Runners legs need rest!

Today is thankfully a rest day after a very busy day yesterday!  It was so busy that I didn't even have the time or the energy to blog!

So what did I get up to yesterday?

Well, after a day at work and a short dog walk I went for a run!  
It had been a really bright and sunny day so for the first time this year (in this country!) I ran in three quarter pants and a T shirt!

I had a 5 mile run at approximately an average 9.05 min mile pace in mind. It was nice to run in good weather and in the light so I took the opportunity to head out into the countryside instead of staying in the built up areas which I have been restricted to during the winter months!

I ran according to how I felt rather than being a slave to my Garmin!  I was surprised how hot it was even with just a T shirt on and I was beginning to wish I had worn a vest top and shorts, but thoroughly enjoyed it all the same!

When I got home I was amazed to see that I had actually run 5.53 miles at an average 8.44 minute mile pace and that was with stopping to cross a couple of busy roads!  I was even more amazed to see that my fastest pace was a 7:59 minute pace!  I don't think I have ever run a sub 8 minute mile before, so I am delighted with myself!

I had a quick shower and rest before I went to my usual Yoga class.  

I really enjoyed the good stretch and relax but had a strange experience during the relaxation part!  Although I was conscious and could hear my teacher talking through the entire session when she started asking us to move body parts I couldn't!  

After several minutes and a lot of effort I did manage to "wake up" and move!  Had she hypnotised me?  I felt totally relaxed but exhausted afterwards! I have never experienced anything like it!

Straight after Yoga at 8.15pm it was time to visit my physio for a sports massage!  

I was absolutely "made-up" when after his initial assessment of my legs he commented "Wow!  You've really got runners legs now!"  

I'm not sure what he means by this but I'm taking it as a compliment!  I'm hoping he wasn't being polite and really meant knackered knees, swollen ankles and manky toes!

For once my massage wasn't too painful!  There were a few ouchy moments but generally it was quite enjoyable!  Perhaps all my stretching, foam rollering and regular massages are finally starting to pay off!

When I went in to see my physio it was a bright clear night, 45 minutes later i could not believe it when I walked out the door into dense fog!  I could hardly see  anything in front of me!  I was so pleased I didn't have far to drive as I had to go at crawling speed, very very scary!  I have never experienced fog coming in as quick and as suddenly as that before! 

After a particularly bad day at work I am feeling exceptionally tired this evening so was pleased it was a rest day - I was even sucked in by wine o clock on a school night!  



Here's hoping I feel better for my 4 mile slow run tomorrow!

Trying hard at Tri Club Running!

Tonight I went running with The Tri Club - and try I did!

After an initial warm-up followed by dynamic drills we did some "hill drills" before finishing with some fartleks!

At the time it felt like hell and despite trying my best I failed to keep up but afterwards I felt like I had conquered the world! So I suppose I must be getting something out of it and not just humiliation! I would never push myself to this extreme on my own so it's worth it!

Thankfully by the time I had done the cool down stretches my breathing had returned to normal and I didn't feel quite like I was going to die as much!

We did 3.76 very hard and very fast (at times) miles!

Week 17 and Spring has sprung!

Here I am at the start of week 17 of my marathon training plan, and the postman brought me 2 exciting parcels today! 

The first parcel had made it's way all the way from my running buddy Haddie in Hawaii and was full of "Paint the world green for Cerebral Palsy" goodies as well as a Hawaiian Cat and beads!  

I was really delighted with the beautiful bracelet, wristband, broach and key ring and will wear them with pride! I am so lucky to have such incredible support and motivation from such an inspirational little person! 

The 25th March is World Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day, and I will be wearing green to show my support!

Look what was waiting for me in the second parcel! 

My Manchester marathon race number and its GREEN! 

That must be a good omen for a PB, and I will do my utmost for Haddie!

I think I am feeling excitement and trepidation in equal measures at the moment! 

I have survived my longest run AND I have survived the highest weekly mileage on the entire plan so thankfully it all gets easier from here in with just 4 weeks to go ...

So that means there was no need for a double whammy exercise session today which is just typical as it has been such a beautiful spring day and I was in the mood for a leisurely run but I had the Tri Club Swimming session to go to!  

