A drop in the running ocean

[emkeenan]

Hello you lovely runners,

Having seen all your posts on here over the last couple of days and having watched the Marathon this morning I'm very very aware that my running adventures are but a drop in the running ocean, and that is brilliant by me. Still I thought I'd write you a little report on my recent progress with the Running Dependency Plan.

After my little mid week sulk I got out on Thursday evening and ran a slow 5/6 Km on a nice undulating and wooded track in a failed attempt to avoid the heat. It was hot. I was dry mouthed a sweaty-backed (eurgh!) before I even reached my running spot only 15 minutes walk from home. But I did it, and I walked home with a little smile. I have you all to thank

On Saturday I planned to do my long run in the evening. While spending my day doing three loads of washing, cleaning the bathroom and scrubbing the oven (oh the glamour!) I purposefully drank loads of water in preparation for a big run. My mum (oh she's a terrible hoarder) had provided me with a doughnut shape running bottle type affair last time I was home and I even filled this up and shoved it in the fridge- never have I been so prepared for a run. Anyway, come 9.30 in the evening I donned my lovely Health Unlocked t-shirt along with the usual garb, gadgets and my new water bottle and hit the road.

The run started well and it wasn't as drippingly (sorry folks!) hot as I'd feared. Considering my recent to-do's and the newness of carrying water I decided on a familiar old route; two loops around the lake (just over 7 Km and a little hilly) and then out to pasture on flatter roads for the final section. By 8 Km I was really feeling it, and for some strange reason the thought of having only (!) 3 Km to go wasn't providing any comfort at all. There were lots of people about, very few runners actually (I think I only saw 2 others on my entire run) but mainly people in nice clothes heading out for drinks or in from nice dinners. One particular woman passing with her partner gave me a second, not unkind glance, she didn't look sneering but more genuinely curious as to why a 25 year old girl might choose to spend her sunny summer Saturday evening running the streets alone with nothing but an oddly shaped water bottle and a beeping green watch for company. Why indeed!

This was just the boost I needed,

'Emily' I thought to myself, 'If you will insist on spending your time doing this crazy s**t rather than sitting in a beer garden with your friends on a Saturday night, then you better bloody well do it properly!'

On I went, 8, 9, 10, 11 Km! The last couple were tiring but I kept my splits fairly even and plodded over the (completely imaginary and entirely deserted) finish line with a time of 1 hr 12 minutes. Woo hoo! I wandered home, grinning and delighted, stopping briefly to stretch my legs on my favourite park bench.

What a joy it is to run! And what a blessing it is to be able to come here and tell you lovely people who understand why I (we) do it, all about my little adventures. Next week, will be a Stamina podcast Monday, a 5 Km Wednesday, an another long run next weekend at some point.

Thanks for reading, and happy running folks,

Emily x

P.s. This was my favourite running track that came around on shuffle on Saturday night, how can you not crack a smile with that blasting in your ear! I'm eternally curious about the music that is powering all you around your runs, please do share sometime

youtube.com/watch?v=CR8logu...(Not working as expected?)

P.p.s No firm conclusions on the water bottle, it was good to have and definitely saved me from the discomfort of a very dry-mouthed hour. However I was aware it was making my run rather lop-sided as I moved my water carrying arm less than the other. I also found I was gasping a little after a drink and didn't really enjoy the breathing/ drinking trade off- I must have only got through about 200ml in the whole time. Any tips?

[poppypug Graduate]

Absolutely fab post Em, I love your posts ! Well, that turned into quite a run , thats for sure ! Very, very well done on the distance and time, great stuff !

Maybe that girl looked at you with envy/admiration thinking " I wish I could do that " I know I have when I saw other runners before I started. Maybe you have converted somebody without even knowing !

As for my playlist, I have loads and loads on it, far too many to list without your eyes glazing over, but the cheesiest one I will admit to is

Lets Get Ready to Rhumble by PJ and Duncan or Ant n Dec ha ha - I love it !

Happy Running to you too Em xxx

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to poppypug]

Hehehehe PoppyPug, PJ and Duncan!

I love having silly music on my playlist, it has me grinning right from recognising the intro. I borrowed 2 CD's called 101 Running Songs from a friend to put on my iPod and have been playing them on shuffle, so god knows I've probably got some more horrors to come!

[misswobble Graduate]

Well done Keenan! I hate running with a bottle. I only did it once

I'm not running with any music at the moment. I stopped using music as my breathing and rhythm had gone to pot so I tried running without it and find I prefer it now. I love music though and shall be getting back to it for my longer runs. I like Pon de Replay, Rhianna.

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Oh I love that Rihanna one MissWobble, was that a Sami tune?

The water bottle wasn't a essential but I'm trying to build long runs week on week and thought I'd have to do it eventually so why not give it a go. If I managed 11Km with it it can't have been bad (I had visions of abandoning ole doughnut half way around) but it wasn't that good either.

[moonmar Graduate]

Definitely going to download that tune from Amazon.

[poppypug Graduate in reply to moonmar]

Lets get ready to Rhumble, lets get ready to Rhumble, get ready, get steady, everybody Rhumble ! xxx

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

I usually run with a bottle unless it's relatively cool or a relatively short run. I always take one for 6km and up even if it's edging towards cold (which doesn't happen often here).

