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.