Running Pre-Night Out

Friday: A dry and cold morning, I was eager to improve on yesterday's run which barely made it over 20mins. The legs had been aching all night, and this morning, the right calf and knee were very painful. Thankfully, applying lots of gel does a good job of numbing the feeling and I applied it generously. I took Lucozade with me to drink during the run, knowing the body feels slow after the cold. It was a conscious decision to try to slow my pace down, to control it to keep the focus on endurance. The run felt good but was troubled by my right side, which I am worried is caused by my sports bra. Its shape is such that it presses into the ribcage and I wonder if it feels tight due to my body swelling and expanding temporarily from running. Apart from that, the legs felt fine, thanks to the gel. I covered 3.94km in 27mins 33secs, not hitting the 30mins I wanted, but that was due to running too fast, perhaps. It's hard slowing down, I underestimate how hard sometime. But I felt good today, getting over 25mins was important to me. Also, I had a night out planned, dinner at Nando's, which had me in a good mood. The company was great, as was the dinner - I chose the grilled chicken, sweet potato mash and mushroom side. I dithered over eating the mash, wondering if I should avoid it for training reasons. This is a real turnaround in my way of thinking; I got to the size I am by not worrying about food and just enjoying it, no matter how 'bad' it was. As I was looking at the menu, I realised how much running means to me, to have changed the way I look at food and my health, for the better. Dinner was delicious, as it always is there, and accompanied by countless pint glasses of Coke (well, we can't be wise all the time...). Rare for me, I chose not to have dessert, I was full and enjoying my Cokes, so no need. A very enjoyable night out, it felt like a real treat after my first race, and it was timed far enough away from my next race to avoid any guilt about what I had to eat and drink. Tomorrow will be another running day: a short and easy jog, planned to allow me to get some light training in, and nothing too heavy, because I plan on a long run on Sunday. I have missed long runs that were necessary for the 10km, due to me not looking at the programme for weeks, so this Sunday is very important. A lot is riding on that training session for me - a week after, it's the race, and I need that boost of confidence, to know I can run 10km non stop. It's the 'non stop' issue that worries me, I don't want to walk any part of the race; endurance has to come before speed, I keep reminding myself.

Post-Cold Running

Thursday: A very rainy day, I felt better, though fatigue still hung over me. Having been on great trainer's website and checked the training programme, I knew I had to get myself into gear. The aim was to run between 20 and 30mins, more hitting the 30mins target. However, I really struggled with it, feeling very tired and heavy. I was ready to stop at 17mins, but somehow managed to keep going to the next measureable point. I covered 3.41km in 22mins 41secs. I felt very disappointed with myself, even though I knew it was the first post-cold run. Knowing I have a 10km race next week is weighing heavily on me, I felt I was far behind in my training. I went back to the car and got out a bottle of Lucozade to drink. It was then I had the idea to do another run, as I had plenty of time before picking up my son from nursery. Also, I hated feeling so disappointed with myself, I had to take more away from this run. So after a short break and the drink, I set off again. I felt a lot better this time, the juice had reinvigorated the body. The 2nd run felt much better in general. However, for most of the run, I felt twinges in my upper left thigh, which varied from slight to stronger. Though I was able to focus and enjoy the run, it was worrying me that I might injure myself, and it was a conscious decision to stop after 20mins. For the 2nd run, I covered 3.32km in 22mins 59 secs, a slightly slower pace than the first. I am glad I did the 2nd run, my body told me it had needed a drink and I was pleased to have got more time training in. At the end of the day, the knees were aching, as well as the calves. Perhaps one long run is better than two short ones but I know that my body wasn't able to do a long one today. I plan to be out running tomorrow, there is little time left till GER and I am not feeling as prepared as I expected to be at this stage.

Cold - Day Two

Wednesday: It was raining heavily this morning and I was still not fully recovered from my cold. But with time very much being of the essence, with my 10km race just over a week away, I was irritated to be resting a second consecutive day. Today was spent drinking lots of Lucozade plus lots of paracetamol to get back on my feet, getting the household chores done. My temperature was up and down a lot, the shakes were eased by the drink and the faintness was combatted with good old-fashioned salt. By the end of the day, I was a lot better, the nose was still very blocked but it should be dealable for running. I am a little apprehensive about being underprepared for the Great Edinburgh Run (GER), as I know the first few runs after a cold are not always the best. I am hoping my body can bounce back quickly and get back to normal fast, I am determined not to let this cold affect the training time I have left. A website I had been waiting to register with has finally got back up and running. Great trainer should hopefully be texting me to remind me about training sessions, which I don't need but I see it in a supportive context. It also offers training plans tailored to individual needs and having had a quick look around the site, it seems very easy to use and quite informative. Tomorrow should be a training day, hoping that two days of rest will show in my performance. I am looking forward to GER, in that it's my 'home ground' and it's familiar to me. Currently, the nerves centre around my preparation for it; once I get some more training under my belt, I should feel more confident about doing the 10km.

