Originally published on Gigging Forever in May 2012
Right, this is my last running update before the BUPA 10k, which will be good news for most of my readers, since these running posts aren't terribly popular - except for the one about pants, that one's been a smash hit. Who knew?
It's now just under 2 weeks to go, and sadly I think this means my dream of powering past the elite athletes laughing as they're jogging towards victory is out of the window (and if it's anything like last year, then I won't actually have started by the time the very fastest are crossing the line anyway.)
Last year I ran the course in a very respectable (for me) 1 hour, 4 minutes and 50-odd seconds, followed by another 10k a few weeks later in which I managed to shave almost 2 minutes off my time. Sadly, after that I then failed to do any exercise for the next 9 months, which is probably why there is no way in the world that I will be beating last year's time.
I'm still working my way through the 10k programme of walk/run and have now made it to week 7 of 12 (walk 4 minutes, run 2 minutes x 10). My maths isn't too hot but I estimate that in order to achieve my personal best doing that, I will need to run at about 30 miles per hour. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm up to it.
I have finally, therefore, let go of the notion that I will be able to do something more impressive than last year, and have managed my expectations accordingly. Being a consultant / project management-ish type, I'm good at managing other people's expectations but for some reason it doesn't often work on myself.
I have, however, set myself something realistic to aim for. On Saturday just gone, it was a lovely sunny day, so I thought I'd go out for a run - not the wimpy walk/run I've been doing, no a proper run. Just to see how far I got without stopping. The sad and crushing answer was... about 1 kilometre. Not because I'm unfit and my lungs/heart were giving out, no I wouldn't mind that, it was my stupid calf muscle. And not even the one I've previously mentioned, which has been treated by means of a nice South African gentleman named Simon sitting on me and prodding it violently.
Apparently making that calf muscle nice and strong has had the effect of making the other one so weak in comparison that it just gives up and goes home after about 7 minutes of exercise - well, until it suddenly decides that it's ok for no apparent reason and lets me run again.
It was for this reason that my "run" turned into a "jog / walk / jog / sit down on park bench and massage leg / walk / sit down on steps and cry (with anger and frustration - not pain, I'm not a sissy) / walk again a bit / sit down for 5 whole minutes and contemplate how I will tell the Cure Parkinson's Trust that I have to give back my sponsorship money / walk / jog / suddenly realise that it's not hurting any more / run / run / stop at ice cream van outside Hampton Court Palace to buy bottle of water / wait for nice man to bring me change from his car / run / jog / sprint last 1km."
In this ramshackle and roundabout way, I actually managed to cover 10 kilometres in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Which, frankly, I had been starting to think was a good 40 minutes quicker than I was ever going to manage this year.
Therefore, I have now erased last year's times from my scorecard and am starting anew. My new personal best for 10k is 1 hour and 24 minutes. Surely, SURELY, I can't do any worse than this on the 28th of May? There won't be many places to sit down and cry on the day, for starters...
----------------------------
2015 Update: I did finish the Bupa 10k, with a certain amount of walking. It took me far too long, though, and there was unfinished business, so I came back and did it again in 2015 and finally cracked the 1 hour mark, finishing in 57 minutes. Get me.
-------------------------
Music for bench-sitting, step-crying and change-waiting:
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Zutons - Always Right Behind You
Holy Ghost! - Hold My Breath
Jean-Michel Jarre - Chronologie Part 4
Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too (Part 1)
Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler
Yes - The Calling
Pet Shop Boys - Discoteca
Robert Miles - One and One
Phoenix - 1901
ELO - Turn to Stone
Kissy Sell Out - Bethnal Green Cafe
Bob Sinclar - World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)
Tinyfish - God Eat God
Billy Joel - Running on Ice
Right, this is my last running update before the BUPA 10k, which will be good news for most of my readers, since these running posts aren't terribly popular - except for the one about pants, that one's been a smash hit. Who knew?
It's now just under 2 weeks to go, and sadly I think this means my dream of powering past the elite athletes laughing as they're jogging towards victory is out of the window (and if it's anything like last year, then I won't actually have started by the time the very fastest are crossing the line anyway.)
 |
| Yes, Mo even appears on the front page of the official BUPA 10k magazine, just to make me feel much better. |
Last year I ran the course in a very respectable (for me) 1 hour, 4 minutes and 50-odd seconds, followed by another 10k a few weeks later in which I managed to shave almost 2 minutes off my time. Sadly, after that I then failed to do any exercise for the next 9 months, which is probably why there is no way in the world that I will be beating last year's time.
I'm still working my way through the 10k programme of walk/run and have now made it to week 7 of 12 (walk 4 minutes, run 2 minutes x 10). My maths isn't too hot but I estimate that in order to achieve my personal best doing that, I will need to run at about 30 miles per hour. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm up to it.
 |
| Not allowed? Shame. |
I have finally, therefore, let go of the notion that I will be able to do something more impressive than last year, and have managed my expectations accordingly. Being a consultant / project management-ish type, I'm good at managing other people's expectations but for some reason it doesn't often work on myself.
I have, however, set myself something realistic to aim for. On Saturday just gone, it was a lovely sunny day, so I thought I'd go out for a run - not the wimpy walk/run I've been doing, no a proper run. Just to see how far I got without stopping. The sad and crushing answer was... about 1 kilometre. Not because I'm unfit and my lungs/heart were giving out, no I wouldn't mind that, it was my stupid calf muscle. And not even the one I've previously mentioned, which has been treated by means of a nice South African gentleman named Simon sitting on me and prodding it violently.
Apparently making that calf muscle nice and strong has had the effect of making the other one so weak in comparison that it just gives up and goes home after about 7 minutes of exercise - well, until it suddenly decides that it's ok for no apparent reason and lets me run again.
It was for this reason that my "run" turned into a "jog / walk / jog / sit down on park bench and massage leg / walk / sit down on steps and cry (with anger and frustration - not pain, I'm not a sissy) / walk again a bit / sit down for 5 whole minutes and contemplate how I will tell the Cure Parkinson's Trust that I have to give back my sponsorship money / walk / jog / suddenly realise that it's not hurting any more / run / run / stop at ice cream van outside Hampton Court Palace to buy bottle of water / wait for nice man to bring me change from his car / run / jog / sprint last 1km."
In this ramshackle and roundabout way, I actually managed to cover 10 kilometres in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Which, frankly, I had been starting to think was a good 40 minutes quicker than I was ever going to manage this year.
Therefore, I have now erased last year's times from my scorecard and am starting anew. My new personal best for 10k is 1 hour and 24 minutes. Surely, SURELY, I can't do any worse than this on the 28th of May? There won't be many places to sit down and cry on the day, for starters...
----------------------------
2015 Update: I did finish the Bupa 10k, with a certain amount of walking. It took me far too long, though, and there was unfinished business, so I came back and did it again in 2015 and finally cracked the 1 hour mark, finishing in 57 minutes. Get me.
-------------------------
Music for bench-sitting, step-crying and change-waiting:
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Zutons - Always Right Behind You
Holy Ghost! - Hold My Breath
Jean-Michel Jarre - Chronologie Part 4
Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too (Part 1)
Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler
Yes - The Calling
Pet Shop Boys - Discoteca
Robert Miles - One and One
Phoenix - 1901
ELO - Turn to Stone
Kissy Sell Out - Bethnal Green Cafe
Bob Sinclar - World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)
Tinyfish - God Eat God
Billy Joel - Running on Ice
No comments:
Post a Comment