One week, two runners, three runs πŸƒπŸ»πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈβ„οΈ - Bridge to 10K

Bridge to 10K

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One week, two runners, three runs πŸƒπŸ»πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈβ„οΈ

GailXrunning profile image
β€’22 Replies

Good afternoon, fellow runners! The key caught my eye - startling reds contrasting with the bark and lichen - and remains uncollected 5 days after I took the photo, despite its path-side prominence. It’s remarkable that, in this busy urban space, it’s still there, that someone bothered to retrieve it from the ground; though lost - manages to read as a gesture of kindness.

Today, we awoke to an amazing sight: clouds reflecting golden pinks foretelling the approaching snow. By the time we left home, the sun had hidden behind heavy overcast layer with darkening clouds building on the western horizon. The grass was frosty and the tracks were at their texture-perfect freeze: no surface ice, no mud, but still with a little bit of give to aid our ageing joints - so much nicer than the official paths. We got home before the showers arrived. Friday’s ground conditions were similar, but we were extra early and caught a beautiful sunrise. Tuesday was overcast but mild, and with softer trails, so more of the park’s earth followed us home.

For me (not M), the project has continued to be about practising comfortable breathing through the nose and focusing on relaxed running. The latter seems to take care of itself for most part; occasionally I’ve spotted my cadence dropping, and have been able to rectify it; when I do, it’s like the run gets a shot of espresso. This week, I’ve let my run-walk intervals be shorter to avert stressing the nasal technique, which is all too easy a trap to fall into. It was noticeably easier on the mild day., so I’ve clearly chosen the best time of year to take on this project! My pace has improved on last week, and I easily keep up with M, who is solely running. He generally heads home before I do, and says he’s feeling it. I carry on jeffing for another 10 mins, adding in some short inclines and ad libbing wiggles to the route. I’ve experimented (safely!) with running with closed eyes to see where my balance is and note how I veer to the right; just a few steps at a time. From my running workshops, balance work has become a key part of my drills and warmups, alongside spine mobilisations and some moves - from qigong - to get the blood flowing to the very tips of my fingers. I leave home in a couple of light layers, all cosy through, ready for another 5 minutes warmup walk to get to the park. M overdresses in several layers, but still complains of being cold. I come home feeling exercised, but refreshed rather than wiped.

My runs, in rounded figures: 43 minutes, 5.5km; 34, 4.5; 43, 5.3. Without intending it, the first and last are directly comparable: a milder morning and a sub-zero one. Still, I do quite like the atmosphere when it’s colder and I’ve much preferred the ground conditions.

Focusing on breathing makes the runs shoot by. (Admittedly, compared to many of you, I’m on relatively short distances.) It’s quite consuming to think about the breath, and in a way it’s meditative. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that I need to step things down a notch, and I spot some impatience creeping in, but, rather than detracting, the spotting and acknowledging seems to be adding to the project.

I’m still observing things around me, but probably not as much as I was. I always note the sky, the overall light and atmosphere, the tree forms and bark patterns, and the birds (notably a sizeable flock of parakeets on Friday and today a little goldfinch). If I notice the railway at all, I also like to check the passing carriages to see how many people I can see - or rather, if I can see anyone on these ghost trains.

Best wishes for the running week ahead.

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GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning
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22 Replies
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Peter44 profile image
Peter44Graduate10

Another interesting report on your runs, Wonder who's lost their keys 🀣 did you get any of this snow?Another big game today! 🀣

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toPeter44

πŸ€— The snow arrived not long after the run. ❄️ Looked lovely for a while, but it’s now turned to rain and gone. β˜”οΈπŸ₯²

And yes, after a very long afternoon nap, M is now anxiously checking the team news!

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10

Love your run reports! It sounds like all is going well with your β€˜project’ and as time goes by I will be keen to see how it works over longer distances.

