Week 1 – Total of 4 runs of an average of 4 km each.
I began the week by downloading the free Runtastic app to track my progress and a variety of podcasts to listen to.
Weather – 2-6 C some sun but mostly grey and cloudy.
Run 1 – 4 k including my warm up/cool down walks. I was on my feet for 36 minutes and ran 2 x 8 minutes with a 2 minute walk interval in between, an average pace of 9.19 min/km. Afterwards I felt wonderful. I had not overdone it but felt warm and relaxed.
Run 2 – 5 minute warm up walk followed by a 20 min run at average 7.45 m/km pace. A comfortable run at an even pace
Run 3 – Back to 8 minute intervals, 3 this time, at a slightly faster pace. Not bad but this was not as much fun as the previous runs and my legs were sore.
Run 4 – Run on a lovely sunny day and after a warm up walk, ran 2×10 min intervals with a 2 minute recovery interval. This run was hard work and the last 2 minutes of running were a struggle. I decided to repeat this session again before moving onto the next one on the plan just to build my fitness.
Week 2 – 3 runs, 1 swim, 1 session of aquarobics and 1 walk.
Weather – ave 5C, cloudy and rainy
Run 1 – 5k including warm up and cool down, a total of 41min. 2×12 minute intervals with a 3 minute walk recovery interval. I ran this with my husband who raised the pace and brought out the competitor in me! I really enjoyed this run and it felt easier than I had expected.
Run 2 – 5 min warm up and cool down walks, covering a total of 5k done in the rain. This was 3×9 min intervals. I took my time and went at an easy pace so I could start covering a longer distance. Finished feeling good despite the rain and cold
Run – 3 – My first run where I did not include the warm up/cool down in my total distance, which felt like a step towards being a ‘real’ runner. I ran 25 minutes non stop, covering 3.1 k and afterwards felt magnificent 🙂
Week 3 – only 1 run and 1 walk. Then I was out of action for a few days with a stomach bug.
Run 1 – 25 minutes non stop on a cold, wet and very windy day. I do not like running in the wind. Despite this, it was fun and an average pace of 8.23 min/km
Week 4 – 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 aquarobics, 1 strength training session.
Really beginning to get into the swing of things now, feeling very active and definite proof that the more exercise you do, the more you want to do. Once I had started to feel better, I would day dream about going for a run. My first run back was a joyful experience.
Run 1 – 5 minute warm up and cool down. Wanting to take it easy on myself after the bug, I decided to use the Geoff Galloway run/walk technique that I had read about while in bed sick (it is at this point that I can see the beginning of running becoming addictive). It was 1C and snowy with 90% humidity. I ran/walked at an average 8.14 min/km pace.
Run 2 – A horrible run. Too snowy, cold and slippery. 43 mins to cover 5k/
Run 3 – Today I ran 30 mins non-stop for the first time since returning to running and it felt brilliant to have achieved that goal. However, unlike the apps prediction, I didn’t cover 5k in these 30 mins, but I did cover 4.5k at an 8.40 min/km pace.
running not racing 