Term 3 hols

Okay I admit it.  I've been too chicken to run outside in case I hurt my calf again.  "Toughen up" I told myself sternly, but to no avail - I was scared.  I almost made it on Sunday.  I read my running magazines.  I reminded myself that I was running the distance on the treadmill.  The weather was good for running.  I went swimming instead.

Today though I mastered my will power.  Carefully checking the wind had died down and the sun wasn't too hot, I convinced myself it would be okay.  It was!!!  Joy of joys I managed to run 5ks OUTSIDE.  Okay if I'm really honest I walked some of that - especially the uphill parts.  But I did it and I feel great.  So glad I managed to talk myself in to it.  Convince the mind and the body will follow.

Sunday week 5 term 3

Didn't make it for a run all week so made sure I went to the gym today.  I didn't really feel like a run, but I had just bought some NEW SHOES.  A pair on Brookes no less.   They are all lovely and blue and very light to wear.  To get them I had to run on a treadmill and have my footstrike analysed to make sure I had the right type of shoe.

Anyway there I was at the gym in my sparkly new shoes.  I pushed a few weights around, rode the stationary bike, and finally geared myself up for a run on the treadmill.  It turned out my new shoes were so lovely to run in I managed to run for FIVE KILOMETRES at 8.2.  That means it took me 37 minutes (which included a one minute warm up walk).  I was pretty pleased with that.

Wed Week 3 term 3

Managed to squeeze in another run this week.  It was only fifteen minutes as I was short on time.  However, knowing it was going to be a shorter run, I upped the speed just a tad.  I'm sure I must have been puffing like a steam train, but as the gym was fairly empty, I didn't care.  It was good to push myself that little bit faster to get the maximum effort out of my time.

Week 3 term 3

Last week was soooo busy with Parent Teacher Student interviews that I didn't get a chance to go for a run.  I made up for it on Sunday though.  After pushing some weights around for half an hour, I was feeling surprisingly energetic.  It was time to push up the speed ... just a little.  After half an hour of running (all around the South Island via video) I had managed to cover just over four kms but not quite four and a half.  Still I'm happy with that - at this rate I'm hoping to get back to five km in half an hour by the end of the year.

Sunday Week 9 term 2

It's been a very busy few weeks, but I managed to get myself to the gym today.  I did a few weights before heading off for my run.  This week I chose to watch the 'round the South Island' video.  I felt like I was having a lovely run through Kahurangi National Park, A cool jog up to Franz Josef Glacier, and finished off with a trot around Queenstown.  It only took me half an hour to manage all of that!!!!

A great run and very satisfying.

Week 8 Term 2 Sunday

Had a couple of weeks off due to strange and abnormal medical mishaps.  Back on track now though.  Headed down to the gym, did some weights, then ran for 3.5kms.  The video played tracks that ran all through the Kahurangi National Park.  Very beautiful and just made me want to run there for real.

Week 5 term 2

This week I managed a twenty minute run.  Very happy!!!

Week 2 term 2 2015

Finally after weeks of recovering from yet another foot/archilles/calf injury, I managed to go for a short run.  I was quite nervous in case I hurt myself again but I really wanted to give it a try.  Even if I only managed five minutes.

We have just spent a week away at camp, so I had been doing lots of walking without upsetting my delicate muscles.  I am also aware that the mud challenge is coming up very quickly and I am keen to take part in that.  So off to the gym I trundled.

After a warm up on the bike, I clambered onto one of the treadmills.  I set the course to Auckland/Wellington and zero incline.  Off I went.  Five minutes - feeling good.  Ten minutes - feeling good, could I manage another five minutes or would that push me over the edge?  Fifteen minutes and still feeling good.  But I stopped - I really didn't want to injure myself and I was happy with fifteen minutes.  So good.

Now looking forward to the next one!

Week 5 term 1

Was a bit slack last week what with one thing and another.  This week to make up for it I joined my class on a 12 minute run and managed to run the whole time comfortably.  I did have a little niggle in my calf muscle but I suspect that was because of the shoes I had been wearing earlier in the day.

I'm glad I ran with everyone today - it made me feel like I was getting back on track.  My next goal is to take part in the 7k run as part of the Grand Traverse.

Race Day!

We did it!!! I say 'we' because I was lucky enough to be joined by Emma, Jo, and Rachel, who all ran or walked (or ran/walked) the Round the Bays 6.5k with me.  What a great day.  Struggling to get up so early to catch the train, we all managed to arrive in Wellington in plenty of time for the start of the race.  In fact we had time to stand around chatting and watching the enthusiasts warm up with the guidance of a team from Les Mills.  We also had time to track down the bag van so our stuff would be transported to the finish line for us.

The nerves were starting to kick in as we joined the crowd waiting to set off.  We agreed that since we all had different levels of fitness and speed, we would head off independently and meet up at the finish line.   I set off at a steady pace and soon lost track of where my team mates were around me.

It was a perfect day for running - Overcast with the slightest breeze.   I managed to run for 20 minutes before I started to struggle.  It wasn't so much the physical strain, as a mental battle.  I kept pushing myself though and although I did slow for short walk breaks, I quickly managed to set myself to running again.  At the end of the race, my watch said that I had taken just under 48 minutes.  My best time is 42 minutes, but since I haven't been back running for very long I was very happy with my time.

It was a great day and now I am looking forward to continuing to improve my fitness, ready for an even better time next year.  I may even seek out a race to enter between now and then.

