marathon training
Surviving Winter Running
As people are now in the depths of marathon training and it feels like the UK is getting colder and colder I thought I would write a little post about how I survive winter running!
1. Layering! Have a think about what is each layer offering you? Body warmth? Wind protection? Rain (or snow) “protection” ie does it have a hood, is it waterproof? Does the fabric breath if you get a lovely cold sweat going? I always have a quick flick at the weather before going out on a long run. If there is rain forecast I go straight to my brightly coloured Frank Shorter jacket which has a hood and thumb holes (my favourite thing!) If there is no rain and it’s just down right chilly then I could not recommend my Nike Pro Hyperwarm top more! Nike’s hyperwarm stuff is maybe a little more pricey but it really does do what it says on the tin! They are perfect for winter runs!! PERFECT and they have thumb holes too ;D
2. GLOVES! Wear gloves! We lose a lot of heat from our hands so keep them warm, particularly if you want to get quickly back into the warmth! I am sure I cannot be the only one who has struggled to even key their key in the lock because their hands have been so cold! I still haven’t found the perfect gloves, but my hands are known to be absolutely useless at keeping their heat. Currently I run with Nike Shield Gloves but have heard quite good things about the Sweaty Betty Element Gloves too.
3. A buff! In the Arctic I think my most prized piece of kit was my Nike neck warmer! This piece of kit worked fantastically well, and it even kept my nose warm when needed!
4. Indulge in a hot shower or bath post run. I know ice baths are meant to do amazing things but for me if I am already freezing the last thing I want to do is get even colder. I like nothing more after a long cold run than to sit in the bath with a hot drink! Yep with a hot drink too!!! Try it!
5. Keep hydrated! It makes obvious sense to keep hydrated in the summer, you are sweating, you need to replace fluids. But are you telling me you have never experienced cold sweats? It is just as important to keep hydrated in the depths of winter as it is in the summer (oh imagine running in the sunshine!) I once got told about hot Nuun and luckily the wonderful people at Nuun recently sent me a few flavours so I had to test this out! As mentioned in point 4 … a hot bath with a Hot Nuun, soothing, re-hydrating and WARM!! Treat!
So there you have it. A couple of tips that I stick to whilst I am training in the lovely English winter time! That and of course finding friends who are crazy enough to head out with you. Crazy running friends always help too :D!
Do you have any other tricks to keep you warm whilst running in chilly climates?
Race Recap: Bacchus Half Marathon
A unicorn, 2 tumbles and whole lotta wine
Date/Time: Sunday 14th September 2014
Location: Denbies Wine Estate
Distance: 13.1 miles
Before I knew my incredible friends from TNR I used to read their blog posts and always enjoyed hearing about the crazy races they were involved in. One in particular stood out, Laura‘s post about the Bacchus Half Marathon! Fancy dress, wine stops, all the food and in glorious countryside. This year there was no way I wasn’t going to get involved.
So firstly the fancy dress, after a few ideas inspiration came … I was going to run like this ….
To get to the race venue it was a quick journey to Waterloo and then onto a 50 minute train to Dorking which as the stops went by slowly filled up with people in fancy dress … and trainers! Off the train and a little 10 minute walk to the “vineyard” we were quickly surrounded by where’s wallys, brides, soldiers, wedding presents (?!), bumble bees, cheer leaders, minions … I could go on. The sun was shining, the music was pumping and everyone was in such good spirits!
After a super quick bag drop and registration (NO QUEUES and smiling helpers) we had a quick group shot
And then headed over to the start line…
This race was SURREAL! I would say about 90% of people were dressed up, varying levels of effort but still everyone was a little different and after about a mile and a half of running through beautiful rows of grapes we came to the first wine stop ….
These “fuelling” stations were incredible! A shot glass of wine, roast chicken crisps, haribo, raisins, dried apricots, jaffa cakes, borbon biscuits, fig rolls, nice biscuits, digestives, oranges, bananas, water, squash and energy gels. It was really hard not to just grab everything, in fact we are sure someone people had little bags so they could stock up for later!
