Keeping Up Momentum

Friday: My training plan advised a rest day, it rarely suggests running two days in a row. But knowing I cannot run on the weekends, and also that I need to keep the momentum going, I decided to go off the plan, or rather, catch up. The weather was truly awful, strongest winds I've experienced, and ice cold temperatures. I was lucky to miss the hailstones, which began after I got in the car to drive home. I did my 5min warm-up though i was still very cold at the end of it, and I contemplated doing 2 rounds of 15min runs as I did yesterday. I ended up doing just the one, I was struggling for over half of it. However, that seemed pretty much in accordance with the training plan, so I wasn't too disappointed. I went off for a walk after that, for over 30mins, so I felt good about having kept my legs going. My right calf was threatening to flare up seriously during the run, and I think it was wise not to have run more than that. I enjoyed today, I didn't feel so guilty about walking so much, and being in such a beautiful park makes it a better experience. At the end of the day, I felt very hungry. I've noticed I feel hungrier and thirstier these days, and it can be hard trying to drink enough water. Much to my surprise, I don't ache nearly as much as I thought I would. The right calf often feels tender or sore, but that's about it, the rest of my body feels quite good, helped greatly by a hot shower immediately after every run.

Lone Runner, Following A Plan

Thursday: The weather turned ugly, hailstones and very strong winds. But amazingly, I was still up for running, perhaps yesterday's rest had been useful after all. As I warmed up, I was still in deep thought about how much to run. The greattrainer.org plan, if I had had it before, showed me I should have run 10mins on Monday, followed by two rest days. The plan advised a 15min easy jog for today. I had been doing 4min runs on Monday and 8min runs on Tuesday. Feeling a bit behind, I decided to push myself, and I ended up doing 2 rounds of 15min runs, with a 2min walk between them. The first was okay, hard, but doable. The second 15min run was a killer, I was struggling, despite going slowly and with the winds against me. But I did it, and I'm so pleased. When I stopped after the 2nd 15min run, my whole body was throbbing, I was extremely hot and sweaty. I had earlier met a fellow parent who told me she was doing the Great Manchester Run too, which was very exciting for me, but she is a much more advanced runner, so I didn't suggest training together. At the time, my progress worried me, but doing the two 15min runs has boosted my confidence. Having a plan to follow is a great help, reassuring me I am following the right direction. At the end of the day, I can report no major aches, though the right calf has an ache that comes and goes. I had thought about how lovely it would be to train with someone, indeed that was part of my reasons for not doing the Run, the thought of being all by myself was a little scary. But I feel a bit more philosophical about it now. I think perhaps I would rather train alone, alone with my thoughts and doing things my way. Perhaps I am getting used to doing it alone and that is a good thing, because despite there being thousands of entrants in the Run, I am doing it by myself, noone else can do it for me. There are many runners in the park training on their own, and the few I see that are in pairs, are usually busy chatting away as they run. Interestingly, I don't envy that anymore, I appreciate the solitude of running more every day.

Rest Day By Choice

Wednesday: I rested myself today, partly out of advice, partly because I saw how much the weekend rest affected my performance for Monday. I had planned to walk today and not run at all, so it would still be like resting. However, I awoke today with very little energy, craving more sleep. So after dropping the kids off, I came back home and napped on the sofa, exhausted. I guess my body is craving sleep and rest a lot more than my head wants it to, and sometimes listening to the body is the better idea. I also felt very hungry today, though food isn't settling as well as it should, my stomach always feels delicate. Cereal goes down fine, as do sandwiches and cereal bars, which is some relief. In the three weeks I have been running, I have lost 6 pounds, though I have been into healthy eating for much longer. That is pleasing, clothes that were too tight before, fit me now, and overall, I feel better about myself and level of fitness. I have a lot of excess weight but the the speed of loss is medically acceptable as being neither too fast or too slow. I don't plan to weigh myself too much, it is usually a depressing experience, but it's uplifting to know my body is changing in a positive way. I managed to get the greattrainer.org 10k plan from my runner mate, which I know will be a huge help to my training. I have looked at it briefly and it worried me, as it appears I am supposed to be doing 10 and 15min runs this week (week 1 of 16). At mid week, I have only managed to do 8mins in successful repetition. I will look at the plan more closely to understand how behind I am and how to work on getting on target. The thought of being behind already is frustrating and makes me wonder if I should have rested at all; but knowing I have plenty of time ahead of me makes me less apprehensive and more determined to make sure I am ready on time.

