1st week back from holiday and the end of June

Monday 24-June-2013 – This was the 1^st run since being back from holiday, so I felt that my aches and pains had gone away which I started to suffer from just before going on holiday.

 

I started off at a nice steady pace but found getting in to a nice breathing pattern was hard. I found that over the course of 4 miles that it was getting increasingly difficult, I wondered what was going on as I had only been off on holiday for a week.

 

On the last few miles I found that I was developing an ache in my knees and hips, this was quite strange as I have not been suffering with this in the last few months. The only thing I thought to myself was that maybe I pushed too hard through the run, but I did not have any personal bests to show for it.

 

During the evening I was in a lot of pain and could barely move without my knees and hips hurting so much. The next day the pain had turned to aches, so moving around was a lot better.

Wednesday 26-June-2013 – I started off in the normal way of getting in to a nice steady pace and trying to sort out the breathing. My knees and hips did not feel too bad but I found it very hard to get in to a steady pace to settle down to.

 

By the time I had done 4 miles and had reached Bosworth Bridge, my knees had started to ache a bit. From this point I decided to walk up the hills to limit the damage on the knees and hips. This strategy seemed to work for a while but the last 3 miles I found it very difficult to carry on as I was in a considerable amount of pain, I just could not concentrate on a running pace of breathing.

 

When I got back to Sutton Cheney Wharf I just collapsed on a bench and stayed there for a good 45 minutes trying to recover before I could jump in to the car and drive home. When I got home and looked at the running data from my Garmin and Endomondo (iPhone), I really didn’t think I would be anywhere near getting any personal bests, but I was very surprised to see that I had gained a few personal bests. During the evening I found myself hobbling around the house like I was on Monday evening, the run had really taken it out of me.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.44 Miles (2.33km)
1 hour – 6.44 Miles (10.38km)
1 Mile – 8m: 04s
10k – 57m: 24s




Friday 28-June-2013 – The weather had been very dull and it had been raining on and off all day. I decided to pop out for a short run as I had been suffering with my knees and hip, so I suppose you could call this a recovery run.

After a couple of minutes running it started to rain, I hate the rain but I hoped it was only a short shower. The rain lasted for just over half of my run, I was feeling very tired but kept on pushing before the rain started again and knowing my luck it would be a heavy downpour. My knees and hips did not feel too bad, there was a slight ache, but I had developed a bit of pain in my ankles. I just could not believe it, I seem to be going through loads of injuries at the moment. I kept on pushing until I had completed the 5k and then dropped down to a walk for a cool down.

When I got home and checked the data on the Garmin and Endomondo, I thought to myself that no wonder I was knackered and aching I had done my fastest 5k.

I managed to do some personal bests:
3 Mile – 26m: 49s
5k – 27m: 46s




Sunday 30-June-2013 – This was a recovery run that was done in the morning as I wanted to watch the Formula 1 (British Grand Prix) that was going to be on TV at mid-day. I had a couple of sips of squash and got ready to go out, the weather was quite overcast. When I got outside I felt a few spots of rain and thought, I am to get wet and I hate the rain.

I was surprised how warm it was out there during the run, I felt quite empty not having ad any breakfast so it was a new feeling for me to deal with. I also felt a bit dehydrated as well, but kept on having sips of water from the water bottle I took out with me.

I did not have many aches during the run, so was quite pleased with that. I also did not break any personal bests but was a fairly good run for me.




Endomondo Monthly Challenges

Bear in mind that I had a week off on holiday, this is what I managed to achieve.

 

Running Rotten Egg Award June (Most km - Running) - I managed to get in to the Elite Egg Awards and got to Titanium which was for people who had run 77.6 miles plus. I had achieved 93.11 miles.

 

Rotten Egg Award June (Most calories - All sports) – I got to Crystal which is for people who burned 17,000 calories or more, I burned 17,064 calories for May.

2 10 Mile runs, Half Marathon and 1 stone in weight lost

Sunday 09-June-2013 – The weather was sunshine and cloud, it was fairly warm when the sun was out though. I made sure I had taken on lots of fluids during the day and for lunch I had a nice light salad.

