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Lynne - Welcome
7.5 miles after only 10 weeks, thats great progress. I only started myself at the of March and 1 min running was difficult. I'm now upto to 6 mile now for my LSR.
Mark - I did the same today on my LSR, 1st mile in around 9.5 minutes and then struggled to finish my 6 miler. (I had more walking stops then normal). It seems impossible that I will be able to get upto 13 miles in 3 months.
Rest day tomorrow
Im just gonna sweep this setback under the carpet and be ready for my next LSR and hopefully have better results.
Oh and just a question what is your weekly schedule like?
I will start increasing my long run after my 10k around delamere in July.
I would like to run 4 times a week, but my legs say no!
today was a rest day - so just the usual 50mins in the pool, no running.
didnt even cut the grass or do the vacuuming.
party at neighbours was nice - managed to only have 2 bottles of stella - see i can be quite grown up when i want. i even managed to stay awake during driving school(actually that was yesterday).
"curry night in" at mine next week for us and the neighbours - so i suppose the hooovering and grass cutting will be done midweek or i wont here the end of it from her indoors.
in the pool again tomorrow morning and then a run in the evening.
just the one question - given the slight drop in temperature and on and off rain is it just me who is thinking that it is good for the garden and running???????
perhaps i am strange? her indoors would delete the "perhaps" and the question mark at this point.....
ttfn
Hi. I've been an occasional runner for a couple of years, doing the odd 5K, and aiming to use the running for weight control, with some (limited) success. That is, I'm now only 5 stone overweight instead of 7! I've decided I need a longer term goal, so I've picked the Jedburgh Half Marathon on 31st October.
This gives my 20 weeks and I'd appreciate some advice on training programmes: my current thinking is to use a 'smartcoach' 8 week programme to get me up to 10K standard, then to switch to one of the 12 week Runners World programmes. Does this seem reasonable?
As background, I can 'run' (well, move slightly faster than a walk) for thirty minutes, so I thought the 8 weeks would get me up to an hour non-stop, and then I'd be equipped for the RR half marathon programmes.
You chatterboxes! Just trying to quickly catch up!
Mark & Goaters - you will be FINE for the GNR - keep that speed DOWN on your longer runs, 3 times a week is how I trained for my half in March, and don't be despondant if you have a bad run. My run on Friday left me feeling very despondant - sooo slow and exhausted afterwards, and only just under 8 miles! However, with my optomistic head on, I was running at lunchtime not having eaten for a while and it was very warm. It was still nearly 2 hours on my feet which can only help my training, I must remeber NOT to go out fo a LSR at midday on a wam day, and I must eat properly before a LSR - lesson learnt!!
Des - no, you're not the only one to be enjoying the light rain. I'm quite happy running in the rain actually - it feels very liberating to get absolutely soaked and not care - especially when you see the people all huddled in their cars as they fly by (but I don't like it when I get soaked from drivers going through large puddles right by me
)
Victoir - sounds like you're coming on well! Following 2 schedule back to back sounds like a good idea, but as you'll be basically increasing your distance for 20 weeks solidly, personally I would ignore any mention of speedwork and just take all your runs easily. Pushinng yourself to hard is just going to get you injured.
You're doing brilliantly to have lost 2 stone so far - hope you can manage to loose more as you continue running! Good luck with your training - let us know how you're getting on
Will get out tomorrow for a run - probably just an easy, short run, then home for some decorating!
Mark - sounds like a good plan. I know what its like to be impatient, but I keep on reading about how upping the miles too quickly / running too hard, too often is simply a recipe for injury. Weekends are just too busy here.so I can only ever get out to run during the week when evryone else is at work & school.
However, since I've been doing this training by HR I have found I can go out for a run 2 days on the trot (ha ha!) but only because I'm running with HR below 70% which basically means running VERY SLOWLY!!!! seriously - 12 minute miles is good going after the first mile or two!
