Progress, pods and podcasts...

I ran twice last week. The aim is for three times, but with the dark evenings, monkey1 and monkey2 this is difficult.

I ran just over 3 1/2 km on Thursday - not that far, but it fitted in with the "20mins easy" as described by the half marathon coach app, was the easiest unplanned route to do in the dark, gave me a chance to try out the new eBay purchase (see later!) and finished at the chippy...

Yes, I did say "finished at the chippy"...this is the second time I've done this. An omission to take meat/fish out of the freezer to cook dinner, exhaustion, or otherwise has now twice given rise to a brief conversation between Mr Taffi and I regarding the merits of going on a training run that will finish at the aptly named Five Star Fish Bar...and thus far has not caused disagreement between us...

Clearly not advised by any marathon (half or otherwise) training wisdom I have ever found, but the chips are good :-)

I tried out my latest EBay purchase - an iPod Shuffle (4th generation)...very cute, though not as droolsomely gorgeous as the latest iPod Nano...

(the Shuffle)

Second outing of the the Shuffle. Last run I did to music, this time to Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film review podcast. Both helped to aleviate the boredom and block out the heavy panting and thud thud thud of my feet. Great little purchase.

On Saturday I ran my furthest since taking up running post monkey2 birth. 6km. Completed in 42mins so hardly the pace I would like to run a 10k or even a half marathon, but I kept going, and could have carried on.

That's the hardest part actually. Pacing oneself. Determining:

1. how fast you are running each mile, and
2. how fast to run to complete your run comfortably, but not too comfortably.

Mr Taffi assures me this is something that comes with time and practice.

But I do feel that I am improving. I've already come a long way since my first 2 mile stagger just 6 weeks ago. I am feeling more comfortable, at times my running style feels more fluid, and I am hungry for more...(read as impatient for improvement!)

The Plan

11 1/2 weeks ago I gave birth to Monkey2 (Monkey1 is 2 years old and in perpetual motion). I decided I wanted to "get good at running" - read as: be able to run a 10K race in a half decent time for someone in their mid-30's and without feeling like a total wreck at the end of it.

So, six weeks postpartum (thats 6 weeks after giving birth - yes, a new word for me too!!) I staggered out on my first run. A 2 miler. And it was tough. But not quite as tough as I thought it would be.

Encouraging. So I did it again the next weekend, and the next. And it was getting slightly easier. I even added on a little extra loop to the end of the run.

Okay, so I was hooked into the idea of running now. And the idea grew.

Hopes to enter the Swansea 10K became, possibly, just possibly, if my training goes well, to enter the Cardiff Half. The 10K is in September, the Half in October. So, I can aim high, and still just do the 10K if I bottle it.

Training is a little difficult during the winter months with the dark evenings. Looking after the two monkeys takes so much time, and it's easy to collapse in front of the TV in the evening rather than to run the safe, lit-street BORING runs. At the weekend I have the glorious Taff trail to run along and explore.

Still, I have run in the evening (a run designed to finish at the local chippy!! counterproductive? Nah!) and the last two weekends I have run 5K, shaving off a few precious seconds the second time.

So, the plan...? THE plan....

• to train 3 times a week,
• to use Half Coach - App for iPod/iPhone - as a training guide,
• to use gmaps pedometer to design my runs and measure their distance,

and to enter:

• the Cardiff Race for Life 5K on 25th May 2011,
• the Cardiff Race for Life 10K on 2nd July 2011 (to set a benchmark),
• the Admiral Swansea Bay 10K on 25th September 2011, and
• the Cardiff Half Marathon on 16th October 2011 (hopefully!!)

I hope to blog my progress here over the upcoming weeks and months.
Wish me luck!