So after enjoying the first stop we then carried on to the next, through a little village which is where I took my first of two tumbles…. I tripped on the pavement … no idea why … I’m a light weight but there is no way a shot of wine would do that! Anyway I picked myself up and carried on to the next stop where we came across a group of farmyard animals (in trainers) singing “wine wine dehlia”, again this race really was surreal. Stop two was also where a very kind first Aider dressed my knee, after a had to rip my tights off … apparently things had got a little bloody …
Through stop three and onto stop four we tried some glorious wine, I particularly enjoyed the rose, and the continued on a relaxed run through fields, among cows, horses, up woodland tracks, past beautiful country houses and on what would certainly make glorious Sunday walking routes.
At stop four we were greeted by bagpipers which actually seemed to be particularly fitting and after enjoying a very nice red wine Jen and I decided to carry on … Unbeknown to us, up a LONG hill!!
We were about half way through by this point and though it had been an extremely relaxed run I found the stopping and starting hard, plus I don’t really drink or eat whilst running so this was a totally different experience for me! So as the hill continued up and up this was definitely a test for the legs but of course I wanted to see if I could run the whole thing, just because I am crazy like that. I managed it but at the top I couldn’t see a wine stop (surely there should have been one by now) I was by myself and well, shattered, so I decided to walk for a little bit but of course as I ventured round the corner there it was, the wine stop! Typical ha!
This stop was one of my favourites! The volunteers were fantastic, dressed in Hawaiian gear, there were sweets all over the place, a steel band playing in the background and well the views were pretty incredible too!
From here it was back through the woods and onto my SECOND TUMBLE! Yes I fell again and this time really shredded my leg! I still cannot believe I fell…twice! Anyway, I dusted myself off and carried on through the beautiful woodland where I heard someone shout “love the unicorn costume” where I responded “it’s not a costume… Oh wait STEPH!” My incredible, crazy, friend was actually running the race as a marathon! Yes if you wanted to (?!) you could run the Bacchus Marathon and she was! Looking so incredible strong and going at a great pace it was absolutely amazing to run a couple of miles with my dear friend and I was extremely pleased to wave her off at the penultimate wine stop looking so fresh!
By this point we were onto a very dry white wine which was perfect for me as I really didn’t like it so didn’t feel too guilty at not finishing my shot glass. Seriously all the liquid and food isn’t easy to run with! The final stop had promised fizz so you imagine our absolute dismay to find out that by the time we got there it had all gone!!!!
The last two miles were, as Steph promised, down hill and gave us the most incredible views! And coming back onto the estate smiles were all around!!!!
On crossing the finish line I had Steph screaming my name and then proceeded to cry in her arms upon hearing she had absolutely smashed her marathon times! SERIOUSLY PROUD FRIEND MOMENT!
From here things got really exciting, the medal was a beast! And around the corner … ALL THE CAKE, chocolate tray cake, lemon cake, chocolate Swiss roll, vanilla Swiss roll and my favourite fruit cake with a marzipan layer! They also had loads of yummy fruit laid out too! These organisers know how to make a runner happy! This was then followed by what we had all been looking forward to! The hog roast! So as we all came across the finish line we sat and enjoyed our free HUGE hog bap in the sunshine and of course a glass of complimentary wine ;D …. I may have found the self serve ice cream too ….
All in all Bacchus Half Marathon is a fantastically fun race. Personally for me I’m not great at stopping and starting as my legs get a little achy but this race is definitely one to be experienced and enjoyed! BOOK YOUR PLACE FOR 2015 NOW…
…whilst I sit in unicorn socks icing my knee ;D
Race Recap: Spitfire Scramble
Date/Time: Saturday 30th – Sunday 31st August
Location: Hornchurch Country Park
Distance: As many 10km laps as possible in 24hours
When Leah asked whether anyone would be interested in entering a competition to win a place in a 24 hour race weekend I, of course, jumped at the chance and put my name down and then forgot about it. Then a couple of weeks ago we got an extremely surprising email confirming that we had won! Team Naturally Run would be the VIP team at the first Spitfire Scramble, 2014!
The Spitfire Scramble is a multi-terrain race where, as a team or as a solo runner (!?), you attempt to complete as many (roughly 10km) laps as possible over 24-hours! So on what started out as a very rainy Saturday morning (thankfully the weather got a lot better the further East we went) Jen, Leah, Katy, Becs, Becki, Emma Nikki and I made our way, along with roughly 200 other runners, to Hornchurch, Essex to set up camp!
Kitted out in predominately BLACK (personally the brighter the better for me when it comes to kit), BUT extremely comfortable Crewroom kit we had a quick photo shoot (and a costume change) and then got down to business deciding the order in which we would run … roughly thinking that each lap would be around an hour …
First out was Becs, a tactical move as she is easily one of the fastest women I know and so would put us in a good place for the race!
