Just back from Injury… OHR W4 again!

Thanks for the kind words all…  here is the picture from my first 5k race…  I have been laid off with injury for the last week.  (Bruised and inflamed around my big toe metatarsal)..

It has just occurred to me…  If you take a week off running for any reason, it can set you back 2 weeks.  The week off running and the week repeating a training week to ease back in…  The effect would be cumulative, with more time you take…  say you take 3 weeks off during a 12 week training cycle…  It means a 12 weeks program would take 18 weeks…  a sobering thought… 

…but better for me to have had this week off now than be forced to take 6 weeks off with a stress fracture.

I did my fitness test run yesterday and was a little sluggish, completed a nice slow 4.5K…  so onto Week4 OHR again!

Runningman

Do I look tired after my first ever race?

Well... that was fun

Race Report & Why I run OHR W3D3

Race Report – Princes Park 5K

This post is dedicated to Carol Brooks (rest in peace), my friends mother who recently lost her battle with Cancer

To be honest I was feeling somewhat directionless with my running until I completed this race.  The last week of c25K and these last 3 weeks of 30 minute runs within the framework of the ‘One Hour Runner Program’ felt kind of flat.  For me there was a slight lull in enthusiasm after the high of finishing C25K.

All that changed for after completing my first 5K road race on Sunday.  There were only about 100 runners or so, but all competing at different levels.

For the most part the vibe surrounding me was one of friendliness.   I got there one hour early so did a 1 km warm up, ate my breakfast (a banana) and just walked about soaking up the atmosphere of the race.

20 minutes before the race start the organisers popped on some meditation type music.  So I let everyone else continue talking and stretching, etc.  Finding a patch of grass, I assumed to cross-legged position, closed my eyes and focussed my mind on the race (this also helped settle the nerves and stomach also).

I planted myself at about 4/5ths of the way back at the start of the race.  I was already sweating as the weather was scorching for 8am.  Melbourne is just starting to move into the hottest part of Summer now.

The gun fired and I had my first experience of walking towards the start line as the front-runners slowly moved out to the course proper, then I was running! Unbelievable, I must have passed about 20 people, I felt my pace was my own and was happy with it…  After about 1 km, I noticed the people around me started to become neither much slower than, nor faster than myself, so I fell into a rhythm in a group for the next km or so.  At about Km 3 my breathing had calmed down and I felt in a nice groove.  I started keeping pace with another runner who was travelling at faster than my normal training pace and who had passed my clump of runners…  ‘I’m going to be this guys shadow’ I thought to myself.  I took off and matched him in stride and movement.  Mirroring him and being drawn along by his pace.  I was feeling good.  I made it to the finished exhausted but happy with my best time ever of 27 minutes and 10 seconds.   Well beyond my expectations.  I guess my goal now is to break to 25 minute barrier.

Thoughts on Running

Running can fill you with mixed emotions.  If you take away the physical and just look at the intellectual, spiritual and emotional side, it will always leave you with something extra to ponder.

We are always either moving towards or away from things in our life.  Even staying still, by default, will cause us one of these two directions.  Running gives me an a physical outlet to these comings and goings of my mind.

I can run from a hard day or emotional stress.  I can run into my anger and sometimes through it.  I can run towards a future-self, where such things as health, vitality and the will to achieve is commonplace.

The run, for me, is an exercise in symbolism as much as exertion.   It is a means by which I both punish and reward myself.  For in doing so, I give positive growth because before there may have just been stagnation.

OHR – Week 2 completed – brand new year

Completed Day 3 today.  1st run of the year!  Did my usual park run.  Let me just say there were about 3 times the number of people out there!  I suspect a few New Years Resolutions coming into play!   It’s all good…  I hope they can stick it out at this wonderful sport.

The good news…  I am running 30 minutes again.  Distance travelled is as follows.

Day 1 – 4.8km

Day 2 – 4.9km

Day 3 – 5.2km

These distances are estimated based on the use of MAP MY RUN & COOL RUNNING PACE CALCULATOR…  two great sites to help calculate pace and distance travelled…

That aside, I am just pleased to be running 30 minutes again.  I guess next week is my last week of 30 minute runs and then the program will start ramping up…  ouch…

I have just joined a running group here in Melbourne who seem to get together about once or twice per month on Sundays for various fun runs, so something to look forward to.

