D-Day

is finally here! Well tomorrow, anyway.

I'm feeling good, ready to go, just wish it was 10am tomorrow already.  Have had an easy couple of weeks, a massage, lots of water, carbs...not much else to do except pin on the race number and put the chip on my shoe!

The weather has finally got better, pretty much as soon as my hard training finished, in fact.  But tomorrow will be sunny and 10-12 degrees, ideal temperature I just hope I don't get sunburnt!

So - fingers crossed I don't trip over someone dressed up as a rhino - otherwise I'm sure I'll be fine!

Training report
Sunday 24th March
29km around all the parks. This was grim, the lowest of the low in terms of weather.  Was meant to go on Saturday, but it snowed all day, and the wind was absolutely howling.   Seriously considered doing the run on a treadmill but ended up braving it outside and with the windchill it was minus 7. I really couldn't feel my legs for most of the way. Good in some ways I guess!!

Monday 25th March
7km recovery on the elliptical on the gym. Inside in the warm...

Tuesday 26th March
10k home from work - still bloody freezing at feels like minus 4.

Wednesday 27th March 
10k into work - was going to do 13k but my knee was hurting at it was minus 4 so I cut it short.

Friday 29th March
The big Kahuna - 32km around Wandsworth Common, Clapham Common, Hyde Park, Green Park, St James' Park, the Thames Path, Battersea Park, Clapham Common again, and Tooting Common. The weather was finally clear (but chilly) so it was great running, it was tough but ok, hard to believe I need to do another 10k after that...my legs completely seized up as soon as I stopped running.

Monday 1st April
5k recovery around Wandsworth Common.

Thursday 4th April
8k home from work - minus 4 again...

Saturday 6th April
16k from Putney along to Battersea.  Had intended to do 21k but at about 10k I had a stabbing pain in my right knee so I had to head home.  Really, really painful.

Tuesday 9th April
6.5k to work - careful on the knee and it seemed ok but was hurting toward the end. Nice and rainy.

Thursday 11 April
10k home from work - heatwave!! 12 degrees! Had to roll my sleeves up!

Saturday 13th April
15k around Wandsworth, Clapham and Tooting Commons. A really nice local run, felt good, easy, and short.  Was going to do 16k but had to stop off at the post office toward the end and by the time I'd queued for 5 mins my knee was hurting so walked home.

Monday 15th April
5k home from work - bus halfway and ran halfway - very odd and very short!

Tuesday 16th April
8k home from work - rainy but warm-ish

Thursday 17th April
5k run into work - ran alongside my bus most of the way then jumped on to take me the rest of the way. Would have been faster to run!

Coming up next
Sunday 21st April
THE LONDON MARATHON!!

Funds raised

Yesterday was officially one month to go, and my fundraising is pretty much complete with only £100 still to go.  We had a very successful afternoon tea in Surrey organised by Kathy, the weather looked like it wasn't on our side but it held off for long enough for a few games of tunnel ball, egg and spoon, and relays.  Some serious cupcake baking took place and combined with the auction and people's generous donations, we raised over £300.

Training is going well and I think my body is finally getting used to backing up from the long runs on the weekend, as I haven't been as stiff and sore as I have been. Time is going so fast and there is only 3 long runs to go, 21st April will be here before I know it!  

I can't believe how BAD the weather still is!! It is just unbelievable. March has been colder than both December and January, apparently.  The temperatures are bitter and the wind is howling.  Snow is forecast everywhere for this weekend.  So I look forward to tomorrow's run.

Tomorrow 23. Mar

2^° High  -1^°  Low

Rain / Snow

Chance of Rain 80%

Wind E at 24 kmph

Snowfall 3-7 cm

 

Training Report

Friday 8th March

45m treadmill hills - took it relatively easy only on Level 5 but was still tough! Trying to do a bit more treadmill stuff to take the pressure off my legs pounding on cement.

 

Saturday 9th March

27km along the Thames from Oval to Barnes.  By far my worst long run. I felt really tired and exhausted, could have stopped by 16km easily.  But it's all in the mind really and I started off not feeling in the mood and I'm sure that's why it was so awful!

 

Sunday 10th March

40 min treadmill recovery. Just to keep my legs going.

 

Wednesday 13th March

13km run home from work. Slow and tough but noticed how the two rest days in a row (because of weather not by choice!) had let my legs recover better.

