Thursday, September 19, 2013

Couch to 10k: Week 10, session 2

54 min. Run 10 minutes. Walk 1 minute. Do this 4 times.

Today I tried to go up Gas Hill again.  I got further, but not quite to the top.  I also think I overestimated how far I got last time.  Maybe it was just halfway up, not two thirds of the way up.  I blame the blood rushing to my head while I run.  I will keep going up this hill until I can run all the way up!  I say run, I am doing a running gait but I'm going up it at a walking speed...

In better news, I definitely ran parts of today's sessions faster. I could feel my legs going quicker.  I've started using an app to record my pace and distance, and it says that I did 4.6 miles today.  As 10 minutes of that was the warm up and cool down walk, I'll assume I covered 0.5 miles walking, which means I did about 4 miles running.  Which I'm pleased with.  My average speed (including the warm up/cool down walks) was 5.06 mph.  Having said that, if I look at my previous sessions my average speeds have been 4.87 mph and 4.69 mph and 5.19mph.  So perhaps I have been going faster on other sessions.  Oh hell I don't know!

I really want to be able to do the 10k in one hour.  I'm going to the gym tomorrow and I will use the treadmills there.  I will test myself and see if I can run at 6 miles an hour for the last training session of this week.  Fingers crossed.

I heard some crickets while I was out today, and I scared a lot of blackbirds.

A reminder that I am using this training programme.  It's not always easy, I have found these last two sessions really tough and I am losing motivation, but it's good in that it gets you running without harm.

Another reminder:  I am seeking sponsorship for doing this running programme.  For every training session that I complete I am donating £1 to the Abortion Support Network (ASN), who provide funds to Irish women needing to travel to England for an abortion.  From their website:

Abortion Support Network (ASN) is a charity that helps people* who travel to England to access a safe and legal abortion.
We provide financial assistance and accommodation to women travelling from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Funding is available on a case by case basis depending on financial need and availability of funding. ASN also provides confidential, non-judgmental information to anyone who contacts us via phone or email who is seeking information about travelling to England for an abortion or accessing medical abortion via Women on Web.
Our helpline is busier than ever, and new Irish laws won’t make any difference to the women who call us every day. More and more women in life-threatening crises need advice, support – and money. Please donate today.

* ASN does not ask gender when communicating with clients; nor does gender identity influence grant eligibility.

The asterisk and comments about gender are there to make clear that transgender men who find themselves pregnant can also ask ASN for help with funds to access an abortion.

I am asking all my readers to consider sponsoring me in my running efforts.  To date I have raised £187.  That's £34 that I have personally donated and £153 from friends, family and anonymous sponsors.  Reclamation of gift aid has raised another £38.25, bringing the total to £225.25.

This is a wonderful amount, but I'd really like to raise more.  My target is £200, without gift aid.  Please help me get there by donating on this website!

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