I set off and got into a nice steady pace and the breathing also was a nice steady pattern. I felt the heat from the sun when it was out and it was going to be out more than in as there were not many clouds in the sky at this point, there was a nice breeze though.

Once I reached 3.5 miles in to the run I had to stop for a wee, it must have been down to all the fluids I had during the day had caught up with me! I did not stop very long so it did not hurt the times too much, but at least I was more comfortable now and could concentrate on the run.

As the weather was nice and it was a Sunday the route was fairly busy with families out and dog walkers, this did not hinder me too much thankfully. By the time I got back to the car I really felt the toll of the run in the sun (that rhymes) and felt quite dehydrated.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.38 Miles (2.23km)
1k – 5m: 00s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth



Tuesday 11-June-2013 – The day started off when I looked out the window and thought I will wear my long running trousers and long top as it was cloudy outside and a bit chilly. When I got to Sutton Cheney Wharf the sun was out and it was quite warm, I thought to myself that I am wearing the wrong clothes in the heat. I set off and tried to get in to a nice steady run as quick as I could, as this was going to be a tough run in the heat.

After I had covered 4 miles the sun went in and the wind got up, this was a nice welcome breeze to cool me down just before running up a hill into Market Bosworth from the canal bridge. I ran through the square at Market Bosworth and through a gate that leads to a single track road, when I was coming up to 6 miles it stated to lightly rain. I hate the rain but this was quite welcome to cool me down a bit, and the rain did not last very long.

When the single track road ends I turned right up a road for a short way to a car park and then this leads to a right of way on the edge of a number of fields. The grass on the field was long enough to make my trainers a bit wet, I was concerned that my feet would get wet and I would end up with blisters. As I ran through the fields I tried to pick my feet up as much as I could to help them stay dry.
By the time I reached the Bosworth Battlefield Centre I was quite tired, I think the style as I ran through the field used more energy than I thought it would do. I carried on and thought if I concentrate on the breathing then it will be okay. I ran through Ambion Wood, along a disused railway track and got to the old disused railway bridge that crosses the canal. I had done 8 miles at this point, so I thought I wonder if I can do a further 5 miles to make this run in to a Half Marathon (13.1 miles). As I started to run along the canal for the second time today I started to work out how far up the canal I would have to run. I knew that from the railway bridge to the car it was just over a mile, so if I ran up the canal for 2 miles and turned around then the mileage would work out nicely.

I tried to get back in to a nice running pace and sort out my breathing along the canal. Once I had covered just over a mile along the canal it started to rain and then gradually got heavier, this was not a pleasant experience for me but all I could think of is I have just under a mile to cover before turning around.  I kept on checking the Garmin until I reached 10 miles, I turned around and headed back along the canal in the rain. I found running along the canal in the rain was quite an ordeal, I could get back in to a nice running pace but just could not sort out my breathing. I noticed my heart rate monitor was reading a low heart rate, I tried to wipe underneath the chest strap but this did not make any difference. The rain stopped and I started to dry off in the wind, I was so tired at this point and had to fall down in to a walk for a short time to calm down. I found that I had to keep falling back in to a short walk after each half mile and was so tired.

I was so glad to get back to the car but was so happy that I had covered 13.1 miles. My legs were like jelly and I could barely walk, I had to sit on a bench for 40 minutes until I was able to drive back home. Once I got home I uploaded the data from the Garmin to Garmin Connect and checked the Endomondo site to find that I had got 6 new personal bests. Even though it was very tough going I thought the day was a big success.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.39 Miles (2.24km)
1 hour – 6.36 Miles (10.24km)
1k – 4m: 28s
1 Mile – 8m: 05s
10k – 58m: 34s
Half Marathon – 2h: 13m: 57s

Garmin Connect – 13 Miles, Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth



Thursday 13-June-2013 – After looking at the weather forecast I decided the best thing to do was to go for a run earlier than normal due to the heavy showers that had been forecasted for later in the day. When I arrived at Sutton Cheney Wharf the day was very cloudy, windy and a bit muggy.