Following Becs, Nikki headed out and then before I knew it I was being called up!
When my first lap came around I have to admit I was pretty nervous. Hearing that I was going to have to climb over things was definitely going to be a new experience for me during a run, and well this obviously wasn’t your typical race, start – run – finish and then go out for celebratory food, but I wanted to do well for my team so I set off and settled into a relatively steady pace.
The route took you through various terrains, uneven field track, gravel paths, muddy paths, around lovely lakes and then my favourite, woodland paths!
I was loving the off road route! It was definitely a little different for my legs who had a few wobbles, but it was just so much fun, though having to stop to climb over things and then start running again is not the easiest! On seeing the finish line I sprinted to the finish, passing on the illumious slapband! Yes a slapband! Checking my watch I was over the moon and ridiculously surprised, my first lap was sub 50!!! Literally beaming!
Whilst all the other girls one by one went out for their laps the rest of us just chilled out around our tents, eating, catching up, eating more and just enjoying spending some time together.
We were extremely lucky to have some of the other TNR girls pop by for support too. A huge thank you to Lucy and Glen who made this gorgeous sign …
The lovely Laura who brought homemade cheese straws! Err amazing! And then of course …. LISSY!!!! The most amazing friend in the world for bringing my favourite thing ever, her DARK CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD (if you want to make someone’s day head to her site for the recipe! (Seriously it’s a game changer)
My second lap came at 21:30. At this point I was nervous, it was dark, and I mean reallydark. I am super conscious about walking alone at night due to boring events when I first same to London and now I was about to run for 6miles by myself with just a headtorch through fields, parkland and woods!!!!! WTF! This is where I have to give a HUGE mention Lissy (again) and the RDC team who gave me an amazing pep talk and assured me all would be fine!
With my amazingly strong headtorch (courtesy of LED Lenser) switched on, blinding everyone in the process, I plugged my headphones in and got going. It was dark, the route was empty and my headtorch was my only source of light but this my friends was one of the most amazing running experiences I have EVER had. There is something quite incredible about being alone in the countryside with just a headtorch and the stars, plus running in the dark meant that the hills, and there were a few sneaky ones along the route, were over before you knew it! I loved it, I absolutely loved it and I obviously had so much fun even the Marshall’s were laughing about how much of a runners high I was on as I bounded across the finish line!
My third lap however was tough. Orignally due to happen around 3:30 ish by about midnight I settled into my tent for a few hours sleep but at 1:30 I was woken up to hear the sad news that Jen was out due to a poorly leg and asked whether I could run sooner than planned … in 30 minutes! Now this race was all about the team and well there was no way I was going to let the team down so I quickly got dressed and joined Emma at the change over point and then with very little sleep and fuelled by half a Mars Bar – thank you so much Emma I still owe you for that – I ran from roughly 2:15-3:15 and I definitely felt my legs falling asleep whilst going down the hills!
When I got back Beki was there ready to go and explained that if I could would I be able to go again when she got back as both Jen and Leah were now officially out due to injury 😦 and Emma and Bex were catching up on some seriously well deserved zzz. I figured as I was up why not and it would mean I could get a solid couple of hours once I was done so I headed to the food tent for some slightly better post run / pre race fuelling, a Nuun and my Bounce Ball whilst enjoying late night ramblings with some of the other runners!
The fourth lap was a bit of a blur to be honest, somewhere around 4:30, the sun was definitely on it’s way and once again it was just me, my headtorch and Ronnie Herel’s old skool mix. I was pleased to see I got through it quicker than my third lap but by the time I crossed the line I was ready for sleep and so after a very sorry looking little bowl of oats and raisins I tucked myself in for a snooze.
Now originally we had all planned to do 3 – 4 laps each but due to some of the team being injured plans had gone a little awry. When I woke up after a couple of hours sleep the team incredibly were still running but had said that there was no pressure to so anymore. We had all gone way above expectations and we had all done each other proud but well … I wondered if my legs could do any more….
Doing a fifth lap would mean doing just shy of 30 miles, the furthest I have never run, it would mean getting another lap in for the team, and it would mean I could eat even more food! My team were incredible and without hesitation told me if my legs were up for it I could do it! So I did.
