RUNNER MUM

Jantastic

2012-01-26T20:12:00.003Z

I've mentioned before that I am a regular listener to the Marathon Talk podcast, and the running-based chatter it consists of really helped me get through the training for my marathon (way back in May '10).

This month they have established a challenge for listeners called Jantastic. (In fact they did it last year too, but of course I wasn't running then). At the start of January, listeners were asked to state how many runs they would complete each week. This should be a challenging but achievable target, and I entered myself for 4 runs. Most of last year I ran about 3 times a week, and it's a bit of a struggle to regularly fit 4 runs in my busy week as well as the odd bit of cross-training. I wouldn't be able to fit in 5 runs, and I'd be worried about getting injured again.

Anyway, the great thing about Jantastic is that there are no prizes and there's no proof of what you've done - you simply log each run online when you've done it. The whole thing relies on participants being honest, and its purpose is to motivate us and push us out the door when we feel a bit 'can't-be-bothered-y'. It works too - I found myself getting up early before a busy day last Sunday to squeeze in run number 4 for the week, and I wouldn't have done if it weren't for wanting to keep my 100% stats on Jantastic.

Next week sees the start of 'Febulous', in which you add the distance of your longest run each week and try to stick to that. I'm going to have to plan that very carefully as February includes a week of school holidays, as well as 1 extra no-school Monday (which is when I usually do my long run), and we are busy every weekend.

Of course the other great motivator is this blog, and reading about other bloggers' accomplishments makes me get off the sofa and move so I've got plenty to write about here. One of my favourite Christmas presents was this excellent book I got from Pete:

The simple but courageous tale of an ordinary Mother who decided to cast aside years of lazy inactivity and train for a marathon. Every post to the end of 2010 (and all the pictures), is included, and it's great to be able to look back over all my posts in book form. I know that sounds incredibly narcissistic, but hey, that's me! Pete did it on some website and it was a big secret, so it was a huge surprise when I saw it. I've always wanted to be a published writer - no doubt this is the only way it could ever happen!

A tougher week

2012-01-23T13:45:00.003Z

Things have been going so well since the start of January - I've been steadily increasing weekly mileage and long runs further than I've managed for about 15 months, so it was inevitable that there would be a wobble at some point. Last week I struggled a bit, but am still on track. Phew.

The bad
1. I finally got a proper cold. Despite having a snotty nose for the last 3 months, it was only this week that I got the sore throat, hacking cough and streaming nose that signify actual illness.

2. This forced me to take a rest day on Wednesday, when I would have rather been for a run, and I then missed a bike ride on Friday to fit in a substitute run.

3. This also made all the other runs tougher than they should have been, as I needed regular coughing and nose-wiping breaks.

4. I got a hangover! I don't drink to excess often these days, but on Friday night, Pete and I stayed up late chatting and playing cards like we used to do before we were parents. We also used to drink vodka and tonic about 10 years ago, and hence I woke up on Saturday morning with a banging headache and a reluctance to get out of bed. I felt ok after some breakfast and nurofen though.

5. The following night, our neighbours had a party. The music was pretty loud through the walls, and although Pete and the kids slept through it, I was kept awake until after 3am. Why oh why can't I be a deep sleeper?

(6. I got a little pain in my heel after my long run, but I don't want to talk about it.)

The good
1. I ran 8.1 miles on Monday, which was my longest run since the injury. I can't pretend it was fun, in fact it was bloody hard work, but it felt great when I'd finished.

2. I had another lovely bike ride on Tuesday. It was about 10.4 miles and quite hilly, but I really enjoyed finding a new route and exploring.

3. I ran 18.7m for the week, so mileage is still going up!

4. We had a great weekend involving kids' cinema, furniture shopping, lunch out, a visit to my brother-in-law's and a trip to the park with his family. It's great that the kids can see their cousin so easily now we moved down from Scotland.

Anyway I still ran my long run, ran 4 times, and kept increasing the mileage, so it all turned out ok in the end!

Last week

2012-01-16T16:25:00.006Z

Last week was pretty busy. I ran or cycled for 6 days in a row, which is not at all normal behaviour for me.

Running
I started the week with my longest run, a 7-miler. While I didn't exactly feel superfit, it was a lot better than the 5 miles that exhausted me the previous Monday. It felt good to get a bigger distance under my belt after lots of short runs around Christmas.

On Thursday evening I ran a club session which was 2 minutes hard in one direction, 90 seconds rest, then turn around and run 2 minutes back to where you started. The idea is that you start and finish in the same place each rep, and aim for consistent pace. I did ok, but it wasn't one of my favourite sessions. I don't know why, I just didn't take to it.

Added to those two, I also did little runs on Wednesday and Sunday, which gave me an overall mileage of 17.1 miles, my biggest week since October.

Cycling
Due to some fabulous sunny weather, I had 2 very enjoyable bike rides this week. On Tuesday I got lost in a housing estate, and ended up having to scale a big hill, then on Friday I planned a big loop on quiet roads passing farms, fields and a duckpond. In total, I cycled 20.3 miles.

Analysing
On foot and wheels, I covered 37.4 miles last week. That's the biggest total mileage I've done since time began - Garmin-measured time at least. I once totalled 36 miles in September 2010, but that was all bike and no running, and even when I was marathon training and running up to 30 miles a week, I wasn't cycling. How marvellous to have all these numbers and dates at the click of a mouse!

Shopping
On Thursday, Emma and I caught the train to Brighton purely to visit the running shop sale. I invested in some new trainers, as I've done over 400miles in the last pair. As it was the sale, I thought it prudent to also take advantage of a new jacket and a top. The shoes are Mizuno Wave riders - not a brand I've had before, but I love the look of them, and they feel really comfortable so far.

Sneezing
On Thursday morning, I woke up with a head full of cold as usual, and as I was getting breakfast I surprised the whole family with a gigantic sneeze, quickly followed by a yelp of pain. I had pulled something in my neck. It ended up being really painful, and I thought it might stop me running, but I was fine as long as I didn't turn my head. I had a couple of bad nights' sleep, as the pain kept waking me up whenever I turned over, and it was really uncomfortable for a few days. How ridiculous! It's a lot better now, thank goodness.

So January has been going well so far, I just hope I can keep it up...

Early bird

2012-01-12T17:43:00.002Z

When I first started running regularly, I already had both the kids, and I found that the best way to fit running in during the week was to get up before them. I would set the alarm for 6am-ish, do as little a warm-up as possible, then get 3 miles under my belt before anyone in the house started to stir.

Recently though I've moved away from that habit. I've been running more in the evenings (still in the dark), and felt that I tended to run better later in the day. I don't think I've had a pre-breakfast run since about June. The thought of losing 45 minutes sleep, or even 45 minutes lying quietly in bed has been too horrible to contemplate.

But this week I thought it might be time to reconsider. I wanted to fit a run in on Wednesday, and I couldn't guarantee that Pete would be home early enough in the evening for me to go. Then I would have struggled to make that run up later in the week. I also wanted more than 24 hours rest before Thursday evening's run with the club, as I've got a sore calf at the moment.

So on Tuesday night, I only had a little glass of wine, I went to bed at a reasonable time and didn't stay up late reading, I organised my running stuff into a little pile, and set my alarm. It woke me up in the dark of Wednesday morning and I forced myself up, dressed in a haze and did a few warm-up exercises in front of the morning news on the telly.

Then I went for a run. And it was great! I must admit I didn't enjoy getting out of bed, but after I left the house, things improved dramatically. The roads were quiet - just a few dogs and their walkers about, and I remembered how good it felt to be out early.

When I got home, everyone was still asleep in bed, so I managed to have a lovely hot shower before being pestered about breakfast or clean school uniform. It was only a ploddy 3 miles, but it really did improve my whole day. I felt virtuous, energised and like a good runner! I spent most of the day thinking about running and planning future races in my head.

So I think I'll incorporate a Wednesday morning run into every week. It fits into my training well, and seems to have various benefits. Although I do reserve the right to change my mind and hit the snooze button whenever the novelty wears off...

2012, Week 1...

2012-01-09T17:53:00.007Z

Is it like this every winter? Do I always wake up every single morning with a stuffed up head and a runny nose, in need of another 5 hours' sleep? Possibly, I really can't remember, but that's what it's been like this winter since about November. I realise I'm not helping to solve this problem as I can't seem to get to bed early. For Christmas I got a beautiful kindle, and a large pile of actual books too, and I keep reading until I doze off, instead of closing my eyes when I should.

Anyway, I think I had a bit of a cold last week. I felt ok most of the time, but my running was pretty shabby. I think my body was fighting off some evil bug, which took away some of the energy I apparently needed to run.

On Monday it was still school holidays, but luckily it was Pete's holiday too, so I was able to go for a morning run. I'd planned about 6 miles, but felt so lacking in energy that I dropped to 5m. I got a stitch just after 2miles, and struggled to complete the distance, it was rubbish.

The following day I felt quite achey, and ran the slowest 3-miler I've done for a long time. My average mile pace was 9m27s! I decided to call it a recovery run, although I didn't feel very recovered afterwards.

Wednesday was Emma's 4th birthday! We spent most of the day mooching round the shops and sitting in cafes waiting for Robbie to finish school, and after picking him up we went home to play with new toys, dance to music and eat birthday cake. I can't believe she's 4, my baby girl!

Posing

On Thursday I ran with the local club in the evening. I still didn't feel good, and after a 1mile warm up I was already wheezy, despite having taken my inhaler as usual. We ran 6 x 600metres with 2min recovery after each lap. I took it steady and tried not to wreck myself.

Friday was a glorious sunny day and I had my first bike ride in 4 weeks. It was really lovely feeling the sun on my face, I'd almost forgotten what sun felt like. I had a great 10 miles.

Sunny views

On Saturday we celebrated Emma's birthday further with a trip to a local zoo and play park. There were lots of cool small animals, and plenty of activities for the kids, as well as a great play area. I decided to leave a run until Sunday. I thought I ought to try to up my speed for this week, and used a foolproof method to do so - put some music on my ipod.

I usually listen to podcasts (or nothing), but I often find that some fast music can help me increase my speed almost unknowingly. I ran 3 miles at 8.30min/mile pace this time - much better!

So I ran 4 times, totalling 14.7 miles. Not a bad start to the year, but I need to get some longer runs in if I'm going to run a half marathon, and I really need to do something about my speed...

Goals for 2012

2012-01-06T11:20:00.004Z

I'm not a huge fan of setting specific running goals for myself. I am motivated enough to run most of the time without needing a target mileage to get to, and since the whole heel debacle of 2010/2010, I am very aware that you can't predict what obstacles may get in your way. Basically, I'm scared I might get injured again.

But having said that, I have got a few goals for 2012. These are some of the things I'd like to achieve:

1. PB at Half-marathon

I really enjoyed the 13.1 mile distance in 2009 and 2010, and wanted to do a lot more before my plans were scuppered by the heel. I ran 2h10 in my first ever half in 2009, and I know I should easily be able to beat that time nowadays.

2. Go under 2 hours at Half-marathon

In August 2010 I was running well enough to do this, and ran exactly 120 mins in a training run. 2 weeks later I got injured, and hobbled round the Great North Run with no interest in my time, just wanting to finish. Since then I've only run a maximum distance of 8 miles, so I need to increase my long runs and endurance, but I'd love to get under 2 hours. It won't be easy though...

3. Run over 600 miles

In 2011 I ran 405 miles with a lot of time out for injury, so I reckon I can improve on that quite a bit. 600 miles works out as about 11.5 miles a week, so even accounting for lower weeks when I'm busy, ill or injured, it should be do-able.

4. Run more races

I love entering races, but only managed 3 last year! I'd love to do one a month, but I can't commit to that many when most of our family time is at weekends. It's just too much to ask from Pete and the kids at this age, so rather than specifiy a number, I just want to do as many as I realistically can.

5. Keep up the cross-training

This really just means cycling. I don't have any cycling goals, but I just find it an enjoyable way to burn calories and keep fit without overdoing the running. I'm aiming to cycle once or twice a week at the moment, depending on how much I'm running.

6. Do more Pilates and weight training

Having moved house, I'm yet to find a new Pilates class. Ths problem with this is making the time for it, when that time could more enjoyably be spent running. However, I do think the Pilates helped with my injuries, so I really must do more. I need to decide what weight training to do, but I know that could help increase my fitness and improve my running too.

7. Keep Plantar Fasciitis at bay!

This is my most important goal. I don't really know how to do it, but it involves not overdoing the running, and addressing the issue as soon as I get heel pain. I would love a whole year without it now, but I just don't know when it might come back.

So who knows what this year will bring - last January I had no idea that I would end 2011 having relocated from Scotland to the South of England, for example - but I hope I can attempt some of the above before the year is out. To quote ajh: '2012 here I come'!

2011 - Review of the Year

2012-01-02T17:05:00.005Z

If you had told me at the beginning of last year about how well I would run in 2011, I would have been pretty disappointed. I would have been gutted to know how long my heel injury would continue; the amount of running I would manage; the length of my longest run; the number of races I would run and the fact that my bike would be stolen. However, looking back and seeing the events of the year in context, it really doesn't seem too bad!

January was a disastrous month for running. I started the year depressed about my continuing injury, and then got flu. I attempted 2 runs, each one about 1.5 miles.

In February I had a more positive attitude. I threw myself into cross-training, and joined the gym. I went 8 times in the month, and also cycled 65 miles in 9 bike rides. As a family we went orienteering for the first time and loved it!

March was the month in which I started running properly again - hooray! I gradually built up from 1.5milers to 5k, although my speed was pretty poor. I also started Pilates classes on the advice of my physiotherapist, which I found kind of boring, but helpful to my core strength and balance. The Scottish weather went from snowy to sunny - phew.

In April I kept on running, and increased my longest run distance to 4.6 miles (very slow though). I enjoyed the Easter holidays, bought a foam roller, and raced Edinburgh Parkrun (5K) with a decent time. I was running or cycling 4-5 times a week and still doing pilates, but for some reason (probably school holidays), I didn't get to the gym.

In May, I finally got round to losing the last of the extra weight I'd put on at Christmas! It was my biggest cycling month of the year (75 miles), and I did some Pilates and Gym visits too. My longest run increased to 5.5 miles.

In June I bought some new trainers and ran my first proper race of the year. It was also my first ever trail race, and I absolutely loved it. It turned out to be my last race in Scotland... The bad news was, my bike was stolen, so there were no bike rides for a while.

In July, life started to get really busy. I spent a week at my parents' house, and then we were away house-hunting in England. I had no bike, and I did very little running. However, I walked up a big hill with the kids, and Robbie learnt to ride his bike without the stabilisers!

August was the month we moved from Scotland to the South of England. It was so hectic and busy I only ran 10.6 miles the whole month.

In September I did my first running from our new house and bought a new bike! I also did another race - 'The Big 10K' in Bexhill. My time was nothing to write home about, but Robbie and Emma had a great time at the children's 500m race. I started running with local club Hailsham Harriers.

In October I really put my mind to running more. I ran 57 miles in total, did 3 sessions with the club, increased my long run to 7.4 miles, and did a lot of exploring on my bike. Oh, and I threw away my insoles - progress!

In November I got a cold, and did a lot less cycling. I ran my longest run for the whole year - 8 miles - and found my speed was improving.

December was a pretty excellent month. It started with a 5K PB at the Worthing Christmas Cracker race. I ran 57.2 miles in total - joint highest with October - and really enjoyed my running. We also finally got a buyer for the flat in Scotland, which was a huge relief!

So this is what 2011 looked like in mileage. The grey is cycling and the red is running. I can't tell you how much fun I had making this lovely bar chart. Anyway, you can see that I made good progress with the running from March onwards, until moving house put things back a bit in July and August. I'm really pleased with my progress since September, and I'm just so glad I'm running regularly again.

That's 481.5 miles cycled; 405.3 miles run, and perhaps most importantly, 58,134 calories burned in 2011! That's loads of biscuits, woo-hoo! Imagine how fat I'd be if I hadn't done any exercise!

Although I only ran 4 races last year, they were really enjoyable, and although I only ran 8 miles as my longest run, I'm looking forward to building on that distance this month. My number one goal for 2012 is just to keep on running...

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:41:00.006Z

It's nearly Christmas! I've been really looking forward to it this year. I've always enjoyed Christmas, but having the kids just makes you see things through their eyes. Robbie and Emma are old enough to know a bit about what to expect now, and they're so excited about tomorrow. I'm looking forward to them opening their presents too, and then going out for a little walk before an enormous, delicious lunch, followed by cake, mince pies, chocolate etc and maybe a few games before plopping down on the sofa with a drink to watch some Christmas tv, some more mince pies...

Decorating Christmas biscuits

I had a good run yesterday - 6.2 miles in strong winds, drizzle and under dark skies, it was wonderful! Although the temperatures have been pretty mild here, it felt like a nice wintry run as the wind blew right up my nose. I've run about 13/14 miles each week this month, but I'm not sure what I'll manage next week. We'll be visiting family after Christmas, so I'll be fitting the running in whenever I get the chance.

Gingerbread stars by Robbie and Emma

Hope all readers of this blog have a lovely Christmas and a wonderful new Year!

Last week's running

2011-12-20T16:57:00.004Z

Last week was fairly busy. I had to fit running around my parents' visit, my birthday and a night out, Robbie's school holiday (term ended on Thursday), Pete's work night out, Pete's 2-day trip to Scotland, and an overnight stay from a friend. All things considered, I'm happy with my running!

On Monday I ran an uneventful 4 miles before my parents arrived and while Emma was at nursery. Then on Tuesday I went to my running club. It was the night of the 'Turkey Trot'. This event is an approximately 3 mile run in which everyone estimates their speed and is given a handicap. The first across the line wins a Christmas turkey, and prizes are awarded for fastest male and female. Needless to say, I did not go along for the prizes.

The race took place around the streets of the town, which meant some looking out for traffic, and some busy pavements. I set off with 2 other women who estimated their times as similar to mine. However, once we started, one of them (B), went off like a rocket! The other woman (A), with whom I often run and who I know is about the same speed as me, went with B, and soon the pair of them were running at under 7min/mile pace. Well I knew this was no good for me. I didn't want to completely blow up, so I let them go. I was running much harder than I would have liked, but I wasn't prepared to overdo it by so much.

They zoomed off, and after a while, other runners started catching me and overtaking. I think a lot of runners underestimated their ability, and I'll know to be more cautious next year! Anyway, I kept running fast, and after the first 1.5 miles, I started to catch them up. I could see that A was started to flag, as I had expected her to, and I overtook her at around 2miles. Then I could see B
just in front of me. I pushed hard, but suddenly we had reached the end of the race. I hadn't really known where it was, and it was only about 2.7m, according to my Garmin.

I wished I had realised where the finish was as I think I could have taken B as well! However, it was only for fun, and in the end my time was 5 seconds behind her, so not too bad. It was a really enjoyable event, and very sociable.

On Wednesday morning I went for a birthday run of 3miles, as I knew I would be busy for the next few days. That's the first time I've run on 3 consecutive days for a while! I didn't get a chance to leave the kids for a run until Sunday, when I had a very enjoyable 4m run round the housing estates nearby.

So in total I managed 4 runs and a total of 14.4 miles. Not bad. This week I might be too busy making and eating mince pies and biscuits, never mind the fact that the kids are both on holiday. My goal for now is to run just enough not to put on too much weight!

Homemade and delicious!

Another year older...

2011-12-16T20:23:00.004Z

It was my birthday on Wednesday! My parents were here for most of the week, and after taking Robbie to school, I went for a little run while Mum and Dad looked after Emma. It was a great way to start the day, especially as I knew I was going to be doing a lot of eating later on.

We went out for lunch and I had a really tasty burger and chips. I was trying not to eat too much as I was going out for dinner too, but I did have pudding (naturally), and ended up feeling really stuffed. After picking Robbie up from school, I got glammed up (more than usual anyway), and caught the train into Brighton to meet Pete.

With Emma in the restaurant

The weather was horrendous, and as it was pouring with rain and hail, we decided to head for the cinema. First though, we stopped off in a pub for a couple of huge vodka and tonics - a drink we both used to enjoy about 15 years ago when we first met but hardly ever drink nowadays! It was lovely.

We saw 'My week with Marilyn' which was really good. Kenneth Branagh was hilarious and Michelle Williams was amazing as Marilyn Monroe. Before we had children we used to go to the cinema 2 or 3 times a month, and now we go about once or twice a year. Whenever we get the opportunity of a babysitter, it's usually our first choice for what to do.

After the film we went to a little Spanish restaurant. It was a tiny place with just a few wooden tables and one (really good) waitress. We ate tapas and the food was just like what we used to eat when we lived in Spain, it was lovely and very nostalgic.

So as I reach the very end of my thirties, I wonder what should be on my 'list-of-things-to-do-before-I-turn-40'. I'd definitely like to get a few more PBs! I wonder when I'll get to the age of slowing down, rather than speeding up? As I only started running a few years ago, I still think I can get faster, but I sometimes feel as though I'm past it already! I know that Paula Radcliffe will be aiming to win the Olympic marathon next year, and she's only 1 year younger than me. In fact, Constantina Dita won the Olympic marathon in 2008 at the age of 38, so I can't really use age as an excuse...

A delicious gift

Last week

2011-12-12T21:27:00.005Z

The Good:

I started the week on a high after my PB race on Saturday!
I had a great run on Wednesday evening. It was about 5k, and I ran about 4 mins slower (!) than my new PB, but I really, really enjoyed being out there.
The sun came out for a lovely bike ride along the cycle path on Friday afternoon.
I ran 5 miles on Saturday night with a fantastic view of the moon, huge, low, and yellow. It was another really enjoyable run, and ended up being pretty fast too (44m45s).
I picked up my dumbbells and then repeated a few times for the first time in months.
I am LOVING running in the cold weather. It's keeping me warm and preventing the winter blues!

