I hate getting sick. I had such a great workout on Monday and then I woke up on Tuesday morning feeling slightly out of sorts. By Lunchtime my eyes were streaming and my throat swollen. By the time I left the office at the end of the day all I was good for was bed.
I really hoped to get a fast 5k in this week. It is now Thursday and I still feel like crap. My flight out is late tomorrow so I wont get a workout in tomorrow either.
Being sick sucks!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Where does time go?
When I started running a few years ago, I was fat. And i had more time.
When i think back to those days, I had loads of time to train and I worked hard. Only, I didnt know very much about training. Knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't have done so many slow miles. I did a lot of 10k runs. Slow and steady. These were a great to start to build up some stamina, but when I was marathon training for my first full, I had loads of time on my hands, I wasn't travelling for work and I was bored a lot. I didnt think about Fartlek or intervals or even basic strength training.
These days, this is all I think about. They key to this sentence is the word "think because I am sitting in a hotel room in Jakarta having just taken an hour out to do a run and have just noticed that it is almost the end of March and I have not been running "EVERY DAY" like i used too... where does time go? Now all I seem to have time for is my standard 5k or 10k's building up my stamina and base. Not that that is a bad thig, but I have to find a way to do more.
My run this evening was great. I warmed up with 1500m slow jog and then a good stretch. Then I jumped back on the treadmill and did a full 60 mins at 10k per hour with a low steady heartbeat. Nice! I felt great and at no point did i weaken, or get tired or feel any sort of fatigue in my legs. I think this might be a sign to step it up. I even had enough energy left to do three sets of twenty push ups at the end whilst I was stretching out my calves and hamstrings. This is the sort of evening after-work workout I need to do more of.
Wednesday I am planning to go for a 22 minute 5k. I must remember to drink loads of water on Tuesday and Wednesday!
When i think back to those days, I had loads of time to train and I worked hard. Only, I didnt know very much about training. Knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't have done so many slow miles. I did a lot of 10k runs. Slow and steady. These were a great to start to build up some stamina, but when I was marathon training for my first full, I had loads of time on my hands, I wasn't travelling for work and I was bored a lot. I didnt think about Fartlek or intervals or even basic strength training.
These days, this is all I think about. They key to this sentence is the word "think because I am sitting in a hotel room in Jakarta having just taken an hour out to do a run and have just noticed that it is almost the end of March and I have not been running "EVERY DAY" like i used too... where does time go? Now all I seem to have time for is my standard 5k or 10k's building up my stamina and base. Not that that is a bad thig, but I have to find a way to do more.
My run this evening was great. I warmed up with 1500m slow jog and then a good stretch. Then I jumped back on the treadmill and did a full 60 mins at 10k per hour with a low steady heartbeat. Nice! I felt great and at no point did i weaken, or get tired or feel any sort of fatigue in my legs. I think this might be a sign to step it up. I even had enough energy left to do three sets of twenty push ups at the end whilst I was stretching out my calves and hamstrings. This is the sort of evening after-work workout I need to do more of.
Wednesday I am planning to go for a 22 minute 5k. I must remember to drink loads of water on Tuesday and Wednesday!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
A new lease of life
In the last week of February I read a few blogs about running. I spent a couple of hours going through the different sites clikcing link to link reading about different peoples amazing adventures and their individual spirits of competitiveness and focus. The time invested did 2 things for me: it gave me a really good boost to get back on it and start to increase the miles and sign up for some races; and it reminded me that for most of the world's population, completing a marathon is an amazing feat in itself. Of all the people who do complete a marathon, the minority who go sub-four hours (never mind sub three hours) are all amzingly fit/and or have the time to run 15 hours a week and/or are freaks of nature. That being said, 3:45:00 is not impossible - i just need to remind myself when I read some of these blogs that I need to stop comparing my routine to theirs and ensure that I have a training regime that works for me.
The one thing that the blogs did do for me was to remind me of the importance of good steady base-building. I was reading a blog (and i am sorry that I cannot remember the reference) but he recorded he bpm, pace and time for every run. He was building a really solid base by putting in the slow miles, 145 bpm at a time.
