And so the taper begins

Just back from a lovely 9m run with Kim which was ascially half the route I did with Alma and Linda a couple of weeks ago. I woke up feeling a bit snotty and coughing, but a spoonful of Covonia and a paracetamol seem to have helped, and in fact I had the best run timewise of my training. I seem to have developed into a run/walker, and Kim proved to me today that I can actually run faster in my running bits than I have been – at times we got down to 10m 14s pace and it felt OK. We probably walked for the equivalent of a minute or so per mile, but I still averaged under a 12m pace for the whole thing. If I can duplicate that on marathon day I will be a very happy chappy.

So many tings I could blog about today, as I have been remiss in my updates, but I fear it would bore you all, and I do have housework to do, so I’ll summarise the last few days in terms of Viceathon which’ll give you a good picture of what I’ve been up to, as of the 2nd April I had 10 miles in the bank:

1 unit of alcohol = 1 mile run/bike/walk/swim

NEW ADDITIONS: 1 sweet baked product, or chocolate bar = 1 mile

Vice count

3rd April: Made fajitas for dinner, so had to had a Desperados (tequila and lime flavoured lager) to wash it down with = 2 miles

4th April: GINORMOUS, deliciously bad for me but tasted oh so wonderful, belgian bun filled with fresh cream = must count for at least 2 miles

5th April: Bad day at work which called for a hot cross bun AND a bounty bar to recover = 2 miles

6th April: Another hot cross bun, this time smothered in nutella = 2 miles (1 for the bun, 1 for the chocolate)

Miles covered

5th April: 3 mile run

7th April: 9 mile run

Miles in the bank

14 - Hm maybe I should start having more naughty stuff!

Did it – sorta…and viceathon

Whose bright idea was it to attempt to run 18 miles after work. Not just any day of work but a MONDAY, also the 1st day of the month which is when my entire day consists of admin, reporting and writing appraisals, my 3 least favourite things to do. Bah.

I ran 6 miles before club, then found a sucker friend at club to do another 6 with. Actually she’s a lovely lady, I’ve only run with her a couple of times and always in a group, so our 6 miles tonight was a great getting to know you session. I think she could tell I was struggling as she seemed happy to walk when I did, and at the end when my knee starting to scream at me (it was shouting WTF are you doing to me you f***ing idiot woman??? Just in case you were wondering) she offered me a lift home. I pretended for about, oooh, 2 seconds that I was going to say no, but just couldn’t keep it up – she knew it, I knew it, I just had to say it out loud.

Shaz has already ttold me I shouldn’t try and catch up missed miles, with now only 2 weeks and 6 days to go I feel woefully underprepared, but my goal is just to get around, which I think I have done just about enough for.

I was going to join in with viceathon (another great idea from jogblog), however as I am a paragon of virtue at the moment, allowing nothing naughty to cross my lips, I don’t feel that I could join in. Ah, who am I kidding, as soon as the marathon is over I am going on a BEERFEST (I have the two days after off) so I might as well start counting the miles now and getting plenty in the bank.

1 unit of alcohol = 1 mile run/bike/walk/swim

Alcohol count

1st April: 1 pint of apples and pears 5% cider and 1 pint of  strawberry and lime cider – 4 units (?)

2nd April: 0

Miles covered

1st April: 2m stroll around Ashridge and Berkhamsted punctuated by cider drinking

2nd april: 12m run after work

Miles in the bank

10 - yippee!

Oh dear

…I should be out on my long run right now…but I’m not. I’m playing bejwelled blitz, and reading blogs, and doing some washing and watering my plants, in fact, I am doing ANYTHING to get out of doing my long run.

Why?

I just woke up and didn’t feel like it. I’m tired, I have a slightly dodgy stomach, it’s my girly time of the month and I just don’t want to. Not good with 3 weeks to go til London.

Would it be OK if I promise to do a long one tomorrow after work instead?

Now go away and leave me alone, I need to arrange my DVDs and blu-rays into size and title order…

Mid week run

Haven’t run since Sunday (a pattern is emerging here) so I thought I’d best go to running club tonight. 4m round trip with Elaine and Linda in a nice quick pace. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to push myself because I’ve got so comfortable at a 12 – 12.30 m mile pace. I’m looking forward to going out and doing some shorter, faster runs once the marathon is over as well as joining in with some speedwork sessions.