It was tough, I was tired, I was smelly, it was hot and the hills felt steeper in the daylight (hence the worn out face) BUT I did it and well I felt AMAZING! I would not have got through that lap without knowing I had my teams’ support so thank you so so much ladies!
Incredibly Nikki was there at the finish line ready to go! It was 11am ish and we had achieved our 24 laps but determined to get a 25th in Nikki set off to walk the final lap alongside Emma who on realising what she was up to ran to catch her up. (It’s worth noting here as long as you cross the start line before 12 the lap would count.)
On seeing the girls coming round the corner towards the finish line we of course joined them to cross the final line as a team …
This race was such an amazing experience for me. It was the Spitfire Scramble’s first year and I will definitely be signing up for next year! It attracted a really lovely mix of people and the atmosphere throughout was extremely supportive and friendly! The marshals along the route were smiley and the organiser himself, Danny, was extremely personable and made you feel very welcome! A word of warning the catering wasn’t exactly ideal (unless you love salty bacon (which will repeat on you whilst running) and jacket potatoes for every meal over 24 hours) but fueling for this sort of thing was always going to be tricky! Overall however it was fantastic and an experience I am so grateful to have shared with 7 other incredible running ladies :D. We even came in the top 50% out of all the teams that took part!
Oh and it’s worth mentioning that we actually came first in our division “All female team of 8”! That’s right we won trophies as well as medals!!!
So of course we used these to drink our celebratory fizz out of on the way home ;D!
A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE INVOLVED IN SPITFIRE SCRAMBLE! Us TNR ladies had a truly fantastic 24 hours!
Friday’s Fact File
Things that I have discovered or just loved this week …
Music!
Ed Sheeran ft Rick Ro$$ – Don’t
Labrinth – Let It Be This link takes you to a live recording from Camden! He is pretty epic!!
Blak Twang ft Rodney P, Jehst & Samson – Dettwork Southeast Remix Link is to the original as I cannot find the re-release yet … but if you want to check it out head over to 1xtra & listen back to MistaJam’s show on 19.08.14
Eats!
If you were asked whether you would like to try some “tasty, gluten free, 100% natural protein flapjacks” would you say no?! Of course NOT, I jumped at the chance to try some! Flapjack = yummy, protein = I am all about my protein at the moment! Provided by a young start-up company by the name of “Battle Oats” I was sent two of their brand new bars “Cranberry and Blueberry Fusion” and “Dark Choc Chip”. Here’s the low down – they are free from wheat and gluten, high in protein isolate (22%!!), made with coconut oil, high in fibre, GMO free and most importantly … THEY ARE YUMMY. Personally my favourite was the “Cranberry and Blueberry” as you could really taste the berries, but for those of you who like a chocolate fix then you know where to go! I found the bars extremely tasty and extremely filling, they will definitely keep you full til lunch or would be great after a loong run/work out! Thank you “Battle Oats” for sending the bars through, I shall definitely be looking out these once they hit the stores however, if you want to get your hands on them now and support a UK based company then head to the website now and buy buy buy! :D!
Stuff, things, bits and pieces!
We all know we love a pair of jazzy leggings and well these are pretty bright …
Race Recap: The British 10km London
Date/Time: Sunday 13th July / 09:35
Location: Central London
Distance: 10 km chip-timed race
Now the British 10km is a pretty amazing route if you want to see some of the iconic landmarks of London but if like me you have spent many a weekend taking full advantage of being able to run throughout the city paying £50 for the pleasure does seem a little steep.
HOWEVER, me and a few of my buddies were lucky enough to win a place in the Tiger Balm #BorntoRun team. Only finding out a few days before I wasn’t sure what to expect but there were rumours of full tiger suits…I was a little excited! Ha!
Arriving at Whitehall we were greeted by the awesome Tiger Balm Team. I cannot say thanks enough to these guys they were brilliant! Super friendly, helpful and all appeared to be genuinely pleased to have us there! We quickly got given our race number and of course our FLUFFY tiger suits!
So, these suits were definitely were not made of the technical racing fabric we were all used to ;). Almost instantly you could feel the heat rising but we decided to play along, with our Run Dem tops underneath, we would wear the suits for at least the first 3 miles. So, after a few photos with Born Free Ambassador Michaela Strachan, who was lovely by the way, we wandered to the start line!
