Rather lovely early morning run, with the sun just coming over the top of the hills. Nice and still and cool, with no-one really around. There was even a bit more progress, which is slightly surprising seeing as I haven't really been out running for nearly a week. This wasn't purely laziness, although that was definitely a factor. Every time I went and started to go out for a bimble my shins would start bitching at me nearly as soon as I started. I figured it might be a cunning plan to let them rest for a bit before I went out again, and lo, it worked.
My shins are only hurting like they were towards the end of the run, still annoying, but nothing like as bad.
Having somehow managed to marginally improved my fitness enough that I not only no longer feel like I am dieing 5 minutes into a bimble, but also don't have random aches and whinging from my legs etc, I think I might have some idea why I am getting these pains in my shins.
Hills, they are the problem, specifically running down them. I'm sure there is some fancy biomechanical name for it, but essentially I am a lummox, and when I run downhill my foot is acting as a brake when it lands and is putting even more stress through my ankles and shins than normal. This is a little bit of a problem, because hills are pretty much unavoidable down here, and the particular downhill section where the pains are starting is approximately a third of the route I am using at the moment. I suppose I'll have to figure a modification to the route so that I can do the uphill bit (which is fine) and the level(ish) bit for longer and then just walk back down the hill as a warmdown or something (oo, hark at me, sounding like I know what I am doing).
Alternatively I could just try and learn how to run downhill without bollocksing my legs up, but that's crazy talk.
As for Juneathon, I think I'll give it a go, what with it being the law and everything, apparently. I have been meaning to get out on the, very shiny if I say so myself, mountain bike, even if it obviously isn't anything like as cool as jogblog's Raleigh Shopper.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Boring post
Went out for a run yesterday at O god awful in the morning, just after it had stopped raining. Did OK, kept to the 1min run, 2 min walk schedule a lot better than I have been. Didn't see anything much amusing, just a surprising amount of traffic for that time in the morning.
My shins killed all day yesterday, but are feeling a lot better today, so hopefully they are getting used to running a little bit more.
That is all.
My shins killed all day yesterday, but are feeling a lot better today, so hopefully they are getting used to running a little bit more.
That is all.
Friday, 15 May 2009
The price of progress
Ouchy ouch ouch ouch. Sore legs, particularly the shin, but there was actually some progress it seems. I am actually running a whole minute (woo!) without looking at my watch every 10 seconds for the 30 seconds to see when I can stop. Admittedly I am still slightly stretching the walk sections longer than I should.
If I had gone to a posh school there'd be an imaginary sports master going "Keep up K, you are cheating no one but yourself". I went to a comp though, and the PE teachers were either stupid or bastards. They loved cross country though, and probably put at least 10 years worth of pupils off running for life.
At least twice a term, 4 times in summer, everyone had to do a cross-country run around to school. The course was a 3 mile loop through the playing fields and woods, and in the winter it was mud and slop and filth and always windy (always a headwind, naturally). Hated it, each and every time.
On a completely unrelated note, whay are the spods who appear in toothpaste ads so insufferably smug looking? Is it a requirement or an old charter or something?
If I had gone to a posh school there'd be an imaginary sports master going "Keep up K, you are cheating no one but yourself". I went to a comp though, and the PE teachers were either stupid or bastards. They loved cross country though, and probably put at least 10 years worth of pupils off running for life.
At least twice a term, 4 times in summer, everyone had to do a cross-country run around to school. The course was a 3 mile loop through the playing fields and woods, and in the winter it was mud and slop and filth and always windy (always a headwind, naturally). Hated it, each and every time.
On a completely unrelated note, whay are the spods who appear in toothpaste ads so insufferably smug looking? Is it a requirement or an old charter or something?
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Feeling lazy
Ho hum, meant to get out for a run today, but kind of didn't get round to it, tomorrow definitely though. On the other hand, I ended up feeling lazy and fidgety (how do you spell fidgety anyway?). Bimbling around poking through blog archives I found links to the 100 pressups and 200 situps plans (on Running From 30).
Now I have always been really rubbish at press ups, so it might be a good thing to try, and its something to do if I am being rubbish and unmovitated, or feeling sore, like today. All it needs is a bit of time and some clear space. Clear space is always a problem though, as I'm not the tidiest person in the world, I don't have a great deal of space anyway, and I'm a fan of stratigraphic filing. On the other hand it isn't actually a great hardship to have to move a couple of piles of stuff to get enough space. If I don't get bored with the it I might even take part in Juneathon, as if I tried running every day at the moment it would probably kill me.
