After 2 days rest, enforced by arctic gales and a sore back, I ventured out to do my LSR, back on the schedule which said 14 miles for today. I left home feeling good but wondering how the new shoes would feel after that time as I've only done 5 miles in distance in them so far.
I plodded, long and slow. The SIS gels were not too bad but did make things a little windy for a while. The cereal bar was ok and the Tesco orange sports drink was very strong. But it all propelled me along and I set out to do 14 miles and finished up doing 19. My legs were aching at 10 miles but I have this bad stubborn streak that seems to be getting worse as I am getting older so I just wouldn't give up. 3 hours 48 minutes later I got home tired, aching and very chuffed indeed.
The weather was much better than the last week, still cold and breezy but a pleasure to be out in it and there was even a little sun at times.
The reason for the extra long run was that I missed my 18 miles due to the tummy bug and I had another 18 miles planned for next weekend. My back was still twinging on and off this morning, so I decided that I could do 14 miles and not be able to run the 18 due to the back being worse or I could run 18 today and it wouldn't matter if I wasn't up to it at the weekend cos it would already be done. So I went for it and somewhere along the way I got muddled with the mileage and ended up doing an extra mile.
My back is no worse than it was yesterday and I now have a couple of weeks to stretch it and excercise it before I have to do another run like this.
Yes!!

19 miles
3 hours 48.36 minutes
Average pace 12.01
Average HR 148
Peak HR 166

X training for me today. I went to the swimming pool and did an hour which I was pleased with although it did make my back a bit sore. I am hoping that will ease off tomorrow with my planned rest day.
Then i got home and ran for a little while, nice and easy but in the very cold wind again. I am so fed up with the wind, how I would like some sunshine for my LSR at the weekend.

56 lengths
1400 metres

2.5 miles
Average pace 11.00
Average HR 133

Its snowing today. Its snowing hard and I couldn't wait to get out there in it and a tempo run was planned so that's what I did. I find it exhilarating running in the snow and I came back home feeling happy, bouncy and full of life. I ran quite briskly but still felt good at the end so maybe I could have gone a little quicker, never mind though, I was out of the "comfort" zone and puffing so I was going harder than usual. I always seem to fine the 4th mile the best to run, it seems to take me so long to warm up and get "flowing", then its time to start the warm down!

1st mile - 11.10
2nd - 10.30
3rd - 10.70
4th - 9.42
5th - 10.59

Time 52.11 minutes
Average pace 10.42
Average HR 157
Peak HR 180

Yesterday was my rest day so I went to the swimming pool and did quite a good swim (by my standards). Its not making me as tired as it used to so either I'm getting better or I'm not doing it hard enough. I like to think its the former.

52 lengths
1300 metres




Today I did a 5 mile run. I forgot to set my watch so I don't dnow the time but I ran at 70% HR so I know it was an easy run and it felt that way too.
The weather was horrible, lashing rain and hail but once I'd got myself out the door, it was quite exhillarating. I had a laugh at one time when I was trying to run forwards but the wind was holding me where I was. I am just glad I run in isolated places and there was no one to see me!

5 miles
Average HR 138
Peak HR 160

I decided to run again today as I will be back with the schedule tomorrow and a rest day is planned. I did a nice, easy run which made me feel good and I felt today as if I could have just kept going. So good to feel back to normal.

5.25 miles
56 minutes .31
Average HR 132
Average pace 10.72

Today I went to Southend and ran along the seafront for a change. The early frost had gone and the sun was shining, sparkling on the mud flats and the water in the distance. After a stiff and slow start I got going and enjoyed the run, stiffening up again for the last mile. A joyfull experience, just running again.

5.5 miles
62.22 minutes
Average HR 141
Peak HR 165
Average pace 11.31

Thursday 16th February.

A short run today to see how recovered I am. The tum's still a bit dodgy but I am feeling a lot better. Unfortunately the run didn't go well and I had to walk twice, lacking stamina and energy and feeling quite breathless with aching legs. It may not have been helped by the fact that one of the farmers is spraying his fields here and that always brings on my asthma and affects my running. I then felt tired for the rest of the day.

3 miles
38.30 minutes
Average HR 138

I'm stuck at home with a sickness/tummy bug and there's no chance of a plod at the moment as I am tired just going up the stairs. I am begining to feel better but it looks like I will take a few days to recover so I will take it easy . Its a good thing I did that 17 mile run last Sunday, now I don't feel so bad at not going out today for the 12 miles planned. Hopefully I will be back on track for the long on next weekend.

