Long time no type!

Eugh – pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling lately. Doctor thinks it could be seasonal affective disorder, general depression, vitamin deficiency, or iron deficiency – actually it could be any number of things but need to find out why and get myself sorted.

24 weeks tomorrow I’ll be taking part in the Great North Run – I have 24 weeks to get myself there. And, in the meantime, I have three 10km to take part in. 

First things first, need to get my diet sorted. Suffering from a horrible ibs attack this morning so currently sat wondering if it was tomatoes or bread that is causing it. Both pretty easy to cut out of my diet so they are gone! I have a daughter with a wheat intolerance so it’s entirely possible I have the same. It’s going to be meat/fish & vegetables for tea this week 🙂

Secondly, I need to get myself out running again. I’m very much a 6am, get up, get out & run type of person and it’s been a little too dark to do that recently. Can’t use that excuse now though can I? 

I still see my personal trainer each week and have added Pilates and Powergise circuit training to my week – just need to add 3 runs into the mix somewhere. 

Jane has set me a 5mile running homework this week – I last did that before Christmas so it’s been a while. I’ve got to stop making excuses, get my head back in the game and starting running. 

A decision to regret? #abbeydash

I should be in my running gear. I should be near the start line. I should be warming up. I should be finishing Leeds Abbey Dash  later this morning.

Sadly I’m not doing any of the above. I woke at 6.45am – heard the wind, listened to the rain thrashing against the window and, together with my husband, took the decision not to take part.

I run for enjoyment, I run to feel good – I don’t run to torture myself. I’d seen the forecast earlier this week and told myself all the right things “rain won’t hurt me” “I’ll dry”  and, for the first time ever, I got all my kit ready last night, found safety pins at the first attempt and attached my number to my shirt perfectly straight on the first attempt. I should have know then that things were going too well.

This morning, as I laid in bed, I read the weather warnings and, more importantly, read the travel warnings. Running isn’t worth that to me – flying debris, water logged roads – I run to have fun. I also have my support team to think about – my husband currently full of cold, my two young daughters, my sister and my disabled mother in law – what would they do for an hour or so as I pounded the streets.

I will regret my decision. I will read the excited tweets this morning. I’ll look at pictures later with runners showing off their new tshirts  and wish I had one too. But, right now, I’m sat in my pjs  in the warmth, listening to the wind howling around the house – and for now, I’m happy to be here.

Fail to prepare – Prepare to fail

Eugh! What a morning and what an awful ‘run’

I know that I have to run a 10km this week as I’ve entered another @virualrunneruk event and illness has meant I’ve left it right to the last minute. Laid in bed this morning I had no motivation whatsoever to get up – I just could not be bothered to go for a run. I laid there for an hour and slowly, having read other blogs and some of my own Strava comments, a small amount of motivation came from somewhere. It wasn’t much but it was enough for me to get up and get some running gear on.

I should have known my run was doomed the moment I couldn’t find my phone holder or headphones! 

After a glass of water and with phone in hand – literally – I headed out. Walked and stretched to warm up and then started with a gentle jog, speeding up as I went. 

My feet felt heavy, my calves were tight and my head was already telling me to stop, to turn round and get back into my bed. My first stop was at 1.8km and, for a minute or so, I just walked backwards and forwards not knowing whether I should carry on or head back home.

I was proud of myself at that point but soon went downhill as I found myself finding other excuses not to go on. Water was the first excuse. I hadn’t any with me – I couldn’t possibly go 10km or 5km without water despite having done it several times already. Knees – my knee was tweaking and I would need to stop to rest it. Sweat spots – actually a real pain between my boobs and something I need to resolve but not necessarily there and then. Mud – lots of it and very slippery in places. To save my ankles I couldn’t possibly take another step.

“Get to 3km” I kept telling myself, “then you can turn round and run home, you’ll have completed a 5km and have another 1km to walk/cool down”. 

I was almost at 3km when I turned round – and there he was. A stranger in wellies walking straight across the field. He didn’t really look like any of the local farmers nor did he have a dog. My imagination went into overdrive and I no longer felt safe. I started walking. I didn’t want to get myself in front of him for fear of being attacked from behind. Then I worried about the dirt path I have to use to run home, covered with trees and very few people around. It was no good – I now felt fear – I rang my husband and he came to pick me up.

I still don’t know who that man was. Poor bloke was probably someone that was just taking an early morning stroll not someone looking to murder a passing jogger but once there was feeling of fear I didn’t want to go on. 

I’m sat here now feeling disappointed but knowing I made the right decision. Safety is and always will be number 1. 

