Week 8 & 9

Week 8

Day 1

My usual Tuesday morning run was cut short as we were having our windows replaced first thing, so I had a sprinting race with Joe to the local park and back just to try and get something done. It wasn't even a mile but was pretty hard work anyway! 

Day 2

After a disappointing first run and the 10 miler looming I felt determined to get out and run 8 miles. It was only 2 miles further than I had already run the week before and only 2 miles short of what I was supposed to run the following Sunday so it felt achievable but also closer to my goal. I planned my route and set off. It soon occurred to me that I hadn't factored in a huge hill for the first 2 miles, but as I felt good and determined I powered on. It didn't last long though, I got to the top of the hill and almost passed out, the whole world was spinning around me. I felt so bad I called my husband to come and pick me up. Could have had something to do with the bottle of wine and lack of sleep I had the night before so I vowed to have another try tomorrow minus the hill and wine. 

Day 3

Joe agreed to come out with me today so I had a bit of company. He was going to just run 5k then head home but he ended up doing the whole 7 miles with me. Yes I said 7, it was supposed to be 8 but the whole run felt horrible so I was happy to just through that much. Starting to really panic about the 10 miler now, but my friend Nat who I was running it with assured me that we can just run 10k then have a walk and just take it really easy so I felt much better. 

Week 9

The week leading up to the run I did nothing again. I think I had slipped into denial and I didn't need to do anything coupled with the fact we are really busy with the sale of our house and the temperature has really dropped making it less than desirable to get out there. so somehow the week slipped away and I found myself on Sunday morning wondering what on earth I was doing. 

I checked the weather the night before and there was a weather warning for snow and ice. Excellent I thought, it's going to be hell. I got myself ready and set off with my family in tow for moral support. "Just kick their butts Mum" my youngest's advice was. Good advice Austin, thanks. 

I can tell you the moment the reality hit. We pulled into the car park at Guy's and there were very professional looking runners everywhere all limbering up drinking tea (tea! Will you not need a wee half way round?!). I made the worst mistake I could then and checked the previous years results, this is when my heart sank. The past three years everyone had come in under 2 hours. If I wanted to do that I had to retain the pace I had for my 6 mile run I had done. So, I had to run as fast and 4 miles further with no walking allowed to make 2 hours. It was never going to happen, this was just going to be embarrassing and I was going to come last place by a long way. I wanted to go home. 

Natalie arrived so I had no choice but to get out there and give it a go. I went to get my number and checked out the route, but actually didn't look too bad and at least it was flat, no hills to contend with. We set off and thankfully Nat kept the same snail pace as me and we soon found ourselves bringing up the rear. The first 4 miles the weather was very unkind and there were strong winds blowing right at us so it felt like we weren't getting anywhere, that was tough but at the halfway point we turned with the wind behind us and we were able to pick up a bit of speed and overtake 4 people! That felt good, I wasn't last! 

Past mile 7 I started to really tire especially as that is the furthest I had ever run and I had it in my head this would be the point I would have to limp home. We got to mile 8 which felt great and Nat powered on ahead of me. Those last 2 miles I felt like I was in the twilight zone. It felt never ending like I was just running on the spot and not getting anywhere. All I kept thinking in my head is that if I stop to walk I would never run again so I had to just keep going but that was the hardest thing ever. Then it started hailing. Eventually after what felt like a lifetime I saw the end in sight, I still kept a slowish pace as the last thing I needed was to collapse so close to the finish, as I got near to the finish clock I saw the time of 2:00:01. I can't believe I had been so close to getting under 2 hours, I had no idea how that just happened, so my happiness allowed me to run as fast as I could to get a time of 2 hours 1 minute! I was ecstatic and I didn't come last!

Looking rather red faced with our cheese medals!

What I have learned

That I can do it and it wouldn't be so bad to come last, someone has to, I still felt fantastic for my personal achievement. 

My goals

To take it easy over Christmas. We are moving house in 2 weeks so will be busy with that then I can pick it up in Jan and aim for the marathon in April! 

Feeling

Amazing, my goal was to be able to run 10k comfortably by Christmas and I have just run 10 miles, albeit not very comfortably but has given me a huge boost that my goal is achievable which I have never believed until now. Saying that though the thought of running another 16.2 miles after that feels me with absolute dread...

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Week 6 & 7

Week 6
Day 1
Determined to go out slower today I started off at a snails pace and it paid off. I got round my usual 5k route and decided to go further because I felt that good. I dropped Joe off at home and ran, feeling loads better than when I just set off. This is where it has all clicked into place with me. I felt that buzz that people always talk about that I always thought was a myth and only people who were 'born to run' could experience. I went for 4 miles and made it feeling fantastic. This has definitely given me a new lease of life for running and achieving my goal.

Day 2
We spent the weekend up at my parents house in Ambleside. This is always a worry as there is so much food and alcohol there it's easy to fall into a sloth like existence, but I was determined to go out. Saturday morning I woke up and went back to sleep, it wasn't going to happen.

