Day 10 - Improving

Officially the fastest time but also the unofficial as I had to delay a few seconds to avoid pedestrians outside my house and a 5 second or more gap fluffing about with closing the app with cold fingers.

Ran all the way to the steep part of St A's, ran all along Watling and Mt Eden AND the first part of St Leonards. Longest unbroken run so far, maybe in another week or 10 days I'll run the whole block!

No psychological battle today and yet it was as cold as cold has been so far. That helps when running though.

Been warming up with stretches every morning the past few runs which I think helps.

Onwards and upwards, but still the only real goal is do it daily.

Which I am.

Distance: 1.64 km
Time: 9:52
Average Speed: 9.9 kph
Soundtrack: William Shatner/Henry Rollins - I Can't Get Behind That! (AWSM running track), Fluke - Atom Bomb & Garbage - Supervixen

Day 9

It's more of a mental struggle each day than a physical one. I look for excuses and mostly by listening to critiques/suggestions which are intended to help but doesn't actually align with my goal. It takes about 30 minutes or more to psych up to get out the door, but I feel fantastic (mentally) when I get to the home stretch and know that I did it anyway.

People don't understand the goal and to change the method but MY method is the message, to bastardise the quote.

Ran all the way to the steep part of St Andrews, all of Watling, half Mt Eden and 3/4 St Leonards. Longest running start so far, getting all the way round in one go is still some way off, I may never do that due to the steep parts.

Persistence is the goal, not distance, time or speed.

Distance: 1.61 km
Time: 10:05
Average Speed: 9.6 kph

The soundtrack is now a random mix of 28 songs that I have run to over the past few weeks in this project and the training lead up.

356 days to go.

Day 8

Not a struggle running but a definite battle just getting out the door.

Was going to go earlier but it was pissing down outside, so I defered by an hour or so and lost all motivation.

Eventually talked myself into it because running in the afternoon/evening has always sucked and I'll be running the longest leg into the setting sun. Or it could be raining.

Distance: 1.62 km
Time: 10:44
Average Speed: 9.0 kph
Soundtrack: Garbage - Push It/Feeder - Feeling A Moment/INXS - New Sensation

Day 7 - 1 week in

Still chipping away at it but it's not an easy thing to just get into.

Ran around the corner (the first 2 legs are all uphill) and as far as the tennis club before first break, then managed all of Watling Road without walking, which is pretty good.

1 week into it and getting up early is taking it's toll, I need to go to sleep earlier so forcing myself up and running is good for the new regime.

Distance: 1.63 Km
Time: 10:27
Average Speed: 9.3 kph
Soundtrack: Pearl's girl by Underworld and Feeling a Moment by Feeder.

Day 6

Shattered.

Early definitely better than late but still munted only two days after arecord time and a sense that I was improving, so got to watch the over confidence and take it slow as planned.

Ok a 10 minute mile IS slo, but what hell got to start somewhere.

Distnace 1.63
Time: 10:45
Average Speed: 9.1 kph
Soundtrack: Underworld - Born Slippy & INXS - Suicide Blonde

Day 5

What a struggle it was today, I left it late in the day and was having trouble with apps, music and motivation.

Ran into the neighbours on the corner who drove past with words of encouragement as I was nearing the home stretch.

1 minute slower than yesterday. I ran out of breath and enthusiasm a lot faster and walked a lot more.

Mornings may be better for me even though I am not a morning person.

Distance: 1.6 km
Time: 11:03
Average Speed: 8.7 kph
Soundtrack: INXS - New Sensation, Suicide Blonde, What You Need

Day 4

Slowly getting faster, is that an oxymoron or does it just sound like one? A onomatamoron perhaps?

Did not stretch before going out, should have done, felt it in my shins almost immediately but the hip and thigh has not flared up like it did in practice runs or in the first two days. Maybe getting them worn down and into shape or getting used to this type of exercise.

I still do 8 sets of 15 reps on the weights each day (lat pulls behind the head, chest pull downs, pec flys and chest pushes - each with about 120 pounds on the stack Guessing as it's about 3/4 of a 150 pound stack)) and then a 30 minute cycle on 80% resistance.

Ran to the first corner, walked a bit, ran nearly all the way down Watling (furtherest one stretch done so far) and have been running all of the Mt Eden Stretch for the last 3 days now. Final stretch maybe 70/30?


Distance: 1.61
Time: 9:53
Average Speed 9.8 kph
Soundtrack: Strawpeople - Taller Than God, Trick With a Knife, Under the Milky Way

Day 3

Day 3 of getting up at 6:45 and getting out for a one mile (1.6 km) run.

It's getting easier and less painful on my right hip and thighs, where I was getting the initial shock and pain. I say pain because I am a wuss, it's probably just the muscles complaining that they don't want to do what I am asking of them, which is run a very short distance.

Still running and walking in splits, run about 300 metres, then walk about half that, run again etc... though there are legs of the journey where (particularly downhill) I try to push myself to run a little bit more each day.

Slowly improving and slowly getting less impacted by this.

Distance: 1.60 Km

Time: 10:48

Average Speed: 8.9 Kph

Soundtrack: Garbage - Supervixen, Queer, I'm Only Happy When It Rains

Day 2 - 1.6 ish

Typically my app shuts down on Day 2 and does not record my run.

But I went around the block.

So it's around 1.6 plus a few metres depending on the whims of GPS.

Soundtrack

Eye of the Tiger. Owner of a Lonely Heart. Addicted to Love.

#Power80sRunning!

Day One: 1.63 km

Blog, Run, Repeat! 

The Rules: Run every day for a year.

That's pretty much it, the idea is to take the regular goal idea used in onebookaweek, constantwriting, cinematic365 and onedietamonth (my previous/current projects) and apply them to running. Something I have always wanted to do but have never enjoyed or been good at. EVER.

So with that in mind if I do a little bit every day then I'll get to a place/fitness level where I can enter and enjoy something like Round the Bays, City to Surf or the Auckland Half Marathon in 2015(?).

We'll see how far I get in a year!

Up until now I have run every couple of days as a 'warm up' and taken the kids on walk/run exercises around my block which is 1.66 Km from start to finish (or thereabouts according to the wildly varying GPS on my phone).

I purchased some decent runners, K-Swiss Blade-Light Running Shoes and have the Runtastic App for my phone and two pairs of Wireless/Bluetooth Headphones for listenting to music to.

First Run:

Distance: 1.63 Km

Time: 10:36

Average Speed: 9.2 Kph

Soundtrack: American Authors, Best Day of My Life (on repeat x3)