Here goes....

Bally8

Thursday 11th June
3 miles in 28min 16 seconds. To say Im thrilled with this time is a total understatement. This is the fastest I've ran all year. I decided to just go for it and ran for 10 minutes, walked for 1, ran for 10 walked for 2 than ran the last few minutes home.

Friday 12th June
2.5 miles in 24mins. Again very happy with my time. Did the 10 mins running, 1 minute walking thing again.

Saturday 13th June
No cross training again today. I find it very easy to miss my cross training. This might be a problem when the marathon training starts. I have a terrible habit of saying to myself thats its only a walk so it doesnt matter if I miss it. Will have to change that kind of thinking.

chatoon

Well done on your training to date Bally8 - that's great running - you should be very proud of yourself... I know what you mean about the 'it's only a walk' thing, but it all helps with the training and will be so so so so worth it when you complete a marathon - keep it going, you're doing great....:D

Bally8

Thanks a mill chatoon, I really appreciate getting feedback on my training log:)

littlebug

Bally8 did you mention Streets of Galway somewhere?
if you're in the West you might be interested in the Boston Scientific 5k in July.
http://www.runireland.com/events/2009-07-22/boston-scientific-5km-race

If you look at last years results here http://www.galwaytriathlonclub.com/forum/forum.asp?Topic=1344

it looks like the kind of race that you or I wouldn't be out of place in... ie we wouldn't come last I wouldn't mind doing a proper 5k race to see how' I'd get on and it would be good preparation for SoG.

Bally8

Thanks littlebug, I will definately look into that. I have never done a 5k because I thought the pace would be way faster due to the shorter distance. As you said with the results from last year I wouldnt be left trying to catch up with everyone.

Its funny actually, I always try to get the results of past races before I run them so I can see if there is any hope of my not finishing last. As long as there are walkers I'll be fine though.

Oh just remembered Adare in 2007- I cam 5th last and ran the whole thing :eek:

Bally8

Sunday 14th June
3 miles -2 mins walking 7 mins running. Still finding it tough, cant say Im enjoying running while I do it but always feel good after its over:D

Tuesday 16th June
3 miles again 2 mins walking with 7 minute running for the whole route. It was hot hot hot this morning!

Munster_Gal

Well done Bally8

Bally8

Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th- 3 miles on both days as per HH Spring Training. Changed the route this time and enjoyed it more. Coming to end of 12 week plan. Looking forward and scared at the same time to starting the Marathon plan on the 22nd

Bally8

Saturday 20th June -Cross training
As usual I didnt find the time to get my 30 min walk in. I did however dance all night at an 80s fancy dress- does it count as cross training? On the flip side I was wearing 5" heels and got a blister on my toe and heel from them:(- oh and my knee was paining me at one stage. I only drank one vodka though as I knew I had a 6 mile run on Sunday.

Sunday 21st June
6 miles today. Had to do it on treadmill as no one could mind my daughter. Did 2 mins walk 7 min run. Was very enjoyable but hot hot hot again.


So now Im at the end of the 12 weeks of Spring Training. I did manage to make most of my runs. it is really only the cross training Im having problems getting to grips with. I do think I'll stick to the plan much better though from next week on.

12 weeks ago I was running 1 minute and walking for 3 while completing my routes, today im running 7 minutes and walking for 2. A good improvement if I say so myself:D

Bring on the Marathon training...

Ducky1

Hi Bally8 -Well done on completing the starter training for the marathon! I have only just joined on boards.ie as my husband told me that there were a few other beginner marathon runners posting.

having read your progress I don't feel so alone anymore in my training. Your updates have really motivated me!

I am on week 1 of Hal Higdons Marathon novice training and I must admit I am aching already. I have been in the gym for the last 4 months or so trying to get my fitness up as until recently i was unable to run for more than 5 mins...

Have so far managed with a struggle the first two 3 mile runs though my time is not the fastest. Its taking me nearly 40 mins to complete them. Due to work hours I have only ran on a treadmill so far ..saturday will be my first outdoor run ...6 miles... scares me just thinking of it!

am planning on signing up for the 10m in dublin in August... which hopefully I will be on track for by then... fingers crossed as really want to be able to cross the marathon finishing line in October.

best of luck with the training !!

Bally8

Hey Ducky1- welcome:) Believe me- you are not alone, there are a lot of us here in the same situation and thats whats great- the support is fantastic.

Dont be worrying about how long it took you to do your runs- its all about getting the milage up at this point not speed. You will be amazed at how quickly you will see improvements. I have only one of the 3 milers done so far- Im dreading going out after work- it waaaaayy too hot! Best of luck with it all, I would be very interested to see how you are getting on.