Then my husband decided to show me up and went for a casual 10k run around the mountains (he's the type who was born to run, grrr). So I felt my competitive spirit coming out and I got up on Sunday morning and set off out to the hills. Wow, it was so difficult! I don't know how these fell runners do it. Downhill was harder than uphill, I tentatively placed my feet on all the rocks attempting to avoid the slippy ones and the leaves and moss and sheep poo, there were death traps everywhere!

And then I found myself in a bog surrounded by sheep, thinking I was going to get stuck and eaten alive slowly because no-one would find me. It was a pretty harrowing experience so felt like I had achieved a lot when I found myself back at the safety of my parents house. However, I looked at my Nike+ and it said I had done a measly 2.7 miles! But I am thinking my GPS didn't work properly because I had been out for an hour and it only said I was out for 37 minutes, that's my excuse anyway...it made me feel better.

Week 7
Day 1
The hill/bog running had paid off! 6.05 miles (the .05 is very important)! Almost 10k, in fact I would have done 10k if my GPS had been set to km instead of miles. Best feeling ever after that run! Took me 1 hour 14, but each mile was faster than the last and felt great, so could probably get a good time if I had really pushed myself.

To celebrate I booked myself a place on the Guys 10 mile road race. Not much of a prize I think you'll agree but after that run I feel like I can really do it so am going to really go for it and try to get way beyond the 10k (16k I think it works out to be). Even if I have to walk some of it at least I'm getting the distance in and can build on speed.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to get out again this week, but am planning another big run tomorrow in Week 8 so will hopefully be able to get a few good runs in so will report back next week on the build up to my 10 miler!



What I have learned
Never trust a GPS, or sheep

My Goals
To get beyond 10k

Feeling
Amazing after my 10k breakthrough!

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Weeks 4 & 5

I'm combining these weeks together just so I can cheat as Week 4 was a bit of a write off.

Day 1

Went out in the morning with Joe and tried to go for 5k but struggled so cut it short. Felt rubbish and legs were still very sore. Couldn't catch Joe again.

Day 2 & 3

Didn't happen! We were busy with selling our house and hosting a Halloween party, although I think because I was so disappointed with day 1 I didn't have any motivation to go out again anyway.

So, without further ado I will skip to Week 5!

Day 1
Horrible rainy dark Tuesday morning I managed to peel myself away from my nice warm bed and get out there. I dragged Joe out of his slumber and we set off onto the streets. 

A lot of training advice I have read says to keep your pace 'conversational'. Personally I didn't think the two were very compatible, when I run I breathe so heavily I can't hear anything else. Picture a red sweaty puffing and panting, headband wearing mass and you have me. Not exactly a conversation starter.

So I set off as slowly as I could to try and maintain a conversation with Joe, and it worked! I'm usually running as fast as I can to get the pain over with more quickly, no wonder I can't go very far! But this time I felt really good. We did 3 miles and I felt I could have gone further, my pace also increased with every mile so I was obviously feeling good (lets ignore the fact the second two miles are more downhill).

I think the rest did my legs good also as they felt a lot better than after previous runs. 

Day 2

Same again. Didn't feel as good but managed it a little quicker with a sprint finish which was fun!

Day 3 

Same again, although Joe pushed me to start quicker to try and get our time down to under 30 mins so I obliged but the inevitable happened and I ended up having to walk after the first mile. Really annoyed with myself so went a wee bit further (actually tried a shortcut but got lost so ended up having to run further!) and did a sprint finish again.

So you can see from this weeks activity my mood got worse throughout the week and run 3's pace ended up being the same as week 1 even though I went out faster because I had to walk, so the moral of the story is...

What I have learned
To start slow!!!!

My Goals
To build up to 4 miles next week

Feeling
Quite proud I've run 9.17 miles in a week and feel fine for it. My legs are obviously building up some resistance finally and dare I say it...it's getting easier...?

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Week 3

I've started noticing a lot of people asking how far I am running. I suppose it's their yard stick for how close to marathon standards I am, judging whether they think I am going to make it or not. When I reluctantly/embarrassingly tell them how far they either look very worried for me or laugh hysterically at me.

The truth is I am probably not even going to get to marathon standards, not on any self-respectful level, but that's not necessarily my aim. My aim is to do the best I can with a body that has suffered years of neglect in the short amount of time I have available to me. If that means that I don't run very far then please don't judge me, I am doing the best I can. As long as I get out three times a week I'm sure I will start to see improvements along the way, which will then give me the confidence to start thinking about the challenge ahead. But until then I have to just do what I can, when I can.

Mid-run selfie with my son Joe looking very red faced 

Here is how this week has gone down:

Day 1

Nada, nil, nothing. My legs huuurt beyond belief, I struggle to walk so am trying to rest them, even cycling or swimming is looking painful to me. Getting a bit depressed also that I can't even do the simplest things

Day 2

Today I am determined. No matter how much it hurts I am just going to get out there. As a friend pointed out, no matter how bad you think a run has gone you will be better and stronger for your next run. So I managed 15 minutes again and only my right leg hurt, 50% less pain I can deal with! Feeling so happy at this point as it was so frustrating not being able to run it actually felt really good to be out there no matter how short

Day 3

Yes! I managed 20 minutes then walked for a bit and a further 5 minutes run home. Feeling ace :) and for those of you who ask 2.5 miles, which may sound pitiful but it was my own little marathon

What I have learned

To take my time and not worry about the standard other people think I should be running at

My Goals 

To just get out there three times and see what I can do

Feeling
Pretty good, long may this continue!

