My 4th running life !! (Comments Welcome)

[col1]

So ordered these trail running shoes in anticipation of getting off road road once my runs get beyond 3 miles planning a multi day costal Hike in around 4 weeks time so these will double as trail walking shoes ..... excited ....nothing like new shoes to get me motivated

 

[col1]

Hi all

Hope everyone is doing well and has had a good week

Week 4 otherwise known as (I find my lack of Pace disturbing )

Pardon the pun i am sure its not the first time its been used

Running

2 of 4 runs completed. A poor show i must admit. only 6 of planned 12 miles done.

Monday - 3 miles 10.38 pace - So no walk breaks in this run, Why ? not sure TBH. Frustration at not feeling and tangible improvement perhaps, it was a last minute, off the cuff decision, interestingly i recorded no better timings than my better 2.30/30 sec run walk sessions, not sure what that means.

Wednesday - 3 miles 11.02 pace - Just a plod round nothing much else to report.

Thursday - DNR

Saturday - DNR

What have i learned - Learnt i cannot just plan to run every other day and rely on willpower to push through on Night shift weeks, i need to plan more effectively around them. Particularly when staying away from my base location. Probably running every other day has served its purpose in it has given me some consistency for the last 4 weeks so i need to build a slightly more sophisticated plan.

C Minus for this

For the week not great BUT over the 4 week period just concluded i have run 36 miles and change, ran almost every other day, 12 runs in total which is a massive improvement over where i was and a much more sensible sustainable approach. So for the 4 week period i give myself an A - as apart form the last 2 runs i pretty much did what i set out to whilst successfully rehabbing my injuries at the same time.

Weight Management

Not being at my base location i did not have the opportunity to do my weigh in on my normal scales. I will do this tomorrow and report back, i wanted to continue my habit of posting up my weekly report on Sundays as i find it a good motivation.

My gut instinct is it was not a great week. Poor Monday - Wednesday and better for rest of the week. I suspect a pound on, if i maintain from last week i would be satisfied.

I know from my data that when working i burn significantly less calories per day between 500 and 800 less. I also made the mistake of a mid week weigh in (I know rookie error) and had put on 4lbs !!! so half of the 8 i had lost. So you can see why i am happy to just maintain at 186 lbs for the week.

What i have learned - Don't weigh in mid week !!! Also i have observed that at work this week whilst i have kept the calories low the actual food was fairly processed in content , need to change this.

Grade TBD

Other Stuff

When i finish this shift in 8 hours time i will be off work for 2 days short of 5 weeks returning on 1st of August, so i need to consider what i am going to do with that opportunity from a Running and fitness point of view. Of course as they say "you can do anything but not everything" so need to not get carried away but don't want to waste this chance. Will run tomorrow in any case but the try to put a program together for the next 4 weeks. I also have an elliptical i can use to build in some cross training on non running days. I will share it once i have it done, please feel free to comment and critique.

As part of this i am considering upping the mileage, partly to build up gradually as that seems sensible but also due to boredom , i live in the countryside but it take a mile to get to the edge of town so on a three mile run its just getting good and i have to turn back, will gradually work up so i can get to some of the places i have been enjoying walking round, thinking this would be great for a run. I promise first day i get a 4 miler in i will post some pics. My new trail shoes have arrived so they can get a test run also.

Finally, linking back to the sub title of this week...... Runs 2 and 3 of week 1 were 3 milers at 10.22 pace, i firmly believed i would be under 10 mm pace by the end of the 4 weeks, i have lost 8 lbs (Maybe only 4 ) but my pace for the rest of the month has been 10:50 and 11:00 mm. The only other time i came close was 10.23 pace the other day when i ran all the way, so despite 4 weeks regular running and nearly half a stone in weight loss i appear to be regressing ???. Not sure what is going on, although maybe general fatigue whilst nursing my injuries is responsible?

So that is it for now, i will post tomorrow with my weight loss outcome and my proposed next 4 week plan.

Until then, Stay safe folks

Col

 

[shellott-hill]

I can relate to what you have said above. The roller coaster of running does a number on you mentally. Find something in the distance, focus in, and run towards it.

