As lockdown took hold and everything sporty was cancelled, I was set for a period of working at home, with opportunity to get a good fitness routine established, despite club runs and parkrun being cancelled for the foreseeable future. Of course, as mentioned earlier on in these posts, my training isn't always conventional, nor is it well routined when left to my own devices. It followed that I didn't get out very often at all as far as running was concerned.
A Virtual Relay was established by a couple of friends in early lockdown, 5K for each runner with teams made up of approximate equal ability. This was a great idea which still exists today and although I haven't joined every week, there is great banter and fun on the group's WhatsApp with a fair few runners I have never met! A gout attack brought my participation to a halt in June. I resumed my latest stint of VR5K in December but struggled and found myself unable to complete 5K without stopping for a walk break, possibly physical fitness but definitely mental. Finish times were now around 32-35 minutes. As we approached 2021, I decided I needed to get going again and set out in my mind to get a routine in place to get myself back in the direction of being fitter and towards where I had been only a few years ago. During the summer, I had joined Eynsford Running Club at the suggestion of a friend who had started running there. Unfortunately, soon after joining them, I changed job which meant it was unlikely I would be able to join them for their 7:30pm starts when I returned to working in London. This left me with a decision to make at the end of 2020 as I needed some sort of organisation to help get a routine established. I had spent just over 6 years at Petts Wood Runners before joining ERC but I decided to make the move to Orpington Road Runners to freshen things up. With a second lockdown ongoing, there was no prospect of clubs runs with real people and so I was reliant on virtual challenges. ORR had set up a RED challenge for January which seemed like a good place to start. Each run was to be logged and although it wasn't published, it was a motivating factor which began to get me out. I didn't run every day out of common sense (for me - others are able to run every day without any problems) but still managed to use the challenge as a vehicle to get a routing going. It worked! 52.8 miles covered in January versus 12.5 in December! February's ORR challenge was 21 in 21 - run 21 Km in 21 days, split into three runs (8Km, 3Km and 10Km). The first two distances were achievable by now but the 10Km was still into the unknown. I knew I would be much slower than I had previously been capable of so the priority for now was covering each distance without needing to stop, so discipline was the priority for the two longer runs. The 8Km was first up. I would have previously expected to complete this in around 45-47 minutes. This time, I was pleased to complete it without a stop in 53:15. Much slower but an important achievement on the way back to fitness. For the 3Km, there was no question of a stop - I was comfortably capable of 5Km by now. Pre-lockdown times indicate a likely finish of around 13-15 minutes. My current level allowed me to complete it in 16:13 - happy with that although the sub 16 minutes was not far away. So to the 10Km. This was the one I really wanted to complete non stop. I planned my route - no steep hills but a long gradual incline to finish. The first half went well but the inevitable fatigue began to kick in just after 6K as the long incline began to take its toll. I was determined not to be beaten though and I persevered my way to a finish time of 63:37. Still plenty of work to do but all is heading in the right direction. Total miles foe February was 64.5.
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ABOUT MEHaving completed 5 marathons between 1999 and 2016, I decided this year, I would try to do it properly and plan my training! Alongside, I wanted to keep a blog as it went along, partly to look back on, and partly to help anyone else who may benefit from my own experiences. Archives
November 2023
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