A run with a podcast, my wife loves to run, Sheamus has a competition
The bad weather has continued here in sunny Auckland so I did my 10K run in the gym today.
Instead of listening to music I listened to a Phedippidations podcast. You can find them here. It was about how we are designed to run without shoes and that wearing shoes actually damages our feet. That may be so but I think I’ll stick to my shoes for now. I think the podcast is actually better than music as you have to focus more so the tedium of the treadmill is not quite as oppressive.
I did a few fartlek sessions where I sped up quite considerably for 200m then slowed back down for 200m and so forth. Hopefully that helps to build a bit of speed stamina.
My wife has become addicted to running as well. It’s been really nice running with her while she does her C25K sessions. She did her run in the gym this morning after her exercise circuit which was rather amazing to me as she is normally absolutely buggered after that. She must have been really keen to run today. Visit her site and cheer her on! And yes, she is working on a guest post to give her perspective on my fitness quest. 
Sheamus has a competition going on at the moment at his site. He has an aim of running for 365 days straight and he’s doing pretty well so far! He’s just set a new personal best for the 5K so go along and cheer him on!
UPDATE: The lovely Marshmallow has helped me solve the disappearing comments situation. I think it’s fixed now. My openid plugin was sending comments into the ether so it’s been deleted.
Good run, bad run, great pushups
I had a great little run yesterday evening. My wife has been doing C25K in the gym but has started doing her runs in the evening outside instead. This is because she has signed up to a fitness class through work and it’s on first thing in the morning (in her previous running time). This has been brilliant as I’ve been getting to run with my beloved wife and it has been really nice so far. Conditions were cold but perfect last night and we did a nice gentle 4 km walkrunwalkrunwalkrunwalk.
One of the very rewarding side effects of my decision to get fit and active has been seeing the effect I’ve had on people around me. Quite a few of my friends and family are now pursuing healthy activites and eating better and it’s really nice when they tell me that my progress has inspired them to take action.
So that was the good run.
I did another run today. I was aiming for about 10km but I ended up doing just over 11. Having said that there was a fair patch of walking in there as my daughter’s stomach bug (oh, did I fail to mention that my poor little monkey has been chucking like a banshee) hit me during my run. Let’s just say it was not my finest run and leave it there.
11 km in 1:14:37.
I also managed to do day 02 of week 03 of the 100 pushups program. I did 27,19,19,15 and 30 (25 required). That’s definitely the most pushups I’ve ever done in my life.
A visit to the treadmill
I had a lot on yesterday so I decided to go to the gym and run for 45 minutes on the treadmill after class instead of running outside. Unfortunately I had a lot of students asking questions and I didn’t manage to leave class quickly. (This is actually a good thing as students should be asking questions and often they don’t.)
Anyways, to get back on topic, I arrived at the gym a bit late and realised I wouldn’t have time for 45 minutes but I should be able to squeeze in 30 minutes.
So, in a fit of whimsy, I thought I would set the treadmill to do 5Ks in 30 minutes. When I finished C25K this was my combo of time and distance and oh boy was it tough at the time.
Today, my biggest struggle was with boredom. I was trying to watch something on my ipod but it’s a bit hard when you are running. After I had to catch my ipod for the third time I gave up and switched it to music. I’d forgotten that I’d downloaded some running podcasts to listen to but that’s ok as they will be there for tomorrow’s run.
I did the 5K very easily and my heart rate averaged in the 130s which is quite low when you consider it averaged in the 160s about two or so months ago. It’s amazing when you think that 5 months ago I could not and did not run. For anyone out there who thinks they can’t do it, I’m living proof that you can!
I really enjoy this whole getting fit business!
I did it!
I have my first 5K race under my belt!
Preparation started 10 weeks or so ago when I first started the C25K program but you can go read all the posts about that if you want to know more!
Preparation for this specific event started yesterday afternoon when I went to Takapuna to get my race pack. I’d never been to the Takapuna Athletics Club before so of course I went to the Takapuna Rugby Club instead. Luckily my darling wife (navwoman) steered me right. It was an honest mistake as the two buildings are next to each other and share a carpark.
It’s funny, but I was quite nervous going in. It’s almost like you expect the person handing out the packs to say Oi! You! You don’t look like you can do it! Get out of here. I guess I have one or two insecurities still. Anyway, needless to say it was fine, they had my name on the list and I got my pack no problems. I went home with a grin on my face, runner #66.
That evening, I spent quite a while going over all my gear, checking my Garmin was charged and so forth. I had to attach the timing chip to my shoe laces and, believe it or not, it took me twenty minutes to figure out how to do it. It should be relatively straightforward but it wasn’t.
