Crazy mileage and Stour Valley Marathon...

Haven't posted for a couple of weeks, been just too busy actually running!!! Have to admit to being a bit worried when I received June's training schedule but it's all going ok, 68 miles last week and over 80 this week. My legs are tired but I'm not destroyed and I can't wait for my next ultras.

My alarm is set for 5am or slightly earlier every morning so that I can get most of my training in before work during the week, weekends are all about back to back long runs this month. Yesterday I ran 21 miles with Lindley on The Saffron Trail and today I ran the Stour Valley Marathon which was 27 miles so a tough weekend. Was really glad of meeting up with Cherie today early on in the race, was great to have some company and between us we didn't get lost and it was a great event. Definitely one to do again next year.

      Photo stop on the Stour Valley Marathon

This was a new event and was really well organised, a beautiful scenic trail run, great training as I wasn't racing hard today, the first fifteen miles were pretty good, but the final twelve were tough. Cherie was great company and it was good to see Lindley and Angela at the finish line. 

Managing to get these high mileage weeks done is great, I am thoroughly enjoying it and it never feels like a chore, every run is a step closer to achieving a good finish at The Saffron Trail, which is now less than a month away and then The Chiltern Way Ultra which I know is going to be tough but I do spend a lot of time thinking how great it's going to be to cross that particular finish line, tend not to dwell too much on the 133 miles to get there. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing but I'm feeling fitter and stronger than ever, and mentally it's good for me to think about finishing. Then in October it will be Stort 30 and all being well me finishing Challenge Running's Grand Slam. Such an exciting running time ahead over next few months! 

So it's still all going well, I'm discovering some stunning parts of the Essex countryside, have great support from my family and friends and I'm pushing myself harder than ever before. 

     Cherie and I with our well deserved 'horseshoe medals' 

Have a great week and happy running xx 

When the going gets tough... Keep running

I knew April was going to be a tough training month, but thought that as I had two weeks off work it would make it somewhat easier and I could catch up with all those jobs that needed doing around the house and garden. Hmmmm...

Well the training has gone well, as for the house and garden, still a mess but happy times spent with my children, one of whom said 'I'd rather have a mum who can run 100 miles than a neat and tidy house' guess there's always the summer holidays!!

I feel this weeks training has gone well even though I have felt I'm constantly running on tired legs, this is a good thing as I have still managed to to the distances and stick to the pace suggested in my training plan. 

Wednesday I ran Kenyan Hills, sounded simple, jog slowly to the top run down as fast as you can. It was great, once you relax and stop worrying about falling it was enormous fun hurtling down the hill at full speed, but goodness me my legs were like jelly for several hours afterwards!

Over the weekend I ran back to back long runs on trail, Saturday was tough, I had fun exploring local footpaths and creating a new 15 mile local route, but everything hurt, mentally it was challenging and it just felt a struggle. When I downloaded the data from my Garmin afterwards it was actually an ok paced run, faster than I was running trails at the beginning of the year.

Sunday I was running The Flitch Way with some friends, we drove out to Stansted and ran back the whole length of the Flitch to Braintree, about 18 miles, it was a great morning and a much better run, we celebrated Easter with some Chocolate bunnies, had a cuppa at Rayne Station and managed to miss most of the rain! Felt much better on this run, legs were tired but mentally I felt stronger and having company helped the miles pass by quite quickly. So thank you to Rob, Richard, Lorraine and Iain for a lovely run.

     Iain, Richard, Rob and myself enjoying a quick break! 

Eating every two miles during my long runs is definitely working for me, still need to continue to experiment with different foods, but feeling that this strategy will be one that will work for me in my upcoming ultras. 

Halstead Marathon is now only three weeks away, the tough training is nearly done, I am quicker than I was in January and feeling positive that I can (with Lindley pacing me) get round in 4:15. 

I am thoroughly enjoying my training, pushing my body hard, I don't mind the tiredness or the aches, they make me feel like I'm getting it right (good aches I like to call them!) and seeing the improvements in my running ability makes it all worthwhile. Having a coach is definitely working for me and I would recommend Lindley from Challenge Running Ltd to anyone who wants to improve, reach a particular goal, run their first marathon or further. For more info have a look at http://www.challenge-running.co.uk/coaching/

So tomorrow I have to go back to work, energised and refreshed after the Easter holidays ready to face the new term, I guess tired with aching legs is close enough!!! 

