Running in Shkoder, Albania

Day 140 - Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Not much to say really.

been running about once a week - due to heavy rain for the last month.
Mostly 10kms but also some 5 km.

Weight went back up over 80kg over the Christmas period, but it is down again to roughly 79.5kg.

Need to keep working on the running.

Wasn't helped yesterday, having completed the 10km, I got back home and the water had been turned off!

had a shower at 6a.m.

Day 115 - 10 Km on the 10th

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Well not much has been happening recently.

I started the year with a 5km on 1st January.
Good start to the year - but I think I was dressed too lightly and it was fairly cold, and i took my hat off when i was sweating, and I ended up catching the cold...and the cold weather then really put me off going outside at ALL! - let alone think about running.

Again, i was still not feeling too good yesterday so postponed a run till Monday as the forecast was rain today and tomorrow. that would have been the first week without a run since i started.

I was pleasantly surprised today to see the sun out and find it was much warmer and no rain. So I headed out at lunch time for a 10km.
No real difficulty and a slightly new route closer to home which made it a little more enjoyable.

10km - 56 mins 54 secs.

1 - 9.10
2 - 8.54
3 - 9.07
4 - 9.03
5 - 9.17
6 - 9.16
last - 9.21

10km Final run of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:18:00 +0000

Decided to make this my final run of 2008 - so i was determined for it to be 10km, which is the furthest that i am running at the moment.

I haven't been feeling too good the last few days, so I was not interested in a quick time, just in getting round.

It was very cold and I was glad the Garmin found the satellite quite quickly. As i started I checked the time and was under 9.00, so I slowed down to 9.00 pace and tried to stay as near to that as I could.

The run felt uncomfortable, difficult, slow, long and cold.

However, in the end I finished off with a 56 minutes 23 seconds which is just over 9.00 pace. So i was pleased with that.

Splits
1 - 9.05
2 - 9.17
3 - 9.18
4 - 9.14
5 - 9.06
6 - 8.57

So that is it for 2008. Hoping to keep going in 2009, although the thought of running in cold weather does not inspire me at all!

5km Christmas Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Christmas is not celebrated by everyone in Albania. In fact my mother-in-law went to the Post Office today and said that it was a normal working day.

I decided I would have time, with the boys off school to get a run in before lunch.
Unfortunately, I haven't been well this week and have a virus, so i decided that 5km should be the maximum for this run.

Decided not to time it nor do my heart rate, but at the last minute I took my Garmin with me.

As i started to run I saw a friend and I think that made me run a little quicker. I saw I was under 8.00 pace.
Too quick!

I don't know what it is about this course but the Garmin that is usually very accurate does not pick it up.It is about 200metres out...so all the other runs over this course have to be unofficial , including my under 26 minutes PR for 5km.

There were far too many people on the roads, and a number of times I had to either take a slight detour rather than the shortest route possible. At one point I got squeezed between 2 card and had to run back and round them.
Still I felt good all the run.

As I came towards the end I felt I should up the pace, but was totally unaware of the 5km spot. I added a little onto the run, rather than my usual stop and checked the time at different spots.

I make it that i ran about 100 metres more than 5km.

My last check point was 26 minutes, so I reckon the time to be about 26 minutes 15 seconds.
I am making this my official record time for 5km.

I still feel I could have upped that and beaten it, but still it felt good.

I am a little cold now...which is not good. That was how I was feeling earlier in the week.
My chest was also bright red after the run. I was hoping it was the dri-fit shirt and the cold weather and not a rash. I am not convinced as yet what it is.

Here are the splits.
1 - 8.00
2 - 8.27
3 - 8.09
last - 7.27

Day 97 - 3 month review

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:04:00 +0000

Time for a review.

It has passed 3 months since I started to run.
There are a lot of good things that have happened since then, and I am really pleased at the progress.

I did a 5km last Friday and that kept my goal of 15km a week through the winter period.
yesterday , I think, was the shortest day of daylight, so the nights should be getting lighter and spring should be on its way.

Not much chance of that, for a while.
I always feel that February is the coldest month in Albania....so I reckon we have some cold weather to deal with, and I will see how things go.

Positives.
Have been keeping the running going - so far so good.
Weight loss till now has been encouraging. The 3 month weight was 79.6kg
No injuries.
The desire to run is still there.

Negatives
Just been at 2 weddings over the weekend, and with New Year coming up I can see the weight going back on. I am already back up over 80kg.
Not looking forward to running in the (very) cold weather.
4 weeks of almost non-stop rain have hindered me slightly.
Longer runs are more boring. I don't know if I should start using the i-pod. Unfortunately my ipod is too big and bulky for running and my wife is away today with her i-pod - which I would have tried. The other problem, is that running in Albania, you need to watch the cars, and with an i-pod, you sometimes can;t hear them speeding up behind you!

