Set my alarm early and was ready for the off before I’d usually be up. Nice cool morning, with a slight sprinkling of some cooling wet stuff. Perfect.
So... NRC benchmarking is 7 minutes light jogging, 3 minutes all out as fast as you can running, and 5 minutes of cooldown whatever you can still manage. I decided to leave the car and just run the road behind home that goes off into countryside... I hadn’t driven it for years, but I knew the road... at least I used to know the road. Off I went, super slow jog just warming me up, up an incline at 5 minutes, and I know the road then dips, goes round a corner and is flat... wrong! Dipped round the corner and as my 3 minutes starts I got two choices, long gentle incline in front of me or the shorter more serious incline behind... full speed ahead. Into a sprint that I somehow managed to maintain for 30 seconds or so, legs burning, breathing getting worse, grit the teeth and push, slowing little by little... 60 seconds, now I’m both having fun and really hating this, a beautiful paradox. 1 minute to go and I’m at the flat bit I thought I was gonna start at... back up a gear and driving to the end... and then coach counts down from 10... last push. Slowed to a walk, I had nothing left, another 10 seconds and I’d have been sat on my butt by the road. Great achievement I thought, but I was more interested in how fast I could recover... started jogging again at 2 minutes into cool down and felt the energy rushing back, legs feeling better with each step. Times up but it was time to jog home, the cooling wet stuff had done its job, but was gonna be cold if I walked. All the way home, and in, grab a brew and do some yoga postures while it cools. Log in to a graduation post. Then thought I’d best post this. Tea tastes so good.
That session kicked my butt hard, but I’m still standing. Early in July, W1R1 felt like that... only it did it 8 times... today, well, I couldn’t have done that in July... it’s so great to be able to run fast long enough to have my ass handed to me. I don’t do this session again for a while and next run is a recovery run, that’ll be nice!
Written by
UnfitNoMore
Graduate
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I’m in awe! A hill and speed - OMG! You’re braver and have more stamina than me 😆 I bet that felt good afterwards. Well done 🙂
It hurt... I won’t be doing that route next time 😂. It did feel great to be flying though... next time I won’t be fearing this, but in theory it will always be close to flooring me.
Well done, sounds tough but you did it 😁 I did contemplate going out when my son woke me at 5 🙄 but thankfully the notion soon wore off lol. I'm saving myself for my daughter's 11 mile sponsored walk in the morning 😕
There is a route someone laid down from glossop to Sheffield on one of the apps... think it’s 24 miles and lots of hill, a tempting one to run, but I’d need someone to bring me home...long way off that one!
That’s a point... I’d need to run around Sheffield after then I guess 😂. I have 5.75 mile run towards the end of my current plan and already I know that will be 6.25 to complete the 10k... so yeah, can’t go that close to marathon without finishing the job!
Thanks. Right now I’m wanting to run, which is bizarre... could be a long day! Not sure I’m gonna be an early morning convert! Did love the dark though!
Really struggling at the moment with parents and in laws in hospital. Desperate to run- even more desperate to not lose my new level of fitness, so as long as no medical emergencies tonight my plan is to get out earlyish tomorrow and just try a 3k.
Feels as though I’m going backwards but a run is a run and I can still manage 30+ minutes so- wish me luck 😊🏃♀️🏃♀️
That was the plan when I chose it... it’s kept me going a few times. Next week I get a couple of recoveries and a 3.5 mile long, so the path to 10k begins!
😂. He’s been working on endurance too, I assume as he’s now a footballer, so he’s been on a similar journey... he probably hadn’t gone over 400m in his career!
I think running up a hill would be my 3 mins speed/intensive, never mind going and full tilt! Well done you. And you still have the rest of the day free!
Go you...great start to the day.. early is awesome... When I graduate the week before Christmas 2015.. I loved those dark days... Just you and the world....
You are doing amazingly...taking it at your own pace,but listening to your body... '...the voice that does not use words'.... always the key to survival! Huge well done...
You know what you are doing...and your run sounds terrific... and that feeling after recovery.. when the gentle run comes easily and enjoyably, is amazing isn't it ? I love that feeling...
Sounds like a fab run that has its challenges. Looks like you tamed the beast (inclines for you. Would equate as a mahoosive hill for me lol) Enjoy your well deserved cup of tea.👍🏻
2.5 mile recovery run next... that’s gonna be great to do! I enjoyed the experience today, but pleased that benchmarking is only something the app uses occasionally to adjust my target paces.
Thanks Fab, it’s supposedly a run that done right floors athletes as nobody can actually sprint for 3 minutes... I bet Kipchoge would come out of it smiling though 😂
Good and interesting post from you UNM especially the last paragraph, this morning I am taking the train to Balloch near Loch Lomond. The country park there is the place I ran week 4 back in May, but today I am just walking around the park, as yesterday I ran my fourth 5K in the morning and walked another 5k in the afternoon. Enjoy reading all your updates from you, as they say, "keep on running".
That all sounds good apart from the train bit 😱. I may need a walk later... todays run has me wanting more.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading that UNM, absolutely exhilarating! Sounds like you gave it everything you had.
Having a day off lay in ...wanting to get out there in the rain and get my but kicked too now! It’ll have to wait. 😄 I think I might have a crack at this race plan after consolidation.
It’s an interesting plan... and you get to choose from 4 weeks to 6 months... I’m doing 11 weeks but I overrode the early runs with my consolidation, so it’s changed a bit from the defaults (it adapts about once a week). The 6 month version takes your long run to 10 miles, 11 weeks got to 5.75, which is enough (almost) for me before Christmas.
That was kinda the point... tomorrow I’m needing a very mellow soundtrack... 2.5 miles at 12 minute pace is the plan, so no metal! Maybe I’ll do a Nike guided run around the 35 minute mark... so music will be in and out as coach speaks.
I did consider house of pain, jump around... but that may end badly in the dark if I took it literally!
Getting there... on Monday my app will change all my target paces based on that run and my distances based on the rest of the week. So tempting to run a bit slow yesterday, but once out there and speed time came, there was no way that was happening! Hopefully it won’t lower the paces too much, though it did start friendly and went slightly slower than the paces I fed in to the plan to start with.
Way to go! The hills you didn’t know were there can be tough and you did it. With work and life I have had to squeeze in my runs and exercises in the morning now. I will not (probably) ever be a morning person but have noticed a difference in my day. It’s only been a week but I do like the way I feel the rest of the day. There is science behind the early morning workout/run being the best for you as well. I’m proud of you for getting out there early!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks. Cock up this morning meant I didn’t have time to get my full run in before juniors so missed a mile. Had to pack for a few days away after too... packed the shoes of course.
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Just you and the world.... 
W1, R1. Help, already moaning! 
Re run of week 1....
Shock to the system
Very very slow
It's a wonderful day; it's wonderful to run in it!
