A January record!

If you'd told me back in Sept/Oct 09 that I would have run 237kms in January, I would have had a laughing fit! Never in my wildest imagination (and it's not beyond me to have a wild imagination!) would I have ever dreamed of being able to run that much, and yet I have!
I'm just so over the moon about this and maybe only another runner would understand, that's why I'm gushing about it here and trying to keep it to myself in real life!

I was thinking about the run I'd do this morning last night, and mapped out a tentative route. I didn't want to do the usual route but didn't want to stray to far from it either, in case I craved the familiarity while I was out running and wanted to go back to it. Don't know if that makes sense to anyone else but...

So I figured I'd head out and if I felt good, would go for about 15kms. If I felt tired or taxed, I wanted to do at least 12kms and see what happened....


The first part was downhill and in fact, something kinda funny happened. I was running along a main road so it was a little noisy (I normally steer clear of main roads but today was a 'do something different day') and being that it was the start of my run, and downhill like I mentioned, I was doing a good pace. Well, I was approaching the driveway of a house with a high fence and just as I hit the driveway, a guy, another runner, was running OUT of the driveway to start his run.
What are the chances???

It really had the potential to be quite brutal. We both stopped and did bump into each other but luckily had stopped quick enough so that there wasn't any damage.
We both laughed at our own stupidity for not looking or being careful and went on our way.
Luckily it wasn't worse!

And as always, I didn't start to feel comfortable until about the 5kms mark. That was when I knew I'd be going for 15kms at least. I was running close to my regular route, but far enough that it was different and interesting.

The last 1/2 kilometre was along the regular route and I picked up my pace and finished well.

There were so many people at the beach! And the weather was just perfect. It felt so good to be there.

There is NOTHING like the feeling I get when I've finished a run. I know I've accomplished something and I can sit back and relax and enjoy it.

And as I treat, I stopped at the local foodland on the way home and bought lots of fruit. Watermelon, rockmelon, honeydew, strawberries, pears, peaches, kiwi fruit... etc, for a huge fruit salad for lunch today!
Can't wait!

237kms for January!!! WOO HOO!

After a two break...

I don't know why, but after a little break (two days in this case) I always think I've lost my fitness. I feel like I won't be able to run. I feel like I'll get out there and will have to stop before the first kilometre is done!
I don't know why that happens...

Of course, once I get into it, usually at about the five kilometre mark, I start to feel good and just zone out and enjoy what I'm doing. If I allow myself to dwell on those feelings though, I can get a little frantic.

I was going to do a 10kms run this morning but seeing as I'm working Wednesday and won't be able to run, I figured I'd try for 12kms over the four days till Wednesday and today was the first of those. Then if I can throw in an extra treadmill run Thursday night that will add to my weekly total.

So apart from the start of my run today, everything else went fine. I felt pretty good once it was over.
The body is feeling good.

I aggravated the blister on my left foot last week and that's bothering me slightly but it's nowhere near as deep as it had been so it's not really that bad.

All in all, a good start to the next four consecutive running days.

Ear Infection

Well I now realise why my run yesterday was so hard... Turns out I had an ear and gland infection from an infected tooth! No wonder I was run down...

I ended up going to the doctors yesterday (yes on Australia Day) and got some antibiotics for it... so I slept a little better last night and the run this morning was ok. It was only a treadmill run so it wasn't exciting but I still did my kms and my time.

I now I have a two day break before I run again so hopefully my body will continue to heal well.

Oh, and a dentist visit is booked for Monday!!

WOO HOO!! Personal record reached!

Ok it may not be much to a lot of you seasoned runners but I've reached a personal best for kms run per month. I'm at the 200kms mark for the month, with three more scheduled running days to go, and if I do my regular 10kms run, that will give me 230 for January!

Having said that, today's run was really hard! I don't know why as the conditions were perfect! I got out to my starting point at the beach and just started, no matter how bad I was feeling. I figured I wouldn't worry about my speed and just do the distance. At the 2kms mark, I saw a running group going the other way. They were just starting their run. I have to say, I didn't get the feeling that I wished I was part of them. I just can't see myself getting into that but maybe I'm still new to it all.

