Running fitness
(06.10.05)
Currently reasonable fitness. Suprisingly not all that different to about 10 years ago. I don't feel like I should be when I am 2-3 stone heavier, but I am. I am waiting for an ankle injury to heal(one thing after another?). I twisted/sprained(what's the difference?) it while running through a herd of cows and suddenly ended up on the ground in the middle of them. Annoyingly it is my good ankle and not my floppy one. Perhaps I will end up with two floppy ankles? That could be a problem for running in straight lines. I will see how much when it gets a bit stronger.
(28.08.05)
I haven't been running much recently. I think that I stopped during the period of hot weather and fell out of the habit. I did go for a long run with Flash at the weekend to the windmills and back over Wolstonbury. Very enjoyable. I am going to make more effort to run in the near future.
I have been playing squash with one of the guys off my course and have been really noticing my lack of fitness. Frustrating as previously it has always been a strength rather than a weakness. Incentive enough.
(08.06.05)
My achilles has been feeling fine for a week now and I went for my first run in 6 weeks this evening. More of a jog really but initial indications are good. I only felt the slightest twinge in my tendon and certainly nothing to worry about.
Whilst running, I fantasised about getting fit within one month and having a go at the run up Wolstonbury. Ridiculous really, as it took over a month to reach the level of fitness I had before the injury and I didn't have anything to protect then.
Having really enjoyed the run, I will carry on and get fit for the hill race, but it is going to have to be for next year, not this.
(17.05.05)
If anyone knows how to cure a pulled achilles, PLEASE let me know. I haven't run for 3 weeks now so my aim to get fit for the race up Wolstonbury(6 weeks time) is effectively over as despite gentle stretching and no running it still feels wrong. Disappointing.
(28.04.05)
Tendonitis. Bugger. I seem to have tweaked my achillies probably by doing too much hill running. I am going to have to cut right back to give it a chance to heal. Lots of stretching also necessary.
(21.04.05)
I went for an amazing run this evening. Sandwiched in between large chunks of hard graft(studying for these exams).
I had been getting a little bit bored with where I have been running. It is a lovely spot but it is essentially surrounded by roads on all sides which limits me to about a 30 minute run if I run around the edge. Today however I found another place.
I must have run for atleast 45 minutes and never reached the far side. It is a mixture of heathland and woods and amazingly beautiful. The terrain is really varied for running with lots of hills, including some which afford a view of the whole of Bournemouth to the sea. It is somewhere that if you were abroad you would visit it as a 'beauty spot', but in the whole time I was running around I didn't see another (human) soul.
I think that I am going to enjoy exploring this area in the coming weeks.
(19.04.05)
Well I was just starting to see my fitness improve and now I haven't been out running for a week. Slack. Just to give myself a bit of incentive I am including a picture of Wolstonbury, the hill I mentioned before and the one that I need to be able to run to, run up, run down and back in 34 minutes, not my recent best of 43 minutes. Damn.
Wolstonbury
I draw hope from the fact that I once ran it in 30 minutes.
(08.04.05)
I have been for a couple of runs in the last week and a half. I haven't however progressed quite as much as I would have liked for at least 3 reasons.
Firstly, I expect too much, I think that I probably always have done this when it comes to fitness and though I can certainly see an improvement in running fitness in the weeks since I started(about half way through March), I want more.
Secondly, I turned my ankle just as I was pulling up on a run a week ago. I think due to old injuries and my legs being a bit bowed(couldn't stop a pig in a poke as they used to say) my ankles do tend to sprain quite easily. The upshot of this is that the ligaments(?) are looser so not as much damage is done when this happens. I have run since, but gently.
Thirdly and anyone who has ever run middle/long distance will know what I am talking about here, I haven't been getting used to the pain. My belief(and I know this is shared amongst runners) is that when you train, it isn't just your body that you are forcing to become more efficient but also your mind.
At the moment, I just can't take the pain. I know from experience that in a few weeks my 'running pain threshold' will be higher and I will enjoy pushing harder and indeed enjoy the pain(atleast I think other runners think this!!). In terms of physiology I am sure it is due to endorphins being released but in any case I am certain that the majority of endurance training is for the mind.
(29.03.05)
On Monday, I went for a run up to the top of Wolstonbury and back.
Wolstonbury is the hill nearest Wanbarrow and is crowned with an iron age fort(circa 500 BC though more recent research by Bournemouth University has indicated that originally it probably was Late Neolithic or Early Bronze age which pushes the date back by another 2000 years or so.)
When I was fitter I once ran to the top and back in 30 minutes. Unfortunately at the time I didn't know about the annual race to the top and back that forms part of the village fair(Incidentally the fair's charter was granted in 1313 by Edward II - a bit more history for you there).
The winning time for the race last year was, I believe 34 minutes and that is on a course a couple of minutes longer than when I achieved 30 minutes dead. My aim therefore is to get fit again, avoid injury and challenge for that time.
My run on Monday was in 43 minutes. Damn, I need to knock 9 minutes off that. A tall ask; taller than I had hoped for.
I have already started running again in Bournemouth. The New Forest is on the way from school to home so it is easy to get the odd run in. Nice scenery too.
It is nice to have a mission.
to be continued.......