 

Thursday 14th March

13km run into work.  Felt good but freezing as usual at minus 2.

 

Sunday 17th March

29km around Tooting Common, Clapham Common, Battersea Park, Hyde Park, and Wandsworth Common.  Missed the worst of the weather by going on Sunday rather than Saturday, but it still rained, at least it wasn't really windy.  Not a bad run and felt much better on this one than I did on the prior week's 27km.  Completely exhausted afterwards!

 

Tuesday 19th March

6.5k recovery on the treadmill. Sounds easy - was actually hard!

 

Wednesday 20th March

10k run into work, quite a nice morning for it although my backpack felt a bit heavier than usual.

 

Friday 22nd March

45min intervals on elliptical. Taking the pressure off my legs in preparation for the long one tomorrow.

 

Coming up next

Saturday 23rd March

29km...the third last long run...

 

Monday 25th March

6.5km recovery

 

Tuesday 26th March

10k

 

Wednesday 27th March

13k fartlek

 

Friday 29th March

32km, 20 miles, the longest run.

 

 

 

T minus 46 days and counting

And I definitely am counting.
Five weekend long-distance runs to go. Total 27 training sessions to go. About £700 of fundraising to go.

Although my legs are generally tired, sore and aching, I haven't had any real problems and a session at the Osteopath on the weekend loosened me up a bit.  Three more sessions with him prior to the race will hopefully be enough to keep them going until 21st April.

The long runs on the weekend have been ok, boring, long, draining, but not too hard.  I've found the recovery runs on the Monday or Tuesday after, MUCH harder, even though they're really short.  Struggling to push myself to do the mid-week interval sessions and have only been doing about half of them as intervals, the rest I have just been running at a steady pace as I'm trying to listen to my body and not get injured.

Training report
Tuesday 26th Feb
8.2km recovery run home. Horrible and took me 55 minutes!! Enough said.

Wednesday 27th Feb
16km run into work. Was meant to be fartlek but I just ran a steady pace.  My poor legs.  A horrible sort of foggy rain or "fairy's piss" as Prainy so eloquently puts it.

Thursday 28th Feb
45min treadmill hills.  On level 7 at 10km/hr, was hard work but short and sharp so I didn't mind it.  Osteo said hills may aggravate my hip so trying to keep my technique spot on while doing these sessions.

Saturday 2nd March
25km long run around Tooting, Clapham and Wandsworth Commons (twice).  Quite a nice morning, not too chilly and a bit of sun!  Maximised my time on grass to take some pressure off my legs. Sadly my iPod died 15 mins into the run so it was quite a boring remaining 2 hours 15 minutes.  Wore my stylish new water bottle belt which actually worked really well. Had a bit of a dizzy/shaky episode when I finished but it was immediately solved by some lollies so I think I need more than one gel on runs longer than 2 hours.

Monday 4th March
6.5km recovery run home. Even worse than last week! Took me about 45 minutes and I had to walk every now and then. Really bad.

Wednesday 6th March
10km intervals to work.  Actually managed to do 30 mins of intervals and felt quite good once I'd warmed up.  The weather is much warmer this week, about 6 degrees this morning, and it really makes a difference to how I feel running.

Coming up next
Thursday 7th March
45 min treadmill hills

Friday 8th March
6.5km steady

Saturday 9th March
27km - eek!
then only 3 weeks of full training to go before things start to ease off...

Breaking the barrier

Or barriers!
1) Sub-two-hour half marathon - Brighton in 1 hour 57 min 45 sec
2) 23km run - my longest ever by 2km, and longest training run by 7km
...all within 7 days of each other. No wonder my legs feel as heavy as cement pylons.

Surprisingly enough, my legs actually do feel much better today than they did this time last week after Brighton, and that's without a massage, so I guess something is going right.

Brighton gave me a lot of confidence as I definitely felt I could have kept going at the end, which obviously bodes well for the full distance.  Hobbled around all day Monday then had the most painful massage ever on Monday evening, my right groin/hip and left quad causing me to leap two metres in the air at the lightest touch.

My hip and groin were still very sore on Tuesday so was glad to be going to the physio. I left the appointment slightly dubious that merely some acupuncture, sticky tape and hip manipulation could solve my problems, but it appears to be a miracle cure as I am virtually pain free.  Steve the physio used to work for Fulham FC so apparently he knows his flat feet and twisted pelvises. 

