Finding My Inner Runner

Was I feeling in the mood to head out today? No. Did I head out and run anyway? Yes. Safe to say, was feeling a little flat and could have safely stayed on the sofa watching Boxing Day films all day, but that would almost certainly have added to the flatness of my mood. So, instead, I got myself up, changed and headed out with no expectations other than the knowledge that anything was better than nothing. 67 minutes (so pretty average time) and 10k later and I'm definitely feeling better for it and it made a nice change to be running in daylight again for once. Anyway, to anyone reading this, I hope you had a good Christmas. Still time to get a couple of runs in before 2019 becomes history...

The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, reputedly once said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Well, today, at my twelfth park run, I passed the 500 mile mark for 2019. It's 500 miles that includes: 1 x half marathon 3 x 10 miles 17 x 10k 57 x 5k numerous other shorter runs.  While I may only have reached half of Lao Tzu's 1,000 miles, the principle still remains the same, it all began with me choosing to take that first step when I embarked on Couch to 5k at the start of the year. Being a bit of a stat fanatic, for me it's been fascinating watching the distances covered and the time spent running increase as the year has progressed; from running my first 5k in June , all the way up to my first (and to date, only) Half Marathon in November and all the landmarks in between such as: My first Parkrun The Edinburgh Race For Life My first 10k My first sub-30 minute 5k My first 10 miles The Edinburgh Men's 10k None...

No rugby this morning due to my game being called off at short notice, si I went and ventured a wee bit further from home (albeit about 5 minute longer drive than usual) and headed out to Portobello , Met a couple from Brisbane, who were trying to adjust from being plucked from mid summer into the depths of the Scottish winter; complete with grey skies, wind and a strengthening drizzle, and a couple from Wesham who accidentally missed breakfast because they hadn't figured on the fact that for some reason, parkruns in Scotland start at 9:30 and not 9am. It's three laps, pretty flat and fast. The terrain, and the number of people threw me a bit, and I got my pacing completely wrong and started faster than I should have. Ended up walking for about 50m at the 3,75k mark, and still came in in a time of 29:02. Even with that walking section, it was still my third fastest 5k, so I'm not complaining at all, and I definitely earned my post run slice of chocolate cake.

Having wimped out of my usual Monday evening long run yesterday on account of it chucking it down and a howling gale (I, know, excuses, call myself a runner....) so went out tonight with the intention of a fairly leisurely lollop around the village. My legs, it seems, had other ideas... 10 miles in 1:49:19!?! That's 10½ minutes off my previous PB (or, effectively, a shade over a minute a mile faster). I've no idea where that came from but for my first run of December, I'm definitely taking it...

Well, it would seem that I've only gone and crossed another bridge; this time taking me to half-marathon distance. It wasn't really my plan to run this far when I set out after work this evening, but the conditions were pretty much perfect; dry and not a breath of wind (it was -2°C, but we can't have everything), and my legs were up for the challenge. I had been generally aiming to complete another 10 mile run, but when I got to that mark I found I still had some running left in my legs, so I carried on. 38+ minutes later, I'd added the extra 5k that I needed to clock up the half marathon distance and I'd completed it in a few seconds over 2 hours 48. It's not the fastest time in the world by any means, but that doesn't matter at all. I've hit a distance that until recently was well beyond what I could possibly ever have imagined myself achieving and I won't lie when I say I'm feeling pretty impressed with what I've done. I'm not ...

According to Google, the distance between Edinburgh and London, if you take the A1/A1(M) is 396.1 miles/637.5 km. It's a journey I do quite regularly for work purposes. Last night, about half way through my run, I passed that particular milestone in terms of distance run this year. So, I guess the question is, where to next...?