So I was running on automatic, thinking it will be easier, and I'll be in "the zone" at about the five kms mark... It never happened!
It was tough the whole way even though I knew I'd be cracking the 200kms mark if I finished the scheduled distance.

And let me say this, it's only January but there are too many fearless magpies out on the road for my liking!!! Though they're not swooping, they have no fear! They'll be on the footpath as I run by and won't move an inch! I'm normally the one who crosses the road and hope to god they don't sense my fear!
Yes I'm a wuss when it comes to those birds and if anything will drive me back to the treadmill in Winter when they're swooping, it's magpies!

The good thing about my run this morning, apart from reaching 200kms for the month, is that I thought I was going really slow but ended up clocking an average run speed of 11kms/hour according to my garmin. Even though that's really slow for some other runners, that's acceptable for me and over 12.6kms it's not too bad. As I've said before, I'm not a young chicken anymore and I only re took up running last September/October...

So I'm proud of myself this morning but tomorrow's a new day!

Treadmill Running (Yawn)

While a few entries back I wrote that I enjoyed my early morning run, the last two runs on the treadmill have been excruciatingly boring.

I ran 10kms today and yesterday. I did it mainly to give the joints a bit of a break from the road running I've been doing and it's been wonderful for that! So the treadmill does have it's good points but unless there's something good to watch on tv the time tends to drag and I usually turn to "counting" to while away the time...

I wonder if anyone else does that???

I count four steps to a count. 270 counts in a kilometre... So if I have two kilometres left to go, I count down from 540... It takes my mind off what I'm doing and I can count down without really thinking about it so before I know it I'm down to the last hundred and almost finished....

I hope I haven't just revealed something strange about me!!

On another topic, I'm heading for a record running month this month! I'm stoked about that!
I've already hit my record but I'm going for over 200kms now.
I'm up to 187.4kms for the month so all I'd have to do was to run a 13kms tomorrow and I'll be over the 200 mark!

I don't think I'll get close in February as there's only 28 days and towards the end of March is when we're leaving for over seas so I don't think I'll crack a record there either, so January will be my glory month...

Back On The Road

This morning I was back on the road for my regular beach run.
I don't know why every time I get out after a day or two break, I feel like I can't run anymore. I doubt my ability.
I don't give in to it but the feelings are always there and I wonder if that's what actually motivates me to run (to prove that I actually can)

So with garmin on wrist I head off.

Instead of doing the regular 10.2kms route though, I decided to go a bit longer and went for 16kms this morning. The first four or five kms were tough as always. Seems to take me that many kms before my body is warmed up and I'm actually in the zone and enjoying it.

On the way back I was against a stiffish breeze but it didn't bother me too much this morning and kept the sweat from pouring into my eyes.

The last two kms were great. I don't know if it's because those last few kms are along the esplanade, or if it's because I'm at the end of my run, but I just love that last stretch. That feeling you get when you make it to the end is amazing.

It's supposed to be heating up here in Adelaide in the next few days so I'll probably keep it to 10.2kms for the next four runs.

And I'm still heading for a record total for January which I'm also very happy about!

Time to hit the shower...

Peaceful stillness of early morning

I ran this morning as planned (in my last blog entry) and after a very strange night I might add!!! It wasn't too hard to get up after the disturbing dreams I'd been having!

The alarm woke me at 4.55am. I jumped out of bed. Everything was so still and so quiet! It was almost magical.I got my running gear on before my mind had started working I think!
Hubby was still out working (didn't expect him till about 5.30am) and the kids are still away so it was just me in the quiet house.

Today was NOT a scheduled run day but an "extra" so I only did an easy six kms. As I thought might happen, by the time I got to the end I wished I'd set the treadmill for more kms but never mind...