Told my wife to keep an eye on the New year sales for a new pair of running shoes when she is in the UK.
that may inspire me to get out running in the cold!

Day 89 - slow 10km

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Not having run for a few days, I was determined to get a run in today - especially as the forecast is more rain.

As it was dry, I went out as soon as I picked the boys up from school.

I programmed 10km on the Garmin and started to run.
the whole run just felt uncomfortable, slow, lethargic, heavy legs...nothing about it was very good.

Ran a reverse route, and that it made it slightly more interesting, but this is one of those days that running is not much fun!

10km in 1 hour 24 seconds.

Splits
1 - 9.06
2 - 9.38
3 - 10.25
4 - 9.58
5 - 9.56
6 - 10.04
end 6.45

Day 85 - Running in the rain

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:05:00 +0000

My boys were out of school early for a parents meeting, so after hearing the report on my eldest son, I thought I would get out for a quick 5km.

However, the rain started. Undeterred, I got ready, took off my glasses and headed out. It was raining lightly and I really thought it would go off, but it actually got heavier as I went round the course.
Never mind, it kept me cool.

I started off, and I knew I was running quickly - well quicker than normal.
I started to slow down a little as I convinced myself that I could up the pace nearer home rather than in the beginning.

At approx. 2 miles I checked my watch to find how far I had run, and saw that it was exactly 2 miles and the time a little over 17 minutes.
Immediately, psychologically I felt out of breath...
But, I decided that if I ran that pace it would be a PR - so I kept going.

As I came along the last 1km I felt out of breath, but could see I was running an easy pace, but quickly. As I turned onto the last 500 metres I managed to up the pace but without sprinting.

The final time was 25 minutes 58 seeconds.
8.20 pace

Splits
1- 8.35
2- 8.27
3- 8.04
final - 7.24

65% heart rate in Zone 5, so I was running a little faster than I should, or what is comfortable.

39 seconds quicker than my best 5km up till now.

Weigh In yesterday
79.9kg

Glad to still be under 80kg - but it seems to be itching to get back up over 80kg and New Year is approaching...

Day 82 - 10km

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:30:00 +0000

This really is my first 10km.

the last one on 2 December was around 5-600 metres short of 10km. The cloudy, thundery day affected the reading.

Today is Bajram, a holiday in Albania, so I managed to get out in the morning for a run.
Checked my watch at a half mile and I was at 8.30 pace. Too fast.
Slowed down, but it was till 8.40 pace.
Slowed down again, and tried to run 9.30 pace.

I was trying to run in 9.00 pace for the 10km and to finish in 56 minutes.

I felt reasonably well during the run.
A slight feeling of cramp at the back of my right leg, from 3 miles onwards.
Feeling tired in general having had a late night, staying up to watch the Steelers-Cowboys game which had been on TV.

Didn't try to up my pace until the last few hundred metres and it was then that the satellite reception gave in.

Kept running and stopped at 56 minutes.
In fact 56 minutes 01 seconds....right at the 10km mark according to GMAPS.

here are my splits...
1- 8.55
2- 8.59
3- 9.18
4- 9.16
5- 9.13
6- 8.45
final - 7.30

My run started off in Zone 5 for the first mile but then dropped to Zone 4 for almost the whole run. I just didn't push myself at all.

Slight blister on my middle right toe, and chaffing on my left inside thigh. ( Man that is a pain. I should have wore my running tights - under my trackie bottoms of course! - I just don;t know what the Albanians would make of my running tights. I get enough strange loos without my tighter than tight running tights! But, today a woman did say to me as I ran by, "Oh ti, të lumtë" which roughly translated would be, "Good for you!")

5km - unofficial PR

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Slightly disappointed again that I ran 5km quicker than ever before, but am unsure of my times. the Garmin misread the distance again. I double around the route, but it appears to be somewhere at the beginning that disrupts the Garmin.

however i knew where the 5km marker was and ran until then, and stopped the watch, only to find that it had registered until i got back to the house.

Around 3 km was 24 minutes 45 seconds.

So i reckon the time must have been around 26 minutes.

Bit disappointed that I have no way of knowing the actual reading.

Last weigh in was last Wednesday which was 79.4 kg.
Again surprised by that, as it was the lowest reading for the week, and I have ben over 80kg twice since then, so I think 80kg would be a truer reading.

