Tag Archives: dad running

2011 running has begun

In 2010, Runkeeper tracked 80 activities from the date I started using it (May) with only a half dozen or so in Oct-Nov 2010 (and none in December). The winter fat has begun to set in, but motivated by my wife and a desire to use my new (purchased months ago) cold weather running gear, I’ve headed out a couple of times this week. Here’s a pic of me kitted out…

Standard new balance trainers, nike dri-fit running tights, adidas shorts for dignity, berghaus running long-sleeve tee, nike ACG running jacket and 3M high visibility armbands. style, quality, excellence.

It’s been a slog and I’m nowhere near the level of fitness I was at at the half-marathon in mid-September but it will return. Yesterday’s 32 minute 5k left me feeling slightly ill at the end, and today’s 30 minute 4.7k involved a number of hills and cross-country routes…. So, 2 down, 78 to go to match 2010, lots more to beat it. I need to do at least two runs a week (weekends are my only realistic time for these at the moment) but, with holidays, I should be able to blast 120 runs this year. I’m hoping. We’ll see. At a minimum of around
5k a run, that’ll be about 600km this year – hopefully more as I hope to do another half-marathon or two (TBC as to which ones).

Incidentally, Runkeeper Pro is free this month (Android/iPhone) to support people trying to make and keep New Year’s resolutions. I totally recommend it, obviously… Wonder if Audiofuel will do something similar, as still need to try that out to see if it helps with my pace-setting…. I’m not doing Janathon this year as with work and the commute, not to mention lovely small daugher, Idon’t have enough hours in the day! Have also restarted my ITBS remedy, rolling the affected area on the reinforced foam roller Sudhir prescribed to me a while back. The pain (which had vanished at the time of the half-marathon) is back when rolling but not affecting my running yet, so hopefully have caught it in time…

Anyway, will try to manage a post or so a week to keep you guys in the loop of my latest running thoughts, training tips and race plans…

Running with baby revisited

Having said that running buggies were not for me, and my general clumsiness precluded me hazarding my child on a jog, I’m now having second thoughts.

Settling into the working routine of dadhood has taken some doing. I’m up at 0545, at work by 0740 and not home till 1915 at the earliest. I get about two precious hours with my wife and daughter before the bedtime ritual begins.

This morning, a Friday, I woke after an unsettled night’s sleep. Not the crying of my child to blame, not at all (Emily had one of her most settled night’s sleeps so far, in fact!) but rather the excited anticipation of getting the next 48 hours with her.

And so, how to motivate myself to trudge out into the cold and wet for an hour or so to run??

She’s still too small for a running buggy but perhaps its not as ludicrous a thought as I first imagined it would be. I’m not *that* clumsy, after all, I haven’t dropped her at any point, and I would be careful. She loves bumpy pram and car journeys, maybe she’ll enjoy a 10k with Daddy??

One to mull over….