Continuous running

There is always someday you just don't want to do anything but you know you got to. I was having one of those days today. My new plan was to sit in and watch sport on the box. I came up with excuses like the rally cars and boy races are all over the road and its too dangerous and it was going to pour down from the heavens.

I got my mojo back thought and took to the roads. It was only one 1k of road which rally cars drove. They were not speeding due to it being a public road so everything was cool.

I knew it was going for a long run but didn't know how far. I was thinking of beating my time of 30 minutes of non stop running.

Into the run, i could hear and see some of the rally cars speeding down the country lanes. i was taken in by it. The start of the run had a big dull cloud hanging over me but the sunny blue sky broke through and this added to my confidence of breaking the 30 minute mark.

After the 3k mark, i then exit my usually 4k block and entered the mountain. Time was around 17 minutes and kept running up that mountain till 31minutes.. I broke my continuation running time and realised if i turn back, its all down hill. So no stopping and away i went. I said i deserved it after climbing a 2k hill. Then overpowered with excitement of running over 40minutes, i decided i will get home without stopping so in total i ran for 52minutes straight. :)



Now I believe i can run the Loughrea 10k straight. i don't know the correct amount of distance I completed today but i say it was around the 8k. Major factors that didn't affect me today was the breathing and no cramps or stitches. I really took it handy

In one way i wish a brought a camera to show the great trail i have for running, but on the other hand, i ain't carrying a camera.

Great end to the week, Got myself back on track. Will look to do something similar next week. Maybe break the one hour mark

Gym Sessions

Today i finished another grueling session in the gym.

We all know the situation, Too much muscle will slow down runners and not enough will likely lead to a runner having an injury due to muscle imbalance.

I'm not looking to be a professional athlete nor am I looking to give myself a serious injury so I look for a balance.

Here are my workout sessions my trainer gets me to do. Most of them involve 3 sets with 8 reps per set. The first set should be in your comfortable zone, second set should be in your hard zone while the final, you should be fatigued a.k.a Failure.

You can click on the a particular workout below. This will open a new tab that will show the correct way to perform the workout. Videos located on YouTube.

Lower Body

Cardio machines 10min to warm up leg muscles

Leg Press Machine 3 sets by 8 reps
Leg Extension Machine 3 sets by 8 reps
Leg Curl Machine 3 sets by 8 reps
Barbell Squats 3 sets by 8 reps
Cable Crossover I only use one section, similar workout only longer
One legged Dumbbell Calf Raises 3 sets by 8 reps
Medicine Ball Oblique Twists 2 sets by 30 reps

UPPER BODY

Rower machine 10 minute warm up
Bench Press 3 sets by 8 reps

T-Bar Row 3 sets by 8 reps

Incline Dumbbell Fly 3 sets by 8 reps

Reverse Lat Pulldown 3 sets by 8 reps

Incline Dumbbell Curls 3 sets by 8 reps
Tricep Curls 3 sets by 8 reps
Tricep Dips 3 sets by 15 reps

I always do my stretches just after a warm up and after my workout. I'll post some of my stretches on later date with an issue of how stretching is important.

Unusual Week

Last week didn't get of with a good start since the finger was still swelled from the dislocation the previous Thursday.

I wanted to get back into the routine but hospital appointments and other appointments got in the way. Managed to go to the gym three times last week and also fitted in three runs.

My training partner also had an accident by hurting his neck messing around. So we didn't train together. It was going to be our last training week together as he is moving to the end of the earth.. Mayo.

Having a training partner pushed me to get the best out of myself. We are two very competitive guys who hate to lose and especially hate to lose to each other. I knew he had me in the upper weights but I could hold my own in the lower body and rower.

So since he was hitting off and the the bad luck of a week we were having, we decided to hit the town. Went out 3 nights last week. Good night Saturday. We said we finish in style. There is now no more drinking until the Loughrea race. I think that will be tougher then the race itself.

Also in one of the nights out, i think i bet with a guy in the upcomming race. Money is behind the bar. Who did i bet with? only God can tell ya. I think he is on the same level as myself. Even though i made this bet, the real race is against myself and push for a time around the hour.


Went for a beautiful run yesterday to ease myself back into the new week. Ran the country block and did a mile up the mountain. There was stop and starting a few times but it was a relaxing run. I liked running up the mountain, beautiful scenery and no cars or houses. Listening to the running water stream splashing along side. Nice way to ease back in.

Hopefully I will have better luck this week and not deviate to the pub.

Compression Shorts

I decided to invest in wearing compression shorts in order to keep the muscles warm in order to prevent muscle strain and fatigue, and wick sweat away from the body to prevent chafing and rashes.