Sunny bike ride in the country

The Not-so-good:

I tried a run on Monday morning which totalled 1 mile as I had an unexplained backache and I gave up and walked home.
I ran with the club on Tuesday, and while it was nice to run with others, I really hated the hill session we did. Every time we reached the top of the hill, the wind smacked into us...urgh...

So the good far outweighs the not-so-good!

Ran 13.4miles
Cycled 10.6miles

New landmark on the cycle path!

November rundown

2011-12-08T20:00:00.007Z

Well November was not a bad month, despite a few days of illness which stopped me working out for almost a full week. Surprisingly I managed to fit in the same number of runs as in October, although I did a lot less cycling to make time for that.

Ran 13x = 52.7 miles
Cycled 3x = 30.3 miles

That's only 5 miles fewer than I ran in October, which means I'm still doing a lot better than the rest of 2011. I didn't cycle as much as I would have liked, partly becuase I wanted to run more, and partly because of a couple of trips Christmas shopping which took priority when I had child-free time on my hands!

I'm quite happy with what I did last month though - I increased my long run to 8 miles (my furthest run in 2011), I focused on speeding up on shorter runs, I did a couple of really good sessions with the local club, and I found more picturesque routes for cycling. Interestingly I did all my long runs on Monday mornings (when Emma is at nursery), and only ran once on a weekend day! That was because we were away every weekend - I didn't spend one Saturday night in my own home throughout the month!

I haven't got any races planned in December, so I'm really focussing on maximising the enjoyment of running. I don't feel the need to do any tough running sessions like long runs or speedy sprints, I just want to revel in being out there in the cold, feeling fit, healthy, uninjured (fingers crossed) and lucky to be running.

No doubt various Christmas events will be getting in the way all month, but I'm going to fit in what I can. Speaking of which, this week we've already enjoyed a school nativity play:

Shepherd 1

..and Emma's little performance at dancing class:

Bring on the festivities!

Christmas Cracker Chase 5k

2011-12-05T19:52:00.004Z

If you are seeking advice about getting a PB at 5K, do as I say rather than as I did on Saturday. For example:

1. Don't choose a race date the morning after your husband has a big work party, coming home at 1.30am and waking you up.

2. Similarly, avoid a time when your husband has a cold and snores all night, keeping you awake so you end up downstairs on the sofa.

3. Don't choose a race route along the seafront on a windy day as there will be no shelter from that headwind for the first 2.5k.

4. Don't eat an enormous bowl of pasta and whole bag of choclate raisins the night before. It's not a marathon, you don't need to carb-load, and you will need to find a toilet in the morning just before the race.

5. Do press the on button on your Garmin efficiently at the start of the race. This will help you discern your speed, how far there is to go, and whether you are on course for a PB or not.

6. Do position yourself at the start so you can hear when the race has started, rather than coming to a gradual realisation when people in front of you start jogging.

Despite all these basic errors, I got my PB! So what do I know about race preparation...

Anyway, it was really cold when we arrived at the start of the race. I bravely removed my jacket as I knew I'd get hot with running, and I'm glad I did - the sun even came out towards the end. I stood fairly near the front, but I didn't hear the race start, and as people started moving off, I relaised that I should have got right at the front. I had to run around a lot of fun-runners straightaway.

After less than a minute I looked at my Garmin and realised it was even later to the party - I had missed hitting the start button somehow. I switched it on, and tried to cope with the horror of not being able to measure my progress exactly. It turned out that I had only missed 0.1 miles though, so it wasn't too bad. When my first mile beeped, I looked down and I had run 8m12s. I knew I needed to be averaging under 8 min miles so I was a bit disheartened when I saw that.

There was a 10k at the same time, and all the runners ran 2.5k together, until we turned and headed back to the start to finish the race, while the 10k-ers continued further along the seafront. So for the first part of the race I was trying to keep up with and catch certain runners, and then I remembered that most of them would disappear at the turn anyway, and so it proved. We ran into a fairly strong headwind to the turn, but all the way back it felt a lot better!

For the rest of the race I was completely on my own. No-one caught me and the runners in front of me were about 1 minute away, so it was down to me to motivate myself. I did have the back of the pack coming towards me now though, and there was a 'last runner' marshal who told me I was about 8th. That made me feel great!

All the way back I couldn't see where the finish was, and I kept seeing landmarks and thinking 'nearly there', and it wasn't at all. I didn't know how much I'd missed on the Garmin, so I couldn't tell how far I had to go. The last part of that last mile was really tough. I just kept telling myself how gutted I'd be if I gave up, and how great I'd feel if I got under my PB.

Eventually I saw Pete and the kids at the side of the path, and the finish just behind them. they were all clapping away, and Robbie and Emma came to join me and run the last part with me. It was lovely, until I suddenly noticed I wasn't running as fast as I could! I'd slowed down a bit to run with them! As any good athlete would, I gasped an apology and kicked for the finish line.

I stopped my Garmin, which said 3 miles in 23m49s, so I thought I'd probably done enough but I didn't know for sure. I collected my memento coaster, a cracker, and a mince pie along with a drink. Then we went for a huge lovely cup of coffee.

I spent the rest of the day checking the website for the official results. Finally they were posted in the evening, and I saw that I was officially 8th position out of 63 women with a PB of 24m31s!! My Garmin stats were as follows:
Mile 1: 8m12s
Mile 2: 7m49s
Mile 3: 7m47s
I am not used to those sub-8 min miles!

I was so excited for the rest of the weekend! I knew I could get close, but I wasn't sure how much faster I could go. Now I think I could go faster without the wind and with a better start etc, but I won't be going for it yet. It was a really good event and one I'd hope to do again.

Newsflash

2011-12-03T21:50:00.002Z

Nailed it! Despite strong winds by the sea, I ran a PB of 24m31s this morning - 20 seconds off of my previous PB! So pleased with this time, and I finished 8th out of about 60 runners - Yay me!!!

The need for speed

2011-11-30T17:55:00.004Z

So I am signed up for a 5k this Saturday!

The last 5k race I did was Edinburgh Parkrun on 23rd April, when my time was a modest 26m29s. I am really hoping to beat this on Saturday - (in fact I beat it a few minutes ago when I went out for a test run!). That Parkrun race was a comeback from all those months of non-running and heel pain injury, so I was pleased with the time, but now I want to get closer to my PB.

I think it was in October 2009 when I ran my fastest 5k (also Edinburgh Parkrun) in 24m50s. That was a pretty long time ago, and obviously I lost a lot of fitness while not running much between Sept 2010 and March 2011. Now I feel that I'm getting back to full running fitness, so I'd really like to run something close to that PB.

This means I need to be running around 7.59 min miles, which seems absurdly fast. However, I must have done it once, I suppose. I tried a fast 5k last weekend and it was a disaster - I ended up stopping after 2 miles. But I've just run 5k with the aim of a fast but comfortable 1st and 3rd mile and a fast as possible 2nd mile. I pressed the off button on the Garmin at 26m15s - the fastest 5k I've run since 5th July!

Now I ran fairly hard just now, but I had enough held back to speed up at the end and finish strong. When I came through the front door, I was breathing heavily, but not about to collapse or puke, which was how I felt when I got my PB. This indicates that I could go quite a bit faster!

Of course it'll all depend on the day - the race is in a town I've never visited, so I don't know whether the course will be hilly or crowded, and if there is more of this windy weather we've had, then I don't fancy my chances. But my goal for Saturday is to get close to 25 minutes, and my super-goal, if all conditions are perfect, is to get near that PB from the old, pre-plantar fasciitis days!

Busy busy

2011-11-28T16:59:00.003Z

Wow, it has been a while since my last post! I've just been finding it really difficult to make the time for blogging in the last week or so. Partly because for the last fortnight I've been busy reading this:

- all 650 pages of it. I enjoyed it, but the writing was small too, and it took me a long time to get through it. I'll definitely read the sequel when it's published though.

So anyway, I think our family is always ill around this time of year, and 2011 has been no exception. Since having a weird illness a couple of weeks ago, I've just been feeling exhausted, and the kids and Pete have all had their share of coughs and colds recently. However, I am definitely feeling better now, and hopefully the constant stream of green from Robbie's nose will be gone soon (yuck!).

Last week I got back to a good week's running. I started with a 7 mile run on Monday. This was a mile down on my last long run, but I'd had a week off due to being unwell, so I thought I'd play it safe and not push too hard. It felt comfortable and enjoyable, at 9.30min/mile pace. That seems to be about my favoured speed for longer runs.

On Tuesday I had planned a bike ride in the afternoon, but somehow it didn't happen. Having been away for the weekend, I had a lot of washing and cleaning the house to catch up on, but cycling's loss was running's gain, as I went for a run in the evening instead. It was just a short one, and my Garmin refused to pick up a satellite, but I'm sure it was at least 3 miles.

On Thursday it was a good session at the club, where we ran figures of 8 round the houses - 1 loop hard followed by 1 loop recovery. With warm-up jog there and back, it ended up as 5.5 miles. I was with 3 other women and we turned out to be a good match for each other, which was really helpful for keeping me going!

On Friday I fitted in a 10m cycle, which was all around fields and farms - a route I'll definitely take again. Then I ran a fast 5k on Saturday morning. It didn't go too well though as I felt great for the first half, then turned around and realised that I had been benefitting from a tail-wind which was now against me. It was really tough, and I was tired, and I ended up stopping to catch my breath after 2 miles. I only walked for a minute or so, then completed the run, but it was still pretty fast (for me) - 26m29s for 5k - which indicates that prehaps I went too fast at the start.

Next weekend I have signed up for a 5k race! It's Ladies only, and there are a few walkers taking part, so I'm hoping to be near the front of the field for once! So I'm not sure how I'll train this week - not too big a mileage, and a couple of days taper maybe.

Last week I ran 18.6 miles, which is half a mile further than my previous biggest week of 2011! It will be less this week, but hopefully faster...

Strange week

2011-11-17T20:46:00.002Z

I have been strangely ill this week. Yes I know it was only the week before last that I had a little bug and took some days off, but here we are again.

On Saturday I had a bit of a headache, which I put down to red wine on Friday night. On Sunday I had a really bad headache and felt shivery and achey. On Monday Pete had to stay home from work to look after the kids, and I spent the whole day in bed. Whenever I got up my head pounded and I felt dizzy. On Tuesday I threw up before I'd eaten anything, but then felt quite a bit better.

Now I'm feeling almost back to normal, but I just can't get enough sleep, and I'm still getting little headaches. I don't know what it is.

So all this has meant I've done sod all exercise all week. Last week was ok though - up until Friday at least. I ran 8 miles on Monday! I was really happy with my longest run yet this year, and I kept my pace nice and steady (9.27 min/miles ) so it didn't hurt too much.

On Tuesday evening I went out for a 3-mile recovery run, and my legs were obviously feeling it as this turned out to be at 9.37 pace - slower than the 8-miler!

On Thursday I ran with the local group, and we did 400 metre repeats - 4 x 400m with 1 min recovery between each, then a jog round the block. We did this set 3 times, which totalled 12 repeats of 400m! It was hard-going. I ran with 2 women who I felt were both a bit faster than me and I had to keep pushing myself to keep up.

Then on Friday I cycled 10 miles against the wind, so that was quite slow too. Given that I didn't run or cycle at the weekend, I was pleased with 16.2 miles running mileage.

So I might try a little jog tomorrow, and then we're away all weekend, so I might just start again next week. Thank God I haven't got a half marathon or other long race planned - I can do what I want really!

A few days off

2011-11-07T20:28:00.004Z

In my last post I was excited about running my highest mileage week of 2011, but I mentioned that I might make the following week a bit of a break. It certainly turned out that way.

I knew I wouldn't be able to fit a run in as I was travelling and staying at a friend's all weekend, but I planned to run on Tuesday and Thursday, as well as a bike ride on Monday. In fact by Thursday evening I felt quite under the weather, with a headache and lots of aching muscles all over. I also had a really sore throat, so I think I'd caught some nasty little bug. I decided to stay home on Thursday and not risk the run.

So after my big mileage week, I managed a really tiny one! I ran 3.6 miles on Tuesday, (which included my fastest 5k since 14th September!). Thank goodness I am anal enough to keep such detailed records. I also has a really good bike ride on Monday. It was 11 miles on country roads and cycle path.

And that was that. I had an exercise free period from Weds to Sunday, so look out November - I'm rested, I'm ready and I'm going to be building that mileage up again!

October stats

2011-10-30T21:42:00.004Z

So October was the month in which I got rid of my insoles, ran my longest runs since September 2010, and increased my weekly mileage at last.

Last week was half-term school holiday, and I took the kids to my parents' for a few days. Being away meant I couldn't use my bike, but I did run there twice - a couple of nice 3-milers. We came back on Thursday, and I ran again with the local group. It was a hill session, which involved running hard up a short but steep hill 10 times, with recovery between each one. On the last hill I ran as hard a I could. It was really tough, but I felt great afterwards.

But on Friday I started to get a pain in my backside, and after walking around town with the kids and then around the supermarket, I was experiencing a lot of bum discomfort! It was my sciatic nerve, which often gets irritated, but this was worse than usual. I tried rolling around on a tennis ball and using my foam roller, and they really helped, but it was still sore on Saturday, so I went for a bike ride instead of a run. I found another route through some beautiful countryside and the autumn leaves were looking great.

Today I finally found time for my long run, and pounded out a tough 7.4 miles. It was windy, the route was very undulating and I hadn't had enough sleep, and I found the last couple of miles hard-going. My bum felt ok though, and afterwards I felt fantastic! I was so pleased to have run another longer-than-last-week run.

Afterwards Pete and I also went for a walk with the kids. We wandered along the South Downs, stopped for a picnic, and tried to admire the view in spite of cloudy, overcast weather. It was really great though.

Windy at the top of the hill!

This week I only cycled 9.1 miles, but I ran 18.1 miles - presumably a record for 2011 - yay!

Stats for October:

Ran - 13x - 57.1 miles
Cycled - 6x - 61.8 miles.

Pretty good for 2011. I'll probably go out on my bike tomorrow, which is still technically October, but it feels like the end of the month today. Next weekend I'm going away, so I'm not sure where I'll fit in a long run - I might not. I may just make it a 'cutback' week, and aim for a long run over 8 miles the following week. I'm not training for anything, so it doesn't matter too much - there's no rush!

Last week

2011-10-25T20:24:00.002+01:00

It's half term in England this week, which finds me at my parents' house for a few days with the kids. One of the reasons we wanted to move from Scotland to England was so that we could travel more easily to see our families, and I am putting this into practice now! So far since arriving on Sunday I've enjoyed some shopping, quite a bit of reading, an evening in the pub with old school-friends, good sleep and one run. It's good to recharge the batteries a bit.

Last week Emma's nursery took an extra day's holiday, which got in the way of my usual bike ride on Friday. I also got a bit of a cold, and felt pretty rough over the weekend, so I missed a planned run.

However, last Monday I had an excellent run! I increased my long run from the previous week, and did 7.2 miles. Incredibly, this is the furthest I have run since 19th September 2010 (the Great North Run I hobbled with a bad foot). It was great to up my mileage at last, and I really enjoyed the run.

After that I had a great 13 mile bike ride on Tuesday, and then I ran with the local group on Thursday evening. That turned out to be a Paarlauf session - something I'd never tried (or indeed heard of) before. Basically each runner is paired up with someone of a similar ability, and you take it in turns to run loops. So my partner ran a hard loop round the block, then tagged me and I ran a similar loop. While she was running, I was jogging back to my starting point as recovery.

It was quite hard. I ran each lap with 3 others, and my partner and I started at the back of each pack. Then I had a burst of energy in the middle, and overtook into second position. We maintained that for most of the session but I flagged badly on the last few laps and was a distant last by the final lap! It was good fun to do something new, and made me push myself.

And that was it for the week, so only 2 runs and 1 bike ride due to circumstances beyond my control. I was pleased to have increased my long run at last though, and I hope to go longer again this week!

Change of seasons

2011-10-21T12:38:00.007+01:00

All of a sudden it's definitely autumn and summer is gone. In a very short space of time, the temperature has plummeted by about 10 degrees C and I've had to change my running and cycling wardrobe. Just a couple of weeks ago we were walking round in t-shirts, and then yesterday morning I had to scrape the ice off the car before I did the school run! It's been a bit of a shock to the system.

An autumnal trail

Last night I went to my running group. I thought I'd better not go overboard with winter clothing as it's only October, so I wore capris, a t-shirt with medium length sleeves and a sleeveless jacket. When I arrived I was pretty cold, and observed that I was one of the least warmly-dressed of the runners. Some people were in hoodies, jogging bottoms and gloves. Considering I am the sort of person who always feels the cold and wants to switch the heating on immediately at the end of summer, I wondered if I had overdone the hardiness and underdone the warm clothing. However, as soon as we were running of course I was fine, and warmed up really quickly.

I was also perturbed to see that it was a very small group last night, and others were discussing how numbers tend to drop off in cold weather. I can understand being put off by heavy rain, but running is such a great way to keep warm when it's cold! Why wouldn't you move your body and get sweaty to warm up and deal with winter blues?

I love a crisp, cold, winter's day run, and as all you runners know, there's not much that a woolly hat, gloves and plenty of layers can't cope with. There is a saying I like that goes 'Champions are made in the winter', which refers to all the training that elite athletes do in the dark, cold months before the major marathons and other events of spring. I first heard that when I was training for my marathon in May 2010 - it inspired me when I was plodding through snow-covered streets on dark, chilly mornings in January and February.

Of course a change in temperature also means that you have to go shopping for more running kit - yay! I can't wait to get stuck into some winter running.

Crunchy autumn leaves

Weekly round up

2011-10-17T18:28:00.005+01:00

My plan to increase my mileage has been put into action at last! I just cannot believe it's been over a year since I ran anything over 10k - curse my plantar fascia!

I decided to do my long run on Monday, as I had some free time while Emma was at nursery, and I wanted to get stuck in at the start of the week. It was a really nice run of 6.2 miles. Ok, so I still haven't gone further than 10k, but I'm building up to it! I tried to keep my pace comfortable, and ran over 9 mins for each mile, but miles 4 and 5 were the fastest - I think I turned around and ran on a slight downhill incline there. So although it felt fairly easy, it ended up being 20 seconds faster than the 10k race I did last month! This was obviously down to the flatter route and cooler conditions. My average pace was 9.09 min/miles.

I ran on the cycle path and bridleway, which is such a great route. It's quiet, away from traffic, mostly flat and nice to look at. I had to turn round and come back the same way, rather than do a loop, but as it was slightly more downhill on the way back, I didn't mind.

On Wednesday I couldn't help but run faster, and I did a nice 5k in the dark at 8.35 min/mile pace. I didn't get to running club this week as Pete was away, but I did run just over 4 miles on Saturday. So I stuck to my cautious, careful plan of running 3 times and leaving a full day between each run. I also had two nice bike rides.

Since we moved here, I've been so lucky with the weather. I've only run in the rain once, and never had to get wet on the bike or cycle through mud. Long may that continue. (Er, it's raining as I write this though).

So my total miles were:
Ran: 13.6 miles
Cycled: 19.3 miles.

I just hope I can keep running longer without getting injured again...

Out with the insoles

2011-10-14T20:30:00.004+01:00

Long-time followers with good memories may remember that after my fun times with Plantar Faciitis started last September (that's September 2010), my Physio prescribed a fetching pair of orthotics. They were quite uncomfortable at first, but I gradually got used to them and have been running with them in my trainers ever since.

However, a few runs ago I decided to try a run without them. So far, there hasn't been any sudden resurgence of strong heel pain, and I have now run maybe 3 or 4 times without the insoles.

There were a few reasons why I decided to try running without them. The main one was that in the last few weeks, I've been getting a few unusual pains in the foot, particularly after a longer run. I started noticing some discomfort around the ball of my foot, and I just had a feeling that this was being caused by the distorting shape of the orthotics. I haven't had any more of those pains since I removed them.

Secondly, I know when I started using them that a lot of people weren't sure it was the best way to go. From comments on my blog, reading other people's blogs and a few conversations with runners, I was prompted to spend a lot of time thinking about the whole debate over increased padding and protection (insoles and supportive trainers) v. minimalist running (barefeet). I'm still not sure what I think about all this, but I do think there's only so much support your feet can take before you lose the ability to run in a natural way.

Thirdly, it's coming up to a year since I first started using them, and the Physio said that they should be replaced after a year. So I might as well try running without them.

Finally, I've never really been convinced that they did any good anyway. The process of getting back into running was a long gradual one with many false starts. I still feel pain in my heel (allbeit on a much smaller scale than this time last year), and there was no one solution to the problem - certainly not the addition of orthotics.

I haven't thrown them away, they are under the bed so if needs be I can always put them back in again. But my plan for now is to take things sensibly and carefully - I know, really boring - but I'm going to stick to 3 runs a week for now, no running on consecutive days, and a gradual steady increase in mileage each week.

Luckily I've found some fantastic paths and trails to run and cycle on near my new home, so upping the mileage should be enjoyable...

Easy running

2011-10-11T10:25:00.003+01:00

Last week I posted that I would hopefully be going for a run with the local group on Thursday despite a little ankle pain. In fact, Pete wasn't home in time, so I decided to run on my own anyway. It was dark, so I thought I'd stick to residential streets which were more likely to be well-lit. I had a vague plan of where to run, but as I don't know the local area well-enough yet, I was prepared to divert away from dark roads.

I decided to do something a bit different from my usual runs. As it was 7.30pm, and I didn't have time for a long run, I would normally run about 3 miles (probably 3.1 just to make it 5k), and aim to go as fast as I could. In fact all my running recently has been based around going as fast as I can, and if my pace is significantly over 9 min/miles, I'm not happy. But on Thursday I thought 'What if I try and run slower? Maybe it'll help when I go longer?'