Still I am encouraged and in all the rain that has fallen, and it was thunder and lightning a minute ago, I am glad that i have run more this wee than any other week.

Splits
1 - 8.24
2 - 8.14
3 - 8.32

Day 76 - 5km

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:11:00 +0000

( I have left this post as I first wrote it. having written it, I remembered a funny read out from my Garmin including an area that I did not run. Strange - so I checked it on GMAPS ... and I realise that I only ran 4.7km. So, that is the reason for the super-fast time. I am annoyed now...not that I did not run the time below...but that I did not get my TRUE personal record. With only less than 300 metres to go I would have still had a PR and blasted my last time. Still the next PR may only be one run away.)

After running 10km last Sunday, and with rain forecast, I was thinking of a run towards the end of the week - give me a chance to rest, and also a chance for the weather to improve.

However, I suddenly realised that if the rain stayed off, I could get out for a quick run this evening - so I headed off for a 5km.

To start with, I just felt good. I felt strong, no pain in the legs and I decided on a different route.
there were a number of things in my favour tonight.
- the weather was warm
- new trousers, not cotton
- an unexpected run, always feels better
- a new route

Well, it was not exactly a new route....
It started off just outside my house and quickly cut into my usual last 500 metres...then I ran an old route - even doubling part of it to get up to 5km. Anyway, it always feel good running close to the house.

As I say, I just felt good the whole run.
I used the trainer on my garmin and could see I was ahead.
Having set the 5km to 25 minutes I was surprised but kept kicking on. Checked again and could see that I was still up....

I had to change the screen to see the distance, to make sure I was running 5km, and also to know when I could think on raising the pace.
It worked out really well and as I came to the home stretch of approximately 500 metres I felt I was kicking on at a good pace.
the only problem was the watch still had me under 3 miles. I saw I was on a really good time so I just tried to keep going. I suddenly realised that to keep going would mean crossing a busy street....but just as I got there the cars flew by and left me a clear way across.

Quick check of the watch...

It was touch and go to break 25 minutes....

So I sprinted.

Man that felt good.
I run 3 miles and I still can sprint full out.( This must be my first real sprint in years!)

Looked at my watch and it had stopped at 5km.

24 minutes 54 seconds! - a new PR. ( Wow just checked and that is 103 seconds quicker than my previous PR for 5km)

Splits:
1 - 8.04
2 - 8.14
3 - 8.04
The last stretch, my Garmin had me at 5.34 pace

That is 8.00 minute pace.
Now you would think I would be pleased...but I sit here thinking that 7.59 pace would have sounded a whole lot better, and had I not been delayed a millisecond by a cyclist at a blind corner, then it may have made all the difference.

Still, I am really pleased with my progress.

Day 75 - My first 10km

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:32:00 +0000

( Just checked on GMAPS and this appears to be 5-600 metres short of 10km. The cloudy rainy day I think affects the satellite reading. It was only today 8th December that I realised that I had run further and still the 10km mark was the same spot. Still a good run all the same. ) Yes, my first 10km, and it felt good!

I am really surprised because this week has been forecast cold and very rainy with thunder showers - Not the weather for running - especially as I have not and don't plan running in the (heavy) rain.

Therefore, I have been feeling really good at running back to back 5km at the tail end of last week.

Today was cloudy (it is now raining very heavy) and it is very warm. After church I decided I might squeeze another 5km in before lunch.
Got ready, was feeling very good, and decided 5 miles would be better than 5km. I started off and just felt good, no aches, no pains - it felt quite fast , but I decided just to keep going and not to look at times.

At 1 mile I checked and saw it was 8.40 pace that I was running at that moment, so tried to keep the rhythm going. At just over 1 mile I headed out on a new route. I have planned this route but did not want to run it in the dark. I am glad about that decision, as it was far longer than I thought, and it turned back on to my old route. I told myself I should cut the distance to 4 miles...but at the turn off point to head home for the shorter route I just kept going. I decided I could still cut it short to 5 miles, but in the end I kept going and had to extend the run slightly to get the last 0.2 miles for the 10km.

I had to run through a building site, over some very rough road especially between mile 5 and 6 which probably accounts for the slow time.

Here are the splits.
1- 8.27
2- 8.50
3- 8.51
4- 8.58
5- 9.08
6- 8.50
last - 8.46

10 km in 55 minutes 10 seconds.

Feeling really good at running 10km!

Day 73 - 3miles

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Was not expecting to get back out for a run until probably Sunday...and I arrived home tonight and realised that I had forgotten to pick up my son's medicine from my mother-in-law.