Anyways, I went to bed about 10:30 and woke up at 12, 2, 4 and 5:20. Nerves, you ask? No, baby I say. My poor little girl had done some rather nasty power chucks all over her cot and didn’t sleep well. Neither did my wife and I.
I got up at 5:20 and had breakfast and spent some time reading up on the Running Ahead forums looking for some last minute tips. I didn’t really learn anything new but it still felt good reading about how others had done it.
At about 8:30 my wife dropped me off at the race venue. As soon as she drove off my spirits sank a bit – everyone looked so fit and professional! However, I walked to the start area and realised that the people I had seen were all part of a club and were fit and professional! Fortunately for me, there were heaps of normal looking people around and everything was good.
I bumped into one of my colleagues who was going to do the 10K event and we chatted for a bit. The safety briefing was at 8:45 so I thought I had better relieve myself before the event (as you do). 1000 competitors and 3 portaloos. Let’s just say the trees got watered a lot. Men went into the bushes on the right and ladies the bushes on the left.
The safety briefing was over quickly. Basically they just wanted us to be aware that the roads weren’t closed so we had to be careful. The funniest thing they said was that if you don’t think you are fit enough to complete the event then please get professional help. I somehow doubt anyone decided then and there to give up but you never know.
5 minutes before the start a rather attractive lady stomped off with her partner in tow. She’d been disqualified for having a bare torso! Against the rules even if it was a very nice torso.
The folk doing the 10K event were off first and there looked to be about 650 (a mixture of runners and walkers) of them but that’s just a guess. It took about a minute and a half for them all to get through the start but then it was our turn. At this point I gulped down a energy gel pack as I hadn’t had any food for a few hours and I thought it would give me a boost.
I lined up closer to the back of the pack than the front as I figured I wouldn’t be setting any records. We then had about a five minute wait as we had to give the 10K runners a ten minute head start. About 20 seconds before we were due to go the sound system died and the support crew were frantically trying to get it up so that we could hear the signal to go. The lady who was doing the countdown just screamed go as they clock hit 0 and we went!
The first section was a mad rush as everyone tried to get through the start gate as quickly as possible. As I went under the gate I remembered to activate my watch so that I could have all the stats at the end (whew!).
The course started off in a park and for the first 500 meters we were running through this park. There were quite a few little bridges that we had to cross and I was nervously looking at the max weight limits as there were a lot of us on those bridges! I passed a lot of people in the first 500 meters and I think I was probably going too fast but, having said that, I was passed by a lot as well so it was probably just the field sorting itself out.
The next bit of the course wound around the Remuera golf course and it wasn’t too bad. I was feeling pretty good and I had picked my bunny, a rather fit looking girl. About 500 meters later I picked a new bunny as my bunny was gone. Unfortunately she started walking about 250 meters later so I gave up on bunnies.
The first hill came as we left the golf course surrounds and went into a residential area. I was quite pleased as I actually passed some rather fit looking individuals. There was one guy in particular who always walked up the hills then sprinted past me to the next hill where I would overtake him again. I eventually left him behind about 3.5 km in. I think I found the hilly bits easier mentally as I sort of expected them to be tough. When I got to the top of the hilly bits then I felt buggered for a bit and let my mental focus slip somewhat.
I hit the first water break quicker than I had expected. I was on track to come in under 30 minutes at that point. My aim was to come in in under 32 minutes. I told everyone who asked 35 but I was thinking 32 would be good. I had been faster on the treadmill but always ran slower when I ran outside so I thought under 32 was reasonable.
The third kilometer was tough as we climbed quite a ways. At least it felt that way to me. I’ve avoided hills in my training so far but I think I shall be adding them in the future.
Let’s pause the story of my run for a little rant. What’s with the walkers walking three or four abreast and chatting! We runners kept having to run out in the road to pass! It was really annoying to say the least. One of the things I have learnt from reading other people’s race reports is that it is polite to keep out of the way of the faster people wherever possible. Oh well, end rant.
At the 3 kilometer mark the leading 10ker lapped me (The 10kers did 2 laps of the 5K circuit). He was motoring! I didn’t see another 10ker for about a minute (or so it felt). That guy was fast! I was most impressed.
The 4th kilometer wasn’t too bad. I think it was mainly downhill so I was feeling alright. However, there was a sharp uphill right at the end of it that annoyed me somewhat. I apologise to runner #458. The swearing wasn’t directed at you.
The last kilometer was tough! I was pretty much out of gas and the little voice inside me was saying it’s ok, you can walk but I didn’t. I’m rather proud of that. I really wanted to but one of my goals was to run the whole race.
Then I did it! I hit 5K but, to my utter horror, I discovered that the finish line was another 400 meters away! I had semi expected it as I had read on another blog that the course was slightly longer than 5K but I didn’t think that the organisers were that bastardly.