Have a good week and happy running xx 

Bulls, guns and sunshine...

Stop me if this is getting boring but another great week of training! 

47.57 miles last week and 531.61 for the year so far. This week I have run trails, intervals, a tempo run amongst others and I have done my usual two Essex Boot Camp sessions, I am feeling fitter and am slimmer than I have ever been (only downside none of my clothes fit!!).

Yesterday I was down to run 22miles on trails and I decided whilst many of my friends were pounding the streets of London (you all did amazingly well, very proud) I packed my race vest and headed off to run some of the Colne Valley Path which runs from Great Yeldham to Colchester, the plan was to start at Yeldham run 11 miles turn round and run back. 

It was a beautiful morning and I was looking forward to it. The previous evening I had obsessively packed 10 bags of snacks so I could eat every two miles right from the beginning as advised by Lindley. I was determined to get the nutrition right this time.

      Long run snacks!!

This strategy I am pleased to say really worked, even though for the first 10/12 miles I only ate it because I knew I had to, by mile 15 I was actually looking forward to the next mile passing so that I could eat!! I felt much better than I have on previous long trail runs but at mile twenty was craving proper food (a cheese and tomato sandwich and orange juice!!) so next time I'm going over twenty I will take some savoury food too.

The Colne Valley Path is a really pretty route and I really enjoyed it, I ended up running a bit further than planned as at 11 miles I knew I wasn't far from Earls Colne (where my Mum lives) so I decided to go on so I could top up my water bottles and use her loo!!! 

I had a couple of interesting moments one was being very closely followed by a herd of young bulls in a field, I always assume they will be relatively harmless if they're in a field with a footpath, but I was wearing a bright red t-shirt and race vest (not sure if bulls not liking red is true but one of those childhood things that sticks with you!!) I slowed to a walk as thought running might upset them and I was pretty speedily though the gate! Fortunately on my return journey they ignored me.

The second slightly unnerving moment was some sort of gun shooting thing going on across the footpath!! I could hear the gunfire but assumed it would be away from where I was running, but as I followed the footpath they seemed to be set up exactly where the map and gps was saying I needed to be. In the end I decided to take the road around and link back with the footpath as this seemed preferable to being shot!! Fortunately my navigation skills do seem to be improving and this wasn't an issue. Not sure how legal it is to shoot across footpaths but wasn't going to argue! It seemed to be some sort of official event as there were signs to it pointing the same way as the footpath sign! 

     Deciding not to follow footpath marker!! 

All in all I had a great morning out running, was worrying that I still seem really slow on trails but covered 24.91 miles in 5:20 which ok isn't going to win me any prizes but I was still running at the end and it's a few months until Saffron Trail which is my next ultra after Halstead Marathon. 

     A few pics from a great morning on the trails.

Have a good week and happy running xx 

'Challenge 2014'

Well 2014 has arrived, this years challenges been set...

'Challenge 2014' as I have imaginatively called it is going to be great, tough but seemed a perfectly reasonable challenge to set myself... And then you tell people your plans to which the response is usually 'why?'  or 'are you mad?' This is expected from non runners, but is slightly unsettling from other runners!

So what is 'Challenge 2014' well quite simply, taking part and finishing all four of challenge Running's ultra marathons.

March - St Peters Way 45miles

July - Saffron Trail 70 miles (overnight!)

August - The Chiltern Way 125 miles

October - Stort 30 30 miles

So there it is, there will be other events along the way but this is the big 4, I will be raising money for Moorfields eye charity as my son is a regular patient at Moorfields eye hospital.

For the first time in my 12 years of running I now have a coach, Lindley Chambers, who is going to help me achieve this crazy challenge, and he has to take some of the blame as they are his races!! 

I'm excited about this years running and know as always I will have the support of my family, (Dad I know you'll be with me and as ever you are my inspiration for taking on these challenges, miss you) my friends, the Nutters and The Commando Runners and all my non running friends.

I am going to try and blog regularly about the training, the events, the highs and lows!!

So happy new year to you all and make it a good one.