Change of name

Decided to update the blog name to something a bit more 'normal'. As much as I liked my former blog title, 'Project Carpe Viam', it was a bit of a mouthful and sounded a bit snooty me thinks.

'Running Rabid' is a bit more down to Earth and describes me a bit better too.

Not sure if I'll blog again until January so until then, Happy New Year peeps!

Winter blues

I had been going great guns a couple of weeks ago, getting out 3 times a week and making some real progress. Then came the snow...and the ice...and as much as I love snow and ice, running in it is a whole different matter. I chose not to risk slipping and cracking my head open on the pavement and kept indoors. As a result I have not been out in a couple of weeks - obviously my preparation is not ideal.

Then along came Christmas, and believe me, I did not hold back. Then came the after Xmas sales which sapped most of my energy for the following 3 days. And now I am rather feverish which means my breath is majorly restricted so I can't actually reach any decent pace or endurance. I think the first Sunday I am free I will need to go to straight into hitting 14-15km. Plus increasing my intensity during the week.

Training has been so poor for this, I'm getting frustrated with myself. Time to crack the whip and see myself through the first 11 weeks of 2010 and finish that half marathon. Woohoo.

Before day break

Went out at 6AM today and did a split run of 400, 800, 1200 and 1600m with a break of about 400m between each.

Realised today that I can get a bit more pace and not get breathless as quickly if I take bigger strides. I've been working on trying to take more weight on to my heels than bouncing off my toes and I think that ties in well with the bigger strides. Just need to build up a consistent technique so it becomes a bit effortless.

Still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. Need to build up endurance to cover the distance and to not keep slowing down to walking speed!!! Fun weeks ahead...

The aftermath...

I suppose 4k in 22 minutes isn't bad going by my standards (in fact I think it's a PB!). Only problem is that in completing that 4k I was lapped 3 times by the race leaders and put the team well off the pace with 17km to go still...whoops!

Standards were extremely high and it showed how unprepared I truly was...lot of work to do between now and March, when I will be covering about 5 times the distance I managed today.

Don't think my legs were the problem - I just couldn't get my breathing right and I got breathless after about 4 laps. Might have been the freezing weather in part but it showed me where I really need to concentrate at least.

I was quite content with the fact that I did lap one person, but ideally I wouldn't have been lapped at all.

Anyways, onwards and upwards - out tomorrow morning practicing intervals to help build some cardio fitness and breathing rhythm. Will keep you posted.

...Til next time...

So it begins....

Half marathon training officially kicks off tomorrow with the Crawathlon in Crawley. I'll be running about 5-6k I think depending on what my colleagues manage.

On the basis that I am the least fit out of all of them I expect I'll be at the back of the pack shoring up the tail end... Woohoo. Atleast the only way is up from there!

I'll be concentrating on speed tomorrow. I'll see how it goes...

Wednesday will see me up well before daylight to do intervals to try to build some cardio fitness... I still wonder WTF I let myself in for.

Been a while....

It has been a very long time since I was last here.

My run on 27 September I completed in 1h 2m 12s - so not quite at target but not far either. It was still a PB time so not complaining. The course was also horrible - lots of slippery, hilly, uneven wet ground - surpirsed no major injuries amongst the runners.

Anyways drawn a line under that and now getting ready for next one - half marathon on 14 March 2010. Training officially kicks off Tuesday 1 December - 16 solid weeks, and I am aiming for a sub 2 hour time. Not sure how plausible it will be given I took more than an hour for half that distance!

Going to head out running 3 times a week - one day intervals to build up cardio fitness, one day short 4-5k runs to build up pace and one day long distance runs to get some endurance. I'm also doing these bootcamp classes once a week and I go to the gym to life some weights twice a week. Last one isn't essential but I do worry distance running can lead to muscle loss so I am sort of hedging my bets a bit. Not sure how long I'll last a bit further down the line but at the minute I am feeling ready to go....in December...in the freezing cold...and dark....and rain...and...and....why did I want to do this again?

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the big day - would be lying if I said the adrenaline hasn't already kicked in. I am buzzing and excited. Haven't really thought about anything else all day!

We will see how it goes - I am confident of finishing with a fairly decent time - not sure if I'll get under 1 hour which I was hoping for unless the race day adrenaline acts as a super stimulant and drags me through.

If anyone does want to sponsor me, my sponsorship page is:

http://www.run10ksponsorme.org/abhinavgupta

Bring it on!

2 weeks to go....

This time in 2 weeks I will have completed my first 10k. I have kind of mixed feelings about it actually - I went out for a run today and came in at 1 hour and 3 minutes. Overall its only 3 minutes more than my target time and 2 weeks should be enough time to push myself and get that down, but I don't think I have time to get in more than one 10k run before then, and maybe one or two 5k's.

So I might just need to give my all on the day and see where I get to. Its not my ideal by any means and I do want to get under 1 hour before the day itself. But I guess I just didn't put in enough effort or enough runs beforehand.

I will be going for my last training run next Sunday and a gentle run the day before. Will see how it goes!

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

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And the winner is....

Following on from my last post, I have decided to go for a Garmin Forerunner 405cx. It just seemed to make the most sense out of all the options.

Given its accuracy, the ease of storing, transferring and recording data and the convenience of it also being a decent watch, it was actually a pretty easy choice in the end.

