Tag: training

Australia Running 3 – Kewarra Beach

Jess Guth1 Comment

Our adventure continued on Cairns’ northern beaches. After arriving at the Kewarra Beach Resort and Spa we had some lunch and then turned our attention to running. We realised that in order to be safe we really needed to go quite soon so as to avoid croc time. So we let lunch settle as long as we could and then set off for a beach run. The first bit was still on wet sand close to the water which was sort of hard and bouncy.

The tide was coming in so we soon had to move higher up the beach and running got tougher. I couldn’t really run on the proper sand – walking was hard enough but I did manage on the in between stuff.

I turned at about 1.5 miles and completed a very satisfying 3 mile plod. It wasn’t half a workout for my ankles and feet though.

The next morning we had a little plod out the other way. We didn’t have that much time because we were heading on a day trip to Kuranda but we got out for a little sunrise mile. I wasn’t going to run. I was going to go and sit while Kath did her thing but it was just too inviting.

Happy running!

Australia Running 1 – Cairns

Jess Guth2 Comments

I have some catching up to do. I am now actually in Brisbane and tomorrow I have to switch into work mode so before we go and enjoy a NRL game this evening I thought I’d spend a bit of time catching up on the running we’ve done while on our adventures. Not that there is all that much running to talk about.

After Endure24 we next had a little jog out on the Tuesday after before we set off for the airport, then a whole week went by without running – some of it spent on a plane of course and much of it spent having an amazing time in a barrier reef cruise where instead we snorkelled and even tried a SCUBA dive, walked in the rainforest, found Nemo and hung out with sea turtles.

Once back in Cairns we did want to stretch our legs though and I was pleased to have dry non moving land under my feet again. I hadn’t really anticipated just how seasick I’d get – should have known really, I. And get motion sick standing still… Anyway, on Kath’s birthday morning we had a cup of tea and then headed out for a plod out along the water. It was a lovely morning and it felt good to be moving. We had a pelican cheer squad and could watch the sun come up and Cairns slowly waking up.

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Frustrating Running Day

Jess Guth2 Comments

I think most of my running posts have been relatively positive recently and it’s tempting IMG_9850to just write about the successes and good runs or the ones where it went wrong and then we fixed it and it was ok. But when I started I said I’d share my running journey – all of it. The good and the bad so it’s time for a not so upbeat post. Today has so far just been frustrating.

It was a gorgeous morning but it took me forever to wake up fully and drag my butt out of bed. We wanted to do a 10 mile-ish loop on Ilkley Moor, got organised and set off. I didn’t even make half a mile. Stunning as it was, I couldn’t breathe. I was trying to work out if I was panicking about something, just finding it really really hard or something else. I settled on something else. I actually felt quite strong and I was looking forward to the views from the moor. I wasn’t aware of panicking or even worrying about anything really. It got worse as we came past freshly IMG_9849cut grass and I think the pollen count must be high and then grass cutting will have disturbed lots of grass pollen in particular. It felt like I couldn’t get air into my lungs at all. I turned back. As I walked back the views were glorious and it made me smile and a little bit grumpy at the same time.

I tried again this afternoon. I set off thinking I would do a 4.5 mile ish loop taking it slowly. It felt impossibly hard from the start and I kept thinking I would settle in. I wanted to drop down to the canal thinking that the ducklings might cheer me on and I waned to see if there were cygnets but at the first bridge there was traffic chaos so I kept going along the road, at the next bridge there was a boat coming trough so I huffed and puffed my way up the gently sloping road. I thought about walking, I thought about turning round but kept going and finally dropped down to the canal bank. I thought I’d settle and get my breath back but it didn’t happen. It looked busy ahead. I gave up. My legs felt dead and I still couldn’t get enough air. I walked home – very slowly. I was proper grumpy until I saw this little fella – he made me laugh.

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2.5 miles is better than nothing. I may try again this evening – I haven’t had a late evening run for ages – or I may just be grumpy about running for a bit.