So I went for an easy, comfortable pace. It was a revelation! It was just soooo enjoyable! I ended up going a different way than I had planned, and had a good explore around an area I haven't been to before. Although it was dark, I investigated the sight of the town (a windmill!) and I felt so comfortable the whole time, I could have gone a lot further.

When I first started running and struggled to keep going for 5 minutes, I never could have imagined that I could find it so relaxing and comfortable.

I only ran 4 miles because it was late and I hadn't had dinner, so for the last mile, I decided to speed up and see how fast I could get home. My mile splits were like this: 9.30; 9.42; 9.43; 8.28.

I definitely plan to include more slow running, especially when I'm building my distance back up again. I need to look at the Garmin less and not worry about trying to run faster than 9min/miles for every mile. Why do I obsess over that all the time? Ridiculous. I can't overstate how much I enjoyed that run! (The ankle pain was ok, by the way).

Anyway, apart from that, it wasn't much of a high mileage week:
Ran: 10.3 miles
Cycled: 20.3 miles

We had my sister and her family to visit at the weekend, and ate loads of crap food, got through a few bottles of wine and stayed up too late, so I was impressed that I managed any sort of run at all on Sunday. I could only face 3 miles, hence no long run last week. More mileage to come this week!

Our very own tourist attraction

Saying no

2011-10-06T13:42:00.003+01:00

Since we moved, I've really enjoyed going to the local running group. As I don't know anyone round here, and often don't speak to another adult during the day when Pete's at work, it's great for social reasons as well as to improve my running. Training is held twice a week, and while I have managed to attend 3 weeks in a row, I've only been once a week. This is because Pete's been working long hours and has been making a special effort to get home early once a week. So while I've attended 3 Thursdays, I've never been on a Tuesday.

Then this Tuesday, I was getting the kids' dinner ready when Pete called and said he was on his way back, and did I want to go. I hadn't expected that, and it meant I would have to rush the kids' dinner and bath, but I knew that was worth it for a run. I'd also been for a 10-mile bike ride that afternoon, and my legs were tired, but I knew I would be able to run well enough. I was about to say yes, when I suddenly remembered - a niggle I probably shouldn't ignore.

Since running last weekend, I've had a pain in my left shin, just above the ankle. It's something that happened gradually, but on Monday's run I noticed it quite clearly. It's fine most of the time, but hurts when I put my foot down with impact.

So with reluctance, I did the sensible thing - I said no. I'm sure many of you know how difficult this was. Particularly when I'm struggling to find the time to get out for a run, it's very hard to turn down the opportunity. I probably could have run with the pain and not felt it too much, but it might have exacerbated the injury.

Anyway, I congratulated myself on being so wise, and had a complete rest day yesterday. I massaged the sore area, but that seems to have made it worse! It's very tender to the touch as well now. I put ice on it last night and sat with my leg up on the sofa, but the pain is still there when I run.

So assuming that Pete makes it on time tonight (and he's gone up to London today, so has further to travel), I will definitely be saying yes to tonight's run. I've tried the sensible route, and I'm not missing out again! Maybe it's one of those little niggles that responds to exercise? I think it's feeling a bit better anyway... yes I can think of lots of justification for why I should run tonight!

At least I am balancing out the running with plenty of cross-training, thank goodness for my new bike.

Heatwave

2011-10-03T10:36:00.005+01:00

There's a title I never thought I'd use for a post. The weather in the UK last week was record-breakingly hot. It was glorious sunshine all week, culminating in temperatures around 29 degrees Celsius at the weekend. Fantastic, I love it, as long as I don't have to work in it.

After last weekend's 10k race, I had a few days off. I was achey on Monday, then it was Robbie's birthday on Tuesday so we were celebrating him turning 6. 6!!! Unbelievable. I finally ran on Thursday, with the local running group again. This was my 3rd time there, and we ran figures of eight, with one loop run hard, followed by a loop of recovery. We did this 8 times, and I felt that I was running pretty well. No doubt a few days off did me good. On Friday I enjoyed a really good 10m cycle in the sun, and on Saturday morning, I did an exploring run, where I ended up running over the bumps of a BMX track. This was not intentional, not much fun, and I won't be venturing down that path again.

As for the month of September, it turned out to be the month of getting back into a routine. After the chaos of August, (i.e.moving house), I stepped up the running, did only my second race of 2011, and bought a new bike!

In total I ran 12 times, equalling 49.4miles; and cycled 5 times which made 40.7 miles. Great!

Injuries and illness permitting - I seem to get constant niggles in my feet and I've got a cough and sore throat today - I would like to keep up the number of times I'm running and cycling each week, and increase the running distance to include a long run each week. I haven't run much over 6 miles since September LAST YEAR when the plantar fasciitis first hit, so I'd love to be able to run 10, then 13 or so miles without injury. I'll be taking it steady though - any heel pain and I'll attend to it straight away!

Robbie and his cake

The Big 10k

2011-09-25T18:32:00.004+01:00

Well today was my second race of the year and my 4th 10k ever. In my previous post I related how I have struggled with this distance in the past, but I felt that I ran ok today (in spite of my time...).

It was a very hot sunny morning and the race - The Big 10K - takes place in Bexhill-on-sea and is all along the seafront. It was a lovely route with fantastic views across the Channel taking in beaches, cliffs and little boats out to sea. However, while the race is advertised as a fast, flat course, there was a last minute change due to unexpected road works. This meant that we had to do 2 times a 5k loop, and this loop contained a nasty little hill.

It was a small hill, but steep, and you had to run up, then down, then turn round and back up and down. As the loop was then repeated, this meant 4 steep hills instead of the planned 2. Anyway, it wasn't too bad (and let's face it, after Scotland I am used to hills). The bigger problem was the sunshine.

It was a glorious day, but there was not one spot of shade, and very little wind, and it was just roasting! There were a few drink stations but I didn't dare to take any water as I didn't want to get a stitch, even though I soon felt quite dehydrated.

Anyway, my first mile was ridiculous (8m47s), but it was slightly downhill, and I just can't help but get caught up at the start of a race. The next 4 miles were all well over 9 mins, with an exceptional 5th mile of 9m41s - I was suffering by then! My last mile though was 8m58s - I had held something back at least.

As I got to the finish line, I felt so hot, exhausted and a bit sick, and for the first time ever, I slowed down almost to a walk as I crossed the finish line. I usually try and sprint towards the end (although I often feel as though I'm sprinting only to watch a video later of a tired me plodding slowly). Today, it was just too hot.

I hit the button on my Garmin at 57m16s, giving me an average pace of 9m10s. I know I said I was aiming for 56 mins (and if I'm honest, I'm always secretly hoping for a PB), but I think a flatter course on a cloudy day would have got me that.

Looking back at my Garmin data, I see I hadn't run over 6 miles since 3rd June, and before that not since September last year when I got injured! So taking that into account, I'm fine with the time. I've got something to improve on now.

Plus it was great fun to do a race again. Even better though was the kids' race at the start. Robbie and Emma did the 500 metre race and it was brilliant! Their first race and they really enjoyed it. I was amazed as the race started and within about 10 seconds, Robbie had run off - he's not at all competitive, and more likely to wait for Emma than think to run fast, but today he really surprised me. It was great to see him go for it - Pete said most of the kids in front of him were aged about 8 or older, and he's only 6, so I think he did ok.

As for Emma, I ran along side her, and she just kept going. We were almost at the back as she was one of the youngest, but she ran the whole thing and never gave up or complained. As we came towards the finish, she started waving to the crowd - it was hilarious, and as there was no-one else around us, they were all clapping and cheering her on!

I wish there were more childrens' events like this with adult races - it was such a nice atmosphere and a great thing for them to take part in.

Me versus 10K

2011-09-21T20:32:00.008+01:00

On Sunday evening I was half-watching a crappy film on tv, when I decided to browse the internet for what local races were coming up. I thought I could see whether there might be a 5k or 10k in about November or something that I might try... anyway, I ended up registering for a 10k next Sunday! I didn't really mean to, but it's only about 12 miles away, and it's along the seafront, so hopefully fairly flat. I've only done two races so far in 2011, so I just couldn't help myself.

As I went for a preparatory 5 mile run on Monday, I started thinking about my history of 10ks. I've done 3 before now, and none of them has gone particularly well.

The first 10k I did was my second ever race. I had done a 5k in June 2008, and couldn't really believe that I could keep running for over 6 miles in one go. But I signed up for the Great Edinburgh Run in May 2009. It's quite a big race, and was televised. I started off too fast, and probably overdid it on some of the downhills (it's very hilly). Just before 6k, I got a stitch, and had to stop and walk for a while. But I made it to the finish line in 62 minutes, which I was happy with.

Medal

Then 6 months later I did my next 10k. By then I had joined a running group, and was running a lot more regularly and with a focus. The 'Run with the wind' event had competitors meet at a school, then we were all ferried up a hill in some coaches, and the race was run down the hill back to the school. Although the course had some uphills too, it was down overall, and the first 2 kilometres were basically a case of falling down a small mountain. It was pouring with rain, so I wanted to get it over with quickly, and I ran with a friend who was faster than me. By 5k, I had to stop and walk - I had a stitch again, and I was exhausted. I started running at a more appropriate pace soon, and still managed to bag a huge PB of just under 55mins - still my best time at this distance.

Paperweight

The following year I concentrated on the marathon, and then eventually got injured and out of action. My 'comeback' race after all the heel pain was the trail race I did last June. It was supposed to be a 10k, but turned out to be a 9.3k. It went ok, but I was a bit disappointed that it was short, and I found the trail a lot tougher than road. Again I had to walk up a particularly steep hill. Having said all that, I really enjoyed it.

Dish

My main problem with 10ks seems to be that I start off too fast and get a stitch halfway through. I'm not expecting a PB on Sunday, as I've barely run over 3 miles since that trail race, but my 5k pace has been fairly good recently. I'm hoping to enjoy a new race in a new town, and not have to walk in the middle of it, and aim to be somewhere around 56 mins. I can't wait to find out what kind of souvenir there'll be...

Exploring

2011-09-18T22:31:00.005+01:00

So as many of you noticed in my last post, I have bought a bike! I bid for it on ebay, and won it for a bargain price of £32. I had to drive just over 50 miles round trip to pick it up, but I still think it was a good deal.

So on Tuesday I went for a little ride to check it out, and to also explore the local cycle paths. As sson as I started cycling, I realised that the saddle was too low, so I didn't go too far as my legs felt quite uncomfortable. Pete helped me raise the saddle later, and on Friday I managed a longer ride.

This time it felt great. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and I just followed the cycle path signs. It was great. Everything was so clearly signed. In Scotland, our local cycle path was very badly signed, so if you didn't know where you were going, you would just suddenly come to a dead end. Here though, it is difficult to get lost. I had no idea where I was going, but every turn and junction was marked so I didn't have a problem. I can't wait to explore more of the fantastic network of paths round here.

On the way home, I had a craving for chocolate milk, and I knew there was none at home. So I took a small diversion to the local supermarket, bought a bottle, and wedged it in my brilliant bottle holder that came on the bike. What a great feature!

As for running, it was a really good week! On Wednesday morning I ran my fastest 5k for a while - 26m37s. This was an average pace of 8m35s per mile - a huge improvement on my recent times around 9 min miles. I must admit though, it's a lot flatter than my usual route in Scotland!

Then on Thursday evening, Pete managed to get home from work on time for once, and I went to try a local running club. It was great - we did a hill session, which I always enjoy, and it was very friendly. As usual, I found that running with others made me push myself more than on my own, and I really attacked the hills. I definitely want to go regularly, but as Pete is working long hours at the moment, I probably won't be able to go for a few weeks. Hopefully his new job will settle down soon...

On Saturday I had a plan - I wanted to run at a slower pace and do about 5 miles. We were going away on Saturday night and I knew it would be hard to fit a run in on Sunday. So I set off at about 9am, and tried to keep my pace around 9min miles. It started off sunny, but I soon got soaked in two heavy showers. Anyway, I did what I wanted - 5.1 miles at 9m08s average pace. I was really happy with that.

I'm looking forward to exploring more in the next few days on the bike and on foot, and adding to my distances as well.

Ta-daaaa!

2011-09-14T14:36:00.002+01:00

Hooray for E-bay!

Settling in

2011-09-12T11:14:00.003+01:00

So I've finally been getting some running done! When I looked back at my running diary and the calendar on the Garmin, I couldn't believe how long it had been since I'd been running regularly. Basically, ages. I ran 4 times in the first week of July, and then had a bad cough and cold. I didn't run again until 31st July, when I barely managed to complete 1 mile! After that my running was very sporadic, and whenever I did get out I struggled with both distance and speed.

But since we moved, I've been running a bit more, and my speed has definitely been improving.

Last week we got stuck into a new routine as Robbie started school and Emma nursery. I managed to run 4 times, about 3 miles each time, but also including a great 4 mile run on Friday. It was really hot and humid, but I felt good, and averaged 8.53min/miles, which is definitely an improvement on previous weeks. As you can see, I was very red and sweaty after that run.

This week I am hoping to try a local running club, which is as much to meet people as anything. I've also just bought a bike! Since mine was stolen before we moved, I've really been missing it, especially as there are a lot of cycle routes around here that I can't wait to try. I haven't picked it up yet though, so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully summer will hold on for a few more weeks, despite high winds today. I'll need some fine weather to get out on the bike!

New house, new start!

2011-09-05T11:55:00.003+01:00

Phew, that was a long break from blogging! I'm typing this from our new living room in the South of England! We arrived 2 weeks ago today, and there is still plenty of unpacking and sorting out to do... boooring. It seems incredible to me that we've moved from a 2-bedroom flat to a 3-bedroom, 3-storey house, and yet we have too much stuff to fit in. We blame it on the kids of course.

So far so good. The weather has been pretty sunny and warm here compared to in Scotland, and I'm enjoying exploring the local area. Our little town is quite quiet, but there are a few good shops in the High Street. There is a good leisure centre about 3 miles away, and I've already signed Robbie up for swimming lessons there. There is lots of nice countryside around us, and we are near the coast, and some good beaches.

There are a couple of little flies in the ointment though. We haven't managed to sell our flat in Scotland yet. The property market is in a poor state, and there is no market for small, first time properties such as ours. We can't afford to keep paying the mortgage for much longer, so might have to consider renting it out soon.

The other problem is that Robbie has not been able to get a place at a local school. The South of England is densely populated - there's so much more traffic here than in Scotland! - and the 2 local schools are full. This means he is in a school 3 miles away, so he's not going to make any local friends there, and it's not a particularly good school academically. I've got him on the waiting lists for the 2 local schools, which have better reputations, but this morning we had to drive him to his first day in the car. The local schools would be walking distance, so I really hope he gets a place nearer here eventually.

Meanwhile I am not making a lot of progress with my fitness. Before we moved my running had got to a low standard - I was running short distances slowly. After more time off, I'm not much better. However, last week I started running here. I went for 2 runs without my Garmin, so I could just explore the area and run without worrying about my speed. That was a nice change!

Last weekend, I took my Garmin as we now had an internet connection set up, and ran about 3 miles at a 9.01m/m pace. Not great. But as today is the first day of school, and Emma starts nursery tomorrow, it is time to start new routines! I'll be trying to increase my running a little, and work on speeding up and getting back to full fitness. I'll also be finding my way around the many footpaths here, and working out some new routes. I'll be sure to take some pictures of those for the blog!

Too busy to blog

2011-08-11T20:07:00.004+01:00

I can hardly believe it but it's just over a week until we pack up and leave Scotland for the South coast of England. Am I excited about moving? Yes. Am I sad about leaving? Definitely. Are we ready to move? Not remotely.

The kids are still on holiday, so I'm looking after them full-time, while trying to fit in organizing things for the move and lots of seeing people to say goodbye. Robbie and Emma, as well as Pete and I, have been having last ever playdates with friends. The reality of packing up all our wordly goods and departing Scotland is starting to hit home (pardon the pun). I love this area, so I'll be really sorry to leave, and we've lived here for 7 years, which is the longest Pete and I have lived together anywhere. We had our children here and got married here, so we'll always feel a huge attachment to Scotland.

But in the long run, I know that moving is the right thing for us to do. We have been hoping to move nearer our families since we had children, and we'll be able to see a lot more of them from now on. The area we are moving to looks really nice, and I can't wait to get down there and get to know the place.

As for running, well I've not been doing too much recently. I ran a couple of times last week, and once so far this week, but I felt really out of it. I covered less than 3 miles each time and still averaged slower than 9 min miles. Since I had a cough I haven't managed to get my fitness back at all. I've also been doing a lot of cycling at the gym (damn those bike thieves), and some weights, which I've been enjoying.

Completely knackered after a short run.

So as there's not much running to report and I'm super-busy for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to put the blog on hold. Next time I post, I'll hopefully be in our new house 500 miles away! Watch this space!

Back!

2011-08-02T20:05:00.009+01:00

Remember me?!

That was a slightly longer break from blogging than I had intended, but that's because it's been a much longer break from running than I had intended. My last run was on 13th July, and that was followed by a little spate of feeling most unwell. After a few days of crappiness, we headed down South to stay with Pete's parents while he went to work at his new college in Brighton, and I went house-hunting.

While we were there, I developed a cough, had a few cold symptoms, and ended up not doing any running. Then we came back, and I still had a bad cough, and was busy with a few days' work, so I still didn't do any running.

Finally on Sunday, I laced up my trainers expectantly and started out for a run. It was a cool, cloudy morning, and I was really looking forward to being outdoors in the fresh air. However... I got to about 0.4 miles and felt terrible! I kept coughing, I had a stitch, and my legs felt like lead. I stopped and stood there for a moment, just wondering what was the best thing to do. In the end I ran a little further, then gave up, turned around and came home.

I felt really pissed off, as I had really wanted to enjoy a good run. You know that fantastic feeling you get when you have just had a great workout? I wanted that, and a 1 mile jog wasn't going to give me that buzz. A little while later, the kids went out on some grass in front of our house to play on their bikes, so I went out again and jogged round and round them for 10 minutes. This got my total up to 2 miles (in about 20 mins...).

There is a temptation to try to find one good reason (or excuse) when a run goes so badly wrong, but I think there were a few here. The cough kept stopping me, and I was too out of breath, but I also felt really tired, probably due to a few late nights. The stitch came from drinking too much water, and I may have lost some fitness in 3 weeks off. I'll try again later in the week, as the cough is getting better, but I really need to shake it off completely.

Anyway. What are the positives from the last few weeks? Well we've got somewhere to live down South! I found a house in a small town about 20 miles from Brighton and Pete's new job. We will be renting for the moment (as we haven't sold our flat here yet...). I'm quite excited as it looks like a good area to live in.

We've had some sunny summer weather! Ok, so it peed with rain all day today, but down South and back in Scotland we had a few good days when we actually needed to apply sun cream. Last week we spent a day by the sea, and all Robbie wanted to do was clamber over rocks. This made me chuckle as it was one of my favourite holiday activities when I was a kid too.

Another day last week, we went for a picnic in Edinburgh. When we left home, it was cloudy and cool, so I didn't bother with hats or sun cream. When we got into the city though, it was roasting hot (that's about 24 C in Scotland), and we had to find a shady tree to sit and eat under. We were in the park next to Arthur's Seat, an ex-volcano that is no longer in the erupting trade, but has gone into business as a good hill to climb for a view over Edinburgh.

I thought we might wander a little way up the neighbouring hill (smaller), but Robbie insisted he wanted to climb to the top for a good view. 'Well we can start', I said, 'but you know in a minute you'll be moaning that you're tired and you've had enough'. To my amazement though, we walked all the way up with no complaining whatsoever. Emma did brilliantly for a 3-year-old, despite it being hot and sunny, and me having brought no water. Oops. They really enjoyed it though.

Then last weekend, we took the stabilisers off Robbie's bike. He has seen smaller children cycling around on 2 wheels, so he wanted to have a go. Pete took him out on the grass at first, then we all went for a wander down the cycle path behind our house. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and was soon racing up and down. He's still having a bit of trouble getting started - especially if he's going uphill - but he's getting there.

So we've only got about 3 weeks left until we move! I can't believe it. I'm hoping I'll be able to run a few of my old favourite routes before we're off...

A wee break

2011-07-15T15:39:00.002+01:00

It hasn't been a great week. Since we got back from Mum and Dad's on Monday night, I've been feeling under the weather. I think it's mostly tiredness - I probably should have had a few more early nights when I was there instead of staying up reading every night and having long chats with my family etc. No, actually I think it was worth it!

Anyway, I managed a run on Tuesday morning, as well as a tough Pilates class on Monday evening, and then one session from 30-day shred. The combination of the last two left me aching all over and struggling to get out of bed on Thursday. Since then I've had headaches, a fever, and not been able to sleep much.

This weekend we are driving down to the other end of the UK where Pete will be working while I look at potential places to live. So I'm going to sign off for a week. I've packed my running things and Garmin (of course), so I haven't given up all hope, but I'm going to struggle to fit any running in. It's ok though, I'm telling myself that we're in the middle of a big life change, and if I'm ever going to have to take an enforced break from running, it might as well be while I don't feel a hundred percent, and while I'm trying to do a little job like organise the future of our family...

I'll try to keep up with everyone else's blogs as best I can, but don't expect to hear from me for a few days!

A week away

2011-07-12T18:14:00.008+01:00

We are back in Scotland after a great week visiting my parents in England. As far as I can tell, I managed not to put on a load of weight, despite treats and puddings such as chocolate fudge cake, strawberry flan and cream, caramel shortbread, apple crumble mmm....drool...