Now I have always been really rubbish at press ups, so it might be a good thing to try, and its something to do if I am being rubbish and unmovitated, or feeling sore, like today. All it needs is a bit of time and some clear space. Clear space is always a problem though, as I'm not the tidiest person in the world, I don't have a great deal of space anyway, and I'm a fan of stratigraphic filing. On the other hand it isn't actually a great hardship to have to move a couple of piles of stuff to get enough space. If I don't get bored with the it I might even take part in Juneathon, as if I tried running every day at the moment it would probably kill me.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Music makes everything better
It really does, got hold of a diddy little iPod shuffle the other day, at £30 they are a bargain, and whacked some tunes on it. Then I went out for another run today, same route, same pathetic run:walk ratio, and the same unspecified aches and pains as long dormant muscles are shocked into some kind of activity for the first time in ages. Didn't see anything amusing particularly, not even the random blokes carrying random doors I saw last time out. The music made it seem to go faster though.
Tune that I really have to wonder what I was thinking when I loaded it onto the iPod, Nerina Pallot - Heartattack, tunethat actually made me pick my feet up towards the end, despite it being pure 70's cheese, ELO - Mr Blue Sky. It would have been even better if it was actually sunny, but it was grey and muggy and a bit unpleasant, though not too hot, fortunately.
Tune that I really have to wonder what I was thinking when I loaded it onto the iPod, Nerina Pallot - Heartattack, tunethat actually made me pick my feet up towards the end, despite it being pure 70's cheese, ELO - Mr Blue Sky. It would have been even better if it was actually sunny, but it was grey and muggy and a bit unpleasant, though not too hot, fortunately.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
My world is pain and suffering
Well, not really, it wasn't that bad, pathetically slow, and more walking than actual running involved, but never mind, its a start. It does seem at the moment that any pleasure or satisfaction involved is the same kind as you get from bashing your head against a wall. Hopefully that'll change as my fitness improves. I did the 20 minutes I was aiming for, which I'm happy about.
The good thing is that nothing hurts too much. I got a slightly tight calf, but that'll be from not stretching quite enough. My shins were slightly sore while I was out doing it, and the outside of my feet ached a bit. That'll just be the shock to the system of trying to run further than the bus stop, I hope. The shoes were nice and comfy, which was nice, my old footie shorts chafed a bit though, which wasn't so fun.
Of course this can all be used as an excuse for some new shiny things, yay! A watch with a stopwatch, or maybe one of those nike+ sportband things would be nice, it is surprisingly hard to read an analogue watch while trying to run. I definitely need to get an iPod shuffle, Gramsci, my big iPod, is a bit too big to take out running, and running to the accompaniment of the national asthmatic association's marching band is kind of tedious, I want my choons! Of course, if Garmin or anyone want to give me one of their spiffy training aids I'd be happy to right nice things about it.
The good thing is that nothing hurts too much. I got a slightly tight calf, but that'll be from not stretching quite enough. My shins were slightly sore while I was out doing it, and the outside of my feet ached a bit. That'll just be the shock to the system of trying to run further than the bus stop, I hope. The shoes were nice and comfy, which was nice, my old footie shorts chafed a bit though, which wasn't so fun.
Of course this can all be used as an excuse for some new shiny things, yay! A watch with a stopwatch, or maybe one of those nike+ sportband things would be nice, it is surprisingly hard to read an analogue watch while trying to run. I definitely need to get an iPod shuffle, Gramsci, my big iPod, is a bit too big to take out running, and running to the accompaniment of the national asthmatic association's marching band is kind of tedious, I want my choons! Of course, if Garmin or anyone want to give me one of their spiffy training aids I'd be happy to right nice things about it.
Friday, 8 May 2009
Decisions, plans and random livestock
Right, going out on the firstest leg of torture tomorrow morning, decided on a route and everything. I don't know how far it is, but at a rough guess it is a little more that one and a half miles. I figure if it isn't far enough of a loop to do 20 minutes of run-walk I can always tack a bit on, and if it is too far I can stop attempting to run at 20 mins, have a quick breather, then gently stroll home. If anyone has any recommendations for sites that will work out the distances, using google maps trickery or whatever, I would be most grateful.
