Woden's C25K

Mon 28th January 12.8k LSR

12.8k - 1:21:14. Nice scenic flat slow run down to the river taking in the sites. Quite tired at the end. Stretched and iced the knee after. Feels ok I think this morning

Current Weight
13st 8lbs

Tues 5th February
Was under the weather after the race and a bit out of the game. Did the strengthening exercises

Wed 6th February 6.3k
6.3k - 35:53

Thurs 7th February
Strengthening exercises

Fri 8th February
Trip to the physio. Progress is being made apparently. She went to town on my ITB. Somewhat painful experience. Have some slightly modified exercises and a recommendation to buy some dumbells and a foam roller so ordered them on the weekend.

Sat 9th February 15k LSR
Well this was probably the highlight of the week. Was back in Dublin for the weekend and was planning a run up through the park and along the canals. Really enjoyed it. Was aiming for a 6min/k. Did 15k - 1:28:58

Sun 10th February
Strengthening exercises

So this week then. Should be back to normal. No illness. Knee seems manageable. Aim is to get out 3 times and start the new strengthening routine

Tues 12th February
Strengthening exercises. Now with 20kg dumbells for the squats and foam rolling on the ITB

Thurs 14th February 5k
5k - 27.30. An overall crap run. Decided to run home from work for the first time and make up the distance to 5k. First time running with a bag on my back. Not for me. Got stuck at some lights for a bit and if wondering if its still possible to stitch up yes it is. Almost crippled at the end. Top it off the garmin seemed all over the place. Doubtful that I ran the first k in 4:17! /whine

Fri 15th February
Strengthening exercises

Sat 16th February - 16.5k LSR
16.5k - 1:39:56. Nice LSR down Regents Canal and back. A little off the targetted 6:00/k pace

Current weight
13st 6lbs

Mon 18th February 5k
5k - 25:46. Think this might have been a little short due including a lap of the Emirates but it's nice when it comes together. Felt good. Was also concerned as knee was a bit stiff after Saturday but again felt good last night/this morning

In two minds now about the half in 2 weeks time. Have another one booked in April though. Still playing it by ear. Would be sensible to not risk it but it is tempting.

Tues 26th February 5k
Sick of typing about various niggles and thinking about whether to run on Sunday or not.

Took a couple of days off and did an exploratory 5k - 26:49 last night so see how it felt. Foot felt ok. Hamstring felt a bit weird. Knee was business as usual i.e. bit stiff after run. Conclusion - reassess on Thursday

Something positive then to counter all the gloom. Busy day in work yesterday and came home in a foul humour for some reason. Thoughts went to lets go out for a nice run to clear the head instead lets grab a beer out of the fridge. I approve of this.

Mon 4th March 5k
5k - 27:43. Calling bull**** on this from the Garmin though. All over the place for the 1st k which was apparently in 6:23. It seemed to settle down after that.

Trip to the physio on Tuesday who had a look at my foot and hamstring and she worked on some tightness I didn't know I had in my left lower calf.

That was it for the week then. Resolved to stop and give the legs a break as off for six days skiing starting on Sunday!


Current weight
13st 0lbs. (Well that what the scales said a minute ago. I'm taking it!) 3st down. Will target the next half stone for just after the half marathon.

Sun 24th March 4k
Had a plan to go out and try a faster 5k. Ended up doing 4k - 20:21. Was pushing and when I head the beep on the watch I stopped before I knew it.

Mon 25th March 5k
5k - 27:06

Tues 26th March
Trip to the physio. She thought we should wind down now after the work we have done so just one more appointment after the half to see how thing are. Knee seems ok these days. The ankle is now the issue. She strapped up the foot to see if it had an affect for my next run. Also she has put me in touch with a guy who will do an assessment and report. I am wondering now if I need different trainers then what I had back in August. Going to meet this guy after the half also.

Evening - Strengthening exercises

Wed 27th March 8k
Another evening in the after work drinks on the diet coke and get home for about 8 to find the Garmin dead. Very annoying hung around for it to charge a bit. 8k - 44:40

Sat 30th March 17k
17k - 1:42:21. First time running with a podcast. Seems to suit the LSR will try it again next week!

Tues 2nd April 10k
10k - 53:48. This was a good run. First run after daylight savings time change. Nice to get out mid week and it being bright and also felt happy to use the canal. Suprised with the pace and ramped up the last 2k was good to push for a bit!

Wed 3rd April Strengthening exercises
Usual exercise routine however added the 2x10kg dumbbells to the lunges. More on this later..

Thurs 4th April 8k
Ouch my glutes! Was feeling it from the exercises until Friday. A tired and somewhat slow 8k - 46:04 after being stuck in work late

Sat 6th April 20k LSR
20k - 1:59:34. The last LSR before the half next weekend. Had planned on 19k but ended up on a slightly longer route so continued on to 20k. Last k was tough enough. Was aiming for 6min per k. 2nd time running with a podcast which I am enjoying for the LSR. Starcraft related though! Taper now next week

Sun 7th April 23k Cycle
23k - 1:03:08. First thing. I need to stop pausing the Garmin at the lights as I don't remember to turn it on and then i'm a k down the road annoyed with myself. It was the fast descent god damn it!