I don't normally find the weight of the bottle bothers me (I just half fill it for a shorter run, and probably only "need" it half full on a longer one unless it's really hot, but don't want to be left without any), and haven't noticed that it makes me run lop-sided (maybe I will notice now that you've brought it up). What I do find annoying is the noise the water makes sloshing around, but I can cope with that for the sake of not having a dry mouth all the way round. When it's hot, I often find I finish the bottle on my warm-down walk.

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to runningnearbeirut]

It was lovely to have a nice cool drink for my warm down walk. It stopped me rushing my stretches and sloping home.

Maybe I'm being paranoid about my lop-sidedness! I only noticed initially because of my shadow! I was worried I'd feel a niggle post run if I was running non-symmetrically but nothing yet- it seems I'm in the clear

[Miles_Yonder Graduate]

Brilliant post, Em. I woke up this morning feeling tired and wondering if I should postpone my 5K run to tomorrow, but I had a quick look on here and read your post and that was it for me; I was up and out. It was the woman with her curious glance that did it; those odd looks from muggles really are great!

Very well done; that sounds like an immense run. You did so, so well; so good to read about your experience after the midweek episode you had, though there's nothing wrong with that, we all get them at some point or other!

Drinking whilst running has a knack to it but you do get used to it. I struggled with it at first but it's easier now. I find a big deep breath, take in the water, swallow it, immediately breathe out slowly to be the best option. Soon it will become second nature to you.

I'll post a selection of my running music when I get chance later; I do like that song though, along with Poppy's offering!

Enjoy your run later, Em!

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Miles_Yonder]

Thanks M_Y, looking forward to hearing some of these tunes! I had to find a whole load of new music when I finished B210K, I love my everyday music but I didn't feel that the melancholic moans of Morrissey would be conducive to a good run- cheesy and up tempo is the way forward

Do you have a poury type bottle or one with a sports top? There probably is a knack to it, I found the best time was when I was running downhill, but I suppose that's just due to having a little bit of spare puff!

Well Done on getting out earlier, shame it was still a little warm up there. It seems distinctly cooler here today so I'll be heading out with the 'Stamina' podcast later to see what I can do.

Happy resting

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Now that I have been running for longer times ( 2 hours this morning) , I have been experimenting with music. But I do find it difficult to run to . I downloaded some Elton John music which was supposed to be 180BPM -- well , it was but only for some of the time - at other times the rhythm slowed to a WALK!!!! How can you run to that ????

[spoonierunning Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

The beat of the music doesn't seem to make a difference to me, I just make sure I have all happy songs and stuff I find motivational.

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Wow Bazza, that is some run! It is hard to find the right kind of music to run to, I don't need a certain beat but certainly do need something up tempo. I suppose all artists will have upbeat and downbeat sounds. I've copied a CD from a friend of mind, 202 songs to run to. It throws up the occasional oddball but generally it's treating me well and took very little forethought

[spoonierunning Graduate]

I loved the muggle observation. Great stuff.

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to spoonierunning]

Oh the bemusement! One day they might catch the bug too

[Hidden]

What a brilliant write up Em - and a brilliant run... amazing the things that spur us on... The "you know what - I'm going to do this today" attitude is awesome... Loving the write up!

I haven't run with water but figure I'm probably going to need to learn before the HM next year (although there will be water stations every 3 miles) and will need water on the long training runs I suspect...

I definitely "run to the music" though - for a few minutes in the 10K race I was actually drumming along to the tunes... didn't help my time I'm sure but it made me smile as it meant I was having fun!

Glad to hear it went so well - nothing like a great run to end the day!

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Aussie These long runs are great, in a sense the further you run the more and the less you want to stop- I think the fact so much thought and effort goes into them makes you feel you have to power on through. 12 K here I come!

That was my thinking about carrying water really, that on my programme it's going to have to happen eventually and I may as well tackle it now as wait for an even longer run. I'm quite averse to change on my runs so I was quite pleased with myself for getting out of the door carrying it, and even more for returning with it having not lobbed it in a bush !

I regularly have a hum and a little dance to my silly running music, when I started I could barely think straight while running for a minute, and look at us now. I'm back out podcasting this evening, how are you approaching post-race running now?

[Hidden in reply to emkeenan]

I'll be back out there for a 5K on Wednesday morning...

Early start at work tomorrow or I'd be going out tomorrow... itching to get back out there... the legs are doing quite okay... bit sore, but not unexpected and muscle soreness rather than "joints"...

[poppypug Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Aw fab stuff Aussie, I was just wondering how you felt today, that's good ! xxx

[emkeenan Graduate in reply to Hidden]

P.s. Congratulations on the sign-up, you bloody mad man

[emkeenan Graduate]

Oh that's interesting KittyKat, I think we have to be fussy- can't have anything impeding the running fun

I had a camelback for hiking a long time ago, one that you put in a backpack and it was quite brilliant. I'm going to see how I get on, but the running wishlist might grow again

Nice tunes there too, Rihanna is a popular lady on this forum

[misswobble Graduate]

Yes keenan it's on the Sami Murphy. Loadsa good uns on there!