefer running through woodland than on the pavements and I'm lucky enough to have plenty of it round here. Most of it is Army training land, so there are lots of these signs around!


After looping round the lake, I headed home. Isn't it pretty?


I really enjoyed this run. All of my runs for the past couple of months have been focussed on building distance (long runs), going faster (time trials), going at someone else's pace (club runs) or being quick (lunchtime runs!), so it was really nice just to 'run'.

Length: 4.65 miles/4 miles
Time: 55:40
Pace: 11:58 min/mile

Week 6 Training Plan

Not long to go now!

Tuesday: General run - 4 miles (Running Club)
Friday: Easy run - 2.5 miles
Sunday: Long run - 12 miles

Weekly Total: 18.5 miles

Week 5 Run 3 - Much Better!

Well after last week's disastrous 'long' run, I was hoping for a better one today. I'd planned out a 10 mile route, and so off I set.

Took a couple of miles to get into it (which annoyingly always seems to be the case), but relaxed into it and felt really good for miles 3-8. Legs started to tire towards the end, and there was more walking than I'd have liked, but I managed to complete the whole route. I actually added in a little loop in the middle, so it ended up being 11 miles.

I took my ipod with me today, but knowing the battery was low, decided to start off without it (they're not allowed at Bath Half), I didn't use it until the last 1.5 miles, when I was getting very tired, but hopefully by that point the crowd will pull me round without the need for music.

I didn't run the whole way, and I didn't go very fast, but on the back of today's run, a half marathon doesn't seem like a totally ridiculous idea. I know I'll have to walk parts of it, and that I'll be towards the back, but feeling much more confident that I'll actually finish!

Length: 11 miles/10 miles
Time: ~2hrs 20mins
Pace: 12:42 min/mile
Half Marathon Time: 2hrs 48mins (based on this run - provided by Fetcheveryone.com)

Week 5 Run 2: Another PB!

Went to the new ParkRun again today, for the first 'official' one. After last week's 'PB', I wanted to try and match the time. Because last week was a test run, a few of us took a wrong turning (due to a missing sign!), which ended up being a bit of a shortcut, but then we sort of doubled up on ourselves. The point being that I couldn't be 100% sure whether I'd actually run 5km - it could have been a bit over or under. So this week, (following the directions properly!) I wanted to make sure that I actually had improved on my PB.

I started off quite quickly, but managed to maintain that pace for the first lap (of the two lap course), wo I ran that in 14:50 - on target for the PB. I slowed down a bit on the second lap, but kept making a conscious effort to up my pace (it seems so natural to slow down a bit, and sometimes I find this happens almost without realising it). I hadn't started my HRm at exactly the right time, so had to wait for the official results to come through on email.

Before last weeks unofficial PB, my 5km PB stood at 31:52, last week's time was 31:18 and today's time was (drumroll please!) 30:10!

I'm so pleased - almost 110 seconds off my PB, the first sub-10 minute mile race I've ever run and I now I know that a sub-30 time is well within my reach! :D

I also got a free Nite Vision reflective bib as it was the first race - which was a nice surprise at the end. :)

Length: 3.1 miles/3.1 miles
Time: 30:10
Pace: 9:42 min/mile

Week 5 Run 1: Much Better :)

After the horrendous run on Sunday, tonight's run has restored my faith in running. :)

There wasn't anything overly amazing about it, but it was a good distance, a good pace and some good conversations!

I'm very fortunate that at my running club, there is a large group on Tuesdays, so I usually able to choose from 4 groups to go out with; run-walkers, ~4.5 miles, ~5.5 miles, ~6 miles (fast paced, sometimes with hills!). I usually go out with the 4.5 mile group, which is around 11:30-12 minute miles, but last night I went out with the 5.5 mile group, which is closer to 10:30-11 minute miles, as I wanted to make up a bit of effort from Sunday's run!

The pace was good, challenging but not difficult, and we managed 6 miles, including a long, slow hill at the end.

Got chatting to a few others in the group, including one woman who is also training for her first half marathon (a week after mine). It was good to compare notes, and made me feel a bit less panicked, as her long runs are currently 7-8 miles and she's confident she'll get round, so I'm sure I will be fine (fingers crossed!)

Length: 6.0 miles/4 miles
Time: 1hr 14mins
Pace: Technically 12:16, due to the many roads and junctions we had to cross, but actually running pace was closer to 10:45-11 minute/miles

Week 5 Training Plan

The plan for week five is:

Tuesday: General run - 4 miles (Running Club)
Friday: Easy run - 3.1 miles
Or
Saturday: Tempo run - 5km (ParkRun)
Sunday: Long run - 10 miles

Weekly Total: 17.1 miles

Week 4 Run 3: Disasterous :(

Awful run today. I was so up for a nice long, slow run when I got up. But had a busy morning, which meant that by the time I got home, I needed to eat again before heading out as it had been about 4 hours since breakfast! So I had some lunch, then had to wait for that to digest, before finally setting off around 3pm.

I didn't even manage to get halfway round Fleet Pond (about 2km into the run) before stopping to walk, it had nothing to do with being out of breath, I just felt really tired, legs felt heavy etc. I forced myself to stay out for an hour, with a mixture of running and walking. Far, far too much walking. :(

I think it was a combination of heading out too late in the day and perhaps a bit of a hangover from the Parkrun the day before (running at race pace).

Really need to do a 10 miler next Sunday - there are only 3 Sundays before the race, and one of those will be taper week!

Length: 4.6 miles/10 miles
Time: 59 mins
Pace: 13:20 min/mile (told ya I walked lots!)
Half Marathon Time: 3hrs 06mins (based on this run - provided by Fetcheveryone.com)