I went for 4 runs, but only ran a total distance of 12.1 miles. They were all short; a fast, flat 5K on Tuesday, 2.5 miles which included my fastest ever mile (see previous post) on Thursday, 3 tired slow miles on Friday, and my 'long run' of 3.5 miles on Sunday. Although they were all short runs, I felt that they were really good quality, and I ran fast and strong, (apart from Friday when I just felt completely knackered). I had a few late nights, as I kept staying up chatting, watching tv or reading. That was really nice.

Away from running, the kids spent a lot of time at the local play park;

did some cushion sewing in a craft event at the toy shop;

spent time with their baby cousin;

and met some famous characters at a summer fair.

Most of all though, they loved playing with Granny and Grandad, especially in the garden in sunny weather.

Life is very busy at the moment, so I'm not sure how much running I'll be fitting in this week - I think it's time to get back with old friend/foe Jillian and her DVD.

A Quickie

2011-07-07T19:07:00.002+01:00

I'm away from home this week, staying at Mum and Dad's in England. I flew down with the kids on Tuesday, leaving Pete the small tasks of going to work and selling our house, and we're staying until next Monday. The kids have been having a great time being spoiled by Granny and Grandad, and I've been taking the opportunity to read and relax a bit more than I do when I'm looking after them by myself.

Running round here is great - it's so flat! Well, in comparison to home anyway. On Tuesday evening I tried a relaxed, steady pace run, and found myself speeding along without really working hard. Then this morning, I decided to do another 1 mile time trial (see my Magic Mile post). I had found that in the local park, by the kids' play area, there is a concrete path which is marked at 100m(etres not miles), and 400m, and it is just a bit longer than a standard running track.

This morning we had a good laugh as Dad took the kids to play on the swings, and I jogged around them for about 1 mile, then ran a mile as fast as I could round the path. I passed them 3 times, and each time they started shouting 'Come on Mum! Come on Runner Mum!' and other encouragements. They clapped and whooped, and high-fived me as I passed. There were a few pedestrians who looked surprised and amused - they must have been expecting Paula Radcliffe to come whizzing past them, but it was only red-faced, panting me.

Anyway, what a difference a flat surface makes. 10 days ago my fastest mile was 7m49s on a hilly road. I had hoped to be able to run 7m30s ish with a bit of training and on a flatter route. But this morning, I did it in 7m26s! A whole 23 seconds faster! In a way I wish I lived in a less hilly town, although I suppose it's good training.

So what should my new target be? I'll need to find a flat route in Scotland if I'm going to match or beat this morning's time. Maybe I could aim for 7m20s - I didn't feel that I was as tired at the end as I was on the last one.

Meanwhile I'm eating a lot of big meals and puddings here, so I need to keep fitting runs in to make sure I don't go back up to Scotland half a stone heavier.

June stats

2011-07-03T18:02:00.003+01:00

Looking back at the information my dear old Garmin has been collecting this month, I see that I have been doing a lot more running recently. June was comprised of 4 weeks in which there were no school or playgroup holidays, and that's the most important factor in how much I get to do. So it's been a good month - especially for running. Statistically speaking:

13 runs = 49.6 miles
6 bike rides = 50.7 miles
4 Pilates Classes
2 Gym visits

This is 11 miles more running than I managed in May, and I've been increasing running mileage each month (not too difficult as January and February both totalled 0 miles). Obviously as I have been running more, I've had less time to go to the gym or go out on my bike, and sadly, the theft of my bike has meant no cycling at all for the time being. Bastards.

Anyhoo, I'm pleased with the running! I really think I am back to the same fitness I had last August before the Plantar Fasciitis came along and spoilt it all. I'm taking it easy though, and there have been twinges of familiar and unwelcome heel pain over the last week or so, so I'm keeping the runs short. Quality over quantity is my training theme for now.

This week has also been rather good. Sans bike, and with no time to go to the gym, I've run 4 times, doing quite varied sessions - my 1-mile test, a couple of 'tempo runs' (not really sure what they are, but I think I did them), and a hill run today. That's equalled 16.6 miles this week - a clear record for 2011.

This morning's run was awesome. It's been a beautiful sunny day, and I ran into the nearby country estate at about 8.45am. The sound of sheep and the smell of their poo were constant reminders I was in the countryside, and the views were also lovely. The first mile was up and down, the next 2 miles were mostly downhill, and the next 2 were uphill. I did 5 miles in 45 mins, which was great considering how horrible that uphill is. I really enjoyed making the most of the beautiful environment around me as I know we'll be moving soon. The weather was a bit of a boon too, if not wholly typical for Scotland.

Hot & sweaty in a good way

After I'd showered (they insisted), we all went out for French toast, bacon and maple syrup, followed by a walk on the beach as the kids collected shells and pebbles. What a fabulous day!

Magic Mile

2011-06-30T20:00:00.006+01:00

When I was training for my marathon over a year ago, I started listening to what was then a new podcast: Marathon Talk. It's light-hearted and funny, and touches on issues that apply to beginner marathoners as well as experienced runners. There's running news, training tips, listener results and experiences, and a guest interview most episodes. Although I have no current plans to run another marathon (not unless I get 2 feet transplants), I still enjoy listening to it, as the majority of topics and discussions are about running in general, rather than marathon running specifically.

Since the first episode, the presenters have asked every interviewee one question: If you could have 6 months of specific, injury-free training, how fast would you be able to run a mile? Guests have included Mo Farah and Ryan Hall (elites), as well as various coaches, physios and average runners, and they have compiled a leaderboard according to their claimed times. It's purely hypothetical, with guests making an honest best estimate rather than having to actually prove it.

Lovely Mo Farah - can run a mile somewhat faster than me

In the last episode I listened to, Marathon Talk announced a summer challenge: for listeners to spend 6 weeks training, and in the first 2 weeks of August to run a mile as fast as we can. You can then log your time on the website, and they will convert it into an age-graded percentage; there is a competition between UK listeners and Rest of the World.

I've decided to take up this challenge! I'd already more or less decided to limit my running this year to 10k distance and less, as I really don't want to risk further injury. So the idea of a completely new challenge related to such a short distance seems perfect.

So on Monday, I jogged 1.3 miles to the end of a long road with a wide pavement, stopped my Garmin, started it again, and ran a mile as fast as I could. It was not exactly a sprint - a mile is still a bloody long way, and I had no clue how to pace myself. The road is not great either, as it's quite hilly, but at least I don't have to cross over, turn around or change direction.

The start of my mile - it does go downhill on the other side

Anyway, I ran the mile in 7m49s. This must be my fastest ever, as I did the same route and same run once before - last July when I was probably at my running peak. That time it was well over 8mins, so I'm very happy with that. I may be at my peak right now! Scary thought. On a less hilly road and with a bit of practice, I'd like to think I could run 7m30s. By the way, how do so many bloggers I read maintain this mile pace over half and full marathons? I have a long way to go.

On the podcast they are discussing a few speed sessions to help improve, so I'm going to have a go at that, and although I'm very busy and away a lot over the next month, I hope I can fit in some good running here and there. Bring on the magic mile challenge!

Weekly round up

2011-06-27T18:38:00.006+01:00

Well I just typed this all out once and accidentally deleted it, so I'm going to be brief now!

Ran - 12.1 miles
Cycled - 12 miles

I had a couple of good runs and a really enjoyable bike ride, despite being quite busy with getting the house on the market.

Views from bike over the airport to the mountains

On Friday my parents arrived, and on Saturday, Pete and I went to our neighbours' wedding. They got married North of here, so we stayed the night in a B&B, while Mum and Dad looked after the kids at home. The wedding was perfect for us coming to the end of our time in Scotland, as it was very traditional. It was held in a castle, most of the men wore kilts and traditional dress, there was a ceilidh band with a caller (who tells you the dance steps), and Pete and I joined in with a few Scottish dances. It was fantastic.

The only downside was we stayed about 1.5 miles from the castle, and there was only 1 taxi in the village! So we walked there and back. That would have been fine, but I was wearing shoes with a heel, which I am so not used to. What with the walk and the dancing, my feet are still in shock now.

The worst thing that happened last week was that my bike got stolen. It was such a shock, as we live in a very safe, quiet village, and we've never had any problems before. It was in the shed in the garden, but the lock has been broken for about 4 years, so it wasn't secure. It's so frustrating as it isn't worth much money to anyone, but it was important to me, as I used it so often.

I've reported it to the police, and I'm hoping it might turn up, but it's unlikely. So no more bike rides for a while, and I suppose I'll be doing more running to make up for that.

Dressed for a hike

Moving

2011-06-23T15:51:00.004+01:00

I've mentioned in the last couple of posts that we are in the process of trying to sell our flat and move. In fact it's quite a big move - we're going from just outside Edinburgh, to Brighton on the South coast of England. This is just under 400 miles, and over 8-hours' drive away.

We are moving from the top arrow to the bottom arrow!

I realise that for some of my international readers our country is pretty small, but for us it's a big relocation. Pete and I have moved several times, and lived in Spain and Japan as well as England and Scotland, but this is the first time we've had to factor in schools and nursery. This is my priority now when looking for an area to move to, and it means that we need a new address by the time the English school term starts in September.

I absolutely love the village we live in now, and I'll be really sorry to take the kids out of the school here, which is fantastic. But since we had the children we've thought about moving down to England to be nearer all our parents, and Pete has managed to get a transfer from his current job, so we're quite lucky. In Brighton, we'll be much closer to most of Pete's family, and able to visit my parents and my sister a lot more easily than now. So although it's going to be hard saying goodbye (we've been in this area for 6 years), it's probably the best for all of us in the long-term.

For the moment, this means lots of decluttering, tidying, and packing, as we try to get our flat ready for sale. It should go on the market next week, so we need to be ready for viewings. I'm still trying to fit in as much running and cycling as I can, but there's a lot going on at the moment, and only one more week of school until the end of term in Scotland.

Added to that, our neighbours are getting married on Saturday, so my parents are coming up to babysit while Pete and I go a bit further North for the night. The weather has been cool and very wet recently, but apparently there has been snow forecast for up in the mountains! I don't know what I'm going to wear then, but it will be a nice break from all the redecorating and packing I've been doing this week!

Last week round up

2011-06-20T13:24:00.004+01:00

Thanks to all who left lovely comments after last Sunday's post about the trail race. Pete had told me that when he saw me run past at about 2 miles in, he counted 20 runners behind me. When I checked the organisers' website for the results, I was 134th out of 154, so he was spot on!

Well I've had another busy week. I had to be a bit creative to fit my workouts in last week. On Monday I had time in the morning for my usual bike ride, and did about 8 miles in the wind. Then I had pilates class that evening. I'm really enjoying that, although I'm still new to it, and often find myself stuck in some position I can't get out of, or unable to move my limbs in the right way. I'm sure it's helping my running posture a bit at least.

Then I was working on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This was a one-off week of invigilating exams, but it meant that I missed my usual free Weds morning. I had planned to run on Tues before work, but I had a bit of foot pain after Sunday's race, so I decided it was better to give it a miss. Anyway, Pete was also away on business from Weds to Fri, so I couldn't run in the evenings or mornings. I managed my next run on Friday morning when Emma was at playgroup, then came a busy weekend!

After getting home late on Friday night after a delayed plane ride, Pete got up early on Saturday morning to take the kids to Manchester to see their cousins. They were all out of the house by 7.15am. Sounds good, right? A free weekend with the place to myself? Well, yes, but I had work to do. As we are planning to put our house on the market and move soon, I needed to paint the kids' bedroom. It had multi-coloured walls before, but I spent most of the weekend subduing it to a nice bland magnolia. I also packed up a load of toys while there was no-one here to complain.

I did manage to fit in a short run on Saturday afternoon, and a cycle on Sunday while the paint was drying, so the stats didn't end up too bad:

Cycled: 17.1 miles
Run: 6.1 miles
Pilates x 1 class

...but not great either.

We still have lots to do in the house, and over the next few weeks, I foresee that packing up our whole lives and moving could really get in the way of running, biking, pilates and the gym, but I'll be trying to fit in as much as I can to keep me sane.

More appealing to buyers than bright blue and lime green, apparently. Anyone looking for a small flat near Edinburgh?

Best laid plans

2011-06-17T20:38:00.003+01:00

Oops! I had a blog post planned for yesterday all about how I've been working more than usual for the last few days, and how I've had very little time to do much else. Then last night, after work, picking the kids up from the childminder, and a meeting with an estate agent, I found myself driving to the other side of Edinburgh to the Sick Kids Hospital. Robbie had got some bark chip in his eye at school, and although the teachers had managed to get it out, he was still complaining of a sore eye hours later.

Anyway, we saw a lovely doctor who put some dye in his eye (yellow, he loved it), and found a scratch on his eyeball. She gave us some antibiotic cream and said it should be fine in a few days. I'm not sure how serious it really was, as after she had put the dye in and looked at his eye, Robbie said he felt much better, and that the medicine had made everything 'fine'. He failed to realise that he hadn't had the cream in yet.

I'm sure the parents amongst you can imagine, or have experience of, the joy of trying to administer cream to the eyeball of a 5-year-old. So far we've managed to get plenty to stick to his eyelashes, but I'm not sure that's doing much good.

I did squeeze in my first run since Sunday this morning. It was great. I aimed for a steady pace, and ended up running my fastest 5k since August (excluding the parkrun race) with a time of around 26m40s. Not bad for a jog round the block! I'm hoping to do the majority of this week's miles in the next 2 days...

Dechmont Law Trail Race

2011-06-12T16:20:00.010+01:00

I had a great time this morning! This was a really enjoyable race, despite the very undulating course and some patches of mud, and I can't wait to try another trail race!

I was a bit concerned yesterday, as it rained constantly from about 11am until the evening, so I thought the course would be very muddy and slippy. In fact there were only a few muddy parts, and my trainers came away pretty unscathed. The weather this morning was fine, although quite cool, and I couldn't decide whether to leave my jacket on for the race. In the end I left it off, and of course I was warm enough after a mile or so.

Heading up to the start

I'm not sure how many runners started, but it looked like over a hundred, and we started on time with a bagpiper playing us up the hill. I positioned myself at the back, and didn't hear the starting whistle, but suddenly everyone was off.

Within about 2 minutes, I was at the back of the field, and the majority of runners were already a long way in front. This was mentally quite difficult - in popular road races I'm used to being in the middle of the field with plenty of people behind me, but this race I was ahead of only about 20 runners. There was a very strong temptation to go too fast and try to keep up, but I tried to reign it in and stick to my own pace. I found it quite tough, but after a mile or so, I was really only aware of a few men behind me and a woman just in front.

As we got to the top of this hill, you can see a lady in pink, who had overtaken me, and I am in black behind. Just behind me was a woman in a brown t-shirt, with whom I battled throughout. She walked on the steepest uphills (including the bottom of this one), but then caught me up on the downhills.

Anyway, I managed to look happy, even after this hill:

It was an extremely hilly run. There was no real flat, it was all up or down hill, and some of the hills went on for ages. I found that I could overtake or increase my lead over the brown shirted woman on the uphills, but she would catch me up on the long downhills, where I got a stitch. At two points, we had to cross a footbridge over the motorway, and the bridges were very steep. I stopped to walk as Ms Brown came up behind me, but then she stopped as well.

We kept changing position, but the woman in pink pulled away from me about 3km before the end, and I couldn't catch her. In fact the last few kilometres were quite tough. I had no idea what was coming next (it was generally hills), and the km markers seemed out of time with my Garmin. When I saw '1km to go', it gave me a burst of energy, but then we had to go up a long hill, and it seemed like a very long kilometre.

Finally we reached a peak, and I saw the finish line at the bottom. I charged down as fast as I could, leaving Ms Brown in my wake - ha! I crossed the line, and checked my Garmin. As I had seen during the race, this was not 10k. I had only run 5.8 miles - 9.3km. My time was 54mins34s!

Considering the course, I was quite pleased with an average pace of 9m23s per mile, and I'm not too bothered about the course being short, as I wasn't taking it particularly seriously as a 10k. After the finish line, there was a table of goody bags, and then some drinks, and the all important clootie dumpling! This is basically a spicy fruit cake - it was a great post-race snack, and you can read more about it here if you wish!

Also in the goody bag was a token, saying that I had won a spot prize! I was quite excited about this, especially as I knew I wasn't going to win any prizes fro running! We went to the prize table where you could choose from a selection, and there were a lot of people there - Pete pointed out that it seemed that everyone had received a token! Anyway, I was quite pleased to pick out a fuel belt:

We also were given a 'race memento', which turned out to be a small dish, engraved with '10th Anniversary DECHMONT LAW 10K 12 June 2011'.

Not the most exciting race bling perhaps, but a nice souvenir.

So it was good fun, I really enjoyed racing, but I felt utterly shattered afterwards. I would definitely recommend this race, and with its friendly atmosphere and organisation (apart from the measuring), I would do it again.

Huge thanks to Pete and the kids, who clapped and cheered me on, and Pete did a great job as race photographer too. I definitely must do more trail races!

Race plans

2011-06-09T20:47:00.003+01:00

I've only gone and entered a race! It's a local 10k, and it's actually a trail race, rather than road. This will be my first trail race, so I've got no idea what difference that will make to my ability or my time.

Anyway, while I'm still being careful about the amount of running I'm subjecting my complaining feet to, I've decided to just stick to 5ks and 10ks for the rest of this year (probably). Anything further might risk injury, and I don't want to go there again.

Sunday's race is going to be small. It's organised by a local club, and there is a very real chance that I could finish last. At the moment, according to the website there are only 66 runners signed up, although they will accept entries on the day. So as I've never run a trail race before, and I've only managed 1 run of this distance since coming back to running in February, my 'A' goal is simply not to be last! I suppose I'd also like to run around 56 minutes or so, but I don't know how hilly the course is, or much about the terrain, so I'll just have to wait and see.

I'm really looking forward to a friendly, small, local race, especially since I received a confirmation email from the organisers. I was delighted by the first paragraph:

Hi Liz - just a quick note to thank you for entering our wee race. Please collect your race number on the day from the folks manning the 'Pre-Entries' table in the games hall inside Deans Community High School. Changing and showers are in the school and there's a cafe and swimming pool if you fancy. Mind and leave room for the clootie dumpling at the finish...

How sweet is that? A clootie dumpling is some sort of Scottish cake, by the way. I can't wait. I would so much rather do this sort of race than a great big city event with thousands of runners. The only drawback is that there might not be any slower fun-runners for me to beat. I'll be posting about how it goes on Sunday, so check back here if you want to know what the clootie dumpling was like...

Weekly / Monthly round up

2011-06-06T18:02:00.003+01:00

Finding the time to squeeze this post in has been proving difficult over the last couple of days. We are hoping to move house in the near future, which has meant that hundreds of little jobs have suddenly arisen all round the house. I've been so busy this afternoon, that I can either settle for a brief blog post, or it'll be no dinner before Pilates, and as you can probably guess, dinner always wins.

I know that May is a long month, but even taking that into consideration, I have ramped up some good hours of exercise, making this my best month this year. Stats:

11 runs = 38.4 miles
9 bike rides = 74.4 miles
3 Pilates Classes
3 Gym visits

I'm really pleased with these totals, as we had almost a week of school holiday in there too.

As for last week, I only managed 1 bike ride, but ran 3 times, as well as a short run on the treadmill in the gym. And finally, I ran over 6 miles at last! This was my third attempt to complete a 6 mile run, one having been thwarted by a sudden downpour, and the other by steep hills, strong wind and weak legs. I ran on friday morning, which was the hottest day we've had in a long while (over 22 degrees C!!), and beautifully sunny. I can't pretend I felt fantastic, as I remember struggling at times, but I finished feeling great, and so happy to see that number 6 on my Garmin!

It ended up as 6.2 miles in 56m33s, with an average pace of 9m02/miles. What a relief to know that I can still run that distance after all!

Hot and very sweaty after the run

Confusion

2011-06-01T20:39:00.004+01:00

I am confused.

After 6 months of tedious injury that stopped me running, I want to do whatever I can to prevent the same thing happening again. But what exactly should I do? When I started getting heel pain, I went straight to my tried and very trusted physio, but for a long time we didn't seem to make any progress. She spent a lot of time working on my lower back, which she pinpointed as the cause of most injuries, and we tried local massaging, taping, and eventually orthotics.

I didn't notice any obvious improvement, until February this year, when I managed a few runs without any heel pain. Great news, but I am none the wiser about what helped the recovery.

Since then, I've been continuing with a few stretches that Ms Physio gave me, along with loads of others I've got from the net (mainly from other bloggers). I've also continued to not cross my legs when I sit down, to wear shoes all day and hardly ever go barefoot, and to wear the orthotics at all times. But I don't know if any of this is actually helping.

Recently I've had a lot of discomfort and pain in my feet - in the tops, not the heels - of which I really don't know the cause, and after the last few runs, there has been some slight reoccurance of the dreaded heel pain. I really can't stand the thought of not being able to run again, and Pete has said he would find it hard to put up with too - apparently my usual sunny demeanor was replaced with some grumpiness, although I find this very hard to believe.

I've been reading on various blogs about barefoot running and minimalist shoes, and while a large part of me (my brain?) thinks that this is just the current fad and in a few years it'll go out of fashion, I have found some of the things I've read quite convincing. For example, I can see that strengthening the foot could help prevent injury, and that this is not going to happen by constantly protecting it in highly cushioned shoes. I also feel that heavy heel striking might not be the ideal running style for my injury-prone heels.

So I'm beginning to wonder whether my orthotics are doing more harm than good. Could they be causing the discomfort in the top of my foot? And what sort of shoe should I be wearing?

With all these dilemmas in mind, I paid a visit to the running shop this week. I didn't know if I wanted a more cushioned shoe, or something more minimalist. I've found that my last pair of shoes (Saucony), have been pinching my toes, and I don't find them very comfortable.