It had to be said that walking to the start line felt like doing a 10km distance, it just seemed to go on forever?! The only thing that distracted us was the amount of attention our suits were giving us, it appeared that everyone loves a tiger. Everyone was in high spirits but all looked a little baffled about how far we were walking!
Once at the start (35 mins before we needed to be there) we got a few more quality photos in!
And worked out de- tiger suit strategy … seriously these suits had no ventilation … whatsoever!
Once the race finally kicked off we soon realised we actually needed to loop round … we were still quite a good distance away from the start!?! But when we finally got running (starting off past The Ritz) the amount of tiger calls and shouts of support we received was AWESOME! Now I have freely admitted before that as a runner I thrive off crowd support and this was brilliant, 6 tigers running together definitely got people’s attention. By mile 1 however the hoods came off and the temperature was rising, quickly!!!
Coming down along Victoria Embankment it was great to see so many people out to support the race. The crowds were seriously noisy spurring us all on with various banners and instruments which definitely kept us all going and the tiger love never seemed to stop.
However, going into the tunnel just before mile 4 things started to get a little tougher. Firstly it’s always disheartening when a race route loops back on itself as you see what’s waiting for you, an incline, and then secondly this was a tunnel. Imagine 1000s of hot runners, no air and oh and you are wearing a fluffy all in one tiger suit…
Even though there was just a tiny breeze when we came out the otherside it was ridiculously appreciated!!!
By mile 4 the boys had sped off and Harry and I pushed on still in the suits to try and finish in a reasonable time enjoying a different type of race. The crowds were still going strong and by this point I had committed to finishing in my suit … sprint finish with my hood up!
Coming up to the finish we passed Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey. Our sprint finish took us past Downing Street and the Cenotaph and yes I zipped my suit up hood and powered all the way to the end! Now no PB for me but a solid race and once again a fun one with friends. Once past the line cheery volunteers handed out water and we headed over to the special Tiger Balm tent to collect our bags & “race goodies”.
Now this is where things got interesting. Your medals were at the bag drop and if I’m going to be honest the bag drop was a shambles! Supposedly the bags had been placed in some sort of order however, the girls behind the barriers looked completely overwhelmed and well, it was painful to say the least! After playing what seemed like a crystal maze game, to the left, back a bit, no a little right, down, down there, back, back back … etc we finally found our bags and then your medal was handed to you with some GB coloured laces…mmmm.
Now it was an absolute pleasure to run for Tiger Balm and support the BorntoRun campaign! I cannot say thank you enough to the team for looking after us but the British 10km itself. The support along the route was fantastic, the runners were a good bunch and the sights along the route pretty wonderful. BUT for someone who loves running around London and is lucky enough to do this for free most weekends I think £50 is an awful lot for a 10km race … an awful lot!
BUT the post race celebrations after were pretty awesome ;D
Race Recap: Run Hackney Half Marathon
Date/Time: Sunday 22nd June / 09:00 (!?!)
Location: Hackney, London
Distance: 13.1 miles
Building up to this race I have to be honest I wasn’t feeling strong. 4 weekends of travelling and my job being MANIC had meant that my long runs hadn’t really happened. I had been doing all sorts of training but I wasn’t feeling my strongest and well my lower back wasn’t the happiest.
After umming and arrhing about whether I race or cheer my lovely lady Harriet offered to run nice and slow with me and well any excuse to spend some time with her, plus Lissy would be ready and waiting at mile 10 to join us if I needed the support soooo…..
My journey was super easy, with a fellow RDC’er we grabbed the bus and arrived at the event village around 8am in the glorious sunshine (it was glorious at this point) there were lots of toilets (so it seemed) and a well organised bag drop! As time went on more and more people filled in. I was running in my RDC tee and with over 100 of the crew running plus loads of international crews it was awesome seeing people everywhere to say hey to and definitely helped me get in the mood!
Bag successfully dropped I headed to the toilets where of course the queues had now started. 20 minutes (?!?) later I was running to the start pens faced with the impossible task of finding Harry! There was no way I was running this by myself, my heart wasn’t in it, so I had to find her and luckily after many phone calls and jumping and waving I did!!
Before we even kicked off and my RDC vest was tucked into my sports bra … it was gonna be a hot one! Crossing the line it was great to see so many supporters out and the amount of people shouting out “Run Dem” was ridiculously encouraging – I absolutely LOVE being part of this family!!!!!!
