Running with a coach week 2

So second week is done and it's still going well, most importantly I'm enjoying my running. 

This week I have run 37.68 miles bringing my January total to 137.44 and still a few days to go! 

This week there has been a tempo run which went well wasn't quite on target pace but was still running much faster than I normally do at 6am, an evening trail run, a recovery run and my first back to back long runs, I'll come back to those in a minute. Also been to 2 boot camps so all in all a good training week. My appetite has increased no end and anyone with any sense will not leave food laying around if it's edible and unattended I will eat it!!!

So back to back long runs... I decided to explore some of The Essex Way so staring at White Notley I head off for the first one on Saturday morning, well there was lots of mud and felt like I never got into a rhythm where I was running consistently for any distance! spent a lot of miles stressing about how slow I was progressing, I was enjoying the countryside but legs were heavy and when I finished 13.55 miles averaging 4.5 miles an hour I was worried!! On the plus side my new trail shoes are great. A message to Lindley and later a chat and the reassurance that I'm doing ok and that was a perfectly acceptable pace for the conditions and would be target pace for completing St. Peter's Way in 10 hours and I set off on Sundays run in a more positive frame of mind.

Thoroughly enjoyed Sundays run on The Essex Way going in the opposite direction, averaged 4.7 miles an hour, not much quicker, but it felt so much better, proving that a lot of this running stuff is mental! I enjoyed the scenery had a chat with an alpaca, splashed through the mud like a child and had a good time!

So again thanks to Lindley for the support and encouragement, thanks to Ian for understanding my unsocial running behaviour this weekend, going to have to get you to learn to love the mud ha ha!! 

Have a good week all and happy running xx 

First week with a coach

Just a quick blog today...

This week I have completed week one of my new training plan and it has gone really well. Early days I know but already have a little spark of confidence in my abilities that was missing before. 

Last weekend I ran a section of The Chiltern Way with Lindley and learnt lots about looking after myself and some insights into how my body might react to running over 100 miles.

An early morning trail run in the dark on Wednesday morning was great fun. Yesterday was another long one, I ran a section of St Peters Way, what can I say mud, mud and more mud, it felt painfully slow but enjoyed it and didn't get lost, following the route description was simple, running up hill through freshly ploughed, muddy fields wasn't!! 

So ran a touch under 40 miles last week, almost at 100 for the month but more importantly I'm enjoying it, having fun and feeling optimistic about this years running.

Have a great week and to all my running friends enjoy yourselves xxx 

Half way through yesterday's run!! 

'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.

A crazy running year...

Well I can honestly say 2013 has been a great running year! Have loved it, lots of challenges, new friends and I think I am now an ultra runner, a very slow one but being out there running crazy distances is what I love to do!!

It's really hard to choose a favourite race as there are so many amazing memories from all of them, well apart from Run to the Beat but that one can be blanked from memory, no more mass participation, you must all be clones wearing the same t-shirt events for me!! 

The Wall was amazing and was really happy with my time of 18:38, a great event even if more was on road than I was expecting, but loved it, loved the support and the craziness of running into Newcastle at 2am with a couple of drunk blokes asking why I was running at that time and the look of disbelief when I said I'd run from Carlisle, another drunk lady who gave me £10 for my charity while I was checking in at my hotel. 

Endure 24 (or enjoy 24) as we renamed it was another highlight, a crazy weekend with great friends, and The 100 Mile run a four day run through the Cotswolds, probably my slowest, plaugued with niggles, but loved every minute, the camping, the sun, the rain, the last day when Bath never seemed to get any closer, the discovery of how many different ways you could undo a gate, unforgettable times.

A new PB at Halstead marathon, my favourite marathon, still not quite sub 4:30 but getting very close, next year, and Stort 30 was another great run with great friends.