After really struggling to get through the mid-week runs after the half marathon, I was dreading the 23km on Saturday but it actually went ok.  With a few more massages booked in lets see if I can get through the next five weeks of backing up the long weekend runs.  8 weeks to go!

Training report
Sunday 17th February
Brighton Half Marathon - although cold to start, the sun was out and a glorious day to run along the sea.  In the sun it was actually really warm and I thought at one point I might be getting sunburnt! Didn't turn out so, but I was really happy with my race and finally cracked my elusive 2 hours. I think I could have gone faster but was just trying to keep to the 9 min/miles so as not to kill myself.

Tuesday 19th February
8.2km run home from work - horrible, slow, everything hurt, legs weighed one tonne each - grim! Was really unsure how I was ever going to back up from any of my long runs after that one.

Thursday and Friday 21st and 22nd February
2 x 8.2km run into work - not bad and legs getting looser, the groin and hip were not painful at all so the physio has definitely worked.  SO cold though with "feels like" temperatures of minus 3 and minus 7, bitter bitter wind that just cuts straight through you especially crossing the Thames!

Saturday 23rd February
23km run at a slow 6km/hr pace. Again, bloody freezing. Temp minus 2, wind at 16km/hr makes it feel like minus 7, snow flurries the whole way.  I really don't know how much more of this weather I can handle!!  Felt quite good during the run, sore legs and knee afterwards, but nothing more than I would have expected. 

Sunday 24th February
45 minutes on the elliptical at the gym - was really glad I went in the end as I nearly didn't. My legs feel much better afterwards and gave them a good stretch out with no impact.

Coming up next
Tuesday 26th February
8km easy

Wednesday 27th February
45min hills on the treadmill

Thursday 28th February
16km fartlek

Saturday 2nd March
25km - going to try to stick to more grass than road to give my knee a break

Sunday 3rd March
Gym class/cross-training

Back to Brighton

It was back in February 2010 when we took the drive to Brighton for my first half marathon.  The closer we got to the coast, the more apocalyptic the weather.  By the time we arrived, the wind was so strong we were walking at a 45 degree angle to simply stay upright, and the torrential rain howling in off the sea was sideways, upways, and downways.  It's the only time I've ever seen real surf in Brighton!  I nearly didn't start, but after all the hard work I'd put into my training I couldn't bear not to, but fully expected that I'd probably pull out part way due to the weather.  It was horrendous and I felt as though I was carring an extra 5kg in water weight in each shoe, but I got there in the end and was glad to be running with a friend from work for the extra moral support especially at about the 15km mark.  In reality, I think Linc drew the short straw having to stand outside in the freezing rain, at least I was running to keep myself warm! The forecast is looking much better this year so fingers crossed it holds out.

I finished that first race in 2 hours 12 minutes and my other two half marathons have been both just over 2 hours, so I'm determined to break the barrier on Sunday.  With good weather and a flat course I should be on track, fingers crossed!

The only hurdle may be my sore hip - it's not bad but I'm very aware of being careful with it.  I have been resting it since Wednesday and doing lots of stretching, it feels much better today than it did earlier in the week so I hope it's fine.  I have a massage and a physio appointment booked next week so I'm looking foward to some advice on that.

Training Report
Tuesday 5th February
30 mins hills - level 10 at 10km/hr on the treadmill hill pattern - it was tough!! A really really good workout for such a short time.  Hated it but loved it at the same time.

Wednesday 6th February
13km fartlek run to work.  Didn't do as much fartleking as I intended as I was a bit stiff from hills the day before, but added 5km onto my normal run to work by going around Hyde Park.  Had some flashbacks to watching the Olympics and Dan's London ITU races, although unfortunately at 7.30am on a Wednesday morning there wasn't many people out cheering me on.   There was, however, a runaway horse galloping down the horse path, complete with saddle but no rider, I took the precaution of hiding behind a tree so I didn't alarm it any more than it already was! No sign of the rider, and it was going like a bat out of hell so who knows where it ended up, if it kept going the way it did it would have very soon arrived on Kensington High Street which I'm sure would have caused quite a stir.

Friday 8th February
8.2km run to work. Absolutely freezing at minus 1, but the sun was out and the days are getting longer.

