Long run done and halfway through the training plan

This weeks plan called for a 14 mile long run which is what I did this morning. I don’t like leaving my long run until Sunday, but I was working yesterday and I couldn’t face doing that far on Friday after work so that only left this morning.

After last weeks (more than) half marathon disaster, I wanted to have a good run today. I started out with a group from running club, but at the 3 mile point I was feeling uncomfortable with the pace they were setting so I broke off and decided to just do 2 long laps of the cycle path we were on. I think my pacing once I was on my own was better for me – on tarmac I settled in at about a 12 min mile going up to 12:30 when I went onto the trail bits. At 5 and a half miles I took a tumble, luckily it was on the trail so I wasn’t hurt – just a damaged ego and my right side covered in mud. It’s typical though isn’t it, I hadn’t seen another person for at least 5 mins, but when I fell over it was right in front of another (fit male) runner. Sods bloody law – he did stop and ask how I was but I was so embarrassed I just got up and stumbled on whilst shouting I’m fine thanks over my shoulder. Mortified!

I don’t feel that great about todays run as I hit a wall again at 10 miles. Tired legs, ragged breathing, negative thoughts. I’m 8 weeks in to my plan now, and I’ll be honest I have only been doing 3 runs a week. I think this is why I struggle from 10 miles onwards – I just haven’t done enough training. So from this week on I am going to up it to 4 runnings sessions and add in a strength session. Oh and I’m going to get a sports massage. I just wish I lived closer to Giselle as I heard she gives the best ones – it may be worth the £30 train ticket to get one.

What with training and work I am finding it’s my blogging that is suffering – both writing and reading, I am nominating Sunday evening as my catch up day, so I’m really sorry if you do a fab race and I don’t comment until Sunday.

I’m feeling fatigued and pretty much done with running, and I am getting REALLY panicky about race day – 3 nights this week I had nightmares all based around missing the coach, missing the start of the race, falling over etc etc. Apparently it’s quite normal at this point in the training (according to my coach at RC). Does anyone else who is marathon training feel like this – how are you getting over/through it?

Ah well, this time in 8 weeks it will all be over! My nephew will have an aunt he can be proud of and and I can eat lots of cake – here are 2 pics – my current motivation (although obv I am not a Mum this was my Mums birthday cake that my friend Lou made I had a large piece today and it was delicious!)…

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Brighton (more than) Half Marathon race review

I went into this race feeling fantastic – I felt strong, well trained, well rested and ready to get a PB. Unfortunately, the reality ended up being something completely different. Here’s why (I think)…

Mistake No 1

I didn’t take enough care of myself the day before. Throughout Saturday I scoffed crisps and chocolate in between doing housework and running errands instead of resting. Although I had a lovely Spag Bol at Alma’s (cooked by her hubby – it was delicious) the damage was already done. Then I sat up reading as I was so excited I couldn’t sleep, so ended up with about 5 hours sleep – my fault entirely.

Fix for London – Do bugger all the day before. Press gang hubby into role as skivvy and general dogsbody, eat lots of green stuff and fruit.

Mistake No 2

I only went to the loo once before the race, so I spent 6 miles needing to go. Unlike those lucky boys who can just run off somewhere and go (yes Madebyelves I’m talking about you) I had to queue for 4 minutes to use a portaloo at the start of mile 6, and because I didn’t want it t affect our time I sped up and mile 7 was completed in a very speedy 11.05m.

Fix for London – Squeeze lots out on the coach, then at the start get in the toilet qs and stay there until the off.

Mistake No 3

6 of my 1st 8 miles were under 11m 30 pace – this is a bit quick for me for a long run. Not only that but (despite when anyone else thinks) I found the undulating nature of miles 2 – 7 very draining on my legs. They weren’t obvious hills and to a seasoned runner they probably weren’t hills at all, but to me they were the worst kind – the sort of hill that you can’t power up and get over and done with because they go on too long.

Fix for London – Oh hell, I’m going to have to introduce a hill session into my week aren’t I? And work on my pacing…

Mistake No 4

I gave up on myself. Really, really gave up. At just after mile 9 I told Alma I was struggling and said she should go on – something in my voice must have struck home because thankfully she did and went on to get (what I think was) a PB of 2hr 29m. I forgot all of my mind tricks – the positive mantra, the happy feeling scenarios, reflecting on my past successes, and just went down into a very negative headspace. Just before mile 11 an apparition appeared before me in the form of Abradypus who had ‘popped over’ from Hove to cheer us on. I am embarrassed to say that I was walking when she saw me and I continued to walk for a good 2 or 3 minutes until she finally said, why don’t you just give it a go when you get to the 11m marker. So I did, and I could hear her clapping me all the way until I hit the main road again (thanks Louise x). My mum and her partner had come down from Essex to watch me and I knew they were somewhere around mile 12 so I carried on running as I didn’t want them to see me walking, seeing as they had travelled so far to support me. As it happened, they were only 100m from the end, so I ended up running the last 2 and a half miles, albeit slowly. I stopped for a Mum hug on the way (there is nothing quite like them even at 37), I really could have stopped right then and only her shouting at me to get on and finish it got me going again. At the finish line, I started sobbing (I was disappointed and very tired) and struggled to catch by breath for a few minutes. Alma stayed with me and was really great.

