Of all the places I like to run I think the wind farm is my favourite, it's relatively flat and is a circuit rather than an out and back - which I hate.
The entire run went pretty well, we started out slow - slower than most people would - but this enables me to pick up the pace after about 5 mins and maintain it - if I go out to quick then I'll be walking within minutes unable to breathe.
The best thing about todays run, which ended up being about 6.5k is that my breathing was totally under control all the way. I usually have to consciously control my breathing but today I decided to just see what came naturally and not control it - it worked, it seems that if I relax and don't try to dictate it then my body naturally knows what to do - who knew!
I also decided to work out why I was getting calf pain after about 2k of every run. I know from photos that I seem to run stiff so when the calf pain began just after 2k I tried to bend more at the knee rather than running like a pair of scissors (if scissors ran of course, but you know what I mean). That worked too, there was instant relief in my calves and on top of that I noticed my speed picked up too and it wasn't until the end that I realised I hadn't got numb feet once during that run - first time ever!
The downside to the run was that my GPS watch lost satellite at 3.2k and didn't manage to pick it back up - I was slightly annoyed at that because I think this would have been my fastest pace to date plus I didn't stop once - Grrrrrrr, stupid watch!
Our Baxters Loch Ness 10k packs arrived today - always exciting to get things in the mail
See that little orange ticket, that's for my free soup and roll at the end of the run and as sad as it sounds it's the main thing me and Leanne are looking forward to.
When I read a post like yours I'm thinking to myself that this running thing is a complicated thing lol. And I have so far to go. I guess everyone has to start at the beginning and move on from there. Sometimes I read people talking about their runs and 5k or 10k seems to just slip off their tongue like it's so natural to run that far. And most people seem to gravitate to doing lots of races. Has that been true for you?
ReplyDeleteNo, no no lol. I used to love running as a youngster and was very good at it but age and weight makes it difficult. I am not a natural runner and I find it very difficult to keep motivated hence why my husband became my coach. Not only is motivation a problem but actual running is too, I feel awkward and stiff and cannot run the way my daughter and husband do - I run like a pair of scissors.
DeleteI also have a very negative attitude and would much rather walk a 10k than run it, in fact I only keep running to get the thing over with quicker lol.
I started out exactly where you are and the road seemed so very long, I remember that time well.
I would love to do a marathon but know I probably never will. ATM I am not physically capable of it - 10k is my limit - and tbh it's the idea of being able to say I ran a marathon that I like, not the actual participation of it lol.
Don't compare your current fitness levels to anyone else, compare only with yourself week by week. It certainly is a long journey but it's a worthy one, it's worth keeping a dedicated exercise/fitness journal too so that you can compare thoughts and feelings as you go along as well as fitness levels.