Virtual Running Buddy, rabbits and a new t-shirt...

You know how you can have an actual running buddy (someone who you meet to go running with), well I have a virtual one! At least I thought so! We agreed to text each other with accomplishments achieved on the day we run...so I did!

Early this morning, I texted him, happily I might add, writing: "I have been running this morning, I achieved great times, How you doing?"... I am still waiting for a reply. This can only mean one thing right? I am very disappointed.

Anyways, I tried on another t-shirt this morning when running. This one has quite appropriately the text "whatever" on the front. At this stage, I am not yet sure if this represents:

A) My state of mind when running (doubtful, as it stands, I am still not able to have a state of mind while running, I am concentrating on the running bit too much)
B) The opinion of people on the street after seeing me "run" (yeah…very possible)
C) The opinion of the T-shirt in question.

With what I wrote last time (22 August 2006), I am afraid it probably is the latter.

On a good note, my running starts to scare the rabbits I pass along the way. What I mean is that the first couple of times, rabbits did not run away when I came running towards them or passed them. They would just look at me, with a quite humorous glance in their eyes. They obviously could hear I was in such a state, breathing loudly, I could possibly not impose any threat.

That changed this morning, they are now starting to run away when they hear me approach. This can only mean that my breathing is less obtrusive and I am potentially becoming "dangerous" ... I am strangely proud of that fact. ;-)

Speak laters,
AZ

PS: Running times: 1x5 min, 1x7 min, 1x9 min! with walking in between…not bad for a Sunday morning… ;-)

242 days and counting...

6am, Tuesday morning... I have been running for 25 minutes consecutively, I feel good! I can't believe I quadrupled the time I can run consecutively without pausing or walking in between. A week ago I could barely jog for a mere 3 minutes...and now a whopping 25 minutes!

Meanwhile, back in the real world, its 8 am and I just woke up, groggy as I slept really poorly with an excited cat trying to share her midnight adventures. I realise I missed my 6am alarm call to go out running...bugger!

Oh well, benefits of working for yourself, no excuses, so I put on my running gear.

Talking about running gear, once I develop some speed I actually will look cool in these clothes, for now I barely do them, let alone the shoes, any justice on the "coolness" front, I actually feel I let them down - when they were made it could not have been their dream to be put on by a barely fit almost 35 year old woman just about able to jog let alone run, they must have envisioned themselves on a professional athlete or something.

Am I the only one that thinks about clothes that way?

If you never thought like that, try it, look around at the way some people dress. It opens a whole new world here, so enough about that before I really start the insult people, I have to focus on my running and do my own clothes more justice! ;-)

I surprised myself today, started with a warm up, to then run for 5 min. and walk again for 3 to then run for 10 minutes! I mean you Go Girl! And I was running for once, not just jogging along, I had a nice little pace going there. Feel good now! It is really good to make fast progress. It is my heart that I am training at the moment, the muscles in my leg could probably run a lot longer already, after nearly 20 years of nicotine abuse and virtually no exercise I need to treat her with a lot of TLC I reckon.

Going to really push myself for Thursday...Catch you later,AZ

YES...achievement on 2nd Training day

So happy...! Today was my second training day and I doubled my running time!

Actual Times:

3 min walking - 4 min running - 3 min walking - 4 min running - 3 min walking - 5 min running

Total 22 minutes of which 13 RUNNING - two days ago that was a mere 6!!!

Not sure what happened or why, a few factors were different here my thoughts:

- my heart wanted to make up for the initial embarrassement caused on Tuesday. I probably put it in shock on Tuesday morning when without warning I started to run!

- I started walking this time as opposed to running (as a warm-up...not as dumb as I look hey!).

- I started (!) with the infamous hill as opposed to ending with it! I came to realise there are NO routes without hills, bumps or mountain terrain in Surrey.

- I had less wine the night before - might be KEY factor actually - will experiment in future and record my findings here hahaha!

