Month: November 2020

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 2 Comments

I started last week with a day off, and I was looking forward to having a trail run in daylight. And it was worth waiting for! Here’s how my week turned out:

Monday-

I had a lovely 7 mile run, making it to the end of a trail I’d been planning to explore for some time. I didn’t have it all my own way, mind you, as it started to pour at about 2 miles in. It was lovely to enjoy the daylight!

Distance: 7 miles

Time: 1h 25m 32s

Pace: 12.13/m

Elevation: 974ft

Tuesday-

I wanted to give my legs a bit of a break, so went for an evening walk instead of a run. It was raining, but that’s what waterproofs are for!

Distance: 3m

Time: 1h 2m 40s

Elevation: 121ft

Wednesday-

Another dark evening and it was another wet and windy run! But I was fair cheered by all of the Christmas lights that are springing up around the village. I love that people are brightening the darkness with early Christmas cheer 🎄

Distance: 3.12m

Time: 33m 10s

Pace: 10.36/m

Elevation: 203ft

Friday-

I was working from home, and I literally had a half hour gap open in my diary so I took advantage and headed out for a 30 minute run. And….. it stayed dry! Woo hoo! As it was daylight I headed out to the West Loch and back, for a change of scenery.

Distance: 2.93m

Time: 30m 11s

Pace: 19.18/m

Elevation: 102ft

Sunday-

Some runs take little or no motivation, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. After putting up our decorations on Saturday, I was having a lovely leisurely Sunday morning all cosy at home with the Christmas tree twinkling and fresh coffee brewing. It was a bit of a wrench to get myself out the door! The plan was a 5k at Corranbuie but it was really busy so we headed south and did a 5k at Cour windfarm instead.

As is often the case, it was a lovely run- don’t you often find that the ones you struggle to start end up beating the ones you’re glad you did? It was very misty and atmospheric, but that feeling of having the trail all to yourself is so incredible.

Distance: 3.29m

Time: 36m 8s

Pace: 11/m

Elevation: 259ft

I’m 3.3k short of 100k running in November so I may decide to add in a short extra run tomorrow night before I start my Great Solo Run December Accumulator on Tuesday. We’ll see!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

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After finishing on a high last week with a dreich-but-wonderful 10k, this week has been a little different: lower mileage to accommodate an incredibly busy week. I did what I could, and I’m sure my back and my knee are grateful for lower mileage!

Monday-

I didn’t want to push too hard after Sundays run, and so we headed out for a daytime walk at Kintarbert Forest. We managed to dodge most of the showers, which was nothing short of miraculous! It did feel good to get out in the fresh air, with no concern for time or distance.

Distance: 2.88 miles

Time: 57m 20s

Elevation: 407 ft

Tuesday –

After a hugely busy day at work that was full of unexpected events I was in need of some headspace. It was another very wet evening, and I was pushed for time but I was grateful to be able to get my trainers on and run around the harbour.

Distance: 3.12m

Time: 33m 14s

Pace: 10.50/m

Elevation: 51 ft

Wednesday –

It was another very busy day, and I knew I wouldn’t manage to run on Thursday or Friday due to work, so I squeezed in a short evening run. Not much to say: dark, wet, short but very much needed!

Distance: 3.03m

Time: 33m 27s

Pace: 11.02/m

Elevation: 51ft

Sunday –

I think it’s fair to say that on Sunday morning I was desperate to get out for a run after a few days of having no time for it. I kept it short, and I think I’ll be grateful for that over the next few weeks, I know how much our bodies need to cut back every so often. We headed out to the timber route above Torinturk and I ran a lovely but slow 5k in sunshine. It was gorgeous! It was a run that was good for the soul.

Distance: 3.32m

Time: 39m 30s

Pace: 11.51/m

Elevation: 440 ft

I finished the week with 12/13 of my Great Run Solo – November Accumulator runs done, so only one to go! Roll on next week to get that completed!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

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If we were in any doubt about what season we are in, this week was a stark reminder that we’re definitely easing our way through autumn, with some pretty relentless wet and windy weather at times. Perfect running weather, of course! I had lots on this week between work, Fèis, prepping for AGMs and so exercise took a little bit of a back seat. I did manage some runs, of course.

Here’s how my week worked out.

Monday-

It was very dark by the time I finished work, but I was determined to start the week well with a run. I also had new reflective Sweaty Betty leggings to try out! My head torch had another outing and I ran 4 miles around the harbour. It was incredibly mild, and it was great to see other runners out too, despite the showery weather. My verdict on the leggings? Incredibly reflective, great pocket, not quite as comfortable as my Lululemon leggings but a close second.

Distance: 4 miles

Time: 44m 34s

Pace: 11.09/m

Elevation: a whole 30ft!🤣

Wednesday-

Well, on Wednesday evening it wasn’t just damp, it was pouring down, and the thought of heading out wasn’t filling me with joy. But, as is often the case when I got out there I loved it. I really do love running in the rain! The photo is of Tarbert Castle- the picture doesn’t do how it appeared any justice, it was only half lit, creating an eery shadow across its harbour front.

Dinstance: 3.14m

Time: 33m 58s

Pace: 10.49/m

Elevation: 39ft

Friday-

I had a day off and a trip to the hairdressers planned, so I wanted to get a run in first. I’d been looking forward to a daytime run all week, but when I got out there I just wasn’t feeling it. As soon as I started running I was kicking myself for not heading to a trail, and I think that was the start and end of enjoying it! Ah well, you’ve got to have tough runs to appreciate the fun ones.

I also received my Great Run Solo Halloween medal, which was pretty cool!