I don't think blowing £250+ on a (prospective) brand new iPod when there is absolutely nothing wrong with my current one would be the wisest move. Plus at most it would be half the capacity of my current one - meaning I would need to be selective about the music I put on there.

I was tempted by the Nike+ but it just seemed a bit half-assed compared to the Garmin for me. You know, if you're going to do something, do it wholeheartedly - the Nike+ just seemed like a cheaper and probably less accurate alternative to the Garmin.

And for the phone...well I need a phone anyways and I have settled in on one, which does also have GPS. But it is less accurate and the data transfer charges to upload my running data would be ridiculous.

So there you have it...I have just ordered mine, and I will keep posting how it goes.

To GPS or not to GPS...

One of the things that annoys me about my running at the minute is trying to track my progress. I have approximations of my times and speeds to go on, but I want some good solid numbers to work from.

I am a bit of a data monkey I guess - Number crunching is my banana. Yes I am aware of how immensely profound that sounded.

So I was thinking if I get some sort of GPS device which comes with the relevant software it will be a major aid to me tracking my progress - to track improvements, see where I am struggling, how much my speed varies...and so on and so forth.

This of course raises the question of what device to get...and hence my predicament.

I think there are realistically 3-4 options here - both GPS, and other:

1) One of those funky GPS watches which Garmin produces, costing something like £250 minimum.

2) Nike+ - which doesn't work with my iPod classic and therefore would also require investment in a new iPod.

3) A phone with integrated GPS - Nokia, Blackberry, iPhone and a few others all have such phones and you can get run-tracking software for them.

4) Potentially a new iPod touch - there's rumours afoot that this will be out in mid-September and might have GPS.

Ideally the iPod touch I am hoping for will come to fruition. Means I can be in possession of an extremely cool device, an iPod which has not been out of production and for which plenty of accessories are still produced, the GPS device I need and...did I already mention the coolness?

It means I can stick with getting a cheap-o phone as well. I really don't have great luck with phones so spending a load on one and locking myself into a contract for 18-24 months is a bit of a risk.

The Garmin is not a bad option either - seeing as there is as such nothing wrong with my current iPod and its still in pretty good condition. Only thing is its a pretty big investment for something I will probably only use specifically for running!

Anyways that's a bit of a brief overview and completely inconclusive. I think I will sit tight and wait and see what Apple brings along in its music event in September. Watch this space 09/09/09!

Tabatas.....

If like me previously, you have not heard of tabata training before it is basically in a nutshell:

Total 4 minute workout - that's right, 4 minutes!

In those 4 minutes you have 8 'sets' of 30 seconds each, consisting of 20 seconds of your absolute maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest.

The mistake I made (and you may make while reading the above) is that it sounds pretty easy.

The key word there is 'sounds'. And I say that because when I actually got around to trying it today after about 3 'sets' I realised the complete inadequacy of both my mental and physical preparation for trying this out. I am sure someone watching me would have thought I was having an asthma attack at this point while I puffed and heaved my way through another 5 sets of absolute agony.

I also realised that this method of training can have an adverse effect on one's ability to control their own legs (and their ability to stand) - I just wish I had worked that out before I got off the machine and found myself in a heap on the floor.

On the plus side, my lungs have felt cleared out all day - its a pretty cool feeling, a bit of a burning sensation if you will. Not really sure how else to describe it, but you'll probably know what I'm talking about if you have felt it before.

My heart rate was definitely higher for a good few hours afterwards as well - which I think means I was doing it right.

I gather the purpose of tabata is to improve your aerobic and anaerobic capacity at the same time - and quickly. And I can definitely see how it works.

Hopefully next time I will be a bit better prepared so I don't end up needing to pick myself up off the floor afterwards.

Til next time...

Day 1 (Sort of...) - 16 August 2009

6 weeks until my first ever race - 10km for Cancer Research UK - 27 September 2009. First step on the way to my goal of the 2011 London Marathon.

I did consider 2010, but I figured I want to do it in a time which I wouldn't embarrass myself at - so under 4 hours - and at a fitness level which wouldn't require me to be carried home. So 2011 it is. I will be signing up for lots of other runs between now and then - 5km, 10km, half marathons. As well as my normal training and practice in between. Expect regular updates, mood swings, rants and so on.

I signed up back in April and the time is going by way too fast. On the bright side, I have managed to steadily improve my fitness levels over the last few months.

Back in January I could not run at all - on the treadmill in the gym, I considered brisk walking to be an achievement - and worked up quite a sweat!

By April I had managed to get together a bit of momentum and stamina and I signed up for this 10km. I decided to go out for a training run that weekend. I did manage to complete about 10km - took me about 90 minutes and I thought I had done well - until I got up the following morning and felt like someone had taken a hacksaw to my legs...

Anyways I think I have passed that stage - I managed to improve my times alot - second time I went out I got to 1hr 10min, then down to 1hr 6min and recently 1hr 3min!

I am getting closer and closer to that magical 1 hour mark - within touching distance - but there is still plenty of work to be done to get to that comfortably by the time race day rolls around.

Over the next few weeks I will be trying to get in 3 more 10km runs, a few interval runs and a few free sprints. Time to get a grip on the diet (woohoo!) and try to build some muscle as well.

To infinity and beyond..... well to 10km anyways.