Currently reasonable fitness. Suprisingly not all that different to about 10 years ago. I don't feel like I should be when I am 2-3 stone heavier, but I am. I am waiting for an ankle injury to heal(one thing after another?). I twisted/sprained(what's the difference?) it while running through a herd of cows and suddenly ended up on the ground in the middle of them. Annoyingly it is my good ankle and not my floppy one. Perhaps I will end up with two floppy ankles? That could be a problem for running in straight lines. I will see how much when it gets a bit stronger.
(28.08.05)
I haven't been running much recently. I think that I stopped during the period of hot weather and fell out of the habit. I did go for a long run with Flash at the weekend to the windmills and back over Wolstonbury. Very enjoyable. I am going to make more effort to run in the near future.
I have been playing squash with one of the guys off my course and have been really noticing my lack of fitness. Frustrating as previously it has always been a strength rather than a weakness. Incentive enough.
(08.06.05)
My achilles has been feeling fine for a week now and I went for my first run in 6 weeks this evening. More of a jog really but initial indications are good. I only felt the slightest twinge in my tendon and certainly nothing to worry about.
Whilst running, I fantasised about getting fit within one month and having a go at the run up Wolstonbury. Ridiculous really, as it took over a month to reach the level of fitness I had before the injury and I didn't have anything to protect then.
Having really enjoyed the run, I will carry on and get fit for the hill race, but it is going to have to be for next year, not this.
(17.05.05)
If anyone knows how to cure a pulled achilles, PLEASE let me know. I haven't run for 3 weeks now so my aim to get fit for the race up Wolstonbury(6 weeks time) is effectively over as despite gentle stretching and no running it still feels wrong. Disappointing.
(28.04.05)
Tendonitis. Bugger. I seem to have tweaked my achillies probably by doing too much hill running. I am going to have to cut right back to give it a chance to heal. Lots of stretching also necessary.
(21.04.05)
I went for an amazing run this evening. Sandwiched in between large chunks of hard graft(studying for these exams).
I had been getting a little bit bored with where I have been running. It is a lovely spot but it is essentially surrounded by roads on all sides which limits me to about a 30 minute run if I run around the edge. Today however I found another place.
I must have run for atleast 45 minutes and never reached the far side. It is a mixture of heathland and woods and amazingly beautiful. The terrain is really varied for running with lots of hills, including some which afford a view of the whole of Bournemouth to the sea. It is somewhere that if you were abroad you would visit it as a 'beauty spot', but in the whole time I was running around I didn't see another (human) soul.
I think that I am going to enjoy exploring this area in the coming weeks.
(19.04.05)
Well I was just starting to see my fitness improve and now I haven't been out running for a week. Slack. Just to give myself a bit of incentive I am including a picture of Wolstonbury, the hill I mentioned before and the one that I need to be able to run to, run up, run down and back in 34 minutes, not my recent best of 43 minutes. Damn.
Wolstonbury
I draw hope from the fact that I once ran it in 30 minutes.
(08.04.05)
I have been for a couple of runs in the last week and a half. I haven't however progressed quite as much as I would have liked for at least 3 reasons.
Firstly, I expect too much, I think that I probably always have done this when it comes to fitness and though I can certainly see an improvement in running fitness in the weeks since I started(about half way through March), I want more.
Secondly, I turned my ankle just as I was pulling up on a run a week ago. I think due to old injuries and my legs being a bit bowed(couldn't stop a pig in a poke as they used to say) my ankles do tend to sprain quite easily. The upshot of this is that the ligaments(?) are looser so not as much damage is done when this happens. I have run since, but gently.
Thirdly and anyone who has ever run middle/long distance will know what I am talking about here, I haven't been getting used to the pain. My belief(and I know this is shared amongst runners) is that when you train, it isn't just your body that you are forcing to become more efficient but also your mind.
At the moment, I just can't take the pain. I know from experience that in a few weeks my 'running pain threshold' will be higher and I will enjoy pushing harder and indeed enjoy the pain(atleast I think other runners think this!!). In terms of physiology I am sure it is due to endorphins being released but in any case I am certain that the majority of endurance training is for the mind.
(29.03.05)
On Monday, I went for a run up to the top of Wolstonbury and back.
Wolstonbury is the hill nearest Wanbarrow and is crowned with an iron age fort(circa 500 BC though more recent research by Bournemouth University has indicated that originally it probably was Late Neolithic or Early Bronze age which pushes the date back by another 2000 years or so.)
When I was fitter I once ran to the top and back in 30 minutes. Unfortunately at the time I didn't know about the annual race to the top and back that forms part of the village fair(Incidentally the fair's charter was granted in 1313 by Edward II - a bit more history for you there).
The winning time for the race last year was, I believe 34 minutes and that is on a course a couple of minutes longer than when I achieved 30 minutes dead. My aim therefore is to get fit again, avoid injury and challenge for that time.
My run on Monday was in 43 minutes. Damn, I need to knock 9 minutes off that. A tall ask; taller than I had hoped for.
I have already started running again in Bournemouth. The New Forest is on the way from school to home so it is easy to get the odd run in. Nice scenery too.
It is nice to have a mission.
to be continued.......
posted by > Ed at
10:43 pm
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