What a great excuse.
"I'll just run down and get it!"

Extended the run a bit and ran just over 3 miles.

Time was 26 minutes 13 seconds.
That is 8.38 pace, and to be honest I felt i was running easy and quite fast, but not that fast.

the surprising thing is that BIM has me under 3 miles and with some strange readings that has me over 28 minutes....so unless it included my stops to pick up the medicine and buy bread...then I can't understand what happened!

Still pleased that I was out running, but heavy eating today and am sure breaking 80.5kg for this week will be good! :-(

Day 72 5km - slow progress

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Was in Tirana all day and got back at 5pm. had a meeting at 6.30pm, so decided I could squeeze in a quick 5km, but then found we had no water - so a shower afterwards was out of the question.

Just when I thought a run was off - the water came back on, and so I headed out.
The Garmin is picking reception up really quickly which is BIG bonus and so I headed off.

At first I thought I was running really quick. the humming or numbness or heaviness in my feet was gone which was good and so I glanced at my watch. It told me 9.30 pace, which was a lot slower than I felt I was running.

I had a tight feeling across my chest, and knowing that the last run had been 98% in Zone 5, I decided to take it easy. Half way round I looked at my watch and saw the heart rate was 168, so that was good. Still a bit tight across the chest, but I put it down to tiredness and wrong diet/lack of fluids. I looked at the watch and my heart rate was up to 178...a few seconds later it was up to 190...then 200...then 210. Something was seriously wrong, so I stopped running and checked my stats...I then realised I was on the wrong page of the Garmin and I was reading my calorie burnt count.
DOH!
Off running again, and back at 9.30 pace.
Didn't push myself, didn't feel tried...just always a little out of breath.

A slow finish in 29 mins 18 seconds.
Probably one of my slowest 5km...but still any 5km is good, surely!

the other strange thing is my weigh in.
Usually Wednesday is a non-running day, and yesterday was no different.
Usually I am teaching at church in the evening and come home famished.
No different yesterday.
usually my weigh in, gives a result of the highest reading of the week.
Not so yesterday.
I weighed in yesterday at 79.9kg.
That has broken the 80kg barrier.

I am a little worried as I have not been under 80kg all week, and I stuffed my face last night, and still the reading was low. I think it may be a false weight, so anything around the 80kg next Wednesday will be my target.

Still, it is encouraging!

Day 68 - 4 mile shuffle

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Weather forecast is for rain for the next few days, and although my legs still seem to be a little sore, I decided to go out for a run in the afternoon.

Decided for 5 miles but again as soon as I started I realised that 4 miles would be better - even went through my mind 3 miles, but I kept on for 4.

I had to change the route slightly, but the whole run just felt clumsy, laboured and slow.

I checked my watch at about a mile and saw I was 9.35 pace...and thought that was aboutt right. The final half mile, I felt I was running on the spot - but checked my watch and saw i was under 9 minutes...

Strange.

Splits...
1 - 8.55
2 - 9.09
3 - 9.28
4 - 9.10

The final mile I took easy, and except for stepping up the pace when i saw my neighbours ( Ah...pride, it lives in us all!)....I just kept running at my "normal" pace for the day.

Surprised to see a time of 36 minutes 38 seconds.( BIM 36m 32 sec)
That is no PR, but it is not too far away from my usual runs - except they all felt good, fast and comfortable....this felt the opposite.

What was surprising is that my heart rate was 97% in Zone 5.
Can't figure out why that should be.
The last 2 runs, my heart rate was high for the first half mile before settling down to Zone 4, until I stepped it up for the last mile.
Tonight it was just high all the time.

Don;t know if that is the reason why I felt so bad...or if in general I was tired and unwell and that made the run more difficult.

Still - I am pleased to have got out and run again.

Running can be difficult sometimes!

Day 65 - a difficult run! 5 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Last run, that I thought was 5 miles, was not!

It was around 600 metres short of 5 miles, and therefore my super-great time was over "less than" and not a full 5 miles.

That may explain why tonight was a little different.

Started out, and immediately felt terrible. Felt it was a slow shuffle.I mean slooooow.I just couldn't get going. I felt like I was running in moon boots. My feet felt like lead.
This was NOT good.

No problem , I thought....I am probably running quicker than I think.
Checked at around 1.5 miles and saw it was 9.15 pace. Not great, but still good compared to how I was actually feeling.

Checked at 3 miles - still 9.15 pace. Was the Garmin broken!!
i felt a bit better, but still not normal.
Suddenly felt chaffing between my legs.
This run was not fun.