Keep up the good fight!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Finally, linking back to the sub title of this week...... Runs 2 and 3 of week 1 were 3 milers at 10.22 pace, i firmly believed i would be under 10 mm pace by the end of the 4 weeks, i have lost 8 lbs (Maybe only 4 ) but my pace for the rest of the month has been 10:50 and 11:00 mm. The only other time i came close was 10.23 pace the other day when i ran all the way, so despite 4 weeks regular running and nearly half a stone in weight loss i appear to be regressing ???. Not sure what is going on, although maybe general fatigue whilst nursing my injuries is responsible?

Did the temperature change much during this time period?

 

[col1]

Did the temperature change much during this time period?

Yes that is a good point, we have had some quite warm weather which only really broke a few days ago after some thunderstorms, next 10 days will be 17 - 21 degrees Celsius or 63 - 69 Fahrenheit, will see if the milder temps make a difference

 

[DopeyBadger]

Yes that is a good point, we have had some quite warm weather which only really broke a few days ago after some thunderstorms, next 10 days will be 17 - 21 degrees Celsius or 63 - 69 Fahrenheit, will see if the milder temps make a difference

Could be as simple as that then. Summer has a tendency to hide the gains made because of the offsetting issues caused by the heat and humidity. I made this graph about 2 years ago with my effort and HR being the same over a short period of time, yet could see my pace vary wildly (8:24 vs 8:49). What my personal data did show was that it was fairly close to the predictive T+D table I use for temp adjustments.





Granted the table above for T+D is in Fahrenheit.

I'll be interested to hear if you have a similar experience with the upcoming temp dip.

 

[col1]

I will keep a note of the pace and temps and let you know. I have the heart rate and pace stored on my Fitbit for the last 4 weeks so might go back to check the temps over the last 4 weeks as well and put it together

 

[col1]

So quick update on last weeks weight management, I managed to maintain which I was happy with as I had not been so well disciplined.

Must do better this week !!

 

[col1]

Could be as simple as that then. Summer has a tendency to hide the gains made because of the offsetting issues caused by the heat and humidity. I made this graph about 2 years ago with my effort and HR being the same over a short period of time, yet could see my pace vary wildly (8:24 vs 8:49). What my personal data did show was that it was fairly close to the predictive T+D table I use for temp adjustments.

View attachment 505413

View attachment 505414

Granted the table above for T+D is in Fahrenheit.

I'll be interested to hear if you have a similar experience with the upcoming temp dip.

Hey @DopeyBadger

I have not been able to get historic temperatures for the exact time I ran just highs and lows for the day. I have as of yesterday added the temperature to my comments in Strava so I can record it and do a graph similar to what you have shown me.

However I have had a bit of a revelation in the last 24 hours, I felt really out of sorts yesterday and kept falling asleep through the afternoon and evening which I never do and for the first time in my life deliberately waited until the rain started so I could run in the cool rain.

Was slowest so far at 11.27. Went to bed early feeling very tired and expected a solid nights sleep but it was not to be, after a very restless night I was up at 4.45 to drive to watch the grandkids whilst my daughter works. My wife was doing the driving. After discussing with her me feeling a bit out of sorts and the poor nights sleep I discovered the following, since the 2 runs of 10.2x pace my sleep has been as follows

14 of 25 nights sleep less than 6 hrs 30

5 of those less than 6 hours

2 of those less than 5 hrs

Of those15, 8 were sleeps during the day as was night shift..... completing a run of 12 x 12 hour shifts in 18 days

Whilst I felt ok in general as I am fairly used to shift work, normally 8 shifts in 12 days is as hectic as it gets, so to do 12 in 18 with 8 being night turns was unusual.

I figure it showed up in my running before it eventually caught up with me in general.

For the next week or so once I get back from my daughters I am not at work so will focus on getting a lot of rest an see what that does to my running pace.

I will also add sleep data to the temperature and heart rate and pace graph and hopefully build up a picture over time. Will probably do it on a Sunday when I post up my weekly running report.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I have not been able to get historic temperatures for the exact time I ran just highs and lows for the day. I have as of yesterday added the temperature to my comments in Strava so I can record it and do a graph similar to what you have shown me.

