50 is Fabulous Indeed

Friday: I awoke this morning feeling motivated by my online trainer and a burning desire to get out of the rut I was in, feeling so disappointed with my running. I took a bottle of Lucozade with me and spent more time warming up today, as it rained constantly, but this pleased me. I did lots of stretching and nearly 10mins to warm up. This was so I could get myself to 20mins of continuous running, as my program advised, and bearing in mind the targets set by the trainer, I know I needed to push myself harder. So I began the run at a very slow pace, which took a lot of self control. By really reducing my speed, I hit 15mins feeling better than I had ever done at that time, and so getting to 20mins wasn't as painful as expected. Because my body was coping better than I expected, I decided to keep going till 30mins, and again, at 40mins, I thought 50mins wasn't far off. I gulped down Lucozade every 10mins, which was lifesaver. But I reached 41 mins and my body started shutting down, I started experiencing sharp shooting pains in my right side (not a stich though). Slowing down eased them, as did pressing my right hand against the pain, massaging gently. But at around 46mins, I feared I would have to quit as the pain was getting too much to handle, and I had to bear in mind that I needed strength to walk back to the car. However, a female walker approached me and chatted to me for a few minutes, about the idea of us running together. This made me slow down further and took my mind off the pain, and by the time the walker had gone, I found the energy to last the final minute. My time was 50mins 39 secs for 3.97miles :o) I was so pleased with myself for hitting 50mins, I was on a high all day. I really needed this to boost my confidence, having struggled with 15min runs for so long, I couldn't see a point where I could go beyond that. Now, I feel so much more positive about my forthcoming races, and I know I need to stop distracting myself with speed times, and concentrate 100% on my endurance. At the end of the day, I can report my right calf feels a little achey but I generally feel fine, no more aches than usual, which is pleasantly surprising. The pains experienced during the last minutes of the run were about my body wanting to quit and I know I need to be careful about those signs. The female walker provided a helpful distraction; she seemed nice and keen for company, and I agreed to run with her but to be brutally honest, I was being polite - I have become so used to running on my own, changing my routes whenever I want, doing what I want and so on. Perhaps it is selfish of me to think like that but this is something I wanted to do for myself and by myself (inspired much by my late cousin). Who knows, maybe with time, I'll feel differently, it depends on how similar the other person's goals are to mine, and what stages we are at. It is funny, when I first started running, I was keen to find running buddies for support, but I have grown to enjoy the solitude, my quiet time alone and away from my busy life. And today, I just feel so proud to have run for 50mins, the races I am due to do don't feel as scary right now. Today's run left me feeling fantastic, and I very much needed that :o)

Getting Better, Looking Forward

Thursday: A very difficult night sneezing and coughing, not much sleeping. But somehow, I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and get to the park. A bottle of Lucozade got me through a short session today. I planned on covering a certain route which I thought would take me 15mins. This was to figure out how much distance I was covering in running alone, as all my times have been inclusive of warming up and walking periods. Thanks to fetch, I calculated I covered 1.34miles in 14mins 38secs, which is useful to know where I am at. After running, I walked to cool down and unusually for me, I sat down for a while, but I wish I had kept walking, as when I got up from the bench, my legs started to give way and I found it difficult to get to the car. At home, my usual cure for oncoming low blood pressure (2 boiled eggs sprinkled with salt, or just the 1 in mild cases) helped enormously. Felt very tired today, still the occasional sneezing fit, but lots of hot drinks and sticking a towel over my head have been amazingly helpful. My program advises one 20min run for this week, whilst my online trainer would have me doing 30mins very soon, which exceeds what the program sets. It's all very interesting, advice can conflict sometimes and I am in deep thought about my progress to date and where I want to go. I weighed myself today and I discovered I have lost ten pounds since I started running, which is welcome news and motivating, too. The 15min runs take everything I have, and more sometimes, and right now, I am wondering how to beat that, but knowing the weight is coming off (albeit slowly), that pushes me forward. A sleepless night due to being unwell meant I had time to think a lot and the Salford Run feels daunting, I feel I need to train more to be satisfied I'll be ready. The route isn't online but the park has some steep gradients to climb (steep by newbie runner levels) which I struggle with. I am thinking of putting in extra running time to build up my confidence in my running, I am beginning to feel more competitive about it, and hopefully this time next month, I should be making real progress towards my races.

Fighting To Get Better

Wednesday: Resting, partly to follow the training program and partly due to my cold. Much sneezing, coughing and drowsiness today. To combat it all, I have been drinking lots of coffee to stay alert and get chores done, and lots of Lucozade to keep my energy up. My body feels very tired, whilst the caffeine is helping my brain stay awake. At the end of the day, I can report my right knee and calf feel more achey than usual, perhaps due to my cold, and I have no idea if I am running tomorrow. I have short periods of feeling fine, then end up sneezing lots and collapsing onto the sofa because standing takes too much out of me. So it's a case of seeing how I feel in the morning. I would probably have not considered running tomorrow at all and given my body that extra day to recover, if not for the fact that, in my semi-ill state, I decided to enter a 5km Run in April. It's the Salford Run, very cheap to do (£5), and it seemed silly not to do it, because it is both great training practice for the Great Runs in May and it's in the very park I train in. My online personal trainer has set me a 35min target for the Salford Run, which is becoming very much in line with the trainer's over optimistic nature. I plan to think about targets nearer to the 5km Run, when I am feeling better and am more confident with my running. I found out about the Salford Run from the fetch website, which has a directory of most, if not all, the races in the country. So, with my first race in less than two months, I really do not have time to be ill, hence my hoping to be out running tomorrow. As the weather improves, the park is filling up with runners and I have yet to see one as slow and as unfit as me, thus the anxiety grows. But anxiety on its own is pointless, I need to do something about it, and as I sit surrounded by tissues and vapour rub, I am hoping to get better as soon as possible.

