Oof... This was unexpectedly hard

An eight day gap between runs (although I have been keeping up the cycling/rowing) and my little easy run was stupidly hard.  Less than 3k and it was an utter slog.  I felt like I hardly ran at all.

I can see above where the walks are (cadence in purple drops) but my heartrate (in red above) doesn't fall off after the first walk.  That matches up with how it felt.  Even the walking was an effort.

A long way still to go.

 

Night Run

It was hot today.  Very hot.  So I went out late at night. 

This picture is pretty much the same place as my last run two days ago. 

It wasd a hard run tonight and although I went reasonably well on the way out, I was spent for the return leg meaning that, yet again, there was a lot of walk in my walk/run.

No really discernible improvement in my running yet but it's early days and the road will be long.

 This was also my first real tryout with my new Petzl Nao+ head torch*.  I bought my first Petzl (The original Nao) in 2011, I think, and it served me well on everything from training sessions to the odd ultra for a decade until I lost it this year.  (Of course, now I've bought a new one, I'm sure to find it.)  I'll probably do a Gear write up on it when I have a few more night sessions under my belt.

* Note:  Nao is a apparently chinese word meaning Intellect or (literally) Brains.  It's pronounce now.

Long-ish Run

What could be finer on the hottest day for ages than going for you longest run for ages?  The list, I fear, is a long one.

Still, it was a beautiful day with some of the heat of the day starting to ebb away.  The moon in the evening sky was lovely although you can't really see it well in the photo.

 

With a walk before and after, I targetted running for around 30 minutes.  This is, of course, still very much walk run but I did manage to jog for more than 7 minutes at one point.  

Both Strava and Garmin are giving me dire warnings about my increased activity levels so I shall pay heed.  Rest day tomorrow and a shorter effort the day after most likely.

First proper run

This was my first proper "run" since forever. Run/walk, heavy on the walk. But went out as planned even though it's the hottest day for ages. 

 

Good: Only stopped to talk with Child the Younger who was walking the dog. Bad: didn't even break 10 min/km...

 

Benchmark run

 Well, that was, er, fun?

Decided to do a little benchmark run to see what I could do, if anything.  Wnt for a walk to warm up followed by a 10 minute run and another walk to cool down.

It was pretty horrible to be honest.  I can jog for several minutes at a go but then my breathing gets out of control and I have to walk.  On the plus side, I didn't stop even though I really wanted to.

This isn't going to be easy...

Haven't we been here before?

 It certainly feels like déja vu but I'm pretty sure I've felt that way before...

The tendon injury stubbornly refused to heal up so here I am yet another two years down the line and starting over yet again.

So what's different this time?

Well, basically: Nothing.  I'm older.  I'm fatter. (138.9kg to be precise.)  I'll be a bit more cautious in ramping up effort/distance/time-on-feet.  I'll make sure I don't carry on in a pair of  shoes beyond their useful lifetime.  Beyond that. it'll be a case of trying stuff and seeing how I cope.

Almost none of my shirts/shorts still fit so I have two of each to use while I get a bit of weight off and unlock the next set of stuff.  Several of my accessories (running belts, water bottles etc have perished and are no longer usable.  I've trown out all the unused gels, bars and other out-of-date foodstuffs.  (That was quite cathartic, actually.)

So:  The  Plan.  Take it slowly and head for a 37:30 5k as a start.  No particular time scale in mind so I'll set the pace nice and easy.  Once that's done, I can hopefully ease up the "race" distance to 10k and a slightly quicker pace.  Ive no end game in mind and I'll pause when I'm feeling comfortable.

We shall see...

Pushing a little further

Another long run.  I had hoped to push out to 15 miles today but 14 was more than good enough.  I am still on track with my plan and I walked in the last mile.  It seemed like a very busy day with plenty of walkers, cyclists and other runners about.  Everyone seemed to have a friendly smile which was really cheering.

A properly long run at last

 After last week's long run was cut short, I had a quiet week with just an interval session.  I was a bit concerned I might be packing too much onto the end of the week but, nevertheless, set out on my planned long run with a goal of hitting twenty miles.  In the end, I got out to almost twelve-and-a-half miles just touching the magical twenty km.  I was very pleased about this.

First activity of the New Year.

After the disappointment of my last run on New Year's Eve, this one went much better...

Festive Intervals

Nothing makes Christmas feel great like getting a hard interval session out of the way in the morning. At least, that's what I am telling myself.

This is the first time I've done an interval session at home since forever and I was wondering where

Ten miles

It's been an eventful few days,

I was walking in to work on Wednesday after the intervals and, to be honest, my calves were  sore but not in an unpleasant way.  Suddenly, something felt like it dropped in my right calf and it became very painful to extend the leg.  I wasn't doing anything, didn't step in a hole or move awkwardly.  And, yes, I did some decent stretching after the intervals.

Intervals

Off to Embankment again for an intervals session.  Same as last week, so 10x 50s which was quite enough to keep me busy. 

Must be becoming a regular as I saw several people I recognised also running up and down.  Clearly a popular spot.

A proper long run at last!

Almost 9 miles today when I had planned for 8. Nice to get the extra distance but sobering to realise that it took me longer than 13 miles used.  I clearly have a lot to do but this is certainly progress.

Saw two red squirrels as well. I didn't think we had those around here.

It did catch up with me.

Set off with the intention of doing 6k but barely managed 4k. 

Legs completely empty so never got going. My late long run finally caught up with me, so it's time for a few days off...

VLM Guided Session 3.

Another guided session pushing out to 10x 50s efforts.  Expected to suffer more after yesterday's long run but it was actually OK.

A late Long Run

Busy, busy weekend so slipped this run in on a Monday.  Should make the rest of the week interesting.

Nice, easy run.

A few easy miles after yesterday's session.  I'm pretty impressed by the snaps my phone can take at night.

VLM Guided Session 2

Second of the guided sessions.  Pushed out to 10x 40s.  Hard work but no drama.  Apart from some soreness in the knees, that is.  I think my "London" shoes might be done for as i get soreness whenever I run here but not at home.

Winter is coming.

Nice easy jog in the driving rain. First wintry run of the year so can't complain.

Long Run

Got to exactly half my planned distance with the over-reach monster telling me I could definitely add another mile or two when I reached a flooded road. Turned back and did exactly the six miles I had set as a goal.