I set off at a slow pace as normal and found it to be very windy at times, after a few miles I had a bit of a washed out feeling. I continued on as I thought the washed out feeling would just wear off and I would be able to get in to a nice running pace.

During this run I had to drop down in to a walk for a short time to catch my breath, I found I just could not get into this run at all. I found it very hard to get into a nice running pace and my breathing was all over the place which was very off putting. I was very glad to get back to the car as I was so tired, not long after I got in to the car it rained quite hard so I was lucky not to be caught out in it. I think that I had not fully recovered from the previous run which gave me the washed out feeling, I maybe suffering with overtraining as well.

On the up side of today run, I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.40 Miles (2.26km)
1k – 4m: 24s
1 Mile – 8m: 04s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth



On 19-April 2013 a holiday was booked and I was 14 Stone, my goal was to lose 1 stone in 2 months. I am pleased to say that I have reached my goal, I now weigh 13 stone. Once I get off holiday the next goal will be to get my weight down to 12.5 stone.

Stepping up to 10 miles, not once or twice, but three times

Monday 03-June-2013 – The weather was a nice blue sky with a few clouds, so I decided to put my shorts on and running t-shirt and head off to Sutton Cheney Wharf for a gentle run in the sun.

I set my Garmin and headed off from Sutton Cheney Wharf along the canal path and into Ambion wood. I ran up to the Bosworth Battlefield centre and turned left as I normally do along the stony path and back in to Ambion wood. After a while I came to a disused railway which has been converted into a path, I took the path and headed down to the disused railway bridge which is where I joined the canal footpath.

 

Once I was on the canal footpath I felt fairly good as I was in a nice steady running pace and my breathing was nice and steady as well. I felt really good all the way along the canal and when I reached the Bosworth Bridge I decided to run up to Market Bosworth. Previously I have struggled to get up the hill and had to walk most of it, but this time I got up the hill without stopping.

 

Once I reached the top of the hill I checked my Garmin and it showed that my heart rate was 165bpm, I started to take some slow deep breaths for a while which helped to bring the heart rate down to 150bpm. I ran through the square at Market Bosworth and took a single track road with a gate you have to open to drive though, there was a car going through as I approached so I didn’t have to mess around opening the gate and closing it.

 

The single track road seemed to go on for ever, but I kept a nice steady running pace and kept the breathing nice and steady at around 150-155bpm. When I reached the end of the road there is another gate to open or you can take a little track that bypasses it which is what I took. I turned right and headed up a short hill to a car park on the left and headed along the footpath on the edge of 3-4 fields. This brought me alongside the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, I looked at the mileage on the Garmin and noticed that the big loop was 7 miles. I was still feeling pretty good at this point and couldn’t understand what I had done differently, I decided the today was the day I was going to do 10 miles.

 

I headed off along a path and into Ambion wood, the disused railway track and joined the canal north bound for the second time today. The idea was to do a small loop to for the extra mileage, so I ran along the canal until I came to a hump back bridge, I came off the canal footpath and over the bridge and along the road. After a short distance I reached Shenton Railway Station, I ran through the car park, across the tracks and along a path that runs alongside the station building. Once I got through a couple of gates the path leads up a small hill then after a short while there is a second hill. I managed to get up the hills without stopping and carried on past the King Richard III sun dial and along the path back to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre. I checked the Garmin and noticed that I had done 9.3 miles, I thought to myself that I would have to do a tiny loop around a field outside the Bosworth Battlefield Centre to make up 0.2 miles. Once I had done the tiny loop I headed off into Ambion wood and finished the run after 0.5 miles where I first set off at the beginning of this run.

 

10 miles is my personal best distance, I really don’t know how I managed to do this amount of miles and all without walking unless I was going through a gate. My legs were like jelly so I had to sit down on a bench for half an hour before driving home. I wonder how long it will be before I feel like this again and am able to run this distance again. 