That last 400 meters was very tough. They say you should sprint the last bit but I had no sprinting in me. I focused on the runners ahead of me and tried to haul them in and to my pleasure I did manage to overtake two of them. Most importantly, I was not chicked at the end! It was such a great feeling to hit the finish line. I felt such a great surge of personal satisfaction and vindication. And boy was I buggered. I pretty much just sat down on the grass to take my timing chip off. My colleague was there and congratulated me which was great. He’d had to pull out of the 10K at the halfway mark as he’d gotten a really bad headache but had hung around to see me come in.
The time on my watch was 30:54 which I was very happy with. 5.4 km in 30:54 meant that my pace was 5:44 per kilometer which I think is great! According to my watch I hit the real 5km mark in 28:46 which I am extremely pleased with.
Afterwards my brilliant wife picked me up and she had my snacks that I had forgotten in the car with her! She is a legend. Thank you darling for all your support.
I’ve still got a stupid grin on my face. I’m amazed at how far I have come in such a short time. One of my commentors, Chief Wahoo, said something along the lines of how he finds races times of reflection where he thinks about how far he has come and where he would like to go. I understand what he means (I always understood, but now I feel it!) more deeply now.
Thank you all of you who have helped me along the way. You guys rock!
As an aside this also means I’ve completed week 02 of the OHR program.
Hmm…now this is looking very tempting for next Sunday.
Couch to 5K Completed!
Yesterday, I completed the Couch to 5K program. I started the program in mid January and now, in Mid March, I can run 5 km in a row.
Along the way I’ve done the following:
- I ran at least 46.5 km. I didn’t start recording my distance until I got up to20 minute runs so I have actually run a little more.
- I got bronchitis and didn’t let it derail me! In many respects this was the biggest change for the improvement for me. In the past whenever I’ve gotten sick I’ve used it as an excuse to return to my old habits i.e. overindulging in comfort food, giving up on the gym etc. I’m very pleased that I did not give up on everything when it happened this time. I really think that having this blog helped me stay on track and focused.
- I’ve lost about 20 pounds.
- I’ve been called a bastard. (Sorry Marshie, couldn’t resist!)
- I’ve been called an inspiration.
- I posed with a lot of butter!
- I attracted a lot of strange people who are doing google searches for “naked fit men in the gym” with this post.
- I’ve entered my first 5K race. Less than 2 weeks to go!
- I’ve amazed myself and a few others I think. I never believed that I would be able to run and now I can.
I still find it really incredible how quickly our bodies can adapt to the various stresses we put upon them. I’ve learnt quite a bit about myself over the last few weeks and have a better appreciation of what I am capable of now.
I’d like to thank all of you who read my blog and have offered such great supportive comments and helpful bits of advice. I don’t think I could have done it without you. I’d especially like to thank my ever suffering wife who has had to put up with me being a bit obsessed and single minded about things lately. She has supported me in all my decisions and darling, if you read this, I love you.
Next week I start the One Hour Runner program!
A run in the Domain
I went for a run in the Auckland Domain earlier today.
The Auckland Domain is the oldest park in Auckland and is a great place to go for a lunchtime run. There are quite a few tree lined tracks that are ideal for running along. As an added bonus it is a two and a half minute walk from my workplace, which makes me wonder why I didn’t think about running there before.
You may recall that I had expressed some paranoia a few anxieties about going out and running outside with a partner. Turns out that it was a lot of fun. My running partner is from Hawaii and had a lot of interesting things to say about it. Running outside is nice and not nearly as boring as running on the treadmill.
We ran about 5.2 km in about 36 minutes which is slower than my treadmill pace but I noticed that it was a lot easier at that pace. I think I will try and go slightly faster for my next one but I was taking it easy today as it was my first outdoor run of this distance.
I used the Google Pedometer to work out how far we went:
It was good and I’m looking forward to my next run. Incidentally, that is week 8 day 3 of C25K completed.
Couch to 5K W08 D2
Running is tough. More so mentally than physically I think. I’ve noticed that if I spend the same amount of time on the elliptical crosstrainer then I burn almost as many calories but I feel fine afterwards. After my run I’m pretty buggered and take a good twenty minutes or so to start thinking like a normal human being again.
I have this problem in that I try to do too much. Take today’s run. My rational mind said you’ve already proven that you can do 5 km so take it easy and just build up a good base. Of course, super competitive inner Andrew takes over and says I WILL SET A NEW PR and sets the treadmill at a fast pace. Of course after about 18 minutes I felt absolutely buggered and had to slow down a lot for a while in the middle. I still managed to finish the 5 km and funnily enough I set exactly the same time as I did on Monday (29:36) which was really weird.
I bumped into one of my colleagues in the gym on Monday and yesterday he asked me if I would be keen to go running in the Domain one day.
