Up and Out

When I woke this morning the sun was shining and whilst I had planned to do an exercise video as I get my kit on I thought better of it and decided to get outside and make the most of the bright morning. I didn't really have a route planned, just a vague idea of how to get around 5 km under my belt whilst not venturing too far a field – I had an urge to run for longer even before beginning and the further away I got the more likely I would just keep running. It was the most sensible therefore to stay pretty close to home and one eye on my watch.

Starting on a slight incline – something I have deliberately avoided for the last year I was reasonably please with my pacing and comfort. My breathing stayed even as I padded along the pavements and tried to avoid singing out loud to a great (or perhaps questionable) mix of tunes.

As I passed the third mile, I was still feeling a bit keen and wanting to keep going but if I did I would leave myself in a bit of a rush would perhaps snatch away that runners high too soon. I headed home, arriving back at just under 3.5 miles in the same time I would run 3 miles on a treadmill. I knew I preferred running outdoors for a reason…. Fresh air makes me go faster but the running feel easier!

Running Sisters

Last year my younger sister decided she wanted to start running and with her new found fitness enthusiasm she did the right thing… she came to me and asked me to help her start running and suggested we sign up to a 5 km colour run together in May.  I believe she came to regret that decision this morning!

She has been building up her running with the help of a 0 – 5 km app that gives you instruction as you workout and builds up your running over a nine week program. This weekend she came for a visit and we had agreed we would go for a run/walk with the goal of covering the full 5 km distance with a combination of running and walking.

Up early (well for a Sunday) we got kitted up and stepped out into a sunny morning. We started with a warm-up walk before the run / walk intervals of varying lengths. I had opted for a flattish route including an out and back towards Chislehurst, as we would be taking on a longer distance than she is used to. Using the app and also me keeping an eye on my Garmin we completed the session from her plan and then continued to make up the full distance.  I must say my sister did a great job of replicating the instructions of the app with a full on American accent!

It was as the app session finished and we continued that her enthusiasm began to wain, she declared her hatred for me, accused me of not breathing and muttered incoherently in my general direction…. But she kept running during the run intervals and had a good pace both walking and running. The goal now is to keep building up the time running and get ready for the race in May, we know the distance will be fine now and hopefully along with sore muscles she has ore confidence in her abilities. 

Who thought a triathlon was a good idea?

Clearly I did when I signed up for one, thinking that my back would be better, thinking that this would be a better challenge to work towards. Being a multi discipline event I would be able to breakdown my training in order to lessen the impact on my back and not hinder my recovery any further. All very good in theory, oh very good indeed.

So signing up for a Sprint distance triathlon seemed like as good a place as any to start, small distances, all of which I knew I could manage individually so I would just need to pout them together.

In my head the worst part was always getting onto a bike when wet, I mean when is doing anything directly after leaping out of a pool a good idea unless its grabbing a cocktail and laying down on a sun lounger in some hot climes.

But apparently I was wrong, this morning I went on a bike ride, 10 hilly miles and a circular route through Crockenhill. All went well, and much better since pumping up my tyres (rooky mistake last week). I rolled up at home after the ride, hopped off the bike and my legs were immediately rendered incapable of doing anything.

Sh!t how will I manage, there is only a month to go!

Bike to run brick sessions definitely required. 

Friday nights alright for training

I was determined to get to the gym tonight, not only was I having a visitor this weekend that could impact on my exercise but I hadn't done anything since the strength class on Monday evening that made me more than a little sore all week.

I had my kit in the boot of the car and went straight for the gym and into the pool. I did a steady one mile swim in under 40 minutes… my usual comfortable pace for a longer swim. I opted to drop the pace training as I had been throwing in intervals in every swim in the last month and felt this would be more beneficial. An odd couple entered the pool – happily towards the end of my swim – as it was like swimming in a wave machine as they flailed about and did their own unique style of aqua aerobics.

As I departed the pool I was feeling pretty good and decided that instead of heading straight home I would go up to the gym for a little while. This turned into a 5 km run. I wanted to walk but I made myself keep running for the duration… a time of just under 33 minutes. I was sweating wildly but very pleased with myself that I had doubled up on my workouts.

I do find it odd how much slower I am on a treadmill… a few minutes over a 5 km feels quite significant. I do still love running outdoors and much prefer it to indoors but when needs must at least I got it done. 

Destruction of Mojo

When you begin a journey there are many potential trials and tribulations along the way, some are your fault, come are the fault of others, some are just a bit of sh!tty luck. The journey I am referring to is that from non-runner to runner, from casual runner to marathon runner then on to Ultrarunner, club runner to club committee member, from amateur to qualified endurance running coach. It’s true, I don’t do things by halves, if I am inspired to do something I go all out, the downside of this of course is when that is taken away from you it doesn't half smart.

When I first began running I face-planted the pavement giving myself a black eye and painful wrist from the way I landed. In my first marathon although completing in a faster time than expected my poor running style led to a knee injury which took me out of the game for about 6-8 weeks. When I got my parkrun PB I pushed so hard that I crossed the line and stood near the bushes trying not to vomit for about 10 minutes whilst I recovered. The only DNF I have to my name, at the Hastings Half Marathon where after reaching the highest point of this notoriously hilly course my knee gave up and I have to wait shivering for the bus to bring me back to the finish.  During my solo Thunder Run the weather was so bad it took me over 45 minutes to peel off my mud-soaked clothes whilst sobbing as I was cold and convinced that everyone was disappointed in me (these things happens when you have been running for over 14 hours). The worst, the realisation that that bump in my car, that woman who wasn't paying attention to traffic and rear-ended me had taken away all that hard work. Yes, I do blame her. Okay it was an accident but she did this to me. I didn't over train, I didn't do anything, in fact I was driving to the gym to train! It might be petty and childish but she is responsible yet only I can fix it.

Now, as my back is strengthening I am finding it really difficult, knowing what I was capable of and not being able to do it is miserable. Another side affect of being unable to train like I could before is weight gain. I try to eat healthily and cook from scratch, yes I make the odd cake and go out for dinner from time to time but I monitor this. Then begins the vicious circle, carrying more weight makes running harder, you must run more to burn the weight off….

The week before last I went on a run with Jerry and Duncan, it was so lovely to be back out with them. But let’s look back at this, we walked a fair amount and if we hadn't I wouldn't have been able to manage it – gentlemen as ever they were accommodation to my weaknesses.  I arrived home over the moon to have been back out on the trails but also sad that I still had so far to go to get it back to where I could hold my own again.

There are of course many great moments also, there must be because if there were not why would so many of us keep putting on our trainers and heading out of the door. If you read back to some of those more grim moments listed above my blogs still look at the positives, the new PB, the amazing achievement of running for 24 hours, the support from friends and family, not the DNF though, that was rubbish!

These great moments  - to my regular readers you will be familiar with many more of these –  currently seem a long time ago so it’s important for me to have a little run down memory lane to remind myself and hopefully get the mojo back which has been somewhat elusive over the last two years.

I am not afraid of the hard work required to get it back but my body just doesn't feel able to anymore....