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth

Wednesday 05-June-2013 – I managed to do the same route as I had done on Monday to see if doing 10 miles was a one off. Once I got in to a nice running pace and got the breathing nice and steady the miles just seemed to go by fairly quickly.

 

I was very pleased to finish the run and knowing that getting to 10 miles was not a one off, even though my legs were aching like mad afterwards.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth 

Friday 07-June-2013 – I found todays run very challenging in the heat, I was having digestion problems with feeling a bit sick. My mouth was getting very dry so I had to keep sipping on water which was making my digestion problem worse. In the first 4 miles I nearly gave up but I kept going and found that the problem seemed to get a bit better.

 

I had to drop down to walking on a number of occasions as I just felt so tired even though my heart rate was okay. When I got back I was very surprised to see that I have got some personal bests as I really didn’t think I was anywhere near getting any.

 

I managed to do some personal bests:

1 Hour – 6.3 Miles (10.2km)

3 Miles – 27m: 15s

5K – 28m: 07s

10k – 58m: 43s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth 

The last two runs before the end of May and the Endomondo May Challenges.

The weather was a bit wet this week making the canal running a bit muddy. I have missed out on a run which makes me out of my routine on running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Being that I have the Endomondo on my iPhone I joined some challenges for May which are as follows:

Running Rotten Egg Award May (Most km - Running) - I managed to get in to the Elite Egg Awards and got to Pearl which was for people who had run 93.2 miles plus. I had achieved 99.55 miles.

Rotten Egg Award May (Most calories - All sports) – I got to Crystal which is for people who burned 17,000 calories or more, I burned 17,023 calories for May.

500 calories a day keep the doctor away (May) – The challenge was to burn 15,500 calories in May, I managed this as I burned 17,023 calories.

I was expecting to have some sort of badge in my Endomondo profile, but there is nothing so I am left wondering what the challenges are for.

Monday 27-May-2013 – Today was a warm day but quite windy with strong gusts. I didn’t really feel my best and had to force myself out, I am still trying to lose 1 stone before I go on holiday and only have another 5lbs to go in 3 weeks. The other thing that really pushed me out was that it was forecast to rain on the following day and I hate the rain as well as making the canal path muddy.

I set off at a reasonably slow pace to warm up and found myself negotiating through people that were out as it was a bank holiday. I find it infuriating when people can see you coming along and don’t move over a little to let you past without brushing past them. Most people I find have been really good, they let you past and greet you with a ‘hello’ as well.

I found I had to break back in to a couple of 30 second walks before reaching the 4 mile point which is the Bosworth Bridge along the canal. I thought to myself that if I have to walk a couple of times on the way to the 4 mile point then what is it going to be like on the way back. I kept on having sips of water from one of the couple of water bottles that I carry on my running belt, I also found the running belt really needed to be tightened up a little being that I have lost a bit of weight it has become a little loose resulting in it bouncing about which was a little off putting.

On the journey back I had to keep dropping back into a walk and having sips of water, I felt quite dehydrated at this point and was wondering if I should have not bothered coming out on a run. I felt my face getting hot and was just longing for the run to be over. I found that I just could not settle into a nice steady pace with a nice breathing pattern, which I am sure did not really help. When I got back I looked at the overall time and I was astonished that I was only about 5 minutes more than my previous run.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

 

Thursday 30-May-2013 – It had been raining for a couple of days so I ended up missing yesterday and doing the run today. The canal footpath was mostly okay but in places it was a bit muddy which involved negotiating my way through the muddy patches. Surprisingly I still had a few minor aches in the legs from the last run, so I thought today I am going to take it steady.

I decided to run past the Bosworth Bridge where I normally turn back and ran for a further 0.5 mile. I suppose I was wondering what the footpath on the other side of the bridge was like, well the answer was very similar to the 4 miles of footpath I had just run. I had to keep going down into a walk as I just could not get into a steady pace. I really felt the extra mile that I did as my legs ached so much, I felt good that I had covered the miles though and burned the calories towards my weight loss.

