It’s the day after the race, all the hard work is over! Well done to everyone who took part yesterday, I hope you all had a great day and got the times you were hoping for! I’m very pleased to be able to say that I got a new PB!! My official time was 56mins 30 secs! I averaged 10.7kph for the run, I actually ran the first 6k averaging 10.9kph, the pace I need for a 55m 10k! After 7k it had dropped to 10.8kph, then by time I got to the top of the hill in Pollock Park it was 10.7kph! But by that point I knew it was flat for the rest of the way and that if I just keep running at an even pace I should get a good time and so I managed not to let my average drop further! I did my first mile in 8m 41s, second 8m 49s, third 8m 56s, fourth 9m 13s, fifth 9m 32s and sixth in 9m 11s.
I know I said in my very first blog that I wanted to achieve 55 minutes for my 10k time, but I realised over training that was a bit too ambitious just yet so I am really happy with the time I did get for it, I achieved my fastest 10k yet, I ran the full race without stopping (actually the first time I’ve done that in a race!) and despite projectile vomiting on the finish line, I actually felt really good after it! Errr also I do apologise to anyone who witnessed my throwing up at the end! It probably was not pretty!
The race itself I actually really enjoyed! The warm up at the start was great fun (over 10,000 women dancing to Abba at 9.30 on a Sunday morning, what a sight!) and the support along the route was excellent, no doubt helped by the sun which after a dreadful few days decided to make a welcome appearance! The organisation as usual was excellent and I felt the whole day went really well. The main highlight for me however was around the 5k mark when a girl dressed as a banana ran past me, just before the entrance to Pollock Park! I hadn’t seen her coming up behind me so got quite a surprise! Well done to her and everyone else who managed to raise a lot of money of various charities! It really does make all the training and effort feel worthwhile.
I want to say hello to a woman I got talking to on the start line, Tracey. If you are reading this, I hope you got the time you were looking for and good luck with the Great Scottish Run in September! Thank you also to the person that left a comment on my blog, I have had a lot of fun writing this over the last 18 weeks (and have found it a great motivator to get myself out running to make sure I’ve had plenty to write about!), but its good to know that people other than my friends and family are reading this and hopefully have found it useful as well!
Well all that’s left for me to say now is thank you all for reading my blog, and I’ll be starting my Great Scottish Run blog shortly (17 weeks to go!) if any of you are interested in finding out how my running is going throughout the summer!
Signing off one last time,
Claire
Monday 11 May 2009
Saturday 9 May 2009
Week 18
It’s the day before the race….
My final week of training has been more relaxed than the previous weeks, in an effort not to tire my legs out or risk picking up an injury. As detailed in my last blog I ran 7k on Monday, therefore gave myself a break from Spin that night. I had to admit I was fully intending on going to Body Balance on Tuesday night, until I realised the Man U v Arsenal Champions League semi-final was on ITV, so I cancelled it and did my Tae Bo dvd at home instead then watched the game!! Wednesday night I was intending on going for a run, but the weather was terrible so I gave it a miss. Thursday night I finally did manage to get a run, it was still very windy but I had ran out of days in the week to say I’ll go out the next night! I did a 5k, in 28mins 22secs, slower than I’ve done it in the past but I didn’t want to push myself too hard. Plus, it was really windy!!! Did I mention that?! I did my first mile in 9m 3s, second 9m 13s and third 9m 10. That was all the training I did this week, as was out at a concert Friday night and then didn’t want to do anything today being the day before the big race!
The other night I found myself thinking back to the number of 10k’s I’ve actually ran. This time last year I’d only ran the distance twice, both in training. The first I managed in just under 1 hour 10 mins, the second in 1hr 7m. I remember being shocked that I was actually able to run for over an hour without stopping! I did the Women’s 10k that year in 1hr 6m 50s, but I ended up walking a couple of parts of it! Also that year I ran the City v City 10k (in June) and actually took slightly longer, completing it in 1hr 7m 15s! Glasgow still came top though, beating London and Liverpool, despite my slow time! I ran the Great Scottish Run for the first time that year also, completing it in an improved time of 1hr 3m 15s, I was really happy to have done it in under the 1hr 5m!
