I didn't hit target

There I said it, not easy for a sales guy. But it happened and I know what the excuses are and were it went wrong in February. I have added the lost mileage to March and have a plan and commitment to nail the first quarter.

Photos from my run

Most Interesting location

Running gives you such a great freedom and opportunity to explore, this is probably my most interesting and different location. Plus it was 25 degrees which is not something I am used to.

Dubai, February 28th 2015

Photos from my run

Despite living in a built up area it's still easy to find the trail.

Urban Trails

I think I will give this a go!

Inspired

This week I have been really inspired by a bunch of videos I have watched and blogs I have been reading. This post from a Mud Sweat and Runners group member took me to a video which I posted earlier in the week and then this one

This guy is just really cool, if I could swap places in life I would probably do it with him

I then had a flash back to a summer I spent on Scout camp in Cappanalea in Co. Kerry.  We had a morning of orienteering,  the weather for mid July was terrible. I remember being in full wet gear with hiking boots. The thoughts and images that came flooding back though were not the weather but running. I remember clearly not wanting to stop, full of energy despite the weather and heavy gear. I just wanted to run. Listening to those speak this week about running in the mountains and I don't train I just move. Brought it all back. I think I might have forgotten that connection I have with the mountains and nature. 

So on every run this week I have attempted in the city to get back to nature and find the trail... Man am I buzzing. I came back to the office today from my lunch time run covered in mud but with a big smile on my fave! I got a few weird looks but they didn't experience what I just had!

No more sticking to routes or the path it's the verges for me from now on!

Note to self: Inov 8 Road Shoes are not good in the mud! 

Movement.. The essence of life

I love how this guy gets completely choked up talking about running... beautiful 

The wheels came off!

Last week was not a great running week. However I did move house and turned a house into a home in a short space of time. But I had a commitment to my plan and I let it slide. I let tiredness,  excuses... oh sure you've worked hard have a glass of wine, eat crappie food and sure you will catch up next week... get in the way!

I then spotted this tweet from my Running list on Twitter. I asked a
@ultan what was the secret to 5 am 9 mile runs. He had a one word response "commitment"

Check out @ultan's Tweet: https://twitter.com/ultan/status/569750951738904576?s=09

I dialled up my commitment levels last night and clocked 5 miles on a rotten night. My wife's look as I went out the door confirmed my level of commitment.
I've also learned about different triggers and maybe some ways to flick the monkey off my back!

Yoga for Runners

The first time I went to a yoga class was the last for quite some time. I found it so hard to find and locate my tail bone, and even when I thought I had it I had no idea how to push it down. Plus this particular class were not the chatty bunch and not really interested in small talk. Anyway fast track a few months and a few niggling injuries and I was back for some more yoga only this time I didn't do a class. I used the Internet. I found this series of videos and found salvation in my own living room. Quick and easy to do, plus I got a great overall sense of well being. A few weeks of practice with the videos and I was ready for a class.

I have to say Yoga has been great for flexibility, strength and overall well being. If you haven't tried it I highly recommend this series of videos.

Yoga for Runners: Pre-Run with Fiji McAlpine
Yoga for Runners: Injury Prevention with Fiji McAlpine
Yoga for Runners: Post Run with Fiji McAlpine

Namaste!

Runner's High

I will never forget it turning the corner at Kilmainham Gaol about the 10 mile mark in my first Dublin Marathon. As I came down the hill to go up again I burst into uncontrollable laughter and happiness. There were some students partying outside diggs high on booze and god knows what. There I was sweaty and tired laughing my head off. It was amazing, I was on cloud nine. By the time I got to the Crumlin Road a few miles on it was a different story. But I will always have that memory.

One more thay sticks in my mind. There was a lady handing out medals at the end of the London Marathon in 2013. She got the shock of her life when I gave her the biggest hug in fits of tears and laughter.  It is these little moments that make it all worthwhile.

Nick's tweet and Radio 4 piece brought back some memories. Would love to hear yours? 

Check out @nickvanmead's Tweet: https://twitter.com/nickvanmead/status/567626625987387392?s=09

Body Image

I never started running to have a beach body, my pale Irish skin, freckles and ginger hair don't quite fit the image of beach bod! That said there is nothing I like more than holidays on the beach. I honestly felt this would be a great way to be fit and strong for my wife and kids. A visit to my GP made me realise that losing body fat helped with blood sugar levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and overall stress management. Feeling good in my clothes has been a great additional benefit.

When I came across this infographic from John Berardi it became a great quick reference and visual aid for thinking about body fat. It is certainly a cost I am willing to pay.

Nature Watch

It is amazing what you might come across on a late night run. Especially in the country side or near a park. Tonight I spotted a badger crossing the road. They are of course nocturnal so most likely to spot them at night, but I also understand they are good runners, getting up to 16 - 19mph!

Workout ideas

I really enjoyed using this workout during the winter. If it is a wet day I will also do this in the office gym. Really gets the heart rate up and good for overall strength with the interval exercises.

Check it out here - 

Building a plan like a sales guy

I want to provide a breakdown of my plan for this year and put some things into context.

In the same way we think about sales quotas and adjust for key periods in the year I built a seasonally adjusted plan and set a theme for each quarter.