Anyway, I spoke to the guy in the shop about all my issues (poor man), and he videoed me running on the treadmill and showed me my many running faults. I ended up with a softer, more maleable shoe, which he thought would help correct my wonky gait.

This is the first time I've ever bought new running shoes and not thought that they were a thing of beauty. Behold, the monstrosity:

Actually they don't look too bad there, but look away from the next picture if you are of a sensitive disposition:

AAARGH! So I tried them out on the treadmill this morning and they felt very comfortable, but afterwards I had a few pains in the side of my right foot. That didn't last long though, so I think I'll probably keep them. I'm still confused, so I guess I'll just play it by ear for now.

(Apologies to anyone who has these Nikes and loves the look of them).

A week of excuses

2011-05-29T19:38:00.004+01:00

This week I have not had a busy week workout-wise. But that's ok becuase I am prepared with my excuses for this, or as I prefer to call them, 'mitigating circumstances'.

Excuse number 1: No school

Monday was a local holiday, and so as usual, the schools took the opportunity to close for a full 3 days. Even worse, Emma's playgroup gave themselves the whole week off. Nice for them, but I do all my cycling and some running during the mornings when Emma's at playgroup and Robbie's at school, so this really threw a spanner in the workouts. Consequently, I've hardly done any cycling this week, nor been to the gym, nor pilates.

Excuse number 2: A cold

All week I've been battling a mild cold, with sore throat, congested head, and a bit of a cough. On Sunday night, I had a real fever, and was shivering in bed for a while, but felt a lot better the next day. When I managed to fit in a quick run on Tuesday evening, I was wondering why my legs felt tired and sluggish and my pace was slow. It was only when I ran the last few metres to my front door, and my legs started to feel really achey, that I remembered that I had a cold, and should probably have taken it a bit more easily. Doh!

Excuse number 3: Spontaneity (lack of organisation)

On Thursday I found myself coming home unexpectedly early from work. I had an hour or so before having to pick the kids up from the childminder, and I suddenly realised I could fit in a run. The problem was that I had eaten too much and drunk coffee too close to running, but I actually ran 5k in just over 27 minutes, so I was quite happy, and I don't really need an excuse for this one.

Excuse number 4: My constant companion

Due to the aforementioned selfishness of playgroup organisers, even when Robbie was back at school at the end of the week, Emma was still around. So I decided to attempt a cycle with her on the back of my bike. I usually take her to playgroup like this, but it's a 1.5 mile journey which is downhill all the way, and I pick her up afterwards in the car. This time I tried to keep to flat roads as much as possible, but there was still a fair amount of hills, and it was hard work with her weight on the back. I only managed 4.6 miles, but it took me nearly 34 minutes, and I'd had enough by then! Great quads workout though. My too-heavy passenger

Excuse number 5: Wind

Yes, my old foe, the Scottish weather has been very active this week. After the scary gales on Monday, it's continued to be very windy. This morning I headed off to try a 6-mile run, as I've only run up to 5.3 miles since my comeback. It didn't start well when the route I'd planned to take was blocked (by men clearing and chipping broken branches off the road from the recent gales). So I had to change my route, which left me in a bad mood and I kept changing my mind about where to go. The first 2 miles were great, as it was mostly downhill, and mile 2 took me a thrilling 8m26s! Unfortunately as we all know, what runs down must run up, and as I came back uphill, it was straight into a strong head wind. Mile 5 took a horrendous 10m21s - bleurgh. By this time I also had a bad stitch, and eventually I stopped at 5.5 miles. As I got home, I thought this was one of the worst runs I can ever had! However, after such a long period of injury, I'm remembering to keep counting my blessings that I'm running at all.

So the stats for this week are pretty sad to look at.

Cycled: 4.6 miles
Run: 11.9 miles

...and that's it. Thankfully next week should be back to normal - but you never know!

Back online!

2011-05-25T20:11:00.004+01:00

Thank Goodness. While Pete could still play his video games on the computer over the weekend, for those of us who spend far too much time on the Internet it is impossible to be offline for 2 1/2 days and remain sane. No email, no Facebook, and worst of all no blogging = nightmare. All better now though - phew.

Last week I didn't manage a huge amount, what with my foot still bothering me and not being able to run much. I only fitted in 2 bike rides too, and then went to the gym on Friday. This was my 3rd week in a row of having a great gym session on a Friday morning. It only came about because I've started giving a lift to a girl in Emma's playgroup on Fridays, which means I have to go in the car, rather than the bike. So instead of going for a bike ride, I started going to the gym instead, and I've been really enjoying it. I usually have time for 60 mins of cardio, before a few reps on the upper body weight machines.

Last Friday, I did 20 mins on the bike; 20 mins on the cross trainer, then decided to try 20 mins on the treadmill. My foot felt fine, and I plugged in my ipod, turned the music up loud, and had a great time pumping up the endorphins while trying not to sing out loud in public. In fact I wasn't running that fast, but I felt like Usain Bolt, so I didn't care. I was pleased to be running again.

Encouraged, I went for a 5K run on Sunday morning. It was my usual hilly route, but somehow I managed it in 26m58s - which averages out at 8m39s per mile - score! (Having said that, I ran on a flatter route yesterday and was far slower - swings and roundabouts...).

This week I've been busier. School has been closed for 3 days for a local holiday, and playgroup is closed ALL WEEK. Yes, that was indignant shouting. So it's been hard to fit much exercise in. Added to that, we had gales on Monday which were actually quite frightening as trees were blown down and the roads got strewn with branches and whole trees. Almost every train route in Scotland was closed, so Pete had a long bus journey back from work, and the local road bridge was closed, leading to long traffic jams in our town, which I got caught up in.

Just round the corner from our house

We've also had plumbers round to fit a shower in our bathroom. They turned up last night to finish the job, and as they were drilling through the kitchen and generally getting in the way (we live in a tiny flat), we ended up getting a Chinese takeaway, despite having a fridge full of healthy food. It is great to have a shower in our home at last though. It'll be so much quicker than a bath, especially in the mornings after a run and before going to school.

So last week looked like this:
Cycled: 16 miles
Ran: 5.1 miles (including treadmill)
Gym x 1
Pilates x 1 class

Techno-fail

2011-05-24T13:23:00.001+01:00

We have no Internet. I am writing this at work, because it is clearly an emergency. So in case anyone wondered why I haven't blogged or why I've stopped reading and commenting on other blogs, this is the reason. Some sort of techno problem at home, which is hopefully in the process of being resolved now.

Normal service should resume soon...

When Nature Attacks!

2011-05-18T20:19:00.004+01:00

My parents were visiting over the weekend, so I didn't quite stick to my usual routines. I did manage to fit in a nice bike ride on Monday morning though. I cycled to playgroup with Emma on the back, and after I dropped her off, I headed into the local country estate for a rural, woody bike ride. It's a scenic route, but there were millions of buzzing insects all over the place.

Again, I felt quite fit and kept up a good speed. I had about 30 minutes to cycle before meeting Mum and Dad back in town, so after about 3 miles in one direction, I turned round to come back.

On the way back I was just wondering whether I was going to make it on time, when suddenly, a huge black animal flew into my face! Well, maybe I exaggerate slightly, but a black fly definitely went in my eye, and it felt pretty big. I didn't have time to stop, but I rubbed my eye for a bit and it felt sore. Annoyingly, I was wearing contact lenses when I usually cycle in my glasses, so it was access all areas for the opportunistic fly.

When I met my parents, Mum had a good look in my eye but there was nothing there. Anyway, we browsed a few shops and I had a lovely cup of coffee with them before I cycled (and they drove) home.

All day my eye felt sore on and off, and by the time I went to my Pilates class at 8pm, my vision was quite blurry in the left eye. As soon as I got back home I went in the bathroom to take my lenses out, and as I looked in the mirror, there was a big black squidge in the corner of my eye. The fly had been lurking round the back of my eyeball and then come out the other side - an intrepid journey which had taken 11 hours! Yuck!

See - it's massive!

(I wasn't totally unprepared for this, as the same thing happened once before with a contact lens, and luckily I'm not too squeamish about eyes. If something had flown into my ear I'd have died on the spot).

My eye felt a lot better after the unwanted body had been expelled and full vision was restored. I think I'll be wearing my glasses if not proper goggles every time I go out on the bike from now on!

Weekly stats - not as I'd planned

2011-05-15T12:16:00.002+01:00

Last Sunday I was pleased to see that I had run my furthest weekly mileage since coming back to running, with 15.2 miles. This week I have totalled one paltry run of 3.1 miles. Hmph. I mentioned a pain in my foot in my last post, and unfortunately it is still giving me trouble and stopping me from running. The good news is that I don't think it's got anything to do with the PF injury, but I really have no idea what caused it. It almost feels as though I bruised it when I was asleep, becuase I have no memory of doing anything to provoke it - I'm not sure it was caused by running.

I had a great run of speed intervals on Tuesday morning, and then during Wednesday, I gradually felt a pain coming on in the left outside of my foot, under my toes. I can't put weight on the outside of my foot, and it hurts to flex it, so I've been walking with a bit of a limp. This in turn has lead to tightness in my calf muscle, which feels like cramp. I'm sure this has been caused by the way I'm compensating for the pain when I walk.

So it's all very frustrating. Last week I really felt that I was getting my fitness and speed back, and now I've had to stop again. The foot seems to be getting better, but it'll be a few days at least before I'll want to risk a run. Sad face.

So this week I've been back to the old cross-training. I went to the gym on Friday, and tried to use the elliptical machine, but I found that it hurt my foot, so I could only really use the bikes. Added to that, I've been out for 3 bike rides this week, so I've really been getting those quads working. Quite by accident, it seems that this has been my highest cycling mileage week this year!

Monday's bike ride was lovely and sunny, but it involved an almost vertical long uphill, which was really tough. I'll definitely be avoiding that route in the future. On Wednesday I felt tired, it was rainy and I'd forgotten to take my inhaler - yes a litany of pathetic excuses - so I only managed 6 miles. Today I had a really nice cycle on a cool, overcast morning, and it was a flatter route than usual. My speed was the fastest yet, averaging over 11mph! It seems that I am definitely getting fitter, and faster at cycling.

Monday's cycle in the sun

My stats for the week are not quite what I'd planned, then:
Cycled: 24.3 miles
Run: 3.1 miles (flipping heck...)
Gym x 1 - 60 mins of cardio plus weights
Pilates x 1 class

Hopefully this foot pain will clear up soon. I'm not sure if I'll be able to run at all this week, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a run next weekend, perhaps. Luckily I've really been enjoying my last few bike rides, so it'll be more of the same for now. At least this foot pain is stopping me from overdoing the miles as I come back to running, and aggravating the PF. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise - in which case it's a really good disguise, because to be honest, it seems more like a total bummer!

Midweek Musings

2011-05-11T20:04:00.000+01:00

1. I am so glad I finally took myself in hand last week and cleaned up my diet. I wasn't all that strict, I just had my own rules about not overdoing it. It shouldn't be that hard, but I find it really difficult to be disciplined for 6 whole days in a row. On Sunday, we met some friends for lunch in a restaurant, and I did have pudding (cheesecake and it was massive).

This week I'm trying to stick to it for 5 days, then I can be a bit more piggy at the weekend. I can't believe I haven't done this sooner - I put on about 8 lbs at Christmas, and I kept 4 or 5 with me until last week - what an idiot. It seems to me that I can either be properly strict, stick to a plan and keep a record of what I eat, or I just have no self control whatsoever - there is no middle ground.

2. I got up for a run yesterday at 6.30am, and I felt distinctly unmotivated. This was partly because I wanted to sleep a bit more, and partly because I just felt a bit bored of my usual 3 mile run. I couldn't decide what this run was for, other than to increase my mileage for the week, and burn some calories. As I got to about 1 mile, I passed the local High school, and saw the running track painted on the grass. So I decided to do some track intervals instead.

I've only run there a couple of times before, over a year ago, so it was a great change from the usual plod along the streets. I basically ran 400m fast, 400m slow x 3, so after I'd run home, I'd reached 3.1 miles in total. My average pace was 8.49 min/miles, which is about the same as my usual pace for a short run, but it was much more fun, and I really enjoyed pushing myself on the fast intervals. It reminded me how important it is to keep things varied and not get stuck in a rut.

3. I felt fine after that run, but today, 24 hours later, I've got a bad pain in my foot. It's not even in the heel, and seemingly not PF-related, but I can't really flex my left foot, which is making me limp when I walk. I'd planned a run tomorrow and a longer one on Sunday, but I'm not so sure now. I'm going to rest it as much as possible (while looking after 2 kids), and hope it feels better after a night's sleep.

4. Regarding the Mum part of Runner Mum, look what I achieved this morning!

I am totally useless when it comes to hair-dos, but both Robbie and Emma begged me to do a plait for her, so this is my best effort. Emma quite often gets her hair done in a fancy way from other girls at the childminder's and their 10-year-old efforts put my boring ponytails and bunches to shame.

Anyway, I'm off to spend the rest of the evening with an ice-pack on my foot, and I'll be moving from the sofa as little as possible. Please let it be better by morning!

*Sigh* 'Mum, what's wrong with your feet now?'

Scottish weather 1 - Me 0

2011-05-08T17:20:00.005+01:00

Having run over 5 miles last Monday, I decided to head out for a 6-miler this morning. I planned to go at a steady, comfortable pace, as I was increasing distance so I didn't want to push the speed as well. I thought I'd aim to average 9 min/miles.

About an hour after breakfast, I left the house at about 9am. It was cool but not cold, there was quite a nice breeze, and the sky was overcast - it felt like good running conditions. I felt really good, and ran the first mile quite gently. When I checked my Garmin though, I'd done it in 8m50s. So I tried to slow down but keep a steady speed for the next mile, but that also beeped at exactly 8m50s!

I felt really good - I was feeling strong and fit, running well and I knew I could easily run 6 miles, and hopefully keep this pace up for the whole run. This was also my first run over the Forth Road Bridge since injury - one of my favourite routes, despite the fact that it is always windy. I got onto the bridge, ran about half a mile across it - and the heavens opened. Suddenly the rain absolutely poured down, and for a few moments it was hail. The wind picked up, and within seconds I was drenched. It was really uncomfortable, as all my clothes got heavy with water, and my socks were squidging around in my trainers.

After some miserable metres, I decided to turn back. It was just horrible to run in, and I was worried about chafing or blisters from my wet clothes and socks. I turned round and it was even worse! The wind was blowing straight at me, and the rain was almost horizontal. The force of it stung my eyes, and I ran to the end of the bridge with them mostly closed.

As I got off the bridge the wind died down, but I was thoroughly soaked, so I stopped in a bus shelter to squeeze water out of my shorts and top, and wipe my glasses. The run home wasn't too bad, but my wet clothes and shoes made me feel pretty horrible.

So in the end it was only 4.6 miles. I did maintain 8m53s / mile average pace, so I was pleased with that, but I was a bit fed up that I had felt so strong to start with and still didn't complete 6 miles. When I got in I dripped water all over the house before jumping into a hot bath.

Absolutely drenched!

As for the rest of the week, I have been very strict with my diet everyday, and avoided cakes, biscuits and other snacks between meals. At times I found it quite difficult, and the lack of chocolate made me pretty grumpy. But I weighed myself yesterday morning, and I had lost 3 pounds! Yay! 1 more to get me back to my pre-Christmas weight! I think I'll try and be good this week too, as my parents are visiting next weekend, and we'll probably treat ourselves most days.

Stuffed Butternut Squash and salad - one of my healthier recipes!

In total, I ran 15 miles this week, which is 5 miles further than the previous highest week, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Next week I'll have to try that 6-miler again, so I'll be keeping a firm eye on the weather forecast and choosing my day carefully. Needless to say, the rain soon blew over after that downpour, and it turned out to be a lovely, sunny afternoon. At least I got my own back by hanging my washing out on the line and getting it all dry in the sun - take that Mother Nature - KAPOW!

Spring is sprung!

2011-05-04T20:05:00.008+01:00

Well the weather here for the last few days has been absolutely glorious. I'm quite capable of getting out and pounding the streets when they're covered in snow, or going for a cycle in the wind and pouring rain (albeit reluctantly), but I just find it soooo much nicer to go out in warm temperatures and sunshine. I'm the sort of person who is always too cold and never too hot, so running on a hot day doesn't usually bother me. (I say 'usually', because of last year's heatwave on 23rd May, which added about 30 mins to my marathon time, or so I claim).

It only seems a few short weeks ago that our village looked like this:

That was all very pretty, but rather impractical, and after a few weeks it just got boring. Thank goodness for spring, when we can enjoy even more beautiful scenery which I'll never get tired of, such as colourful fields of blooming rapeseed;

big blue cloudless skies;

we can dig out our sun hats and summer dresses;

and play around in the cherry blossoms.

Ok so the weather forecast is currently saying that we're going to have heavy rain and hail for the next 4 days running, but hey, that could be wrong! At least it should stay warmer, and hopefully the sun will be back out again soon to join me on some gorgeous spring runs and bike rides!

April stats

2011-05-02T08:34:00.003+01:00

April has been a month full of distractions, with only 8 days of school amongst the Easter, Royal Wedding and Bank holidays. We also had a weekend away for my parents' Ruby anniversary celebration. What I'm trying to say is, I haven't done as much cycling and running as I would like, especially last week.

However, on the up side, I have done my first race since September; I've been increasing the miles as far as running is concerned; and the weather has taken a distinct turn for the better. The last few days have been glorious - warm and sunny.

So here are the stats for April:

11 runs = 37.4 miles
6 bike rides = 52 miles
2 Pilates classes
1 Aquafit class
0 gym visits

In comparison with March, this was quite a bit less cycling, and obviously the improved weather (and the fact that we've been away a bit) kept me out of the gym altogether. However, that's 15 miles more running than I did last month, which is my priority after all.

So what's the plan for May? Well we still have quite a few school holidays to look forward to - unbelievable but true - so I'll need to negotiate those. I hope to keep increaing the running distance - my furthest run so far has been 4.6 miles, so I want to get up to a 10k soon (6.2 miles). I hope to continue with pilates and cycling, and I don't want to abandon the gym altogether.

My other goal is to clean up my diet. This last week of Easter eggs and a family visit has lead to way too many calories finding their way down my neck and I really want to lose 4-5 lbs. So this week I'm going to try to cut out the snacks and stop indulging in treats. I usually manage to be good for about 3 or 4 days, and then I crack, sending Pete off to get me a mint chocolate Aero (my favourite). So I think I'd better keep a list of what I eat and be strict with myself. Let's hope the blog will keep me accountable - watch this space...

Sheep and lambs enjoy the sun!

Parkrun

2011-04-28T20:07:00.004+01:00

Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my last post, and bigged up my 5K race result! I really couldn't decide whether or not to be pleased with my time, but you all convinced me that it was a good result after 6 months of injury, and I'm grateful for the confidence booster. The race I ran was a Parkrun event, which is such a good event, I thought I'd say a bit about it here.

A few years ago, a man called Paul Sinton-Hewitt had a brilliant idea. It was to set up a weekly 5k race at the same time, in the same place every Saturday morning. The first race was held near London in 2004, but over the next few years, Parkrun spread until there were races all over the UK.

The most ingenious part of Parkrun is the fact that it is completely free to enter. Before you participate, you register online, where you are given an ID number and a printable barcode. You only need to register once, and then you can race as little or often as you like. The race isn't chip-timed, but a timer starts as runners cross the start line, and when you finish, someone records your time, and gives you a tag with another barcode on it. After the race, your ID barcode and finish tag are scanned. Later that day, you will be emailed your official time.

All the race officials and marshalls are volunteers, so runners are encouraged to sometimes give up the chance to run in order to help out - the whole scheme depends on the volunteer spirit. This, along with sponsorship from some large companies, keeps Parkrun free.

The first Edinburgh parkrun was held on 17th October 2009. I took part, and it was quite busy, with just over 200 runners. The course is completely flat, (in stark contrast to my usual routes from my house), and I got my 5K PB that day. I thought it was a brilliant event, and resolved to go as often as I could. As is so often the way, I never quite managed to go again, until last weekend.

The Edinburgh course

I expected it to be much quieter this time, but in fact there were 287 runners, so it seems to be thriving. There was a great atmosphere, with lots of family groups cheering on a parent or spouse.

Apart from the fact that it's free and so easy to register, what I also love about Parkrun is the detailed statistics they provide after each run. When you log on to the website, you can see your time, position in the race, position in your sex-and-age-group category, your Parkrun PB and the details of all previous Parkruns you've done. For a stats-freak like me (and I think most other runners love their statistics too), it's a joy!

I would definitely encourage any UK based runners to seek out their nearest Parkrun, but I wonder whether there are any similar schemes in other countries?

A race!

2011-04-23T17:58:00.005+01:00

As I've been back running for 8 weeks now, and completed 4 or 5 runs of around 3 miles or longer, I thought it was time to try a little 5k race. Robbie usually has swimming lessons on Saturday mornings, but today was a holiday, so the perfect opportunity to go along to a free event.

It was Edinburgh Parkrun, held every Saturday morning, free to attend, and a race which I had only done once before, its first ever event in October 2009. Parkrun is a fantastic scheme, which I'll come back to in my next post - stay tuned.

Warming up before the start

Anyway, I didn't really have a clear goal this morning, other than to complete 5k in a better time than recent training runs (around 27m30s), and see how close I could get to my PB. The route is very flat, unlike all my training runs, and I set off much too fast, being pulled along by better runners.

After a while I realised I was unlikely to sustain a 7m30 pace (haha), and controlled myself. I seemed to get in a group of women, and we ran together for a while, and this got me through the first mile in 8m13s. This was a bit fast, but I wasn't sure how well I could do on a flat course. So I kept going, some of the women dropped off, and I ended the second mile on the tail of one speedy looking woman. She got me through mile 2 in 8m14s. So far, so consistent, but a few moments later I really began to tire. The faster woman powered ahead of me, and I slowed down. I was starting to get a stitch, and those last 1.5km of a 5k are always so much longer than they should be. My 3rd mile was 8m49s.