Consoled myself that it could be the cold...it could be my ultra-quick time last time...it could be the jacket I was wearing....but I still could not find the real reason why I felt bad.

Decided that I could stop at 4 miles...but QUITTING was not on my mind tonight.
In fact after last run's encouragement (even though it was a false time, I was not aware of that during my run), I had decided to run 10km...but as soon as I started I knew that 10 km was not on.

I am glad I never went for the 10km.

I suddenly realized that i was not sweating half as much a normal, and as I took off my jacket, I felt cold.

At the decision point for 4miles and turned and kept on for 5 miles.

The last mile was probably the most comfortable, and the last half mile I really kicked on. I came to the 5 mile marker in my head. Well it WAS 5 miles according to the Garmin the last time, but this time it told me that it was 4.7miles ....I was running full out....I wondered if I could keep it up....but I managed.

I completed 5miles in 46 minutes 02 seconds.

That is 9.11 pace.

Splits...
1 - 9.12
2 -9.19
3 - 9.12
4 - 9.23
5 - 8.44
( again BMI gives strange readings....they total 45 minutes 50 seconds. Where the other 12 seconds go to, I really don't know!)

Went home and checked the distance on Gmaps and found that tonight's run was 5 miles and last run was not.

This was not fun.
This was not easy.
Glad I ran, but worried that I am going to have to convince myself to take my running shoes back out of the cupboard!

Legs are quite sore...I don;t plan a run till Monday...Sunday evening earliest.

Weigh in yesterday - 80.9kg
I realise that Wednesday is my top weight and the other days are usually lower, so it probably is a good day to have the weigh in.

Day 62 - 2 month review

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:15:00 +0000

It is now 2 months since I have started running.

( I don't want to burst my own bubble, but I never ran 5miles. It was 4.7miles. Some glitch with the Garmin, and that resulted in the impressive times!. This will go down as a non-day, and PR's will not be counted)

Tonight I ran 5 miles.
That is impressive in itself.

What is more impressive are my splits.
My Garmin had the time as 43 minutes 28 seconds which was 8.41 pace which was amazing. However, when I transfer it to BonesinMotion, they have different times.

1 - 7.24
2 - 9.26
3 - 8.50
4 - 8.59
5 - 8.25

( That would be 43.04 for the 5 miles and for the first 4 miles 34 minutes 39 seconds)

Taking into account the fact that I think the splits are wrong by 24 seconds overall, then the times may be slightly different. But even adding on 24 seconds to the first mile, then I still ran the first mile in under 8 minutes and far quicker than anything I have ever run!( It probably was a reasonable split, because my heart rate was WAAAAY up for the whole of the first mile, before dropping back to Zone 4)
The 4 miles would be a total of 35 minutes 03 seconds, which again would be my quickest.

What is amazing is that Shkoder was in darkness and running past vorrezat Katolike, and for a whole mile through Kiras was pitch black. In fact I got a bit of a scare as I almost ran in to someone right outside the graveyard!
Scary!!

Anyway, my thoughts after 2 months.

Positives.
Weight Loss - really encouraging and feeling thinner, and lighter!
I am down to what is "uncharted territory , so that is good.
Food - I am still managing to treat myself. Visitors yesterday and I had 2 helpings of curry - so the weight is still coming off, even though I can still enjoy a feast - now and then!
Stress - definitely a positive. Leave it on the streets! And I feel so much better after a run!
Running - it is a lot more fun than I thought it would be!
Distance - looked back at a month ago, and saw that i was worried about increasing to 5km. 5 km came and went - and I am now thinking of 10km. I certainly seem to run easier after 3miles! Strange!
Exercise bike - got it fixed, so hope to be using this over the next few months as well as running!

Negatives.
Winter - the colder weather is coming and that will be problematic.
Darkness - running in thew pitch black can be really scary. Tonight I had to slow down between mile 2 and 3 because I was running in the darkness and literally was struggling to see anything in front of me. Again at 3-4 miles I struggles as the road is very uneven, but I couldn't see a thing and stumbled over potholes - just trying to keep my rhythm.
Rainy days - worried that cold and rainy days will keep me off running, and that I will give up!
Exercise bike - I hope this does not replace the running! That is a worry!
100 push-ups - failed the second week. Kept putting it off for next day and fogot about it. Need to restart this - again!

Overall, very happy with my progress and am so happy that I started to run!

Day 60 - 5 km (PR)

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Haven't been out running for a few days. I have been busy, and yesterday was my first chance, but just as I got free the rain came on, and was quite steady, and as I would be running in the dark...I called it quits and decided to run today, as Sunday is forecast heavy rain.