Saturday 9th February
16.5km run along the river.  Longest I've done in quite a long time, the weather was quite good and not too cold.  Popped into a servo halfway to buy a bottle of water to have with my disgusting energy slime, they're so feral and I hate eating them but I must say I did feel great in the second half of the run when usually on a run that long by the end of it I'm shattered. Ran along the road where the helicopter crashed the other week and they were putting up a new crane.  You could see where the footpath had melted where the jet fuel had burned.

Tuesday 12th February
8.2km run home.  Horrible run, I was uncomfortable, blocked nose, sore legs, just really hated it. Worst run I've had in ages.

Wednesday 13th February
10km run into work via Battersea Park. Cold again but sunny.  My hip was a bit sore especially at the start of the run so I didn't do the intervals I was intending to do.  And skipped the rest of the week's training before Brighton, to try to let it rest a bit.

Coming up next
Sunday 17th February
Brighton Half Marathon

Next week
3 x 45 minute runs, a 60 min massage and a physio appointment. Hopefully all goes well as then it's a 23k run on Saturday.

11 weeks to go...

It's only really this week that things have stepped up a notch where I've really had to work hard to be organised and plan ahead to fit things in.   It's easy to fit in a gym session or a 45 min run before or after work but when you have to squeeze in 13km as well as having to be at work for 8am and probably not finishing til 7pm, things are getting harder!

Despite the best laid plans (and carrying my shoes all over the country with me) I didn't run in Cuba.   Running in the cities was definitely not an option due to the risk of getting lost, the state of the roads, let alone the heat and knowing where on earth to run to.  The beaches would have been an option but the water and the pina coladas were much more enticing!  Linc did see someone roller-blading down the left lane of a four lane highway, so maybe I just needed to be more creative with my excercise methods.  Anyway, we walked for miles most days we were there, so surprisingly, my runs last week which I were expecting to be tough, were fine.

I picked up a pair of shoes yesterday which I have for a week's trial, they are Brooks PureConnect and are lightweight type ones part of the craze for barefoot running I guess.

Training report

Thursday 17th January
8.2k threshold run home from work. Did it in about 4-5 mins faster than I usually would.  Was tough though breathing in such cold air - is it possible to get an oesophagus injury?

Friday 18th January
8.2k run into work.  The snow was predicted to start early so it was convenient that I had to get up early to give Linc his 30th bday pressies! Managed to make it in about 10 minutes before the heavy snow started.

30th, 31st and 1st
3 x 8.2k runs to and from work.  Not too hard after Cuba, surprisingly.  Really, really windy, though! Which made certain sections like the river part, very hard. 

Sunday 3rd February
13.7k run, along the river and through Battersea Park and Clapham Common.  Quite a nice day but again very windy, running along Clapham Common I felt like I was going nowhere fast! There are SO many people out and about running, all training for the marathon I think, it's really noticable how many more people there are than usual.

Monday 4th Feburary
50 minute gym session.  With the new Brooks shoes, hard to tell what they are like just on a treadmill but they seem really comfy and quite cushiony.  15 mins treadmill, 15 mins elliptical, 10 mins bike, 5 mins step.

Coming up next

Tuesday 5th February
30 min hill session - on a treadmill as London is so flat!

Wednesday 6th February
13k intervals

Friday 8th February
8k easy

Saturday 9th February
16k...longest run for a while!

It's official...

1)      That I haven’t updated the blog in a long time! (doesn’t mean I haven’t been training)

2)      That I’m now on the Intermediate Marathon Training Program.

Going well so far although the distances aren’t much longer than I’ve already been doing anyway, taking 10 days off to Cuba is probably not ideal but I can do some runs on the beach and our hotel in Varadero where we stay for two days apparently has a running track…!  After minus 2 degrees this morning, I don’t know how I will handle a 32 degree rise increase in running conditions.

Get back with only a couple of weeks til the Brighton Half Mara so no doubt it will be a tough couple of weeks post-rum and cigars.

Training report (yes, it’s a long one)

Monday 24^th December

11.5k run home from work, taking the long route via Putney. Was a bit disappointed as I thought it was going to be longer, had been aiming to do about 14k in order to earn my Christmas pudding.

Wednesday 26th December

9k around Clapham and Wandsworth Commons.  Worked off probably a tenth of what I consumed the day before.

