Round and round the garden...

 After saying I was going to blog more regularly I now realise it's been months! It's been an odd year of running with no events to go to. I know there has been some races going ahead but personally decided not to enter any for the time being.

I have been running though, everyday I am now on day 512 of my current run streak and over 2000 miles for the year. I had plans to do lots of miles over this half term but then on Monday I got the call I have been dreading since March... There has been a positive case in your bubble and you need to self isolate. It would be fine I told myself in panic, I have a garden, I can run in the garden. And yes I can but it isn't the same, I have run 5k each morning, the grass is ruined, the run streak is saved but running in the garden is rubbish!

After 3 days!!

It just doesn't give you the same feeling, there isn't enough room to get any speed up and it's dull. I have been listening to podcasts while I go round and round and round, so not only am I the nutter running in the garden I am laughing too. I considered a garden marathon when I was trying to be positive at the beginning  of the week, but 5k is enough.

So I got to thinking about running and what it means to me, I posted this quote the other morning when I was particularly fed up.

It might sound melodramatic, especially to non runners, but I really do feel like something is missing. When I run I think it is maybe the only time I am truly myself. My anxiety disappears, I am not comparing myself with anyone else, worrying about whether I fit in, wondering if people really like me. All that is gone, it's just me, the real me, I am long past caring if I run 9 minute or 12 minute miles. I am just happy when I run, outdoors, with nature (last weekend I spent several minutes just stood watching a deer). There is no pressure to be someone I'm not when I run. 

Anyway I have just 6 more garden runs to do, keeping everything crossed that I remain symptom free and assuming Boris will still allow outdoor exercise if/when this next lockdown happens! I am already planning next Saturday's route!

Happy running xxxx

Cancelled events...

So lockdown continues, relaxed slightly this week and it was probably only the ultra runners that were truly excited about unlimited exercise! 

For me not much has changed, still working when required, still running otherwise staying mostly at home. In my last blog I was still clutching on to the hope that Essex 100 would go ahead in July but I wasn't hugely surprised to receive the inevitable email telling me it was cancelled. I fully understand and support the reasons why, it's a tough time for race directors right now. My place is deferred until next year so training continues!

Out on my run this morning I was listening to the latest Behind the Medal podcast which is what inspired this blog. I was pretty miserable for a few days after Essex 100 was cancelled, my whole running year had been building towards it, training was going well and this was finally going to be the year I finished 100 miles. Halstead Marathon (would have been my 10th year running it) and London 2 Brighton had also been cancelled so now there was nothing on the race calendar. It wasn't until this morning that I put my miserable days down to losing these events. On the podcast they were talking about missing events, races, festivals etc and how difficult it was when they were the experiences that marked different points during the year and not having them left gaps that you didn't know how to fill (listen to the podcast, they put it better than that!). They were right, I guess to non runners it won't make much sense and may seem overly dramatic when there is so much uncertainty in the world right now. But not having those events is a loss and I am sad that I won't be having a reunion with people I met the first time I ran London 2 Brighton next weekend. I am truly gutted that 2020 won't be the year I finally get that 100 mile buckle. 

Last weekend would have been Halstead Marathon so I went out and ran marathon distance anyway, I went on a tour of Braintree District trying to get a photo of every village/town sign I went through. It was a lovely morning out running but not the same as the Halstead Marathon experience would have been. 

Braintree District Marathon

 Running for me isn't just about events (though they were important this year!) so have still been motivated to get out and run. Yesterday I reached 1000 miles for the year and I am currently on day 346 of my current run streak. Having little goals to work towards keeps it interesting. I have discovered new places to run during lockdown, explored new footpaths, slowed down and taken lots of photos so it isn't all gloom and doom. Up till now I haven't ever been interested in virtual events but I have entered two, I am taking part in Centurion's One Community event, opting to run 100 miles in seven days, this takes place between 25th and 31st May so not long to go. I am also taking part in Hope 24 virtual challenge in July running 24 days during the month. I have also signed up for a solo challenge to run the Chiltern Way Ultra (a race that I DNFed twice!) It doesn't exist as a race anymore but Challenge Running are offering it, as a solo event where you can run it in your own time, provide your evidence then get the medal! When restrictions allow I am planning to do it over 3 days, I am hoping late summer but will have to see, a little 133 mile running holiday will be something to look forward to!

So that's it really, I am sad about cancelled events but also know how privileged I am to be able to get out and run and there are so many beautiful places on my doorstep for me to explore. Events will be back at some point in the future and until then I will keep running so I am ready to smash them!

Happy running, keep safe and lots of love to you all xx 

And thanks to Behind the Medal for helping me to see it's ok to be sad about missing races! X

Lockdown running...

So we are 4, 5 however many weeks into the lockdown and I have settled into this strange new world we are living in. I have a routine of sorts and its ok, there is lots I miss, work as it was (still working a bit), friends, running with others, family all the things I guess we are all missing, but after a couple of wobbly weeks at the beginning I am ok, coping and taking each day as it comes.

One of the major factors in keeping sane and dealing with this is being able to run, I haven't had to resort to laps around the garden and every day I am thankful that I can get out and run. I have run some of my usual routes but also discovered new footpaths and linked bits of other runs together to make new routes so it's been enjoyable, the sunny weather has also helped.

My race board.

Most of my races for this year are cancelled, but at the moment Essex 100 isn't. So for now I am still training to run 100 miles in July, wishful thinking that it will go ahead, I don't know, it only has a small field of runners so maybe it will happen. Last Sunday I got up early and ran marathon distance, my first really long run of the lockdown, it felt good and my fitness is good at the moment. I am trying to maintain at least 50 mile weeks so if it does happen I can make a really good attempt at it.