With just 7 weeks to go until my triathlon I can't neglect my swimming although I haven't been on my bike at all since September! Once the marathon is over I will have 3 weeks to devote to learning to ride a bike again!

The focus of the swimming session tonight was endurance. I think after my endurance run on Saturday and the 6 mile walk yesterday my body was thinking "You must be joking!" as I found it incredibly tiring and hard this evening! It really is a good job I didn't do a run beforehand like I have done in previous weeks or I might just have passed out in the water!

However, I was comforted to see that I had actually swum 2000 metres, 80 lengths or 1.25 miles so I can't of been that bad!

Hopefully I will recover sufficiently to suffer a little bit more at the Tri Club running session tomorrow evening!

Not quite a rest day!

After yesterday's 22 miler yesterday I was amazed when I woke up this morning feeling fairly good!  I expected to be very stiff and achy but thankfully I wasn't.

Today was supposed to be a rest day according to the plan but the dog still needs walked!

I have booked my first trail run in June called the Karrimor Challenge which is an 11K route. 

I decided that it would be a good idea to do a recce of the route so that was the plan hatched for today! 

So off we set for the hour car journey to the start point at The old Keswick Railway Line and then up Latrigg.

It was a lovely walk from Keswick along part of the old Cockermouth, Keswick, and Penrith Railway trackbed and up onto Latrigg which stands over Keswick.  We deviated from the trail run route in order to climb Latrigg so we could tick another Wainwright off our list! 

The run actually skirts around Latrigg (Thankfully!) although the run route is still hilly it's just not as hilly as the walk we did!


The first part of the walk/run along the railway path crosses the river a number of times on the original rail bridges and includes a short section of elevated wooden walkway which bypasses where the line used to go through a tunnel. 

Some of the railway paraphernalia still lays around if you look about. 

Up on Latrigg the views down to Keswick, Derwentwater, and to the mountains around are stunning.

Although it was initially a bright day, up on the top it was very windy and chilly! We walked a very nice and rewarding 5.6 miles!

I now have a better idea of what my first trail run entails - I'm not sure if that's such a good thing!

It was a bloody long way!

Today was LSR day and the plan said 22 miles!  

In preparation I even abstained from the wine last night and only had one G and T all night!  It was Friday night after all and I couldn't not have anything after the week I have had!

So I was up bright and breezy (for a Saturday anyhow!) and had a large bowl of porrige, a banana, a cup of coffee and a pint of water before heading out the door!  I wanted to be well hydrated and fuelled!

Looking out the window it looked like a sunny warm spring day so I opted for 3/4 length running pants and a thin long sleeve top and no gloves.

I also wore my large running belt bag in which I could carry 2 water bottles, my gels and some Kendal mint cake as well as my phone.

By the time I was ready it was about 10 past 9.

I had a route in mind that I have never run before.  

I am not usually a fan of "out and back" routes but I am beginning to get bored running my usual circuits and I couldn't find a circuit (new or old) that was 22 miles long!

After studying a map I realised that I could run from Kendal to Windermere which is 11 miles then run back again!

So with my route decided off I set!  I was keen to run at an even pace as I didn't want to set off too fast and then fade and die by mile 15.  

When I first set off it was a lovely spring morning and I was feeling a little warm and was starting to wish I had worn a T shirt but by the time I had run 5 miles the sun had gone and it went really chilly! At this point I was wishing I had some gloves to wear!

I took my first gel washed down with water after 5 miles, then took another after 10 miles.  It was a fairly hilly route and by the 10 mile mark the hills were getting bigger!  I had a fleeting thought that at least I would get to run down them on the way back!  

As I came to the top of a particularly big hill I caught sight of Lake Windermere for the first time!  Although with living here I have seen the lake hundreds of times before, today it looked particularly spectacular! I think with running there I appreciated the view that much more!  

I felt on top of the world and lucky to be alive! I was running with a big smile on my face and the motorists going past probably thought I was an escaped lunatic!

I arrived in Windermere just as my Garmin bleeped the 11 mile mark, I did a loop around the Lakeland shop (rather than just turn around and look silly!) and was soon on my way back!  

Instead of thinking "Oh no I have that to do all over again" I was feeling unusually positive and I thought "Yes I'm on my way home!"

But why do the downhills never feel as big as the uphills?  

