Week 5 - Knowing I have to make the time... ("you can't cheat your legs")
Week 5 - Jan 30th - Feb 5th
I had a cracking time skiing. One of the biggest bonuses is to have returned to London largely injury-free. I was worried about breaking my proverbial leg, but happily not. The long weekend away with the lads (James & John) was a cracking mix of boozing and skiing. But obviously no chance of running... so time for renewed focus.
‘You can’t cheat your legs’. Time to get running again. The week didn’t start great as I logistically could only work out a way to go running twice during the week but the key, according to the book at least, was to ensure I did my first 10-miler. TEN miles!!
Run 1 - On the Treadmill
Back on the treadmill… object of 3 miles. The guilt of having missed so many days running incentivised me to push myself. Ran at the 8.5 setting, so managed to do the 3 miles in 23 and a half minutes.
Run 2 - 5 miles in Clapham South
Using my favourite toy in the wRun 1 - On the Treadmill, I mapped out five miles around Clapham Souff. It took me a bit of time to get my strength up – remember, when it used to be called Thirsty Thursdays – but I knew I had to do it. I found the first couple of miles pretty hard going, looking at my watch and balking at only 20 minutes being gone. That said, I still felt ok and kept pushing myself. Running round familiar turf where I’ve driven around quite a bit is quite nice and I tried to take in some of the sights round Battersea and Clapham. I went for it at the end and hit my objective (set during the course of the run!) of breaking 45-minutes and 9-minute miles. I did it and it felt great! To the unsuspecting reader, this may not sound too impressive but, for me, it felt great. Now for that ten-miler…
Saturday afternoon – My first 10 mile run
Up in Newcastle for the weekend, the first challenge was to map out a course whereby I didn’t get lost! I set out to go from Devika’s flat, along the coast road and loop my way back. 10-and-a-bit miles, if I could do it. It was meant to be a Saturday morning jobby to get it out of the way for us to watch the rugby but various bits and pieces meant I didn’t set out till after the Ireland-Italy game and so I’d miss England-Wales. The sacrifices of being “a runner” eh!!
Cheered on by Devika, I set off. As seems to be the way for me, I didn’t find the beginning that easy. The first couple of miles were tough. Calculating what twenty minutes was a percentage of my total run wasn’t exactly the best way to keep going but I knew I had to do it… if nothing else, so that I could get back to D’s flat! The book talks about creating mental images for yourself, including one of being cheered on by friends & family during the race and at the finish line. Whilst I thought it was all a bit cringey and cheesy when I read it, I did actually think about it on a couple of occasions and it does give you that little push. I reached roughly the half-way mark and actually felt a bit of a serge. Running for almost fifty minutes, I was still able to inject some energy into my run. Positive thinking. Long distrance running really does seem to be a battle you need to win in your head. At about 8 miles, it began to hurt a bit. My right hamstring and quads in particular. Kept going and, after 1:35.36, I made it back to Devika’s flat! WOO HOO! Lots of stretching later and a glorious Man Utd victory on the box, it was time to recoup and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
I had a cracking time skiing. One of the biggest bonuses is to have returned to London largely injury-free. I was worried about breaking my proverbial leg, but happily not. The long weekend away with the lads (James & John) was a cracking mix of boozing and skiing. But obviously no chance of running... so time for renewed focus.
‘You can’t cheat your legs’. Time to get running again. The week didn’t start great as I logistically could only work out a way to go running twice during the week but the key, according to the book at least, was to ensure I did my first 10-miler. TEN miles!!
Run 1 - On the Treadmill
Back on the treadmill… object of 3 miles. The guilt of having missed so many days running incentivised me to push myself. Ran at the 8.5 setting, so managed to do the 3 miles in 23 and a half minutes.
Run 2 - 5 miles in Clapham South
Using my favourite toy in the wRun 1 - On the Treadmill, I mapped out five miles around Clapham Souff. It took me a bit of time to get my strength up – remember, when it used to be called Thirsty Thursdays – but I knew I had to do it. I found the first couple of miles pretty hard going, looking at my watch and balking at only 20 minutes being gone. That said, I still felt ok and kept pushing myself. Running round familiar turf where I’ve driven around quite a bit is quite nice and I tried to take in some of the sights round Battersea and Clapham. I went for it at the end and hit my objective (set during the course of the run!) of breaking 45-minutes and 9-minute miles. I did it and it felt great! To the unsuspecting reader, this may not sound too impressive but, for me, it felt great. Now for that ten-miler…
Saturday afternoon – My first 10 mile run
Up in Newcastle for the weekend, the first challenge was to map out a course whereby I didn’t get lost! I set out to go from Devika’s flat, along the coast road and loop my way back. 10-and-a-bit miles, if I could do it. It was meant to be a Saturday morning jobby to get it out of the way for us to watch the rugby but various bits and pieces meant I didn’t set out till after the Ireland-Italy game and so I’d miss England-Wales. The sacrifices of being “a runner” eh!!
Cheered on by Devika, I set off. As seems to be the way for me, I didn’t find the beginning that easy. The first couple of miles were tough. Calculating what twenty minutes was a percentage of my total run wasn’t exactly the best way to keep going but I knew I had to do it… if nothing else, so that I could get back to D’s flat! The book talks about creating mental images for yourself, including one of being cheered on by friends & family during the race and at the finish line. Whilst I thought it was all a bit cringey and cheesy when I read it, I did actually think about it on a couple of occasions and it does give you that little push. I reached roughly the half-way mark and actually felt a bit of a serge. Running for almost fifty minutes, I was still able to inject some energy into my run. Positive thinking. Long distrance running really does seem to be a battle you need to win in your head. At about 8 miles, it began to hurt a bit. My right hamstring and quads in particular. Kept going and, after 1:35.36, I made it back to Devika’s flat! WOO HOO! Lots of stretching later and a glorious Man Utd victory on the box, it was time to recoup and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
posted by Vinay at 10:36 PM
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