 

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

Couple of runs along the canal and one round Hinckley

Monday 20-May-2013 - After having the weekend off running to recover I still felt a few aches and pains but nothing too bad. The weather was overcast but muggy when I arrived at Sutton Cheney Wharf. I got myself ready and headed off. There were a couple of coaches that arrived at Bosworth Heritage Centre so there were a few guided tours that I had to negotiate around through Ambion Wood.

I managed to get into a nice steady pace along the canal footpath and kept my breathing nice and steady. There were not many people that I had to pass so I could just concentrate on the pace and breathing until I got to the Bosworth Bridge. I always find it is the homeward journey back that I just can not get back in to a nice pace and keep it, I have to run as much as I can and break into a walk until I have recovered enough to carry on, this will have to be work in progress.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth



Wednesday 22-May-2013 - I had been feeling tired after not having a very good sleep, I must have had between 3 and 4 hours. Somehow I also missed having breakfast and on top of that my legs still ached, so I was not feeling my best.

I started the run off with a slow steady pace as I was thinking it all about the miles which equates to more calories to lose. I got my breathing sorted out and kept a nice deep slow breathing pattern while listening to music on my iPod.

I arrived at the Bosworth Bridge in reasonably good shape so decided that instead of turning back and walking for a bit I would try and see how far I can run back. To my amazement I only stopped a few times on the journey back, so I am wondering how I have achieved this when all the cards were stacked against me with the lack of sleep, no breakfast and achy legs.

When I got back I noticed (on Endomondo) that I was just 10 seconds away from reaching my 10k personal best time, which has left me feeling a little frustrated. I am now wondering how long it will be before I get to the point where I can beat the time.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth



Friday 24-May-2013 - Today has been very windy and quite a bit of rain, so I thought it would be a bit too adventurous to do 8 miles along the canal. I thought it would be better to just run around the block if the weather breaks. Well the weather did calm down a bit so I thought ‘let’s do it’. I got ready and went out looking up at the sky, there was a massive black cloud coming my way, I didn’t think too much more about it and set off.

This route just goes around the block in an anti-clockwise direction which is a good 5k. The route consist of a short hill followed by a long gradual hill which really becomes challenging to keep on running without breaking into a walk. If you make it up the gradual hill there is a nice gradual descent afterwards which gives you a bit of a breather, but not today as there was a head wind I was running in to and it started to rain. I managed to run all the way around without stopping which I have only done once before which was a long time ago, so I was quite pleased.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Cooper (12 minutes) – 1.37 Miles
3 Miles – 27m: 34s
5K – 28m: 36s

Run around Hinckley

3 runs the same along the Ashby de la Zouch canal

Monday 13-May-2013 – This run was very similar to the last run which was on Friday along the Ashby de la Zouch canal, the only difference was that I extended the run to the Bosworth Bridge. The extra distance made the total run 8 miles.

 
I had the usual problems along the canal of running over the pot holes and up and down, but I felt I managed to keep at a nice running pace and control the breathing more this time. I really felt like I was in the zone this time and managed to run without stopping all the way to the Bosworth Bridge. I also managed to do less walking on the way back to Sutton Cheney Wharf as well, I can’t explain why I felt like this as I just can’t put my finger on it.

I managed to do some Personal Bests:

3 Miles – 28m:51s
5k – 29m:50s
10k – 1h:00m:52s
1 Hour – 9.87km (6.13 Miles)

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

Wednesday 15-May-2013 – Todays run was the same as the previous run on Monday. I found it very hard going indeed, my legs ached from start until finish. I just found it very difficult to get in to a nice running pace and my breathing was quite heavy from start until finish, I must have sounded like a train.

I think what didn’t help was that I was still buzzing with achieving all the personal best times and I really wanted to improve on my 10k time from Monday, what I did was set my Garmin’s virtual partner at 6mph. I thought if I can keep to 6mph that will not be too far off getting my 10k time under an hour, this kind of blew me out on the first couple of miles. I think what I will take away from this is to keep to a pace that I can naturally run to and slow down if needed and speed up if I feel comfortable, for me it is really all about putting in the mileage to burn the calories as I am trying to lose some weight.