Sunday 30th December

12.7k along the Thames and back across Battersea Park and Clapham Common.  Lots of people around and quite a nice day.  Wore my new running top (thanks mum and dad!) which was really nice and warm but not too hot.

Saturday 5^th January

9k threshold run on Tooting Common managing to hold about 5 min/km pace for most of the way. Tough!!!

Sunday 6^th January

12.8k Clapham Common and Tooting Common. Went backwards from my usual route to try to keep things interesting. Didn’t really work.  So muddy after all the rain!

Tuesday 8^th January

8.2k run home from work. Wish I could say the days are getting noticeably longer, but I can’t.

Wednesday 9^th January

8.2k run into work with 3 min intervals.  Surprisingly hard with a backpack and pedestrian crossings to negotiate!

Thursday 10^th January

45 minute body combat class at the gym.  Didn’t seem too hard at the time but my arms were a bit sore afterwards.

Friday 10^th January

7k on the treadmill at the gym.  Booooorrrriinnnnng……

Saturday 11^th January

12.5k Tooting Common and Clapham Common.  Seems to be loads of people running at the moment.  Either other people starting their marathon training programs or the usual new years’ resolutions.

Tuesday 15^th January

8.2k run home from work.  Freezing at zero degrees, the first time I’ve run in a beanie.  Attempted to listen to some French lessons on my iPod but I don’t know how well that’s going to work.

Wednesday 16^th January

8.2k run into work. Even colder at minus 2!  My whole body was bright red by the time I got to work.  A helicopter crashed less than a kilometre away from my run and I didn’t even hear or see it. Maybe I need to turn my music down.

Coming up next

Thursday 17th January

Run home from work – the cold snap continues so hopefully the snow holds off.

Friday 18^th January

Run into work – Linc’s birthday so will be up early to give him his pressies!

Saturday 19^th – Tuesday 29^th January

Cuba!  Meant to be doing about 6 sessions while we’re away so will be happy to get in 3 or 4.

Minute by minute...

We have finally passed that very important day...the winter solstice.  Although it didn't bring the end of the world as predicted, I was much more excited about the fact that the days are now officially getting longer, minute by minute!  But with sunrise currently at 8.05am and sunset at 3.55pm, there's still a long way to go.

Training report
Friday 21st December
8.3km run into work.  Fast, easy, and fun! My fitness definitely has improved noticeably after the bootcamp - I'd have been pretty gutted if it hadn't after all that pain!

Saturday 22nd December
8km intervals around Tooting Common. Again my fitness is noticeably better but it was a treacherous run around the common which was pretty much completely waterlogged after all this rain and flooding. It was quite hard to keep up my sprint sections when I was going through 5cm deep puddles, muddy bogs and wed leaves. No faceplants but very soggy feet.

Coming up next
Monday 24th December
Long run home from work. Will try to do about 12/13km by going home via Putney.

Tuesday 25th December
A short run before the eating commences!

Wednesday 26th December
10km run locally

Boot Camp Analysis

Days: 2.5
Hours of exercise: 15
Hours of rain: 7.5 (approx)
Calories burned: 4300
Calories consumed: not enough
Pairs of running shoes used: 3
Items of gym kit muddied: all
Bruises incurred: still counting
Fingernails torn: 1
Toenails blackened: 1
Illegal fox hunts interrupted: 1
Insults regarding running gloves from fox hunters on horses: 1
Personal trainers: 4
Paratroopers: 1
Victims: 15


An indicative summary.  It was WAY harder than I was expecting.  The below picture, taken from Meg and my room, is highly misleading as it presents a picture of idyllic, sunny, Cotswolds fields. In reality, the majority of the time was spent running up and down that evil hill (with or without 60kg tractor tyres) in the mud and pouring rain.

On the plus side, Meg and I were in the top 4 or 5 out of the 15 participants in terms of ability, and they did really push us.  Apparently my "three step run then drop to the floor" technique is second-to-none.  We did loads and loads of intervals and circuits, and more push-ups and squats than I care to remember.

After the 3 hour drive back to London on Sunday night I was hobbling like an old granny, but a hot bath, a very painful massage yesterday, and a session on the elliptical this morning seem to have pretty much sorted me out. As to how I will go with a normal run tomorrow, we will see...!

Training report
Friday - Sunday 14th - 16th December
So much I can't even remember: circuits, intervals, hiking, running, hills, aerobics, Pilates, Tabata, Insanity, the cha cha, a mini-Olympics, boxing, core sessions, tug of wars...