My legs feel great, the weekly sports massage is making a HUGE difference, and for the last 2 weeks I’ve had 2 for the price of one. My usual therapist is training someone and they do a leg each, so I’m effectively getting an hours treatment for the price of half an hour – woohoo! I find it quite painful so I try to chat to them whilst they work in an effort to distract myself. They are both young boys (well, under 23 which is young to me) and for some reason they seem to bring out my inner Barbara Windsor, so I hear myself coming out with lines that belong in a Carry on film. I really can’t help it, they must dread me coming in but I just can’t stop myself, it’s my way of dealing with the pain.

Changing the subject, if any of you are in London on Saturday, you may want to go along to this unique 5k run:

Ben Davis went through an amazing journey (I know some bloggers have posted links to this video before, but here it is again). I want to make one eventually…

He has started a movement called Do Life, encouraging people to get up and do something and enjoy life basically. The exciting news is that he is in the UK and is inviting everyone to along to Hyde Park on Saturday morning to join him for a 5k run/walk/whatever and lunch afterwards. I am absolutely GUTTED that I have to work – his blog is very inspirational and I’d love to be able to meet him in person, so if any of you go please say Hi from me and get your picture taken with him, maybe wearing a mask of my face so that I can pretend I was there? Thanks

Another one down

So, sundays long run. I’d mapped out a rough 18 miler, part road/part trail to take Alma on Sunday and show off the purdy countryside I live so close to. Linda, one of my friends from RC who is training for the MK marathon,  joined us. With anything from 16 – 21 degree heat predicted, we set off at 8.45am (7.45am in old money as the clocks had only just changed) to try to get it done before it got too hot.

It was a lovely run, albeit a little too hilly – we climbed over 1000ft and only got 80% of that back on downhill, but apparently if you train on hills it will just make the flat of VLM seem so much easier! Luckily the sun was obscured by fog for most the time with a few breakouts to warm us up, although at one stage my hands were so cold I’d regretted leaving my gloves and fleece at home. I found the run sooo much easier with company, My average pace came out at about 12m 20s miles, with a couple of sub 12m miles on the long downhills (we walked the last mile home from the pub which buggered up the runningfree stats). We finished at a country pub and had egg, chips and beans with a round of buttered bread - top running grub.

I feel much more confident that I’ll get round the marathon after this run and although I struggled through the last 2 miles (I think the hills had taken their toll on my legs), I got through it by switching to a run 5 walk 1 strategy which I’ll probably do for the back end of the marathon – I’m hoping with the flatter course I’ll get to mile 20 before I have to do that. I’ve got a bit of a sore knee today so I’ve given RC a miss and I’m planning a gentle swim in the morning and a sports massage after work so I’ll see what he has to say (v funny story about last weeks session which I’ll tell you about tomorrow!).

Only one more long run to go – hallelujah, the only downer being it looks like I’ll be doing it solo, so if anyone is free on Sunday and fancies joining me for some or all of a very scenic 20m run in the Luton area at a 12m30 pace please let me know!

In today’s news

A lesser known doesntusethegymalot, known locally as the carlagreer (kaLAH greER) was spotted at approximately 6.22 this morning in the pool at David Lloyd, Capability Green.

Staff at the centre said that it was the second time this week she had been seen there, and that she swam for approximately an hour, though our expert did say that it looked less like swimming and more like drowning avoidance.

It is rare for this breed to be seen at Out of her natural habitat (her bed) so twice in one week is a real treat for enthusiasts. With reports coming in the she has booked a personal training session for 6.30am tomorrow, some spotters (known as CAGs) are expected to travel from as far away as Witham and Redhill for a glimpse. Local police advise to check travel news, use local A roads and travel after 9am if you plan to visit the area tomorrow to avoid getting caught in the traffic.

#onamission or just plain #mad

8.35am and I am eating poached eggs on toast in the gym cafe, having just done an hour and a half weights/circuit workout.

I feel fabulous…suspect I will need my bed at approx 2pm tho…

Puffin’ and a blowin’ like a steam train…

That title sums up this mornings 16 mile run in a sentence. In short, I walked the uphill, ran the flat and downhill except for the last mile which I mostly walked. And I did my first and hopefully last al fresco poo. Have I caught your interest?

Long version.