Squeezed in a short run this morning after taking kids to the bus stop. Nice easy 3 miler, av HR under 70%
so pleased. Was just the right temperature this morning with a lovely breeze. After chatting to a Dad at the bus stop, and stopping to have a quick word with a very dear nieghbour, it was only when I got undressed for my shower back home I realised I'd had my t-shirt on inside out 
Fortunately no labels, but lots of seams. Its not good when you can't even get yourself dressed properly in the morning!
Happy running everyone else
I'm having a bit of a rest day today, but hoping to go out for a walk tonight. At the weekend, while the weather was bad, I pre-registered for my HM next year. I figure that you can never do too much preparation, so I'll just start training now!
Victoir - well done on your weight loss. I would take B&T's advice though and just concentrate on building slowly and avoiding injury.
B&T - good on you managing to get in a run this morning. I'm looking for other jobs closer to home which would help me get a sneaky short run in at lunch times, or even on my way too and from the office.
Mark - have a good run tonight, I'm off shopping after my walk (assuming I manage to get out).
Corrah x
Hi all. I'm back after my week off and catching up on quite a few pages of chat. Obviously can't comment on all the posts but ..
RobbieDoux - re you running slower and it feeling better - I do that naturally!
AHD - hello and welcome. I use Smartcoach for my schedule but my training ends up haphazard as I never usually manage to stick to the plan! 10 mm over 10ml sounds good to me - I'm still plodding along at 11 mm pace on my long runs. I see you've entered the Cirencester HM. I am aiming for the Chippenham HM but do my LSR's in Cirencester Park. It IS undulating but I only know of one steep hill and that's a short one. BTW - we should stick together .. I'm not a cat person either!
Corrah - I use my Leki poles on walking holidays .. so much better for support on uphill/downhill bits and for keeping up a good pace on flat sections.
Rachael - well done re your sub-60 10k. I'm very jealous but console myself that I am older and heavier than wot you are!
Lynne - I would concentrate on building the distance first - trying to speed up can come later. I did the Bath HM at 11:30 mm pace and wasn't last by any means. Wot B&T said about the different types of runs to do each week - she's quite literally correct mate (a la Smashie & Nicey).
Mark1986 - I did less than 13 miles before the Bath HM. This time I am going to do further than 13 miles before Chippenham so that the distance feels more comfortable (and more 'normal'). I disagree - running slow is easy .. running fast is hard!
Des - I like running in drizzle .. don't exactly enjoy heavy rain but it helps keep me cool.
B&T - I just laugh at drivers who soak me by driving through puddles .. I'm usually wet through by then anyway.
Great news - I passed my practical massage exam!!!
Mrs Examiner was very stern but I obviously did whatever I needed to properly and answered her questions okay. The theory papers seemed to go ok as well but it could be anything between 3 wks and 2 mths before I hear if I have passed them.
Mrs WM and I enjoyed our break in Swanage. Friday was culture & coffee .. we went to Kingston Lacy (NT House). Saturday was hot, hot, hot - so we went to Studland beach. I went in the water 2.5 times - twice for a swim (water was cold, cold, cold!) and the other time I paddled out to the floating ice-cream boat.
I didn't run last week but as it was the 'easy' week of my schedule not really a problem. Back to normal this week though - schedule is 4ml easy tonight, 6ml tempo on Wed (hoping to get out for my inaugral club run), 3ml easy on Friday and then an 8ml LSR on Sunday.
Jun - 8/82
hi all,
another good swim this morning but generally feeling a bit knackered so tonights run put off until tomorrow morning. hopr the weather is semi decent.
ttfn
Evening all.
After running for almost an hour yesterday, I did a class at the gym followed by a 1/2 hour run today. Now I am sore. Blast.
So looks like tomorrows run will be shoved back a day - & I hope it is only one day.
Feeling really fed up with this & general 'monday miseries' so will sign off & go & make some Ovaltine & get an early night!
Mark - how have you calculated your heart rates, in order to work out your percentages? Or have you used one of the formulaes? I know the formulaes are way out for me - my HR is high!! so I had to work out my HRs by fast running and dozing!