This blog could go on and on and on as so many amazing running memories, but I can't finish without talking about all the amazing running friends I have met along the way, this year saw the formation, after Colchester half, of The Commando Runners (not named because we are highly trained, lean, mean fighting machines!!) an amazing group of people who support, encourage and have fun running and doing other stuff. You can always be sure that whatever local race you turn up at there will be a friendly face running, supporting, encouraging and Parkrun has become a real Saturday morning social occasion to start the weekend off well.

So looking to next year, 'Challenge 2014' has already been planned and plotted, Challenge Running Ltd, 4 events ranging from 30 to 125 miles, all entered, training underway, raising money for Moorfields Eye Hospital. Looks like 2014 will be another crazy, ultra running year... 

Stort30 - last ultra of the year... Probably

I say probably, because The 100 mile run was supposed to be the last ultra of the year, but discovering Stort30 a local ultra, it seemed rude not to sign up! I shared my madness with our FB running group and before I knew it six others including my boyfriend, Ian (who thinks ultra running is 'silly'!!) had done the same.

So on Sunday after an extra hour in bed (great timing for the clocks to go back!) race day had arrived. Ian arrived and I can honestly say I have never seen anyone look so terrified before a race, not even my friend Mark before Paras10 last year!! After a slight detour we arrived at race HQ and after the race briefing and obligatory pre race photo it was time to begin.

So myself, Ian, Gareth, Lorraine, Rob, Danny, Trevor and Kerry set off on our ultra adventure, I knew the rest of the guys are faster runners than me and expected them to finish before me. We started our two laps of the field that we had to do before setting off to the river. It was to be an out and back route along the river Stort, and having done a recce of it a few weeks previously was looking forward to the route. It was predominantly a trail run and I had done what every runner knows is the biggest race day mistake and bought new trail shoes the day before as there had been a lot of rain leading up to the event and I was worried about falling into the river in my road shoes and knew I couldn't run 30 miles in my current trail shoes, as it turned out no problems, trainers were great and no issues at all!! 

I ran the first 13 or so miles with Lorraine which was great and I was happy with my pace but had already started to slow down, so she made the very wise decision to go on ahead, one of the highlights was seeing Ian going back the other way, a quick hug and happy to see him looking better and I headed to the turn around. 

Seeing Vicky and Liz two more of our running group at checkpoint 2 and 4 was great, nothing like a friendly face and a goody bag to spur you on, thanks Vicky.

I was happy with my half way time but it all went a bit downhill from there!! Now I can sit here and make a million excuses as to why I struggled during the second half, too many events this year, I'd had a migraine on the Saturday etc etc but who knows why some races don't go as well as others? 

At about 24 miles I told myself I'd get to the final checkpoint and give in, at that point I had no desire to struggle though another 5miles, what was the point. Well I got to the checkpoint, there were a couple of other runners there too and I knew I couldn't quit, (that little phrase my friend Simon uses popped into my head 'pain is temporary, pride is forever') I've never had a DNF (did not finish) and today wasn't the day to start!! So a cup of squash and a banana and I headed out to finish this race! I ran/walked, chatted to a guy who recognised me from The Wall Ultra and finally the finish line, Ian, Lorraine, Rob and Vicky were waiting all I had to do was a lap of the field and it was over, pretty sure that field had got bigger since the start!! 

So medal handed over, hugs and well dones received and that was Stort30 completed. the rest of the guys did so well and I am so proud of them, (Ian still thinks ultra running is silly!!) 

It was a well organised, friendly race with great check points and am pretty certain I will give it another go next year! So thank you to all involved, a great day with great friends, now the aches and pains are beginning to subside it's back to the internet to find the next event ha ha ha!!!

What about when you're old and wrinkly!!

Strange name for a blog you may be thinking...

But a question I've been asked a couple of times recently! Why have I been asked 'what about when you're old and wrinkly?' Well because I had a tattoo...

So why at 41 did I feel the need to get a tattoo, well I have a phrase/mantra whatever you like to call it that I have used for a long time...

