Must be the music?

Three miles planned, 2 miles ran & 1 walked.
I tried some new music. his afternoon I asked the great mind that it twitter, "What should I listen to while I run tonight?" 

I've never been a fan of the Podrunner podcasts, the music just isn't my thing, but I'll admit to only have listened to the Podrunner Intervals. The standard one BPM tracks were a new one for me & I must admit that I was a little interested in the Cadence in this one. I think I need  a bit of Boot Camp to get my belly in control.

I got my Podrunner through iTunes, Powertools (174bpm), and after a bit of faffing about (Nike+ doesn't let you choose podcasts as something to listen to) and off I went.
I wasn't impressed, but I did run my fastest 1km this year to it, and it certainly didn't feel too much like hard work at the time, but pretty much at the 1.75 mile mark I lost wind, and slowed to a stumbing walk, & try as I might I just couldn't get back onto the pace, and the Podrunner just wasn't doing it for me.
So I faffed around some more & dug out an old playlist, a little bit of Foo Fighters saw me run the next half mile, but by then I'd given up, and walked back.

Such a different run to Tuesdays, and all I can say, is it must be the music?
Suppose I better get myself used to running with out music, as I might have a running partner for the Marathon. I find out tomorrow, after she's been paid!
Right, I've got a date with Mr Kipling, and then I'll need a shower!

The beginning is a very delicate time...

Yesterday I completed my 1st run on my training calendar, and then came home and ate a share bag of Revels to myself, whilst watching The Biggest Looser, & The Biggest Looser USA. Inspirational I know.


Whilst I was getting ready to run I was searching Spotify for running music, something different to the miss match I normally listen to, I found an AudioFuel mix. Given that I was too disorganized & lazy to use the freebie link kindly sent out to Janathon Participants, and I have never heard a bad AudioFuel review, this seemed stupid not to take out for a run.



The mix set up into 13 intervals all around 3 minutes, although the 1st interval is longer as a warm up, (I think.)  The recovery intervals are at 155bpm, and the working intervals are at 160, 170 & 180bpm.
I found the 160bpm really hard to jog along to, it felt neither one thing nor the other. 170bpm was a good pace and, shock horror, I really enjoyed these intervals, and 180 bpm felt like it was just a little too fast, but something that I could work for.
The coaching is great! From the "Feet to the beat..." saying every now & again, to all the tips, reminders & inspirational shouts that you get, I won't spoil it for you, because you need to listen to them. They are top! Just what you want to hear as you're thinking "Will this 3 minutes end?!? are you sure it's only 180bpm?"
I will admit to walking at least for 50% of the recovery sections, but I did run 100% of the working intervals, and as I didn't quite cover the 3 miles I had planned I walked the rest (about 1/3 of a mile) home.
But I enjoyed this run a heckuva lot more than when I forced myself out on Sunday.

As for the post title, I just wanted to get a Dune quote on my blog, but I could blag it & say that it was hit & miss if I'd have managed to get out & run yesterday, the rain, and the agony I woke up in all pushed me towards the No end of the running spectrum.

There we go, next run Thursday, another 3 miles. See you there?

Targets times, training & tempo

Right, this is the post where I throw down some numbers & spend the next few months sweating & puffing & panting & swearing, certainly swearing, to get them.

So through some sort of insanity gripped moment yesterday morning I booked my place in the RunLiverpool Marathon, not only did I book a marathon place I booked myself in the 4hr group. There was method to this madness, I used to do quite a few 25 mile walks / marches as a nipper, they took between 6 & 8 hours, and everyone knows running is twice as fast as walking. Right?)
After a long shower & a goodnights sleep I wake up & start to realise that this may perhaps be a bit ambitious...
On the other hand I have just about 6 months to train for it, and if I'm honest my current running is about 50% walking at the moment, so doubling my pace, means actually running all the time.

Cathy, JogBlog on twitter, and of course author of Jog Blog, pointed me in the direction of Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Schedules and they seem quite simple & straight forwards, as she said on twitter, they have non of the faffy 8x200m tempo rubbish, the sort of stuff I'm guaranteed not to actually do.
So the 18 week program has been logged into my Google calendar (see over there at the top right?)

