Ariel Detonation Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 So I started this running malarkey when a friend introduced me to parkrun, and a local weekly, free 5k run. I showed up with zero training, and managed to do it in 45:32! I figured I better start actually training as the rush of crossing that finish line was amazing (even if I was dead last!) Week 1 went well and at the end I ran the 5k again and my time was 42:02, 3 1/2 minutes quicker! On Friday, I finished week 2, albeit with some inner knee pain on my left knee, but its not been too bad. I can still move it and run relatively pain-free. Yesterday, I completed my 3rd 5k parkrun with a time of 42:24, I didn't beat my previous time, but it has been raining heavily on the days leading up to it, so I dodged puddles a majority of the run so I think that added some time on. I used an interval timer and set it for 90 seconds running and 120 seconds walking as week 2 had me do, but the last set when my timer dinged for the walking interval I could see the finish, so kept running and finished right as the timer dinged for the next set. Meaning I ran a full 3 1/2 minutes... Week 3 is not looking so scary anymore What started out as me never being a runner and hating any length of running, has turned into something I really look forward to doing. So much so that I'm disappointed that tomorrow is a rest day hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TrishE Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Welcome to the club So happy to hear that youve fallen in love with running. Keep at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks, Trish! I completed W3D1 this morning, and the 3 minutes were totally doable (at a slow pace lol). Running on sidewalks has really had an effect on both my knees, so I've kept to running off road in a field with a public footpath near my house. I like my little field (it's about 0.8k per lap), but I'm now on the lookout for new places to run off road. I've found a 7.5k countryside route that goes up to an iron age lookout, I'll be doing that on Thursday (my rest day) but as a hike with my dog instead of a run. I've also found out about a 55k walking path that starts a couple of villages up from mine that I'm going to have a go at different sections over the upcoming weeks. I've fallen in love with running outdoors, and as an added bonus, my tan's coming along nicely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyAnn Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 This is Awesome Ariel, You are doing great! My hubby made me 1/4 mile path around my house. I feel like a mouse running in circles, i go 4 times one way, and 4 times the the other, lol. WE have snakes on the main dirt road, so I just go around my house. Works for me. I love runningon dirt. Next week I get to run on the Beach in CA, yay. So,do you live in another country? As you speak of Villages. Keep up the Great Work!! You are doing amazingly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Hey KellyAnn! I live in England, in beautiful rural Cheshire. Although, I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. Beach running sounds amazing, I might have to head out to one of the beaches nearby to try it out. I ran W3D2 this morning, and the 3 minutes intervals were a lot easier mentally this time around. I wasn't telling myself constantly "just up to that next tree/pole/turn". It probably helped that there were butterflies everywhere so it was a really serene morning run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TrishE Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Sounds amazing I run in a circle around my neighborhood so Im totally jealous of you and Kelly! Youre so mentally strong and thats awesome, I wish my my brain would think like yours sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyAnn Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Awe. Thanks TrishE. I used to go everywhere by myself and run, i was always ok all alone. Then i started walking/running with friends. Spolied me for years going with someone. Now they have all moved away and I am alone again. Ugghhhhhhhh. I hate it now. Hate running alone. Lol. So. We own 20 acres and he bladed off the 7 acres for a talk. The other acres are all mountain. I don't get bored, i just turn up the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyAnn Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Ariel, Cheshire is so beautiful. We lived in Holland for years and went to England. Stayed in Yorkshire Dales. Love it. Such beautiful country. I would live there in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Not so sure about mentally strong, more like stubborn lol! I do a mix of running with friends and by myself. My boyfriend and 2 oldest boys run the 5k me, but the kids are WAY in front (ah, to be 13 again!), and my boyfriend starts out way too fast and I end up passing him at about 2.5k (i.e. the tortoise and the hare). I go running with some of my friends too, but most of them are a heck of a lot fitter than I am, although I'm not trailing behind as much as I keep doing this training. I like the mix of alone runs and social runs, when I'm by myself I just crank up the tunes and get moving! Yorkshire is beautiful too, and I am in love with the lake district, I would love to move up that way sometime, but there isn't much work that way as a scientist since its so rural. Maybe in 35 years when I retire lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Well that's week 3 in the bag! I completed day 3 this morning, but it was tough, my feet felt like they had lead weights tied to them, and they've just cut the field I run in for hay so it was really difficult to see the footpath in places. Although looking at the stats from MapMyFitness boosted my mood about the run as today was my quickest pace for this week. I think some of why my feet felt heavy was the 7.5k hike that my boyfriend, dog and I went on yesterday with a gain of 240 meters (twice because we went up the hill and back down twice on the route we took). It was an awesome hike with gorgeous views, and the boyfriend struggled to keep up with me up the steep inclines, YAY for learning to breathe correctly with running! 