Day 29 - Finishing my runstreak with a running commute

Today's run - Run commute - Busy London streets - 5K - 27 minutes

I realise updates on the last week or so have been non existent on my blog but I have been posting regular updates of my run on twitter, if you would like to come and join in on the twittersphere I am @beoutrunning. 

Since the Parkrun on day 20 and Santarun on day 21 of last weekend I have still managed to run everyday but it has been such a busy week I just haven't ha the time or energy to write up blogs for my runs.

In summary I have done a few interval sessions, a 7.5K course PB on Friday Evening(day 26), an early morning Saturday run (day 27) before a boozy day on a pubcrawl which was then followed up by a recovery run on Sunday (day 28). A long with all that there has been the usual busyness of everyday life along with the extra demands of the festive season. Throw into that mix excitedly following the conclusion of the asics 26.2 competition; (massive congratulations to the final 5!) and being offered a new job it has been a busy week!

So with today being day 29 and the last official day of my runstreak challenge I wanted to mark the occasion with a suitable run. 

Since quitting my gym last month my running routine has had to change up, instead of travelling into London heading to the gym then popping out for a run before returning to the gym for some training and/or a cool down before showering and departing for work I am now needing to run straight to work if I want to run in London in the morning.

Significantly impressed by the running commute of one of the asics 26.2 final 5 Tony McNeill I decided to go for it! I took the train to Tower Hill then took the scenic route through to my work near Chancery Lane which rounded the route up to the required 5K as well as taking in some famous London sights.

All in all it was a very enjoyable run, I enjoyed the quietness of being both that bit earlier than I usually am and the fact it was cold and dark in comparison to the more attractive summer months. London still looked as amazing as ever there and provided a captivating backdrop for my run.

Having kind of decided on this run commute on the spare of the moment I hadn't done any preparation so therefore I had to carry everything in my rucksack (runsack?!) work clothes, towel, lunch, toiletries etc.

I didn't find this a problem at all though, I think for running 5K in a steady pace, (I covered the route in under 27 minutes which taking into consideration the hour and the London traffic I was very impressed!) it's fine, any faster or longer though and it would have been troublesome.

I decided my runstreak doesn't end here though, with some Christmas socialising and associated drinking and eating planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it made sense to me to extend to Tuesday so I could have Wednesday to Friday off as a well deserved rest while also rounding up my runstreak to 30 days. 

So one more day to go! I have really enjoyed this runstreak and the idea of 'when shall I run today as opposed to am I going to run today?'. I feel I have got so much stronger and faster, not to mention leaner as well. The runstreak has provided an ideal way to lay down some base miles before training for Half Marathons and Marathons in the New Year.

Day 20 A cold, muddy wintery parkrun

Today's run - Parkrun - Trails - 5K - 24.29

This morning I was up bright and early for a Saturday to head off to a parkrun. 

It was a slightly special parkrun as I was excited to be taking part in @brentwoodparkrun inaugural event. Held in Weald Country park it is a 10 minute drive there which this morning meant defrosting the car from the arctic grip that enveloped it over night. 

The early morning run and start was not helped by a night out last night at a family birthday party which involved quite a few celebratory drinks, a whooping big pizza as below and getting a taste for and subsequently rather enjoying more than a few shots of lemoncello.  

South Weald park was the venue for my last marathon the Brentwood Weald Country park marathon which I completed at the end of October.

The park is one of my favorite local parks and its a lovely place to walk and is fast becoming one of my favorite places to run. 

This morning the park was at its best and could have provided plenty Christmas card worthy photo opportunities. 

The run its self was tough, not just because of the icy and muddy conditions but because of the hilly terrain and the technical trails provided by running through the forest and in and around the assortment of trees with their protruding roots and branches.

Overall I felt pretty strong and was happy with my pace, my aim was to try and go around 25 minutes as I felt that would be a decent time on a trail based course knowing it would be hilly and muddy. I finished in 24.29 which I was very pleased with as the course actually ended up being tougher than I envisaged. 

I tried to run at times with the same pacing strategy we used for the 5K track session at Asics 26.2 bootcamp of pushing for 400m, recovering for 200m and repeating throughout. I found this method useful to keep pushing myself and I was pleased I was strong enough mentally and physically to keep pushing. I definitely fell I am strong enough at the moment to put some decent pressure on my 5K PB. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for tomorrows post on my Santa run! 

Day 17 A tough run made better with music

Today's run - Recovery run - Pavement - 5K - 28 mins

Today was a tough one, with bootcamp planned for this evening I had to head out early to get my run in which was fine a part from the fact I had attended Pigs Ear Beer and Cider Festival last night and had a few drinks and got to bed rather late!