Cold, Down and Dreaming

Tuesday: The cold worsened overnight and I awoke with the rare feeling of not wanting to run. After the school run, I collapsed onto the sofa for a nap, and have another couple during the day, whilst the other half was home. I took lots of paracetamol during the day, spent largely on the sofa. I nagged the other half to get takeaway pizza for dinner, I could barely make it to the bathroom, let alone cook. My body was craving junk, as it often does when I get these bad colds. I showered before dinner to freshen up and gulped down Lucozade to get back on my feet. This was a temporary fix, I moved around for a while after dinner but soon retreated to the sofa later in the evening, exhausted and sneezing. It’s the fatigue that is really hard, the body feels like it weighs twice as much. The sneezing is no fun either, eyes feeling hot and watering as if I am crying, shaking and sweating quite feverishly. Can’t wait till it’s over, I’m normally fine in 48hours or so. Maybe not the best time to make decisions when drowsy, but I decided not to enter the Snowdonia Marathon. It isn’t realistic with my other commitments and far too hilly for my 1st marathon (hmm, I say ‘1st’ as if there are more to follow…). Hence, my big running challenge for 2008 is a half marathon, and I am thinking of doing a full marathon next year, perhaps in my beloved home city. The latter has received no support from anyone, perhaps my self-confidence is unrealistically inflated having completed a 5km race. I don’t look or act like a ‘stereotypical runner’, whatever that may be, considering I just had a takeaway this evening and am many stones overweight. But I feel more like a runner as time goes on, and the more I contemplate, the more I want my running to lead somewhere, and what is more ‘ultimate’ than a marathon? I think of all the things my late cousin never had a chance to do and I wonder, what would I regret not doing if I didn’t wake up tomorrow? I don’t know yet which marathon to do or when, but I know I will regret not training towards one. Life is for living, I feel, you’re a long time dead, so why not. The idea of doing 26miles is unfathomable right now, for someone who wheezes after 3miles, but I wonder what is a dream then, if not beyond our fingertips, and to be able to reach what we think we cannot, what could be more exciting, more fulfilling?

1st Post Race Training Run

Monday: A very sunny day, I was in a rush this morning and unable to eat breakfast. I did remember to slap on the anti inflammatory gel all over both legs, as the aches were everywhere, from top of the thighs all the way down to the ankles. The gel did the trick, the aches were numbed sufficiently to get back to the park. I had a bottle of Lucozade with me to keep me going, all the more important when I'd not eaten, and I tried keeping a gentle but progressive pace. The drink helped a lot, I was still in a good mood from Saturday's race and enjoyed being back out there. I covered 3.62km in 25mins 04secs, which I was satisfied with as my 1st post-race run. As competitive as I can be, I know I have to be focusing hard primarily on endurance and less on speed. I know I completely gave all I had in doing 5km and I need to work on lasting the full 10km for next Sunday's race in Edinburgh. Also, I want to enjoy it more, as the best thing about my first race was really when it was over. I would like to look back on Edinburgh's race as one I enjoyed doing, not just enjoying the post-run high. To last 10km, and to do it by running alone, I'm going to have to control my speed diligently, which is something to work on over the next training runs. On a lighter note, after much light-hearted though relevant debate on a thread I began on fetch.com's discussion forum, I decided to try running commando (lol) and it was fine, wearing my looser and thicker jogging bottoms. As humorous as the ongoing debate is, I am becoming increasingly interested in the 'little things' that affect comfort and performance. My thoughts have turned to completing a marathon before this year is over, though there are many logistical problems involved with the timing. The only marathon which could fit with my other commitments and allow sufficient training would be the Snowdonia Marathon in October. However, despite being a very scenic race to do, and geographically convenient, it is very hilly indeed and research (including feedback from other fetchies) indicates it would be one of the toughest first marathons one could do. Today ended with much thought about it and feeling a bad cold coming on, which will determine if I run tomorrow.

