29 Aug New Spring’s Resolution … an update.
Four or Five months ago I posted a blog on our Facebook page about a New Spring’s Resolution.
I entered a running competition against myself, only a younger me from 5 years ago.
Could I beat the previous me, rediscover the glory days, teach that younger me a lesson?!
So I thought I’d better post an update….
Turns out it was a bit harder than I thought.
I started with a few runs and bike ride and then did a VO2 max test in the clinic, which gave me a number to improve – my relatively untrained VO2 max was 48. As suspected, considerably worse than 5 years ago. Eek!
However, with some consistent training with both running and cycling I could see my times starting to improve.
It would be numerous months before I started to get closer to my Strava times from 2012, but slowly I started to reel them in.
As my fitness started to improve, I did a bit less cycling a bit more running, targeting specific heart rate zones determined by my VO2 max test.
4 months in, I did another VO2 max test, which was now 52 – a decent improvement – perhaps there was life in the old dog yet?
I had earmarked a particularly hilly 10km race along the Budleigh coast path, as the show down between me now and me then.
I last did the race in 2012 in 47 min 54 seconds, finishing 50th out of 300 odd, and wondered if I could beat that time in 2017.
A practice run the week before went badly, very badly, I hugely overcooked the pace at the start and stopped 3 times during the run, finishing in a much slower time than 2012. Not good. Not good at all.
All too soon the race day arrived, and I turned up wondering why I was there. It was beautiful sunny day (a bit too hot actually), perhaps I could just sit down by the sea, maybe have a swim and an ice cream and no-one would notice.
But before I knew it we were off.
For some unknown reason I positioned myself near the front, and the pace was ridiculous, I passed an ice cream hut after about 500 yards and considered just joining the queue, but though better of it.
44 mins and 45 seconds of pain later I stumbled across the finishing line, beating my previous time by 3 minutes and finishing 18th overall……
I’m still recovering!
Huge thanks to Andy Middlebrook at Exercise Science Consulting and the Jurassic Coast 10k team for organising a great race.
I’m off to put my feet up.
Andy Larmour
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From March 2017
New Spring’s Resolution
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Andy Larmour Chartered Physio Ocean Physio & Rehab