So while preparing to head out this morning I decided I needed a little something extra, a bit of music aaccompaniment Fresh in my mind was runnersworlds compilation of their best running tracks and I had already added my favourite of these tracks into my own spotify playlist alongside my own running songs.

So off I ran with a soundtrack of the best morivational and uplifting tunes playing away in my ears. It definitely spurred me on and have me an injection of pace that would otherwise have been lacking.

Franz Ferdinand's Take me Out was a great start and by the time The Red Hot Chilli Peppers had fired up their anthemic Cant stop my air guitar was in full flow! It goes doen as one of my best running experiences as it really connected me back with the simple enjoyment of running and reminded me of how great running is. This was pretty much exactly what I needed after the disappointment of not progressing to the next stage in the Asics Target 26.2 competition.

Despite being gutted at not progressing I am relieved at not having to put myself through the stress of the public vote and am genuinely excited and pleased for the lucky ones who have got through.

Day 9 Another early morning start

Todays run - Morning (Early!) - See how I go - Pavement - 5K - 27mins

An early morning run again this morning and after really enjoying last weeks I was looking forward to heading out early again, but what a change from last week it was! If I thought it was cold last week this week the British weather really showed me what cold is!

An early morning run is never the right time to push yourself to run a quick time but this morning soon after I set off I decided I was going to see what speed I could muster. I felt pretty good so I aimed to finish comfortably under the 30 minute 5K time I had set on last weeks early morning run. Although a different route I felt I could easily knock a few minutes off as I was running well rather than just shuffling around.

In fairness my route this morning was more conducive to running faster as there were a few downhills. Although a new route it is a route I have ran before in the opposite direction to make the route a difficult hilly route but this time I I made it easier on myself by running in the opposite direction to make the route mostly downhill.

I saw five other runners this morning which I thought was a pretty high number for such an unearthly hour but then again my route was a more obvious course along more prominent roads rather than the back streets. The other thing that surprised me was that non of the other runners were wearing hats! And at least three were in shorts and T-shirts! They must have been freezing?! I felt warm enough thankfully in my kit of shorts, running fleece and wooly hat. My fingers did bare the brunt of the cold but as I don't like wearing gloves while running that is the price I will pay! My new fleece has a zipped collar which meant I could protect my neck from the cold which was my main discomfort on last weeks early morning run.

Thanks for reading, wrap up in the cold when you are out running, stay safe and happy running!

Day 3 Early morning run and Evening boot camp

Today's run: Moring (EARLY!!!) - Gentle/Recovery - pavement - 5km - 30.51mins

The first big challenge of my runstreak, combining Wednesday evening boot camp with a run. The only thing for it was a seriously early pre-work run.

I often run in the mornings but usually its either at the weekend so therefore I don't need to get up that early or its heading off from my gym in London so by the time I have commuted into London I have been awake an hour or two and feel pretty alive and awake.

But this morning I was up early and headed out for a run straight away.

I got up at 5.30, had some water, half a banana and some coffee got myself changed and got ready to train. From previous experience I have learnt early morning running is a little easier after a bit of a warm up so I jumped on my exercise bike for a minute or two to get the blood pumping in my legs. After a quick loosen up and stretch I headed out...

The last time I ran at this hour was in the summer of 2013 when I was training for my one and only triathlon. 

It was dark when I headed out but not that cold, I had wrapped up in abase layer and a woolly hat and didn't feel cold but could feel a slight chill on my neck and face.

My legs didn't feel too bad at all as I started off and I tried to maintain a slow, steady pace with the aim of knocking off my 5Ks in 30 minutes.

The experience of the run was refreshing as it was so quiet, still and peaceful out on the streets with hardly any traffic and only the odd hardy dog walker.

One of the aims of my runstreak was to push my self out of my comfort zone and to make me run more than I normally would and to run in different situations outside of my normal routines and this run certainly falls into this category.

It is something I should do more often though as I found the peace and quiet very relaxing and enjoyed the accompaniment of early morning bird song.

I was thankful that it wasn't raining as yesterday was a very rainy day with the rain still falling when I went to bed last night. Yesterdays rain had mixed with the abundance of fallen leaves to create some slippery patches on my route which were tricky to identify in the early morning darkness. Other than this though the run was very enjoyable and rewarding and I completed my 5K in 30.51 feeling good and invigorated.

After an early morning run a decent bit of breakfast is definitely in order!

I still managed to head out to work at a reasonable time safe in the satisfaction of having safely completed day 3 and the pride of having had an enjoyable productive early morning.

Thanks for reading, I hope this goes someway to perhaps inspire you to an early morning run? 

One of my best ever running experiences

This morning I headed out for a little run before work, I just wanted a gentle few kms as this is my first run post marathon. 

