Excuses, excuses, excuses

So, it's been a while since the last post, and hence since the last run. The barrage of excuses include that I have been slightly ill (last 2 or 3 days anyway), been relatively busy with my work, I have been playing badminton (twice, relatively badly) and squash (also twice, also badly, but improving) and mainly that I have been worried about my Achilles tendon. It really hurt after the last run (12, 12! days ago), to the point where i couldn't walk the following day...

Anyway - today I went out specifically to have a slow run, to see how the leg felt, and just to get out mainly. Sop, the tendon felt stiff throughout and i curtailed a jog around Hackney Downs due to to it, and in the end i ran 4.2 miles in 41 minutes, back to 10 minute miles. I did feel i could have run faster, but purposefully kept it slow. My Achilles tend stiffened up around 30mins, after slackening off around 10 minutes... to be kept in check...



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Fast 3.8 Finsbury Park loop, number 2

so this route... 3.8 miles, might become a bit of a regular test run... Ran it on Friday, updated this a day late

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Did it in 30minutes, 26 seconds... which is 7.5mph, or 12.1kmph... 3 minutes quicker than last time, which puts me on for the marathon at 3 hours 30 minutes or there about.... 8 minute miles... which is proper hard work to keep it up for half an hour... let alone 7 times that!

8 minutes miles sounds good though...

anyway - my Achilles tendon is sore, left leg, so shan't run today, and shall see if I can get on it tomorrow. want to run 10 miles, had planned too, but if leg bad then wont... don't want to end up like dad with his snapped leg, smoking a cigar in a rubber dingy on a beach in Wales.

and I'm finding quitting smoking very hard.... i.e. i keep smoking...

Only the third long Sunday run.... 17/11/13

Set the goal at 7.5 miles, and that is exactly what i ran, in fact the goal was 7.6, but it was pretty much exactly the same route, except that i turned right then left round one block out in Upper Clapton and my plan was left then right, saved me about 150m, and put it down to 7.5miles on the map.... Aimed to do it under 1 hour 10... and ran it in 1 hour 7 mins!

Which is 6.72mph, around 9 minutes miles, so and this puts me in at 3hours 55minutes... so pretty much the pace that I should be running. but if you add getting a drink of water, any type of crowd, then I'm failing, so I need to go a little bit quicker, for a margin of error...

How did I feel? Well, mainly I felt rather bored! Saw a few bikes bashing around and it just seems entirely more enjoyable, faster so you don't get bored by your surroundings at any point. Physically, beyond that, pretty good. Wasn't particularly tried and seem to have recovered fairly quickly. Could I have run further? I think so yes, probably quite a bit further, esp if i could have had a drink or had had a decent breakfast before I went out.


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Back on it... 16/11/13

Right so after a full week off to get over the strained legs and groin (must must must remember to warm that up - been a problem since I was kid playing rugby), and a bit of illness involving brutal diahorrea on Thursday (damn you Psychic Burger - allegedly... but Hugo also was ill) went on a short run to get myself ready for the planned long leg tomorrow. I had played squash on Wednesday and that was great but needed to get on it again.

So this was the route:

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Which is apparently 3.8miles, and I ran it in 33minutes... and felt relatively good about it....so that works out as 6.9miles an hour, or 8min 40 miles.... which I like the sound of! 5min25 km... but that was for half an hour and puts me in at 3 hours 50... so to keep that pace up for 8 times as long!!

Still fat etc and so forth... i think this might be slow battle...

Hackney Park Borders

5.7 miles in 57 and half minutes... 10 minute miles, pretty much spot on. too slow.... but it wasn't a cardiovascular issues, I could certainly hurt more in that respect, it was my fooking legs that killed me like fook. LIKE FOOK! though I was going to die all the way round.

Once this gets better and I get more used to running, i should probably be all right at this stuff then... need to lose weight, then I'll fly.

Very similar run to the one from last Sunday, and its a nice run too. Lovely lovely sunny day


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A muddy leg of pain... 09/11/13

Intended - 5 miles


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Actually done - 3.9miles... in 36m35seconds...

Mainly cos my legs were killing me. Think I've over done it last week and slightly strained the muscles... i didn't run for the last two days (although i did a fair distance on the bike going to dentist and Camden etc) after the squash debacle... but basically the whole of the legs hurt and I was slow....

Having said that - it's nice run, the bit from just north of the reservoir to Finsbury park on the New River is proper off road. I was expecting some form of cider path minimum, but just got a muddy grassy verge for a mile or so - was quite pleasant, a bit like being in Wigan... especially  with the rainy cold weather.


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anyway - the fight for fitness continues... got a long way to go, cant even run 5 miles, got to run 26... still fat, still heavy... hopefully the next run shall be better...

Aborted... number 1... 06/11/13

I had intended to run for half an hour, at 11km/h.... which is quick but I don't think unmanageable. Simply couldn't do it though, was too knackered and had to stop. ran 1km in minutes... I had just played squash for 45 minutes, which is pretty tiring... perhaps I've been pushing a bit hard, 2 weeks ago I was rather slovenly... rest day tomorrow, and to be continued Friday...