Post - Race Chill Out

Sunday: Slept very deeply and soundly :o) Today has been a chill out day for me. The aches continued today, mainly in the calves during the day and by evening, the aches were focused completely in the thighs. I plan to be out running tomorrow, I can't afford to take things too easy with two big races coming up in a few weeks. It will be great to get back out again, as I have spent many Sunday mornings out for a run. I will have to do something about the earphone issue pronto, running isn't the same without music. Felt quite pleased today, still in disbelief that my first race is over, and I did it in a time I never expected. Going to be thinking about targets for the next race soon. Also, I'm continuing to feel inspired by my runner friend's progress, who did a big training run of 21miles today in 3 hrs 41mins, which made my jaw drop. A few months ago, it was a big deal for me to be able to run 5mins non-stop, and now I am doing over 20min runs fine as part of my training. To think of running non-stop for over 3 hours is just mind boggling for me, and I think about the fact I am planning to do a half marathon in September, which will probably mean running for at least that amount of time. It's amazing what the human body can build up to, given time, training and the right care. My friend felt awful, really terrible for a couple of hours, after the run, which was quite worrying, but is fine now. I guess we runners are always trying to learn how far we can push ourselves, see how far the body will go with what the brain wants, until one of them begs us to stop (usually the body). Talking about running with others on fetch.com and the running forum gets more interesting and fun as time goes on, I never expected to be so into this running lark. One fetchie made a comment which has stayed with me, that he fell in love with running and he couldn't be without it because it makes his life better and he is a happier, better person for having it in his life. And that is something I feel I identify with more and more :o)

1st Big Race Day - Salford 5KM Run

Saturday: A sleepless night, I awoke to motivating text messages and emails :o) I sorted out the kids and organised my music playlist for the race, taking a pic of me before I left the house (looking rather serious). It was very windy today and rather cold, but no rain. I got to the park an hour in advance which I now know was far too early. I got my race number, supplied with safety pins, and was ready, with 50mins to go. The race route was on a big board and I was worried to see it was more undulating than I had been practicing, not a good feeling at all. The Under17 3km started before mine and watching them go got me excited for the first time. It felt strange being on my own, seeing others with friends or family or club groups. I walked around to keep warm, and to get the legs ready for the race. The nerves calmed as the atmosphere was friendly and I received many supportive texts. I lined up near the back, in accordance with advice for newbies from fetch.com, and was feeling very motivated and determined at that point. As the hooter honked, I set off faster than I expected, getting swept away with the crowd. I finished my race drink (lucozade isotonic) before the race since I was convinced I needed to focus on sticking to the correct race route, but this was a terrible mistake because only a few minutes into the race, I desperately needed the bathroom. This feeling stayed with me for the whole race. Also, within minutes of starting, the earphones were flying about in the wind and I didn’t want to waste valuable time fixing them so took them off, very disheartened to be unable to run to music I had so carefully chosen for the race. With the wind blowing against me and the route feeling painful, I struggled to enjoy myself. It felt good to temporarily overtake a runner who walk/ran the race and though she eventually raced ahead of me to the finish, I was determined not to walk at all. I guess it’s a personal thing, it meant a lot to me that I ran the whole race, even if it meant a slower time than a walk/run effort. Without music, it felt difficult to keep motivated, but managed to persevere with thoughts of my late cousin, who’s early passing led me to taking up running, and I am sure he was looking down on me, laughing his head off :o) Also, I felt inspired by my runner friend who has made remarkable progress in running, and thinking positive thoughts, in amongst the cursing, helped me get through it. Keeping an eye on the time, I thought I was on target for 34-36mins for most of the race but at one point, I realised I could possibly touch my magic a) target of 30mins, and what do you know, I get a stich! I pressed down on the pain, running whilst leaning to the opposite side of the stich (something I read somewhere on the running forum, I think) and slowed down. It became a huge struggle not to walk, I could see the finishing line, and somehow eventually got there. I was annoyed to see a photographer there, well, I can laugh now, but I am sure it will be the most unflattering photo imaginable! I was wheezing wildly, as I do after hard runs, and was handed a medal, much to my delight :o) I tried to keep walking but ended up collapsing onto the grass within minutes, I was dizzy and unable to take any more. The rest did me good, my head had been spinning. Once I was vaguely composed, I got up to collect my zipper from the tent and was disappointed to learn there were no drinks being handed out. A kind runner, typical of the crowd that came, offered to share a drink but I politely declined, slightly embarrassed at my under-preparation. I was fine though, I went off for a cool down walk, admired my medal and enjoyed the post-race high for the first time. My mobile recorded my time as 30mins 15secs, which had me beaming, I couldn’t believe I did so much better than expected. I had some pics taken at the finishing line (in a relaxed state) and more at home. I was later a little nervous about my actual time and was buzzing all over again to receive official confirmation that I came 142nd out of 150, and recorded 30mins 16secs :oD I was over the moon and spent my evening celebrating with my favourite drink (Irn Bru, hehe) and chocolates (Jaffa Cakes and Ferrero Rocher, classy, lol). Despite the pain and the problems, it was a fantastic day, my first race completed, and it felt brilliant. I had heard much about the post-race high and experienced it today, glowed and basked in it very selfishly and happily :o) Having reached such lows in confidence and been so nervous pre-race, I was overwhelmed to feel so delighted, I was beaming all evening. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from my first race, which is part of training for the Great Runs in May, and I’m proud, feeling like a ‘proper runner’ now. A day full of memories I’ll treasure always :o)