Training Log Archive: Lil

Managed to nip out from work at lunchtime, and ran along canal and onto meadow. Nice to be out, but legs felt awful. Maybe I should have had an extra rest day today. Not sure whether to run tomorrow as scheduled or not really - will see how it goes...

Nice run on the meadow, out via Meadow Prospect, down river to Rainbow Bridge, across to Nature Reserve and back. Very boggy at the south end of the meadow and quite a lot of wading. Trying to go a bit harder than yesterday.

I think this is the same route as I did on Mar 14, when I took nearly 4 mins longer. (Can't be sure exactly as it's always a bit random on the meadow depending on whim and extent of floodwater! But more or less, and definitely slowed down by mud more this time too. I realize all this proves is how inordinately slowly I was going the first time, but still...)

We actually went orienteering this morning, but a combination of getting there a little bit later than we'd meant to, the fact they only had an hour's start window, and a longish queue for registration, meant that actually there wasn't time for us both to run - so Ant did the green while I went round the yellow with the boys.

So after we got back I thought perhaps I should crack on and do the weekend's prescribed 75 minute run. I decided just to head up the canal towpath northwards, run for half the time, see where I got to, and come back again. And this I did. Distance is fairly rough - but feel a bit fed up with my own slowness! However as Ant points out to me, this is probably the longest run I have ever done without stopping, ever. So that has to be positive. Pleased to have kept going, the last 10 mins a bit of a struggle, though don't know how much of that was psychological!

Nipped out before breakfast from the hotel. Really nice and pretty large park just along the road, so popped in and did a couple of laps there - nice to get off the road and run on grass.

In Bologna. Was only meaning to go for a 30-40 minute run, but got a bit carried away due to being overexcited by (a) the fact that this was the first time I had ever run in Bologna despite taking my running kit every single year; (b) the luxury of being out running without the nagging feeling in my mind that there were several other things I should be doing instead; and (c) the sightseeing possibilities!

Ran right round the line of the ancient city wall, picking off the nine remaining city gates. It was fab.

Harewood, BADO event, Green course. First orienteering in goodness-knows-how-long. Really enjoyed it. Couple of small errors, but the biggest error was forgetting to put my gaiters on! Lacerated ankle, and had to walk through a fair bit of brambles where I could have run with protection!

Mid-morning run in light drizzle. Out onto the canal by the Plough, all the way down the canal through Jericho to Rewley Road, under the railway and back up the river to the Trout. A quick foray into the meadow at the end to make sure I did the full 60 mins.

Realized while I was running that whenever I have been running regularly in the past, the height of my ambition (and achievement) has been to run for an hour. So while I may have covered a little more distance in that time in the past (though sadly not as much as one might hope...), I am really pleased to have managed to keep going for an hour this time.

Limiting factor at the moment very much legs above breathing/aerobic fitness I think.

Quite late by the time I got out this evening - after parents' evening, putting boys to bed, etc etc. Pouring with rain too but nice to get out. Thought I'd go for a bit of a shorter one tonight but actually didn't end up that much shorter than Tuesday. Psyching myself up to go for 60 mins on Saturday! Hopefully orienteering on Sunday.

First evening run so pleased to make it out. Measured on gmaps pedometer.

Inside of thighs a bit sore from the start (what are those muscles called anyway? no idea) but generally felt fairly perky and think I was going a bit harder than the weekend's runs (though obviously still not enormously fast!!)

Remembered what it is I don't like about running in the dark - you can see your shadow in the streetlights, and so you can see what a tooler you look.

C • Good work 1

Another lovely clear morning on the meadow. Onto the meadow via Meadow Prospect, then down the edge of the river to the bridge at the bottom. Cut across (into very strong headwind!) and through nature reserve on the way back. Could really feel yesterday's first-run-for-ten-months in the quads, but actually running for slightly longer not as difficult as I had feared. Obviously very slow, but pleased to keep going!

First run of the campaign! Got out onto the meadow before breakfast. Beautiful sunny day. Aim just to keep going at whatever pace for 30 mins. Aim achieved!