Not quite sure where I found that one, especially after knocking over 3 minutes off my 10k  PB on Sunday. I have been on a bit of a low these past few days, in part a come down after my recent holiday in Japan for the Rugby World Cup, but also because my thyroid is playing silly sods and I'm having to tweak my medication levels to find a new balance. Anyway, I decided a change of scene and some wind in my face would do me some good and headed down to the shores of the Forth and, lo and behold, chopped just over a minute and a half off my 5k, bringing my PB down to 28:09, with a first kilometre of 4:41 (which is just nuts really). It is very flat, being right along the coast, so that helped considering I usually have a few climbs on my regular routes, but even still... So, um, yeah, thanks thyroid, but you can really settle down now...

I don't do Movember . I tried it once and even if the itch hadn't driven me nuts, 1970s male adult entertainer is really not a good look on me. So, instead, I decided to run 10k  through the streets of Edinburgh   for Cancer Research UK as an alternative; figuring the most I'd have to suffer for was about 90 minutes rather than a whole month. Woke up to torrential rain, but thankfully it had cleared up by the time I took my place in the tarting pen. The first 3k were mostly downhill as we made our way from the Royal Mile, just below Edinburgh Castle, down the Mound, through Princes Street Garden, along Market Street and then out until the far end of Holyrood Park. The next 2k through the park are fairly flat, but then things change. From there, it's almost  a constant climb for 2 k up through the Cow Gate, through the Grassmarket (which offered a brief respite, then uphill to Lothian Road. After that, the final 3k down Lothian Road, along the Western Approach ...

And another goal achieved... Having had to cut last week's attempt short due to me running out of daylight, and figuring that with the clock change, it will be dark by the time I finish work from now until March, I went out and treated myself to a Petzl 400 lumen head torch at the weekend. Took it for its maiden run tonight and, lo and behold, 2 hours later, 16.1k/10 miles is in the bag. At just a shade over two hours, it took a little longer than I thought it would, but I'm just happy that I've got to the distance; the times can come later. Not sure how my legs will feel about this tomorrow, but they'll live to run another day I'm sure...

So, tonight I was aiming for 10 miles but, in cricket parlance, bad light stopped play. Or, to be precise, pitch darkness meant I couldn't see enough to do the final lap needed to make up the distance. On the plus side, at least I know the 13.1k kilomathon  I plan doing in April is within my capabilities. Now, I guess I need to invest in a head torch...

I only went and did it... 5 months since graduating and I finally achieve the sub 30 minute 5k in a time of 29:44. It's only taken me 40 attempts to get there, shaving a few seconds under 10 minutes off my first 5k time back in May. To say I'm fair chuffed with myself would be a bit of an understatement. Right, shower time...

Final run for this month done. A fairly comfortable 10k in just under 68 minutes. What a month it has been... Started with a rotten cold and didn't run at all during the first week. By the time I sat down to type this, despite that set back, I'd managed 14 runs covering a total of 92k. In those 14 runs, I managed four 10k runs and a further five 5k runs. My 10k time fell from just under 74 minutes to 67 minutes, and my 5k time fell from 32:36 to 30:41. My year to date totals are now 104 runs covering 515k. Oh, and on top of all that, just before Christmas, having been pretty inactive for much of last year due to my oft-mentioned tendonitis, I topped the scales at 15st. Today, I am under 13st for the first time in about 15 years. I've been on quite a journey since I decided back in March to give this running thing another try. I turn 49 on Saturday. I'm fitter than I have been since my mid-30s. My modest aim is to get my 5k and 10k times below 30 and 60 min...

So, this this time last week, my PBs were: 5k - 31:55 10k - 73:53 I went out on Saturday and bought myself a new pair of Brooks Ghost 12s and three runs later, my PBs now stand at: 5k - 30:41 10k - 67:00 I am beginning to think theses shoes have some sort of special quality/magical power. I'm also beginning to believe that the sub 30 minute 5k might actually be a possibility. All in all, not bad for someone whose first 5k at the start of May was 39:22 and first 10k in July was 79:36. For anyone who doubts the life changing powers of Couch to 5k and Bridge to 10k plans, the proof is in this post. I still can't believe just how far I've come, and run, since I started back in March.