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Week 2

It was all going so well...this is this weeks efforts:

Day 1 - My weekly 6am run, this time with my 10 year old son Joe. I was quite glad he agreed to come with me as it was so dark it's probably not safe to run around the park on my own. I figured I could throw Joe in the attackers way for a quick escape. At least, I would if I could catch him, he was sprinting circles around me. You can just see his silhouette in the spooky picture I took, way ahead of me. 

It was good having the company though and made me relax a bit more and not be so tense whilst running. I managed run 15, walk 2, run 5, hooray I'm getting there! To the beginning of my running schedule, hmmm.

Day 2 - This is where it all goes wrong. I was determined to run 15, walk 2, run 10. I had planned out my route I was feeling good and happy I was making progress. But I ran 15 and my legs were in agony, the dreaded shin splints, I had to walk home without any more running. I figured I just needed to rest them a couple of days and I'll be fine when it comes to my third run of the week.

Day 3 - My legs still felt sore but I didn't want it to stop me, it's not as though I'm doing much yet, I'll just have to run through it. So I got ready Sunday morning, went out and managed to get to the bottom of the road before I turned back. My problem is I don't know what pain is OK to run through and when I'm just being a wimp, I think it's a fine line. I went home and did yoga instead, and you know how people say that yoga feels like you haven't really done anything...yeah that. 

What I have learned
That I need to get fitter so I can catch my 10 year old to use as defence.

My Goals
Cycling or swimming to try and keep me active until my legs feel a lot better and can get back on it.

Feeling
Very frustrated as my first goal I set myself I have failed on.

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Week 1

Well I still hate running, but I feel good for actually getting through the first week without wanting to throw the towel in completely.

I'm likening running to child birth at the moment. At the time (and a little after) it's hell and I want it to be over and I swear to myself that this will never happen again, ever. But after a while I forget the pain and think there was nothing to it, it was a breeze, a walk in the park (or a run). I'm currently thanking this philosophy for my motivation to get out there each time, but I'm not sure how I'm going to feel around the 26/27 baby mark.

At the moment I am not setting myself any major targets, just going out running and seeing exactly how unfit I really am. I'm making sure I go out 3 times a week and trying to build up any kind of stamina. This is how this week has panned out...

Day 1 - I looked at a 10k fitness schedule provided by Bupa and it said 'Day 1 - Run 15 minutes, Walk 2 minutes, Run 15 minutes'. Easy, right? So I set off, ran 15 minutes, nearly passed out and limped home.

This is going to be more difficult than I thought.


Day 2 - Got up at 6am (get me!) Went out while it was still dark and ran 15 minutes, was almost sick but walked at a brisk pace home. It was actually really nice running without loads of people to watch me red faced puffing and panting. When I got in however I was nearly crying my lower legs hurt that much, I had to sit with frozen peas on them, much to the amusement of my ever supportive family (cough)!

Day 3 - Ran 15 minutes, walked 2 minutes then ran (hoooray) 2 minutes home (hmmm).

What I have learned

Weirdly, I run with my right thumb up, I don't know why, I tried to stop but it felt wrong. Here's a picture of it, obviously mid-run so it's a bit fuzzy...

My Goals

To get to the end of week 2 being able to run 15 minutes, walk 2, run 15 minutes by Sunday, even if I nearly pass out or am sick.

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I hate running...

It happened. A while back I had signed up for the London Marathon. For years I knew of people trying to get a place and failing, so I figured I'll sign up for it. I can be one of those runners without actually having to run. I'd just have to act disappointed when I get my rejection and join in with the 'oh dear, maybe next year' club. At least I could say I've tried to run a marathon, just not tried too hard.

But as fate would have it, I got home to a 'You're In!' staring up at me from the welcome mat. I immediately checked my husbands post to see his decision and saw the 'Sorry Not This Time' peeping through the plastic wrap. My immediate thought? "Why me?" Someone up there was having a right old laugh at me.

I later discovered not only had my husband not got a place but at least 7 people I know hadn't. These were all desperate for the opportunity, seasoned runners who put a whole lot of effort in to keeping fit and achieving great things through running. I felt a little sheepish, like a fraud who didn't deserve a place, because I guess that's what I am, I really don't want this! 

But I'm not going to let those who didn't get a place down, I have to run this and I have to do it the best I can which involves a) a whole lot of running (blergh) and b) a whole lifestyle change (no more wine). This to me is devastating, and anyone who knows me will realise this. I am going to hate my life for the next 7 months, but I only have myself to blame and who knows maybe something amazing will happen and I will start to enjoy it...

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