The first 3 miles rolled on by, offering some sneaky little inclines and not much shade. My back was a little achey but luckily Harry and I hadn’t seen too much of each other that week so there was a lot of life gossip to catch up on offering a great distraction from any aches and pains ;D
It was refreshing to have so much space along the route, compared to other city races and bearing how many runners were apparently on the course, it never felt over crowded or slow moving! That being said by mile 5 it was clear that this was NOT going to be a PB race, the sun was beating down on us, our legs were heavy and neither of us felt strong. I am notorious for not drinking enough during races, my pink bottle rarely gets emptied, however I had already finished all that was in my trusty race companion and had taken one of the squeezy water pouches (more on them later!) But we kept on pushing knowing that a fellow lovely TNR lady Laura was marshaling and would be stationed around mile 6. True to what we thought round a small corner there she was screaming and shouting just as we were at her!
I know I say it all the time but for me supporters make my race! Hearing people cheering and encouraging you on gives you a huge boost even when you are dying inside!!! I know at this point both Harry and I were having a bit of a moment, not even half way and already tired and seeing Laura looking so positive definitely made a huge difference so we pushed on knowing that in a few miles time we would reach the all mighty CHEERDEM!
The sun was relentless and for the first time in my life I was becoming a shade hunter. However, this also meant that my back was no longer a issue as I so focused on getting through the run! Along the route we met more and more of our crew and so the small boosts and smiles just kept coming but sadly I couldn’t tell you much about the scenery, or the route itself as to be honest it was a bit of a blurrrrrrr.
By mile 9 poor Harry was really having to push to keep going but we just kept reminding ourselves that Lissy and CheerDem were round the corner … we just had to make it there and then we were on the home stretch… and then this happened …
With Charlie Dark heading up Cheer Dem the atmosphere was, as always, electric and nothing could wipe the smile off my face seeing Lissy shouting at the top of her voice to Harry and I!
I LOVED running through there with my tee on it was a HUGE boost and then just along from there we spotted Harry’s awesome fiancé who continued to shout out our names and offered, thankfully, another bottle of water!
At this point water was a huge necessity. There is always a lot of chat about how water is given at races. I have seen bottles, plastic cups, paper cups (?!) but luckily Hackney had chosen the squeezy pouches. These pouches are great to grab, carry and drink from … if you know what you are doing! Now I don’t know if it was because it was so hot and it was sending everyone a little crazy but people over all the place were struggling with these things. It appeared that you had to rip the top off and then just squeeze to get water out. On my first attempt I managed to squeeze it and hit the back of my throat causing a coughing fit. Harry managed to open it the wrong way and squeeze it onto her foot and we saw plenty of people either not being able to get the water out or if they did only get a get a drip when trying to pour it over their heads!
Back to the race itself and the final 3 miles were hard! In theory running around the Olympic Park should have been really exciting however more sneaky inclines and no shade whatsoever made it pretty darn tough! Harry and I battled through, did the loop bringing us back to the crew and all the excitement that came it and then pushed on to the bitter end.
Coming up to the finish line we pushed, no “sprint” finish but definitely a slightly faster pace and I cannot tell you the relief we felt to have crossed that line ….
Yes this was a pretty horrendous race and yes Harry and I definitely didn’t get any PBs to shout of but that being said this was also an awesome race! It was great running through Hackney, seeing all the local support. It was amazing to run alongside so many crew members and experience cheerdem in full force. But what was truly awesome was to see how runners were helping fellow runners out! Everyone seem to struggle along this route at some point, whether this was due to the sun, lack of water, sneaky hills or all of the above and you really got the feeling that people were there to support one another. For me this is what running is all about, yep I love running to clear my head, catch up on music and generally keep fit but I also love seeing others run, encouraging others to push on and achieve their goals and once again this race gave me the fantastic opportunity to run with one incredible lady and see her get yet another half marathon under her belt!
HACKEY HALF you were sweaty but it didn’t beat us and YES we will be coming back next year!
The End Is Nigh…
This weekend I did my final “long” run before the impending BIG DAY (if you didn’t already know I am attempting to run and finish the Manchester Marathon on the 6th April)! And well even though the schedule only said 8 miles (I don’t think 8 miles is a short run at all but when you compare it to the double figure runs I have done recently …) I was still pretty nervous about it due to the shocking run I had the week before.