But before those 18 weeks of swearing stupidity, I have the Great Manchester 10k. As I've quite normally booked myself into the 1hr slot for this, I'm not too worried. After yesterday afternoons run, I just have 12 weeks to double my speed & fitness to reach that goal.
I've found a training plan on the Nike+ site that schedules in a few 8 mile runs, and ends nicely with a 10k, so that's been plugged into the google calendar, and it fits almost perfectly into the time I have, with about a week between the 10k & the 18 Week countdown. perhaps during this week off I'll eat cake & beer? Probably not.

To be honest I've been looking at the pace calculator things you can find online & I'm a bit frightened by the pace they keep throwing out at me. But they are just numbers and I feel like I have nothing to relate them too. So I'm 50/50 on going to go out tonight & doing a mile at the marathon pace, just to put something real behind the figures I keep seeing. And possibly motivate myself to step away from OHMYGODWHATHAVEIDONE?! edge. I know there are a lot of strategies when running marathons, I keep reading things about splits & there are a few calculators that will give you a differing pace for each mile, letting you tailor it to a fast start or sprint finish, but I'm just aiming for an over all steady pace. At least I am right now, I haven't even gotten my trainers on yet!

Anyway I digress...

 TARGET TIMES 2011


            Target          dream  / real   / settle for
Manchester 10k        50min / 55min / 60min
Liverpool Marathon  4 hrs / 4:30 hrs / 5 hrs


Wish me luck?!

OhshitOhShitOhShit! I've entered a MARATHON!

I really have! It's the Mersey Marathon, although I should stop calling it that because officially it's the RunLiverpool Marathon. I entered this morning whist my dearly beloved was sleeping in some kind of hangover / exhaustion coma from the birthday party he went to last night. The reason I've entered is it'll scare me into getting fitter & sticking to my diet. I've lost 13lbs since November, but keep cracking open the cake & chocolate, and trying to drink beer in between breastfeeding. That does not add up to a healthy lifestyle..
I have to run through the Mersey Tunnel! I have to run OUT the Mersey Tunnel, that's certainly a hill! That's most certainly a reason to get fitter & lesser podge...

That's seriously the bit I'm worried about, not the 26 and a bit miles, not the time to completion... the hill out the Mersey tunnel. Just watch the video.

RunLiverpool Marathon Course from RunLiverpool on Vimeo.

On less of a I shit my pants note, I ran my best 5k this year (ok it's only the 2nd one this year too) but it was 46 min 50 sec.

I'm frustrated because there's a younger healthier & pregnant woman running better than I am. It's me 12 months ago & I just can't believe I'm this unhealthy. What did I do to myself?! Can all the chocolate and cake really have put me in this bad a shape?!

Right, I'm off to have a shower & think about setting some running goals / target times.

100km YTD

I think that's pretty sweet, don't you?!

I did only do the 2.3km required to push me over the distance, but at least I went out & ran, and I did run, surprising even myself with the minimum amount of slacking during my run.

I've just switched on a training schedule on the Nike+ site, it ends on my wedding day! So I'm guessing it's a good job the ceremony isn't until the afternoon?! hmm yes, ask me that in 13 weeks!

GULP!

Hello? Are you still there?!

Just checking in to let you know that Janathon didn't kill me & I am still running around in the cold and the wet!

The final total for Janathon was 87km in running. February's running total to date is 10km, but I'm still chugging along.
I think I might even started to enjoy running again, as truthfully, Janathon sapped a bit of the desire to run & made it more a requirement at times.

Still, I'm amazed at how much my fitness improves over those 31 days, and I'll admit to it being the perfect start to the year. It certainly got all the standard excuses used & busted in a few weeks.

So Thank You Cathy & all the Janathon Tweeps, and everyone who dropped by over the few weeks.

An Extra ThankYou to JumboJanathon who was my 1st Sponsor! LOVE YOU even though I've never met you IRL!