November 2011 - Matt Gets Running

Sunshine and Darkness

20111117 DSC02122 Here’s a picture from last week’s jog, when I went out on Thursday, taking advantage of my new ~~unemployed layabout~~ freelance status by going for a 6K run around the Downs at lunchtime. It was a clear, fresh autumn-nearly-winter day, and I enjoyed the jog, mostly. Though I did drop back to a walk in a couple of places toward the end; just getting up Bridge Valley Road sapped a lot of my energy at the start of the run.

Tonight’s jog was chillier and darker, and was a simple 5K down the Portway. It was too dark for photography, which is a shame, because on my way back home I heard the flapping of large wings down by the water and looked across in time to see a heron come in to land on the bank of the Avon. I’ve seen them before on river trips up toward Avonmouth, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as close to the city as I did tonight. Nice!

Neither run had many aches or pains, so I reckon getting out there a bit more frequently is definitely helping.

Anyway. Busy weekend coming up, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get out for a run much before Monday or Tuesday. Have a good weekend, whatever you’re doing. And take advantage of any sun that you can find!

Better

After the aches and pains of Thursday, yesterday’s jog through Leigh Woods was very pleasant. While it was hard work in places, it was the right kind of hard work, the kind of hard work that left me standing at the tops of hills panting until I’d recovered, rather than the kind of hard work that had me running along the flat frowning while wondering why my hip was aching so much.

I also got out early enough to snap the sun just rising over the Suspension Bridge. There are limited vantage points with a good view of the bridge from the towpath, so I figured I’d try a different kind of shot, this one through some bare Autumn branches, to try to get something a bit less “same‑y”. I think it worked quite nicely.

Aches and Pains

I didn’t jog last weekend, but instead went for a nice walk in Leigh Woods with my friend Emmeline. I love running in the woods, but it made a pleasant change having some company and going slow enough to carry the big camera around.

I did get out for a mid-week jog, a 5K down the Portway on Thursday. And it was pretty horrible, to be honest. I was achey and slow and really not up for it. Even though it was only 5K, I felt like I had to walk a couple of times on the way back. Body and mind were just not up for it.

Here’s some hope, though; a report from my friend Jose on his latest run:

Monday saw the only my fourth run of the last eight weeks, and boy, was I creaky. The first couple of miles hurt, no doubt about that, but then… then the muscles and bones and bits of cartilage and lungs and all other associated hanging together bits remembered how it all went and everything fell into place. Those following two and half miles were much, much better. I’m not there yet, I need to run and run and run, but that lovely feeling of being able to run 18 miles in one go will return. Eventually.

My hope, specifically, being that I’ve just not been running often enough nor far enough recently, and that if I get out and stretch my current limits a bit, maybe I’ll work through the aches and pains a bit — break through the creakiness barrier — and start feeling good for more of my running.

I’m going to try to get out for a long, slow run today or tomorrow; it looks like we’ve got pretty good weather lined up for most of the weekend, so I should take advantage of it…

Nice Little 5K

So, I went to Crete for a week, and then took another week off jogging. Still, I hit the road again today, and I’m glad I did. I hadn’t planned on a morning run today, but it was a lovely morning, and I just felt the urge to be out there in the sunshine.

I did a plodding 5K down the towpath on the south of the Avon. Great weather, lovely clouds in the sky — as you can see from this picture that I snapped on the return leg — and despite my recent lack of training, I didn’t feel too bad.

All in all, a good jog. Shame RunKeeper crashed between kilometres 1 and 2, but I was using the Garmin Forerunner as a backup, so I still managed to get a decent log.

Hopefully I can start ramping back up to at least a couple of runs a week now.