Sorry to build your hopes up, given my weeks of silence but this is not going to be a very long update of marathon length. . . more like an update on my marathon.
I have sent in a request to the Snowdon Marathon team asking if me and Husband could post-pone our entries until next year and offer this years spaces up to some other deserving runners.
We have been rather swamped with work and what seemed like a reasonable training schedule was impossible to keep to with weddings, hen parties, holidays, colds, wisdom teeth removals and the excuses keep on coming.
My challenges of this year have some what slipped by the way side- the cross stitch is now tucked away in a loft as we try to keep our flat minimal in order to sell it (buy it someone please, its a lovely wee first time flat!). The half marathon went when my wisdom tooth was pulled and the full marathon was wiped on the realisation that with about 8 weeks to go I am struggling to run 5k let alone 42k (26 miles). On balance it is not worth killing myself over so I am "rescheduling" rather than admitting defeat!!
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Holiday Highlights
I write this between loads of washing. We are currently having to pick our way through the piles of organised post holiday clothes that are grouped up in the hall trying to make their way to the washing machine.
So I have some down time between the holiday and going back to work on Monday, what better way to spend it than curled up on the couch with Husband watching formula 1 and surfing the net for ways to take our new holiday skills further.
I am not going to bore you with all the photos of blue skies, clear water, bottles of sun tan lotion etc etc. Just thought it might be worth running you through some of our holiday highlights!
Lesvos (pro-nounced Lesbos) is indeed a very popular destination for Ladies who prefer Ladies - we arrived during an International Womens Festival which might explain the high degree of same sex couples. Have to confess I did think it was a bit of a myth but it would appear not.
It is also a popular destination for cats. I have been quietly working away at Husband on the merits of having a pet cat ourselves but the last fortnight might have changed even my cat loving mind. Being stared at by 6 sets of catty eyes while you eat is very disconcerting and makes for a difficult meal.
We went for a 9k run in the early afternoon. Madness you might think, given the high temperatures in the mid day, but it was a cool damp morning and not likely to get better with a storm forecast for later in the day. We thought we'd take advantage of the cooler temperature and be back before the lightening started to flash.
The route would take us up a hill where a radio mast was located but that would give us spectacular views of island.
We didn't make it to the top.
We very nearly did but the thunder and lightening was starting to build up, so rather than continue working our way up to a large metal structure we decided it would be best to make a hasty decent. By hasty I mean as quick as my legs would take me. We were running along roads that were 20 minutes earlier gravel/concrete but roads none the less. These were now clearly rivers- 3 inches of water at least, foot covering and worrying because you couldn't see where you were putting your foot- pot hole vs. solid ground!
Husband is now trying to work out quite how to put the fear of God into me when we are running back at home because the speed I was able to generate was according to him "very impressive compared to my normal speeds"
Neither of us got burnt and both of us had the most amazing time, with a couple of friends to help start the week off it was a much needed holiday in the sun.
Now to catch up on all those other blogs I have missed reading while I've been catching some late summer sun....
So I have some down time between the holiday and going back to work on Monday, what better way to spend it than curled up on the couch with Husband watching formula 1 and surfing the net for ways to take our new holiday skills further.
I am not going to bore you with all the photos of blue skies, clear water, bottles of sun tan lotion etc etc. Just thought it might be worth running you through some of our holiday highlights!
Lesvos (pro-nounced Lesbos) is indeed a very popular destination for Ladies who prefer Ladies - we arrived during an International Womens Festival which might explain the high degree of same sex couples. Have to confess I did think it was a bit of a myth but it would appear not.
It is also a popular destination for cats. I have been quietly working away at Husband on the merits of having a pet cat ourselves but the last fortnight might have changed even my cat loving mind. Being stared at by 6 sets of catty eyes while you eat is very disconcerting and makes for a difficult meal.
We went for a 9k run in the early afternoon. Madness you might think, given the high temperatures in the mid day, but it was a cool damp morning and not likely to get better with a storm forecast for later in the day. We thought we'd take advantage of the cooler temperature and be back before the lightening started to flash.