I’m disappointed I wasn’t anywhere near completing a 5km this morning and yet, I’m only 3 weeks away from taking part in Age Concern’s 10km Leeds Abbey Dash.  

I’m disappointed that my motivation seems below zero at the moment. I’m finding it difficult to get out and about with dark, wet mornings and even darker, miserable nights. It worries me that I have to train for Disney’s #GlassSlipperChallenge next winter so I can’t let the weather stop me from getting out and about. 

I’m out of routine having missed a PT session and two running club sessions. Once I get my head in the right space again I hope things will click back into place.

I see how well fellow tweeting runners are doing and I’m disappointed not to be at the same pace/mileage. I know I shouldn’t compare myself to others but it’s difficult not to. I’ll sort myself out, look back on this moment and wonder why I was whinging.

Keep running

B x 

When real life gets in the way……..

….its been a shocking few weeks! I won’t go into details as they’ll only serve as a reminder about the cr*p I’ve had to deal with but, oh my goodness, am I glad they seem to be behind me now.

Running has definitely been at the back of my mind although I’ve still gone along to all running club meet-ups and have continued to see my personal trainer each week. Its certainly fair to say that I’ve lost my focus, my motivation to go out and run a 10km first thing on a morning has vanished and I need to find it again…..soon!

Four weeks today and we will be on our way to Leeds so I can take part in Age Concern’s Leeds Abbey Dash. My trainer expects me to knock around 10 minutes off my personal best – but I will really need some positive attitude to remind myself I can push myself to go a little bit faster than I usually would be. Time to find some positive mental attitude…….don’t suppose its under the sofa I find myself stuck to?

Weekly Recap w/c 21st September

So, I’ve just come through two weeks of ‘no running’ after a knee injury and I need to keep reminding myself how far I’ve come. What better way than a quick recap:

Monday 21st September – I’m still on ‘doctors rest orders’ but it’s the first meeting of a beginners running club today so I get myself (and my Bessie) there. We both do well despite individual injuries and it’s a great, positive start to the week. 

Tuesday 22nd September – Change of PT day today as usually on a Friday. Still no running but Jane doesn’t let me off – cross trainer, cycling and rowing machine all used. We went into her garden and did some step up work as well as tricep work. We worked on my core strength and my balance. I came away exhausted but feeling good about myself. 

Wednesday to Friday – my knee reminded me I was supposed to be resting and along with meetings and appointments I couldn’t fit a run in.

Saturday 26th September – as a Mum of 2 very active girls I often find myself waiting outside dance, karate, swimming classes. Usually I’ll pop to the local coffee shop or find myself wandering around the local shops. Today I did something productive. For the first time in 2 weeks I took myself out for a run. It was around half an hour and it was for just under 3 miles. I wasn’t happy with my breathing or my pacing but I still managed to get out there. I’ve had to elevate my knee since but the specialist did say it would feel worse before it gets better 🙂 

Hoping that this new running time will become part of a new routine for me – just need to find some more routes as I’m not too familiar with the area. 

Running Club – Week 1

Until now I’ve only run by myself or with Jane, my personal trainer. Today, my friend Sam and I joined a beginners running group. I still run at quite a slow pace, don’t have too much confidence in my ability and need some group running experience. 

It was great. We kept up with each other which helped my confidence and, although I felt they were mountains, I managed to run the hills as well. As a beginners group we walked for a minute and then jogged for minute. It felt really good and I really enjoyed it. 

I could really do with some advice about what to wear now. The nights are getting darker so I need to get a hi-vis jacket but I’m also wondering about layers – how many do I need in winter? 

“I was almost there”

As you will probably know by now, my dream is to take part in a Run Disney event in Walt Disney World, Florida. So imagine how delighted I was to find so many people using Periscope during last weekend’s Disneyland events.

If you aren’t sure what Periscope is I should explain. Periscope is a new app from Twitter. It allows users to live stream video recordings to their followers. Imagine using FaceTime or Skype to chat with a friend, Periscope allows you to do this on a huge scale. Followers are able to watch you recording whatever you are up to and type questions to you. The questions pop up on your device and you can talk back to that person.

Through the power of Periscope I really did feel that I was one of those standing by the side of the road watching everyone taking part in the Disneyland Half-Marathon. Listening to the music, the street performers, marching bands and cheerleaders was magical and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

Just have to decide what to wear. The majority of people that I saw in the videos were just in regular running gear but I do hope to have a little Disney theming with my outfit. I’m thinking of black running tshirt with my trusted black cropped bottoms and adding a Minnie Mouse running skirt. I’ve also been looking at a Minnie Mouse sun visor from Sparkle Athletic to add a little more Disney. I’d be happy for any other input and ideas. I hope to run 5km with my daughter on the Friday followed by 10km on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday to complete the Glass Slipper Challenge. Three races = Three outfits 🙂

Keep Running!