As I got to the finish, I heard someone coming up behind, I tried to sprint, but he still overtook me. My final time was 26m31s (Garmin said 26m28s so near enough). I was 183 out of 287 runners, and 3rd in my age group (in a field of 17 women in the 35-39 group). This is apparently, and mortifyingly, a 'veteran' category. Hmph.

A great place to be...

I don't know what to make of it really. I'm quite pleased with the time, as it's faster than I've been managing lately, but it is still about 90 seconds slower than the previous time I did this race (and my 5k PB). Looking back at my Garmin data, I am quite a way off the speed I had last August, just before I got injured, which I think was my real peak as a runner so far. It shows that I've got a long way to go to regain that fitness.

Anyway, it was great to take part in a race again, I really enjoyed it. I was surprised how busy it was, and how excited I felt to be running in a big pack of runners, all going off together to do the best that they could. I can't wait to do another one soon so I can try and improve on that time!

Easter holidays

2011-04-20T16:47:00.013+01:00

Things we have been doing in the holidays. More attentive readers may notice that none of these are in any way running, cycling or pilates related;

Dressing up

Doing jigsaws

Eating Fish n Chips at the seaside

Paddling in icy sea

Sunbathing at the beach

Tea and caking

Playing at the farm

...and lots more besides. Normal service should resume soon.

Weekly round-up

2011-04-18T11:13:00.005+01:00

Despite school and playgroup being closed for the Easter holidays, it's actually been a pretty good week, workout-wise. The kids spent 2 mornings with the childminder, which gave me the opportunity to get out on my bike, and I managed to fit in 3 runs as well.

It looked like this:

Tuesday: Cycled 15 miles
Wednesday: Ran 3.1 miles
Thursday: Cycled 6 miles
Friday: Ran 3.7 miles
Sunday: Ran 4 miles

In my last post I was whining about having a few crappy runs, including Wednesday's. I had been feeling tired and slow for the last 4 runs. So I decided to change things a bit; on Friday I arranged to run in the evening instead of first thing in the morning, I changed my usual route for one that was less hilly, and I took my ipod with my running playlist of motivating music. These 3 changes conspired to help me get a great run at last. I went through 5k in 27m18s - my fastest time since coming back, and my average pace overall was 8m50 per mile - not bad!

Then on Sunday I had a lovely run in the morning sunshine, and did 4 miles, which is my longest distance since September and the advent of the evil Plantar Fasciitis. The only problem on that run was having to stop to turn up the volume on my ipod, and then having it too loud for the rest of the run. When I got home, my ears were ringing for about half an hour afterwards!

So in total, I cycled 21.2 miles, and ran 10.8 miles. That's quite an increase in running, and I feel ready to run 3 times a week regularly now. My feet are doing well, so I'll keep building up the distance.

To add to my fun this week, I got myself a new toy - ta-dah!

My very own torture-machine, also known as a foam roller. Oh it looks all innocent in the photo, doesn't it? Not so. I've been having a marvellous time rolling my aching leg muscles over it while watching tv in the evenings. It also doubles as a toy for the kids - they love balancing on it and rolling around on the floor too!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-04-13T20:05:00.005+01:00

The Good

1. First and foremost, I am back to running regularly and consistently. A few weeks ago I was beginning to wonder if I might ever run again without pain. Since the start of March, I have now run 14 times (mainly) pain-free. When I was injured, that was all I wanted - to be able to run short distances a few times a week. Now of course, I want more, so I need to remember how lucky I am.

2. I am keeping up the cycling. As I've only been running twice a week since I started back, I've continued cycling on the non-running days. This means I am doing more exercise overall than before I got injured (although cycling is obviously a lot less intensive than running).

3. I've lost 2lbs! Over the Christmas holiday, I diligently stuffed my face at every opportunity, and hardly moved for two weeks. Somehow, I managed to gain about 8 lbs - must be my pesky slow metabolism again... Anyway, by the end of January I had lost about 4 lbs, but I just couldn't shake off the rest. I got so annoyed with it, I gave up standing on the scales. But last wekend I gave in to curiosity, and finally, another 2 lbs gone. 2 more to go...

The Bad

1. While I am ecstatic to be back running again, my last few runs have been total pants! The last 4 in a row, I have felt tired and run really slowly. This morning I started off feeling fine, but my speed was really slow, and then at the end I got a stitch and had to walk. I know everyone has bad runs, but 4 in a row? Only 3 miles each time? I really need a good one soon.

2. I cycled 15 miles yesterday, and felt like I'd run 15 miles. My legs were tired, and I had a hard time getting up hills into the wind. I was passed by several cyclists (but to be honest, this happens all the time).

3. I set off yesterday with a plan; cycle into town, visit a cafe, have a coffee and some cake, read my book, then cycle back. I got to town, locked up my bike, and realised I had left my wallet at home. Doh! I had no money at all, and no choice but to turn back home with an empty stomach. What an idiot.

The Ugly

5 days in; 12 more days of Easter holiday to go!!!

A wimpy week

2011-04-10T17:53:00.000+01:00

After my great weekend away, I have spent most of this week trying to recover. On Monday - our last morning at Center Parcs - I had fitted in a little run, but I was so tired, it was pretty rubbish.

I got a few good nights' sleep, but by Thursday I was still feeling the effects of tiredness. On Wednesday morning, Robbie was at school and Emma was at playgroup, and I had a date with my bike. But I felt so exhausted. After a lot of contemplation, I decided to wimp out. I had a sore throat and felt the threat of a cold coming, and really I just couldn't be bothered. I felt a tiny bit guilty, but got over it, and spent the time catching up on cleaning, washing and tidying. Not exactly a treat, but it was nice to get things sorted out.

On Thursday morning, I managed to drag myself out to run 5k in the morning, but it was a little slower than my last run on the same route. On Friday night, my husband was a bad influence, and persuaded me to drink a few Baileys and stay up late. It really was all his fault, and I had absolutely no say in the matter. Consequently, I failed to get up and go for a cycle in the morning. However, it was not another missed workout, as I went at 5.30pm instead. It was a lovely day, so it was still sunny and a pleasant temperature then.

Short sleeves!!!!

This morning I went out in sunny skies again for a run, but I felt really tired and sluggish again. I was awake in the night with a really annoying, persistent cough which stopped me sleeping, and I don't think I had had enough time to recover from the late bike ride yesterday. I felt really slow (although the garmin said different), and I stopped at 3 miles.

So, in total, I did only one cycle of 8.4 miles, one pilates class, but ran 8.8 miles in total - my furthest weekly distance since starting again - woo-hoo! This was the first week that I have run 3 times rather than 2. So far, so good - I am too suspicious to sound too positive, but the heel is holding up a lot better than I had expected.

Easter holidays start next week - help......

Weekend away!

2011-04-06T13:36:00.000+01:00

I'm back! Had a fantastic long weekend with all the family, and as with any good holiday, we have all come home exhausted, a little bit unwell, and with a load of washing and tidying to be done.

As I mentioned in my last post, this was a trip to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. They had organised for 15 of us, plus 3 children, to stay at Center Parcs for a long weekend. I'd never been to a Center Parcs before, but it turned out to be really good.

Robbie wrote this on Mum and Dad's wall!

We arrived on Friday afternoon, and unpacked into a cabin in the pine woods. Pete, the kids and I were staying with my sister, her husband and their 6-month old baby. We spent the afternoon wandering round the site and in the evening, everybody gathered at our place, and there was a lot of consuming of beer and wine. I was actually pretty restrained, and it was mainly the older generation who got hammered - tut.

Our house in the woods

On Saturday morning my sister and I got up extra early (despite her baby's wakefulness in the night), because we had booked a session of aqua-aerobics. This was something I'd never tried before, although Hannah had done it a few times. When we arrived at the pool at 9am, we found that we were the only 2 in the class! Luckily the instructor decided to do it anyway. We went outside in an open-air pool. The air was quite chilly, but the water was really warm, and every so often the sun came out, which was lovely. It was good fun, and more demanding than I had thought. I even had some low level DOMs in my arms and abs the next day.

The session ended at 10am, as the pool opened for general swimming. Suddenly there was a huge number of people pouring out of the changing room into the pools. As the pool is one of the few free activities, it was extremely popular, especially with families. I'm not sure I'd want to stay there at the height of summer, as it must be so crowded. Anyway, we joined our kids and the rest of our family for some splashing about.

That afternoon some of us strolled round the shops, and others had a nap. It was all very relaxing. We then got ready for a celebration dinner, as Saturday was my parents' anniversay. The meal turned out to be really good. The food was delicious, and the kids behaved well, despite being very tired.

On Sunday the children yet again refused to have a lie-in. While they went swimming again, I went off on my own to fit in a spot of abseiling! I have always wanted to abseil, I don't really know why, so I thought I should take the chance. It was quite a short way down, but the first time I stood at the top and they told me to lean back, I was really nervous. I really enjoyed it though, and felt that I was getting the hang of it by my 4th (final) turn. I just wanted it to be a bit further, as the faster and more confident you got, the quicker it was over.

Abseiling

Later, we all got together again for some ten-pin bowling. This is something I am hopeless at, but it was good fun.

On Monday morning I got up a bit early, and managed to fit in a short run. I was so tired that it was a feeble effort - I managed less than 3 miles, was slow, and walked up a steep hill - but I knew I'd regret not running through the woods and round the lake if I didn't. We had to leave early, then flew back up to Scotland in the afternoon. Unfortunately our flight was delayed and we had a lot of waiting around. By that point I was absolutely shattered, but it could have been worse. There were a couple of babies on the plane, and I felt sorry for their parents, trying to keep them quiet.

Since we got back we have all been a bit sniffly, the kids have bad coughs, and I still need to catch up on sleep. I've also got really bad aches in my arms - it must be from the abseiling, although it didn't seem hard work at the time. I suspect it was the climbing up the ladder to the top that did it. It was all worth it though. Thanks Mum and Dad - we had a great time!

The happy couple

Just the stats, man

2011-03-30T19:58:00.000+01:00

I love a few stats. As soon as I get back from a run or a cycle, I can't wait to plug in the Garmin and check exactly how far I've gone, my time, my speed etc, and to compare it to the previous few runs or cycles. Did I cycle 0.1mph slower than last time? For heaven's sake why? Was that my fastest run so far this month? Will I be able to beat it next time?

No matter how much I try to convince myself that these details are pretty irrelevant, and the important thing is that I'm keeping fit and enjoying it, I can't help but place too much significance on these stats. I am the sort of idiot who will run a little way past my house to round up 2.95 miles to 3 miles. Since I was given my Garmin, 16 months ago, I have rarely run or cycled without it. Why would I? I always want to know the stats.

Looking back at the stats on my Garmin for the month of March, I feel pretty happy. I had a crappy January, as the foot was stopping me running and flu stopped me doing anything else. February was a lot better, as I did a fair bit of cycling and started going to the gym, although I still wasn't running. This month I've started running again, kept up the cycling, started Pilates, and made a few trips to the gym.

If you don't love stats, look away now:

January
2 bike rides = 17 miles

February
9 bike rides = 65 miles
8 gym visits

March
9 bike rides = 68 miles
9 runs = 22 miles
3 gym visits
3 Pilates classes

Oooh, I could pore over those numbers all night... So ideally of course I'd like to build on that next month, and obviously I'll be aiming to run more often (I'm still tentatively at twice a week), and further (just a little each time), while keeping up the cross training (a silver lining around the big black cloud of Plantar Fasciitis). Unfortunately this may be unlikely, as April is a month jam packed with school holidays, not leaving me much time to exercise.

This weekend though, we are off for a family celebration! It's my parents' Ruby Wedding Anniversary, and 18 of us are spending a few days at Centre Parcs in the west of England. I've never been to Centre Parcs before, but there are loads of activities to do, including fitness classes and a gym. Hopefully, I'll be busy eating, drinking and having fun, with maybe just a little working out on the side. I will of course, be packing my Garmin.

March on my Garmin

Weekly recap

2011-03-28T13:14:00.000+01:00

The sun has really come out this week, and temperatures have been way above average. I'm so glad that I have been able to run when the weather has been good - I miss running most on sunny blue-sky days.

I have had a bit of juggling to do this week, mainly due to Pete being very busy with work. I had a good cycle on Monday morning, then on Tuesday I planned to run. I was particularly looking forward to it, as I had now run 6 times since starting again, and my goal had always been to build up to 5k without pain. Last week I did a 2.7 mile run, so this was to be my first 3.1 mile (5k) distance. Then Pete came home on Monday, and told me he had to go in to work early Tuesday morning.

Harrumph. That was the end of that plan. I could have got up at 5.30am to fit an early run in, but I knew I would feel too tired for the rest of the day, and week. As I work on Tuesdays, there was no other time for me to fit it in, and Pete was late home that evening too.

So I left it until Wednesday morning. I did it! I have a 5k loop from my house which I used to do a lot, and it was great to be able to run it again. I was a little concerned though, as I had a bit of discomfort in my ankle before and after the run, but not during. The heel itself has been ok, but it was the ankle pain that made me limp when I first got PF in September, so I know it's from the same cause.

Anyway, in a fit of madness, I also went for a 6-mile cycle on Wednesday, as I wanted to make up for doing nothing on Tuesday. This left my legs pretty tired. On Thursday Pete was off to London overnight for work, so I couldn't get out on Friday morning either. But I did have my Pilates class at least.

Then on Saturday, I did another 5k! Same route, but 35 seconds faster. Every time I go for a run I sternly remind myself that speed is irrelevant, and I just need to concentrate on increasing the distance steadily and sensibly. Then I start running, looking at my Garmin, and thinking 'I reckon I can run faster than last time...it would be terrible if I got slower...' etc. I just can't help myself. Anyway, I'm averaging about 9.05 min/miles, so I can't complain too much, and I haven't really had any ankle pain since then, so yay!

On Sunday I thought I'd have a go at cycling a loop. I usually do some sort of out and back ride, but for a change, I picked a 4-mile loop and did it twice. It was odd going past the same places twice and getting deja vu. When I went past my house I had a strong urge to cycle straight down the path and put the bike away in the shed. I definitely prefer to choose a longer route and do it once. So this week in total I've done this:

Cycled x3 (20 miles)
Run x2 (6.2 miles)
Pilates x1

Considering time constraints then, not a bad week workout wise. I have cleverly balanced it up though by eating a load of total crap, so I'm sure I've cancelled out any weight loss benefit. Ho hum - must do better next week etc.

Sunny Days in Scotland!

Ich bin ein Guestblogger!

2011-03-24T20:41:00.000Z

I was invited to write a guest blog, so I did. Have a wander over here to read about my beginnings in running, and why I think that absolutely anyone can learn to run.

Back at this blog, here's a picture of the family in the woods last weekend to keep you sweet.

'Cheeeeeeese!'

The Power of Sport

2011-03-23T12:56:00.000Z

Next year, the Olympic Games will be held in Britain, in London. I think this is really exciting and I will definitely be applying for tickets. I hope I'll be able to spectate at some of the free events too - particularly the marathon and cycling road races.

However, not everyone shares my enthusiasm. We Brits are Gold medal ranking moaners - we love to be cynical about this kind of event, and decry the waste of money and work going into the Olympics. There are plenty of journalists and commentators who can't wait for something to go wrong, so they can laugh at the idiot idealists who thought we could host an Olympic games. There are also many members of the public who complain that we can barely afford it, in the current economic climate.

It is hard to argue that spending millions on sporting arenas is a better use of government money than putting it into hospitals. But there is an argument that in difficult times, it is more important than ever for people to have a diversion, and something to celebrate. This is why we need the arts as well as sport.

I was thinking about all this while I was running this morning, having read an article in the Observer newspaper on Sunday. There was an interview with Martine Wright, a victim of the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005. She was severely injured and had both her legs amputated. Since then though, she has been skiing, learnt to fly, done a parachute jump, got married (and walked down the aisle), and had a son. She has also joined a volleyball team, and is now training for the Paralympics.

Her story is inspirational and incredible. She tells of how sport has changed her life, given her back her confidence, and given her goals to aim for. It's a testament to how important sport can be in our lives.

It's only in the last few years that I've started to participate in sport (in my own small way!), but it has given me so much. Running has made me fitter and healthier, but it's also made me feel more confident and happier. Us humans are built to be active! Sport can be good for us in so many ways, and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that next year is a great Olympic games. (However, I have to admit that this logo is total pants...I am still a cynical Brit after all).

Bloggiversary!

2011-03-20T21:15:00.000Z

I can't believe it's been a whole 1 year since I started writing this blog! On 19th March 2010, I began keeping this record of my training and preparation for my first marathon. This time last year, I had just run my furthest ever distance of 14 miles.

The marathon came and went, but the blog continued, and I'm so glad it did. It's been a great way to communicate with like-minded people (mostly runners), and following other blogs has been a fantastic source of information and experience.

Since I felt the first unwelcome beginnings of Plantar Fasciitis in September, the world of blog has been invaluable to me. As I was suddenly stopped from running, when it had become such an important part of my life, it would have been very easy to give up, and sit myself on the sofa with cake and biscuits, and put on a load of weight. I'm pretty sure I would have done this if it had not been for blogging. How could I come back here and post if I had nothing to say? Wouldn't I feel bad if I had to admit to doing no exercise and losing all my fitness? This blog kept me accountable.

I threw myself into cycling and bought Jillian's shred, and worked hard not to lose my fitness. Because I didn't want to stop blogging, and I was inspired by all the bloggers out there for whom fitness is an essential part of life. I want to be one of those people. It was also very encouraging to read about runners who were or had been injured, and follow their progress back into running.

Thank goodness I'm starting to run again now. This week, I've had 3 rest days, 1 due to having as cold, and 2 due to work demands. But I've done 2 bike rides, 2 runs and 1 pilates class. I ran 2.4miles on Tuesday, then 2.7miles on Friday, so my next run will be 3 miles - my goal since I started again! Once I've got to 3.1m (5k), I'll try to stay at that distance for a few runs to check that my foot is ok with it.

I usually run in the mornings, but on Tuesday, I didn't get out until 7pm. When I came in, Robbie was waiting for me to read his bedtime story - I didn't even have time to stretch - imagine. I really like this picture as it shows me fitting running in alongside home life, and I love how involved Robbie is in the story.

Runner / Mum

Thanks to all bloggers and the blogging world for keeping me going for the last 6 months, and I hope my next year of blogging has more posts about running and fewer about being injured...

Nutrition

2011-03-17T19:57:00.000Z

Recently I have been trying very hard, and eating plenty of these:

But it's not all bad - last week I went a bit mad for a couple of packets of these:

And this week I had some 'fun' with the kids baking these (and then eating them, which was true fun):

Having increased my fruit intake to try to eat some everyday, I was somewhat miffed when I woke up last Sunday with a sniffle. Isn't fruit supposed to ward off germs and colds? Luckily it was only a slight cold, and after sneezing and sniffing my way through Sunday and Monday, I felt a lot better. It did cause me to miss a run and a bike ride though, grrr...

A few years ago I started keeping a food diary as I tried to improve my diet. It was more an attempt to be healthy than a bid to lose weight, and I aimed to list at least 5 fruit or vegetables a day. (For Non-UK residents, the government here has been telling us for years that we should eat a minimum of 5 fruit and veg a day). I did pretty well for about a year, had lots of apples, and ate plenty of other fruit and veg. And funnily enough, I noticed that I didn't get a cold for most of that time. It really seemed to make a difference. When I did eventually catch a cold, it was a real humdinger, though. Yuck.

I couldn't work out whether the apple a day really did keep the doctor away, or if it was the combination of fruit and veg, but I was convinced - all those vitamins were doing some good.

Since then I have often fallen off the fruit-and-veg barrow. I'm a big fan of vegetables, but I'm really not keen on much fruit. I tend to stick to apples, grapes and orange juice most of the time, and there are so many tastier snacks, such as crisps, biscuits and cake to name a few. Now I'm trying to be better, because it really shouldn't be that hard to eat at least 2-3 portions of fruit and 2-3 portions of veg each day.

I don't know much about nutrition, and I don't find it all that interesting, because for me, food is a great source of pleasure, not something to be analysed. But for the moment, I'm hoping that a few more apples will keep me reasonable healthy, and I'm also including copious helpings of my favourite fruit portion;

Weekly round up

2011-03-14T15:19:00.000Z

Well after my last post, the weather continued being crazy. We were forecast heavy snow on Saturday, but luckily it wasn't as bad as predicted. We had a sprinkling, then it turned to sleet and rain. The layer of snow on the roads was enough to put me off of cycling in the morning though.

Poor snowdrops in the rain

Then on Sunday I started getting a cold, and although I did go for a bike ride in the rain, it was shorter than I would have liked ideally.

Anyway, it was a pretty unspectacular week. I cycled twice, ran twice, went to the gym once and did a pilates class. None of these were long sessions though. here are the stats:

Cycled - 12.5miles
Ran - 4.2 miles
Gym: Cross Trainer 40 mins (5+ miles); Bike 20 mins

So there.

The running is going ok. On Friday I got up to 2.2 miles, which is the furthest I've run since October! I am getting some soreness in my ankle though, so I'm taking it really easy for now. At the same time, I'm getting a lot less pain in my heel, so that's encouraging, if the ankle-ache isn't.

Although I didn't do any specific exercise on Saturday, it was a day full of activity. We went swimming with the kids in the morning, and with the snow falling outside, the water was actually warmer than usual - I think they might have set it to 'cool', which bumped it up a few degrees from 'f***ing freezing'.