Does weather underground's historical data work where you are? That's how I get data from as far back as several years ago.

The lack of sleep could definitely be a contributing factor.

 

[col1]

I will check that site out and see if I can get it thanks !!

 

[col1]

Week 5

Hi Folks

Hope everyone is doing well

Running

4 runs this week as per the plan slight difference in that run number 4 was 4 miles vice 3.

This is the beginning of me incorporating a long run will slowly increase week by week.

I have settled on the following for the next 4 weeks,

Run 4 x per week which is an additional 2 runs and incorporate a longer run each week.

For the first 4 weeks I logged 39 miles, plan was for 45.

The last time I ran more than this in a month was April 2019 when I was training for a Half marathon and did 49 miles over 31 days including the race itself , three long runs accounted for 33 of those miles so not exactly a balanced plan

Assuming no missed runs this plan will be 58 miles if I add 1 mile per week to the long runs.

On the 3 days I don’t run I will cross train on my elliptical for 30 to 45 mins.

Runs this week

Monday

3 miles @ 10:55

Had done last night shift and got up around 1pm so just a steady run round nothing much to report.

Noticed shin issues has made a return

Wednesday

3 miles @ 11:26

Felt pretty poor prior to going out and had spent quite some time laying a new floor in bathroom , was a real slog.

Friday

3 miles @ 10:05 pace

After a good nights sleep I went out mid morning, and by half way I realised I was just over 10mm pace so tried to push it to get under 30mins for 3 miles but just missed it, oh well , quite pleased though.

Sunday

4 miles at 11:05 pace

A windy day but kept me cool decided to do 4 miles and make it the first “long” run which I will build on going forward.

All in all happy with the way things are going just need to stay sensible and build slowly but pleased I am finding some consistency in terms of getting out there.

Grade for the week A

Weight loss

Another maintenance week , not a huge surprise, I actually lost a little but I measure in whole pounds so the number is the same But i lost half a pound.

Will be trying hard this week and trying to be disciplined.

Grade C

I have signed up for 30 days trial of Peleton to see what it’s like. There is Meditation and Yoga classes which have been on my list of things to try for some time, stretching routines which I need to do more of and various exercise classes as well as audio runs, in addition to the cycling and running classes based on the bike and treadmill. I will see if I like it enough to pay the £13 a month.

Tried out my new trail shoes today, pretty comfortable, also got these to try......



I picked these up just to see how I get on with them, ASICS Patriot 11s

I generally have worn stability shoes however tbh honest I am sick of paying through the nose for them, nothing cheaper than around £70/$100 dollars and that I if I can find a discount.

These ones were £30/$40 and if I like them I will grab another couple of pairs, perhaps a risky strategy but time will tell I guess.

That’s it for now

Stay safe folks

 

[jmasgat]

I have signed up for 30 days trial of Peleton to see what it’s like. There is Meditation and Yoga classes which have been on my list of things to try for some time, stretching routines which I need to do more of and various exercise classes as well as audio runs, in addition to the cycling and running classes based on the bike and treadmill. I will see if I like it enough to pay the £13 a month.

I did the free trial as well at the beginning of the stay at home order. I really enjoyed the strength training--there are many different instructors and I was able to find a few that I felt comfortable with (in terms of content/effort level/etc). I also tried their yoga--sorta--but never made it through a class. They seem to use a lot of props and the ones I tried weren't to my liking/level. I found another site for yoga that I really liked--Down Dog . Highly customizable. They offered a free trial and at the end, I spent $40 to get a year's access--IMO, money well spent.

 

[col1]

Week 5

Hi Folks

Hope everyone is doing well

Running

4 runs this week as per the plan.

Runs this week

Tuesday

3 miles @ 10:05

Pushed my pace a bit and did not take quite so many walk breaks no real reason just felt quite energetic

Thursday

3 miles @ 10.53..... some heavy lifting and landscaping in the garden on Wednesday meant I took it easy for this one.

Saturday

3 miles @ 11.56

Very easy conversational pace run with my son who was home from University, he is a lot faster than me but happy to run at my pace so we can catch up on all matters Basketball

Sunday

5 miles @ 11:33 pace

Another with my son. Took it easy and ran at conversational pace, was surprised it was a bit faster than the previous day.