5k tomorrow with my two oldest boys and a couple of friends. I'm planning on setting my interval timer for 2 minutes running and 90 seconds walking, and hope to get a sub-40 time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TrishE Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Good luck way to push yourself. Hiking is another awesome workout. Enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I did the 5k again today, but my interval timer kept crashing on the run intervals, so my first two running intervals were about 4 minutes long before I realised it had crashed and reset it lol! My finishing time was 41:57 . Still not sub-40, but it's getting there! On to week 4 starting Tuesday, which looks quite daunting, what with the 5 minute run intervals, but I am determined! I've found a local running club that does off-road runs on a Wednesday evening in the summer. As a guideline for joining in they suggest being able to run/jog 3k without stopping. So, once I complete week 5 I'm thinking of heading down and seeing what it's like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 Completed W4D1 this morning, and to my surprise the first 5 minute segment wasn't all that bad, the second 5 minutes were tough, but I did it! I want a bit of a change from my little field, so tomorrow, I'm going out to run the 5k circuit that I run on Saturdays, but running for 4 minutes and walking for 2. My knee is starting to ease up now, it still twinges but no where near what is was like when it started Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 So, W4D2 was yesterday and because I had an ill kid home from school I couldn't go out to the forest to run as I had planned. So instead, it was a crap run (literally), I started running in my little field, but they had started to muck the bottom end with pig manure, so I ended up running through it (it was dried, so not as gross as it sounds). I grew up on a pig farm, so it didn't really bother me all that much until the tractor came into the field to spread more half way through my run. I didn't really feel like a crap shower, so I ran my short little legs off to find the gap in the hedge to escape lol! I didn't want to give up half way through, so even though my knees don't agree with road running, I gave it a go until I got to a grassed area in the village, completed my run on that, and walked back on the sidewalk for my cool down. Today, a couple of friends and I met up with our dogs to do the 7.5k hill hike that I did last week, and we had a blast! I've also mapped out a section of the hike that's about 2k and on a slight incline to run an out and back route for W4D3 tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Today's W4D3 run was AMAZING! I am on such a buzz after it! I ran the woodland trail that I mapped out yesterday, and boy was that a steep incline on the way out. Strava (a running and cycling gps app that has amazing analytics) showed that it was a 6% incline! I only managed to run 4:30 of the first 5 minute interval, as it was on the steepest bit. However, on the way back down I was feeling awesome and when the voice prompt said 1 minute left, I figured I would just keep running until I couldn't. I managed to comfortably run the entire cool down plus a bit until I got back to my starting point!! That was an entire mile that I ran, non stop. I've decided to repeat week 4 on this hill route next week before moving on to week 5, but I gotta say, I love woodland running!! Tomorrow is the 5k parkrun, and again I'm aiming for a sub-40 time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 So I didn't get my sub-40 time, but I did smash my personal best by 1:47 (and my first time by 4:50)!! I ran intervals of 4 minutes with walking for 1 minute 45 seconds, and ran the 300 metres or so which should have been a walk, but the end was so close I just continued running. The official time was 40:45 Next week I'll be repeating Week 4 on my hill run until I can complete the first 5 minute interval (the uphill bit) before moving onto Week 5. Although, I think that Week 5 Day 3 is going to be ran in my little flat field lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaraP Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Good for you. I like the sound of running on some trails. Maybe I will do that next week-end, as I have to drive to get to any. I enjoy reading your log. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Detonation Posted June 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Thanks Tara! I've not updated in a bit, but I have been sticking to the running! I have completed Week 6, and I finally smashed my first goal of a sub-40 5k today! I took one walking break of about 1-2 minutes at 2.5k, running the rest of the way and finished in 38:53! The next goal is to complete it in 37 minutes (an average pace of ~12min/mile). The plan of attack for next week's 5k is to take the short walking break at 3.5k. Onto week 7 starting Monday, it just amazes me to no end that I have made it through 6 weeks of training and there are only 2 weeks left to "graduation"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Soldier Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Love following this, very inspirational Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyAnn Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Very good Arile. You are an inspiration to so many!! All of you are doing awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeshi Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 Hey, Ariel, were you able to finish your run in 40 minutes? I really enjoyed your log and am hungering for more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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