VLM ballot entered...

I don't know what I was thinking but I got up this morning and entered the London Marathon 2013 ballot! I know the chances of me getting in are slim but if I do get in I will be really, really ...scared!!!!  I won't find out until October so I need to forget about it until then!  Fingers, toes and everything else crossed!

So did I manage 24 miles on the last day of April?  Don't be silly -  of course not!

However, I did go for a lovely off-road run with my running friend Vicky.  The sun actually decided to shine and the only things we had to contend with were stiles, uneven ground and cows!!  I'm so pleased she is braver than me - she just approached the cows who were blocking the gate waving her arms and shouting like a maniac and they moved!  I would have turned around and gone back the way I came! However, 8 miles in the bag (felt more like 18!) and I feel so much better for it!  Together with my walk to work mileages I have achieved about 11 miles today, so about a half marathon short of my target!! Hey ho bring on May!
View today's miles here!

Another month nearly through ...

Well, April is nearly finished and since its raining, wet and cold outside I thought I would take this opportunity to tot up my total for my ongoing challenge 2012 miles in 2012!  


Fairly depressing stuff - I'm a third of the way through the year and not doing as well as I had hoped!

To be on Target= 671 miles 


Actual Mileage Achieved to date:

         3 sports (Run, Walk & Cycle) =  733 miles    =  1279 Miles Remaining

                              2 sports (Run & Walk)  =   647.20 miles     = 1364.80  Miles Remaining

                              Just Running =  355.20 miles  =  1656.80 Miles Remaining    

So after analysing my mileages I am 23.80 miles short of being on target for running and walking and a huge 316 miles short of target for just running! On a positive note my original challenge as detailed on my Challenges and Achievements page was to combine mileages to run and walk a total of 2012 miles in 2012, so I'm not too far off target! I'm just setting my goals stupidly high by even considering being able to do this by just running alone!!!  Must stay grounded so I don't demotivate myself!

 I do still have the rest of today and tomorrow until April is over...!  I wonder if I can run and walk nearly 24 miles in that time ...?!

I promise to try harder in May!    


Target run and walk mileage for May = 171 miles!!

Bring it on!

Running Buddy - now you see her, now you don't!

It was nice while it lasted - not very long - my new running buddy has just gone and got herself a job in Brighton and is moving in 2 weeks time!!  Hey Ho back to running on my own!  I don't mind too much actually but it was nice to have a mate to pass the time with!

We were supposed to be running last night but she text to say she didn't feel very well and could we put it off until tonight!  So last night I had a dilemma - run on my own in the cold, wind and rain or go to the Gym!  The gym easily won mainly because I'm a wuss and didn't fancy getting wet but partly at the Leisure Centre I go to if you don't use the gym for 3 months you have to undergo another induction at a cost of £20 (They say for Health and Safety reasons but I say its a money making exercise!), so since it was coming up to 3 months since I have graced them with my presence I decided I would go and rescue my membership!  When i got to the reception and handed in my membership card, the receptionist looked at me as if I was barking - I had given her my library card and hadn't brought my purse with me with the rest of my cards in so there I stood all geared up and not being able to get in!  I smiled and said "I know my membership number - could you let me in with that?" and amazingly she said "yes" so off I went feeling quite chuffed that I did't have to go back home to get my correct card!  However, the elation soon left me after about a mile on the treadmill and I was bored stupid- I was craving the great outdoors!  I somehow managed to stay and did a 4 mile run, a 4 mile cycle and a 1 mile row, by the time I had finished I felt like I had done a Marathon! BORING!!!  It reminded me why I hadn't been in 3 months ...

Tonight I went for a run with my running buddy (for now!) and we were dead lucky!  It has rained all day and just before we were due to meet it decided to stop!  It was still cold and windy but at least we weren't wet! We chatted our way around and did a easy paced 5.04 miles, just as I got home the heavens opened again - how lucky were we?!  A quick dash home, a quick shower and I was out again - this time to Pilates!  It is usually hard going as its an advanced Pilates class but tonight it felt torturous after my run!  All good for the core muscles though!

To view my activities click here!

Speed Walking ...

I decided tonight that not only do I need to make friends with hills I also need to get my walking speed up if I want to hit my sub 9 hour goal for the K2B walk in less than 3 weeks time! So I set off with a target of 10 miles in mind in a target time of 2 hours 15 minutes!  At around 6 miles I did the maths and realised I had no hope of hitting my target if I didn't move myself so I started running down the hills, then once I got into running mode I found it hard to revert back to walking!  One problem I experienced tonight that was really annoying me was my shoelaces kept coming undone.  However well I tied them they seem to find a way to undo themselves to stop me in my stride GGGrrrrrrr!  Anyway at 10 miles I was a couple of minutes off target and by the time I got home I had done 11.67 miles in 2 hours 36 minutes average pace 13.24 minute miles.  If I want to achieve my sub 9 I need to do more running and less walking ...  Maybe this is going to be harder than I first thought! 