Second Park Run

It was raining this morning.  You'd never know it now, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, but this morning it was raining.  I got up anyway.  I tried to catch the person who I ran behind last week, but this week they were just that little bit too far ahead.  Apparently I was running slower.  Last week my time was 35.50 something minutes and this week it was 37.00 minutes exactly.  That didn't seem quite right to me at the time but then I did have energy left at the end to put on a burst of speed so ....

Anyway I didn't manage to catch the person I was aiming for but I did manage to complete another run so that's worth celebrating.  I've been a little stiff and creaky since then but it didn't matter cos I went to the movies and all I had to do there was sit (and not eat popcorn!).

My little dog is not very happy that she hasn't had a walk.  But I'm still going to count this as a good day :)

Thursday's run

My little dog is not impressed with me going for runs without her.  She doesn't think it's fair that I get to go for a run and she doesn't.  Of course she forgets that sometimes she doesn't want to actually run and instead sits on the footpath looking at me as if I'm a crazy person.

So today I took her for a walk first.  She ran.  She walked.  She retrieved sticks from the water (only up to her knees - she doesn't really like to get wet but does it to keep me happy).  We talked to other people and other dogs and generally had a lovely walk.

Then I went for my run.  It was hot.  Again.  I almost let myself not go, because let's face it my muscles are still hurting from all the gardening and painting I've been doing while on holiday.  But in the end I went and I'm glad.  Plodding along relatively slowly so as not to upset my tired muscles, I managed to run the 5k route from home and back.  I walked part way up the two big hills, but that's okay because as I said it was hot, and at least I was out running.  It took me a long time to stop 'glowing' afterwards.  In fact I was positively dripping for some time - ewww.  But I felt very virtuous, and very healthy, and very glad that I had managed another run.

Now my dog and I are relaxing.  Life is good.

6Ks!!!

There I was sitting on my VERY comfy couch thinking to myself "you should go for a run today".  Hmm.  Well there were two things holding me back.  One: it was a hot breezeless day, and I mean the kind of day where I feel like I'll get sunburnt from just walking out the gate.  Two: everything was hurting from the two weeks I've spent weeding, digging, and lugging stones around to tidy up my garden.

I decided I could go to the gym to run, and pick a treadmill right in front of a fan.  That would solve the first excuse.  The second was solved by the fact that if I couldn't run, there are lots of other activities at the gym that I could do once there.

All was going well, I was chugging along at 8.2 and had reached the 3k mark.  I started thinking I could push myself to run 5.5ks just to start building up to the 7k minimum I would need to get me through the Round the Bays run.  Suddenly I had a pain in my left leg.  What now?! I quickly slowed to a walk and that stopped the pain, but as soon as I increased speed the pain returned.  Walk - I would walk the whole 5.5ks if I had to dagnabbit.

Frustrated I tried slowly increasing the speed one point at a time.  I got up to 7.5 without trouble but at 7.6 a twinge started again. I went back to 7.5. Interestingly this slower pace felt very comfortable so I carried on and managed 6ks!  I felt like I could have done more but decided not to in case I upset whatever had caused the twinge.

I did however go to my stretching class as well.  I like that we finish up lying on the floor with our eyes closed, listening to music.  Somehow it makes the whole day seem manageable. :)

First Park Run!

I've been thinking about it for a long time and now I've finally done it!  My first Park Run.  I set my alarm and dragged myself out of bed.  It felt very weird getting up at 7am on a Saturday, during the holidays and my dog looked at me like I was mad.  I was also surprisingly nervous.  What if it wasn't running any more?  What if I was supposed to pay and I didn't take any money?  What if they were all elite athletes?  

Anyway it was great.  It was still running, I didn't have to pay anything, and they were all very friendly.  I started chatting with some other runners beforehand and one lady (on her second run) reassured me that she had just aimed to keep going for her first run.  She was happy with a time under 45 minutes, so I thought I would set myself the same goal, hoping that I might even make it under 40.

It felt like a lot of hill for the first half of the run.  Nothing steep, but steady hills.  I had to stop and walk a couple of times.  One man ran past and said "okay do some work now" so I started running again.  I needed that encouragement.  One of the ladies I had talked with earlier gave me a high five as we passed each other going in different directions, and one of the kids encouraged me towards the end, reassuring me that I was nearly there.  

It was great.  I was so excited to finish that I forgot to stop my watch but I think I managed around 37-38 minutes.  Apparently they will email me a time when I have officially registered.  I'm looking forward to next week. :)

Okay so I haven't been blogging....

But I have been running.  Work got so busy in the second half of the term and it was a real struggle to drag myself out running.  But I did it.  I kept running.  Sometimes only once a week.  But I kept it up.  I just couldn't also blog about it.  Opening the computer and writing about my runs was just a bit too much to ask.

Now it's the holidays and I'm still running.  I've been running outside more lately.  The weather has been great for running, warm but with a gentle breeze.  The other day I thought it would be too hot to run.  So instead of running I read a book mum gave me for Christmas.  The terrible and wonderful reasons why I run long distances by Matthew Inman.  It's very funny and very true.  One of the things he talks about is The Blerch which stops you running - or tries to get you to slow down, or give up once you've started.  It made me laugh.  A lot.  Then it made me put on my shoes and go for a run.  It wasn't too hot - it was perfect - and I ran five ks and only stopped for part of the two bigger hills.  Thanks Mr Inman.