Good Start, Bad Finish

Tuesday: The sun was out today and light winds turned strong during my run, causing my earphones to fly about a few times. Despite that, I had a good run, I was satisfied with my breathing and endurance today. Far from perfect but a lot better today. I did the usual two 15 minute runs separated by a 5min walk. I didn't stick to the route I mapped out, there was too much uphill for me, so I amended it as I ran, keeping my fingers crossed that I'd still hit the 4mile target: fetch later informed me I managed 4.77miles in 71mins 15secs. During my cooling down walk, my right calf was very achey to the point of limping so I walked longer than usual, hoping that would help it. I had a bottle of Lucozade with me which was very helpful, though I don't know how long it will take to get used to carrying a bottle. So the day started well, but ended not so well - after the run and a refreshing shower, I started to sneeze and by the end of the day, I was very bunged up with a cold. My nose has been problematic in the past, and I hope this won't exceed the usual 2-3 day period it goes through. Any post running aches I may have cannot be felt as I feel extremely run down and sneeze quite violently. Tomorrow will have to be a rest day, and the next running day, as always, depends on the body getting back to normal. I ended the day critically analysing my performance (though not in the best state of mind to do it, feeling like death) and my online personal trainer has set me a 55min target for the Great Edinbrgh 10km Run, the over optimism of which gave me a restless night. Indeed, this runner has no time to be ill :o)

Coffee and Pills

Monday: A rest day and gladly so, my body was extremely tired and I napped when I could. It's a temporary side effect of the antibiotics, extreme drowsiness, but I guess that is preferable to nausea and diarrohea :o) I found drinking lots of coffee later in the day helped, I could not have functioned otherwise with kids, housework and studies. I have mapped out a route for tomorrow, a big circular route which should be easy enough for me to remember and also it hits the 4mile target I want. I voiced my concern in the running forum about depending on energy drinks so early on in my running to improve my endurance levels and I received a reply saying I should do what works for me. That was pretty much the line I had planned to take but it is reassuring hearing that from more experienced runners, as I so very much want to do this 'right' and be ready for the Great Runs in May. I am trying not to focus on my disappointment with some previous running days, I know I need to focus on the next day as a fresh day and be positive. Tomorrow is my last day on the antibiotics, which will be a relief, I really shouldn't be drinking so much coffee during training. But the main thing is to get to 100% again and, once the drowsiness wears off, to get back to lots of water.

Reflecting On A Mixed Week

Sunday: I had hoped to be up at dawn, but after a late night, I slept in and was finally out running in the early afternoon. I covered 3.77 miles in 56 mins, and they were very long 56mins indeed. I did the usual two 15min runs, but I found them incredibly tough, I was in pain and struggling to breathe for both runs. I could put it partly down to my infection, and the antibiotics I am taking, but also, I kept forgetting to breathe properly and I wasn't concentrating hard enough. I have found these two things to be essential for me to have a good and effective run. My mind was very preoccupied, perhaps it is possible to think too hard to the point of total distraction from the task in hand. I had a bottle of water with me but it felt as if it just sat in my stomach and swished around. The Lucozade had been so much better, but I wonder if it is right for me to depend on the drink considering my low mileage; I have learned from the running forum that some other runners are depending on a drink after big distances, my own distances pale in comparison. However, water was no great help to me at all today. I was really frustrated by my body shutting down on me, and I surprised myself by managing two 15min runs, I was verging on passing out, from the sheer effort of it all. Perhaps it was the water that made the vital difference and let me make my targets.
The week has been a mixed bag indeed and it ended in an extremely disappointing way. The highlight was managing three 15min runs and still feeling great, and the low point was today, finding no enjoyment in the run at all. The right calf is aching again and the body feels very tired. I plan to rest tomorrow, keeping a rest between running and also giving me time to get back to normal physically.

Doctor's Orders

Saturday: I visited the doctor's and am on antibiotics for a few days, for a minor though discomforting infection. Just as well that today was a rest day, I felt very tired and run-down. Perhaps two consecutive running days added to that and I am considering following the training programme more closely, in keeping training to alternating days. I managed to rest a fair amount and even a short nap, and the day ended on a personal high, if not running related. I am allowed to keep running while I am on the antibiotics, though potential side effects could of course affect my performance. To think I was always so wary of injury ruining my training, and it is an infection which is slowing me down, but noone ever said it would be easy :o)