Time to use the same strategy I used to get my sub 2 at Liverpool! POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE 
I am going to display my target time on my blog so every time I log on I see it and convince myself  I CAN!!


You can view today's walk  here.

Practise, Practise, Practise!!

I have decided after Saturday's 10K race that I need to do more hill work!  So in future instead of running away from hills which I must admit I do try and do I am going to look them straight in the eye and go for it!

Tonight I ran 7 miles which I am going to make a regular route.It included a few hills for me to practice on and my aim is to improve the speed I do the route each time I do it (I will try to do this route once a week).  As well as this I am going to try and integrate some hill speed sessions into my regime. It feels good to have a plan of action as I feel like I haven't done anything positive to improve my running, My new mantra is "I will improve my speed!" and more importantly sustain it!!

So I will:

• Smile and head to the hills - hills are our friends (apparently!)
• Dig deep and ignore the pain.
• Breathe!
• Enjoy and never give up!

Tonight's run can be viewed here!

WTF?. No Medal!

Today I took part in the St Georges Day 10K Langdale run!  Read all about my efforts by clicking the challenge 7 tab above!


I will post photographs when I get a mo!
http://fitlesley.blogspot.co.uk/p/challenge-sub-55-minute-10k-run.html

Phew ... got it today!

I wasn't panicking because it never dawned on me that I am running the Langdale 10K tomorrow and hadn't received my bib number!  The first it even crossed my mind was when at 4pm tonight an envelope plopped onto my doormat containing number 335!  Oh well, all's good and at least I didn't stress for no reason.  Imagine the chaos and stress if I'd turned up tomorrow without it!!!  Just checked the weather for tomorrow and guess what? HEAVY RAIN!  Great!

I will let you know how I get on, pop back tomorrow!

Its Thursday again - how did that happen?

                                                                                My life seems to be passing me by in a flash - I can't believe it's Thursday again so soon!!  Once upon a time I was so committed to running and updating this blog - NOW I'm just a total failure at both!! So a week has passed and what have I been doing with myself?!  I have done a couple of long walks in preparation for the K2B walk (now only 3 weeks away!). The first was on Friday! I set off at 8.30am with my sandwiches packed and my map securely attached to me (Fed up of getting lost!) and headed off on a bright sunny but extremely cold morning along the canal path to Tewitfield (13 miles from Kendal).  It was a lovely walk apart from several not too friendly swans who I kept coming across on numerous occasions!  I had my lunch at the end of the canal in the sun then set off back home. Whilst eating my dinner I studied my map as I wanted to return home via a different route.  I planned it out and felt fairly confident I knew where I was going!  However, after a few miles I decided I didn't like the road I was on as it was fairly busy but narrow and I seemed to be wearing my invisibility cloak again so at the next turn off I diverted.  I actually got my map out at this point to make sure I was still going in the general direction of home and was delighted to see I was, however I was not so delighted when about 2 miles further on I found myself BACK on the canal path I had previously been on.  So all my good intentions went out the window and I ended up returning home mainly by retracing my steps and passing yet again the gaggle (?) of angry swans!  On a positive note I didn't get lost and I didn't get wet! I was disappointed that my Garmin watch ran out of battery before I got home (I don't think I had fully charged it!) but I did do 28 miles so I was happy!  My only concern was I was knackered walking that distance - how on earth am I going to run 26 miles in the Chester marathon?!!! On Saturday I had a rest/recovery day, before hitting the streets again for another long walk on Sunday!  I had an awful night's sleep Saturday night and was wide awake at 6am so I decided Sod it and got up!  I was out walking by 6.30am and was amazed to see thick frost on all the cars and gardens!!  It's middle of April for God's Sake.  Luckily I had my gloves with me and I wasn't too cold!  Apart from a little blip in the middle where I went several miles to cover about 1 mile I didn't get lost!  I was quite proud of my navigation skills!  One good think about setting off so early was I was home by 2 o'clock drinking beer and watching telly feeling I deserved it after walking 27 miles.! MONDAY saw me back at school with the chocolate overdosed tribe (and that's just the teachers!!).  I had a rest day Monday evening, then on Tuesday I went to my usual Steps class.  On Wednesday a woman at work asked me if I would go running with her daughter who had just returned home after being at uni and was missing her running buddies. So 5.30 Wednesday evening I met Vicky for the first time who was extremely tall with long legs and I was slightly worried that she would be like a greyhound and I would be more like a pug!  However, all was well and we had a good chat, put the world to rights and managed a slowish 4.7 miles. We have another date next week - its nice to have a buddy!  Whilst we were running she told me she was a member of the Hash House Harriers (who I have never heard of!) and apparently there is a local group which she is going to on Sunday! 