My legs are now in a lot of pain, so I am hoping that I have not over done it for Fridays run which I will aim to do the same route again.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

 

Friday 17-May-2013 – This time I managed to run all the way to the Bosworth Bridge without stopping which is my main goal until I am comfortable with it. Two miles into the run along the canal footpath I could really feel my legs becoming heavy and aching. I carried on going trying to keep to a steady pace but my legs were just getting worse.

On the way back I had to go into a walk as the pain was becoming unbearable and I found it hard to concentrate on my breathing. It felt like the miles went by very slowly and I just couldn’t wait to get back to the car for it all to be over. When I got back to the car I just collapsed into the seat, my legs were aching so much I just had to sit at Sutton Cheney Wharf for half an hour to let my legs recover while watching the canal boats and ducks go by.

Somehow I managed to get a couple of personal bests, it certainly was not through trying:

1Km – 5m:04s
1 Mile – 8m:34s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth 

1st run along the canal without my neighbour

I had a light lunch early at 12:00 and texted my neighbour to let him know that I was still on for a run at 3pm. He texted back to say that he had far too much on and would have to give the run a miss.
I got ready for 3pm as usual and drove to Sutton Cheney Wharf to park the car. There were not very many cars there and I thought well it must be down to the weather as it had been raining in the morning and was due to rain again later in the day. I took a windproof/showerproof jacket just in case it did rain.

I walked through the car park and past the café to a gate, where I set the Garmin Forerunner 610 and started off on a slow running pace. The path follows the canal for a short way then disappears in to Ambion wood, the path is not too bad and becomes quite wide while in the wood. After a half a mile I went through a gate across a narrow field and through another one which leads up to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, which is where I turn left along a path.

The path heads towards Ambion wood again, passing the ‘Richard III well’. Running through the wood is nice and peaceful, all you can hear is the wind blowing through the trees. The path comes to an old disused railway track, I turned left and ran along it to an old railway bridge which crosses the Ashby de la Zouch canal.

I joined the canal and ran North bound watching where the pot holes where, twisting the ankle is the last thing you need! I got into a steady run at 6mph and settled in to a nice breathing pattern. Some parts of the canal footpath get very bumpy which messes up the running rhythm so you have to try and get back in it again.

After about a mile I passed a slowing barge with a couple of people aboard looking at another barge in the middle of the canal. As I ran past the barge I noticed that one end of the barge had come loose which is why it was in the middle of the canal. I thought shall I stop and pull the barge in and continue with the run, I then thought sod it I will leave it for the people in the barge approaching. Knowing me I will pull my back or twist an ankle and that will put me out for some time, I’m sure the people in the approaching barge have more time. I carried on running and didn’t look back to see if the people were shouting or not as I did feel a bit guilty.

The canal winds around through the Leicestershire countryside which is really scenic. It started to rain and I thought ‘oh marvellous, I’m not even at the point of turning around and I am going to get soaked’. Luckily there was a high hedge that I was running past which went the length of a field, the hedge was high enough for me to run close and not get wet. It was only a very short shower so I felt very lucky and relieved.

I reached a bridge which was just over 3 miles away from my starting point, I was fairly tired at this point. I turned back walking along the canal to try and recover a bit. I found it a bit strange not to have my neighbour with me as we have a little chat which makes the time go quicker.
The run back along the canal didn’t seem to take too long, I must have had a lot on my mind to pass the time away. I had to slow down in to a walk on a number of occasions to recover and before I knew it I had reached the disused railway bridge, so I thought should I carry on along the canal and if I do will that make the distance 10k. I decided to take the same route that I had come along knowing that distance would certainly make the 10k.

When I got back to the gate where I started off from I stopped the Garmin and looked at the distance, it was 6.6 miles so I was happy to have coved the 10k distance. I sat on one of the benches at the side of the café (Sutton Cheney Wharf) to recover, my leg muscles were aching.
I aim to do this route again soon.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth