Like the Wind

Bit rainy and windy today, didn't stop me throwing cation to the wind and going out for a 10k this afternoon anyway.

29mph winds? No problem.

I breezed along at a nice steady (easy) pace, not really expecting a massive improvement in my pace/time as the wind was proving to be a noticable drag, at times hitting me with a crosswind that altered my path. Maybe I should invest in a more streamlined outfit?

Perfect

The rain was less of an issue, it's only rain afterall. But as I listened to a rather heavy ZombiesRun episode (basically, betrayal and death everywhere) the time/distance updates were making it apparent that my time was not bad at all, clocking a pretty solid (for me) 29 and a bit minutes at the halfway mark (5k). That was a nice confidence boost as I am aiming to set a time of below 2 hours when the Royal Parks Half rolls around.

My final time was a massive improvement on last weekend, which kind of surprised me...

Last week: 11:04 pace

This week: 10:04 per mile. A whole minute faster!

I was blown away! It was a good lift after struggling up those b*stard hills yesterday.

Currently I'm looking at doing some 10k events in the summer, of which there are quite a few, as I'd like to get a bit of experience of running at an event and seeing how that affects my mentality and time. I have read it can give an extra incentive to set a good time, but I have also seen reports of people losing focus and struggling. I'm looking forward to it as it will be a whole new experience for me.

If you would like to sponsor me, click the button above. I am running the Royal Parks Half in London in October for Save the Children aiming to raise at least £500. Every penny goes towards this great charity and will give me a bit more motivation as I gradually step up my training in the coming months. Thanks!

As usual, here's a track from my running playlist. This played on my playlist as I ran the 10th and final kilometer today,
Arthemis - Heroes

Hillman Wimp

Kate Bush seemed to be quite worried with regards to having a problem running up hills in such a way as to have me question her training regime...

 

Even the cover art has little to do with running or hills.

Today I ran around Ally Pally, and very quickly learned that Kate Bush's fear of running up hills was understandable. In short, it isn't easy.

...Down...Up...Down...Up...Blerrrgh

So not the best pace, but it was a bit of a shock to the system feeling my legs struggle because of a slightly steeper than average incline...

Inclines like this

Totally worth it... I think?

I might leave the hill climbs for a bit, but I did notice a few Parkrun people around Ally Pally, which I may have to join in with at some point. But that is then, for now I'm planning on getting some miles in tomorrow and keep putting the miles in and doing those bodyweight exercises.

Any who, here's a reminder as to why I'm doing the Royal Parks Half this October for Save the Children:

And now here's another gem from my running playlist. Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart

And, just for the fun of it, here is a photo I took after running around Ally Pally

Diversifying Exercises

Ran another 6km last night. Great and all that, but I am wondering if mixing up my exercises would be better. So, as I am a fan of tracking apps, like "Runkeeper" and "Zombies, Run!"

All about that base...

A quick Google search and something called 'Runtastic' popped up. They seem to have a lot of apps for different exercises, like squats, push ups and sit-ups, so I figured I'd give them a go. It is a bit of a confidence boost when you ace the first couple of levels in an exercise app but looking ahead the challenges will get tougher, which will be interesting.

More tracking things to look at when bored at work!

 I also decided to get their heart rate app, as I want to burn off my beer belly before summer really kicks in so need to make sure I'm in that fat burning zone.

 

I guess this means I'm healthy?

It would be nice to have a way of burning a few more calories at work, seeing as my heart-rate stays around the 70 mark. Maybe I could swap my naff office chair for a treadmill?

Yes, these exist. Now I just need to convince the boss.

I'm going to keep up using these new apps and see if the benefits translate to running (according to most reports, they will). In the meantime I will also be using Runkeeper's 23 week 1/2 marathon training plan to properly develop and get to the point where I can run The Royal Parks Half marathon without collapsing in a sweaty heap in Hyde Park.

So, as I am now going to be doing body weight exercises in an attempt to lose the belly, here is another song from my running play-list that is also an inspirational quote. Austrian Death Machine - It's Simple, If It Jiggles It's Fat

What am I training for? Well, I will be running a half marathon for Save the Children this October. I am asking for donations and every penny raised will give me the motivation and inspiration to keep on running.

Registered!

It has been a rather long time since my last blog post, but training seems to be progressing nicely. I have begun upping my average distance and on Saturday managed a 6 mile run around Barnet (which felt pretty good... then my legs ached)

 

I did notice my trainers did not feel comfortable for the full duration of my run, with some rubbing being noticed around the 5 mile mark, so they may need attending to or replacing.

More recently (Yesterday) did a 5km run after work and that night went on a social media binge. Following all sorts of running blogs and magazines, signing up for newsletters, reading about trainers and protein bars and all that stuff.

It's great having so much information available at your fingertips and for free!

FOLLOW EVERYTHING!

Loads of great info and I am now very interested in trail running, because, why not? But that's for another time. Meanwhile I need to keep improving my fitness and conditioning for the Royal Parks Half in October.

Speaking of which, today I finalised my registration for the event that I am training for.

Hooray! Now I just need to run it!

So now I need to think of good ways to raise the remainder of my target for Save the Children. I have a couple of ideas, but I won't jinx it yet!

I'm going to try for another 6 mile run tonight, but may only have time for 3 miles. I should probably try and blog more often too.

"And maybe make it less boring" - You...probably

So to close this (kind of dull) blog post, here's the not so dull Beasto Blanco with a song from my running playlist, "Live Fast Die Loud"

As I have mentioned before, I will be running a half marathon for Save the Children, I am asking for donations. Every penny  will give me the motivation and inspiration to keep on running