Also, in Parkers book, an easy run is to have your working heart rate below 70%. Ths is hard!!!!! You have to run VERY slow, and I found even the slightest incline means I had to walk - which is very depressing! However, he says that if you keep this up for 1 month, or preferably 2, then you will find you can do the same route faster, and with less walking.
Victoir - ditto about the slow runs and walking!!!!
Des - hope the weather's okay for you tomorrow morning.
Anne - take it easy girl! I'm not surprised you were sore after all that.
Hi there
I've been reading through this thread for 4 days, having caught up on all your progress and success, I thought I'd dip my toe in, but I fear I am way too slow to contemplate...
My DH is 40 this year and madly we decided to mark the occasion by running a half marathon. The one we've registered to do is the San Francisco Half ..
So, having spent the money, we now need to get training ... I'm going from having done a couple of 5kms run/walk ... and now just done wk 1 of a 12wk programme ...
My aim for this HM is to get round, I'd love to be able to run it all, but getting round will do me nicely, although of course I have a private dream of 2hrs 30m .... but reality may hit !!
The programme I found is about covering distances per week, rather than tempo / speed / lsr ... but I'm starting to wonder ... I'm meant to run 5 times per week, is that too much?
Even by the end of week 1, I have noticed I am doing a load better, so I shall keep trundling on. Today was a rest day, so I went to the gym and did a few (and I mean a few!) weights .. tomorrow is meant to be 4 miles ...
In the run up to the SF HM ... I have registered myself for the:
Sherwood Half Pines 10km on 18/07
Wolverhampton Half Marathon on 05/09
I think I need to find a 5km in early July ....
I am just a bit lost at the mo, I'm 2 stone overweight and run/walk, walk/run ... but have great optimism
I hope you don't mind me butting in, but I need all the chat going
Hi Zed! Nice to see you here! Well done on entering your races - and in SF as well - very envious! When is it? Personally - I think running 5 times a week is too much. Unless at least 3 of these runs are EASY runs - i.e. ones where you can talk all the way through. Others will have differing opinions of course, and you may be super fit and healthy and get away with it fine, but I know I wouldn't be able to. Covering distance rather than worrying about pace is definitely the way to go. Just get round the first, THEN you can think about speed and you'll have a time to beat as well! What a great way to celebrate a 'significant' birthday
Morning Mark - all this talk of aerobic / anerobic systems leaves me a little confused, I confess. All I know is what I read in Parkers HR training book, and what I've asked about on other forums! It does seem to be working for me though - slowly!! I worked out my Max HR by warming up, then running FAST for 3 minutes, then recovery jog for another 3 mins then FAST for another 3. Round abut this time you should want to collapse and that's when you'll get your max HR. I did this and got 193, but recently I recorded 203 in a 10k race (at 9K, coming up a sneaky little hill, determined to pass 2 runners Id been following for ages!). Just remembered, there was a good article in Runners World about it - Link here
No running today for me - back to the decorating
Morning all
wtmel - congratulations on passing your practical. Fingers crossed for the theory results. I'm really short so I was lucky enough to be able to get kids walking poles. Got the Excel ones but the Leiki ones are probably better (or at least they look nicer!). Holiday sounds fab too.
Anne - where do you get the energy from? There is no way I could have managed that!
Mark - only gizmo I have is my trusty sports watch. It has a chronometer! I dread to think what my heart rate is doing, but won't worry about that.
B&T - I found my eyes crossing at the heart rate calculation stuff. Made me chuckle though. Obviously too much for me to take in this early in the morning
Des - did you get out for your run this morning?
Zed - welcome and well done. Isn't San Fran rather on the hilly side? I've managed to find a pretty flat one as I don't get on too well with hills. Will remedy that eventually just not right now! I'm only running 3 times per week but already at 8 miles for my LSR. Make sure you get enough rest days.
Better go actually do some work, so catch up with you all later.
Corrah x
Going to do the Cardiff half in October. I did really want to do the GNR but I could only get a charity place and I've done so much charity stuff lately that I didn't think i could raise enough. Cardiff seemed like a good second option though, so I'm now in!