Tuesday 18th December
30 mins at the gym - just on the elliptical quite slow, to make sure I didn't get any stiffer

Coming up next
Wednesday 19th December
Run home from work

Thursday 20th December
Run into work

Friday 21st December
Gym session

Saturday 22nd December
Long run

A first dose of the white stuff...

A fairly quiet week on the running front due to a weekend in Paris and various Christmas parties, but I award bonus points to myself for running to work last week in minus 2 degrees and SNOW. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come as it would be just my luck to get an abnormally snowy winter!

I've definitely decided that running home then back to work the next morning is the way forward, easy logistically and a good way to get in 16.5km without really noticing.  My only issue now is with my poor old iPod shuffle which is dying a long, slow death.  It's had a good 5 year life with plenty of km's and a lot of sweat absorbed, I think this could be a factor in its passing.  Odd though that the way it has died is that the music sounds distorted, like a stretched cassette tape - an effect I wouldn't have thought that you could get from a hi-tech digital flash drive!

Gearing up for this weekend's "Fitness Retreat".
http://www.hillmotts.co.uk/UK-Wide-Bootcamps/About-Us.aspx

I have NO idea what to expect but am very much hoping for zero rain or snow as I think most of it is outside. Hopefully they can push me hard enough as it should be a good kick start for the dreaded official 16 week training program which starts straight after Christmas.

Training report
Monday 3rd December
8.3km run home from work - quite uneventful although a work colleague did report that she was on a bus driving at a similar speed to me for about 20 minutes. Good to know I can run faster than the 137 in London traffic.

Wednesday 5th December
8.3km run into work - SNOW! Argh.  Just frosty when I left the house but 2 minutes later it was big old fat snow.  20 mins of that was actually ok as it doesn't soak through, it was when it turned into freezing rain/sleet closer to central London that things got really nasty.  Not fun.

Monday 10th December
8.3km run home from work - huge helicopters hovering over the Thames with giant spotlights so was trying to see what they were looking at.  Only my second run over about 5k run in my new shoes, they definitely make my calves tight and feel less stable for the ankle. I think I need to look at tightening the laces.

Tuesday 11th December
8.3km run into work - despite another full charge for the iPod it's just distorted cassette tape music. It's definitely gone.  Running on frosty ground was a bit slippery but was nice and sunny this morning so at least I could see where I was going.

Coming up next
Wednesday 12th December
Gym session - maybe some spin?

Friday - Sunday 13th - 15th December
Three days of bootcamp pain - and a massage booked for Monday evening

A "Fizz-eye" view

Come on a run with me around Tooting Bec Common...it's the autumn installment, stay tuned for the winter run coming soon.

After the crazy rain and flooding I must admit that I didn't run at all last weekend...oops...but made up for it this week and did 13k yesterday which is my longest run in ages.  Was quite easy at 5.30min kilometres but I didn't enjoy waiting for 20 mins outside the post office to collect Linc's Christmas present in 3 degree weather. Freezing!

Only zero degrees this morning but gorgeous and sunny so I didn't mind the cold at all!

Training report
Tuesday 27th Nov
8.2km run home from work - nothing exciting to report just another run in the dark!

Wednesday 28th Nov
8.2km run into work - really loving this as it's basically the only daylight I ever get during the week (if the sun is out, that is). 

Friday 30th Nov
Gym session - 20 mins elliptical and 20 mins on the bike, random settings with lots of hills and high resistance. Did some weights, push ups and planks. Would like to get someone to show me how to do some more stuff with the weights as I don't really know what I'm doing.

Saturday 1st Dec
13km run around Wandsworth and Tooting Commons.  Felt quite easy but my pace was quite fast, so that's always a good sign! A little bit of rain but it was mostly ok, but quite cold.  The gloves are definitely a must wear these days!

Sunday 2nd Dec
5km intervals around Wandsworth Common. Freezing zero degrees, frost everywhere, gorgeous and sunny, but really tough doing these intervals as the deep breathing when running fast hurts as the air is so cold.

Coming up next
Not sure! A few runs in and out of work and maybe a class at the gym.  Will be away in Paris next weekend so I need to make sure I get in a lot during the week.