Still happy with the way things are going just need to stay sensible and build slowly but pleased I am finding some consistency of getting out there.

Need to take care of my body as the shin split in my left leg has came back this week more intense than before so a bit concerned there.

Grade for the week A

Weight loss

Oh dear, so 1 lb on. Not great but not entirely unexpected, had hoped to sneak in another maintain week but I ain’t getting away with that 2 weeks in a row

I kinda figured this may be the case, my son was home from university and we pushed the boat out with food etc, and in general I was not particularly focused so I am not unhappy in the sense some weeks I try hard and get nothing but this seems fair.

I will be redoubling my efforts over the remaining 2 and a half weeks of my leave from work as since I have finished work I have not lost anything, however I am 7lbs down overall so all is not lost.

Grade D

General life

A fairly chilled week ahead I intend to try some of the peloton content, mainly the stretching/meditation and yoga content. Focusing on my diet and keeping up with the running as planned. On Sunday next week I will start on the first day of a 5 day hike along the Cleveland Way so will need to think hard about what my running will look like.

It is the first multi day hike I have done, mileage totals 50 miles longest day 15 miles other days are shorter, but quite a lot a accents and descents so will need to strike a balance between keeping up with the plan but avoiding injury.

One key factor is all the overnight stays are by the sea, I love running by the sea and rarely get the chance to do so, therefore the temptation to go run every day will be strong.

That’s it for now

Stay safe folks

 

[col1]

Week 7

Hi Folks

Hope everyone is doing well

Monday

10 minute stretch session @ peleton

Tuesday

Steady run felt fine.

Thursday

Good hard effort today, first time under 10 mm for well over a year.

Following some disappointment on the scales following an impromptu weigh in I decided to try and get under 30 mins for 3 miles to cheer myself up.

Managed a quite unexpected 9.35 per mile so was very pleased with that.

Ran without Walk Breaks until 2.3 miles then took 3 walk breaks of 30 secs each from there until the end.

It was a hard effort and quite an undulating route over the last .7 miles. On a flatter route I may have been able to complete without the walk breaks.

I had also noticed my Fitbit takes quite some time to pick up a signal so I normally just start the watch and let it capture it on route usually .3 of a mile in but for the sake of accuracy I waited until a signal had been secured before starting the watch.

I also think a half mile jog really slowly to warm up might help as well.

I plan to try and make one of my 3 miles this type of harder effort.

Friday

3.02 miles @ 10.53

Felt I bit sore after yesterday but settled into a rhythm was quite warm but overall a good run.

I have decided due to embarking on a walking vacation starting Sunday to not do the 4th long run as feeling a bit stiff and sore so listening to my body.

Early rise tomorrow for the first leg.

Grade for the week A

Weight management

Not too bad really lost the pound I regained last week so pleased with that. Hoping the combination of lots of walking with some runs thrown in over the next week will burn some extra calories , however being on vacation there will undoubtedly be additional consumed as well so we shall see

Grade C+

General life

In a hotel near the start of the hike location, just had pizza and watched Maleficent on the TV.

Here is my gear packed ready to go

Not sure why it’s sideways ?

I will try and post up a daily report for those that may be interested on how it goes. I have running gear and plan 2 runs over next 6 days as I do like to run when I’m by the ocean and once home I will try Saturday and Sunday back to back at the end of the week if I am up to it but very much will be going as I feel.

That’s it for now

Stay safe folks

 

[col1]

So no running yet this week but as promised a bit of a report on hiking activity.

Did not post last night as it was a very challenging first day.

Day 1 : 14 miles over quite challenging (for me) terrain.

Was pretty tired by end of it we set of just after 10am and got to our hotel around 5pm.

Some pictures from the route



Day 2 to follow

 

[col1]

Day 2: 8.5 miles from Runswick to Whitby.

A shorter and more enjoyable walk to day however a very steep ascent and descent at each end of route, these challenge my issue with fear of heights quite significantly.

Arrived early afternoon and enjoyed what Whitby had to offer.