There has become a pattern with our weekend runs, usually Leah organises, Lissy sorts the route and navigates and I get to hunt out brunch places that can cater to #RUNger! In my opinion this has been a great formula and I have adored every weekend run! However, with Leah taking some very sensible rest and Lissy being part of #CHEERDEM crew in Berlin I took the lead! Adapting a previous run from Lissy so we could finish at my chosen brunch spot we planned to cover a nice 8 mile route around the banks of the Thames ….
So off we went. Jen, Lauren, Beki, Kiera, Harriet, Mari, Lucy, Hollie and I set off from Monument in the beautiful London sunshine heading towards Westminster to cross the river at Vauxhall Bridge.
With “maranoia” properly starting to set in it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t analyzing every step I took, wondering if my left leg was going to give way again like last week, or if I could feel another niggle/pain/interesting feeling elsewhere. However, having only met some of these fellow #TNR ladies once or twice before and of course having the amazing support of Miss Capps conversation, as always, flowed and I quickly fell into a steady pace and relaxed.
As we continued along the river, dodging various tourist groups along the way, some members of the group cut off due to injury or to carry on with their day and for the final 3 miles I had the pleasure of running with Lauren, who is also training for the Manchester Marathon! Lauren is sadly still coming back from injury but what she has achieved so far is amazing and it was great to properly discuss Manchester logistics!
After a quick (slightly horrendous of me) running selfie ….
… we picked up the pace and sped through the final mile (even though I managed to find us a slight hill to finish with – sorry Lauren!) WOOHOOO my legs made it through … I mean obviously I will have to do that distance twice more on the big day … but 8 miles is still 8 miles and I got through it!
A runner’s high is the best! I was so relived that I made it through this run, I still don’t feel as strong as I did after the 20 miles but this was a huge confidence boost and well what will be will be now on the 6th! The smile proceeded to stay a long time after this run was finished due to the awesome experience we had at The Folly (I promise to do a full write up post-marathon! PROMISE) but the photo I think says it all ..
The food was gorgeous, the service (a fellow first time marathon attemptee) was brilliant and they even had free sweets hanging around!! What more could you ask for!
A positive running experience might have also been celebrated with Espresso Martinis and chocolate later on …
So on a final note … the next “Weekend” run post will of course be all about the big day so I just want to take this opportunity to THANK everyone who has been reading my training experiences up until now, the support and kind words (especially when I was proper sulking last week) has been unbelievable and so I sincerely hope to be bringing home a medal for you all!!!!!!!
LESS THAN A WEEK!
Runner’s Rage
So this Saturday was all about a step back week! As much as I was looking forward to not having to be out for hours this weekend there was a tiny little part of me that was sad I wasn’t going to see if I could manage even more miles … though that will be happening next week … very scary prospect!
ANYWAY! I allowed myself a little bit more of a lie in due to running solo and having 13 miles on the schedule (obviously was going to do 13.1!) and woke up to blue skies and BRIGHT SUNSHINE!?! This was extremely exciting and so I completely changed my planned route to make the most of it!
With directions on my hand I planned to tour (and conquer) the hills in Hampstead Heath and then drop in on the giraffes in Regent’s Park as it was so nice seeing them last week!
So off I set with a serious spring in my step – nothing beats running in the sunshine and made it quite quickly to Hampstead Heath. It was great to see the Park being used properly, lots of mini football teams running about, PTs everywhere and bootcampers going at it HARD! What was really lovely was all the kites being flown at the top of Parliament Hill. Yes I ran all the way up Parliament hill … twice … and both times it was lovely to be greeted by a super colourful collection of kites connected to very excited children and their equally excited Dads!
HOWEVER, as much as it was great to see so many people out taking advantage of the beautiful weather it meant that I think I used as much energy saying “excuse me” as I did running. I also had to do an awful lot of dog dodging as it would appear that they get just as excited about sunshine as we do! There was one moment (after wading through a very muddy section on the Heath) where I nearly got “clothes lined” by a tiny dog and its tiny owner as the dog decided to run straight in front of me! I don’t usually make a habit of swearing in front of children but sadly a four letter word got shouted out as I tried to stop myself landing face down on the ground!
All in all this was a lovely run in the sunshine but there were a good few moments were runners rage got the better of me! Have you ever experienced runner’s rage? Been “clothes lined” by a dog lead? I hope I am not alone here …
Going Solo or Lots of Legs?