Ducky1

Thanks bally8... 3 runs down... 6 miles on saturday.. have never run that far in my life before.. will be some challenge!!

Bally8

Marathon Training Week 1 Monday 22nd June to Sunday 28th
Hectic week this week as I moved from Clare to Tipperary on Friday. Busy busy packing all week but Im delighted to report I managed to fit in all the sessions from Week 1 of HH Novice Training. 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all approx 29:30 minutes then a 4 mile walk yesterday in my new surroundings for my cross training. Just completed 6.2 miles on treadmill there, felt mostly good but a little niggle in my knee again. Im hoping its all in my mind though, Im so afraid my ITB issues will return.

Im really positive about the training and Im looking forward to seeing my progress. The only problem is how its affecting my body these last few days- my calves are so tight Im finding it hard to straighten up fully when I walk and Im creaking around the place. The soles of my feet also hurt- dont know whats up with that.

All in all an excellent week and Im looking forward to Week 2.

Bally8

Week 2
Tuesday 30th June - 3 miles on treadmill. 2 minutes walking at 4 miles per hour then 8 minutes running at 6 mph. It took me 32:40 (still slower than running outside). I was pretty happy with myself though as I used to run a bit at 5 then 5.5 and sometimes 6. I've decided from now on to do all my shorter mid-week runs at 6mph the slowest and then maybe 5.5 mph for my lsr. Of course that is only when I cant run outside and that usually only happens if I cant get a babysitter. I havent ran outside since I moved last Friday and I dont know any routes around here- its all very hilly bendy country roads. Tomorrow Im going to find a few routes and start back running outside in the air.

Bally8

Wednesday 1st July
3.2 miles in 31: 50 on a new route. Hated every minute of it, found it torture, dont know why. Nearly every part of my body hurt at one time or other from my stomach to my shins, calves, hamstrings. I did my strides- I think:eek:, well I tried my version from all that I've read on here.

So I'll just put today down to one of those bad days and move on. Im having a deep tissue massage with my physio tomorrow, hope it doesnt hurt too much

Bally8

Thursday 2nd July
An unscheduled rest day. Didnt get home till 7, went to watch my daughter playing a camogie match (come on Port under 10s!) till 8 then home to cook the dinner. By 9 I was wrecked and in now fit state to go for a run. I will do my 3 miles in the morning instead.

Went to my physio after work, he said my calves were very tight and showed me some stretches that might help. Then he brought on the pain . Hopefuly it will help.

Bally8

Friday 3rd July
Feel good today not half as tight in the calves as the last few days. I decided to try a new tactic with my runs. I warmed up with a slowish walk for a few minutes then stopped and stretched, did my 3 miles in 31:04 on treadmill then did a cool down walk then stretched again. Hopefully this will help with the stiff calves in future.

Going boozing tonight but luckily tomorrow is a cross training walk, dont think I could run hungover. Actually I have tried in the past and it was torture.

Bally8

Sat 4th July -Ugh! I was ill when I woke. However after a late afternoon nap I was grand to do my cross training walk. An hour along Lough Derg- just beautiful.

Today is the 7 mile run. Im a little scared. I've never gone over 6.2. Last week I did the 6 miles on the treadmill and it was grand, I thought that adding 0.8 this week would be no bother. But after my terrible session on the road on wednesday Im worried that when I go back out there it will be just as bad today. Im just getting ready to go so we will soon see how I get on.

I havent signed up for the marathon yet, I was waiting until the training started to see if my knee would hold up and how I would feel once the big milage comes along. So if today goes well I might do it or else after the 10 miles at end of the month.

Spiritoftheseventies

Bally8 wrote: »

I have been a long time lurker of this forum but haven't been consistent in any way with my running but hopefully this time I will stick to regular runs.

Some history first- I took up running for the first time about 2.5 years ago. Have never been sporty in any way but everytime I saw someone out jogging I would say 'some day that will be me'. So I finally got out and started running- actually very slow jogging with lots of walking would probably describe it better! I managed to run 4 times a week for a good few weeks and was delighted to see rapid improvements in times, distances and my weight. Ran a few 10ks but some how I let it all go and stopped running for a few months.

So every now and then I get back into running and it lasts a few weeks then I give up and get lazy for a few weeks before starting again.

This time though I have a serious long term goal- the Dublin Marathon 09.

Little steps hopefully will get me there and the first is to get into a routine where I manage to get out running 3/4 times a week. Im also concentrating on increasing distance slowly too.

Remember I am pretty slow and unfit so please dont laugh.

Here starts my training log:
Yesterday - 4/11/08
Ran 2.5 miles in the dark and freezing cold.