Next training day Sunday - 20 August! I really can't wait this time...full of excited anticipation.

Cheers

AZ

249 days to go and counting...

I created a nice revised training schedule on Sunday 6th August while nipping a nice dark beer (its important my spirit stays high at all time you see). Within one hour, I realised the new schedule had to be revised too, because the week following I was going to be in the city - meaning I had to leave the house at about 6am every day and there was no way I would run before 6am - call me lazy. OK I can hear some think 'but what about the evenings, you surely can run then', people thinking that probably do not know me that well, again call me lazy!

Anyhow, D-Day was today - Tuesday 15 August - First training day. The schedule had a promising 5 min running, 3 minutes walking - 3 times in a row. Sounds easy enough...

Very soon into the running bit, my heart and my legs where entangled in an intense dialogue or at least attempted a dialogue, it was an easy win for my heart. My legs were upbeat and ready to tackle the world "Go On! run faster, you can do it!" my heart on the other hand stopped talking altogether after a mere 2 minutes of running. After 3 minutes, the decision was easy when my heart uttered the ultimatum: "Either you stop or I will!" That was convincing enough to have my legs pull an immediate halt to any fast running movement and continue in a slow, unstable, and very shaky walk.

Actual times:

• 3 min. running
• 4 min walking
• 3 min. running
• 10 (!!!) min walking - ...who put that hill there, they never consulted me. Note to self: ...avoid hills by all means!
• 2.48 (!?) min running - I can see my house in the distance... relief...
• 2 minutes crawling and stretch!

total = 25 minutes

I calculated I covered about 1.5 mile and a bit. Assuming I would keep the same pace (yeah as if) over a 26 mile distance as above, the marathon would right now take me just about 8 hours!

On a positive note, I only need to half that and I would achieve my 4-hour goal - the glass is always half full right!

Ahum, this is probably still not really the best time to ask for sponsors, so I will save that for later again. Next training day is Thursday. Can't wait, haha, yeah who am I kidding.

Have a great day,
AZ

PS: Anybody out there who knows a route with no hills, mountains, or slight bumps in Hindhead, Surrey, anyone? please?

Right...we are on!

...received my confirmation of entering the Marathon yesterday morning via email.

"Congratulations! We are pleased to confirm that the charity of your choice is offering you a guaranteed place in the Flora London Marathon 2007.

It kinda distressed me, because this means we are on, officially, I need to start my training and run 26 miles in under 4 hours* with less than 259 days to go.

*under 4 hours I realise will be very hard - it is just this thing about me! I am very competitive, so I don't want to just run the marathon, I want to do it well...

I started to prep my body back in May, well actually, what I mean is, I quit smoking on 10th May with the intend to start a rigorous training program at the same time. In fact, the program is still hanging on my wardrobe as a quiet reminder of my initial failings. On a positive note, I am still smoke free!

To give an idea of my current fitness:

- I can run less than 5 minutes before dropping in a heap of misery and gasping for breath and feeling like death would be a rather nice option at that specific moment in time and on top of that I will suffer 3 days of mindblowing muscleache which then prevents any further training.

- I constantly think of food (I quit, succesfully replacing my cravings for cigarettes...with cravings for FOOD! I mean, "Thank you Hypnotherapist that helped me quitting, but was that not supposed to be a glass of water and exercise?".

- Actually eat the food I am contantly thinking about.

- Like beer a lot!

Anyways, after writing this I will remove my slightly feathered, out-of-date training program and replace it with a new and improved schedule. I will, as often as possible, post here my progress or failings for that matter.

So please keep reading and returning to this blog and if you are a seasoned runner - please feel free to mail me advise, tips and other good intended stuff.

As I received a 'Golden Bond' Space with a charity I will for 1) really need to finish the Marathon and 2) raise a certain amount of money. On that, I will write later. If you have any sponsoring ideas, please do let me know via my website contact form again - mail me

Cheers for now...

AZ

PS: Is it bad to have a beer while writing a new and improved training program?