Running the red line

LionelNashe

OK. Going to try this again now.

A bit of background: I'm 35 years old, 6ft 5, 14 stone. Oh, and male, not a freakishly tall woman. You would think that long legs would help, but I found progress very slow when I tried jogging in the past. It took me two months to be able to do 5k without walking breaks, and the time never got much below 30 minutes.

I see a cardiologist once a year for a small electrical anomaly in my heart that's never given me any issues. I take blood pressure meds for an unrelated reason, but doctors have told me there's no reason I can't exercise. In the back of my mind though I wonder if any of this is holding me back, mentally or physically.

I have a plan to help me get started and stay motivated: I'll put it down here so that the Internet can keep me honest.

I work near the Naas Rd in Dublin 12 and I live in the city centre. I'm going to leave work in the evening and head for the Luas, and run beside the tracks. Like Superman racing alongside the train in the first Superman movie, but, ehm, incredibly slowly.

I'm only going to make it to the first or second stop, and then I'll hop on the next Luas and continue homewards. Eventually though I should be able to extend the distance. Each stop on the line will be a milestone of improvement. If I ever get to be able to jog the whole distance, it will be approximately 10k. I have set out the route here

Not in work tomorrow, so might start this on Thursday.

catweazle

Good luck Lionel, certainly one of the more unusual ways of monitoring running progress

Are we going to have the ipod music of choice listed as well this year?

LionelNashe

catweazle wrote: »

Good luck Lionel, certainly one of the more unusual ways of monitoring running progress

Are we going to have the ipod music of choice listed as well this year?

Ha, no. Instead I'm going to provide lists of my favourite breakfast cereals. The same list, each post.

LionelNashe

Day 1: 3.2km / 21 mins, from the office to the Luas stop at Bluebell.

LionelNashe

Day 2: Same again, 3.2km to the Bluebell Luas stop in 21 minutes.

My legs took a few days to recover after Thursday. Hopefully that was just because it was the first time out. The plan now is to do this on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and only increase the distance gradually.

LionelNashe

Day 3: 3.9km to the Black Horse Luas stop, 27 minutes, but with a few short walking breaks.

Had a backpack today with a pair of shoes and a light jacket in it. I'll use that as my excuse for the slower pace.

I wonder is it a coincidence that 4 of the stops on the line have colours in them - Red Cow, Bluebell, Black Horse, Golden Bridge. These 4 colours are also on an archery target. Just though I'd mention it in case you're ever in a pub quiz.

LionelNashe

Day 4: 3.9km to the Black Horse Luas stop, 26 minutes, no walking breaks.

Avoided starting off too fast today so no need for walking breaks.

LionelNashe

Day 5: 3.9km to the Black Horse Luas stop, 25 minutes; about 4 short walking breaks.

LionelNashe

Day 6: was last Wednesday. Took a half day from work because I was heading down to Dingle and jogged to BlackHorse Luas stop with a full backpack. Plenty of walking. I was in a very distracted state. My mind was racing from rushing to finish work early. I have been reading something in the meantime about meditation during everyday activities, and being mindful of breathing, so I will try this next time.

Day 7: was Friday morning. Jogged for 10 minutes downhill to a beach near the house in Dingle. Spent a couple of minutes looking at the waves and then tried to jog back again. The return trip was 50% walking. Uphill is very hard on the calves.

Day 8: was Saturday morning. Same as Friday, more or less. 2km downhill to the town, and then attempted to jog back, but the uphill was as much walking as jogging.

Today, Monday, my left thigh hurts when I lift my foot off the ground. This evening its less noticeable though. Will give it a rest until Wednesday.

LionelNashe

Day 9: 3.9km to the Black Horse Luas stop, 24 minutes, no walking breaks. Light backpack.

Didn't run last week due to various things cropping during the evenings. Tonight felt much easier though for some reason. No tightness in the calves, no overheating & breathing was ok. Just plodded along like a metronome for the whole distance.

LionelNashe

Day 10: 3.9km to the Black Horse Luas stop, 25 minutes, a few micro-walking breaks. I could feel it in my legs more than on Monday.

thirstywork2

Well done on starting up the training log again and a great idea to build up luas stops.
I think though you will need to start varying your runs soon as you might get stale.
Also try run on the grass once a week if you can.
Have you set yourself any short term and long term targets?

LionelNashe

thirstywork2 wrote: »

Well done on starting up the training log again and a great idea to build up luas stops.
I think though you will need to start varying your runs soon as you might get stale.
Also try run on the grass once a week if you can.
Have you set yourself any short term and long term targets?

Thanks Thirsty, I'll think about the grass alright. My short term target and my long term target are the same; to be able to run the 10k home from work 3 or 4 days a week. If I'm able to increase the distance by 10% per week I should be doing that by the end of May. Once I can do that I'll be happy.

Cycled in and out of work today, seen as the buses were disrupted and the traffic was light. Will probably not do anything the next couple of days and then do the St. Patrick's 5k run on Sunday.