Train Hard, No Excuses

When it's cold and dark at 6am and I have to go run, or after a hard day at work and I'm going out to boot camp it pops into my head. It gets me out there as it reminds me not to make excuses, too tired, too wet, too cold, too hot, whatever, training is a big part of my life and I don't (often) make excuses not to do it (I'm not perfect, I'm human, sometimes I do), but most of the time I'm out there training hard, preparing for the next event.

So after one of my boot camp instructors had his mantra, Take No Days Off, tattooed onto his arm I was inspired to do the same. So two weeks ago I did it, now it's there forever, not just in my head but when the alarm goes off and I put on the light, I look at it, how can I not get out and train, how can I make excuses now, it will help me realise my dream...

...Next year my plan is to attempt the big one. A 100 mile ultra marathon, it's been there since I first read Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man, my ultimate running goal. So 2014 will be the year, the training will be tough, it will probably mean cutting down on other stuff, sleep etc ha ha, but I will do it, and my tattoo will help.

So back to the original question, though have to say I have had very few negative comments, but those couple that I did get got me thinking. Will I regret it when I'm old and wrinkly? I don't think so, hopefully I'll still be pounding/shuffling the trails!! But if I'm not, that wrinkly, unreadable tattoo will be the best reminder of some of my proudest achievements, some of the best times, the training, the events, the places I see, and definitely a reminder of all the amazing running, boot camping friends I have met a long the way, some of them literally met along the way! 

So whatever your opinion, mid life crisis, coolest Mum (yes my teenage children think it's great!), fruit loop runner or anything else, I love my tattoo, I love running, boot camp and pushing my body to it's limits, I'll continue to live by those four simple words and never will I regret a single moment of all the amazing fun I'm having. 

Fruitloop to cave girl!! Week 1...

Back in February I took part in a 30 day eat clean challenge with Essex Boot Camp. Eat clean, paleo, caveman diet whatever you like to call it basically means cutting all the crap and rubbish out of your diet, so no sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, processed food etc. it was tough to stick to but by the end of the challenge felt great, slowly though over the next few months the crap crept back in, not the occasional cheat meal which is fine, but back on a regular basis. Was feeling tired, sluggish and recovery after events was taking ages... And yes I know they were some extreme events which were going to need some recovery time but falling asleep on the sofa every evening watching TV just isn't cool! I'm still young(ish!). 

So time to sort the diet... It's been a week now of being back on the eat clean (with some adaptations) and already feeling better, sleeping well but not on the sofa! I am eating dairy, Greek yoghurt with fruit starts the day well for me and dairy doesn't seem to upset me in any way. Being the school holidays I have plenty of time to prepare and cook properly so it's all going really well, just need to be organised next week when it's back to work. 

So diet under control... What about training?

Well after two weeks off because of a slight injury after the 100 mile run in the Cotswolds, all was good and I can run again. (We'll gloss over the month off the A&E doctor advised!) 

Having done lots of reading into barefoot running/shoes I decided this may be a good time to give them a try, so ordered a pair of New Balance barefoot shoes... 

They are a bit odd and felt strange with no cushioning and being so flexible, for the first day or two I just wore them around the house before going out in them. Then I started to wear them to walk the puppy in no problems they felt ok so last Friday I went out and ran a mile, have to say it felt really odd and I was in no way convinced that I'd ever run far in them, I didn't have any pain or discomfort just felt I was running oddly!!! 

Over the weekend I continued to wear them to walk Duggie. This morning I decided to run in them again, didn't really have a distance in mind just went out and ran! Stayed close to home so could come back and change if necessary. The first mile was similar to Friday felt a bit awkward but then I guess everything warmed up and it started to feel good! Was only running 10minute miles but really enjoyed it, ran 5k in the end and suffered no ill effects! 

So this was week one of the transformation, I'm feeling good... My version of eating clean seems to be working and I will continue with the barefoot shoes...

Next year I plan to make my first 100mile ultra attempt, eating well and training hard are going to be vital...