Last year I ran a 10k in training for May in 1hr 6m, but then unfortunately was loaded with the cold come the weekend of the run and so had to give it a miss. I ran 4 more 10k’s that year,3 of which were over a 4 week spell! St Andrew’s Hospice 10k at Strathclyde Park in 1hr 1m in August, GSR in Sept at 1hr 2m, Cumbernauld 10k in 58m also in Sept, and then Cancer Research 10k at Strathclyde Park in October, in the worst conditions ever in around 1hr 10m! Torrential rain all weekend meant the ground was really muddy and slippy and so we ended up walking a fair bit of it as it was simply impossible to run! Plus the start was delayed by about 45 mins as the route was a mess so everyone was frozen by time they started!
This year already I’ve ran two 10k’s in training, and both were under an hour, so its clear how much my running has improved this year. My ultimate aim for the year is still to get a 10k time of under 55mins, but I would also like a 5k in under 25mins (best so far 26m 41s) and I also have an aim for the summer to run a 15k, I have never gone beyond a 10k before so would like to try further, even if its really slow, just to see if I can manage it! Sometimes I think there must be more to life than running, but what can I say, I love it!! I also want to run more 10k’s as training runs, to get myself used to running that distance. I feel that I can easily run 5k even if I’m not feeling great, so I want to get to that position with the 10k now!
For Sunday I don’t think I’m quite at the 55m stage yet, but I am confident if I can keep my legs moving I should be able to get under an hour. I am feeling quite relaxed though about the run and I am looking forward to just going out and enjoying it, soaking up the great atmosphere that is there every year with the fellow runners and the people who come out to watch and cheer us on. With the level of improvement I have made so far this year, and with having a Great Scottish Run to look forward to in September (and whatever other runs I sign myself up for between now and the end of the year!) I hope to be able to achieve my target times!
Anyway, I have rambled on long enough now, so all that’s left for me to say is good luck everyone for tomorrow, I hope you all enjoy the race and I shall post my final blog after it with my post run analysis!! Then the countdown to the Great Scottish Run begins….!
My final week of training has been more relaxed than the previous weeks, in an effort not to tire my legs out or risk picking up an injury. As detailed in my last blog I ran 7k on Monday, therefore gave myself a break from Spin that night. I had to admit I was fully intending on going to Body Balance on Tuesday night, until I realised the Man U v Arsenal Champions League semi-final was on ITV, so I cancelled it and did my Tae Bo dvd at home instead then watched the game!! Wednesday night I was intending on going for a run, but the weather was terrible so I gave it a miss. Thursday night I finally did manage to get a run, it was still very windy but I had ran out of days in the week to say I’ll go out the next night! I did a 5k, in 28mins 22secs, slower than I’ve done it in the past but I didn’t want to push myself too hard. Plus, it was really windy!!! Did I mention that?! I did my first mile in 9m 3s, second 9m 13s and third 9m 10. That was all the training I did this week, as was out at a concert Friday night and then didn’t want to do anything today being the day before the big race!
The other night I found myself thinking back to the number of 10k’s I’ve actually ran. This time last year I’d only ran the distance twice, both in training. The first I managed in just under 1 hour 10 mins, the second in 1hr 7m. I remember being shocked that I was actually able to run for over an hour without stopping! I did the Women’s 10k that year in 1hr 6m 50s, but I ended up walking a couple of parts of it! Also that year I ran the City v City 10k (in June) and actually took slightly longer, completing it in 1hr 7m 15s! Glasgow still came top though, beating London and Liverpool, despite my slow time! I ran the Great Scottish Run for the first time that year also, completing it in an improved time of 1hr 3m 15s, I was really happy to have done it in under the 1hr 5m!