Fluorescence

I got my new shoes on the weekend, Saucony Triumph 9's and they are extremely fluro. Slighly different effect on the computer screen when buying them online, than in real life! On a positive note, they match my eye-watering yellow gloves.  Wore them for the first time on my Sunday run and they seemed nice and soft, but quite a bit wider and maybe not as stable as my 7's.  Keep an eye out for conkers and potholes, then.

Training Report
Thursday 15th Nov
8.2k run into work - a struggle lugging my leather jacket in my backpack - heavy!!

Saturday 17th Nov
12.4k run around Tooting, Clapham and Wandsworth Commons - pretty muddy after a rainy week but a good pace at 5.36 min/km and nice scenery to admire, lucky as my iPod died only a few minutes in

Sunday 18th Nov
6k run around Tooting Common - a short one to test out the new shoes which seem quite good, not the most consistent run as a few stops to take some photos of the autumn trees! Stay tuned to another post for these...

Tuesday 20th Nov
1 hour gym session - a few weights, squats, push ups and planks...then 15 min elliptical, 10 min ergo, 15 min bike and 5 min stepping.  All the resistance settings on the machines set to random to keep things entertaining.

Wednesday 21st Nov
8.2k run home from work - all the leaves are now mush on the footpath so it's keeping me on my toes!

Thursday 22nd Nov
8.2k run into work - really windy...lucky I didn't get rained on in either of Wednesday or Thursday's runs as the weather has been diabolical.  About 10 degrees and meant to get way colder next week but I don't care as long as it stops raining!!

Coming up next
Friday 23rd Nov
Gym - with Linc! My "Friday Friend for Free"

Saturday 24th Nov
1 hour Pilates class (if I ever make it, 8.30am on a Saturday morning isn't ideal scheduling)
13k run

A Running Commute

Iceland was fascinating.  Amazingly, as well as the spectacular Northern Lights, we also spotted the Reykjavik running club doing sprints down the side of a freezing lake in -2 degree temperatures, with 65km/hr winds howling off the water directly onto their bare legs.  I didn't join in.  I think the best form of exercise there would be aquaerobics in the 35 degree Blue Lagoon.

I've solved the thorny issue of keeping warm for my running commute to work. I freeze if I don't wear my winter coat on the tube, but it's too big and heavy to fit into my backpack for the return running journey.  So I ran home and then back in the next morning, leaving my coat at work.  Added bonus of a nice hot shower in the brand new hotel locker rooms with nice fluffy hotel towels provided and washed by the Valet - more luxurious than showering at home, really!  And I didn't have to get up any earlier than I would to get to work on the tube. Problem solved.

Plus there's sunlight running in the mornings so you don't spend the whole route staring at the ground in the dark, to avoid slipping on the wet autumn leaves covering the typically wonky London footpaths. More time to admire the scenery - Sloane Square, the red brick Chelsea mansion blocks, the Thames and Battersea Power Station, and the lovely Clapham and Wandsworth Commons.

Training report
Monday 12th Nov
8.3k run home from work - several near misses involving darkness, puddles, wet leaves, and a group of screaming schoolgirls scaring each other (and me and some cyclists) in the bushes in the Common.

Tuesday 13th Nov
8.3km run into work - was definitely one of my faster ones as I'd realised I'd left it too late to get to my 9am meeting (arrived red-faced at 9.05).  Sadly my Garmin went haywire and apparently I ran from Wimbledon, through the water of the Thames, and over some buildings in Chelsea, all at 3 min/km pace!  It took me about 42 mins though so would have been about 5.15 min/km pace, quite fast for me.

Coming up next
Thursday 15th Nov
Gym - maybe a spin class or just some treadmill

Friday 16th Nov
Gym - treadmill and some resistance stuff

Saturday 17th Nov
1 hour Pilates
13km run

Aurora Borealis

I have my fingers crossed that the weather will be ideal for Aurora Borealis sightings, as we're off to Iceland tonight!  The Northern Lights, the Blue Lagoon, volcanos, geysers, glaciers.  Not many chances for running I don't think but maybe we can squeeze in some sort of glacial hike!

The weather has improved a bit here, about 10 degrees, so no preparation for the -6 degrees we're anticipating this weekend.  On the plus side, running has been a bit easier.  Collected my very attractive fluro yellow running gloves this morning (wiggle.com, thanks for the tip Dad!) so I'm prepped for snow!