Then in the afternoon, it was our second experience of orienteering. Despite rain, we clad ourselves in old trousers and welly boots, and threw ourselves into the mud. The ground was soaked after the morning snow followed by rain, and almost all of the route was in fields of mud, rather than paths.

Checkpoint!

Still, although I spent half the time shouting at the kids to 'mind the puddle', 'watch where you're going', 'NOT IN THE MUD!!', etc, we had a good time.

Race to the finish

What's the Weather like on Wednesday?

2011-03-09T20:25:00.000Z

Welcome to an occasional series in which we discuss the weather on a Wednesday.

It was with shock and horror that I looked out at the garden this morning and saw this:

Yes, that is actual proper snow.

About 2 hours after I took that picture, though, it looked like this:

Glorious sunshine. We have also had strong winds all day, and later this afternoon, there was rain. Talk about 4 seasons in one day. Spring, I thought you wanted to stay. Will you please make up your mind whether you're coming or going.?

The week in workouts

2011-03-07T16:24:00.000Z

At last a week with some running in it. In my last post I planned to start running again with short distances, gradual build up and 1-2 runs per week. So last week I did my first running since 8th January (a sad little 1.7 miles). I started with 1.5 miles on Wednesday, and increased that to 1.8 miles on Saturday. So a weekly total of 3.2 miles!

There has been some pain in my foot, but I was still having that before trying to run anyway. What I'm most worried about is pain around the ankle or up to my lower calf. That's where the pain went after I first ran with Plantar Fasciitis last September, and what made me hobble and limp. I am getting some occasional aches there, but I'm hoping I can control it with rest, stretching and ice packs. We shall see.

In non-running news, I had 2 bike rides last week - a tired cycle in the sun on Monday, and a more energetic 11 miler yesterday. It was going to be just over 9 miles, so I thought I'd make it up to 10, then went further than I should have and ended up on 11. I was pretty achey afterwards.

I also went to the gym on Friday and set a new PB on the cross trainer - 5km in 20mins 45secs! Again, I was dreaming about being able to run at that speed. Apart from that, I've been using free weights a few times to try to tone up my arms, and doing the core exercises that Ms Physio left me with.

So it feels good to be running again, even though it's pretty limited at the moment. I just need to enjoy being out for a run, instead of being constantly obsessed with this image:

I am worrying about it too much!

Farewell Physio...

2011-03-03T20:35:00.000Z

Yesterday I said a sad goodbye to Ms Physio. This was not, I hasten to add, because I have suddenly exorcised the curse of Plantar Fasciitis, but because she is leaving. Ms Physio is abandonning me to jet off to Boston (yes, the one in the States), to live and work for the foreseeable future.

I was quite sad when she announced this two weeks ago. I've been seeing her for almost a year, and we've always got on well. We've had some laughs too; I well remember the hilarious time when she zapped my foot with an electric current and made me lose all feeling in my toes. Then there was the fun session when she found a knot in my calf and kneaded it until I thought there was a burning needle in there. And how could I ever forget the numerous sessions of having her push down hard on my back and crack my spine all the way along? Ah, memories...

When I first went to see her, I had calf pain which two previous physios and a sports masseur had failed to help me with. Ms Physio diagnosed it as a nerve problem, rather than muscle, and corrected it in a couple of weeks. Her expertise and friendliness kept me coming back with every niggle. Although she never really cured the Plantar Fasciitis, it is much better now than it was, and I think our sessions were helping.

But I have had a change of thinking this week. After reading some articles about PF and reflecting on friends' and other bloggers' experiences with it, I've concluded that it is a condition to be managed, rather than cured. I don't think it is ever going to completely disappear, so I've just got to deal with it.

To that end I'm dipping my toe back into 'running' water (pun!), with Ms Physio's approval. I started on Wednesday with a mighty 1.5 miles! The reappearance of the sunshine this week has really made me want to go out for a run - so I did. And so far no worsening in the heel. However, having hardly run for 6 months, my legs were more achey after a 15-minute jog than they are after a 60-minute bike ride! It's going to be a long road back to running fitness.

The plan is:

only one or two runs a week
increase mileage by no more than 15% each run
plenty of cross-training
ice packs after running; ibuprofen if necessary
a firm belief that this will work and I'll get back to where I was!

Round up

2011-02-28T13:33:00.000Z

After the write-off that was January, I have had a much better February. I was aiming for regular gym visits and cycling, and I've been working out 3-4 times a week, on average.

Last week I managed 2 trips to the gym. On Friday I forgot my headphones, and I was really annoyed as it meant I couldn't watch morning tv while training. But I learnt something interesting - while I was on the cross-trainer, I found myself more focused, and soon realised I could go faster than I usually do. I ended up completing 5km in under 23 minutes, when it's normally more like 26-27 minutes. If only I could run it in that time! So in future trips to the gym, I'm going to have to decide whether I want the enjoyment factor of zoning out and watching tv, or slight boredom mixed with better training. Tough choice.

I also had a sneaky run - 10 minutes on the treadmill. It was hard work, and so slow, it made me realise that if/when I get back to running properly, it might take a long time to get back to where I was before the injury. Anyway, my foot felt fine, but I'm not ready to up the miles yet. It's far from recovered, but seeing as it's not improving anyway, I thought I may as well get the benefits of a little run as well.

I only cycled twice last week - one ride of 7 miles and one of 8 miles. Both times I followed a similar route, but there was a huge difference in the weather. The sun has finally reappeared, and it was fantastic to go out in sunshine yesterday. I have missed it so much! In the last couple of days, we have suddenly gone from this:

Wednesday

to this:

Sunday

What a relief!

So in February I cycled 67 miles in total, and went to the gym 8 times. Not bad considering I had to build up gradually after 'illness-January'. Long may the sunny days, bike rides and fun in the gym continue!

Sleep

2011-02-24T19:19:00.000Z

I have never been a good sleeper. Since I was a teenager, I've suffered from occasional insomnia. I tend to have a few weeks when I sleep ok, and then I'll have nights of lying awake staring into the darkness.

Having children has done nothing to improve this. As babies they were both bad sleepers, and we had some terrible nights of whole family wakefulness which I have luckily blanked from my memory (almost).

One of my problems is that if I wake up in the night, I can never go straight back to sleep. I usually stay awake for about 2 hours before I drop off again, which often seems to mean that as I finally nod happily into slumber, an alarm goes off.

Another problem is that I am a light sleeper, and the slightest noise will wake me up. If Pete is out late, I generally find it's better to wait until he gets home before I go to bed, otherwise I'll just swear at him when he wakes me up. He, of course, is a deep sleeper, so it's always me that gets up with the kids if they are out of bed.

I haven't really found any solutions to this. I only drink 1 coffee a day; only decaff tea after lunch; not much alcohol; fresh air and exercise during the day etc etc... I've read all the enlightening magazine articles on this topic, but to no avail.

So it was no surprise when I went to bed on Monday night with my alarm set for 5.40am, and found I couldn't sleep. Just the thought that I had an early start meant I was anxious and kept waking up thinking it was morning. At about 2am, Emma came in seeking a cuddle. She had one, then went back to bed. Half an hour later she came in again, and I took her back to bed again. True to form, I was just falling asleep 2 hours later, when I heard more little footsteps in the hall. This time it was Robbie going to the loo.

Honestly! Emma doesn't get up more than about once a week, and Robbie rarely gets out of bed before morning, so it was just sod's law that they chose that night to keep me disturbed. Anyway, I did get up, I did go to the gym, I did enjoy it, and I have been tired all week since then. Now I'm off to bed. Zzzzzzzz...

Half Term

2011-02-21T11:31:00.000Z

With the kids off from school and playgroup last week, I was glad to fit in a few bike rides, although as always, I would have liked to have done a bit more.

Tuesday was an odd day, as Pete had the week off work too, but I had to go to work in the afternoon. It seemed very unfair, but meant that I could go to the gym in the morning while he looked after the kids. I went at about 8am, and did my longest session on the cross trainer yet - 45 minutes. God, it was boring, even while watching tv. I keep getting pins and needles in my toes while I'm on this machine - does anyone else find this? It'a a bit off-putting.

After that I got on the recumbent bike for 15 mins then had a wander round the weight machines. I don't really know what I'm doing with those, so I need to decide some sort of routine. Then I rolled my achey legs on the foam roller just for fun (if pain = fun).

On Wednesday I was busy in the morning, and Pete's parents were due after lunch, so I just put in a quick bike ride at about 8am. I only had time for 30 mins, but I'm finding that going for shorter, faster cycles is reviving my enjoyment a bit - I was getting fed up on a lot of longer rides, especially as they all seem to culminate in long uphills.

Then on Thursday it was time for an appointment with Ms Physio, so I cycled there and back, which was about 6 miles altogether. I had been feeling quite positive about my heel, until Weds evening, when I had a lot of pain, almost enough to make me limp. I think that was caused by a lot of standing, as I spent a long time cooking and cleaning up (see in-laws' visit). It doesn't bode well for the chances of me running any time soon... sigh...

On Friday I didn't manage to fit in any exercise, other than swimming with the kids (in which I probably swam about a length in total), and neither did I do anything on Saturday. Yesterday though, I had a rather nice cycle.

View from the path

I went through my favourite country estate, downhill towards the coast, along to the High Street for 5 miles, then turned tound and went back the same way. This was an oh-so-clever trick to force myself to complete 10 miles without cutting it short.

In fact I really enjoyed it. Despite the grey skies, there was no rain, and the views were quite impressive, if a little bleak!

Deserted beach (although it's not much different in August)

Bets of all, I cycled up the hill at the end - this was the hill that I last cycled up on 31st of January, and had to walk a part of it. That was after flu and a few weeks off from exercise, but I hated not being able to cycle all the way. Yesterday I was back to normal fitness, as I puffed and panted, but didn't get off the saddle. Hooray!

So 21 miles cycled this week - I am increasing the amount each week since I got back into it - and only 1 trip to the gym. It's back to school tomorrow, so I'll be looking forward to a few more opportunities to get out, and hoping that the weather stays dry for a bit, maybe even with some sunshine at last? Please?!

Maps, dibbers and checkpoints

2011-02-17T16:44:00.000Z

It's half term this week so we've been looking for things to do together, and while browsing local activities, I read about an orienteering day in our town. It was last Saturday in the grounds of a country estate, and suitable for familes as well as serious competitors. As luck would have it, we had a sunny morning for a change, so after Robbie's swimming lesson and lunch, we headed off.

Hopetoun House and gardens

We've never been orienteering before, and I didn't know anything about it, so we were a bit unsure what to expect. When we arrived, there were a lot of cars and a long queue of people collecting maps and 'dibbers'. Apparently the organisers were a bit overwhelmed by the number of people, presumably due to us all being desperate to get out in the first bit of sun we'd seen for months.

We decided to do the shortest and easiest course, whcih was less than 2km long. We were given a map with 10 checkpoints on it, which we had to find in the correct order, and punch the dibber into an electronic device at each one. At the end of the course we would get a printout with our time and position on.

Checking the map

It was so fun. Robbie was in charge of the dibber, and he got really excited about looking for the checkpoints. Every time he saw one he would shout out triumphantly and run off towards it. We kept stopping to check the map, and even a compass, but in fact the course was really a case of following a footpath round the grounds. Next time we would do a longer and slightly more difficult course.

Punching in at a checkpoint

In fact we're thinking of doing another one this weekend - depending on the weather. I've been told about orienteering before as a way of combining running and kids, and although I wasn't running this one of course, I would definitely recommend it as a great way of getting the kids running about in the fresh air.

Naturally the sun didn't last long, and by the time we finished, it had clouded over and was spitting with rain. I have never been more ready for Spring!

Last week round-up

2011-02-14T16:41:00.000Z

Another good week - hooray! Last week I managed to squeeze 3 visits to the gym and 2 bike rides around my life. Not bad at all.

At the gym I am mainly using the cross trainer and recumbent bike to get my cardio in. Obviously I can't run (otherwise I'd be outside, not at the gym), and the rowing maching is out because Ms Physio wants me to protect my lower back. The recumbent bike is great, as I can lean back on the seat and not put any strain on my back at all, and the cross trainer seems like the best non-impact running substitute. I did try some fast walking on the treadmill, but my foot started hurting so I abandoned that idea.

On Thursday I really outdid myself, and actually went to the gym at 6am. The reason I chose to get inducted at the gym that is not nearest to my house, was because it's the only council gym that opens at 6am. That choice paid off for one morning at least, as I set my alarm for 5.45am, jumped in the car and drove about 7 miles just to get sweaty early. The only drawback was that I didn't get on the equipment until about 6.15am and I only fitted in 35 minutes of actual exercise before I had to get back home before Pete left for work. Next time I need to get there bang on 6 o'clock. I really enjoyed it though, and came home in a great mood feeling very productive. By 4pm, I was sitting at work, gazing into space feeling sleepy, but it was worth it.

On Wednesday and Sunday I managed to cycle in non-rainy weather. It was very windy on Wednesday though - I had the wind behind me on the cycle over the bridge to Fife, then it totally killed me on the way back. It was exhausting, but I do love that bridge route. Just over 9 miles in total.

Forth Road Bridge

On Sunday we had friends coming for lunch, but I was highly organised, for once. I made shortbread and dessert (chocolate brownies) on Saturday, then went for a cycle on Sunday morning. I still only had time for about 30 mins on the bike, but I really enjoyed it. It was the most exhilerating ride I've had for ages - perhaps because it was only 5 1/2 miles. I undid all the good work afterwards though, with a large lunch of roast chicken and roast potatoes followed by very rich chocolate brownie with cream, then tea and shortbread in the afternoon. Again, worth it.

This week is half-term, so there is no school or playgroup to occupy the kids, so we'll see what I can fit in. Pete has some time off, and his parents are coming to visit, so hopefully there will be some extra childcare options!

The bunny within

2011-02-09T20:30:00.000Z

When I first got pain in my heel (way back in September, yes it's been over 5 months now), I turned to cycling to maintain my fitness. When I found that I didn't have time to do enough cycling to keep as fit as with running, I turned to Jillian and her DVD.

For the moment, Ms Physio has banned me from various exercises which involve twisting my torso or putting strain on my lower back, so much of the DVD is no longer an option. But now I have found something else. I have joined a gym for the first time in my life, and I have turned into a total gym bunny!

The last time I used most of those machines was when I was at school, although I've been to gyms about twice since then to run on a treadmill. Apart from that I was a novice until last week. I always knew I'd like it, but there are so many reasons why I chose running instead; it's free, it's easier to fit around life, you can do it anywhere etc etc, so I've always preferred that.

Last Monday though, as the rain came pouring down and we even had a few minutes of snow, it was lovely to put on a t-shirt and capri shorts, get in the gym and enjoy a workout without getting wet - apart from the sweat of course. The sky is so grey and gloomy these days, there is little pleasure in the great outdoors most of the time, so it's great to have an alternative.

The gym I've been going to is council run, so it's not hideously expensive (although it's not cheap either), and the clientele is not remotely intimidating. It mainly consists of the over-sixties, which is quite inspiring to see, with just the occasional poseur in a marathon t-shirt (I've got the same one at home so there).

I've only been 3 times so far, but I always get really excited about going. The first couple of times I felt really nervous about going through the doors, but I'm trying to act like a veteran gym bunny now. I've even splashed out on some gym gear - a kit bag!

When the weather gets better and whenever I get back to running, I might cut back on it, but I still think the gym will be a good way to complement running and provide a bit of variety. I'll keep hopping off to the gym for a while yet...

A good week!

2011-02-06T19:25:00.000Z

So after 6 weeks of virtually no exercise, I have finally got back into it! Since Monday I have managed 2 bike rides and 2 visits to the gym, with a little swimming with the kids thrown in for fun.

This was a great week to join the gym, as the weather has been rubbish. From Wednesday onwards we had gales and rain - not a winning combination. So on my free mornings of Weds and Fri, I was delighted to leave the bike in the shed, drive to the gym and work out indoors. On Friday I did 5k on the cross trainer, which felt like an ok substitute for running. The time was fairly similar to what I would run it in too. Then I had a bit of instruction on using the weight machines. It was quite good fun. I left the foam rollers alone this time though.

Yesterday the weather was better - it was still windy, but I believe I actually spotted a ray of sunshine at one point! Robbie is now having swimming lessons on a Saturday morning, so we headed off to the pool. The rest of us swam in the main pool while he had his lesson, and then he joined us afterwards. He's doing really well, I think. He doesn't have much in the way of technique yet (sadly neither do I), but last week he swam 4 lengths! He stopped for a rest in between each one, but still, I couldn't believe it. Soon my 5-year-old will be a better swimmer than me.

This morning the wind had finally died down, but it was pouring with rain. Nevertheless, I wrapped up warm and got my bike out. I really didn't feel like cycling in the rain - for some reason I think it's worse than running in the rain, which I quite like. I just seem to get wetter on the bike. Anyway, I was glad I did of course, and completed nearly 8 miles in 51 mins.

Rainy windy Scotland

Ms Physio has advised me to build my workouts up gradually again, so I'm trying not to leap back into things full throttle. Next week I hope I'll be able to do a bit more - time depending of course... But I'm happy to have had a fairly good start to my own New Year - starting in February!

Back on track

2011-02-02T21:51:00.000Z

The fulfilment of my exercise goals didn't get off to a great start on Monday morning when I planned to cycle Emma down to playgroup before embarking on a longer bike ride. As I strapped her into her seat on the back, the whole strap fell away from the seat. I had to take our helmets off and shove her in the back of the car instead. However, after driving home, I still had time for a good cycle.

I wanted to do about an hour's cycling, and that's what I did. I went through one of my favourite routes through the local country estate, which finishes with a long winding uphill path. It was fine, but as I got to the final and steepest part of the hill, I emerged from behind a barrier of trees to be attacked by the wind. It really slowed me down, and eventually I had to get off the bike and walk! I've cycled that route many times, and have never had to walk it before! I was horrified!

I don't know whether it was the wind, the recovering from flu, or just the amount of fitness I've lost over the last few weeks off, but I was not amused. In fact I swore at the wind, quite loudly, and about 10 seconds later, someone cycled past me from behind. I had been sure I was alone and unobserved - damn. Anyway, I did 8.5 miles in all.

Then today was my first visit to a local gym It was 'induction', which basically meant I spent half the time filling in a form and not much time actually exercising. Hopefully it will be useful in future though. The trainer I spoke to seemed to know a bit about plantar fasciitis, which was helpful. I did 10 mins on the bike, 10 mins on the cross trainer, 5 mins on the rower and 5 mins on the treadmill - just walking of course.

I've got my next session on Friday, which is going to focus on stretching and strength training. I'll need to check with Ms Physio which exercises she'll ban first though. I'm not supposed to twist in certain positions, and I have a feeling she won't approve of the rowing machine I used today.

At the end of the session today, the trainer showed me how to use the foam rollers. I've read a lot about using them for injury, especially ITB problems, but I'd never used them before. The trainer said it might be painful, but I lay down confidently on one thinking 'I'm use to sport massages, it can't be worse than that'. Then it got to my quads. Agony. I usually get sore quads after cycling, and this found all the sore spots. I had to stop pretty quickly.

I'm not sure if I'll go for those again, but I'm getting back in the fitness groove!

Let's start again

2011-01-30T20:51:00.000Z

Well that was a rubbish month. Honestly, I can't remember having such a bad January before! Thanks for all the kind comments on my last posts. I posted about being ill not only for sympathy, but in case anyone wondered why I wasn't blogging. Anyway, I know a lot of people think January's a miserable month anyway as it's cold and grey here, and Christmas is over, but I've always liked the whole 'starting afresh for the New Year' thing.

This year there has been nothing afresh about me. My body has refused to co-operate with my plans. Running is definitely STILL out, as neither of my feet seem to want me to put any pressure on them, and that flu has kept me away from exercise for the last 2 weeks.

But I'm finally feeling better! Woo-hoo! So I'm going to write January off and forget about it, and start my New Year tomorrow. I'm going to get up in the morning, weigh myself, take Robbie to school, cycle Emma to playgroup, and go for a bike ride. I can't bloody wait. I'm actually looking forward to feeling tired and achey afterwards, and moaning about 'DOMS' the next day.

Then for the next few weeks, I'm going to do more cycling when I have free time, and on Wednesday, I've got an appointment with a local gym. I'm getting an induction! - sounds painful. But hopefully that will give me another option when the weather is bad, and as a complement to the cycling.

I was going to set myself a target for a certain number of miles to cycle during February, but I looked at my diary and realised that we have half term right in the middle, which involves 10 consecutive school-free days and a visit from the in-laws. Exactly the kind of thing that could interfere with planned workouts. So I'm just going to aim to either cycle or go to the gym 3-4 times a week, depending on availibilty.

If that sounds a bit wishy-washy, it's the best I can do for the moment. I need to lose the last few Christmas pounds, and remember what it's like to feel fit and toned again, as I did way back at the start of December. Once I've managed to establish some sort of routine, I might have some clearer goals for March!

Memories of December

A week in flu

2011-01-23T19:48:00.000Z

Friday 14th: felt a bit sniffly, but managed a 9 mile bike ride. My first and so far only workout of 2011.

Saturday 15th: went to swimming pool with the kids, but felt too full of cold to get in, so watched from cafe. Spent the afternoon cuddling on the sofa watching Star Wars. Was heard to remark 'At least it's just a cold, and not flu like I had a couple of years ago. That was terrible!'

Sunday 16th: Got up, lay on sofa for about an hour, went back to bed. Stayed there all day. Decided it was, after all, flu.

Monday 17th: Dragged myself to school to drop off Robbie, got Emma to playgroup, then home for a doze on the sofa. Later I dozed on the sofa while kids watched endless Cbeebies (kids' channel).

Tuesday 18th: Called in sick to work. Took Robbie to school, and at 11.30am, took Emma to childminder. Went home. Lay down on bed for quick snooze at about 2pm, woke from deep sleep at 4.20pm.