LionelNashe

Day 11: St Patrick's 5k run, no walking breaks, 31:25. Used a Garmin 305 to keep an eye on my pace. It was a beautiful day, like last year.

Next out on Tuesday or Wednesday evening, will add another Luas stop.

LionelNashe

Day 12: 4.5km to the Drimnagh Luas station, 29 minutes. A couple of micro-walking breaks because I had a slight ache in my right calf. I will try stretching properly next time.

LionelNashe

Day 13: 4.8km to the GoldenBridge Luas station, 31 minutes. Again a few micro-walking breaks because of aches in my both calves. I didn't really stretch beforehand - I just bounced up and down a bit when putting on my runners.

LionelNashe

Took a different route today. Rather than taking the Nangor Road and Naas Road, I jogged the canal path from Parkwest to Inchicore and joined the Luas tracks there. Its a nicer run and there's no traffic.

5.5k brought me to the Rialto Luas stop, with no walking breaks, in 36 minutes.

I was concentrating on keeping my feet & calves loose so that I'd strike the ground better and not push off from my toes. I think it helped because I had only a little tension in the calves and it wasn't nearly enough to make me want to walk. Pace was slower, but it will be worth it for now if I can leave the walking breaks behind.

LionelNashe

Day 15: Canal again: 5km to Suir Road/South Circular Road, 31 minutes, no walking breaks.

LionelNashe

Day 16: Just did 3.3km in 20 minutes today because I had a shinsplint in my left leg all yesterday and some of today, and something up with my stomach as well. Forgot the Garmin so couldn't pace myself today - had intended to go slightly slower.

LionelNashe

Day 17: 5.5k along the canal from Parkwest to the back gate of James's hospital, 34 minutes. 2 full minutes faster than the same distance last Monday. I had been intending to increase the distance by 10% each week but I am now wondering if increasing the speed some weeks would be just as good.

LionelNashe

Day 18: 6k to James's, 38:22. Nice warm evening: I think I will have to face up to the prospect of leaving the office in a pair of shorts soon enough. 5th run in a row with no walking breaks, I think they are behind me now.

LionelNashe

Day 19: 6k from UCD to Ringsend. 39:33. Beautiful weather.

LionelNashe

Day 20: 6k from Parkwest to St James's, 39:04. The last two runs haven't fell great. A few dull twinges in the legs yesterday and today. Not muscular twinges but something else I think. Will not increase the distance this week unless the 6k starts to feel a bit more comfortable.

LionelNashe

Day 21: 6.7k from Beaumont to Clontarf to Drumcondra, via Griffith Avenue. 43 minutes. Felt fine - I could have kept going at the end.

Was focussing on letting my arms move like pendulums rather than pistons - I think it was better because they were more in sync with my leg movements. Edit: Actually that's a bad description: I think that I was previously slightly resisting the natural movement of my arms, but today I just let them swing in counterbalance to my legs.

LionelNashe

Day 22: No backpack today. 7km from Mountjoy Square through Fairview and along Collins Avenue, 44 minutes. I was looking for Griffith Avenue so needless to say I was lost. Encountered some unexpected hills between Fairview park and Collins Avenue which meant that I could feel the effort in the last 2k.

When I was finished, I was 3.6k from home so I walked back along Grace Park Road. Once I get up to 10k next month and maintain it for a little bit, I am going to include that hill in a run. Between Richmond Road, Griffith Avenue and Collins Avenue it is a fairly steep sustained climb up Grace Park Rd.

LionelNashe

Just couldn't do it this evening. I barely made it 2 kilometres. I tried jogging for short stretches to see if I could pinpoint what the problem is, and I think its my right upper leg. I also had a slight pain about 3 inches above my right knee yesterday and today so maybe I did something to it on Saturday. Will give it a rest until Wednesday.

LionelNashe

Right. I had another aborted run a few days after the last entry, above. Then a cold. Then laziness. Its easy to miss one week and then suddenly have missed 3 weeks.
Did 3.5k this evening to get back into it. Thought it was 4k but I had made a mistake with the Garmin. 22 minutes, plenty of downhill at the start.

LionelNashe

2.2k, 13'30".

brownian

LionelNashe wrote: »

2.2k, 13'30".

Welcome back:)

Micilin Muc

Welcome back too!

It's hard to get back into running after a break, but I think it takes a few weeks of consistent training to get your running mojo back! Keep at it!

LionelNashe

3k this evening, 17'47".

Legs are quite sore during, between and after runs this week. Not sure if its the jogging, or because I've being trying to meditate and my body isn't flexible enough to sit cross-legged. Probably a mixture of both.

LionelNashe

4k, 24'39".

LionelNashe

5k, 29'54".

LionelNashe

5k, 31'06".
Backpack with jacket & jeans; a few micro-walking breaks.

LionelNashe

5k, 30'33".