 

 

Will do fartlek for pie

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I need to  tell you about a fabulous couple of days of running in Northumberland but I haven’t sorted the photos yet so for now – here’s today’s fartlek session. What possessed me to think it would be a good idea to do this after a night in Manchester with theatre and wine and a day looking at the People’s History Museum fuelled by mostly coffee and cake? Nutter! However, I will run for rhubarb and apple pie and it seems I will even do fartlek for that! I had a bit of a meltdown in the 4 minute section and briefly stopped and then got my act together and got on with the job (slowing down a little on the 5 minute section might help with that!). Quite happy with this really – previous attempts in brackets

  • 10 minute warm up: 11:47 (12.27, 12.20, 12.43 pace);
  • 5 minutes:  9.43 (10.37, 10.26, 10.27);
  • 1minute 30 second rest
  • 4 minutes: 10.50 (10.30, 10.11, 10.18) pace;
  • 1minute 30 second rest
  • 3 minutes: 10.11 (11.03, 9.56, 10.18) pace;
  • (then 5.5 minute rest);
  • 2 minutes: 9.51 (10.17, 8.56, 9.52);
  • 1minute 30 second rest
  • 1 minute 30secs: 9.07 (9.41, 9.09 ,9.47) pace;
  • 1minute 30 second rest
  • 1 minute: 9.01 (8.41, 9.28, 9.29) pace;
  • 1minute 30 second rest
  • 30 seconds: 8.03 (7.39, 9.17, 8.37)  pace;
  • 1 minute rest
  • 30 seconds: 7.49 (7.38, 8.28, 7.39) pace.
  • 10 min cool down 12.34 (14.23, 14.17,15.16) pace

Overall 4.24 miles and an average of 12.08 pace  –  and coming home to this (made by Kath) wasn’t at all bad!

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Monday Meander

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IMG_9083Ok well it wasn’t really a meander but I needed something with an M. I didn’t run yesterday and I felt a bit irritated by that but I have no reason to. It was the sensible thing. I was tired. In fact I slept for 2.5 hours in the afternoon. Anyway, today was one of those days where it could go either way. I was tired after work. I couldn’t really be bothered but I also wanted to get out today. I could have not bothered, it was tempting to postpone and run tomorrow. But I didn’t.

So after work I got my gear on and headed out. I had no real plan other than to just do the sheep loop as a relatively short route while the jacket spuds cooked in the oven. I set off and immediately thought ‘bloody hell, bloody pollen, can’t breathe’ and then I forgot that it was meant to be hard and just plodded along. The first hill was a bit annoying but soon over. I kept plodding. I went past our old sheep fields and it was lovely to see some sheep and lambs in there. All the lambs were laid out in the sun basking. I briefly thought about stopping to get a picture but wanted to keep moving. Soon after there was the 1 mile beep. I glanced at my watch. ‘Fuck, slow down you crazy woman’  – first mile in under 12 minutes.  Well the next would be slower – I’m always slower on the next mile – too much downhill (yes I know – weird). I made my way up the slope to the wood and so wanted to walk but didn’t. I kept running downhill through the old golf course and eventually turned left onto the canal towpath. I glanced at my watch and suddenly realised that I was still going quite fast. I decided to push and try and finish the second mile in under 12 minutes too.

I almost laughed as I thought that. The thing is, my legs don’t really know what that feelsIMG_27168D2698BE-1 like and my brain doesn’t have a clue. My legs have occasionally run faster by accident but my brain just doesn’t know I can do that. My brain is more a 13 minute mile kind of a girl. I started to really feel it at 1.78 miles – but probably only because I had decided to run to 2 miles and then enjoy the towpath. I suspect that if I hadn’t decided that I could have gone further at a not too much slower pace. Anyway, the 2 mile beep came. Well within 12 minute pace. I was a bit stunned.

I walked from there having a little chat with a goose and stopping to watch some ducklings (I took photos – you can’t see them!). As I marched up the big hill home I thought about how important the #myrunmyrules is to me at the moment. It’s helping me be positive about running rather than beating myself up about not going faster or further or walking or whatever. I pushed for 2 miles and then enjoyed a positive walk (with some lovely little stops) and it was a great 3.21 miles of head clearing time! All of this means that this April I have recorded the highest ever monthly mileage for me ever at 88.15 miles which takes me to 233.42 miles year to date. And I feel pretty good. I needed my rest day yesterday and I need an easy week this week to be ready for the Toronto Half Marathon next Sunday but April has been a really really good running month. Both Kath and I are on track and enjoying our running and at the end of April  the 2018 Guth/Self mileage total stands at a pretty awesome 525.96 miles. We’re celebrating in style.

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