Distance: 3.18m

Time: 34m 04s

Pace: 10.42/m

Elevation: 30ft

Sunday-

And just like that, back to loving it! On Sunday morning I headed out for a socially distanced trail run, which I was looking forward to. The plan was to get in 10k to cover both run 9/13 of my November Accelerator and my virtual 10k MoRun. During the week I had received my 10k medal, so thought I’d best get my run in to earn it!

We started out with dry, mild sunny conditions and after about 1.5 miles they quickly deteriorated when the heavens opened and we were absolutely soaked within minutes! All I could think about was my poor new hair colour! 🤣

But, it was a lovely run, it made a lovely change to chat and run, and the miles ticked by. Medal earned, even if it was a slower, chattier way of earning it, I loved it!

Distance: 6.22 miles

Time: 1h 25m 7s

Pace: 13.41/m

Elevation: 935ft

Another pretty solid week of running, here’s hoping the momentum remains!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

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Last week was a week of short but steady running. I still need to improve my strength and conditioning, but with planning and prepping for our Fèis an Tairbeirt online weekend, prep for a number of AGMs and some long work days I’ve just struggled to fit it in. I’ve been lucky to just manage the short runs!

My Great Run Solo November Halloween Accumulator is well underway, and after a week I have 5 of my 13 runs now complete.

Tuesday-

I had a rest day on Monday, as I had a lot of prep to do for Fèis but on Tuesday I pulled my trainers on and headed out in the rain for a 5k around the harbour.

Distance: 3.16m

Time: 34m 42s

Pace: 10.58/m

Elevation: 78ft

Wednesday-

Two runs in two days, I was trying to make as much of any time slots I had, and so I squeezed in a lunchtime run. It was another wet day but I managed to get most of it done in sunshine. My original plan was to get a slightly longer run at Corranbuie but there was no room to park, so I headed to Kintarbert Forest instead, but the extra drive meant I had less time so 5k was about all I had time for. I was graced with a lovely rainbow, though!

Distance: 3.1m

Time: 38m 31s

Pace: 12.25/m

Elevation: 429ft

Friday-

I had an online meeting on Thursday, so no time for a walk or a run but on Friday evening I was out again in the dark for another run around the harbour. It was a good progression run, improving my pace with every mile. I’m loving my new head torch- it’s really effective!

Distance: 4 miles

Time: 42m 48s

Pace: 10.41/m

Elevation: 58ft

Saturday-

My original plan was to get a 10k in, but I had too much to do in other areas and so again I found that I only had a short window of time available for a run. But I had a new toy to test out- a new Garmin watch! Yes, I’ve gone over to the dark side and opted for a Garmin Venu. I’m still getting used to it, and the Garmin Pay isn’t compatible with my bank 🤦‍♀️ but it is pretty! I decided to set up a training plan and that was a bit of a mistake. With Nike watches in the past and with my Apple Watch I could run beyond the training run but I couldn’t with the Garmin, so it cut out after the initial 9 minute training run! So my run was split in two, with a little time and distance lost in the middle.

Another niggle about the Garmin is having to wait for GPS which brought back memories of having your arm in the air before being able to set off- something you never have to do with an Apple Watch 😏

Part one- all uphill:

Distance: 0.64m

Time: 9m

Pace: 13.58/m

Elevation: 243ft

Part two- with a bit missing:

Distance: 2.58m

Time: 29m 27s

Pace: 11.24/m

Elevation: 528ft

All in all, not a bad week of running!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After last week’s decent mileage, I’m afraid that this week’s mileage has dropped pretty drastically. Being back at work and with too many daytime commitments has meant that I’ve had to run in the evening, which means no solo trail runs at the moment. But here’s how my week shaped up:

Monday

After a long day at work, I was itching to get out for a run, but with the clocks changing it was dark very early. I had my new head torch to try out, so I tentatively tried to get one last evening trail under my belt before winter. Alas, it just felt too remote and risky, in case anything happened (I am a clumsy runner). My torch really did help, but not enough to make me feel entirely comfortable on my own. The darkness has also put paid to most of my scenic snaps for now!

Distance: 1.5 miles

Time 17m

Elevation: 250ft

Tuesday

Another long day and an evening meeting meant I only had a short window to squeeze in a run. I’ll need to do more Village runs now it’s dark, and that means I’ll need to be careful as my back/knee definitely fares better on trails. It also means I won’t get the same elevation so I’ll have to add in some hill training.

With work happening around the harbour I was grateful for my head torch!

Distance: 2.56m

Time: 29m 51s

Pace: 11.39/m

Elevation: 78ft

Thursday

It was a really wet day, but that didn’t stop me from getting out for my run. I quite like running in the rain- it’s the combination of rain and wind that I find unappealing!

Distance: 3.23m

Time: 36m 3s

Pace: 11.09/m

Elevation: 78ft

Friday

After two road runs my back wasn’t feeling great so rather than run, we went for a walk. Better than sitting indoors, and we had a fabulous moon!

Distance: 2.93m

Time: 58m 43s

Elevation: 78ft

Sunday

I had planned to run on Saturday but Storm Aidan put paid to that! I use the time instead to do lots of prep for our forthcoming Fèis an Tairbeirt online weekend, and I also read this in two short sittings- it is well worth a read!

But on Sunday I was back out on the trails- in daylight, woo hoo! With the aftermath of Storm Aidan and the forecast for more high winds due at any time I changed my plan from a 10k, down to a 5k. My back was still niggly so I thought that was a more sensible plan.

In the end, though, I did 4 miles, and loved it!

Distance: 4.21m

Time: 43m 36s

Pace: 10.20/m

Elevation: 470ft

Hopefully I’ll get a few more miles under my belt this week. I finished off the Hallowe’en Accumulator on Wednesday, and kick started the November accumulator today, so I’m hoping to get that well underway in the coming week.