I'm back. Am I back?

[driscool]

So I had a bad couple of years : muscle pulls, bursitis and plantar fasciitis; but worse,  put on a LOT of weight.

 

To go back to the Origin story, 2011 I was really heavy and decided I had to start dealing with it. I made myself into a runner. By 2015 I was in the shape of my life. Then a move (from Spain to US), injuries, maybe some mental health issues and it all got fucked up. And I felt like such a loser for having let it slide. I was smoking, drinking too much and even had a bit of an opioid issue for a while. The move back to Spain last year was no easier, but once things settled here I found my groove, little by little.

 

Since April this year I have steadily built back up. I decided I had to consider myself as beginning from zero again. Cut out most booze, all tobacco and drugs. Did a lot of hard hiking to push endurance out. Started with one minute runs and five minute walks.

Today I did 11.3km.

My main goal really is not to get injured. I'm loving running and hiking and just want to be able to keep going. However I find the focus of an upcoming event to help at low-motivation moments, so I'm looking at doing 10Ks in December and January. back in April I was thinking I just wanted to be able to run 10k in an hour again by December. Well, I did that today.

My current training plan, more a set of principles than a specific plan, involves 1-2 very easy runs- short and slow, one intervals or sustained effort run, and one longer run per week, time allowing. Weights and stretching bore the hell outta me and feel like wasted walk/run time, though I know I should do that stuff too.

 

I think maybe I'm back

[driscool]

Easy run done. I am taking the easiness seriously and went very very slowly, around 7m/km. I'm more or less following the chart on this page https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/beginners
/a26514237/running-pacing-easy-miles/ 

According to that, I should probably be going even more slowly! As slow as 138% of your 10k race pace . Anyway I quite like having a justification for trundling along looking at the birds and the clouds.

 

Page... 

[driscool]

Today intervals. 600m x5 in 3:30 each, though actually a bit faster than that. Walk then jog for 1km to warm up, and 1min walks between intervals. Next week, 700m in 4mins

[driscool]

The training montage continues...  Today a slow 1.7mile walk up the hill behind my house with some less fit company, then 4 miles and change easy run (11min/mile). For once an easy run actually felt easy, maybe because of the long, slow warmup.

 

We'll see what the weekend brings. I kind of do what hiking and running buddies want to do, so maybe a hard hike with my speedwalking brother-in-law (he does 12 minute miles) or a 10-12k hardish run with my old running buddy, who has the annoying trait of getting into shape quicker than me. If neither of the above, then a long, slow one on Sunday morning- probably 15k from where my kids go riding, over the river, past the Castle, around the satellite tracking station, under the motorway, up the long desolate hill, through the woods and home. If I do that I'll walk most of the uphills. I have a 10k trail race coming up in January, which is basically down and back up again. I plan to walk all the steep bits