By big 5K road race next Sunday 10th January.  Wahoo!  It’s going to be strange running with a crowd, race number, etc…

Oh I’ve just started keeping a proper log of my runs, I wonder how many miles I’ll rack up in 2010?

Interlude – Butterfly Ball – Happy New Year

My first non-running post.  I am 37 now… grew up in the 70’s & 80’s.  I had a dream last night about this song from my childhood which woke me up at 4am, so i popped on the net for an hour to find it.

I remember seeing this clip played all the time on ABC TV(Australian Broadcasting corporation)  around 1980-82.  It has always been floating in the back of my mind.  All I had to go on was that there was a singing frog!  Anyway hope it brings back some memories for anyone who might come across it!

OHR – Week 1 – Complete – well sort of

My thoughts on week one are- why is this so difficult all of the sudden?

As I have previously stated my day 1 run went OK…  But Day 2 and 3 were all over the shop.

Day two: Did not make the 30 minutes!

Ran 4.8K in 28 minutes (had to walk for 2 minutes of that 28).. that’s a 5.50 pace in km (9.23 in miles).  But what’s with needing to walk?  Is is possible that my week off had a negative impact on my endurance?  It would seem so with these walking breaks I keep punctuating my runs with…  It is either that or mentally I am not finding the strength to push through.  I mean I was running 30 minutes without walking during the c25k, so what has changed..  sheesh.

I was happily moving along through my park route, just hitting 28 minutes, smiling at passers-by…  I had to stop short as I was nearly attacked by a dog…   Well I thought I was…  I had the headphones in but over the noise in my headphones heard this sudden   growling at my ankles just behind me…  As it turns out the dog was going for a ball not me and probably perceived my as competition for said ball.  What makes me angry was the bloke I had passed only moments before decided that from the entire park it would be a good idea to throw the ball towards the back of the runner who had just passed by!  I mean who does that!  Why do that?  Such stupidity.  What a turkey, it put me right off my running during the critical last few minutes when I usually try to bring it home strong.  I tell you what through the adrenaline was unbelievable!  I had some strong words to say to that fella.

Day 3: Did not make the 30 minutes!

Only manged 25min 30sec again sprinkled with 2 minutes of walking…  I must be going a bit fast but its seems like a comfortable pace.  Ran for the first 15 minutes at a 5.30 pace km (8.50 mile).  Then just unexpectedly lost my steam and walked for 2 minutes and finally ended up at 25.30 minutes before stopping completely…  Pace ended up at 5.40 km (9.07 mile).

I think the lesson here is I am just running at a pace that is far to quick for my current fitness level.  My legs are fine, it’s my lungs that can not cope.  Strangely, the pace is one that feels right, when I go much slower my gate just feels weird and uncoordinated…

Don’t get me wrong I am pleased, the progress from 10 weeks ago is phenomenal but one can’t help feeling annoyed when things don’t go to plan!  And yes I am continuing on to week 2, despite the hiccups this week.  I just hope that this week is just a result of not having run for a week between c25k and OHR…

Anyway onwards and upwards!  I have 2 weeks until my rescheduled first 5K race so am praying to make it all work by then..  Peace..  Runningman.

Goodbye C25K hello One Hour Runner

Well hello again…  My plans for my graduation 5K race, did not occur.  It’s a long story.  Nevertheless I have completed the c25k program, so I am pleased with that.  It’s a pity as I was really looking forward to my first road race…  I have scheduled in another road race for 10th January, so will have to settle with that.

On the positive side I have just completed my first run of the OHR program after taking a 1 week siesta from running.  It went fine.  As usual I struggled during the first few Kms until my breathing calmed down…

My first OHR was in a different area, I was up visiting Mum and Dad who live in regional Victoria.  Running along those long roads, with hardly any people around was wonderful.  The gravel was crunching under my feet and the air was chill and country fresh…  A little different from running in a park surrounded by suburbia.

Ran for 32 minutes with a little sprint at the end…  I have no idea how far I travelled as could not map my run as usual but I’ll assume it was around the 5K distance.  3 weeks of extra training at 30 minute runs should leave me in a an even better position for my eventual road race!