Fix for London – Reread all the mental training material in my guide. And make sure my Mum and Alma are within the last 100m at the Marathon.

So my adjusted chip time (after taking off the extra .32m the organisers kindly added to make this my longest run ever yippee!) was 2.37.32 and if you subtract the 4 minutes I spent in the toilet Q, it gives me a PB by 1 second. I know it’s not much but if I could have got a PB despite having what I thought was a terrible run, there is hope for me yet.

In summary, 13.5m long run done in 2hr 37m, training plan on track – whoop whoop!

Feeling strong

Just a quick post to say 6m done tonight in 1hr 11 minutes and it felt great! I took the usual 3 miles to warm up but from then on my running gait was comfortable, breathing rythmic, I was able to chat and my legs felt like they were on autopilot.

All looking good for a PB on Sunday with Alma at the Brighton half…

A long run and an AWARD!!!

I finally ‘manned up’ and ventured out onto the snow for a run yesterday, wearing 4 tops and 2 pairs of running tights – well it was minus 7. Accompanied by 5 other people from RC doing either VLM or MK we set off intending to do 12 miles.

Er, yeh, that was quickly forgotten about 100 yards in – running across foot deep snow on an uneven field is not the easiest thing in the world. I got fatigued really quickly and after 5 miles my legs felt like they’d done a half marathon so we cut the route short and headed back to the car park. With 7.5m in the bag 4 of the others decided to call it quits and finish their runs today, however as I have my lovely nephew (with my brother and sister in law tagging along!) coming for a visit today, I didn’t have that option, so I bullied persuaded Elaine to join me and we took a circuitous route home which bought my total mileage up to 11.2, bang on plan whoop whoop!

The other bonus of finishing the route on the road was that I had negative splits for the last 3 miles which I think is pretty impressive – look at the difference:

1.00mi 00:12:07

1.00mi 00:12:51

1.00mi 00:12:59

1.00mi 00:14:39

1.00mi 00:12:12

1.00mi 00:12:23

1.00mi 00:11:53

1.00mi 00:15:06

1.00mi 00:12:03

1.00mi 00:11:37

1.00mi 00:11:19

0.18mi 00:02:40

Last night was the Stopsley Striders annual awards ceremony. They have lots of awards  – best male, best female, newcomer awards, age grading, best cross country etc etc and they are across all age categories. They also give improvement awards to people they think have done particularly well over the last year. I went along to cheer along with everyone else and to get to see my running friends in normal clothes! We have some really talented runners – one of the ladies who  did last years marathon in 3h 6m! The last thing I was expecting was to hear my name called out but it was and I was so excited. Here’s what my certificate says:

“This lady had a very fine running year since she started in March in the Sandy 10. It was not just her first race of the year is was her first race ever! She ran very well after that, running PBs in every race until she was hit by an injury which set her back for a while. But fortunately she has a tough character and has bounced back and is now running very well again. She has run 5 PBs throughout the year and is a person who really seems to enjoy her running. Long may the good times continue for one of our Improvement Award Winners of 2011

 CARLA GREER”

I’m never going to win any races, so I think it is great that the club gives awards to people like me to recognise effort and hard work, even if I’m not actually winning anything for the club. The trouble is, now I am going to work even harder to make sure I get another one next year!!

Here are a couple of pics from yesterdays run, and one of the bling of course!

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Snow, ice, eeek!

I’m such a wuss. I won’t run outside when its slippy and icy. I’m so clumsy and accident prone if I go out I’ll end up breaking a leg or something!

So this weeks running so far has been 2 boring treadmill runs, 3m on Monday at 8.7kph (about 11m mile) and todays 5m (1 hour) at about 8.4kph (about 11m 45s per mile). In all honestly, run no 3 will probably be 3m again Friday morning, followed up with an 11 mile (gulp) Saturday morning run which I will do outdoors (weather permitting).

Not sure how much more treadmill running I can do, it’s so booooooring but I suppose it’s better that than nothing.

In other news I was listening to the Marathon Talk podcast (Ep 108) on the train home from London on Friday evening, and 10 minutes in my name was read out as one of the spot prize winners for logging runs every week for Jantastic. Yipppeeeee! An Adidas hi tec hi vis super duper technical running jacket is on it’s way to me as we speak. Of course I shall devote a whole blog of pictures and review once I get it.

I love free stuff!

The day in pictures

This morning I got up very early to catch

 to to do a new   with

a which we ran in just over 33 minutes. After that we met up with  and  to

which made a total of  for the day whoop whoop!

We met up with some ers, and the lovely  (think laterally!) gave me these  YUM!!!!!!

We then went to  and I ate  and drank

IT WAS BRILLIANT!

Now, I am here  with  watching .

Life is GOOD!

PS If Cassie ever offers you her home made flapjacks say yes, grab them, and RUN AWAY QUICKLY! They are the most amazing flapjacks I have ever tasted and you will not want to share. Trust me on this.