Update for the last two weeks

I have been doing a few runs in the last couple of weeks, no hard stuff and just shorter runs. My legs are slowly getting in to shape.

I am going to try a slightly different training schedule in the lead up to the Gold Coast Marathon in 2011. I will try to do more frequent running, shorter distances and higher intensity. Apparently as you get older, higher intensity, shorter workouts are better as you recover more quickly in general compared to _long_ runs.

So I have been trying to build up to running every day of the week, shorter distances. I have also been running with our dog Max every few days - he tends to mix it up a bit, fast slow, random stops etc. Overall much slower than I usually go though.

I will see how I go in running every day, and if it works for me in the short term, I will form a plan around that. I will of course, take complete rest days when I feel I need to. But my aim is to run easy enough so that I _can_ run every day

COmfortable 50 minutes

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/59439451

Another easy run. I felt up and down the whole way. AT some stages felt really crap, and others felt good. Toward the end I felt good.

At beginning, my left heel felt quite sore - It seems I am not over that problem, and that was the one reason I stopped running for a month. Once I was warmed up it was ok.

I managed to get 4 runs in this week (including this one) and I was intending to do a short run Saturday as well to make it a total of 5 for this week. But I got home Friday night and suddenly felt incredibly tired. Hit the sack early and was wrecked for Saturday too. I cut my lip shaving Friday and TODAY its turned into a cold sore !!. A sign I am a little run down I think.

I need to remember to be patient and allow my body to catch up with where I want to be fitness wise. Overall I am making good progress. Next week I am going to try to do 6 runs, 2 short 20 ones Monday Tuesday, a longer 30 min Wednesday, a 20 min Thursday. Friday off and then a short 20 minute run Saturday and a long 50 minute run Sunday.

Comfortable 45 min

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/59191363

This is the farthest I have run since I returned to training. Only 8.55km and still pretty slow. But heart rate is steadily dropping.

I did 8km on Sunday 3 days ago, slightly slower pace than today and average heart rate then was 154. This run I went slightly faster and heart rate was 148 average. So a tangible improvement already.

I am returning to fitness, but I am fatigued. I have run three days in a row, which is something I rarely do in training. I will have a day off tomorrow (Friday) and do a short easy run Saturday of 30 minutes, and then another run on Sunday of 40 minutes.

I need to come up with a training plan sooner or later too.

Comfortable 34 minute run

Another good run. I relaxed into it and attempted to keep heart rate at or below 150bpm.

My Garmin ANT Agent software pairing app crashed at boot time so I have just updated it. This new run I did today failed to transfer data for this latest run on my watch so I have just set it to Force Send and Pairing On. It then sent all the runs I had on it but still failed to upload the latest run data.

Just noticed that the message when the ANT agent attempted to upload new data was a server error.

So I will have to send it later.

Distance 6kms
Time 34 minutes
Heart Rate 145

Nice low heart rate :)

Comfortable 30 minute run

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/59028496

Good comfortable 30 minute run. Heart rate was significantly lower for this run, which is a good sign that I have adapted to training bagain and feeling the benefits in just one week.

Legs are slightly tired from th running. I will take it easy this week, I plan to do three more 30 min runs this week and a 40 minute 'long' run Sunday. That is 5 runs in a row, an unusual thing or me.

I also need to get my training pan down as well. I will Google Calendar it again as I did for my failed Melbourne Marathon training.

40 min long run

After over a month with no running, I was wondering what a slightly longer run would feel like. I certainly feel I have gained some strength and fitness over the last 5 days and this longer run felt really good.

I could not go very fast at all, but I held up endurance wise just fine. Pace was nice and consistent in the middle of the run with 5 kilometer splits in a row at between 5:15 and 5:19 pace.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58812764

I began quite slow and the hills at the end slowed me a little. Heart rate`was 154. Compare this 8km run that took 42 minutes to my best 10km race that took 42 minutes, heart rate then was 166 average, so I have a way to go to get back to that level of fitness!!

Finally returned to running !!

I have had over month off running. My last run was the Melbourne Half Marathon. I had planned to do the full Marathon but training had been so bad leading up to the race that I had to give up the goal of the full distance.

My legs are now in good shape with no niggling injuries. My left heel is _still_ slightly troubling me, so I simply have to be careful and pay attention to that.

I have done three runs this week:

Monday 29 Nov 2010 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58485225
Wednesday 1 December 2010 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58485230
Friday December 3 2010 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58641783

The Melbourne Half I did:

Sunday October 10 2010 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58485220

The race was _terrible_. I did not feel fresh and was generally lacking in energy. I had done no running for two weeks and the training I had done was not very good.

Anyway I feel pretty good now, and am going to try and do some higher intensity shorter runs, maintaining good form and pace. I will do this for the rest of this year and then begin training for another marathon. And that one will be the Gold Coast event again. IO will plan a training program and get it on my calendar in the next few weeks.