Some pictures from the day



Somewhat unfortunately the hotel we are staying at which is pictured dates back to 1681 and is supposedly haunted, my room specifically by a crying child.... I am a bit uneasy.

In better news as it’s a bit lower mileage day tomorrowI should manage a run by the ocean which I love doing but rarely get the chance to do.

Also I have a new book to read which I will start tonight

 

[shellott-hill]

Great pictures, looks like a beautiful location for hiking. Never underestimate the power of a good hike. From my own personal experience, after getting in a challenging hike, my base running appears to my a large step forward.

Let us know about the book. Might add it to my list.

 

[col1]

Week 8

Hi Folks

Hope everyone is doing well

Will start on Sunday as I posted my report a day early last week.

I had forgone the last run of the week due to the first day off the walk. I am glad I did.


It was quite a long day from 10 am to 5pm over quite challenging undulating terrain. We were pretty much wiped out after this.

15.33 miles and 34000 steps

Monday

A much more pleasant day, following an initial steep ascent from Runswick bay the terrain was more forgiving and it was quite a bit cooler which also helped.

I won’t give a blow by blow of the whole week as I already posted up quite a bit from the trip but from the Sunday morning to the Friday morning we covered 60 miles of walking a lot of it which was challenging to us, something new for us which is also important
I resumed running once we got home on Friday Morning.

Friday

3.01 miles @ 11.22

Steady run was feeling the effects of the week in my legs.

Saturday

3.00 miles @ 10.50

Another steady run.

Sunday

3 miles @ 10.16 a mile

Felt a bit more energetic so just went with the flow.

Overall happy, managed 3 runs as well as the hike, whilst I have forgone 2 long runs over the 2 weeks when measured against my original and still current goals of consistently getting out there and staying injury free I felt I took a sensible approach and am happy with that.

Grade for the week B+

Weight management

Not known, I left the house on Friday to visit family and will not be back until next Saturday, no point in weighing in on other scales so will wait until next week.

Being realistic I know what I consumed so pretty sure I would have gained a few pounds if I weighed in today. However bearing in mind a was on vacation I will give myself a...............

D+

General life

Feeling pretty good that after 8 weeks my running is showing consistency and whilst the niggles persist I am relatively pain free .

In relation to weight loss which is the key to unlocking everything I feel I am adopting a slightly different strategy going forward, previously I would just count calories and whilst that provided a small measure of temporary success it does not last.

The issue is eating the wrong kind of foods just in smaller amounts and not eating the right type of things.

So focus is on eating much higher amount of the right foods, protein, fruit and vegetables and lower carbs but better sources.

So today I swapped 2 slices of processed white bread and cheese spread for


Fresh raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants, with low fat yogurt and some granola.

I also swapped my normal “weight loss lunch of a can of soup and a packet of low calorie crisps/chips of about 350 calories for this



2 Egg omelette with some steak strips, bacon and half fat cheese.

I don’t like eggs at all and never eat them however I have found this is a way I can incorporate them into my diet.

Probably more calories but much more substantial and healthier in my view.

For dinners my we are primarily using recipes from the Pinch of Nom cookbook, the recipes in there are quite low in calories but don’t feel like diet food. When we bought the first book there were a number of recipes we used regularly so having bought a second book when we were away gives us some new ones to try.

I am also trying to expand the amount of fresh vegetables particularly for salads etc and this has proven successful so far.

I give in to often to the short term pleasure of pizza or pasta or bread but then have to deal with the negativity that comes after. I have realised over the last few weeks I get a lot of pleasure from successfully eating healthy which lasts far longer than the instant gratification from eating junk.

Probably for the first time in 15 years I am trying to adopt healthy eating habits for good rather than diet. I am excited

2 other things that will help is in a weeks time I will be back to work for the next 8 weeks before another 4 weeks off. I do find the routine of work help my eating habits, not least as where I work it’s 12 hour shifts and you eat what you bring, there is no leaving the building to eat or buy food so as long as I take good choices in it’s the only choice I have .

That’s it for now

Stay safe folks

 

[shellott-hill]

Congrats on a successful week.
Good for you on making conscience decisions on the healthy eating. It is not easy to change existing habits. Keep it up. The benefits should start to materialize soon.