Ok the positives. I had a good run on the bike! Same route as last week (hill was still tough). Ended up in a group around Regent's Park and managed to hang on for a bit. Could see the min/k drop down to 2. Ended up doing a few k more as a result before heading for home.

tritriagain wrote: »

Congrats on an inspiring log. Just wondering did you use a diet or just eat sensibly

Thanks Tri,

It's more eating sensibly more so and I use a little bit of the training calories for some bandwidth particularly on the weekend. I would still be quite heavy on the breads, pasta, white rice which I understand is not great. I try to come in around 1800 calories a day. So that should be about 1lbs a week weight wise then from training get another 1/2lbs to 1lbs. I'm drinking less also which helps.

Thurs 11th April 4k
4k - 24:00. Convinced a colleague in work to head out also. A steady enough 4k along Southbank. Bit busier now this time of the year though!.

That's the last run before the half on Sunday. Not feeling great now for it so lets see how it goes. Predictions are being dialed back on a daily basis!

Sun 14th April East London Half Marathon

So it arrived. Felt like the whole weekend was geared around it. From getting up early on Saturday to be tired enough to go to bed on Saturday night to choice of food and drinking lots on Saturday evening. Throat had been a bit off all week and was on the lemsip on Saturday. Fortunately it doesn't seem to be heading to my chest.

So up at 6 on the Sunday. A breakfast of weetabix and lemsip. Grabbed a shower and off we went. Too early for the overground direct to Stratford so did a 3 tube trip. The platform at Liverpool street had a combination of revellers from the night before and a suspicious amount of people that looked like they were heading to the same place as me.

Followed the crowd then down to the park. Important toilet break taken and then off to the bag drop. Queue was huge! I was in the 2nd wave which was scheduled to start at 08:44. General consensus was they would have to delay. However the 10k which was also scheduled pretty much went off on time. Bag was dropped then and time for another splash and dash before heading to my start zone. At which time I realised there was a stone in my runner which required sorting. Race was a little late starting then with a few minutes gap between waves but we were underway then just before 9.

So the aim was for a sub 2hr which would be around a 5:40/k but I was not hugely confident following recent runs. Didn’t feel great for the 1st k but took it slowly and settled down. We exited the park and it was nice to be out running on the roads for the first time. After that the pace was around the 5:40 or just under and I was getting through the kilometres. Weather was warm so was taking a water bottle at each station which was not something I would have in training. Went through 10k at 56:08. Planned to push if possible at 16k but didn’t really happen seemed I was constant around 5:35/k but it was taking more effort on my side. Generally though I was doing the overtaking which felt good. Last couple of k were tough going as I stitched up a bit on my right side. Didn’t have much to give on the home stretch but picked it up as much as I could for the last 100m. Came home in :

21.1k – 1:57:39 yay!

So very happy with that. Obtained my first t-shirt/medal/goodie bag. Though will need to lose a few more lbs for the t-shirt to fit!

New goals tbc

Goals
Ok so did some initial thinking today and have come up with the following. Quite busy over the next few months with somes trip away and some visitors up to mid july. Generally I would like to keep the 2 day mid week runs, 1-2 day strengthening, the LSR on the weekend and the bike on Sunday for weekends that are free. Perhaps swap the bike into mid week as the days get longer over a strengthening session. I will do the session with the analysis guy the physio recommended and see if I need new trainers.

Weight loss
Need to refocus on this slightly. It is still ongoing but has been a bit slower since the holiday. A few things I can improve on. More use of the food scales. Portion size etc. Target 12st 2lbs by end of May

DCM
Signed up for it today and will join the mentored novice thread. Will keep it reasonably quiet for now. From reading around the forum not quite sure I have recommended base but can join in the training programme wherever it is at and see how it goes. Can take recommendations from there on the appropriate races to do in August/September. I'd like to consider making use of the HRM with the Garmin and perhaps more appropriate mid week sessions. EZ, tempo, pace etc

Parkrun and Standard Chartered Great City Race 5k
Do my local park run on 27th April to see where my 5k is at now as I have not done it since November. From the parkrun then set a goal time for the SC Great City Race 5k which I am signed up for via work for the 11th July

Thurs 18th April Recovery 3.2 miles.

3.2m - 31:07. Feeling much better than Tuesday. Still not used to miles. Longing for k's. Had the HRM on then and working. Avg HR 151. My max should be 189.

Have been reading a bit more on the heart rate percentages and different run types via the P&D book I have seen mentioned on the forum. Not that the training plans are appropriate for me but thought it was a good read anyway.

Fri 19th April Physio

So since the half I had picked up another issue with my foot. A pain in the left hand side, not the original ankle issue. Physio had a look then and felt it might be related to the ankle stuff. Picked up a new set of exercises to stretch the ankle. Will do them daily Everything in my lower left leg seems quite tight.

Sat 20th April 3.15 miles

Away in Munich for the weekend visiting a friend. Had my running gear from the physio. Turns out my friend had done a C25K last year also and we didn't drink too much on the Fri night so got in a 5k on the Sat. It was nowhere near enough to make up for the beer and pretzel's consumed though!