No problem with the Garmin - it found the signal almost by the time I had dropped off the rubbish - so it was straight out to the course.
The only decision was should I run 5km or 4 miles.

I decided it would be 5km.
there were a number of reasons for this...
1) It was the earliest i have run ( 12 noon)
2) It was quite warm and sunny , and I was a little worried I might not have drunk enough before running. ( i quickly drank 2 glasses of water before heading out)
3) I only had eaten a couple of weetabix's and a cup of coffee all morning and had not eaten much last night, so i was worried my stomach may have been empty.

So, having settled in my mind for 5km I headed off.
Immediately I was in my stride, and running felt good, and easy again!
I was held up at the first corner by a traffic jam, and had to improvise my route slightly running close between cars and a wall. that slowed me down, and I had a quick glance at my watch and saw it was well under 9 minute pace.

I thought about slowing down, but to be honest I felt comfortable so I kept going, although I tried to feel relaxed.
Glanced again at my watch as i felt I was not running very fast, and it was again under 9 minute pace. decided I wouldn't look at my watch again.

Everything went well, up to the last mile when I realised that running on an empty stomach is not a good idea. With a half mile to go, I felt a little sick, and decided the pace needed to slow, but as I turned into the last stretch I felt a lot better. I did not feel strong, and I could not increase the pace, but I managed to keep going and finished in a new record... 26 minutes 37 seconds. (8.33 minute pace)

Really pleased with that.
Obviously I am lighter in weight than previous runs, but it does look like I am stronger and I enjoyed the 5km. It certainly is a fun run!

Splits.
1 mile - 8.47
2 mile - 8.31
3 mile - 8.27
last - 0.52 seconds

Day 59 - Weigh In.

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:11:00 +0000

Weighed in on Wednesday and was down to 81.1kg.

Good progress again, and am looking to keep at the 4 mile runs, and even soon to extend it to 5 miles.
Rain is forecast, so running might be limited...but I have put the exercise bike in to get fixed, so i hope to be able to keep training in good AND bad weather!

100 Push Ups Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Started this a few weeks ago and did the first week, then I repeated the first week, as it said that was a good idea - knowing that I am the world's worst for push-ups.

Then, as I was thinking of week two, I suddenly realised that i had not completed week one - I had only done day one x 3 times. I did not read that day 2 and 3 were more than day one . Doh!

...so back to the drawing board.

I have just completed week one.
Day 3 of week one is...
4
5
4
4
at least 5.

Man that was a struggle.
I managed the first 4 and 5 no problem, with just a little pause between the two. Then the next 4 was a struggle. I realise that getting another 9 done was going to be difficult. I rested...or to be honest I did some weight training with a couple of 5lbs weights. I thought that might make my muscles wake up....but no luck, they seemed to drain all the energy out of them!

How I managed 4 more I do not know, but I decided on a 2 minute break...that extended to 3 minutes, and I gave the last 5 a try....but I just collapsed in a heap - no strength in the arms at all.

i was determined to do the last 5.
I rested for about 5 minutes and got 5 done, but the last one was really difficult.
the advice on the site says...
"The 60 seconds rest between each level should allow you to complete the workout, but I promise it will get tough towards the end."
Understatement!!

repeating week one this week!

Day 56 - 4 miles - The Wrong Trousers!

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:28:00 +0000

New problem tonight.
It wasn't Mr. Moaner or Mr.Quitter inside my head telling me how difficult it is, or to give up...this was a greater problem - my jogging pants and underwear kept slipping down.

Now, this may be a good sign that my waist is getting smaller, but it was a struggle at times, just to keep them up. I tried running and hitching them both up every 500metres or so, but in the end I resorted in pulling the underwear up and over the top of the running pants, and then doubling over the waist of my running pants 2-3 times.

With that sorted I could concentrate on the run and trying a 9.05 pace.
To be honest I saw I was running under 8 minutes while I was trying to sort my pants out! - so I had to really slow it down in the first mile.

Anyway, the run was pretty event less except for the pants.
Felt very good for the last mile and could feel myself running a lot quicker and very comfortably.
I had ( and still have ) a little pain below my left knee which came on as I walked my son to school. I stepped off the kerb and had a pain immediately in my knee. Hopefully it is a jolt pain that will go away in the next couple of days.

Splits.
1 - 9.14
2 - 9.08
3 - 9.04
4 - 8.35
(Bones in Motion give me a 36 minutes 01 seconds for 4 miles)

New PR for 4 miles 36 minutes 04 seconds.