Cranking Up A Gear

Tuesday: Kind weather again, a lot more runners out there, obviously in training. One ran past while I was walking to warm up, cheekily saying 'come on then', and later passed me as I was running, giving me a braod smile, which better have been in solidarity and not condescending! I was in two minds as to how long I should run for and was considering upping to 5 mins, from yesterday's 4mins. However, as I listened to the radio, 'Work' by Kelly Rowland (Freemasons Remix) came on and it felt a travesty not to run along to it. I ended up doing 8mins, which made me think I should keep aiming for that. So I ended up doing 5 rounds of 8min run/1min walk, which I felt rather pleased with. It was much more challenging than yesterday, but still doable, as long as I focused on the breathing and persevered through the aches. I find I need to cool down with longer walks now, to make sure my legs are okay. The right calf twinges a little but I think I have been sensible with it so far. I have tried to register with greattrainer.org to get a programme to follow for the Great Manchester Run, but they are not taking new members as the site is being updated. They apparently text reminders for running, something that would encourage me to stick to a plan. I hope to get a programme soon as I sometimes wonder if I am pushing myself hard enough. I was really tired today, sweating more (which I think is a great sign) and drank Lucozade at the end of the run, which tasted better than it had ever done. Today was a good day, it feels great to have managed to jump from 4min runs to 8min runs, and I do feel fitter as time goes on. Days like this make the Run feel more doable, more fun, less scary :o)

The 16 Week Countdown Begins...

Monday: 16 weeks to the Great Manchester Run - the pressure is on! The weather was very good today, moderately cold and a good wind, dry morning, no rain in sight. I had bread for the duckies as usual, though some tried to fly towards me, which was a bit unnerving! I decided to do some stretching before my walking warm-up, for the sake of the problematic right calf, which felt better than expected. I was able to do 7 rounds of 4min run/1min walk, which really pleased me. I felt my stamina was higher, and I reluctantly admit that runners world were right to stress the importance of rest days. Today really felt less ache-filled, it was more fun and satisfying, which must be due to having two rest days. On reflection, I could have pushed myself harder to do 5 or 6min runs, with 1.5 or 2min walks, but I was very wary of my right calf still being tender. My runner mate suggests upping to 8mins quickly, which would be at odds with the advice runners world give, that I should stay with the 4min/1min ratio the whole week. This is something I will have to think about, how much I want to, or can, push myself. I am putting into practice the need for endurance over speed at this stage, I think I am really very slow right now, but that does not bother me, as I need to get myself to long periods of uninterrupted running before I focus on how fast I go. Today felt really good, especially when I went over 4mins without realising or staring at the stopwatch in desperation. A day like today, though it's so early in my training, made me feel I can do the Run, and right now, I don't care if I come last, because just finishing it would mean so much to me.

Week 3 Reflection

Sunday: Today was more of a proper rest day. I was very careful about stretching my right leg and not bending it so much. No other aches or pains to report. I have noticed that my stomach has been feeling delicate, quite possibly due to eating out twice in two days, but I have stayed fine by eating no rubbish and eating little, despite the hunger pangs. I'm also trying hard to drink as much water as possible, which is a challenge some days. Looking back on this week, I am amazed that I actually signed up for the Great Run. That is something I never saw myself doing just a few weeks ago. This running thing is incredibly confidence-building. I look back at my earlier posts when I got into this for fun, and I smile to see how much my attitude has changed, in a good way. I am still doing this for fun but now I have a focus, it feels so much more worthwhile, a deeper kind of fun, if you will :o)

Not Enough Rest for a Rest Day

Saturday: Last night, I went out for dinner, and treated myself to chips and Coke, along with my grilled chicken. But I think my body is starting to change and reject anything 'non healthy', which is of course a good thing, but very strange for me, having been used to having a body that never rejected junk! The dinner didn't settle well with me, though I wasn't actually sick. Then today, I again felt 'junk rejection' as I went to Pizza Hut for lunch with the family, a treat for the kids whilst we were shopping. I ended up skipping dinner because I felt I'd be sick, though I was fine later in the evening. So food-wise, I am pleased that my healthy eating over the last couple of months is being accepted and actually craved by my body. Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I ended up doing a lot of walking as I was shopping. At the end of the day, my feet were really aching and my right calf still feels tight and stiff. I have tried massaging and rubbing it, which has made some difference. I end up aggravating the aches by the way I sit on the sofa, my natural inclination is curled up, legs all bent and folded. I have taken to putting my feet on a footrest stool, legs stretched out, which will take a lot of getting used to. I hope to rest my feet and legs more on Sunday, though I must be realistic, as I have a lot of housework piled up. But I am sure it won't be as bad as today was for my feet.