This week I have also taken part in the rainbow run for keyworkers, it was fun going through all the old race t-shirts and have enjoyed it. Not so much the selfies as my lockdown hair is driving me mad, I may lose it and shave it off at some point! I have run sixty miles over the seven runs so that's a good week of training.

It's weird how quickly avoiding people has become 'normal' but the majority of other runners and dog walkers I meet are friendly. It doesn't sit quite right to be thanking people for moving away from you but I actually think I have spoken to more people in this period of social distancing than I did before. I have become the nutter that shouts morning and waves to everyone I see! I also received a gift of a pin badge with a message, I don't know who sent it, thank you to whoever it was, the badge is on the back of my race vest!

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A kind gift I received

That's about it for now, I will look forward to the time when parkrun resumes and I can run with friends. I particularly miss running with my friends from Beckers, our Sunday and Tuesday runs had become a great part of my weekly training and I miss the laughs and company. For now the solo running will continue.

Happy running, keep safe and lots of love to you all xxxx

Should I run...

This is possibly the strangest blog I have written.

My plans this year were to run my 10th Halstead Marathon, London 2 Brighton (100k) and have another attempt at 100 miles at the Essex 100 in July. Training was going great and I was thoroughly enjoying my running then Covid19 hit and now not only running is different, life is different.

Social distancing on the trails

So school is closed apart from for key worker children so at the moment I'm not working everyday. I miss work, the children, my work friends and the routine, I know it's only been a week but I just miss the normality of everyday life.

But I can still run, once a day. I will continue to do this while I am allowed, I personally think restrictions will become tighter and how far I can go from home will be changed but for now I am running more or less normally, not as far on my long runs but far enough to keep my fitness up (Essex 100 not cancelled yet!).

There is debate on social media as to whether us runners should still be out. Boris has said it's ok so I am getting out every day, I go early and most days have only seen a few people who have all been friendly and kept well away, seems rude to cross the road to avoid someone, but mostly we understand and smile and wave.

The main reason I am still running is for my mental health, races now seem unimportant. I don't deal well with change and for that hour I am out life feels normal. I can switch off, be away from the news, the stats, the overload of information and relax. I need that at the moment.

If restrictions do change I will be the nutter running up and down the road, or running a marathon in my garden!

That's it for now, keep well, stay safe and enjoy those precious runs XXX

Resolution runners...

As we begin another year, the number of runners I see out each day increases for a while, parkrun numbers swell as many people decide to take up running as their new years resolution. They are usually easy to spot in their brand new colour coordinated running kit...

Eighteen years ago this was me, yes I was once a new years resolution runner, though I can't confess to ever having colour coordinating kit! It seems a lifetime ago that I first laced up my trainers and shuffled around the block. There are a multitude of reasons why people take up running, weight loss, to get fit  and to meet new people are just a few. For me, my divorce had just been finalised, I turned thirty, like I said it was new year, and I needed to lose weight or buy bigger clothes! With three young children running seemed the easiest option, less time consuming (if only I knew what I do now!) and cheaper (again or so I thought!) than joining a gym. 

Run to parkrun today

I never imagined when I started out that running would become such a massive and important part of my life, I was purely doing it to lose weight and then tick London Marathon off my bucket list, then that would be running done! Instead what happened is I discovered that I loved running, it was an enjoyable way to spend some free time and kept the weight off, and as I started to run more and enter more races I discovered places I wouldn't have seen or been to otherwise. 

It was a long time, probably ten years before running became sociable for me. When I began there was no parkrun, couch to 5K groups and the like weren't a thing and I didn't ever feel like I wanted to join a running club, I was still at that time fitting running in around children and work. So early morning running had became the norm for me. Then in 2012 I discovered ultra running and that's when the complete craziness began, but I also started to meet people at races. I guess that's one of the good things that has come from social media, you could keep connected with people you had met at a race, local Facebook running groups/chats appeared and suddenly I had connections with other runners. Along with the phenomena that is parkrun running is now more sociable than ever and I have met so many amazing friends along the way.

Enjoying a race

I guess the point of this blog is to say to those taking their first tentative steps into running is to stick with it. Give your local parkrun a try, join a beginners running group. It doesn't matter what your reason for starting out is, or what type of running you aspire to, you will meet people who share your goals, who feel just as apprehensive about getting out there. The thing I have learnt is there will always be someone to encourage and support you, whether you want to run for twenty minutes or two days straight, complete a parkrun or a marathon or just for the pure enjoyment of being out there, someone will be feeling the same.

Running has given me so much in the last eighteen years, memorable races, medals, t-shirts, training runs and most importantly friends. It has helped me through some tough times and helps me massively in managing my mental health. I love all sorts of running, sometimes I like a road run, some days I want to be out on the trails, in the mud, exploring new places. I feel privileged to be able to spend my free time running. 

Running with friends 

One thing which still amazes me is when people say I have inspired them, that I have been the reason they have taken up the sport. To think others are out there running because of me seems crazy, I just go out and do what I love doing, but it also makes me incredibly proud.
So if you are just beginning, stick with it, enjoy it and maybe in eighteen years you will have had as much fun and adventures as I have.

As for me I plan to keep going as long as I am able, there are no plans to ever stop and 2020 is going to be the year I finally finish a 100 mile race!

Happy new year and happy running xxxx