Price wise for these shorts is set a bit high for my standards. Ireland sport shops, you are looking in the region of paying 25 to 30 euro. I decided I was in no rush for them and purchased one on ebay for 15euro including P&P.

I didn’t go in today but Aldi have compression tops and shorts, tracksuits and ruining t-shirts on sale today. Always watch the specials listed on http://www.aldi.ie/ and http://www.lidl.ie/ . Very cheap and good quality items at low cost. Shop around is the key



This is the part I want to see if there is anything negative to be said about them. I searched through sites likes boards.ie and runnersworld.com to see what other people were saying about them. The main downfall is the price. Defiantly majority of comments were positive. Other notes I picked up on them sites was once you put them on, you feel more athletic and ready. I feel that way. Another key point is that even compression shorts are meant to be tight, never get a pair that are very tight.

Well after I try them out for awhile and pick up more knowledge on this running apparel I will review them.

30 minute mark

The sun is screaming down the heavens on this beautiful Sunday evening. I went for a run around the block and decided to run for my first time without stopping for 30 minutes.

I previous ran the 4km block in 22.35 and was out of breath. I also stopped up once on that 22.35 timeline to recover from a stitch. This time I was running at a slower pace and passed the 4km marker at a time of 24.04 and felt I had no problems in reaching the 30 minute target then suddenly the stitch from hell appeared. I fought through it and made it to the 30minute mark. I can’t wait till I start running for 40-50 minutes straight and then hopefully the hour where the 10km should be in reach but for now I’ll just take it one small foot in front of the other

Breathing issues

Well as a beginner runner I am finding it very difficult to control my breathing and also suffer from cramps and stitches.

The information I came across on other websites have noted that the more running you do the more easier you breathing will become. One site noted the talk-run rule in saying you know you are running out of your dept if you cannot finish a small sentence without the need of a big inhale.

Here are the few breathing techniques I came across that I plan to adapt to.

• Always run with your head help up to allow more oxygen to flow in.
• Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth
• Breathe from your belly and not from your chest

The key point is if you find yourself getting out of breath then slow down to a comfortable rhythm.

Stitch and Cramps

These pains really hit the inexperience runner and I get one every time I run. I even eat 2 hours pre-run. Some sites note the more runs and experience you get the more your body adapts to eliminating these aches.

The first time I got a stitch I was told by a runner to slow down the pace and take deep breaths. I always get the pain on my right side and this is because the liver is on that side so more stuff to rub against. To let the stitch pass I should always exhale on the other leg. So if I have the pain on my right side then I should exhale on the left leg and vice versa.

Well I plan to put these techniques into practice when needed.
Keep on running

First Running Blog

I decided my first bloging experience should be in the interest of my new hobby of running.

What I aim to bring to this blog is information I gather on my journey to becoming a strong runner. Many running sites says having a reasonable goal is critical as it also spurs on the motivation and when reached gives you the satisfaction of success. Hopefully I will be hearing the word success.

So first of all, I don’t think I am going to break the reasonable goal as I set myself a target of 10km. I decided to skip the 5km challenge as my homes town annual 10km race is coming up and what a way to start my racing. 26th Sept 2010


Loughrea Athletics Club


To give an update of my physical fitness so far. I joined the gym near the start of the summer where I began a six week program of cardio and machine weights. Cardio workouts were bike to warm up followed by the cross trainer and treadmill. Total time of cardio was around 45minutes and 20 to 30 minutes of weights.

I recently changed my gym program to doing 2 upper body exercises and 2 lower body exercises in the gym. Then for the cardio I exit the gym and hit the fresh air 3 times a week for running and use the bike for a bit of cross training.


My first road running experience was difficult to the lovely gym, I thought being on the treadmill running solid at a high tempo 5km in thirty minutes that a 4km road be no bother. Big mistake, breathing was all over the place, I had to stop after 10 minutes and again 15 and again 20 minutes. I finished the 4km in 26minutes. No shame in stopping though as I researched online and my breathing is adapting and one week later, 3 runs on and I posted a time of 22.35 on my 4km. I did also have to stop on that sue to cramp, researched it and said I should exhale while coming down on my left foot as the right side is rubbing off the liver which is causing the pain

Well that’s it now for my first post of my first blog. I hope to bring lots of great information about running and running apparel.


Oh yes, I already have one setback. I dislocated my finger playing hurling, got it popped back in but can’t bend it. If it doesn’t heal fast I will have to talk to my fitness instructor at the gym where I will probably change my program again.