I toyed with the idea of getting involved with run2work and running part of my commute but decided against it as I just wanted something short and gentle. 

I headed out from my gym in central London and decided against my usual kind of route along the river.

Instead I headed towards Trafalgar Square, it was nice to experience one of London busiest tourist attractions in the stillness and quietness of 7.30 in the morning.

I then struck upon the idea of heading towards Buckingham Palace as I often forget to realise how close and accessible to Central London it is.

Running along the mall with the queens residence in my sights I realised I was of course running along the world famous finishing straight of the London Marathon, poignant as only yesterday I received my London Marathon rejection magazine.

The highlight of my run and one of my best running experiences occurred on the return journey. 

After a quick pic of her majesty's pad, with the fear of trying not to look suspicious like I might be a terror crazed jihadist in these security conscious times, I headed back along the Mall adjacent to St James Park.

All of a sudden the chimes of Big Ben rang out, it was one of those movie moments where the traffic seemed to quieten and time stood still for a few seconds. It just gave me a moment to reflect on how lucky I am to be a runner and how lucky I am to experience these kind of moments in World famous areas that I am fortunate enough to have on my doorstep.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of my running experiences. 

Run2work day - My commute

So run2work day is here! As a run2work virgin this is my first time at running part of my commute to work although I have ran part or all the way home form work quite a few times. 

I am writing this on my journey, no no no I am not clever enough to run and type at the same time I am on a train. Why a train on run2work day you ask? Let me explain...

Leg 1

Deciding its too long and I am not fit enough at the moment to run the 15 miles from my home to work I then decided to split my journey up.

My first leg was a 1.6Km run from home to Upminster train station. I set off on a glorious morning with the sun in the sky, a great morning for running I thought? Oh yes it is! Apart from the fact I am now stood on the train sweaty away despite the air conditioned carriage.

Having completed and thoroughly enjoyed by run2work experience I can now look back and reflect on the rest of my journey. 

Leg 2 

This is then the non running part as I let the train take the strain on a 20 minute train ride from Upminster to Limehouse.



Although I was only on the train for a relatively short period it was long enough for me to wish I had ran the entire journey as I was stood squashed up with other commuters in a cramped train carriage. 

Leg 3

So the third part of my journey and the main running component, its the first time I have run it from Limehouse to London but I have ran it the other way on my way home several times so I am familiar with the route and what to expect. 

After standing around on the train for 20 minutes I did feel a little cramped up especially as my legs were feeling somewhat tender from a squat session I did yesterday. 

I soon hit my stride and starting bounding along down Commercial Road and into the City, I have always found this area fascinating as it seems so run down and derelict but is yet so close to the City and in particular the thriving tourist area around the Tower of London and the business districts of Liverpool Street. 

It was at around this time I was really starting to enjoy myself and starting to thing how often I could do this in addition to the suggested first Thursday of every month that run2work are trying to promote. However all was not plain sailing as I started to get one of the worse feelings known to runners, the dreaded stomach cramps that signal the onset of runners belly. 

Unfortunately I am not a stranger to this issue especially when running in the morning and slightly out of my usual eating and toilet routine. 

I will try and spare you the details but needless to say I came very close to doing a Gary Lineker (If you are unsure of this reference type Gary Lineker into Google and its about the third search suggestion that comes up) and subsequently had to take a diversion to accommodate a toilet stop near Fenchurch Street. 



After this rather unpleasant pit stop things were plain sailing especially as I now joined up with a familiar running and walking route through the city along the North Bank of the river Thames. 

I managed to find a decent bit of pace along these few kilometers and got to my finish line on the river opposite Temple Tube Station at around 8.10AM. I had aimed to get here for around 8.00AM so I wasn't too unhappy with my time baring in mind my diversion and unintended pit stop. 

Here is where I have to come clean, I wasn't exactly running to work! Although we have shower facilities at my work I decided to instead run to my gym and take advantage of having a quick cool down and stretch before using their slightly nice shower facilities.

I feel a bit of a fraud firstly I haven't ran all the way to work and have taken a train for part of the journey and secondly my running destination was not even my work place! Sorry if anyone feels I have cheated them out of a true running2work experience. 

So how did i find run2work? 

I was quite lucky as today I was only at work for a half day due to a dentist appointment this afternoon. So I therefore didn't need to bring with me my packed lunch and I knew I didn't have such a long grueling day ahead of me.

Also although this is my first time running2work I am not a stranger to running in the morning either at home before my commute into London or in London after I have got the train in.

So I am quite used to being organised and leaving things like my work shoes at work.

However I did find it strange wearing my running kit and packing up my work clothes as opposed to what I usually fo which is the opposite.