LionelNashe

5k, 28'53".
I knew from the first 10 steps that I had a better flow than usual. I wonder if the rain is actually a help and not a hindrance. Maybe it has a cooling effect.

LionelNashe

6k, 35'50".

I suddenly got a craving for a chicken burger about 10 minutes out. I was considering jogging to the chipper, ordering various battered foods, and then nipping home for some cash to pay for it.

I've really enjoyed the last 2 and a half weeks so its time now to be cautious and to do the increase-by-10%-a-week thing, and hopefully get up to 10k by the end of September without any downtime.

LionelNashe

7k, 43'13".

Got a bit lost at one stage and had to stop for 40 seconds to ask for directions (wrong directions, as it turned out) so I did 1k more than planned to make up for it.

LionelNashe

7k, 42'08".

Was aiming for 42 minutes and the Garmin said that my average pace was 10kph, so I thought I had it, but I'll just have to be a bit quicker next time.

Edit: I was just thinking that things are going just a little bit too smoothly. This is when my subconscious normally kicks in and sabotages my efforts, and I get lazy and give up. To avoid this and to give myself something to aim for I've just entered the Donadea 10k run on October 15th. In the field where it said 'What time do you expect to finish in' I put 55 minutes. So my goal now is to still be training by October 15th and to do the race in less than 55 minutes. I'll have to do some research and mix up the training a bit as well, once I have increased the distance over the next few weeks.

Immediate promise to myself: Don't do more than 7k for the next 2 outings: Just maintain or improve the pace slightly and enjoy it. I'm only going to end up with a strain or something if I push it. I can already feel my ankle being a bit stiff when I get out of bed in the mornings.

LionelNashe

7k, 41'36".

LionelNashe

7k, 40'34".

LionelNashe

8k, 46'00".

LionelNashe

5k, 29'48".

Only did 5k because my legs felt heavy right from the start. Probably because I cycled on Sunday & Tuesday. Going to knock the cycling on the head for a few weeks. Rest now until Saturday.

lway

Hey Lionel, keep up the good work.
As a 34 y/o 6' 4" guy carrying three stone more than you, i'm running similar distances though slower times and have signed up for a 10k at the end of this month (Sep), so following your progress with interest.

captain P

Do you still run up Gracepark road? I find it great for training, and try include it most days..... think it'll toughen me up! :cool:

LionelNashe

captain P wrote: »

Do you still run up Gracepark road? I find it great for training, and try include it most days..... think it'll toughen me up! :cool:

Hi Captain P, I planned to start inlcuding it a few months ago but then I got lazy and didn't jog for months. I'm just going to concentrate on getting the distance up to 10k for the next while and then I might include some hills like this. I read that they're good for building speed.

Speaking of laziness, I spent all day yesterday in the pub and most of today in bed. Have to get out tomorrow for sure.

captain P

LionelNashe wrote: »

Speaking of laziness, I spent all day yesterday in the pub and most of today in bed. Have to get out tomorrow for sure.

I know that feeling!

LionelNashe

9k, 53'59".

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/49084242
Don't know why mapmyrun says that the route starts in Xinjiang, China.
In reality it was Mountjoy Square, Fairview, Collins Avenue, Drumcondra, back to Mountjoy Square again.

Felt fairly tired. The last 4k were at less than 10kph even though 2k of it was downhill.

Managed to avoid the Croker crowd on the way out but the streets were fairly packed on the way back. 3 separate groups of Tipp fans did that funny thing people do where they jump in front of you and do a jogging on the spot impersonation. My revenge though is that I've just put 10 quid on Kilkenny to win by 1 to 3 points, at 7/2.

Now I fancy some scrambled eggs.

LionelNashe

9k, 54'21".

Same route as Sunday. I think that the wind changed direction at least twice so that it was always in my face. A bit slower than the last day but it felt better at the end.

Edit: First run after dark this year! Winter comes.

LionelNashe

Friday morning, 9th September: 7.52k, 44'52".
Was on a boat on the Shannon for a couple of days so this jog was out and back on the Sligo road from Carrick-on-Shannon. It was hard enough at the start so I had to trick myself by promising myself that I'd only do 4k or 5k and then breaking the promise and doing more. Was breathing heavy at the end, and in the words of a mate "sweating like a gypsy".

I have a 10k route planned ( http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/50097770/) that I want to do in the next couple of days but I'm putting it off because I'm nervous that I won't be able to finish, or that its too much too soon, or that its too hilly, or that its too windy outside, and a couple of other excuses.

LionelNashe

10k, 60'39".
I'm pretty happy with the last 6 weeks since I've started back. 7k was the most I got up to last April, and it was a gasping 7k that was followed by an injury and then a 4 month break.

That's enough distance now. One hour is long enough to be pounding around footpaths in the dark. I just want to increase the speed gradually and work on my form. AND I've got to maintain this for long enough that stopping is out of the question. The Donadea 10k is in 1 month, which should help.