Last year I ran a 10k in training for May in 1hr 6m, but then unfortunately was loaded with the cold come the weekend of the run and so had to give it a miss. I ran 4 more 10k’s that year,3 of which were over a 4 week spell! St Andrew’s Hospice 10k at Strathclyde Park in 1hr 1m in August, GSR in Sept at 1hr 2m, Cumbernauld 10k in 58m also in Sept, and then Cancer Research 10k at Strathclyde Park in October, in the worst conditions ever in around 1hr 10m! Torrential rain all weekend meant the ground was really muddy and slippy and so we ended up walking a fair bit of it as it was simply impossible to run! Plus the start was delayed by about 45 mins as the route was a mess so everyone was frozen by time they started!
This year already I’ve ran two 10k’s in training, and both were under an hour, so its clear how much my running has improved this year. My ultimate aim for the year is still to get a 10k time of under 55mins, but I would also like a 5k in under 25mins (best so far 26m 41s) and I also have an aim for the summer to run a 15k, I have never gone beyond a 10k before so would like to try further, even if its really slow, just to see if I can manage it! Sometimes I think there must be more to life than running, but what can I say, I love it!! I also want to run more 10k’s as training runs, to get myself used to running that distance. I feel that I can easily run 5k even if I’m not feeling great, so I want to get to that position with the 10k now!
For Sunday I don’t think I’m quite at the 55m stage yet, but I am confident if I can keep my legs moving I should be able to get under an hour. I am feeling quite relaxed though about the run and I am looking forward to just going out and enjoying it, soaking up the great atmosphere that is there every year with the fellow runners and the people who come out to watch and cheer us on. With the level of improvement I have made so far this year, and with having a Great Scottish Run to look forward to in September (and whatever other runs I sign myself up for between now and the end of the year!) I hope to be able to achieve my target times!
Anyway, I have rambled on long enough now, so all that’s left for me to say is good luck everyone for tomorrow, I hope you all enjoy the race and I shall post my final blog after it with my post run analysis!! Then the countdown to the Great Scottish Run begins….!
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Week 17
One week to go!!! Can’t believe how fast the weeks have gone since I started this blog!
After not doing too much last week, I had quite a full training week this week. Monday night was back to Spin class. Had missed it the last 2 weeks so was looking forward to getting back into it again. I found the first 20 mins of the class pretty tough but after that I think my legs suddenly remembered what they were supposed to be doing and it got easier!
Tuesday night I got along to Body Balance and felt as if I knew what I was doing a bit better than last week, which was good. I always enjoy doing Body Balance after Spin as they are so different to each other!!
Went out for a run on Wednesday night. It was the first running I’d done since my 10k the previous Wednesday, and my legs were feeling tired, probably from Spin on Monday night! I ended up just doing 3.22k (2 miles) in 17mins 19secs, averaging 11.1kph. First mile was 8m 24s, second 8m 54s. Decided not to push myself too far as I wasn’t quite feeling up for it and had a lot more running planned for the next few days!
Since it was a fairly short run on Wednesday I went back out again for another run on Thursday. Unfortunately my GPS watch battery ran out after about a kilometre so I don’t know exactly what I did, but I know the route pretty well now so I ran for about 6.5k, and I think it was in about 37-38mins.
Had a rest day on Friday, then got back out for another run on Saturday. It was a hot afternoon and I decided just to try for a fast 5k rather than a longer run, ended up managing to do the 5k in 27m 16s, averaging 11kph. My first mile was 8m 41s, second 9m and third 8m43. The second mile was running uphill as you can probably tell from the times!
As it was a holiday Monday I gave myself a break from the running on Sunday to go out Monday instead. I still wanted to get out for a final long run before the 10k, but woke up to a typical holiday Monday weather of high winds and rain! I took ages to work up the enthusiasm to get outside, and once I did manage to get out, I nearly turned straight back into the house again! I pushed myself as much as I could though, and am pleased to say I managed 7k, which under the circumstances I think it was a good distance to last! I did it in 39m 45s, averaging 10.6kph.
