I am trying really hard to be dedicated and train properly for the Great North Run which as I have mentioned I am running in aid of St Gemma's hospice in Leeds in memory of my late Uncle.
I ran the Edinburgh half marathon last year and although I tried to train, illness and time were against me and truth be told my longest run before the event was 5 miles, so I amazed myself when I got round the full course in 2.36 minutes and ran the majority - it is amazing what a crowd, atmosphere and adrenalin can do!
This time though I would like to better the 2.36 and improve on it all so I set out with a proper training plan - well I say a training plan it was all in my head, but I knew what I wanted to achieve and my timelines.
In the last 2 weeks I have increased my distance from 6 miles to 8.5 miles which is the most I have ever done (other than the half marathon last year of course).
I am running 3 times a week and going to the gym or swimming on days inbetween with either a Friday or Sunday off as my day of rest.
Truth be told, I am struggling initially. I set off and find the first 3 miles really touch, I try and always run uphill to start with and always end up having to interval (walk 1 lamppost before I can set off again), but then I seem to break a barrier and can keep on going.
I recently invested in new running shoes from Up and Running which are very nice (at £95 I should hope they are though!), and hubby said to me on Saturday when I achieved my 8.5 miles
'How do you feel, you are a proper runner now'
That was a real realisation - I am! I love it as well!
Anyone who knew me at school and saw my pathetic crawls round the cross country track, I was always one of the last would not believe it, I hardly do myself
So tomorrow I intend to go for 9.5 miles, wish me luck!
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Monday, 19 August 2013
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Edinburgh Rock and Roll half marathon
On April 15th I am stupidly running the Edinburgh half marathon. This is the woman who finds or rather found running 100 yatds a challenge!
Running has always been one of those things I have struggled to do. I hated it with a passion in school and would dread those dreary, windy days when PE was a cross country run. I kind of found the whole breathing thing an issue! Minor problem.
2 years ago, after years of continued congestion in my nose I was eventually referred to a consultant who within 5 minutes told me had a collapsed septum between my sinuses and it had probably been like that from birth. It can be corrected with surgery but it is a 2 week recovery time. My surgery came through 3 weeks before our 200 mile move up north and when t’husband was already moved so I would have been alone with 2 kids and as much as I love my mum, I couldn’t cope with her fussing while trying to recover, so I canceled it and to be honest have now lost the bottle, but at least I now know why I snore like a pig and can’t breathe through my nose.
I think it is psychological as I am now really getting into running, have accepted I can’t breathe through my nose and have been convinced by a friend to run a half marathon. I love a challenge. T’husband is registered to do it with me but he isn’t going to – he has been for about 3 runs in the last 2 months and has now all but given up. To be fair he has had groin strain but he is so knackered from work he can’t face then running.
As for me, I continue to amaze myself. I have built up slowly but can now run about 3.5 miles without stopping – OK so I know I have another 10 miles to go to complete a half marathon but all in good time!
I am planning on doing a weekly update on how the training is going to try and motivate myself and keep a log of how I am doing.
I have just had 3 weeks off as I hurt my knee and then got flu. On Thursday night under the cover of darkness I did a 2 mile run and it went better than hoped. Today I ran with the dog and although the route was 4.8 miles I didn’t run it all as I ran 2.4 miles to the football field where Mini Man was doing football, stopped for about 10 minutes to watch and then walked the boys back to the car, then I ran back but some of it was too muddy to properly run. I did however make it all the way up this massive hill which I have been trying to achieve since December so I am very chuffed (and the dog was off his lead so didn’t pull me up!).
So from this week I hope to do a run every other day – I am in Rome Wed – Fri so hope the hotel has a gym and will do some on the treadmill.
Running nightmare today though was a new pair of running trousers. When walking the bit to the football field a couple of cars did slow and the men driving seemed to be having a good look at me – I was strutting along thinking I obviously looked good from behind. Once home I was hosing the dog in the garden, bent over him, t’husband came out and nearly spat his coffee out and was ‘Jesus Christ wifey, they are a bit see-through aren’t they’ and proceeded to take a photo, then made me stand up and take another one. I am absolutely mortified with the photos – I may as well of been wearing my thong on the outside of them it was that obvious. Worst bit was I saw mum’s and dad’s from school on the football field and in the woods bumped into my old Biology teacher who stopped me as he recognized me from 20 years ago (this is the man who I can credit with the reason why I am doing what I do today and loving it – him and his belief in me, he inspired me and showed me I could do science and love it). Needless to say I have already been to town and bought some proper running knickers to now wear as well.
Running has always been one of those things I have struggled to do. I hated it with a passion in school and would dread those dreary, windy days when PE was a cross country run. I kind of found the whole breathing thing an issue! Minor problem.
2 years ago, after years of continued congestion in my nose I was eventually referred to a consultant who within 5 minutes told me had a collapsed septum between my sinuses and it had probably been like that from birth. It can be corrected with surgery but it is a 2 week recovery time. My surgery came through 3 weeks before our 200 mile move up north and when t’husband was already moved so I would have been alone with 2 kids and as much as I love my mum, I couldn’t cope with her fussing while trying to recover, so I canceled it and to be honest have now lost the bottle, but at least I now know why I snore like a pig and can’t breathe through my nose.
I think it is psychological as I am now really getting into running, have accepted I can’t breathe through my nose and have been convinced by a friend to run a half marathon. I love a challenge. T’husband is registered to do it with me but he isn’t going to – he has been for about 3 runs in the last 2 months and has now all but given up. To be fair he has had groin strain but he is so knackered from work he can’t face then running.
As for me, I continue to amaze myself. I have built up slowly but can now run about 3.5 miles without stopping – OK so I know I have another 10 miles to go to complete a half marathon but all in good time!
I am planning on doing a weekly update on how the training is going to try and motivate myself and keep a log of how I am doing.
I have just had 3 weeks off as I hurt my knee and then got flu. On Thursday night under the cover of darkness I did a 2 mile run and it went better than hoped. Today I ran with the dog and although the route was 4.8 miles I didn’t run it all as I ran 2.4 miles to the football field where Mini Man was doing football, stopped for about 10 minutes to watch and then walked the boys back to the car, then I ran back but some of it was too muddy to properly run. I did however make it all the way up this massive hill which I have been trying to achieve since December so I am very chuffed (and the dog was off his lead so didn’t pull me up!).
So from this week I hope to do a run every other day – I am in Rome Wed – Fri so hope the hotel has a gym and will do some on the treadmill.
Running nightmare today though was a new pair of running trousers. When walking the bit to the football field a couple of cars did slow and the men driving seemed to be having a good look at me – I was strutting along thinking I obviously looked good from behind. Once home I was hosing the dog in the garden, bent over him, t’husband came out and nearly spat his coffee out and was ‘Jesus Christ wifey, they are a bit see-through aren’t they’ and proceeded to take a photo, then made me stand up and take another one. I am absolutely mortified with the photos – I may as well of been wearing my thong on the outside of them it was that obvious. Worst bit was I saw mum’s and dad’s from school on the football field and in the woods bumped into my old Biology teacher who stopped me as he recognized me from 20 years ago (this is the man who I can credit with the reason why I am doing what I do today and loving it – him and his belief in me, he inspired me and showed me I could do science and love it). Needless to say I have already been to town and bought some proper running knickers to now wear as well.
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