I also did have that nagging sensation in the back of my mind that I had forgot something. I had my oyster card in my shorts pocket safely zipped away and I made conscious decisions to check, double check and triple check my bag to make sure I had the essentials of wallet, keys, deodorant and hair wax. 

I must say I found it incredibly rewarding and pleasing though, just the feeling of getting into London under mostly my own steam and not having relied on public transport too much. 

The usual buzz I get throughout the morning following a pre work run was heightened by a greater sense of achievement and satisfaction and my renewed plans to attempt running the full journey to work soon! 

To ensure I stayed full and felt refueled after my run I had prepared myself a post run snack which I hungrily devoured at my desk when I got to work.  

Running into June

Last week marked my second 50Km+ mileage week as my marathon training really kicks in.

Saturday was my longest run in this training programme as I covered a half marathon distance for the first time since running a PB at the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon in March. This time I was a long way off my PB of 1.39 but still managed a respectable 1.55 with the emphasis being on a steady marathon type pace rather than a race against the   clock.

One of my marathon training targets set back in March was to have covered a half marathon distance before the end of May so I am pleased to have achieved this, all be it on the last day of the month!

Saturday morning was the most beautiful summers day so far with the heat to match as well.

 

Sunday was a rest day but with the weather still pleasant a walk and a picnic was on the cards.

A nice stroll around Weald Country Park did my legs good although I felt my recovery from Saturday was excellent as I didn't feel weary or achy at all. 

Weald Country Park is also the venue for my marathon in October so it was a good opportunity to bring that sharply into focus and to make my long sighted plans appear much more of a reality.

As with most things food related I love a picnic and love preparing for one. 

I managed to knock up some pretty tasty ham and cheese rolls with some healthy snacks in the form of carrot sticks and sliced yellow pepper. 

Some scotch eggs, crisps, a hummus dip and some grapes rounded off a good tasting picnic. 

Sunday evening a gentle 3Km walk/run recovery session and sorted out any lactic acid still in my legs and put me in the best possible position for the week ahead.

Monday morning I successfully completed a nippy pre work 10K around the Thames in London in 51minutes. My aim was to try and go under 50 minutes or at least average at under 5 minute km splits if I didn't quite manage the full 10K. I wasn't very disappointed though as I hadn't run this in ages and was pleased just to get a decent time under my belt. 

 

So the week ahead is a bit up in the air as I am unsure of a few plans and then the subsequent knock on to my running plans. I hope to do some speed work, take part in run2work on Thursday, go for a PB at parkrun on Saturday before finishing the week with a 15 miler. So we will see how the week pans out.

Help! How to cope with a really early morning run

Up at 5.30 out running at around 5.50 I think the earliest I have ever been out running.

I am very used to getting up at 5.30 leaving the house around 6.00 commuting into London, going to the gym, doing a warm up and then heading out for a run around 7.30 by which time I have done a lot if activity and feel awake.

However heading out so early and so soon after getting out of bed was a struggle!

I was rewarded with a nice quiet run and really enjoyed the peacefulness of being out so early when the roads were clear and quiet.

Who else goes out so early? How do you prepare in terms of eating/drinking or warming up? Any advice gratefully received!

Early morning London run

First day of spring and some lovely weather I couldn't resist going for an early morning run around London. Over the winter I had stopped going out early in the morning as it was too cold and dark and I have been wanting to go out again for a few weeks but hadn't quite got round to it but this morning I did and I was rewarded with London at its finest.

I hope my pictures do justice to the bright, hazy and surprisingly warm early morning spring sunshine?

The plan had been to do a route I had done before of around 10K, starting off from my gym in Aldwych heading along the north bank to Westminster, over the bridge, down the south bank to Tower Bridge and back to the gym.

However TFL had other plans as despite leaving extra early and giving myself loads of time I was delayed by around half an hour due to signal problems on the district line. 

So my 10K plan turned into a more 7K run by taking a detour over the Millennium bridge to shorten the route. 

London is a magical city and no more so than early on a sunny morning. I am always slightly surprised and impressed by the high volume of runners out on the streets but then what was I expecting less than 2 weeks before the London Marathon?! 

Speaking of the London Marathon I was passed by half a dozen or so tracksuited athletes on Westminster bridge who I am pretty sure were some of the elite Kenyan and Ethiopian runners acclimatising to the London streets ahead of the marathon.

After my run I returned to the gym fora quick stretch and cool down before showering and heading off for work. I felt so sorry for the poor souls sweating and panting away on the treadmills when a more joyful running experience laid in wait just outside the door.

If you live, work or train in London I would highly recommend going for a run around, its a great way to see the city. I would love to hear your stories of running in London and maybe any route recommendations or favourite areas to run in? 

Happy running and good luck to anyone preparing for the London Marathon.