Considering half the run was into really strong winds where I felt I was running on the spot though, I am definitely not too disappointed! I actually feel that run showed how much I have improved, simply because I didn’t give up during the run. I used to give up so easily when struggling but I feel now that I know I can do it, and that does help keep me gong when it’s hurting! My mile splits were 9m 49s for the first, second 9m 19s, third 9m 6s and fourth 9m 12s.
After my run and since I was already drenched through, we decided to go swimming at Glasgow Club Easterhouse Pool. I managed to swim a few lengths before we went into the steam room to unwind!!
Well with less than a week now till the 10k, I feel I’ve done almost as much preparation as I can do. This week I’ll try to do a couple of light runs after work to get my legs moving but not tire them out too much, so hopefully I’ll be fresh for Sunday! I feel I’ve been fighting off the cold for a couple of days now so really hoping that doesn’t come to anything….!
I’m going to post one more blog on Saturday before the race just to let you all know how my final preparations are coming on so enjoy your last week of training!
And of course, look out for my post race blog where I’ll give you my in depth review of the whole day!!! Getting really excited about it now!
After not doing too much last week, I had quite a full training week this week. Monday night was back to Spin class. Had missed it the last 2 weeks so was looking forward to getting back into it again. I found the first 20 mins of the class pretty tough but after that I think my legs suddenly remembered what they were supposed to be doing and it got easier!
Tuesday night I got along to Body Balance and felt as if I knew what I was doing a bit better than last week, which was good. I always enjoy doing Body Balance after Spin as they are so different to each other!!
Went out for a run on Wednesday night. It was the first running I’d done since my 10k the previous Wednesday, and my legs were feeling tired, probably from Spin on Monday night! I ended up just doing 3.22k (2 miles) in 17mins 19secs, averaging 11.1kph. First mile was 8m 24s, second 8m 54s. Decided not to push myself too far as I wasn’t quite feeling up for it and had a lot more running planned for the next few days!
Since it was a fairly short run on Wednesday I went back out again for another run on Thursday. Unfortunately my GPS watch battery ran out after about a kilometre so I don’t know exactly what I did, but I know the route pretty well now so I ran for about 6.5k, and I think it was in about 37-38mins.
Had a rest day on Friday, then got back out for another run on Saturday. It was a hot afternoon and I decided just to try for a fast 5k rather than a longer run, ended up managing to do the 5k in 27m 16s, averaging 11kph. My first mile was 8m 41s, second 9m and third 8m43. The second mile was running uphill as you can probably tell from the times!
As it was a holiday Monday I gave myself a break from the running on Sunday to go out Monday instead. I still wanted to get out for a final long run before the 10k, but woke up to a typical holiday Monday weather of high winds and rain! I took ages to work up the enthusiasm to get outside, and once I did manage to get out, I nearly turned straight back into the house again! I pushed myself as much as I could though, and am pleased to say I managed 7k, which under the circumstances I think it was a good distance to last! I did it in 39m 45s, averaging 10.6kph.
Considering half the run was into really strong winds where I felt I was running on the spot though, I am definitely not too disappointed! I actually feel that run showed how much I have improved, simply because I didn’t give up during the run. I used to give up so easily when struggling but I feel now that I know I can do it, and that does help keep me gong when it’s hurting! My mile splits were 9m 49s for the first, second 9m 19s, third 9m 6s and fourth 9m 12s.
After my run and since I was already drenched through, we decided to go swimming at Glasgow Club Easterhouse Pool. I managed to swim a few lengths before we went into the steam room to unwind!!
Well with less than a week now till the 10k, I feel I’ve done almost as much preparation as I can do. This week I’ll try to do a couple of light runs after work to get my legs moving but not tire them out too much, so hopefully I’ll be fresh for Sunday! I feel I’ve been fighting off the cold for a couple of days now so really hoping that doesn’t come to anything….!
I’m going to post one more blog on Saturday before the race just to let you all know how my final preparations are coming on so enjoy your last week of training!
And of course, look out for my post race blog where I’ll give you my in depth review of the whole day!!! Getting really excited about it now!
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