OHR week 4 day 3 (was week 2 day 3)

It may look like I can't count, as I've jumped from OHR week 2 day 2 to w4d3.  I realised at the end of my run on Sunday that I wasn't ready to stop after 30 minutes, and ran for another 5.  So I've decided I don't need another two weeks of 30 minute runs and I'm moving on to week 5 of the OHR.

I drove out to the university campus on Sunday morning for my run.  It's on a hill while Palmerston North City is pretty much flat.  It was a bit of a chilly morning, but another sunny day so it wasn't too difficult to get out of bed.

I lived on campus for a year way back in the mid-ninties, so I'm pretty familiar with all the trails.  I think there was once an attempt by my friends and I to run around the ring road at some very late hour of the night - I wasn't unfit, as I didn't have a car and walked everywhere, but I certainly didn't manage to run much of it at all (that I remember anyway, it was just silly uni student antics).

I didn't want to either start the run on the steep section, or run down it - don't think my knees are ready for that yet, so I started up the gentle slope up University Ave.  It was really nice, the sun was warm but the air was crisp and cold.  I was glad for the $9 polyprop gloves I'd picked up the day before.  I ran right around till I got back to the steep hill, then turned back and ran the other way.
I didn't have anything left for a final sprint in the last minute or two, but feel like I got a very different workout than on my usual flat circuits.

It was about 4.5km, avg pace of 7.49 min/km and I ran for about 35min (the timer says 34.33 but I forgot to start it when I started running)

And today my butt hurts when I walk.  Well, really my upper thighs, but that's close enough to complain that my butt hurts.

New Half Hour Playlist for tomorrow

I'm getting a bit sick of the week 9 half hour playlists I made, so I've put together another 5 minute warmup, 30 minute run, 5 minute cooldown playlist for myself.  I've got so used to using one long track with cues that I've stuck to using audacity to put together one long mp3 with timing cues.  I've got rid of the "you've run 10 minutes" cue, as that is starting to bug me...I'd rather just have a "half way" one.  I've keep the 5, 3 and 1 minute to go countdown as then I know when I shouldn't hold back....SPRINT FOR THE END! I always think...at least if I go a bit faster near the end I won't have to walk quite so far home :)

I had to add some Duran Duran as I just caught the beginning of the James Bond film "View to a kill" earlier tonight.....

The new playlist for week 3 of the OHR is...

Luka - Suzanne Vega (warmup)
Real Late Starter - Nerina Pallot
Crash Years - The New Pornographers
Alligator (VHS or Beta remix) - Tegan and Sara
Holy Grail - Hunters and Collectors
The Reflex - Duran Duran
Barracuda - Heart
Behind these Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
Jump - Girls Aloud
Hobbit on the Rocks - Toad the Wet Sprocket (cool down)

Rest day Saturday

It was a brilliant autumn day in the Manawatu today.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Only a high of 20C, but it was still nice in the sun.

I've already got tomorrow run planned, I'm heading out to the university and going to tackle hills for the first time.  But today was too nice not to get out and do something, so we went out walking near the river.  There were a lot of people out running, walking and biking on the trail today.  I think everyone had the same idea - making the most of what might be one of the last nice days before the grey Palmy winter hits.

We both had the GPS sportstrackers going on our phones, so now I'm not quite sure how far we walked.  One came out at 6.08km, the other was just on 7km.  I don't think mapmyrun.com is quite accurate either at 6km, as it was hard to guess exactly where were walking, as the google map doesn't show the road and trails through the park.

The Manawatu river, this is where we started on the bridle track that runs along the river.  It was cool in the shade, with a suprisingly cold wind when we started.

We stopped only a few minutes later to get this photo looking back.  They only built these steps a year or two ago.  Before then it wasn't easy to get down to the water.  Looks like a few students from the uni were out studying and enjoying the sun.

We then walked away from the river and along the lagoon.  All the ducks...and a lot of duck poo to avoid!

Somewhere in the bushes next to the little black mother duck, is a baby.  It has a red beak if that helps.

 We then headed back to the river and back the way we came - I think it must have been about 3km along the river.

And then back the way we came.

It was nice to get out and walk in the sun.

Injury report

Went to the physio yesterday, as I thought, my back/side pain isn't anything to do with running. It's just a reoccurance of my usual back problem - now accompanied by my OOS (RSI) flaring up in my right wrist and arm. Hopefully I've caught it early enough, give it a few days and I should be right.

But it means I may have to hold off on starting the pushups/situps/squats plan. I'll give it until Saturday and have a go then.

OHR week 2 day 1

Another 30min run down, and a pretty good effort after a 6 day break (not to mention a heck of a lot of sugar). I thought I was going really slow but I still managed under 8 min/km. So sticking to the 30 minute runs for a few weeks seems to be the right thing for me. It's helping me speed up a little. Hopefully as I slowly increase the time, I'll be able to keep up the pace.

I'm considering running day 2 tomorrow, as I'll be out tomorrow night - it's dessert + Whedon night with my friends (we're watching Dollhouse at the moment). So I doubt I'll want to get up at 5am on Friday. If I do, it will be my first consecutive running days since starting. And I'm also supposed to go swimming with a workmate at lunchtime. That's a lot of exercise in one day for a couch potato on parole.

I've also been chatting with a friend, she's looking for something to motivate her to get out and run again, so we're thinking of making it a goal to take part in the Manawatu Striders winter series . There are 3 5km run/walks held in June and July. It's a 'sign up on the day' type deal, so we don't have to commit until the day. Their next event is actually next month, but it's a 13 or 21km run/walk, which would be a bit of a daunting prospect, even if I walked it. And it's on the weekend I get back from my Melbourne holiday, so I probably will be a little tired from all the travelling.

OHR w2d1 distance 3.89km pace 7:52 min/km

Real Late Starter

I have a theme tune this week. I'm a lazy late starter. But now I've started. So I won't be staying in bed, won't be living in my head - I'll be out there running. Making up for lost time!

OHR week 1 day 3 & Easter Break

Thursday's run was ok, better than Tuesday at least. My fastest so far at 7.14min/km, another 4km run. It was a slightly frosty 7C morning, and so far I seem to have my best runs in the cooler temperatures.

I thought I was getting a stitch for the first time while running, then it was accompanied by discomfort in my upper back/shoulder/neck just on the right side. Odd pains usually mean I've put my hips and lower back out of alignment. That could explain the funk I've been in this week, so I've got a physio appointment tomorrow afternoon.

My next run is planned for Wednesday morning. I've also taken a ww break and haven't been tracking my meals over the weekend, the only exercise I got was out doing some gardening on Friday. I have overindulged in the chocolate and coca-cola, gone out for three meals and am feeling a bit seedy now. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I'm really looking forward to my next run. I think the break has done me good.