Into Autumn

The leaves on the trees are beginning to turn and the temperature is a good bit cooler. Autumn is on the way and the summer - what we had of it - is behind us. Time to get the schedule updated to take in the autumn and winter months.
After the massive success of the Olympic and Paralympic games things on the big stage disappear and it is down to the nitty gritty of the winter programme. Personally speaking, I like the colder weather and am quite happy running when it is really cold. As long as you wear clothes that are suitable things can be quite enjoyable.
Getting off the roads is good too and a good forest run can be quite refreshing as the ground is softer and does not jar as much as the road runs. Setting winter goals and targets is something everyone who runs should do. When you have something to aim for it can make every run worthwhile. The choice of events to participate in seems to get bigger and bigger every year, so hopefully with the correct amount of training being done during the autumn/winter months, the next event run could be completed in a personal best time which is always something to aim for.

Persistence Pays Off

Just read a story about a guy who has finally won a competition. He had been enetering this every week for the past couple of years. He thought he was never going to win, but kept at it and finally he won. A lesson in persistence. Last week I enjoyed watching Dame Kelly Holmes on the Piers Morgan show. She had a tough upbringing, but found she was good at running and took that up. She trained hard but was often sidelined by injury, but she was persistent and when the 2004 Olympics in Athens came around she found herself fit and her dream of winning an Olympic gold seemed a distinct possibility. Most know the story of how she won not one gold but two, winning the 800 and 1500 metres races, and her place in British running history was assured. Her persistence had finally paid off, big time.
Haven't been out running all week, have just felt the body needed a rest so will see how the next few days go and maybe get back into some kind of training soon.

Best laid plans

Well, the weekend has passed and I have not managed out on the roads. When it came down to it I just felt my body needed the rest. I think the HIIT regime is good, but it takes it out of you, especially if you are a bit older. I will resume when I feel ready. Meanwhile, had a great time watching the Great North Run on Sunday, fantastic time of racing and another load of money raised for charity. Many heart rending stories of why people are doing it. It certainly serves to motivate people to do something and what better way to do it than run with thousands of others. Well done, everyone.

Steady Up

Good intentions are great, but then when reality kicks in it can be a different story. I had intended to follow my 3 mile run on Sunday with a HIIT session on Wednesday, but after the run on Sunday I felt a niggle from my left knee. Experience has taught me to take heed of these little things and so I delayed going out again until today. I managed the session ok with another 3x30second runs at fast pace with 3 minutes recovery between each. Not forgetting the importance of warming up and warming down before and after. What I experienced this time was strange. On the first fast 30sec. I felt real discomfort in both my thighs. I have never had this before and it was the same for the other two runs. It was not sore enough to stop me, but I am now expecting them to stiffen quite a bit later on today. Maybe I started too quickly after my warm up and I will certainly allow more time when doing this again. An easy pace 3 mile run will be my next outing at the weekend.

Inspired by others

There have been a lot of awesome moments both in the Olympic and Paralympic games that have just finished in London. Many will have achieved their lifetime dreams of winning a medal at the games. This is great and it certainly inspires anyone who is involved in athletics or any other sport to never give up but keep on trying. Those that win the medals and break world records will get the limelight and rightly so, but spare a thought for the countless others who have worked just as hard, trained just as much, but have not won anything. So near yet so far, sometimes only a second or fingertip - as in the swimming events, will mean a lot of frustration and tears. Being involved in any sporting activity is a great way to ensure that the body is being exercised and it is a really good thing to be involved in.
Back to the local scene, I was out for a 3 mile run yesterday. I chose a route that I know well and it provides good undulating terrain with one long hill in the middle. Although my time was not great I enjoyed the run. On the run I was trying to see how the breathing pattern was going. When I started I was breathing quite hard but as I progressed it settled down and maintained a regular pattern over the rest of the run. This might seem an odd thing to do, but I enjoy looking at all the different aspects of running and this was just something that I thought about as I was running along. A day of rest today and then I will see if I can complete another HIIT session on Wednesday.

HIIT

HIIT -  I have recently read a bit about this type of training and thought I would incorporate it into my running schedule. Had the first session the other day and it hurt.... But this is what it will do, it is High Intensity Interval Training and you are stretching your capacity to near limits over a short period of time.
I managed to warm up ok - 5mins. at least - and then ran as fast as I could for 30secs. then allowed 3 minutes recovery. I did this three times and then another 5mins. to warm down. I finished feeling exhausted but enjoyed it. I noticed quite a bit of stiffness in the legs the day after. In normal training the stiffness or DOMS is rarely evident because of the constant training, but after the intense training it showed up again. However 2 days later I was able to complete a normal 3 mile run with no after effects. I will try again next week and see how it goes.