The route would take us up a hill where a radio mast was located but that would give us spectacular views of island.
We didn't make it to the top.
We very nearly did but the thunder and lightening was starting to build up, so rather than continue working our way up to a large metal structure we decided it would be best to make a hasty decent. By hasty I mean as quick as my legs would take me. We were running along roads that were 20 minutes earlier gravel/concrete but roads none the less. These were now clearly rivers- 3 inches of water at least, foot covering and worrying because you couldn't see where you were putting your foot- pot hole vs. solid ground!
Husband is now trying to work out quite how to put the fear of God into me when we are running back at home because the speed I was able to generate was according to him "very impressive compared to my normal speeds"
Neither of us got burnt and both of us had the most amazing time, with a couple of friends to help start the week off it was a much needed holiday in the sun.
Now to catch up on all those other blogs I have missed reading while I've been catching some late summer sun....
Saturday, 2 July 2011
My First EVER Marathon- Pre Training Schedule
and possibly my only ever marathon.
I am two weeks from starting a 16 week training programme which culminates in The Snowdon Marathon.
I have had the best reaction to this and it has pretty much consisted of "Wow you are going to run up Snowdon?!" There is a huge amount of respect in the delivery of that remark.
Too much, so I quickly re-assure them that I am going to be running 26 miles around this beautiful Welsh mountain. But having seen the profile and driven the route I can assure you the inclines certainly look, and I suspect will feel, like I am running up the mountain.
I have only ever run 6 miles and racked up an array of t-shirts from my various 10k runs so I am taking this marathon very seriously. Hence the swim and the personal training sessions. And the alcohol.
This is a strange one for me. For at most 12 years I have enjoyed at least a glass of wine every week, if not a smidge more at the end of a particularly tough week! Not a huge amount of alcohol and there may have been the odd stint when I didn't have any alcohol but nothing like this.
As I write this I am at 21 days of being totally alcohol free. And I am quite proud of this feat and plan to make it to the 29th of October on the wagon as it were. However I have Lil Sis's Hen, followed 7 days later by their wedding, 2 weeks in Greece and my own 30th birthday. Peppered throughout with the occasional works night out where cocktails and glasses of wine tend to flow freely.
I am also slightly disturbed at how I have at times obsessed about how much I have longed for a rioja, chilled white wine or G&T. And by obsessed I mean I have had to find alternative ways to "relax" of a Friday/Saturday evening. Hot baths are quite good, reading and blogging of course seems to take my mind off it and the level of pride I am feeling is almost a bit scary.
If I can keep this up and stick to my training schedule then I am going to be at my absolute fittest. Things can go down hill after then if they like I'll still be able to hold my head high and say I have run a full marathon and that has included 5 months of being alcohol free.
I can't not toast my Lil Sis future happiness at their wedding but other than that this little girl is going to be T total for as long as possible!
I am two weeks from starting a 16 week training programme which culminates in The Snowdon Marathon.
I have had the best reaction to this and it has pretty much consisted of "Wow you are going to run up Snowdon?!" There is a huge amount of respect in the delivery of that remark.
Too much, so I quickly re-assure them that I am going to be running 26 miles around this beautiful Welsh mountain. But having seen the profile and driven the route I can assure you the inclines certainly look, and I suspect will feel, like I am running up the mountain.
I have only ever run 6 miles and racked up an array of t-shirts from my various 10k runs so I am taking this marathon very seriously. Hence the swim and the personal training sessions. And the alcohol.
This is a strange one for me. For at most 12 years I have enjoyed at least a glass of wine every week, if not a smidge more at the end of a particularly tough week! Not a huge amount of alcohol and there may have been the odd stint when I didn't have any alcohol but nothing like this.
As I write this I am at 21 days of being totally alcohol free. And I am quite proud of this feat and plan to make it to the 29th of October on the wagon as it were. However I have Lil Sis's Hen, followed 7 days later by their wedding, 2 weeks in Greece and my own 30th birthday. Peppered throughout with the occasional works night out where cocktails and glasses of wine tend to flow freely.