Had I known I was close to breaking 36 minutes I might have pushed on before, but I was under 8 minutes for the last 400metres or so and felt really good, so I am pleased with the progress.

Interesting to see my heart rate compare to last run.
Tonight I was hardly in Zone 5, with almost 80% of my run in Zone 4. Seem,ed to be very comfortable out there - apart form the underwear discomfort!

Day 54 - 4 miles in the afternoon (PR)

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:27:00 +0000

My earliest run to date - 3p.m.

However, there was not much fun in this run.
from the very start I just felt out of rhythm. I tried to keep the pace to 9.10 and tried to make sure I was not running too fast in the beginning.

This seemed to have a further negative impact on my run and I just felt bad.

There could be other reasons....
I ate a pizza for lunch. Probably unwise prior to a run.
I never drunk anything all morning or for lunch. Doh!
I was running in the afternoon and it was a lot warmer than usual - even the sweat fell in my eyes - man that can burn!

However, I completed the 4 miles....and there were some positives.
1) The secret to having good feet, is to wear thin polyester socks and then your coolmax socks INSIDE OUT! ( that can be quite important) The socks were very comfortable today!
2) The last mile was again quicker and felt the easiest. That is encouraging.
3) My Nike top is NOT for long runs - nipple burn today and that can also be painful.

My splits were...
1 mile - 9.13
2 mile - 9.07
3 mile - 9.16
4 mile - 8.45
(Again the Bones in Motion time splits are slightly different 36 minutes 21 seconds)

It was a PR 9.05 pace.
36 minutes 22 seconds
What was interesting today was my heart rate was in Zone 5 for 74% of the run...that is a lot more than normal, and that could be one of the reasons that I felt bad.
maybe a little to do with the water( or lack of water intake) and a little to do with the heat.

Any run is a good run, and sometimes it can be quite positive afterwards knowing you ran when you didn't feel 100%.

Day 52 - 4 miles

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:17:00 +0000

Was hoping to get a run in today, but just as i was heading back from Koplik into Shkoder the rain started. I was disappointed, but on arriving at the house the rain stopped. I got ready and by the time i was ready it was raining again. However, i decided I would go out anyway. I mean, what is the point in buying a wind/rain jacket if I don't use it!

I decided to leave my glasses behind as they would only get rain all over them blocking my vision, or else get steamed up. that was almost a big mistake!
I was running partly a new route.
the first problem i had was on a very dark part of the road beside the catholic graveyard. A car was coming straight towards me with bright headlights so I moved onto the pavement. As soon as it passed I jumped down and right in front of a cyclist that I never saw in the dark...fortunately he saw me and managed to steer clear.
then, just around the corner, I clocked up the first mile and decided it was time to take off the jacket, tie it round my waist and continue the run in my running top. As i was doing this, concentrating on keeping the same pace and getting the jacket tightly round my waist, a dog attacked me barking at my feet. Yes - my heart rate jumped up 10 beats a minute at that point! Fortunately, I turned round , faced the dog and although it made a couple of attempts to bite me near my feet, I managed to get away untouched!

I had completely forgotten that the extended run tonight was on a road that I had never run before, and although it was well paved, it was pitch black. A couple of dogs looked menacingly at me as I passed them and I mistook the road back on to my main running route and came back a different way than planned and probably about 50 metres too early.

I was trying to run at 9.30 pace, and was fairly sure that the first 2 miles were done at that pace. As I reached the 5km mark I noticed that it was under 30 minutes and I was trying to work out how fast it was, but thought it to be around the 9.30 mark, so just concentrated at going on at the same pace. With 1km to go, I glanced at my watch and saw that I was doing 8.30 pace...
That was a surprise...however, that sometimes happens , as a quick burst of pace changes the reading before dropping back to your average.
I kept going assuring myself that i was nowhere near 8.30 pace, as I would be gasping for breath if I was, so i glanced again just to confirm what I thought was a slower pace. Again it said 8.30.
I thought that it could not be right, as I felt very comfortable and I can't remember ever running that pace.Surely my final mile should be tougher - not easier!

I kept right on running and actually could feel the speed and realised that I really was running quite fast. Got delayed by a car and the turn for the last 500 metres, and crossing the road toward my house made me sure that I would drop pace , but I finished the 4 miles in 36 minutes 50 seconds. I was very pleased with that I was trying to run in under 38 minutes.

I was amazed when i got home and checked my readings and splits with the garmin. It really is fun to have !
Mile 1 - 9.36
Mile 2 - 9.18
Mile 3 - 9.15
Mile 4 - 8.33
(These splits are from Bones in Motion web site and give a time of 36 minutes 42 seconds)

The fourth mile , which was me running further than ever before, and I would have thought slowing down...was in fact my quickest mile pace ever!
I really cannot believe that!