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toJools2020

πŸ€— Me too! I’m genuinely looking forward to building the longer distances in the not too distant future. Hopefully I’ll have a stronger basis for doing so.🀞Loving learning about running form, even if it’s not always so easy to get this body of mine to do what I want!πŸ˜‚

RacingintheStreet profile image
RacingintheStreetGraduate10β€’ in reply toGailXrunning

A week of good runs 😊 The weather just now just β€˜beckons’ , we have had a couple of blue sky & sun days here that have complemented the snow and frost beautifully . Your running projects sound pretty interesting too πŸ˜ŠπŸ‘ŒYou are considering so much on your runs all of which will bring improvements I’m sure .

Happy running .

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toRacingintheStreet

Thanks! I’m having a great time. 😊 Maybe finishing c25k gave some momentum, and weather in the south has been less punishing, but I’ve found I’m relishing running through winter. Really great to hear of your progress too!πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈπŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈπŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

Bambi2020 profile image
Bambi2020Graduate10

Sounds like you got a good run in before the snow came- you seem like you’re getting lots out of those workshops and trying to improve the techniques- you must have lots of patience! I think the balance focus is a really good one- my balance is terrible. Looks like your hard work is paying off πŸ‘πŸ‘

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toBambi2020

😊 Really enjoyed them. My balance is atrocious too, but already just a little better than it was. In faster moving situations I don’t look too bad, but when, say, an exercise is really slowed down, all is revealed. I’ve been having to do a lot *very* slowly... and sometimes (near impossible for me) with my eyes closed ! πŸ˜‘(is that even the right emoji!)

Indielass00 profile image
Indielass00

Your so good working on your breathing technique! Walkers can hear me coming a mile off because I’m a mouth breather and a noisy one at that! 🀣 I probably start off too quick, easily done!

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toIndielass00

πŸ˜‚ It is! I’m now using M as the slower-pace setter at the start; he’s much better at this than I am. I find it so difficult to gauge and will always go too fast, even when I think I’m going slow.

🀣We’re trying to ensure the nose breathing is silent! My instinctive method when running is to breath in through my nose and out through the mouth (all very Pilates style). Quite a lot to learn.

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassador

I’m fascinated to read about your progress with your breathing and mindfulness when running. I’ve been doing the 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene, and it has me thinking about body position and breathing. I’ve tried some nasal breathing when out running...but it’s so cold and it’s not pretty! I have to stop and blow my nose several times, even with mouth breathing πŸ˜¬πŸ™„

No running here anyway...snow and ice β„οΈπŸŒ¨β˜ΉοΈ

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toLottieMW

The chilly air does seem to be an additional hurdle... exactly as you describe! (All praise to the cotton hankie, I say.. I doubt a tissue could survive. πŸ˜‚) Patience is the name of the game. That said, there’s already a huge difference between now and my experiments in December (I can recall exactly where I was!!)

Glad to hear how much you are getting from your yoga programme. A clear beautiful morning here (but not a run day πŸ₯²). Just a tiny bit of snow left in the flowerpots.

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassadorβ€’ in reply toGailXrunning

Sunny here, but -5C overnight so...πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toLottieMW

I think my run yesterday was supposed to be at -5 β€˜feels like’. πŸ₯Ά

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassadorβ€’ in reply toGailXrunning

Ugh! Today when I went out it was a heady +5C! 0C now already, -5C again overnight...

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toLottieMW

πŸ˜‚ One just doesn’t know what to wear!!!

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassadorβ€’ in reply toGailXrunning

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜ŽπŸ‘šπŸ©³πŸ§£πŸ§€πŸ§’πŸ˜‚

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toLottieMW

🧦🧦 don’t forget!!

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassadorβ€’ in reply toGailXrunning

Doh! πŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toLottieMW

πŸ₯ΆπŸ¦Ά

acountrycabbage profile image
acountrycabbage60minGraduate

Great to read your progress, Gail. The balance work sounds particularly interesting!

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunningβ€’ in reply toacountrycabbage

It is... But there’s a reason I never joined the circus as a tightrope artist. πŸ˜‚πŸŽͺ

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