By the time I had run 12 miles the wind was beginning to get really strong so not only did I have tired legs to cope with I had to push harder to get through the wind!  

Another gel and drink came into play at mile 15 and then from mile 18 I nibbled on Kendal mint cake as I was feeling low on sugar!

By the time I hit the 20 mile mark I felt like I was running very slowly but I chanted to myself "just keep moving forward" and was determined not to walk!  I think if I had stopped to walk I would never have got started again!

Once back in Kendal I took a slightly different route than I did on the outward leg! 

On the way out I had run along the main road but as I was feeling rather sloth like by this point I wanted to hide from the general public and took the quieter canal path option hoping not to be spotted by anyone!

I arrived home after running 22.04 miles at a much slower pace than I had wanted but it wasn't too bad considering the wind and all the bloody hills!  

My average pace was 9.41 minute miles which would give me a marathon time of 4 hours 13 minutes 53 seconds if I maintained it! This would give me a PB!

I am hoping that as Manchester is billed as the flattest and fastest marathon in the UK I will improve on this on race day!  Fingers crossed it is not wet and windy!

You can view my run here.  As you can see I didn't maintain the even pace I was aiming for but hey ho! 

I am not very good at this pacing lark, but one day soon I might just get it right!

So that's my penultimate long run done and dusted! (and the longest on the plan!).

Next weekend there is a 20 miler on the plan but I am hoping to find it easier as I am doing the miles in a race at Trimpell 20!  No water to carry and other runners to hopefully spur me on!  It is also billed as a flat course so I am hoping to get a better idea of the pace I will be able to maintain with no hills and another opportunity to get my pacing sorted!

On getting in the shower I had a bit of an "ouchy" moment when the water hit my skin!  My running bag had been rubbing my skin and I now have awful fierce looking red weals on both my sides! 

Not a good look!

Day of rest before the big one!

On Wednesday as soon as I got in from work I went for a lovely 6 mile "easy run" in the sunshine (it makes a nice change!).  

Although this was meant to be an easy run I was surprised to see that I had managed to run at an average pace of 8:54 minute miles! I felt really good when I had finished and could have kept going!

Later in the evening I really enjoyed a good stretch and relaxation at Yoga!  My balance and flexibility is definitely improving!

On Thursday I got out of bed and had very very very tight painful buttocks! To make matters worse the rain had returned and I had a 10 mile "slow" run to do!  

Luckily by the time I had spent the day at work and used the foam roller my buttocks were feeling better!

I waited until around 6pm before setting off with the hope that it would stop raining however I was deluded!  

So I donned my rain jacket and set off without a route in mind, I just went where my feet took me!  

Once I got going the rain wasn't too bad and after the first few miles it became intermittent and thankfully wasn't the torrential stuff of runs gone by!  

I was fairly impressed with my mileage estimation skills when I got home and stopped my Garmin at 9.99 miles!  I didn't look at my Garmin pace at all during the run!  This was meant to be an easy run so pace wasn't an issue. I managed an average pace of 9.27 minute miles which wasn't too bad considering the weather, the traffic and the darkness! I also spent a lot of my time dodging dangerous women with umbrellas and idiots with dogs on extendable leads!  

Today is a rest day before my long 22 mile run tomorrow!  

I am feeling ever so slightly nervous about it but need to get a grip - in less than 30 days I will be running 26.2 miles ready or not!

I will be ready! 

I truly believe I have put my heart and soul into this training and whatever happens on the day I don't think I could have prepared myself more! 

I WILL get a PB!

I have decided to set myself three goals for the marathon like I did last time!

An "In my dreams" finish time, a "realistic" finish time and the slowest time I could deal with!

Last time my realistic time was 4:20 and I finished in 4:21:30 so I wasn't too far out!

So here goes!

a)  In my dreams - 3 hours 59 minutes! (average pace 9:09 min/miles)

b)  Realistic - 4 hours 8 minutes! (average pace 9:27 min/miles)

c) Worst case scenario - 4 hours 20 minutes! (average pace 9:54 min/miles)

So tomorrow's run is all about experimenting with pace!  

I am going see what pace I can maintain for the duration of the run to give me a better idea of what I am capable of on the day! 

However, I must remember that I will be stronger under race day conditions!

The need for speed!