Really encouraged.
I ran in the rain, so that is also encouraging, although it wasn't real rain - Shkoder can have some VERY heavy rain falls, and I wouldn't want to be out running in THEM - not to mention that the lanes would all be blocked!

Pleased with myself, and felt good progress made today.
Only downside was my new Wrights Running Socks. They gave me a blister on the middle right toe. I think I need some inners for my socks!

Weight Loss

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:47:00 +0000

Got the scales back, and yesterday after 2 days without a run I was 81.9kg.

Quite encouraged by that, although i have been as low as 81.2kg after a run.

The weight is coming off slowly and I hope that will improve as I try to eat less, eat more healthily and cut down sugar, bread and chocolate intake.

I also hope it will improve as i star to extend the running distance.
I have already tracked out a 10km which is really an extension of my 5km.
I am hoping to start on my next run and be running 10km by the end of the year.
The obvious problem is going to be keeping the increase slow...sometimes I want to reach my goal too quick.

Patience is needed!

Podgorica Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:49:00 +0000

Just noticed that yesterday was a marathon in Podgorica, about 2 hours from Shkoder.

Now, there is no way I could do a marathon - certainly not at the moment, but there was also a half marathon - which still would have been too far for me, but it is interesting to know that there is opportunity to run something like this close to home.

What I found interesting was that there were 6 entrants from Albania for the half marathon.

Nexhat Xhemale, Suad Jegeni, Kajo Myftarago, Vashi Faniro, Tonin Shiroka, Sotir Qiriaqi.

What I found interesting was that all these runners were over 60 years of age, and the first 2 home were Nexhat Xhemale and Suad Jegeni, who came in together at 1:51:12.
That is a very good time indeed!

...and Nexhat is 72 years of age.

Well done you guys!
I hope I can run a half marathon in that time when I am 72 years of age( God willing!)

I was hoping that at the Ultra-Marathon (50km) in April , they would have had some 5km and 10km races, but it doesn't look like it.

Garmin 305 - my thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Kolin) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:26:00 +0000

I have had the Garmin 305 for about 2 weeks now, so I will give you my first thoughts.
It is not a full review on the Garmin 305 as I have not fully become aware of all that it does, but for what it is worth, here is what I think.

Why did I go for the 305?
A number of reasons...
I wanted a heart rate monitor. I am 44 years old and have no histroy of running , and for quite some time no history of athletic activity, so I wanted to ensure I was not overdoing it. Therefore I wanted a heart rate monitor.
I also wanted something that i could read easily. I didn't want a crammed small screen that I would have to slow down and analyze just to see what pace I was running!
The fact that the 305 has a personal trainer swayed me - I like the challenge. I am trying to run, but with little experience, I felt the trainer might push me on and I don't like getting beaten!

Thoughts:
Very , very happy with it.
As I thought the screen is plenty big, and has plenty of readings.
However, I do like the first screen, which tells you your time, pace and distance the best.

It doesn't take much effort under street lighting, or using the Garmin's own light to see the readings you need.
I was a bit worried about the size, and it being a little heavy, but that has proved to be needless worry.
The size is large, but as i say, I need to see quickly the readings, so I would not want it any smaller!

The trainer has proved to be inspiring, and on some of the more tedious runs, I have noticed that seeing myself ahead of the computer does give me that desire to keep going.

I should have checked as to exactly what a heart monitor was...
I never realised that I would be attaching a band around my chest to get the heart reading. At first, I thought that this would be a hindrance and would annoy me - however from day one I never really noticed it.

The other thing that i REALLY like is getting back and studying my times and splits, and seeing my heart reading. It was funny once seeing that my speed and heart rate jumped drastically as I got chased by a dog. Funny afterwards, but at the time not very funny.
Anyway, I usually go to Bones in Motion website to get their readings. I don't know what other people use, but I find this the best.

I did not switch the monitor off at 5km, so the final 0.11miles is not given, although on the Garmin training Center it gives you the split as I fed into the computer that i was running 5km ( another great advantage of the little tricks and tools on the monitor).
It was interesting as I got to compare tonight's run with my previous 5km(PR). I saw in my first PR the first mile was quicker, the second slower...I had almost identical times tonight , except the first mile was slower and the second mile quicker. The last mile was almost identical, and the only real difference was the final 0.11 mile.
Great website!

So, although there is still so much to learn from the monitor, I think it was a wise investment!