1/2 Marathon training: Week One

I started the first week of my 1/2 marathon training with a 5k race in Exeter - The Ironbridge Runner 5k series. This is, as the name suggests, mean to be a series where entrants run at least 3 of the 4 races held. However, I only wanted to do the one race to see where I was after my first month of running. Also, I think the £9 entrance fee per race is a bit steep!

This was my first competitive run and I was really struck by how serious people were taking it. I had looked at the results from previous races and knew that the course record was just shy of 15 minutes, but I didn't expect everyone to look so focused! Going into the race my PB over 5k was 26.32 so I was aiming for sub 25 minutes. This was based on the fact that (a) the race was on the flat rather than the hills my PB was set on and (b) it was a race and I was going to push myself. I was absolutely delighted to run 23.38!!!

Looking at the training plan I was pretty confident that I was slightly ahead of where it started - I can now comfortably run 7.5k (4.6 miles) so I've added extra miles where time allows. I've also had to change a couple of the days that I ran this week but I figured that as long as I still did the four runs that it would be ok. So, week one looked like this:

Mon: Rest
Tues: Exe 5k http://www.ironbridgerunnerevents.co.uk/summer_5k/images/summer5k_jul12_results.pdf
Weds: 9.7 http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/147475535 Great run, pushed along by my mate Dan
Thurs: Rest
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5k
Sun: 7.5k http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/activity/running/phoenixdoyley/detail/2010229584

Sundays run was the first time I got to test out the presents some of my best friends got me for my birthday - my Nike+ sportband and Nike+ Pegasus28 trainers. The shoes are great; I took some instore advice regarding the best shoes for me and they feel like I am running on clouds! I really noticed the difference on my knees too. Maybe it's all in my head but the new kit made me feel really good about the way I ran and definitely had an extra spring in my step!

So totals for the week:
Distance: 27.2 km
Calories Burned: 2, 508
Weight: 196 lbs

BRING ON NEXT WEEK!

Bye-bye Juneathon, Hello next chapter!

So June has gone and with it Juneathon. This was recommended to me by my friend Martyn and has been an excellent way to get me running. I have had to build in a couple of rest days and weights days to give my legs some rest, but on average I have run every other day of June. This has seen me clock up nearly 109km and burn over 9,000 calories. I finished the month with the following week:

Mon: Rest
Tues: 7.38km http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/143656933
Weds/Thur: Rest
Fri: 7.49km http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/145255629
Sat: 5.08km http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/145423611
Sun: Rest

Today marks the start of my new training schedule as I spend the next 16 weeks working toward my first half marathon. The first run on the schedule is a 5km tomorrow; which fits in perfectly with the Exe 5k race I am running. What a great way to mark the end of the first chapter and beginning of the next! The thought of testing myself over 13.2 miles is made even more exciting by the fact that (thanks to some very generous friends and birthday presents) I have a new Nike+ sport band and trainers. Sadly, the trainers had to be bought online as the store didn't do much in giant size (I am a 13) so I have to wait for them. I will have some great new Karrimor kit to wear at tomorrows race though thanks to @marts2smooth

Time to go and start dreaming about breaking the 25 minute mark at tomorrow's run; I will leave you with my totals for the week:

Distance: 19.95km
Calories burned: 1872
Weight: 194lbs

Rest days are boring!

This week has been really hard! The soreness in the top of my right leg from last Sunday has really held me back; I've only run half the amount I have wanted to and when I have run it has hurt.... a lot :( Luckily one of my friends is a sports physio (www.vickisportsmassage.co.uk) and has given me some tips to keep me going until I see her at the weekend. I have had a number of people tell me I need to slow down anyway and the injury has forced me to take rest days, so this week has looked as follows:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Rest/Cry
Friday: 6.01 km  http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/141981233
Saturday: 9.12 km http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/142352969
Sunday and Monday: Rest/Sulk
Tuesday: 7.38 km http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/143656933

It is safe to say now that I have definitely got the running bug. I've been itching to get out after my rest days and genuinly look forward to each run.