The main reason for this comes from an idea in Eric Orton's book The Cool Impossible.  He talks about the foundation blocks of good running. I wanted to put some blocks into place in terms of mileage and pace but most importantly I want to learn and understand what it takes to get better. Hence an overall theme for this year is Better is Better.

What each theme means;
Momentum

Q1 just like in my day to day work is about building momentum,  laying down a foundation for what is to come later in the year.
Consistency

I talk to new hires about what happens after their first three months. The key to success is getting consistently good at what you do. In Q2 I plan to focus on the consistency of my plan, building in hill and speed work. Longer runs in zone 2 using pace and heart rate.
Strength

Not that I am ignoring strength until the summer.  I work on a core routine however I want to use this time to find alternatives to building strength whether that is diet or a particular routine. I read on manvmiles.com about the paleo gym he is using as part of the Marathon des Sables preparations.
Endurance

My main marathon for this year will be in October and I want to take a full hour off my previous time (Dublin 2013, 4.10.13, Marathon PB 4.02.41). Not only that but this quarter I will focus on the building blocks for a much longer race in 2016.

What you measure gets done, monitoring pacing
It's true that the best sales people are not necessarily the ones who are best are pitching or negotiating. In fact the most successful sales people I meet are also the most organised people you will ever meet. They know the details not because they have memorised or studied them but because its their business and their details.

With that in mind I know how many days in each month I need to run, what mileage I need to complete on each run. I am getting a handle on my average pace which will allow me to tweak the plan as a I work through the year.

I am capturing data and staying on track with a pacing model - my team and I live in our pacing model everyday - so its an easy transition!

Data enables us to make decisions, the better I can understand the data the better I can become. Gets me back to Better is Better. I am also conscious I can possibly get bogged down in data. So here are a couple of key points I am measuring. Miles per shoe and is there a correlation to shoe type and pace? Also if I take this data to a specialist shoe store like Run Logic will this influence the shoes I choose. Miles run on different surface types may influence this also, hence why not capture that to.

By the way if someone can help with the google doc and some analysis I would appreciate some tips and advice. 

What Moves You?

Nothing more determined than a made up mind

I missed a scheduled run on Tuesday this week. I could easily blame the meeting that clashed with my lunch time run. But just like I said that would be easy.

Committing to a plan on paper or in an app is the easy part. Easy to visualize those early mornings, getting out at lunch time, that great sense of accomplishment. But then life gets in the way and before you know it you are making excuses. 

I got the line "nothing more determined than a made up mind" from a guy called Lewis Pugh. I use it all the time, with my team when it comes to our monthly quota and at home. What resonates with me is a "made up mind" and the coloration with "determined".

Lewis Pugh in action.... source

So if you have made up your mind  to do something very likely you have thought about the upside and downside of what it is you are committed to. You have probably considered the cost versus the outcome and if your decision has some sort of balance.

I was making excuses on Tuesday night because I missed a session but then I reminded myself I didn't have the balance. Fine to set a recurring event in my work day but had I looked far enough ahead to see were it clashed with a previously planned event? No I hadn't. That said no harm I'm still determined and so I will make up the time and the mileage.

I have some other tactics to stay on the determination side of the equation and take into consideration upside versus downside When I put the kids to bed at night I put on my gear and get dressed for a run. I'll clean down the kitchen get the baby bottles sorted and at that stage I'm all ready to go. No matter how bad my will power is I am not going to sit on front of the TV in my reflective gear and leggings. 

Putting Jennifer to bed and getting ready to head out

On a work trip no matter how short I will always pack some gear. I will lay it out in my hotel room and set the alarm an hour early. No better way to see a city than early in the morning. Plus this is high on the asshole factor scale. When your colleagues are fueling themselves on coffee and you are full of the joys. The thought running through their heads is "asshole". But deep down they are thinking "I should have done the same". And that night in the bar you have a posse signing up to go with you. Next morning that's when you will know who has really made up their mind.

Source

First Month - Building Momentum

Today marks the beginning of February a new month and a new target. It also gives me the opportunity to summarize and reflect on January. So what happened? Here is a snap shot of the data all captured with my TomTom Runner.

Good news I hit my target for the month, still not on track for the annual number but I set out to make the first three months about building momentum. I do feel I have a real momentum behind me. I did 21 days out of a planned 26. Even with travel to US I stayed with my running and really enjoyed it. I feel strong and comfortable with the mileage and the consistency of 5 runs per week. Calves are feeling tight but I wore compression socks (I use 110% play harder) for a couple of days and that made a difference.

A couple of other facts. I did 37.37miles in my Inov 8  and slightly more 70.57 in my New Balance. Looks like I am faster in Inov 8's  with 8.22mins/mile. Although I do use these at lunch time and overall it looks like I am quicker at my lunch time runs. This month I hit some interesting locations with Dublin 2 and Malahide seeing the most miles covered. But I also had the opportunity to run from Venice Beach to Santa Monica and back and some interesting mornings in Downtown LA. A detour into Skid Row without realising had Bettina and I upping our pace to find an alternative route. Running without a pre-planned route in cities can be interesting!

Watching the surfers from Venice Pier

Early morning, looking back on Venice Beach

Santa Monica pier with my seagull friend in foreground

Here's some more data

Total miles: 102.91

21 running days

98.15miles on concrete/asphalt 

Weight Jan 1st 179lbs ( I guess Christmas was a little over indulgent)

Weight Feb 1st 172lbs 

Full data set can be found here