This Saturday I set out to smash another mile stone (bring on stepping back next week). As part of my training plan I had to run 18 miles this weekend … that’s only 8.2miles before I have covered the entire marathon distance!!!!! This was going to be first long run I would attempt on my own, without the comfort of any of the wonderful TNR ladies as most were heading off to Brighton to smash the Brighton Half Marathon! SO the plan – 12 miles by myself and then 6 miles in The Action Duchenne Love Run 2014 to support one of my friends in her first 10km race.
Setting out on Saturday morning I was pleased to see that the sun was shining, however on setting out I also discovered that the wind was going to be best friend and my worst enemy! Unfortunately for the first 15 minutes (the time I usually find you get settled into your pace) I was battling the wind head on … and losing … but you had to laugh, I must have looked ridiculous trying to fight against it … resistance training right? But sure enough I turned a corner and then I literally went flying, whilst dodging a serious amount of branches/twigs/trees on the way, the wind and I had become best friends again!
The route I had planned was going to take me down and around Regent’s Park – perfect for a bright Saturday morning! En route around the outer circle I got to say hello to the Giraffes, meerkats and zebras.
Whilst running around the inner circle I got to perve on some pretty impressive buildings and enjoy all the very “posh” looking dogs out on the their morning “trot”.
Back up to Finsbury Park I found my friend and joined 400+ runners ready to lap Finsbury Park for The Love Run (full race recap here). It was great doing my final miles with lots of other enthusiastic (and slightly fresher looking) runners, plus to have crowds spurring me on got me smiling thinking about Manchester Marathon crowds!!!
Quite excitingly I managed a sprint finish and only clocked 2 minutes slower than my 10km PB – not bad considering I had run 12.5 miles before?!?!?! All in all it was a great run and I actually felt pretty strong crossing the finish line … though bring on a step back week next week with only 13 miles on the schedule! ;D!
On this weekend’s run I got to experience running a long distance on my own as well as running with 400 other people which got me thinking …..
- Running Alone: Prime time to listen to music, catch up on radio shows (my favourite running soundtrack right now – MistaJam’s show!), zone out, have some “me” time
- Group Running: Prime time to catch up with friends!
- Running Alone: I find a have a faster pace, though this isn’t always a good thing, according to my plan I should be running up to 1:30 minutes slower than my marathon pace. According my Nike+ GPS watch I averaged 30 seconds faster?!?
- Group Running: Easier to keep to a steadier pace, more people to tell you to SLOW down!
- Running Alone: Not as easy to distract you from noticing the tiniest niggle, ache, pain
- Group Running: May experience a niggle but you can talk about it and it’s most likely someone else is sharing it and you forget about it and carry on talking about food ;D!
Do you prefer running alone, switching off and getting into a zone? Or are you all about the group run, making it as much a social event as a training session?
So, I am just not going to run today
As normal on a Thursday (whilst following the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Marathon Plan) I woke up at 6:15, brushed my teeth (always the very first thing I do!) and put on all my outdoor running gear ready for my 5 mile run. When I opened the curtains I was extremely pleased to see it was a lovely morning, not a rain drop in sight! I headed down stairs past the window and thought … “I am actually really not in the mood to run today, I’m tired”
Now I think I have mentioned before I am not one to easily give in and I do love a good challenge, but the thought of running 5 miles just wasn’t appealing to me today. So instead I ran back upstairs changed into less winter ready gym gear and did the following little workout …
5 sets of the following
1 minute SPRINT
1 minute skipping (30 seconds on each leg)
1 minute stepping
1 minute burpees
1 minute collapse, catch breath back, get water!
This was then followed by a lower body strength work out featuring split squats, deadlifts, supermans and leg extensions.
This work out lasted just over an hour (including stretching) and well I came out of the gym feeling great! Now I am sure I would have felt just as good finishing the 5 miles as per my plan but I just didn’t want to do it!?! It was just one of those days.
Now as I first time marathon “attempter” I have tried really hard to stick to the plan in order to train safely etc however, I think it sometimes is just as important to think about how you YOU feel, how YOUR body feels. I still managed to get my heart rate up and head to work with that smug “I have just worked out” feeling without doing something I don’t think my body wanted to do.
Do you ever have days were your running mojo vanishes ever so slightly? Or have you tried a different kind of workout to combat your mind and body’s refusal to run?
Sometimes you just don’t want to not run, you want to sit in a gym instead ;D!
Run Round Town 