Well, I don't know if it was psychological, or if the stars somehow aligned, but my shiny new Brooks Ghosts, are shiny no more and set out their stall as the PBs tumbled. First up, my fastest mile. A whole second off taking me down to 9:42. There is some dispute here as Garmin gives me 9:42 and Strava says it's 9:44, but I'm taking Garmin on this one. Next up, and Strava and Garmin both agree, 40 seconds off my 5k, taking me sub 32 minutes for the first time at 31:55. And to top it all, despite the first 2.5k being all uphill, I managed the "perfect" negative splits for each of those 5k. You'd think that would be enough, but no, there was still better to come. Again, Strava and Garmin concurred, and a whopping 6 minutes 53 seconds off my 10k time, at 67 minutes dead (and I pretty nearly was). I've no idea where those numbers came from. I'd have gladly taken any one of them on their own, so tonight has been something of a shock to the system. ...

So, after a week off with a cold, I returned with a 7.5k start on Monday evening and then  followed that up by knocking 30 seconds off my 10k PB tonight; bringing it down to 1:13:53. I wouldn't suggest catching a cold as a training method, but the break was clearly good for me.

OK, so I know August isn't quite over, but from my running perspective it is, and what a month it's been. I ran 10k or more on 5 occasions (I'd only managed that distance twice before in my life); so that was something a bit out of the ordinary, and something that if you'd suggested to me at the start of the year that I'd be capable of, I'd have probably thought you'd taken a knock to the head. In one of those 5 runs, I pushed my maximum distance out to 12k and, over the three runs that week, ran over 23k which was the farthest I'd run in a week so far. Earlier in the month, I shaved my 5k PB down to 32:26, and then, today, whilst herding egg-chasers around a muddy field, I took my monthly cumulative distance to over 100k for the first time. Let's see what September brings...

It was a reasonably pleasant 18°C when I set off. Feeling quite comfortable at the 5k mark; not too fast, not too slow, and then it happened. The sun came out and the temperature climbed. Not surprisingly, my pace fell asleep the mercury rose. The last 2k were all about putting one for in front of the other and I was damned if I wasn't going to get to the end. 25°C at the end. Us pale skinned Scottish types aren't made for running in that. Never has a post-run shower felt so good.

So last night was my longest run to date; both in terms of distance and time (although I'm sure there are physicists out there who will point out that, relativistically, they are the same thing). 12k in 90 minutes, and I won't lie, it was tough going in places. Having said that, somewhere around the 7k mark, it all seem to click into place, my legs finally seemed to have figured out what they were actually supposed to be doing, and it all suddenly seemed much easier and more natural. I wouldn't go as far as to say I'd found a natural rhythm, but it did feel slightly different and more relaxed. Still can't quite believe that from struggling to do the 8 x 1 minute reps back in March, I'm now doing this and, over the course of a week, cumulatively covering more than half-marathon distance over my 3 runs (typically 2x5k and 1x whatever I run on that night). I do worry that some form of intervention may be being required soon...

My last couple of runs have involved me attempting to dodge thunderstorms with varying degrees of success, or lack thereof. Tonight then, it made a pleasant change to almost manage to stay dry. The reason for that "almost" being the fact that due to the aforementioned thunderstorms, I did end up having to wade through a stream that simply isn't usually a feature of this particular route. 6k in and it was either turn back and spend the next 2k running back up a hill that I'd just happier run down or get my feet wet. I chose the latter... Still, despite that, I managed my longest run to date and shaved 4 seconds off my 10k PB. I may not have mastered the art of perfect negative splits, but my my second 5k (wet feet notwithstanding) was 2:25 faster than the first and my final 2k were my fastest at 6:49 and 7:00 respectively. All things considered, and despite my poor shoes being soaked for a second time in five days, it's been a pretty good evening.

Was fully planning to parkrun this morning but my body clearly had other ideas. Didn't wake up until almost 9.30, so that put paid to that. Managed to fit in a sneaky 5k in a decent time this afternoon in a gap between thunderstorms, so not all bad though.