I've also been giving some thought to my goals. I need to have some shorter term goals to keep me focussed and feeling as if I'm achieving something. So, I have decided that as well as the Exeter 5k series (one week to go!) I will be doing a half marathon on the 21st of October. The best thing about this is that I have found a 16 week training plan to get me ready for the race. This will give me some real focus and keep me going when the weather starts getting colder! The first 5 weeks look like this (distances in miles):

Mon                Tue                 Wed               Thu                 Fri        Sat                 Sun

Wk 1   off                     3                     off                  3                     off         4                    3

Wk 2   off                     3                     off                  3                     off         5                    3

Wk 3   off                     4                     off                  4                     off         6                    3

Wk 4   off                     4                     off                  4                     off         6                    3

Wk 5   off                     5                     off                  5                     off         7                    3

Well, one week of Juneathon left so it's time to kick on and then start training for the big one

Finally, totals for this week:
Distance: 22.5km
Calories Burned: 2,134
Weight: 195 lbs

Running, Running, Running

Wow, am I sore!!! After four days without a run I was itching to make the most of my time this weekend. I ran Friday (7.94km), Saturday (5km) and Sunday (7.46km). I had planned to really push myself on Sunday and break the 10km mark but I started getting a pain in my right leg at about 3.5km. This pain very quickly spread up my leg and into my right buttock. Before long I was at a point where every time my right leg hit the ground I had a shoting pain that went from my calf and travelled up into my arse. I was not a happy runner at all and called it in early. The competitive side of me was annoyed but when I look at where I was 3 weeks ago I guess I should be happy with three consecutive runs and a cumulative distance of over 20km. I was especially pleased with the time for my 5km on Saturday - 26:43 - which was 5 mins 37 quicker than my first run three weeks ago!

Friday: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/139038561

Saturday: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/139286103

Sunday: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/139700425

I'm definitely starting to see the difference that the running and healthy eating is making to my body. I look thinner in the face and the belly has visibly shrunk. I've been doing a few sit ups every night too. The six pack is still a long way away though!

I'm going to rest up for a couple of days now but go for a big one on Wednesday. One of my running friends is taking me out for a 10km Wednesday night; it will be the longest I have run before and the first time that I have run with a partner. I know I've come a long way already though as I'm actually looking forward to it!

So, totals for this week:
Distance: 34.6km
Calories Burned: 2,488
Weight: Not sure!! My scales are playing up and can't make their mind up; I've either lost six pounds or gained two! Grrrrr

Thanks for reading, please follow me on Twitter - @phoenixdoyley

Juneathon - half way in...

On the recommendation of my friend Martyn (http://www.marts2smooth.co.uk/) I registered with Juneathon at the start of the month through http://www.runningfreeonline.com/ . The plan is to run (or do some other exercise) for everyday of June. So, half way in and the totals look like this:

Total Workouts: 15 (7 runs, 5 weights, 2 walks, 1 bike)
Distance covered: 60 km
Calories burned: 4, 764

I'm pretty happy with this to be honest and I'm definitely feeling the difference. The diet is really helping too. I worked night shifts this week; traditionally I stuff my face with cakes and chocolate to keep me awake and then feel sluggish during the day. This week though I have grazed on fruit and nuts and feel much better for it.

This weeks training has been diffcult. When I'm working nights I look after my son during the day. This means I havent been able to get out for a run since Sunday. But, as I said in my last post, I had to be creative and so the four days looked like this:

Monday: 5.75 km walk - pushing Rory around one of my run routes in his buggy http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/136983613

Tuesday: 7.84 km bike - with Rory on the back of the bike
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/137614339

Wednesday: 6.36 km walk - pushing Rory and his cousin Charlie around the lanes in a double buggy
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/138098799

Thursday: Cardio Dumbell Workout

I know that none of this is going to turn me into a Tri king but I think at this stage it is all about getting back my base level of fitness. I'm going to get out for at least two decent length runs over the next three days and I'm confident that this is giving me something decent enough to build on.