Wednesday 19th: Much like Monday.

Thursday 20th: Felt a lot better. Went to work, which luckily involved me watching students' presentations rather than having to teach them anything.

Friday 21st: Morning much like Monday and Wednesday. Dragged myself and kids to shop in the afternoon to buy a present for 6 year old. Did not enjoy it.

Saturday 22nd: Woke up with searing headache all over left side of face and head. Went to work though - exam day. Invigilated in the morning, which was ok. After lunch did speaking exams. Only had 5, and found each one tougher than the last. Felt worse and worse, and eventually came home early, leaving someone else to mark writing exams. Terrible headache all evening.

Today: Slept in until about 11am. Spent most of day on sofa, dozing off again.

I am not usually one for daytime sleeping, in fact I struggle to sleep at night, so this has been an odd week. I just hope I feel better by next weekend...

A short post

2011-01-18T09:09:00.000Z

I've. Got. Flu.

That is all.

Whatever it takes...

2011-01-13T18:35:00.000Z

I had my 1,000,000,000th or so appointment with Ms Physio yesterday. Before going, I had decided that it was time to admit the truth - her treatment doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere, and it's perhaps time to investigate other options.

She reminded me that because of my curved spine, I am biomechanically freaky, and decided that as localised treatment on the foot has not worked, we should try some work on my back. Ms Physio thinks that my wonky posture and position of my pelvis is affecting my heel strike, and causing the heel pain. So she did some work on my lower back, and then put some tape on to keep it in position for a couple of days.

Tape to stop love-handles from wobbling

She's given me an exercise to do to engage my core, and apart from that, I'm not to do any exercise that involves twisting my torso. Hmph. This means no Jillian DVD, and obviously running is out, so if I want to get back in shape, I need to get my bike out again. I haven't cycled for a while, as we had piles of snow from the end of November onwards. Most of the remaining ice on the roads melted away today, so tomorrow, I must get out and start burning some calories. I've got half a stone of Christmas living to lose!

The other thing I'm not allowed to do is sit cross-legged, or with my legs bent up on the sofa, or with my feet tucked under me etc. Straight backed and upright, both feet on the floor! This is rather challenging. Just after Ms Physio told me this, I realised I was sitting looking at her with my legs crossed. Since then it's been a constant battle to sit comfortably.

But I keep reminding myself that I will do what it takes to be able to run again. If this doesn't work (and I'm sceptical of all potential solutions by now), it'll be the Podiatrist and maybe a steroid injection. Whatever it takes...

Nothing to lose

2011-01-09T19:50:00.000Z

When I wrote my last post I was feeling rather fed up about not running. So on Thursday I decided there was nothing to lose. After plenty of rest, I've still had foot pain, so I might as well let myself go for an occasional run, right? I wasn't going to risk doing anything rash though, and I just stuck to a 12 minute jog (about 1.2 miles).

Then yesterday, I tried another run, going up to 1.7 miles this time, in 16 minutes. By then it had snowed again, so I was being careful not to slip and add to my list of injuries.

Since then I've had the same foot pain as before - not enough to stop me running, but I know it could get like that pretty quickly. Anyway, at least I remembered what it's like to get out and run! There is something especially rewarding about running when it's cold - despite being someone who is always cold and loves central heating, for some reason I feel hardy and brave running in snow and ice.

I'll have to see what Ms Physio has to say on Wednesday, but meanwhile, I'm considering how exactly I'm going to lose the half stone I've put on over the holiday without regular running...

Hardy winter runner

New year, no change...

2011-01-05T19:03:00.000Z

It's been a while since my last post, and I haven't been reading other blogs as avidly as I usually do. This is because despite the fact that the year has changed and many people are planning new fitness beginnings and setting new sporting challenges, my foot has not got the memo. The pain in my heel does not seem to be getting any better.

In fact, I haven't done any exercise at all for over 2 weeks, but I am still getting just as much discomfort in my heel as before. I had hoped that a complete layoff of all activity would help, but no. It seems to me that this Plantar Fasciitis is not going to go away with rest alone. I've got a physio appointment for next week, but I think I'll ask to be referred to a podiatrist. So far, Ms Physio eased all the pain I got around the foot after hobbling through the Great North Run, but she hasn't really successfully got rid of the heel pain.

The last time I saw her, she gave me permission to try a run, but given that a few days later I could still feel the pain in my heel (and now I think I am getting it in the other foot as well), I decided that was probably not the best idea.

So I've had a very nice Christmas break, with my usual overindulgence but this time without any mitigating exercise. I weighed myself this morning, and I've put on about 6-7 pounds - not bad considering how greedy I am. Pete and I are still bravely wading through chocolate biscuits and Christmas cake, but next week, it'll be back to school and back to routine.

I need to get back on the bike (which I haven't done since before the snow), and set myself some new goals which don't involve running. I really miss it though, and sometimes I find it difficult to read other runners' blogs because it reminds me what I'm missing! So if I have been a bit quiet over the last few weeks, that's why.

I really hope to get back to blogging about running soon. Meanwhile I'll try to lose half a stone, and get some of my fitness back. Wish me luck with the physio next week...

Christmas Joy!

Christmas tags

2010-12-23T16:45:00.000Z

All of a sudden I have been tagged with a set of questions by not one, but two fellow bloggers! The questions are slightly different, so I've decided to put them all together in one Christmassy post. So thanks to Alma and akjenniekt for tagging me, and here goes...

1. What is your favourite time of day to run?
Like many runners, I prefer first thing in the morning. If it's a short run, around 3 miles or so, I'll get out of bed and go before breakfast, but for anything further than about 4-5 miles, I need to eat first and go about an hour later. I am a person who can do very little on an empty stomach. I love being outside when the world is just starting to wake up, and I also find it a great way to start the day. If I don't run in the morning, I might struggle to fit it in, and end up not finding time.

2. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Well, I really enjoy teaching English as a foreign language, so I wouldn't particularly want to change that. I like the idea of becoming a personal trainer though - I'm just not keen on the cost and time commitment of retraining...

3. Do you have a guilty food pleasure?
Oh yes, many. I absolutely love chocolate, and rarely go a day without it. I'm also very fond of biscuits and cake in general. The main meals I cook and eat are fairly healthy, but it's the puddings that let me down. (I don't feel very guilty about it though).

4. How and why did you start running?
I was always useless at running at school, and had no stamina at all. But one day a few years ago, I read in a book about a running programme where you started by interspersing 1 or 2 minutes of running with walking, and built up gradually to 20 mins of running. I'd always liked the idea of running, so I decided to try it, and after about 10 weeks or so, to my astonishment and delight, I was able to run for 20 mins! I enjoyed it so much, I started doing it regularly and kept increasing the distance.

5. Do you have any special Christmas time traditions?
Pete and I are just starting to create our own family traditions with the children. We usually stay at home for Christmas Day. The kids will open their stockings from Santa in the morning, and then we'll play a couple of games and go for a short walk while lunch is cooking. We have roast chicken, as none of us are very keen on turkey. Then, (if I have my way), the main presents under the tree are finally opened and savoured after lunch has been cleared away and washed up. After Christmas we tend to drive down south to visit as many relatives and friends as we can fit in over New Year.

6. What race/event are you most looking forward to in 2011?
Well after the last few months, I'll just be thrilled if I can run at all! I'd love to do some local half marathons, and 10ks, but I haven't planned anything specific yet.

7. What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2010?
This is easy - my first marathon! I really enjoyed the training and most of the race itself, and I'm still amazed that I managed to complete all 26.2 miles. I never thought I'd be able to run as much as 3 miles when I first started running, and I must admit, those last 6 miles were pretty tough. Unfortunately, I didn't do much else after that, and I've spent more time on the physiotherapist's table than pounding the streets in my trainers...

8. What are your goals for 2011?
I just want to get back to running regularly. If that goes well, I'd love to beat 2 hours in a half marathon race.

So I need to tag a couple of other runner bloggers - step forward Amy, Char and Fudgey.

I've wrapped all my presents now, and bought all the food we need (I hope), so I'm feeling pretty Christmassy. I'm really looking forward to the kids opening all their presents in a couple of days' time. I wish anyone who reads this blog a very merry and peaceful Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

At a Christmas market last week

One wedding and a birthday

2010-12-20T16:26:00.000Z

Last Tuesday (14th) was my birthday, and my thoughtful husband did his best to make it a good one. On the day itself, I had to go to work, and I was going out for dinner with a group of ex-colleagues for Christmas, so he gave me my presents on birthday eve. I got one of these!

It's an i-touch, (not a phone), and it is fabby! It means I can keep a load more music than on my previous little i-pod mini; as well as photos, videos, games, and it also has a camera and video camera, and can connect to the internet! It was an unexpected and over the top gift, so I was really excited.

Working on my birthday wasn't the best, and with busy weekends before and after, we didn't celebrate in any special way. But on Wednesday evening, Pete came home early, and brought a chocolate cake to share with the kids - yum.

On Wednesday morning, I finally managed to attend a snow-free physio appointment, and got the go-ahead to try a run again. I'm not getting carried away with excitement though, as this will be my second attempt to run again since this started. So on Weds evening (just before the chocolate cake), I wrapped up warm and stumbled out on the snowy pavement for a little run! It was quite odd, as I've been wearing my orthotics almost constantly for a while now, and I've got used to them when walking. But when I started running, they felt really different. They will change the way I run, so Ms Physio said I should expect a few aches and pains, and to start slowly.

Anyway, I managed a whole mile in a speedy 11 minutes. I ran on the road as I didn't want to add ice and snow into the mix. It would be just my luck to slip and get a new injury. But it was lovely to be out running again, and the best birthday present I could have wished for (apart from the i-touch of course...).

I'm going to take it as slowly and carefully as I can, as I'm not convinced that my heel is much better. I still get the same pain occasionally, and I'm pretty sure that if I start running a lot it'll come straight back. But I can't bear the thought of not running for another few weeks or months. I'm not too bothered about getting back to the speed and endurance level I was at before, not yet anyway. I just want to be able to go for a run, a few times a week. Otherwise I am going to balloon, what with all the Christmas food coming up - mmmmmm.

I also had the opportunity to stuff my face this weekend, as it was Pete's sister's wedding. Despite heavy snow all over Britain and some horrendous travel disruption, we were lucky enough to fly to the South of England and back without too many problems.

It was a white snowy wedding, and unfortunately the evening party was cancelled due to the weather, but there should be some beautiful photos taken outside. There was red wine, goulash, lasagne, a mincemeat tart, fruit cake, cup cakes, chocolate mints (all of which I sampled), and on Sunday morning, stomach ache.

Now there's only a few days until Christmas, and I feel totally unprepared. The snow is back, although not as bad as before, and we need to get to a supermarket! I must think about what we're going to have for Christmas day lunch...mmm...

2 excited wedding guests in their party clothes

A small thaw

2010-12-13T18:32:00.000Z

Due to my useless hurty foot's refusal to heal, it's been about 3 months since I went running with my JogScotland group. On Saturday night, it was our annual Christmas dinner, so I tottered down the road on the icy pavements to the restaurant to see everyone.

It was a really good evening, with friendly company, delicious food, plenty of wine, and our group awards. Each year, the group leader makes a short speech reviewing what has been achieved during the year - mainly involving races - and she gives out awards to those who have done something special, e.g. most improved runner, most dedicated runner, most spectacular fall etc. This was my second appearance at their Christmas dinner, and last year, I was a newbie to the group, and sat wondering what I might achieve in 2010.

However, the round-up of running was rather depressing for me this year. The high point was when we got to May and the Edinburgh marathon was mentioned: I got a round of applause from the group for my first marathon, which was sweet. But as we went over the rest of the year, there was a list of races which I had entered but not run; run last year and wanted to do again; or just planned to run for the first time.

It made me realise that the last few months of this year have been a total write-off as far as running is concerned. I'm glad I did the marathon, but I wonder if all those extra miles were responsible for the various injuries I've had. I was running really well in July and August, right up until I got the pain in my heel which I haven't recovered from yet.

Anyway, the snow and ice of the last few weeks has meant that I probably wouldn't have been running much even if I'd been fit. At the end of last week, we finally saw a rise in temperatures, and a lot of the snow melted away - hooray! Since then though, it's been freezing - literally - and the roads are very icy, and the rest of the snow is hanging around like a bad smell. We are forecast more cold weather, and more snow at the end of this week - nooooooooo! I hope the weathermen are wrong!

Icicles on our roof which have gone at last!

Still snowing, still shredding...

2010-12-06T19:06:00.000Z

Having been snowed in last week and with all of us in our little flat instead of at school or work, we were really pleased on Sunday to be able to dig out the car and drive it to the supermarket! The roads weren't too bad, there was some definite melting and thawing going on, and there seemed to be sunlight at the end of the snow-tunnel.

Then we got up this morning. Unforecast and unwanted, there was a new, thick layer of snow. We battled through to school, but they had to close around lunchtime. We had heavy snowfall all morning, until about 2pm. By then, the paths and roads were covered again, the trains and buses were all cancelled, and I was thoroughly grumpy.

It is supposed to warm up a bit at the end of the week, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Although Robbie was pretty bored with staying at home all last week, he did have fun joining in with me and Jillian. Emma often starts the first few exercises, but she gets bored very quickly. Robbie has been great though - he stayed for the whole routine (level 2 of the 30-day shred) for 6 days in a row! I was impressed. (Disclaimer - of course he didn't actually do any of it seriously - I'm not a maniac).

Strength training with homemade 'weights'

Every day he asked 'Is it the same one again?', and then he had a constant running commentary that was always the same : 'What is Julian doing now?' 'She talks too much' 'Julian's not doing all the exercises properly, is she..' 'What are those people in the back called?' 'I need to hold on to a piece of furniture for this one' etc etc. It was fun doing it together, if a little off-putting.

Princess Emma joins the party

This morning, while he was briefly at school, I did Level 3 for the first time. Blimey. That was HARD WORK. It was manageable, but only with me doing the suggested 'beginner modifications' in some parts. Having used some new muscles digging the snow off of our path on Saturday, I was already aching before I started, and I'm sure I'll wake up to a whole new set of aches tomorrow.

Stretching out in the cooldown

I've got my postponed Physio appointment on Wednesday, but if Emma's playgroup is still closed (and it is tomorrow), I'll have to postpone it again. So no progress on the foot for the moment. I must admit, I'm not particularly tempted to run in knee-deep snow and freezing temperatures, so perhaps it's good timing!

Needing to 'hold on to a piece of furniture'

Snow joke...

2010-12-02T18:01:00.000Z

Well, what a week it's been! The snow that arrived on Saturday was just a tiny taster of what was coming, and it has snowed every day since. We have been well and truly stuck for the last couple of days, with the car buried under a blanket of white. Robbie's school, Emma's playgroup and my college have all been closed all week, while Pete managed one hellish day of commuting. I have never seen snow like this.

Our 'road'

We are totally unprepared for such large amounts of snow. The kids don't have waterproof trousers or snowsuits, and neither do I, and we really wish we'd bought a sledge before they all sold out! It's crazy here.

Sunset this afternoon

We managed a walk to the local shop on Monday, but it was so cold, and it took so long that I told Pete to turn round and take the kids home before we got there, while I went on. On Tuesday we managed to post a letter (just) and on Wednesday, we stayed in all day.

The cycle path

Today we set off for the local shop again, in need of food supplies, but we met our neighbours on the way, and they told us that the shops are out of bread and milk, as the lorries have not been able to deliver. So we had a little stroll in the snow and came back.

Our village

Tomorrow we'll all be staying at home again, and then I'm hoping there'll be a little thawing over the weekend. It is forecast to stay very cold though. Meanwhile, I rescheduled today's physio appointment for next week, and I've been doing Level 2 of Jillian every day. In fact yesterday, I did that as well as 20 mins of Davina's Cardio-box! Must have been cabin fever...

An 'arty' shot!

Snow Excuses

2010-11-29T10:56:00.000Z

With the arrival of Pete's parents on Thursday came a few days off of exercising (well I wasn't going to star jump around the living room while they read the paper), and a weekend of pre-Christmas indulgence. This included a huge tin of chocolate biscuits (Cadbury's, no less); bottles of wine with dinner; hot chocolate in the local cafe, etc... the list goes on. After they'd gone, I also had a lunch out with the school Mums, which involved more wine and also, profiteroles.

This early festive naughtiness was capped off yesterday with our first snow of this winter, which put a stop to the vague plans I had to get out on my bike. It also left us unable to get to the supermarket before lunch, so we had to raid the freezer for sausages and frozen chips.

In front of our house

More snow is forecast for the next few days, so I won't be getting out much, but yes, I have to concede that this is no excuse for not doing my DVD. I can't let Jillian down any longer. Meanwhile, although inconvenient, the snow is quite pretty.

I love a snow-covered tree

Level 2

2010-11-22T18:09:00.000Z

After 6 consecutive days of doing level 1 of Jillian Michaels' shred (and 9 days altogether) I decided it was time to up the ante and try level 2. So on Sunday I did. Yikes! I was definitely more sweaty than after level 1! It's still quite do-able, but there are a few sections I have to modify because they just hurt.

I'm definitely getting more toned, and it fits into my daily routine quite easily. After taking Robbie to school, Emma and I come home and she watches while I get all sweaty and achey, and she joins in with some of the exercises, until she gets bored. We sort of have fun, but I think I'd rather be running.

My fitness mat in my 'home gym'

2 long weeks...

2010-11-18T20:12:00.000Z

Usually spending a large amount of money on running accessories is enough to put a smile on my face, but this was not the case today. I had an appointment with Ms Physio this morning. She had decided that since a long period of rest had not improved my foot situation, it was time to try something else. So she ordered me some orthotics, which I picked up today.

They are to be inserted into my trainers to change the position of my feet, to take the pressure off of the heel. I tried them on, and they felt pretty uncomfortable. They feel really bulky just under the arch. So my instructions are to break them in over the next couple of weeks. I have to get my feet used to them on a frustratingly gradual basis - 1 hour wearing them today; 2 hours tomorrow etc. This is because the change in my feet's position will affect the mechanics of how I run and walk.

Look how thick they are!

Eventually, I should get used to wearing them so that I don't notice them anymore (hopefully), and then - and only then - I might be ready to try a run. So I've got an appointment in 2 weeks' time, to see how I get on with them.

I can't believe I've got to wait another 2 weeks! To be honest, I wasn't expecting to start running straight away, especially as I still get some pain in my heel even without running. But 2 more weeks! By then it'll be 12 weeks since I first got the pain (or as Pete put it, a quarter of the year!!!!). Horrendous.

Meanwhile, I've been doing Jillian's shred, and I've managed 5 consecutive days this week. I also had a 6-mile bike ride, so I'm keeping things ticking over. I know the bright pink insoles look really cool in my trainers - I just hope the expensive, uncomfortable things work.

Funky...

Pigging out

2010-11-15T11:04:00.000Z

Not the healthiest weekend. On Friday morning I chose to concentrate on a bit of Christmas shopping instead of going for a cycle. The shops are already getting busy, so I want to avoid having to go too often in December - I hate crowds.

Then that evening I had a babyshower to attend. It was with my Jog Scotland group, who I haven't seen for a couple of months, since I haven't been running. Two of the running ladies are pregnant, and we had a fun evening of games, chat, red wine, sausage rolls, pizza and cupcakes.

Then on Saturday I was working all day, so no time for exercise, and in the evening we had friends round for board games, pizza and beer. On Sunday, the opportunity for a rare lie-in was somewhat more appealing than a bike ride, so I missed out again.

After that I was feeling like a right lazy, greedy piggy, so in the afternoon, I managed to fit in 30 mins with Jillian Michaels and her DVD while Pete took the kids out. It was a relief to do some exercise at last. It wasn't the best session though, as I started jumping around shortly after a delicious and very filling lunch of sausage and bean stew. I don't think I did my digestion any favours there.

A new recipe we'll definitely have again!

This morning I am back on track having got up at 6.30am to do 30 mins of Pilates, and after taking Robbie to school, I came back and did the Jillian Michaels again. I know I'm going to enjoy indulging in plenty of great food and drink at Christmas, so I need to keep on top of things a bit until then, running or no running!

Lacking inspiration

2010-11-11T19:54:00.000Z

I've been feeling a bit uninspired about blogging this week. The distinct lack of running has made it increasingly difficult to contribute to a blog with the word 'runner' in its title. I haven't done any running at all since the last post - I have been very sensible, well done me - but I haven't been sitting on the sofa eating chocolate all week.

While I wait for my foot to stop mucking about and behave itself, I've been sticking to the cycling and the DVDs. My short term goal is to do at least 30 mins of structured exercise a day, and in the long term, I'm hoping to tone things up a bit, and improve my balance and core stability. This should hopefully help to prevent injury when I get back to running (but I won't hold my breath).

On Sunday I wrote out a plan for the week, and I've more or less stuck to it. I'm mixing pilates; Jillian Michael's cardio, strength and abs routine; and cycling. Although I'm not as aerobically fit as I was when I was running regularly, I think I have noticed a bit more definition in my biceps- yay! No doubt the six-pack will be making an appearance soon...

My busy exercise diary!

And yesterday I went to see Ms Physio to break the news that the foot pain is back. She has decided that the next step is to order a pair of orthotic inserts for my trainers. They'll arrive next week, and then I suppose I'll try running again. I'm not feeling too optimistic though. I can't imagine it'll be as simple as that...

I'm not too upset about the lack of running at the moment. I'm trying to see it as an opportunity to do other things, and to give my body a break from its various running injuries. I'm hoping that if I keep up the other stuff, I really can tone some muscles up and build my core strength, which will all make me fitter overall. On the other hand, if Ms Physio does give me permission for a run next week, I'll be out there like a shot!