I am also slightly disturbed at how I have at times obsessed about how much I have longed for a rioja, chilled white wine or G&T. And by obsessed I mean I have had to find alternative ways to "relax" of a Friday/Saturday evening. Hot baths are quite good, reading and blogging of course seems to take my mind off it and the level of pride I am feeling is almost a bit scary.
If I can keep this up and stick to my training schedule then I am going to be at my absolute fittest. Things can go down hill after then if they like I'll still be able to hold my head high and say I have run a full marathon and that has included 5 months of being alcohol free.
I can't not toast my Lil Sis future happiness at their wedding but other than that this little girl is going to be T total for as long as possible!
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Tredmill Rage
If you run you'll get this if you don't you'll think I have tourettes. . . sort of.
I am mentally trying to get used to the idea of running for more than an hour. Much more than an hour. Did I mention The Snowdon Marathon that is taking place in October and that I am participating in what Runners World called the UK's Hardest Marathon in 2007?!
So, not loving Mondays much I decided this week to hit the treadmill and see how long I could take running. It was not about speed it was about mental stamina. I will need to break this beast if I am going to make 26 miles worth of Welsh hills.
At 6o minutes my stomach was calling out for a break from bouncing around. 4 minutes later I was confronted with my first Paul Radcliffe moment, so I rushed off to the ladies for the necessaries, leaving my treadmill on pause.
On jumping off the treadmill and turning for the toilets my legs were still operating at 8kph and I shot off like a snapping elastic band.
On my return I was confronted with a blank machine.
All my stats gone.
ANY sign that I had been consistently running for over 60 minutes, that I had covered more than 10k, that I had burned through more than 700 calories, that I had spent this time running at an incline of 1%, was all lost. . .
I did manage to get a look from the two treadmill runners on either side of me when I uttered a frustrated "FUCK" when I realised what had happened.
These runners had only been on for 15 minutes. They had no idea about the level of my Monday night commitment & determination. They could look all they liked. I wasn't about to apologise, I'd earned that sweary word. They could just be grateful it wasn't louder and that the whole gym hadn't heard.
Not prepared to be sabotaged by technology I angrily whacked on another 25 minutes, ramped in incline up to an impressive 1% and set the speed back to the 8 kph per hour. Then started doing the maths.
Oh yes if I were set the challenge of running a marathon on a canal I would be done in 5 hours.
So much more work required. . .
I am mentally trying to get used to the idea of running for more than an hour. Much more than an hour. Did I mention The Snowdon Marathon that is taking place in October and that I am participating in what Runners World called the UK's Hardest Marathon in 2007?!
So, not loving Mondays much I decided this week to hit the treadmill and see how long I could take running. It was not about speed it was about mental stamina. I will need to break this beast if I am going to make 26 miles worth of Welsh hills.
At 6o minutes my stomach was calling out for a break from bouncing around. 4 minutes later I was confronted with my first Paul Radcliffe moment, so I rushed off to the ladies for the necessaries, leaving my treadmill on pause.
On jumping off the treadmill and turning for the toilets my legs were still operating at 8kph and I shot off like a snapping elastic band.
On my return I was confronted with a blank machine.
All my stats gone.
ANY sign that I had been consistently running for over 60 minutes, that I had covered more than 10k, that I had burned through more than 700 calories, that I had spent this time running at an incline of 1%, was all lost. . .
I did manage to get a look from the two treadmill runners on either side of me when I uttered a frustrated "FUCK" when I realised what had happened.
These runners had only been on for 15 minutes. They had no idea about the level of my Monday night commitment & determination. They could look all they liked. I wasn't about to apologise, I'd earned that sweary word. They could just be grateful it wasn't louder and that the whole gym hadn't heard.
Not prepared to be sabotaged by technology I angrily whacked on another 25 minutes, ramped in incline up to an impressive 1% and set the speed back to the 8 kph per hour. Then started doing the maths.
Oh yes if I were set the challenge of running a marathon on a canal I would be done in 5 hours.
So much more work required. . .
Sunday, 16 January 2011
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.
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 . . .
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 . . .
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
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
Strathclyde Country Park
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.
* 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.
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"
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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. . .
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)