I think taking the week off between these two programs was wise, although I’ll admit to feeling a little guilty about it and somewhat edgy at times.  I guess it’s true running can be addictive.  But I can see how people take time off and then forget about running altogether.  My advise is time off is great, just don’t make a habit of it.

It’s going to be a little strange limiting myself to 30 minute runs over the next 3 weeks, rather than the incremental improvement I am used to.  But my philosophy on following a program precisely has evened out a little.  If I feel like pushing it for a few extra minutes here or there I don’t see that being detrimental, conversely if I need a 60 second walk in a middle of a run, I’ll take it…    Important just to listen to your body and stay within the reasonable bounds of a training program…

Thanks to the support of all my fellow C25Kers.
Runningman

C25K – Week 9 Day 2

Today’s run was a nightmare, I seem to have one really bad run every few weeks… today was the day.  On the bright side, hopefully it means my graduation run tomorrow will go OK… “The Williamstown Foreshore Run”.

I made the mistake of looking at last years results, my current times put me about 2 thirds back in the pack (so this is where I’ll start from)…  There are very fast runners out there!  Last year they had about 150 people, so it’s not a huge event but should be scenic and enjoyable…  It’s an early start 8.00 am, I plan to arrive about 7ish so I can complete registration and do my warm ups…  To get to Williamstown I will probably have to leave my house at about 6am, so up at 5.30! just to be safe…

My main goal is to just complete the run, however because it is

1.  In the morning

2. a course with which I am not familiar

3.  I will be running in a pack.

I am hoping for a 30 minute finish (revised from 28 minutes).

Who would have thought I would complete the program, it’s astonishing.  It means I have completed 20% of my training goals to go from couch to marathon in 11 months..

1. C25K  (9 Weeks)

one week off

2. OHR (One Hour Runner) (10 Weeks)

one week off

3. Hal Higdon’s half marathon program.  (12 weeks)

one week off

4. Hal Higdon’s full marathon program. (18 weeks)

Melbourne Marathon OCTOBER 2010

So my next Report will be after graduation on Sunday!!

Nova Marathon Challenge – an inspirational movie

The above movie was the seed of my inspiration for running.  Time to get off that couch?

C25K – Week 9 Day 1 – The clock is ticking

Some Random thoughts

I am so excited to be in my final week of this program.  I called up an old friend from my high school days.  He was always the fit one of the group and has actually done a marathon last year in a time of  in 3 hours 50 minutes.  An amazing effort to do a sub four in your first Marathon!  He had lots of great advice for my first road race this Sunday, what to eat, where to place myself in the pack, etc.   By far the best thing he gave me was his enthusiastic recounting of his own Marathon experience, the emotion of it, what it meant to him and the manner in which he completed it…  There is no substitute for anecdotal accounts from  real life…  It is this especially that contributes to my continued enthusiasm for this sport.   Sad I have only discovered it now.  Having just turned 37 and about to complete my first road-race…  I should take some personal pride in that!

Anyway my run…

Conditions: Cool, 16 C, light smattering of rain, occasional breaks of brief sunshine.  My track was busy.  Lots of power walkers and young families pushing prams, kids on BMX bikes, showing off for anyone they thought might watch.

I ran well, purposefully went out slower, wanting to finish strong, in this and my next run, I am treating as dress rehearsals for my 5K race.  Ran 30 minutes, travelled 5.3 K.  Translates to a 5.39 minute per km (9.06 minutes per mile) pace…  Reasonable, considering my improvement in distance travelled.  All this talk about pace, etc didn’t mean to much to me when I started and it still doesn’t really, just another stat…  But it’s good to get to grips with some of the terminolgy runner use as I move along my own running journey.

I want to complete the next run in a similar time and perhaps tack an extra 5 minutes on the end, just because I can…   and it will leave me also with 2 full rest days before the big day!

Just shouting again to all those fellow runners, reading my posts and offering support.  Runners really are a gracious lot when you think about it.  They maybe potentially be competitive but they are also very humble and supportive of their compatriots.

Runningman, Melbourne, Australia, The World, The Universe.  Galactic Postcode unknown.