Well, the schedule said a Tempo run of 5 miles. My hip is still making itself felt (caused by my wonky back) so I though I'd just go out and run according to how I felt today and not worry about time/pace.
Once I started to warm up - its blowing quite hard and very cold - the hip began to loosen so I pushed on a bit and began to enjoy the feeling again. The pace felt ok and although I was working harder, it was sustainable and didn't make me too tired.
No great surprises with the times of the miles but at least nothing felt worse afterwards and mostly felt easier for having had a run and a stretch.

1st 10.50 (too quick)
2nd 11.62 (too slow - strong headwind)
3rd 10.00
4th 10.00
5th 11.13

5 miles
53.27
Average pace 10.65
Average HR 148
Peak HR 170

Today is x training. I went to the pool and did 45 minutes. 40 lengths (I wasn't in a hurry and I was chatting to my daughter in between lengths) and I could have gone on longer but ran out of time. I am pleased with this as I've only been swimming again for 3 weeks, once a week, and I am improving already.
The only downside to swimming is that it makes me incredibly hungry. I can't understand this as it doesn't burn as many calories as running and I don't get particularly hungry after running, in fact, if I've had a long run I find I have little appetite for the rest of the day.
So that needs to be watched. I've eaten as much for one meal as I should do for most of the day!!

An easy run precscribed for me in the schedule today.
The weather is not bad, a bit of a breeze and although its cold going one way, it was much warmer coming back.
I ran ok for about 3 miles then my right hip started to get a bit sore/stiff. I carried on as it wasn't bad enough to make me walk but it went off when I'd finished and done some stretching.
Other than that, everything is still in working order after Sunday's long run.

5 miles
Average pace 11.50
Average HR 140

Today is a rest day and much needed too. I am stiff but not as bad as I thought I would be, although walking is a little strange until I get my hips to loosen up. I will go for a walk in a while which should help.
I am still feeling good about yesterday's run as my heel and back were both ok, things that I had worried about going wrong and I am encouraged that I will be ok for the 18 miler planned in a couple of weeks time.



Somehow a post seem to have disappeared from last Friday.
I went along the seafront with Yumyum for a 4.5 mile run, nice and easy as she is recovering from a knee injury. It was good to run together again and as usual, the time went very quickly. I wore my new Reebok shoes, which are extreemly comfortable and we got home in 57 minutes - 12.66 pace.

Today's run has been such a good one. The weather was so much better than last weekend when I did my last LSR. There was not that horrid easterly wind today, just light and from the west and although the mist never really lifted it was so good just to be out there.
I did approx 8 miles then picked up Jess from home and did 3 miles with her, then back home to take Jess back and get another drink and some sweets and went out for another 5 miles roughly. I have been having trouble with the lacing on my shoes for the last couple of days, they are pressing on a tendon and it now has a swelling and I've tried different ways of lacing them, hoping for the best today. I must have adjusted them about 20 times then with only 5 miles to go, it suddenly stopped hurting and was comfortable for the rest of the run.
I didn't have any other problems and ran easily for about 14 miles then my legs began to get heavy and sore but it wasn't enough to make me walk and I kept going till the end, determined to run the whole distance - I counted my 2 "dog stops" as walk-breaks and didn't walk other than those.
I am very pleased with how it went and it shows that Shade's training schedule is working well as I started the long run feeling rested and full of energy.
My pace was a bit too quick at times, its not easy to judge it well with just a HRM as my HR goes up during the last few miles but overall I am very pleased with it.

16.9 miles
3 hours 12 mins
Average HR 147
Average Pace 11.36 m/m

Yesterday I went swimming as my x training day.
I went to a different pool and it was a 25 metre size so I ended up doing more than I did last week. It was lovely to swim somewhere nice and clean after the horrors of the local pool before.
Swimming seems to make me very hungry and tired though. Everythings aching.

1/2 hour
30 lengths






Today I was supposed to have a rest day but because I'd swapped my tempo run yesterday for a swim, I ran an easy one today. To say I'm tired is an understatement. Arms and legs are heavy and I could sleep for hours. Its either a lack of some vitamin or something or the IBS playing up, though apart from a little bloating and gurgling my stomach feels ok.
Hopefully I will feel fine again tomorrow.
On the good side, my HR is getting lower for some of my runs. I don't think I've ever had such a low one for 5 miles before.

5 miles
Average HR 128
Peak HR 150
Average pace 11.00 m/m