On the plus side the route I plan is nice and quiet, and mostly on pavement. The downside is that the first half (roughly) is all up hill, followed by a short level bit, and then downhill all the way home. This being Cornwall hills will feature frequently. To the best of my knowledge there are only 2 significant stretches of flat and straight road in Cornwall, and one of those is the Tamar bridge.
On the slightly strange front, I found myself bottle feeding lambs at work today, which I'd never done before. Not complaining, as they are very cute and fluffy, and I'm sure they'll taste lovely with roast peppers and cous-cous, but not exactly a task many other programmers have to put on their timesheets. 12:00-12:10 feeding orphaned ovines?
As promised, pictures of piglets, these are Kuni kunis, and they weren't terribly old when I took the photo. I would have more pictures of them, but they quickly cease to be incredibly cute, and become a bit of a fixture when they are getting underfoot, literally, all day. Miniature piggy houdinis, every last one of them.
On the plus side the route I plan is nice and quiet, and mostly on pavement. The downside is that the first half (roughly) is all up hill, followed by a short level bit, and then downhill all the way home. This being Cornwall hills will feature frequently. To the best of my knowledge there are only 2 significant stretches of flat and straight road in Cornwall, and one of those is the Tamar bridge.
On the slightly strange front, I found myself bottle feeding lambs at work today, which I'd never done before. Not complaining, as they are very cute and fluffy, and I'm sure they'll taste lovely with roast peppers and cous-cous, but not exactly a task many other programmers have to put on their timesheets. 12:00-12:10 feeding orphaned ovines?
As promised, pictures of piglets, these are Kuni kunis, and they weren't terribly old when I took the photo. I would have more pictures of them, but they quickly cease to be incredibly cute, and become a bit of a fixture when they are getting underfoot, literally, all day. Miniature piggy houdinis, every last one of them.
Yay, yet another running blog
So then. Inspired, in the loosest sense of the word, by Jog Blog, and the rest, often funny posts on life, running, and sundry livestock, I have decided to blog about my feeble attempts at moving faster than walking pace for any significant distance.
I suppose, as seems to be the way of these things, I ought to tell anyone who stumbles across this a little bit about myself. I am 32, I'm definitely out of shape, which is a major reason for starting running. I smoke too much, and really ought to get around to stopping. Other things I enjoy are Whitewater Kayaking, which I don't get to do enough of, cycling, reading, and music (lots of it, and a strange and eclectic selection, apparently).
I work on a farm in sunny Cornwall, as a software developer (yeah go figure).
I was thinking about starting running anyway, but sat watching the London Marathon this time round I thought "I actually want to do that someday, as being a programmer for a small software company just isn't bringing enough pain and suffering into my life". Then thinks I "how about next year?", then I went down the pub.
Now, in what I suspect may well become a bit of a recurring theme here, provided I remember to update this, after a bevvy or two I suggest to my mate Si that we enter nexxt year's London Marathon, and get "Yeah, that's a really good idea, it'll give me a reason to get fit and lose some weight, enter me as well", or words to that effect, as a response. So I do.
A pair a shiny new trainers, and what looks like a useful book, later and I am nearly ready to start reminding myself why I have never liked running much.
I suppose, as seems to be the way of these things, I ought to tell anyone who stumbles across this a little bit about myself. I am 32, I'm definitely out of shape, which is a major reason for starting running. I smoke too much, and really ought to get around to stopping. Other things I enjoy are Whitewater Kayaking, which I don't get to do enough of, cycling, reading, and music (lots of it, and a strange and eclectic selection, apparently).
I work on a farm in sunny Cornwall, as a software developer (yeah go figure).
I was thinking about starting running anyway, but sat watching the London Marathon this time round I thought "I actually want to do that someday, as being a programmer for a small software company just isn't bringing enough pain and suffering into my life". Then thinks I "how about next year?", then I went down the pub.
Now, in what I suspect may well become a bit of a recurring theme here, provided I remember to update this, after a bevvy or two I suggest to my mate Si that we enter nexxt year's London Marathon, and get "Yeah, that's a really good idea, it'll give me a reason to get fit and lose some weight, enter me as well", or words to that effect, as a response. So I do.
A pair a shiny new trainers, and what looks like a useful book, later and I am nearly ready to start reminding myself why I have never liked running much.
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