Today 5/11/08
Ran 1.8 miles, walked 0.3 miles and ran 1.5 miles.
3.3 miles running total

Any advice or motivational tips welcome guys:)


Oh also Im a 29 year old woman approx 10lbs over weight

some general tips. stay on grass as much as possible. less impact on the joints. give yourself forty eight hours rest between runs or go on a light run between long runs. if you feel any soreness dont overdo it. stay away from uneven surfaces (can be bad for the ankles). stay disciplined with the diet. take in a few five ks and ten ks just to sample the whole race experience. and most of all cut down on excuses on not to run, ie "oh its raining, i'll leave till tomorrow, too tired after work". the best runners go out running even when they dont feel like it.

Bally8

Sunday 5th July
Woohoo- 7 miles in 75:15. Thrilled with myself. LONGEST DISTANCE EVER!
I thought it was going to be a disaster, I drove to a spot where there is a footpath alongside the road and measured 7 miles. Parked the car but then was bursting to pee, I was too far away from home to go back so I decided to do the run anyway. I said to myself that if it was a disaster I would just go home and do the session on the treadmill. Luckily I was fine, I felt great running and soon forgot the need to pee until about a mile from the end. Everything went really well- I really concentrated on the Slow part of the lsr and it paid off as I felt comfortable for most of it. I mean it wasnt easy by any stretch of the imagination but there was never a moment where I hated it like last wednesday.

Im still doing 2 mins walking 8 minutes running but Im considering reducing the walking bits down to 1 minute from next week on.

So thats Week 2 of marathon training done. Feel really positive about it all. 20.5 miles this week.

rainbow kirby

Bally8 wrote: »

Sunday 5th July
Woohoo- 7 miles in 75:15. Thrilled with myself. LONGEST DISTANCE EVER

Nice one! Bet you feel awesome after that!

Bally8

Quick post before I throw my laptop out the window (stoopid internet slower than dial up for some reason these days).

This evening was the first run this week as I had a minor procedure in hospital yesterday which left me a bit too whoosy to run yesterday. As a result I have just pushed everything back a day and will skip Friday's rest day.

So tonight- 3.5 miles on treadmill (didnt go on road in case I was weak or anything). 0.5 miles of a warm up and cool down and stretches aswell to try keep calves from being stiff. 3 miles in 31 mins. 9 mins running 1 min walking. Im well pleased with that. I think I will be able to stop the walking breaks soon enough.

Bally8

Thursday 9th July
4 miles in 39:05. As Im not yet ready for LT training I tried some fartlek training instead. Mile 1 was done nice and easy 9 mins running, 1 min walking, just over 10 mins in total. Mile 2 I picked a sign and sped up when I got to it. I could see my slowing down point just up ahead. I felt wonderful, I cant remember the last time I just ran like that, it was like I was opening up, felt powerful or something. Slowed down when I reached another sign. I did this 3 times. After 9 minutes I had my walking break and was on mile 3 by then. I could only manage 1 more fast section after that. My legs felt too heavy to lift so I slowly trodded home. Tough session really felt I worked hard. Loved the feeling of running fast which is amazing as I have always avoided fast running in the past.

--amadeus--

Well done!

Getting your first proper speed session down can be a huge thing - the more I run the more convinced I am that fitness is 80%+ in teh head. Now you've broken that barrier, you know you can run fast and feel good so the fear factor is gone - only way is up now!

Munster_Gal

Well done. You're doing really really well!

Bally8

Thanks guys. Its amazing what a difference a week makes. Last Wednesday I had a horrible run for no reason just didnt enjoy it one bit. This week I have loved every minute of my running- even the really tough parts beause Im now believing more and more that I can do this. Im going to put in the hard work and will be in the pub having those pints with ye all after the race too

Bally8

Friday 10th July
3.5 miles tonight on treadmill. Again 0.5miles for warm up and cool down and stretches at start and end. 3 miles in 30:26. I only walked 2 minutes and pushed the treadmill to 6.5 for 3 mins. Happy days:)

littlebug

great stuff Bally8- I'm keeping an eye on the sub 4.30 thread and watching those of you who would have started out on a par-ish with me as you get better and better with your long runs kicking in. I'll be cheering you on in October

asimonov

littlebug wrote: »

great stuff Bally8- I'm keeping an eye on the sub 4.30 thread and watching those of you who would have started out on a par-ish with me as you get better and better with your long runs kicking in. I'll be cheering you on in October

Us "here goes"ers need to stick together, strength in numbers and all that.

rainbow kirby

asimonov wrote: »

Us "here goes"ers need to stick together, strength in numbers and all that.

Amen to that