First Run of 2011

Not a particularly pretty affair but here are the highlights.

The route takes us down in towards Linlithgow Bridge but we cut off the road to run along the river Avon and up onto the Union Canal back into Linlithgow and down into our estate.

• ~ 4 miles
• Roads, track and canal
• Includes hills
• 45 minutes

At the moment the river Avon is high, with melting snow and plenty of rain, the path was actually washed away at points. However given that I am now the proud owner of a set of black and purple trail trainers I ran with a new found confidence. Running alongside the river is amazing, really scenic especially when following Husband off piste!

The run uphill towards the canal while challenging from the point of view that I was trying not to slip into the Avon itself it was the Canal that generated a loud 4 lettered sweary word beginning with F! The path while nice and flat, as you would expect for a Canal, was full of puddles that left me with a choice: Jump left into a great big jaggy bush or jump right and possibly go for a swim!!

On one particularly long and wide puddle I opted for a left jump and my foot went down deep into the mud. Instantly I could feel my toes wet with mud. This incidently is the first time I have taken these new trainers out so I was already sporting a blister (this is a norm for me when it comes to running. Vasaline on the arches seems to sort it out but I am ever optimistic that I can run without getting a blister. This is turning into a denial issue rather than an optimistic thing!).

When we got back I had that high that you get from being in the fresh air and when I pulled my mud encrusted trainers off my little brown mud coated feets looked back at me proudly, almost as if to say "Can we go out agin?" It's just my leg muscles and lungs that are holding me back!

As I mentioned on a previous blog I am signed up for the Snowdon Marathon so with the first run of the year under my belt and have 41 weeks to go until the big event. Hopefully a 3 mile uphill run can be done far more easily . . .

Keep on Running

A year ago I took part in my first 10k in years in Linlithgow and managed 1 hour 3 minutes. It's a course known to be a challenge for any pb aspiring runner and I took comfort in that. However it was also the kick that I needed to get my running going.

In the last 12 months I have participated in a number of 10ks getting faster each time. I even had the confidence to set a 55 minute target in order to raise money of Alzheimer Scotland.

Linlithgow

• Not Chipped- but there is a klaxon, a stop watch and a lot of marshalls, so that has to be accurate, right?!
• Hill Climb factor*: 8/10
  
• Scenic
• For the more serious of runners (no fun runners need apply)
• Highlight- The first 10k in 5 or more years and my base line. There were no highlights to this other than the walk I needed to take to avoid having an ambulance called. I nearly cried when I saw Little Sis cheering me on at 9.5k a broken woman.

Strathclyde Country Park

• Not Chipped
• Hill Climb factor: 4/10
• Scenic
• Good support & atmosphere
• Highlight- This was a Tesco "Run for Life" where the runners all had "I'm doing it for..." and I had mine filled out in memory of those who are no longer around because of cancer. On approaching my Husband he let out a supportive roar of "DO IT FOR ME!". While I slogged on I had a number of supportive runners pass me with comments and sympathetic smiles. I didn't have the heart or the breath in me to say "He's not got cancer, he just wants me to do a decent time"

Lincoln

• Chipped
• Hill Climb factor: 2/10
  
• Residential
• Poor support & lacking atmosphere
• Highlight- While I shaved some more time off it was the people who over took me that stood out and spurred me on. A bare foot runner, an octogenarian celebrating his birthday, a couple of purple suited gimps - one fat and one thin- (obviously) and three super hero's. Thankfully no comedy fun running toilets passed me.

Edinburgh

• Chipped
• Hill Climb factor: 7/10
  
• Scenic
• Good support & atmosphere
• Highlight- I can proudly say I ran with Ron Hill. For the uninitiated/uninterested he is Mr Running and while he is in his silver fox days he was still too quick for me to keep up. However coming round and down the Mound I managed a 100m run with my dear friend (a fundraiser for Marie Curie) and had a fantastic roaring cheer from my Husband at the foot of the Mound (despite his beer fest hangover he managed to find me and make sure I heard him) got me to the finish line. Where my little capped head can be seen on the corner of a TV interview! A celebrity at last.

Glasgow

• Chipped
• Hill Climb factor: 5/10
  
• Fantastic support & atmosphere
• Highlight-Watching some innocent park walkers get heckled by a bunch of red faced runners for not supporting and encouraging the Sunday morning female plight (it was a women only event). Only for my Husband to be cheered back loudly by said hecklers for cheering me on. He generated a lot of envious runners who then over took me. I was 5 seconds shy of my target time but I had the support of my Grandparents, Uni friend (who amusing mentioned a work nick name- The Princess of Darkness. She works in HR, self explanatory that one), Great Aunt M and as ever my number one fan - Husband

Linlithgow

• Same format as last year.
• Hill Climb factor: 9/10**
  
• Scenic (as ever in sunny Linlithgow)
• limited support in the sticks
• Highlight- In a very un-lady like manger I have found that spitting, while not speeding me up, does make breathing a bit easier. The ettiquette is not to spit on another runner. So, when mid spit out of the corner of my eye I spied a fellow runner I quickly turned my head and let leash. Only to have a mouthful of my own gob make a half hearted attempt a leaving my mouth, dangle off my chin before hitting my leg. Its a popular run and I had this happen twice. You are not a proper runner unless you have had the indignity of spitting on yourself. . .

I suspect my time will not have improved having taken an unconventional approach to training. I didn't do any. Well, I tried to convince Husband that a series of LBT classes would give me the cardio I required to get through and maintain a good time (still sub 60 min). I can confirm that LBT isn't as effective as actually pulling on your trainers but I am not going to admit that yet. At least until the times are published.

There is a half marathon in about 7 weeks (7th Nov) and I am thinking my new challenge is not about time but about distance. So having completed the Linlithgow 10k on Sunday (26th Sept) and tucked another LBT today (27th Sept) I am planning on a run tomorrow. . .

As I write this the results are in and  I am nothing if not consistent (determined, neurotic and a number of various other descriptors!).

Linlithgow 2010: 1hr 3 min.

courtesy of me

* 10- a vertical climb, 1- a canal
** o.k so the route was unchanged from last year but I am certain that the hills were steeper this year than last.