If it is any good I might join and go along!  What attracts me to this club?!   WELL there logo is "A club for drinkers with a running problem!!!"  What more can I say - That's ME!!!

A good stretch at Pilates tonight and now rest for me until Saturday when I am running the St Georges Day Langdale 10KM run!  I have never done an official 10K race before but I would like to aim for a sub 55 minute finishing time!  However, I do believe it is a fairly hilly course and the weather forecast is a bit dire so with the odds stacked against me I will just have to suck it and see!

I will keep you updated with my race results!  Bring it on!!

Busy week - how do I find time to work?

Well, the 2 weeks Easter Holidays are rapidly coming to an end!  I've been so busy I haven't even had time to blog - how on earth am I going to cope when I'm back at work next week!  So what have I been doing?

As promised I went for my first run since NYC on Easter Sunday! God it was hard work!  I very nearly stopped and came home after a mile, my heart was pounding, my legs felt heavy and I really didn't want to be doing it! However, I struggled on and to make matters worse the sun decided to come out and bake me too!  I eventually got home after completing 5.57 miles (which felt more like 50!). Easter Monday dawned and I was up and at them again!  Basically I'd had a very boozy and food laden Easter Sunday so I felt obligated to run it off!   It felt ever so slightly easier (couldn't have got any harder!) and I managed 7.05 miles! On Tuesday I had arranged to go for a "long" walk with a friend in training for the fast approaching Keswick to Barrow Challenge.  The weather was so cold and wet it wasn't quite as long as we had planned, and we only managed 16 miles.  The highlight being a pub lunch and beer to dry and thaw out before heading back home! On Wednesday my bike was going in for a service at Wheelbase in Staveley! So I rode there, which is 7 miles then whilst they were working on my bike I went for a 10 mile walk and the heavens decided to open (and it started off such a glorious day) then I rode home (obviously 7 miles the same as going!). They had worked wonders with my bike, I felt like I had a new one!  No more crunchy, grindy gears and squealing brakes!

View this weeks activities by clicking here!

Today has been my day off/ recovery day!  The day started off well as I managed to get tickets to see Lady Gaga in Manchester!!!  Whoopie-doo, very excited!! Then I went shopping (nice shopping not for food!) and even had lunch in town! However, would you believe they couldn't serve alcohol with my Italian meal (what's pasta without red wine?!) because they had had their licence taken off them.(tut tut, a misunderstanding they reckon - yeah yeah yeah!)  They only told us this when it was too late to walk out!  Huh!!!  We had to go to the pub afterwards to top up!

I really must do some more running before it gets really, really hard but walking seems to have taken over!  Hey Ho only 4 weeks until the K2B then I can get back to running by which time my marathon training plan will have kicked in!

Beautiful weather on my Wednesday walk - before the rain!

Look carefully to see the rainbow!

I'm back and ready to go (NOT!)

I had a fantastic 6 days in New York and if I had worn my Garmin watch I am sure I would have clocked up many, many walking miles!  We were at it non-stop day and night, so much to see so little time!  They call it the city that never sleeps, well whilst we were there we didn't sleep - much!  Well worth visiting and would love to go back! On our first day we went to Central Park and hired a Tandem bike, and couldn't believe that there was actually a 15K run setting off and finishing in Central Park at the time - if only I had known I would have loved to have joined in!  To hear all the American's chanting "good job" etc really made me want to do it! 

It made it very difficult cycling avoiding the 1000's of runners and spectators as well as the Rickshaws going through the park!  We specifically chose the Sunday to cycle as its the only day Central Park is closed to traffic!  Perhaps it would have been easier to dodge a few cars!  I have now got future aspirations to run the New York Marathon, unfortunately as I work in a school its impossible for me to do it this year as our half term week is the week before the marathon and I'd have to jump straight on a plane after the marathon to be ready for school the next morning!  It ain't going to happen is it?! One year the 2 might just coincide! 

Since getting back to the UK yesterday I haven't managed to hit the streets yet, but was pleasantly surprised to see after spending a week eating very unhealthy food and drinking copious amounts of alcohol that I have only actually put on 2 pounds!  Tomorrow is the day I will kick start my running before hitting the Easter Eggs!