The morning started with a run to the end of the road with my aqua rucksack, then a run home after deciding I didn’t like it. Seriously constricting and it jumped around all over the place. Sort of reminded me of my last outing with a rucksack… (thanks to Almas friend Dave for this illustration)

After I swapped my rucksack for my suicide bomber belt*, I headed off for my run. I had a vague route in my head, but I was in the mood to see where the road took me, and boy was it a good un! I went off the beaten track (quite literally) and saw some wonderful things. Freshly sown fields with flocks of birds nicking the seeds (despite the cut out of a red kite attached to a pole by a string and swining around), baby grouse and mummy grouse were charging around and I even saw a peacock in a tree (I heard him before I saw him). Squirrels were scampering in the undergrowth whilst being chased by rabbits, and there was a whole field of pigs foraging and gruffling** for food. The best sight though, was a herd of wild deer. As my footsteps are as light as a feather*** I got quite close (about 25 feet) before they scarpered up the hill, their white pom pom tails all bounding away from me in unison.

That was all in the first 6 miles, whilst the sun was shining and I was bouncing along feeling full of the joys of spring. I started to feel a bit fatigued (I had, rather stupidly, not eaten before my run) so I took a gel. Mile 7 was mostly a hill which I walked up (that’s my new long run strategy – walk uphill, run flat and downhill) and when I started running again my stomach started to bubble and grumble. At the top of the hill was a long ridge; the wind was blowing and it started to rain, but I tried to stay positive. I plodded on, maintaining a 12m 30 pace and feeling more and more in need of a loo. I was miles away from anywhere so started looking for for a spot off the road I could go as I really didn’t want to do a Paula. A mile on I found somewhere suitable – a dense little copse right by the road but fairly secluded.

Picture me, if you will, in my bright yellow Meningitis Trust running top, thinking that I am completely hidden behind one branch and 15 leaves. I hadn’t seen another soul for 30 minutes then, just as I dropped my kecks, from nowhere appear 3 cars, 2 horseback riders, 4 male cyclists and 2 other runners. I felt like I was in my own version of The Truman Show where every time Jim Carreys character tries to leave his house loads of traffic and people appear from thin air. I froze, thinking if I didn’t move they wouldn’t be able to see me, because of course, bright yellow tops are rendered invisible by non-movement. I think it worked.****

Al fresco is a funny story to tell but not a nice experience, but at least I will remember not to take a gel on an empty stomach again.

The rest of the run passed by in a blur of grass, roads, huffing and puffing. The huffing and puffing got louder and louder and my field of vision shrunk from the beautiful vista I was running through, to 5 or at most 10 feet in front of my feet. It became a battle of wills between my brain and my body and for the last 2 miles my body won – as I did a sort of stumbling walk/run/walk to home. When I got to my front door, I struggled to get my key out of my pocket and only felt human again after a bottle of chocolate yazoo, a cold bath and a cup of tea. Note to self – EAT before running 16 miles!

Despite the hills, the wind, the rain, the trip to the bushes and the stumbling last 2 miles, I feel suprisingly good about todays run. For the majority of it I was in a positive state of mind, it was a lovely route which with some tweaks could be cut to 10 miles or increased to 18-20 (next weeks aim) and I enjoyed it. I am really looking forward to next Sunday when Alma is making the trip up here to join me for my run – if anyone else can get to Luton Airport Parkway for 8.30 – 9am on Sunday morning and wants to join us (12m 30s pm pace) you are more than welcome. There may even be a pub lunch afterwards with BEER and CHIPS!

*I am not really a suicide bomber, it’s just a belt with a pocket, and hooks for gels and two water bottles so it looks like the sort of belt a suicide bomber might wear as I expect they would need a lot of places to put things.

**That may not be a word but as abrdaypus has made up words today, and she has an Oxford education I thought it would be OK for me to too!

***I may be lying about that.

****Possibly another lie as I’m sure it was only 2 cars but one came back for a second look.

Oops, I started my taper too early

I’ve just come back from a fab week at Center Parcs with my bro and his family. It was awesome spending so much time with my nephew who is now 5 months old, and I think we have started a new family tradition as we were already discussing next years dates before we left.

On the down side, my running has taken a back seat. I only ran once whilst I was there, and here I am on Saturday morning lonunging on the sofa rather than out pounding the streets. In fact I seem to have tapered the last 2 weeks. In the month of March I have only run 5 times – 2m, 16m, 4m, 13.1m and 4.2m. Hmm. NOT good marathon training I suspect. so it’s back on the treadmill this week (so to speak) with a long run planned tomorrow and then a minimum of 4 sessions next week.