Finally, I decided this week that to celebrate the end of Juneathon and my first month of training I am going to run my first ever competitive race. On Tuesday the 3rd of July I will be running the "Exe 5k Series" in Exeter http://www.ironbridgerunnerevents.co.uk/summer_5k/index.html - wish me luck!!

Two weeks in...

Well I'm now two weeks in to my training and so far so good. I spent some time thinking about what I needed to do and buy to be tri-ready and it was a bit overwhelming to be honest, so I've decided to take things a step at a time and not think to far ahead. Two weeks ago I was completely out of shap and hadn't done ANY exercise for ages. Since I have started this blog I have completed 8 runs in 14 days and I am really feeling the benefit.

On Friday we had a pretty hectic day so I squeezed in the dumbell cardio workout. To my surprise I actually missed running so was looking forward to having a bit of time to run on Saturday. We spent the weekend staying at my parents house in another part of Devon. I've never been running around their area before and wasn't too sure where to go but I found what looked like a reasonable route on the map and set off. It came in at 4km which was a bit less than I had planed but it did include a bit of surprise cross country (I ran out of road so had to use a bridlepath for a while) and then the MOTHER of hill climbs. When I run near home I know how the hills go so can talk myself up them; this however just kept going!!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/136189453

Saturday also brought my first mention on Twitter; so thanks to Run Rabbit Apparel http://runrabbitappare1.bigcartel.com/ for that!!

When we got home on Sunday I decided to go for a big run (well big for me anyway!) and took the route that I cycled on day two. This came in at 8.8km and I was really happy with my 51:37. I definitely hit a wall at about 7km but pushed through it and was absolutely buzzing for the rest of the day

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/136593765

I felt a bit sore this morning so pushed my son around in his buggy for a brisk 6k walk. Still got a sweat on so felt like I did something useful. I working nights all week and daddy daycare during the days so will have to be a bit creative for the next few days - maybe some more bike rides with the worlds heaviest toddler!

Anyway, time to go; this week I have covered 33.67km, burned 2,464 calories and dropped to 198.6lbs (another 3.5 lost this week)

Where's the sunshine gone??

Wow, three days have passed since I last blogged - the joys of being back at work!

So week two of my training has been going pretty well so far but I am finding it a challenge fitting in training on a work day, I have managed it but it means getting up early!

On Tuesday I had an evening run as it rained solidly all day. I was a bit miffed initially as the battery on my ipod had died so I had to run without music for the first time. I friend of mine told me the other night that he always runs without music as he likes to listen to his body, so I gave it a go. I started breathing in time with my steps and quickly settled into a rhythm. I actually felt really good and the rhythm helped me get up and keep a good pace. It paid off as I ran my fastest time so far; 5.04k in 27:54. I guess I need to get used to being without the ipod anyway as I won't be able to wear one when I am eventually competing.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/134643461

I started work at 7am on Wednesday so got up at 0515 and did the cardio dumbell workout that I had tried for the first time on Monday. Definitely pleased with that little routine and will be doing that every other day for this month at least. After a really busy day in the office I played a game of twenty20 cricket. Sadly it didn't go very well at all and I'm getting really fed up with losing!!

This morning I was due at work for 7am again so literally dragged myself out of bed at 5am, pulled on my trainers (which have never had so much wear!) and set off on my route. Much slower than Tuesday night but still under 30 mins. Morning running is hard, my limbs feel half asleep but I kept pushing today and was pleased to stay under half hour. That is definitely the short term goal, to continue to run below the 30 minute mark

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/135357883

Well, we were meant to be camping this weekend but the weather has cancelled that for us. Maybe I'll do a longer run to cheer myself up....