The hills are alive... my legs are dead!
Friday 22/09/06:
Ahhhhh - rest day!
Saturday 23/09/06:
Today was the day I would resume running hills, after avoiding them for 8 weeks as per sports physicians orders - well actually he ordered 6 weeks, but due to the hamstring tightening at week 6, it became 8. Would the hamstring handle it? I had no idea, but had a course mapped out in my head that would give me the answer...
Out the door at 7am, it had been raining when I woke at 6am and was still very overcast and grey. Worse still, it was very windy indeed and it was also very muggy feeling, the radio told me it was 14 deg C and rising. It was drizzling slightly when I first started running, but then stayed away for most of the time. Plan called for 80mins steady and I did not fancy being soaked for all that time.
The loop I did included some streets that I have not run in many months, since shifting house.
The first 35mins was mainly flat with just a few slight undulations. Then I hit my first "real" hill. Its one I used to run a lot and have even used part of it for hill reps, back in the day when I was doing such sessions. Its a rather long hill, steep in parts then leveling out before getting quite steep again. Once down the other side there is a short, less steep one to follow. Well, I have to say, it was a bit of a rude awakening! Not so much cardio-wise, although that wasn't easy, I have had more trouble getting up it in the past. But I really did notice the difference in my legs and how they felt after it. After another couple of kms on mainly flat, I hit the countryside, where I have not been able to run for some time, due to how hilly it is. After one rather steep hill, there are lots of undulations that are also quite steep. Again these really slowed me down and my legs were definately feeling the difference. I had no pain from the hamstring at all, but then again I never do at the time...
By the time I'd been at it for an hour, I was really hot and sweaty and it reminded me of what running in the summer is like! I'd rather run in cooler temps any day, but thats the only time I like them! I knew the loop was approx 16kms, so was happy to finish in 82mins.
Brisk walk warmup: 5mins
Steady paced run: 82mins (16km)
Brisk walk cooldown: 5mins
My legs were feeling very tired by the time I'd done my stretching, so I put the Skins on for an hour till I had to get into the shower. They felt very weird to sleep in on Thursday night and it reminded me of when I had to wear ghastly "compression stockings" after I got sick when Courtney was born. I'd had blood transfusions and hypertension and had to wear them for weeks, but luckily I was in the hospital all that time and they actually kept me warm. But apart from that they were horrible! Have to say though, my legs felt great on Friday!
Today I have been doing quite a bit of walking round the place, shopping, housework, etc and my legs were actually aching earlier... I guess its to be expected due to the hills and I'm just glad that so far, the hamstring is fine.
One of the reasons I was shopping this afternoon was for new running shoes! I have been very aware of the kms my current ones have done and if you include todays run, thats 861 kms! Even for me in the Air Pegasus, thats right up there. However with just 5 weeks till the Auckland Half, I did not want to go into any other shoe, than exactly the ones I have now... As I am a US7 or UK4.5 (teeny feet!) and my current Pegasus are the 05 model I got in Jan 06, I have been having a bit of trouble getting some. The Air Pegasus 06 is easy enough to come by and they're very nice to look at, but I know they usually make minor adjustments each year. This wouldn't normally concern me too much, but this close to my target race, it does! Anyway, I had managed to track down some 05's in my size, at my local Athletes Foot, so today I went and got them! They made the ladies 05's in two different colours, so I was happy when I found they were in the "other colour" than what I've just had... Naturally I will still ease into the new ones, even though they are exactly the same. Now its my turn to do something I never thought I would - post a pic of my shoes!!!!!
OK, so Blogger won't play no matter what I do - will try again tomorrow...
Ahhhhh - rest day!
Saturday 23/09/06:
Today was the day I would resume running hills, after avoiding them for 8 weeks as per sports physicians orders - well actually he ordered 6 weeks, but due to the hamstring tightening at week 6, it became 8. Would the hamstring handle it? I had no idea, but had a course mapped out in my head that would give me the answer...
Out the door at 7am, it had been raining when I woke at 6am and was still very overcast and grey. Worse still, it was very windy indeed and it was also very muggy feeling, the radio told me it was 14 deg C and rising. It was drizzling slightly when I first started running, but then stayed away for most of the time. Plan called for 80mins steady and I did not fancy being soaked for all that time.
The loop I did included some streets that I have not run in many months, since shifting house.
The first 35mins was mainly flat with just a few slight undulations. Then I hit my first "real" hill. Its one I used to run a lot and have even used part of it for hill reps, back in the day when I was doing such sessions. Its a rather long hill, steep in parts then leveling out before getting quite steep again. Once down the other side there is a short, less steep one to follow. Well, I have to say, it was a bit of a rude awakening! Not so much cardio-wise, although that wasn't easy, I have had more trouble getting up it in the past. But I really did notice the difference in my legs and how they felt after it. After another couple of kms on mainly flat, I hit the countryside, where I have not been able to run for some time, due to how hilly it is. After one rather steep hill, there are lots of undulations that are also quite steep. Again these really slowed me down and my legs were definately feeling the difference. I had no pain from the hamstring at all, but then again I never do at the time...
By the time I'd been at it for an hour, I was really hot and sweaty and it reminded me of what running in the summer is like! I'd rather run in cooler temps any day, but thats the only time I like them! I knew the loop was approx 16kms, so was happy to finish in 82mins.
Brisk walk warmup: 5mins
Steady paced run: 82mins (16km)
Brisk walk cooldown: 5mins
My legs were feeling very tired by the time I'd done my stretching, so I put the Skins on for an hour till I had to get into the shower. They felt very weird to sleep in on Thursday night and it reminded me of when I had to wear ghastly "compression stockings" after I got sick when Courtney was born. I'd had blood transfusions and hypertension and had to wear them for weeks, but luckily I was in the hospital all that time and they actually kept me warm. But apart from that they were horrible! Have to say though, my legs felt great on Friday!
Today I have been doing quite a bit of walking round the place, shopping, housework, etc and my legs were actually aching earlier... I guess its to be expected due to the hills and I'm just glad that so far, the hamstring is fine.
One of the reasons I was shopping this afternoon was for new running shoes! I have been very aware of the kms my current ones have done and if you include todays run, thats 861 kms! Even for me in the Air Pegasus, thats right up there. However with just 5 weeks till the Auckland Half, I did not want to go into any other shoe, than exactly the ones I have now... As I am a US7 or UK4.5 (teeny feet!) and my current Pegasus are the 05 model I got in Jan 06, I have been having a bit of trouble getting some. The Air Pegasus 06 is easy enough to come by and they're very nice to look at, but I know they usually make minor adjustments each year. This wouldn't normally concern me too much, but this close to my target race, it does! Anyway, I had managed to track down some 05's in my size, at my local Athletes Foot, so today I went and got them! They made the ladies 05's in two different colours, so I was happy when I found they were in the "other colour" than what I've just had... Naturally I will still ease into the new ones, even though they are exactly the same. Now its my turn to do something I never thought I would - post a pic of my shoes!!!!!
OK, so Blogger won't play no matter what I do - will try again tomorrow...
posted by Vicky @ 9/23/2006 09:27:00 pm
1 Comments:
At Sat Sept 23, 10:35:00 pm,
Em said…
Welcome back to the hills! That was a great run.
I love your weather reports, it appears that Aukland gets Melbourne's weather a couple of days later, it is very spooky.
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