B x

‘Sports related injury’

They aren’t words I ever thought I’d hear. Not since I twisted my ankle during a rounders match in primary school.

Chances are it’s not an injury specifically due to running. Chances are that I’m just getting a little old. Maybe I’ve struggled with my weight for so long that my knees are reminding me I’m a little heavier that I want/need to be.

What ever it is, it may be a ‘sports related injury’.

A couple of weeks ago I went across fields in one of my runs. The ground was very uneven and my ankles (which have been weak since that rounders match) gave way a few times. Nothing to stop me running but certainly something for me to be aware of. Since that run I’ve also had a twinging pain in my knee. Its fine when I’m running and walking around but when I stop and rest, laid down, driving etc it really aches.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I was just getting started on the treadmill during a personal training session and I felt something pull really tightly in my knee. I rested, start walking, went into a slow run and bang, it went again.

I didn’t run for the rest of the session but I kept up with squats, plies, karate kicks and rowing machine work with no problems at all. It’s quite bizarre. I’ll get it checked over by the doctor (when I find the time) as I have long terms goals I want to achieve and don’t want this pain causing problems further along the line. Its also been suggested that I’m a little ‘unbalanced’ (keep your comments to yourself) so may invest some me time in a sports related therapist just to get that checked as well.

Happy Running Everyone!

B x

New term, New routines

I love this time of year. A sense of ‘newness’ in the air, more so than in January for me. A new school year for the kids, new classes, new teachers and new routines to put in place.

Sunday is to become my new, long run day as we develop our new home routines. And so, at 6.30am I pulled back the duvet, changed into my running gear, glass of water drunk and out of the door to start a ‘long’ run. 

I had a route in mind but wasn’t too sure of the distance. My trainer wanted 5 miles from me this week with a view to 10km next week. I’ve used my neighbour’s Strava routes to come up with new ideas for further distances so it was a case of going with the flow this morning. 

In brief, my knee niggled all the way around the run but my breathing seemed controlled as was my heart rate. I stuck to tracks rather than crossing fields as my knee seemed less painful when my foot was flat. I know that crossing fields played havoc with my ankles last week as I got stuck in tractor tyre ruts and knew that would put even more pressure on my knee. 

Chicken Run

The funniest part of my run came in about mile 2. I was running along a farm track and, from nowhere, out pop two chickens. They seemed quite determined to run ahead of me and each time I passed them they would run a little faster. It really made me giggle and I really relaxed into my running at that point. Thank you chickens – same time next week? 

Distance – 10km. Time – 1hr 20mins 30secs

“Run the miles you’re in, don’t think about the finish”

I forget who said this to me – it was someone on #ukrunchat as I was asking for advice. I didn’t think about having to run 5 miles all in one go. I simply ran until the Strava guy gave me my next mile time and then concentrated on the next one. As he said 5 miles I was still feeling quite strong, had a distance to go until home and carried on going. The closer I was to home, the closer I was to 6 miles and closer to 10km. 

As I reached our village I hit the 6mile target but that still wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted that 10km – and I got that 10km.

Frustration

I should be incredibly happy that, for the first time ever, I ran 10km. I stopped to let traffic past when I needed to cross the road but that’s it – I ran all the way. So, I ask myself, why is my time the same as it was when I finished York 10km? I walked a mile of that! It’s so frustrating – I really need to start upping the pace now. Anyone got any tips?

B

A little reminder……

Just as my motivation reached an all time low along came @rundisney Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. My Instagram and Twitter timelines are full of photos and posts from excited runners. Suddenly, I’m reminded exactly why this training is so important – the Glass Slipper Challenge of 2017.

At present I can almost complete a 10km course without having to take a walking break but that’s still a long way off from a half-marathon (almost 21.1km) and the Glass Slipper Challenge requires both of them. 

Sadly, tooth ache and a lost filling means the furthest I’ll get from the sofa today is the dentist. I’ve had to cancel my training session with Jane but, now that the new school term is almost here, I can get myself into a proper routine. Hoping that Sunday will become my ‘long run’ day whilst the girls get a well earned lie-in and then, on school days, I can finish the school run, nip out for a shorter, faster run. That’s the plan but when has life ever been that straightforward…..