Improving.

For many years I've used a 9 mile run here in Glasgow to measure my fitness. It's a great run, along the River Clyde then along the River Kelvin and then along the Forth and Clyde canal. A run mainly off the roads yet still in the city. I can see the usual city creatures like squirrels but also birds like herons, cormorants and in summer the kingfishers of the Kelvin. (It's a run I've always enjoyed rather like a similar run I used to do when visiting my Mum and Dad in Brightlingsea).
At the moment I have no intention of running 9 miles so I've been using my 4.5 mile run as a measure. In January I ran the route twice (on the 6th and the 8th) and took over 42 minutes both times. On the 20th February I had cut the time to 40 minutes and 30 seconds and felt that I was ready for the Balmoral weekend. This month I cut the time for the run to just under 39 minutes two days after Balmoral and to 37m 48s last Tuesday.
So my running is improving - I just have to resist trying too hard to keep on improving and thus injuring myself again.

Three months of Running.

Approaching the end of March and I've been running for three months. 24 miles in January, 36 miles in February and 48 miles so far this month. The pattern there is purely coincidental. I'm not planning to run 60 miles next month! I've been using my New Balance 634's in tandem with the new Brookes shoes, one run Brookes the next New Balance etc. Pat bought me a pair of New Balance 757's and so I now have two new pairs of shoes - Wow! I've not used the 757's for a run yet.

2009 - another new beginning.

Okay. So the end of 2008 wasn't a great success. I was determined to start running again as we moved into 2009. I restricted my runs to 3 miles off road and a longer 4.5 mile road runs. This enabled me to take a full part in a training weekend "Body and Sole weekend" at Balmoral Castle. The weekend was organised by Running the Highlands as was excellent. Off road running - excellent food designed for running - learning a set of core stability exercises - learning a set of stretching exercises (yet again) and great company. All in all a great motivating weekend.
So now I've just come home from buying a new pair of shoes. I've always run in New Balance shoes because they have always felt comfortable and have lasted well. I did once buy a pair of Nike Air Max which were comfortable but my foot twisted in them (heel out to the right toes out to the left!) and they were useless after a couple of months. Our local running shop - Achilles Heel - has stopped selling New Balance and I ended up buying Brookes Defyance. They felt good on. I'll see how they go when I'm running.