I am writing this today from a hotel in Singapore where I have just been for my second outdoor-run of the week. Good solid sixty minute runs, moderate pace, low bpm and it feels great. I need to do more of this. I had also forgotten how much I like running in and around the botanic gardens in Singapore. I was amazed at how many other runners were out! It has been six months since I moved from Singapore and I miss living here!!
The one thing that the blogs did do for me was to remind me of the importance of good steady base-building. I was reading a blog (and i am sorry that I cannot remember the reference) but he recorded he bpm, pace and time for every run. He was building a really solid base by putting in the slow miles, 145 bpm at a time.
I am writing this today from a hotel in Singapore where I have just been for my second outdoor-run of the week. Good solid sixty minute runs, moderate pace, low bpm and it feels great. I need to do more of this. I had also forgotten how much I like running in and around the botanic gardens in Singapore. I was amazed at how many other runners were out! It has been six months since I moved from Singapore and I miss living here!!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
February Dismal Stats
I have swum two and a half times: about 3400m in total
I have been out for one mountain bike ride.
I have not been out on my road bike at all.
I have been doing my push ups (the only real positive in February)
I have run 7 times with a total of about 62k.
This I feel is pathetic.March has GOT to be better if I want to do those PBs
I have been out for one mountain bike ride.
I have not been out on my road bike at all.
I have been doing my push ups (the only real positive in February)
I have run 7 times with a total of about 62k.
This I feel is pathetic.March has GOT to be better if I want to do those PBs
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A blog to follow
A few months ago I found and started to follow Soctt Dunlap's brilliant blog about Trail Running, and the various road races he enters. Wow that guy is fast and always seems so happy! Anyway, i have been feeling a little out of sorts with my training so far, especially this month. Whenever I need a boost of motivation I read his blog. The post i just read about a recent 1:14 half marathon really makes me want to get out my trainers and start running again
you can read his post here
you can read his post here
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
ONE HUNDRED PUSH UPS (part ii)
I have been doing this routine (from their website) now for three weeks and it is amazing how much better i am getting already. This morning I did the following set:
22 (45 second break)
30 (120 second break)
20 (120 second break)
20 (100 second break)
31
My arms are now dead-weights pulling at my sides, but i really feel that this workout is helping me with my swimming. I jumped in the pool last night and did a warm up of 300m. I then took about two minutes and a couple of good mouthfuls of gatorade before going back and doing a straight steady set of 1000m without the normal arm and shoulder fatigue i normal suffer from. Of all of the triathlon distances, this is the one that I really need to work on but the push ups seem to be making a big difference.
As a note of caution, last week i did my push ups before getting into the poll and i lasted about 400m in total and simply had nothing left in my arms- NOT a good morale booster!
22 (45 second break)
30 (120 second break)
20 (120 second break)
20 (100 second break)
31
My arms are now dead-weights pulling at my sides, but i really feel that this workout is helping me with my swimming. I jumped in the pool last night and did a warm up of 300m. I then took about two minutes and a couple of good mouthfuls of gatorade before going back and doing a straight steady set of 1000m without the normal arm and shoulder fatigue i normal suffer from. Of all of the triathlon distances, this is the one that I really need to work on but the push ups seem to be making a big difference.
As a note of caution, last week i did my push ups before getting into the poll and i lasted about 400m in total and simply had nothing left in my arms- NOT a good morale booster!
Monday, February 15, 2010
weeks in summary
Two weeks have gone by and I am trying to remind myself occassionally to post on this blog. I havent given the address to many people, but i do need to remind myself that I am writing about running as much as a reminder to run as anything else.
I have run about 30k in two weeks and had a good swim. I am not trying to bust it and am very much focussed on getting back in shape and building up my base. In the same two weeks, I have spent a few days in Beijing in China where I was able to get a couple of good runs in (8k and 10k) and finshed at the end of the week with a 23.54 5k which is not too shabby.
I have run about 30k in two weeks and had a good swim. I am not trying to bust it and am very much focussed on getting back in shape and building up my base. In the same two weeks, I have spent a few days in Beijing in China where I was able to get a couple of good runs in (8k and 10k) and finshed at the end of the week with a 23.54 5k which is not too shabby.
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