I immediately thought OH MY GOD I’ll be too slow and am too fat and started to think how I could get out of it so I started to make an excuse, but then stopped and thought why not? So to cut a long story short we are going running on Friday and I reckon it should be fun. I want to transition to running more outside now that I am running longer distances so this should be a good start.
What will be my next goal?
Seeing as I ran 5K on Monday I have decided to treat this as my final week on C25K. On Friday I should finish the program so I need to decide what I will do next. One of the goals I have set myself is to do the Quarter marathon at the Auckland Marathon this year. The quarter is 10.2 km so I need to train myself up to run 10K. Fortunately this is in November so I have some time to get there but I think it would be good to start training for it early.
I find I tend to do well when I can follow a program so I’ve decided that I will follow another training program to get me to 10 km.
There seem to be two major programs recommended to take you to 10K (or one hour of running).
The first is Hal Higdon’s Spring Training. This takes 12 weeks to get you to 6 miles (approx 10K) but it involves running most days and that might be a bit awkward.
The second is Cool Running’s The One Hour Runner. This takes a minimum of ten weeks (depending on how you go you can add weeks in) and involves running 3 times a week.
I quite like the routine of running 3 times a week only so I’ve decided to go with that.
The One Hour Runner program is as follows:
Weeks 1 – 3: Right now you are running 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Your weekly commitment of time is 90 minutes. Continue doing this for three weeks.
Week 4: Run 30 minutes, 29 minutes, 35 minutes. Weekly total: 94 minutes
Week 5: Run 30 minutes, 32 minutes, 38 minutes Weekly total: 100 minutes
Week 6: Run 30 minutes, 33 minutes, 41 minutes Weekly total: 104 minutes
Week 7: Run 30 minutes, 34 minutes, 45 minutes Weekly total: 109 minutes
Week 8: Run 30 minutes, 36 minutes , 49 minute Weekly total: 115 minutes
Week 9: Run 30 minutes, 38 minutes, 54 minutes Weekly total: 122 minutes
Week 10: Run 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes Weekly total: 130 minutes
So what I will do is finish C25K this week and then launch straight into OHR as the first 3 weeks of OHR are the same as the last week of C25K.
I’m also going to run all of the Run Auckland series races (circumstances permitting). These are 5K or 10K races so I will aim to run them on my 30 minute days as I’m planning on doing them as 5K races. Having said that I may do the last one as a 10K if I have managed to run 10 km by then. Of course, this all assumes that I enjoy the 1st 5K event which is about 3 weeks away
Boy, times have changed for me. A few months ago I would have said you were nuts if you told me I’d be pondering which running program to take.
“Gimme a HELL YEAH!”
Well, I gave out a loud and proud “Hell yeah!” today when I RAN 5KM!
This was a tough, tough run. I started off thinking it would be nice to run the full 5K today so I thought I would start out a little faster than normal and started off at 10.5kph. I kept this up till halfway and truth be told up until then it wasn’t too bad. However, the second half was really tough. I kept on thinking one more minute and by the time the last 5 minutes rolled up I had abandoned all pretensions of completing the 5K. I was thinking …today’s run is only supposed to be 28 minutes I’ll stop then… However, 28 minutes arrived and I had done 4.6 km so I thought…one more lap…I can do this. So I ran a bit more. And I made it. 5KM in 29:36.
C25K rocks!
C25K Week 07 Completed
I completed Week 07 of C25K this morning. I decided to change my approach today and go a bit slower in the beginning and see how it felt. So I set the the treadmill at 9.5 kph instead of my normal ten and then increased it by .1 kph every minute. This meant that I did the first half slower than I have in the past but the second half slightly faster. I think they call that doing negative splits. I have to admit that I found the going much easier. I didn’t really start to tire until just past the 20 minute mark. I was very glad when my 25 minutes was up. Next week it’s 28 minutes. I suspect that I may be tempted to try and do 5km sometime next week as well rather than waiting for the week after. I’ll try and resist but we’ll see.
I’m quite pleased that I’ve managed to stick with C25K and I’m really surprised at how well it has worked for me. I’m running further than I have ever done in my life and that is great.
My gym membership came up for renewal today and I have to say it’s money well spent. I’ve been going to the gym most weekdays for about four and half years now. Most of the time I have focused on cardio fitness but for the last 9 months or so I’ve also been doing strength training. I think my general fitness is reasonable as I definitely work out more than most people I know. Eating the wrong things (and lots of them) has always been my main problem not exercise. That may help to explain why C25K has worked reasonably well for me.
Anyways, I thought I should get a fitness assessment done so I’ve booked one in at the gym. It should be interesting as I’ve never had an official assessment done. I’ll post the results up here.
Daily Mile
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RoadID
