Thanks for keeping up with me here – and do keep the running conversation going. I’ll be writing my first division6 “LSR” post shortly on my running club experience with the Chineham Park runners…!

Loading…

The proportionality between the angle of your running stride and the distance covered does alway surprise me (“…you cover two per cent more ground with each stride for every degree you increase your stride angle”. I really need to do some more stretching… although as much of my training this sabbatical has included heavy-lifting in the garden as it has running and stretching so limited progress has been made.

Unfortunately, unlike David Cameron, I can’t afford to hire personal trainer Matt Roberts to sort out my running stride. I’m still thinking about getting a running coach but not sure where to start. I may start by joining my local running club (blog here) and see if anyone there has any good advice for me.

Anyway, the last week has seen two very different 10k runs as I begin to knock down the psychological distance barrier. The first, a tech-free run, saw me complete my 10k in 65 minutes – substantially slower than my previous efforts. My benchmark has always been 30 minute 5ks – so a 60 minute 10k is the thing to beat.

Today, I managed it, crossing the 10k mark at 59m20s – not massively speedy but hopefully the beginning of a return to form, and a whole load better than my previous effort. It was Runkeeper supported and I guess having a voice tell me my current pace does put effective pressure on me to up the ante…

Anyway, will continue to keep up the pressure on myself and see where I end up. I’ve not had the stones to enter another half-marathon yet – it’s difficult to be sure I can manage it with my extra weight and without having yet put in the time to build up to the distances I’d need – but we’ll see how we go.

Thoughts go out to the injured Sensei-Paul, who I’m seeing next week and will no doubt discuss running with for all of our edification.

Hopefully I’ll be able to churn out a > 10k run in the next week or so…

Harder, though, is the fact that the diet restarted today. The winter weight is something I’ve really felt in recent runs and needs to go… so back down to the 1500 calorie range for my daily intake until I start to feel the difference again!

Longer distance training will start in the days ahead as I build to a half-marathon in the not-too-distant future. I had hoped to go for the nearby Bracknell half in early May but I’m not sure how well the training will progress over the next six weeks – which seems me doing an amount of travel as well… We will see! Wish me luck.

Running going OK, have forced myself to run and swim through the beginning of a cold so hoping the various hormones will stave off a bout of self-piteous man-flu!

Good luck Sally!

Sabbatical fitness routine going ok – no LSRs in Malaysia but alternating swimming and running pretty well. Hoping to up distance and resume diet when I get back to the UK…

Incidentally, whilst I was warned that it would be more painful to do my ITB stretching on a tennis ball, it’s more the coordination required that presented a challenge – it’s hard to balance and roll from your upper thigh down to your knee on a tennis ball – especially when slicked with sweat after a run in 30 degree heat!

I’ll get there…

A side note: the treadmill was delivered within 24 hours by no less than SIX delivery men and the general manager of the fitness equipment importer. I know it’s a high margin, high value item but this is taking service to ludicrous extremes! In any event, it took all of them to shift it – that is one HEAVY, big-ass machine.

Baby weight training = lifting baby with alternate arms. Bench pressing baby as she ‘flies’. Etc.,  My precious little dumbell is weighing in at around 15lbs, so getting heavier!

Seriously, proper training will resume very soon.