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Giving it a Go - PaulJ - 30-10-2025
My name is Paul and I am 63 (born 20 April 1962). I probably did my first runs in my teens with my elder brother, but my main focus has always been sports rather than running, so football at school and then after school until my kids were born and then after a ten-year pause when young children made it hard to regular commit to sport I returned to sport, switching from football to tennis (since tennis was more flexible and less of a commitment). I still play tennis, usually 2-2.5 hours on a saturday morning mainly doubles. But I have probably done a bit of running throughout this period - almost entirely 5km runs and some years just three or four and other years perhaps 10-15. Obviously, I have never had any coaching - I just look to put one foot in front of another for the time it takes to run the distance. Similarly, I have never really had a training programme. I have heard that you are supposed to do easy runs and long runs, sometimes go slow and sometimes go fast, but I find it very hard to be disciplined. I usually have headphones that give me my time every five minutes and if the time is good, I think "lets push harder and go for a PB". If the time is bad, I think "lets push harder and at least do a reasonable time". So, every run is pretty much the same effort level (although the times vary a bit) and it is almost always 5-6km.
So why change? Well, there is no burning platform for me to improve my running, but I think it might be fun. I currently round 5km in around 30 mins and I would like to get this closer to 25 mins (but I am not sure I will ever break 25 mins and strangely enough I am not getting any younger!) and I would be keen to do 10 km in less than 60 mins and possibly under 55 mins. After more than 40 years of running, it would be nice to feel that I have a better understanding of it and can do a reasonable time for my age. I will be doing a bit of pilates and yoga as well as running (and of course tennis!) since my underlying goal is staying fit and healthy, but lets give it a go and see what the Ed can do for me!
RE: Giving it a Go - TheEd - 31-10-2025
Hi Paul and thank you for your introductory post. It should be of great interest to those (viewers) who find themselves in a similar position. The number one thing we shall do is to balance things out and provide you with the training which is no more than you currently do but would provide you, with us explaining the smaller details, with a more beneficial time spent training.
Straight off the bat, your goals and aspirations are certainly do-able and it will be great fun to introduce you to different types of running.
now all we need to find, is where we can place the running with your current schedule, so over to you
TheEd
RE: Giving it a Go - PaulJ - 03-11-2025
Hi Ed,
I have pencilled in a run for Wednesday afternoon. I may also be able to do some running on Sunday but probably less intensive than on Wed, since on Sunday I am still likely to be recovering from 2-2.5 hours on the tennis court! This sort of pattern will hopefully hold for the rest of this calendar year, i.e. run on Wed and possibly light run on Sunday.
What would you recommend I do this Wednesday?
Best Regards
Paul
RE: Giving it a Go - TheEd - 04-11-2025
Hi Paul .. what we will be looking to do now is to try get you to understand the different zones of running. Currently you don't have a heart rate monitor (correct?) and we will soon need an assessment so that we can then develop your running at varying paces. Nothing to panic about currently, however for your normal run tomorrow, if you can post here afterwards with the distance run and the time, and then we will take it from there, as the starter.
Do you have any ParkRuns near you?
TheEd
RE: Giving it a Go - PaulJ - 05-11-2025
Well, I did go for a run! I even did a warm-up, but I was probably a bit too enthusiastic since I found the second half of the run quite challenging. As ever, however, I left it all out that on the field/footpath.
Overall: 6.26 km in 35.50. with very little elevation (a.k.a. mainly along the river).
Splits: 1km: 5.38; 2km: 5.41 3km: 5.46; 4 km: 5.27; 5km: 6.01; 6km: 5.48 7km: 5.41
Heart rate: quick climb in first minutes from 50 to 145 bpm then dropped off to around 140 bpm at around five minute and then gradually climbed to 145 bpm at the end.
RE: Giving it a Go - TheEd - 06-11-2025
Thanks PJ .. are you able to see which zone you were running in on your heart rate monitor?
RE: Giving it a Go - PaulJ - 07-11-2025
(06-11-2025, 09:03 AM)TheEd Wrote: Thanks PJ .. are you able to see which zone you were running in on your heart rate monitor?
35 mins in extreme (other categories are: anaeroblic; aerobic; fat-burning; warm-up). My monitor tends to have me permanently in extreme, but it is cheap and cheerful!
RE: Giving it a Go - TheEd - 08-11-2025
Hi Paul, no mentioning of zones?
not to worry, we will balance things out after a few weeks
what is your exercise plan for the weekend
TheEd
RE: Giving it a Go - PaulJ - 11-11-2025
(08-11-2025, 05:22 AM)TheEd Wrote: Hi Paul, no mentioning of zones?
not to worry, we will balance things out after a few weeks
what is your exercise plan for the weekend
TheEd
Sorry ed. I don't seem to be getting the email notifications - need to remember to check more often. I was not feeling great last week and had a miserable 1.5 hours of tennis on Sat, but on Sun I felt a bit better and had a good if exhausting 2.5 hours of fairly competitive tennis in the afternoon. But don't worry I will do a run next Sunday. And am definitely lined up for a run this Wednesday. What would you suggest I do on Wed?
RE: Giving it a Go - TheEd - 11-11-2025
Hi PaulJ, how are you feeling now?
same run tomorrow however you welcome to let the pulse raise to 150 bpm towards the end
we looking for zone 3 running, so see after tomorrow's run if you reach that status
till laters TheEd
ps.. we will look into the email notifications