This evening I went to The Tri Club running training session where the focus was on speed!

After a warm up and some dynamic drills we set off to do some interval training!

Speed isn't my thing and I always struggle to keep up, but I must be getting faster as I managed to keep up for longer than usual!  I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to maintain a faster speed for longer!

One day I will surprise everyone (and myself!) by keeping up for the entire duration!

We ran a total of 3.8 miles which included 10 intervals!




Here's to another run tomorrow!

Week 16 here we come!

After 3 days of running rest here we are at the start of week 16 in my marathon training plan and it's going be a tough one!

It started today with a double whammy! 

But before I tell you about that I want to vent my frustrations!  I found out today that The Rock N Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon has been cancelled due to "lack of local support".  It is a pity that they have found it so easy to cancel this race when I have a hotel booked which can't be cancelled quite as easily!  

If I go ahead and cancel I will lose 100% of the hotel tariff paid ... if I still go I incur further travel and eating costs when I don't actually need nor want to be in Edinburgh!  A very, very frustrating predicament to be in and highly annoying! It will make me think twice about booking any more "Rock n Roll" races in the future!  I have emailed them and told them how financially out of pocket I am due to them!  I am not holding my breath for a response but it is worth a try!

So deep breath ... one ... two ... three and relax!  

Now on to more positive things! RUNNING!

When I got in from work I got changed immediately into my running kit and headed out the door.  After not running for 3 days I felt a frisson of excitement, especially as it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining!

I even had some new trainers to try out so that added to the happy mood!

The plan said an hour easy, so off I went not worrying about my pace just enjoying the sunshine and views!  There were LOADS of runners out - I think the sun had brought them all crawling out the woodwork!

I really enjoyed running tonight and was delighted to have done 6.09 miles at an average 8.56 minute mile pace fairly effortlessly! My new trainers were comfortable and I even forgot they were new!  Phew! No blisters to contend with!

My legs were obviously well rested but when I first set off they felt very stiff as if they had forgotten what was expected of them! They soon came to life and cooperated!


After a few hours rest it was time for the second session of the day and time to go to my usual Tri Club Swimming Session. 

The focus tonight was on speed which isn't usually my forte but tonight I actually enjoyed it!

After a warm up and some drills we did 100 meter sets with 15 seconds recovery in-between each set.  

I was impressed that my 100 meter time was faster than usual at 2:01 minutes! My time is usually more 2:10 so I am chuffed with that increase especially after running too!

We swam a total of 1650 meters or 66 lengths or 1.02 miles!

Feeling alive!!

Running again tomorrow!

Bring it on!

A very enjoyable weekend!

I have had a very busy but enjoyable non-running weekend.

One of the highlights was receiving this photograph of my running buddy Haddie with the medal and the "spot the dog" I sent her after my most recent race!  That smile makes it all worthwhile and gives me added determination to work harder at getting faster! 

On Friday evening we travelled down to Reading in order to go to the university open day on Saturday!  Thankfully the Friday evening traffic was OK and we didn't experience any of the usual traffic jams or accidents making it down to the hotel in just 4 hours!

We were very impressed with the university campus and its facilities and I think my daughter has decided this is her first choice of university for September! We even managed to sneak a little visit into the town centre to assess the quality of the shops and this passed her inspection too! 

I was dismayed to discover that Reading Half Marathon was taking place today but I couldn't convince my daughter and husband that it would be a good idea to stay an extra night so I could run in it! 

Fingers crossed Jess gets her required results and ends up there and I can add it to my race calendar for next year! We made it home in a record 3 and a half hours!


Today I had a lovely relaxing day at the Lodore Falls Hotel.  
We had a fantastic spa day experience which started off with coffee and fruit on arrival.  



We then spent time in the outdoor hot tub which was lovely and even had views of the Lodore Falls Waterfall.  

We then had a back and shoulder deep tissue massage, although I wouldn't say it was very deep it was nice all the same! 

After this we spent time in the sauna before finishing off with a swim.  The experience was completed with a delicious 2 course HUGE lunch with wine! I think we should have spent time in the Gym to work it off afterwards!

So all in all a great weekend but I am just beginning to feel the signs of running withdrawal after 3 days!  I am so excited about my run tomorrow!  My legs will be very fresh so no excuses whatsoever!