Wondering if it was a silly idea though, I only just managed 10k last month and that was only done by crawling to the finish!
Got abit of a sore ankle at the moment tho hopefully nothing too bad
Good luck with your cardiff run hope all goes well.
Zed - all the way, at least in san fran you will have no problem with the hill training.
Corrah - yup - but usual 8 turned into an easy 5 with shades, mp3, water and no watch. just had a nice happy plod inthe sunshine and breeze.
swimming tomorrow, then run thursday and swim/short run friday and long run sunday. might swim saturday but might be busy.
feeling somewhat bettter, going to plateau at 8 miles for a couple of weeks just to make sure i am not over doing it. to be honest i am delighted to be doing short runs of 5 miles - no way that was even possible this time last year. long run is only 9 miles but it will be slow/easy and i plan to cap distance at 10 miles anyway. after that i will look at fartlek or something to get my pace up a little perhaps - or just plain work on my weight and stamina.
once again i am being asked to start bike training. at least the people i am talking to have enough sence to be happy when i say i will start next spring. by then i know i will be much happier with my running and swimming and overall fitness. decisions decisions for next year - marathon training or tri? loads of time later for that though.
MichelleJ - see you in cardiff then.
Hi there folks
Well, my scheduled 4 miles didn't happen today for 2 reasons ... a) knee felt a bit niggly and b) I had an exam, and the run would have made me cut it too fine ... especially at my speed, LOL ...
B&T ... I have to agree that I think 5 runs per week is too much, but .... they are all meant to be easy runs ... but whether they're easy for me, is yet another question
We're doing it in November ...
Corrah ... yes, SF is hilly, but, the HM is around the bay area, and theoretically doesn't look too bad, and we get to run across the Golden Bridge (and back!)
Mark 1986 .. OMG I do hope *but I suspect it does mean* that 1986 was not when you were born, showing my age now, as that was the yr before I did my o'levels, which as one person told me at my evening class tonight ... they'd heard of them .... in a historical context ...
I hope the ankle sorts itself out, are you stretching it sufficiently post-run? I tend to get very tight achilles if I don't.
Des ... that really would be major hill work running up their hills !!!
Waves to everyone else, and tomorrow I shall do that 4 mile trundle
Wow! This thread has certaintly moved on at a fast pace. All this talk of running 5 times a week, long runs followed by gym sessions: it's enough to make you feel tired lol.
Easy session tonight on the exercise bike, out on the road tomorrow hopefully 4 miles easy.
Afternoon all
Michelle J - well done, I'm sure you can manage it and looks like you will have some company then if Des will be at Cardiff.
Des - sounds good. I'm kind of trying to stay at 8 miles too for my LSR, but seeing how things go.
Zed - glad to hear it is around the Bay and very cool you get to go across the bridge. You could always get some hill training in when you are there if you fancy it
My run last night never happened (again). Ended up helping hubby put up our new garden shed, which has been in the garage for the last few weeks. Was nice to get some space back, but by the time we'd finished wasn't feeling like it. Tried to get up this morning at 5am instead, and managed only to feel shattered, so trundled back to bed for another hour of shut eye.
Busy tonight again too, so might leave it till tomorrow night as I've got nothing else scheduled in, then I'll do my LSR on Sunday, and I can hopefully start next week on a bit more of a positive note.
Happy running all
Corrah x
Good run tonight. Finally learnt how to run slow and it does feel strange going slightly faster than walking pace.
The first two miles were 26mins and the last two covered in 18mins. Rest day tomorrow.
just the swim today, really fancied a run but not sure that would be wise. i think a little more rest was what i neede. i missed running (i may be hooked!)
so just a short run tomorrow evening (have to be in work early tomorrow) and again friday morning. swim friday afternoon and long run (9) sunday.
i think a lot of this running lark is in the head, and not sure where my head is at the moment. still the over all plan is the same, just to get regular distance to 10 and then gradually increase the weekly LSR.
the other thing i need to do is count my laps swimming but that is soooo boriiiiiiing.
happy plodding all.