Have been admiring the lovely autumn leaves these last few weeks, not many left now and it will be my 8th and final Northern Hemisphere autumn.  I'll miss the gorgeous Commons on those freezing sunny autumn days with red and yellow leaves everywhere, even if the conkers do give high odds for breaking an ankle when out for a run.

Took it a bit easier on the running this week with some cross training at the gym and my calf is fine. Just tight legs in general, now.

Training report
Monday 5th Nov
8.5km run home from work - took it easy, but took a different route from usual which wasn't the best. Too many slow commuters to dodge on the footpaths!!!

Wed 7th Nov
Gym session - 15 min elliptical, 15 min bike, 10 min ergo and 5 min stepping.  Pretty boring but caught up on the results of the US election on the TVs.  Thank god Obama won.

Thurs 8th Nov
7.5km run around Tooting Common, multitasking again with another stop off at the Post Office to collect my gloves and some electrolyte drink tablets ie make your own Powerade! Felt a bit foolish doing the last 2k with a giant box under my arm but thought of it as some kind of weird weight training.

Coming up next
Iceland!!
Back on Monday 12th so guess I'll be back into it then.

Fireworks

It's Guy Fawkes night tomorrow, so there's been fireworks going off everywhere all weekend. I managed to finish my run home from work on Friday just as the local cricket club's annual display started, incredible fireworks with loads of people braving the cold to watch them, so that was a good finish to the run. And a good start to the weekend!

I could really feel my calves tightening up having only had one rest day so far during the week, so tried to stretch more than usual. I really need to get that into my routine as I hardly ever do any stretching.  I think that's why my bottom left calf was sore on my longer run on Saturday - it was really painful afterwards but seems fine today.

My hands were freezing again on Saturday morning so have just bought some gloves online! Much needed I think.  Also saw Saucony is releasing a new version of my shoes so hopefully can get a good bargain on the old model Triumph 9 soon.


Training Report
Friday 2nd Nov
Ran home from work, pretty easy run but very dark! Was treated to a brilliant fireworks display for Guy Fawkes night at the local cricket club, perfect timing to run past for that!

Saturday 3rd Nov
Missed Pilates...oops...but managed a multitasking 13k with stops at the post office and the jeweller.  7 degrees and sunny, but really really windy!!  Run was a bit tough toward the last 3 or 4k, due to the sore calf

Coming up next
Monday 5th Nov
8km run home from work

Tuesday 6th Nov
Cross training at the gym...not sure what yet?
1 hour Pilates class

In the beginning...

Last Sunday marked 6 months to go until 21st April 2013. As the clocks have gone backward, and the weather is getting grim, I've started to realise that maintaining motivation during the long dark winter is going to be tough.

So even if nobody reads it, I'm starting a marathon blog to I can keep track of my training, share a bit of my pain (and gain!!) and hopefully give it all a bit of meaning.

Although I've been running regularly for nearly four years, and have done three half marathons now, it's been a year since my last one. My recent study commitments mean that over the last year I haven't had time to run as often I did when training for those half maras, although I'm confident that at my current fitness level I could easily run over 15k (I'm sure I'd feel it the next day though...!).

My main focus over the 8 weeks before Christmas is to get my body used to exercising at least 5 days a week, a step up from about 3 days a week currently. Then in the New Year the full on training with long distance increases can commence. I've got my program from Shelter that I'll be aiming to follow in general, with a few adjustments here and there depending on how it feels.

This week I've really started to try to step up the training and make it a planned focus rather than fitting it in where it's easy to. The hardest part is getting out of bed in the morning!!!


Training Report
Saturday 27th October
1 hour Pilates class (first one in ages and my core felt it on Monday)
8km run around Tooting Common (2 degrees and howling wind, I need running gloves!!!)

Monday 29th October
8km run home from work (in the pouring rain and fully dark now we're on winter time)

Tuesday 30th October
5km intervals around Wandsworth Common (using Dan's 3 min interval circuit)

Wednesday 31st October
10 mins on the elliptical at the gym followed by 45 minutes in my first Spin class. Not as hard as I expected although I'm a bit unco on the bike. Not sure if it will be my ideal cross training but will try a few more classes before I decide.

Coming up next
Thursday 1st November
Rest

Friday 2nd November
8km run home from work

Saturday 3rd November
1 hour Pilates class
11-12km run around Tooting and Clapham Commons