Mon 22nd April 20k Cycle

53:09 - 20k. Decided to start the week with a cycle and due to niggles. Still no lights on the bike so was looking to get out straight after work and get 20k in before it got dark. Knee was a being a bit dodgy even on the bike which is not good. Came back and did the new set of ankle exercises from the physio also. Pain on left side of foot is clearing up.

Sat 27th April Parkrun 4 - 5k

Ok so as an objective after the half was to do the Parkrun yesterday as I had been using the Saturday for the LSR previously and had not done one since November. Took things a bit differently also. Did about 1k I'd estimate in warmup which would be the first time I did anything like that prior to an event.

5 lap course so off we went round and round and round and round and round and a bit! As the Highbury Parkrun saying goes. Plan was to set off around the 5min/k and see how it went. Hung in there and completed the course in 23:18 and had a nice sit down at the end!

So again very happy of the time if a little skeptical. Course always comes up about 300 metres short on the Garmin but if its measured it measured I guess and I suppose any GPS discrepancy is magnified due to the lap nature of the course.

Regardless though the result is directly comparable with the same course from November and it was 5:20 faster so yay! Will have a think and decide on the goal for July then.

Sun 28th April 40km Cycle

After the parkrun on Saturday then it was off to the bike shop with a decision to pick up some spd-sl pedals and shoes as there was a cycle planned with a friend on Sunday morning. A power cut in the shop almost prevented picking up the bike but cash was obtained and I was good to go.

Met my friend then at early and Regent Park and got some nice laps in with a girl who joined us for most of it. Circa 32k done around the park and then 4.5 or so there and back. First time using clip in stuff and I was happy with the purchase! Should have done it ages ago. Although did approach one junction on the way to the park and forget about it. Bit of a wobble but managed to get out in time! 40.76k – 1:42:26

Sun 28th April Running Assessment

So off the back of the physio a session with this chap was recommended. He comes to you at a local park which is handy. Very nice bloke, working himself on a 2:20 marathon. As you do like! So what he did in this session is film me from the side and behind and front at 3 different paces. Then we sat down and went through the videos and he pointed out 4 things to work on. We then practiced each of those. One of the main things he pointed out was heel striking and also for a more piston like action on the leg.

He showed me some additional strengthening exercises and dynamic stretches also and seemed in agreement that everything is just a bit weaker on the left leg starting from the hip down.

I’ll get a report then and get to work on what he pointed out.

Caveat. Serious whine coming in at the end of this post.

Mon 6th May Part 2 - Strength
Worked through my strength routine with focus on the left leg.

Tues 7th May 5k
5k - 25:51. First outing in the new trainers. More on this later. Pushed myself a bit on a flat 5k course. 5:32, 5:19, 5:07, 4:58, 4:50.

Thurs 9th May 5k
Bumped into a friend on the way home who lives locally and will be doing more training now exams are over. Decided to head out together 5k - 30:24

Fri 10th May Strength
Toned back version of the strength routine from Monday

Sat 11th May 14.5k
14.5k - 1:28:32. Head over to Regent Park along the canal and into the park in attempt to find some more grass. Looked like there was a 10k race on as I saw the marker boards up similar to the ones I did earlier on the year. Nice morning for it. Sunny in parts but cool. Relaxing Starcraft pod cast on the go.

Current Weight
12st 6lbs. Had obtained this weight before Newcastle but took a while to see it again!

Right so here's the deal. I'm a bit sick of the niggles. Both having them and thinking about them. After the 10k on Monday I had a bit of soreness on the left side of my left foot. This was the same type of soreness I had after the half (which went away in about a week). This is in addition to the left ankle and the left knee. So being paranoid I thought perhaps it was the 1k I did on the treadmill testing the new trainers while trying to tell myself actually Woden it's probably the 13k on the Friday and the 10k Monday in the old runners. You know the ones you picked up the same issue in before...

So i've continued running all week now in the new runners and then checking/hoping these things are going to clear up.

On the new runners themselves. I think they are ok. They might be a bit tight (not in length). Super conscious because of the above. Think I can feel more support on the inside of the heel due to both newness and support. From the LSR today did not seem to cause the same blister issues. Did seem to be a little slippage back and forward on the left foot. So jury out. Hopefully work out ok. Annoying if they don't.

Back to the rant. So yeah I'm continued to be annoyed that I am more limited by this crap. I really want to get up to 4 days a week and be ready to start the DCM training in mid june. Not sure if I should just take a week off. Will assess with next physio appointment which is on the 21st.

So some positives I try to consider:

Trying to remember why I got into this. Still losing weight. Having to replace my wardrobe. Bought a suit a couple of weeks ago that is six inches smaller on the waist then my ones from August.

Having an outing on the bike tomorrow with some friends. Apparently heading off to Box Hill in Surrey which is 50k away. So this is should be challenging but looking forward to it (although it may be a train back). Could always switch to the bike a bit more for the next month.

The National have a new album out!

Back in Dublin next weekend so I get to do my LSR in the park and probably the canal which is always nice.