The other down side is that I used Center Parcs as (another) excuse to eat rubbish, and as of this morning I am the same weight as I was in January last year! I know some of that is muscle as I am a completely different shape, but even hubby (with a fearful look on his face like he thought he was going to get slapped for saying it but in fact I probably needed his honesty) mentioned my muffin top whilst I was drinking an oreo cookie milkshake (sooo good) on Thursday, so I know it’s time to do something about it. My brother has always struggled with his weight too, a few years ago he lost 5 stone and has mostly kept it off. We had a long chat about hows and whys, and decided I am a balancer – I use running as an excuse to eat badly, sometimes before I’ve even done the run i.e. last night at Zizzi – ‘oh its ok for me to have a starter and a dessert because I’m doing a long run tomorrow’ but said run has not materialised…

My extra weight is slowing me down – even if I lose just 2 lbs a week between now and marathon day, that will make me 20 seconds per mile faster – over 26.2. miles that’s nearly 9 minutes, and explains why my last 2 half marathon times have been crap. So Monday is D-day – no more crisps, chocolate, or over processed foods. I am vowing to increase my intake of fruit, veg and water, and get my bloody trainers on!

#SilverstoneHalfMarathon race report

Here’s today in highlights:

PIcked up at 9.30am which felt odd – every other race I’ve done I’d be 30 minutes into by then!

Lots of chatting about London Marathon on the way as I got a lift with hubbys friend who is also running it, always enjoy an opportunity to geek out with someone equally excited on ones chosen subject.

Arrived with 15 mins to spare, big hugs and smiles from Alma and Rachel, everyone looking keen as greyhounds at the start of the 7.32…

Introduced virtual (but actually very real life) running buddy Alma to running club running buds Gill and Cheryl all got on famously.

Sauntered to the 2.30 – 3 hour finish pens, the sun was shining it felt like a very sociable Sunday afternoon run. And then we were OFF!

Mile 1: Vroom factor 7 (out of 10) – gently downhill warm up, zoomed in 11m40

Mile 2: Vroom factor 7 – remained consistent 11m53

Mile 3: Vroom factor 8 – consistency maintained 11m47

Mile 4: Vroom factor 9 – I hit that point of flow, where everything feels easy and it felt like I was floating 11m35

Mile 5: Vroom factor 10 – Maintained flow WHHHHEEEEEEE this is great! 11m 38

Mile 6: Vroom factor 7 - starting to get a bit hot, tarmac reflecting the heat but still felling OK 11m 53

Mile 7: Vroom factor 5 – feeling hotter, guzzling water, time for the gel – just as we started running again I saw 2 friends who had come to watch as they can’t make London and wanted to support me – yipppee – got my running legs back 12m11

Mile 8: Vroom factor 10 – spurred on by another sighting of my friends cheering very enthusiastically and loudly (thanks John and Wendy T!!), whopppeeeeeeee! 11m35

Mile 9 – Vroom factor 6 – scuppered by a never ending slight uphill that seemed to suck the energy from my legs 12m10

Mile 10 – Vroom factor 4 – Waved Alma on as I felt the need to slow right down. Legs feeling fatigued, heat has stolen my mojo 12m28

Mile 11 – Vroom factor 5 – Reunited with Gill and Cheryl and adopted a run 5mins walk 1min strategy that rejuvenated me (or at least got me running again) 12m49

Mile 12 – Vroom factor 7 – Maintaining the run walk strategy, long straight run past the stands, starting to feel very very hot, temp registering at 16 degrees but it feels like 26 reflecting back off the tarmac 12m48

Mile 13 – Vroom factor 6 – Can see the end but it feels miles away, right knee starting to hurt and IT band twinging. 13m32

Last 0.27m Vroom factor 10 – zoomed it in 3m19, even managed an awesome sprint finish passing 4 other runners YIPPEE!

M & S Chinese planned for tea (yum), I’ve had a cold(ish) bath and am being comforted on the sofa by hubby and cats. I’m pleased to have completed another half marathon, at 2hr 40 mins it’s not my fastest but it’s the first I’ve done in that sort of heat. I need to aim for an even slower start if warm weather is predicted on marathon day. If not, the pace of the 1st 9 miles was comfortable, and I probably could have maintained it had it been cooler. All ifs and buts, I’ll just have to see how the day goes.

It was lovely to see Alma, and I’m really proud of Cheryl doing her 1st half marathon and finishing strong! Will post photos once they have been published – I did try to smile for them but suspect it will look like I’m gurning…