While I'm on the treadmill, I like to watch SBS movies with subtitles so I make sure I tivo any coming up. I watch those movies so that I don't have to have the sound up so loud (to compete with the treadmill's loudness).
I'm sure my neighbours wouldn't have wanted to hear my television at that time of the morning. I've watched many interesting movies that I wouldn't have otherwise seen this way!

It was so relaxing I think I'll do it again next time I have the chance.

Goals

I've been reading articles about other runners and snooping about various forums, and it's apparent that an average runner can quickly become disheartened!

Today I was reading about a seventy something woman who had just completed a half marathon in 1 hour and 47 minutes... something like that. Whatever the time was, it was in less time than I'd run it!

Granted, I was competing, and only just running the distance off my own back... and it's something that I've only JUST accomplished so I'm not trying to be too hard on myself, but every time I start to think I'm doing ok, I come across amazing people!

When I read on these forums how much some people are running and look at these incredible times they're doing, I feel like such a fake!

But I'm not going to let it discourage me. My ultimate goal is not speed or to win races. In fact, I'm not that hyped up about racing at all.
It might change, but right now, what matters most to me is just finishing! Just going the distance...

Tomorrow morning I've scheduled an extra "easy" run. I've got the house to myself so I thought I'd take advantage and do an early morning treadmill run.
I normally hate the treadmill but it's only going to be six kms and the tv will be on and I'll just zone out and run...

It'll loosen my limbs a bit.

Funny how much I'm looking forward to it...

Tuesday 19th January

This morning I did my "standard" run.
Since I've started running again, what's been "standard" has increased by a small percentage every week.
Right now, my standard run is 10kms.
The road course I've mapped out is really quite a good one. It starts off with 3kms along the esplanade so I have pretty ocean views, then goes into the suburbs but in such a way, that I don't even realise that I'm running.
I've got set points all along the way and mentally I think "well it's just that point, then that point, then the esplanade and I'm back at my car!"
Running is all about having the right mindset mentally.

Since I've been running with my garmin I feel like I have to keep to a certain standard and sometimes I don't like that pressure. I do it to myself!
So I start of strong then soon get a little tired and pull it back a bit, but then I make myself go faster again because I don't want to have a disappointing garmin result. You can't fool your garmin!

Anyway today I ran the fastest I have for a while. I averaged 11kms/hour according to the garmin.

By the time I was doing the last 3kms along the esplanade I was feeling comfortable and happy that I had managed to stay the course once again.

I was given an ipod holder, you know the ones you attach on your arm, to run with. I've used it twice now but goddam that thing annoys me because as I run, it twists, and the ear plug cord twists and comes out of my ear. It's not fun! I have to work out another solution or go back to using the bum bag ... which I really don't want to do!

My next set run now isn't until Saturday. That feels a very long time away. I might sneak in a treadmill run Thursday night if hubby goes out.
See what happens!

Progress Report

Well I decided to start this blog because often I come back from a run and want to tell my significant other about all the ins and outs of it.

How I felt at kilometre one, two, three... etc etc...

And not being a runner himself, he's really not interested.

Even if he was, what would he care about the details of my run?

So I figured a blog would be a good place to record all those things I want to say about my run and my training.


First a bit of background.

I've been running off and on for the last ten years.

About September 2009, I started again, using the super duper treadmill we have at home.
Because it had been a good year at least since I'd run, I found my fitness level to be quite depressing and at that point was struggling to run a kilometre!

Luckily I persisted though and within a short few months, have progressed more than I ever would have dreamed.

On January 3rd, I achieved a lifetime goal. I ran a half marathon!
I wrote about that experience in my Musings blog...

Then on January 16th, taking myself by surprise because I never planned for it, I ran it again!
I say I never planned for it because I went out that day intending to run about 10kms... then thought if I feel good, I'll do 16... and while I was on the way to halfway mark of my 16kms route, I realised I could go a few more kms and make it another half marathon.

So that's where I am at the moment and I hope this blog will be filled! Not because I want to brag about running, but because I want to keep running, and not allow this to be another fad that I get into, then lose interest in.