Sunday 5 June 2011
Juneathon, days 3 and 4
A double whammy since I've been all over the place again! I went for my first run since the marathon on Friday morning. It was absolutely lovely to be plodding away again. I managed to do 2.62 miles in 30 minutes, and was starting to think I was massively unfit since I was sweating loads...then I realised it was actually very hot! My back didn't hurt at all, so I was thrilled with this run. I went down the canal and saw lots of ducks, it was wonderful. When we moved into our last place I wasn't a runner, and had no sense of where I was until I started running. It's wonderful way to explore, so I'm looking forward to discovering various bits of this area now that we've settled into the flat a bit. Yesterday (Saturday) wasn't a massive achievement in terms of exercise, unless you can count lugging heavy bookshelves around and putting together flat-pack furniture! I did manage to squeeze in a few sit-ups and various other strength exercises, but I never feel like I've done an awful lot when I do them, which is why I much prefer cardio. This was all followed by me going out for my leaving do from work, getting massively drunk, coming home and being sick, which did have the effect of giving me a nice flat tummy this morning! Every cloud...
Thursday 2 June 2011
Juneathon Day 2
Not much to report today I'm afraid! I just did some strength and core type stuff, in an attempt to strengthen up my abs and therefore my back. There were at least 15 sit-ups, some reverse curl type things, 10 lady press ups, THE PLANK, and some more exercises that I don't know the name of but basically involve me lying around on the floor contorting myself into various odd positions.
I had hoped to do some running today, but I've just moved into a new flat in the city centre and am looking for appropriate running routes. Also, I had to wait around for four hours doing pretty much nothing while my Landlord fixed various parts of the bathroom, which meant that I had to squeeze the rest of my day into a much smaller amount of time than I'd hoped for. I haven't run since the Edinburgh Marathon and can't wait to get out there! I've just been on gmaps, and think I've found a possible route for my first venture. Lucky neighbours, getting to see me in lycra for the first of many outings! The good thing is that we now live right by the canal, so once I figure out which direction to head in, I should be all set. The unfortunate thing is that the rest of the area is very urban and industrial, so there's not many alternatives to the canal. I guess I'll just have to run further and find some greenery!
This shows what a great thing Juneathon is though. If I'd had the day that I'd had today in May or any other month that doesn't have an -athon attached to it, I wouldn't have done any exercise at all. Because I felt accountable, I managed to squeeze a bit in! It's like having your own personal trainer!
I had hoped to do some running today, but I've just moved into a new flat in the city centre and am looking for appropriate running routes. Also, I had to wait around for four hours doing pretty much nothing while my Landlord fixed various parts of the bathroom, which meant that I had to squeeze the rest of my day into a much smaller amount of time than I'd hoped for. I haven't run since the Edinburgh Marathon and can't wait to get out there! I've just been on gmaps, and think I've found a possible route for my first venture. Lucky neighbours, getting to see me in lycra for the first of many outings! The good thing is that we now live right by the canal, so once I figure out which direction to head in, I should be all set. The unfortunate thing is that the rest of the area is very urban and industrial, so there's not many alternatives to the canal. I guess I'll just have to run further and find some greenery!
This shows what a great thing Juneathon is though. If I'd had the day that I'd had today in May or any other month that doesn't have an -athon attached to it, I wouldn't have done any exercise at all. Because I felt accountable, I managed to squeeze a bit in! It's like having your own personal trainer!
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Juneathon day 1,15 mins cycling,no internet, on phone!
Right, I can update this now, as I have access to my laptop and proper internet. I actually did 30 minutes of cycling, including around 10 minutes of drills recommended for triathletes. I'm not planning on becoming a triathlete, but thought it would give me an opportunity to strengthen weaker areas. First day of Juneathon done! yes!
Thursday 26 May 2011
Well well well...
The good news is, I finished the marathon! wahey! the bad news is as follows...
It was all going well until around mile 13. I was keeping to my planned pace and was enjoying the race when my back started to twinge a little. I pulled off to the side of the race and stretched and whatnot, started running again and it was fine for a little while, but then I had to keep repeating the stretches and the pain was getting worse and wasn't going away with stretches, so when I got to mile 17, I found a first aider and asked if they had deep heat or painkillers or something. They didn't. They could, however, offer me an ice pack, so I accepted, except it wasn't all that cold. Then they wanted my details and everything I said, the woman wrote down incorrectly. I gave phone numbers that she wrote down in the wrong order, I spelt my name "F-A-Y-E" and she wrote "Fayi," this was exceptionally stupid behaviour since I had 'FAYE' written across my t-shirt in 6 inch high letters! I appreciate that she was probably a volunteer and all, but all I wanted to do at this point was get moving again, and in all fairness, I could have filled the damn form out myself! All this tallied up to a total time of 22 minutes wasted with first-aiders who actually didn't help me in the slightest.
When I finally got away, I had to pretty much limp the rest of the way, with the occasional jog followed by realisation that I was walking because I was injured, not because I was lazy, and that it hadn't improved much in the last 5 minutes.
I got chatting to some lovely people on my way round though, and to look on the bright side, if I had been in that much pain and wasn't running for charity, I wouldn't have completed the marathon. I'd have gone to the pub.
I looked up the symptoms, and although I think the problem mostly stems from the car accident that I was in last year, I also think that my legs are a lot stronger than my back which is great until your legs start to tire and you need to use the rest of your body, so I will try and do some exercises to balance me out a bit.
My next challenge is Juneathon! It's a nice way to ease back into exercise and I like the way that it gently bullys one into exercising, through the feeling of failure if you don't. After that, I think that my next race will be the Wolves half marathon. Even if my back does play up in that one, it lasted 13 miles in this one until it started playing up, so I'd only have .1 mile left to do anyway! For more info, click here.
I was hoping to go for a run today, but had to get up early and wait for a sofa to be delivered at my parents' house, and you can guarantee that if I leave the house, it will turn up. So I wont. Maybe this evening though.
It was all going well until around mile 13. I was keeping to my planned pace and was enjoying the race when my back started to twinge a little. I pulled off to the side of the race and stretched and whatnot, started running again and it was fine for a little while, but then I had to keep repeating the stretches and the pain was getting worse and wasn't going away with stretches, so when I got to mile 17, I found a first aider and asked if they had deep heat or painkillers or something. They didn't. They could, however, offer me an ice pack, so I accepted, except it wasn't all that cold. Then they wanted my details and everything I said, the woman wrote down incorrectly. I gave phone numbers that she wrote down in the wrong order, I spelt my name "F-A-Y-E" and she wrote "Fayi," this was exceptionally stupid behaviour since I had 'FAYE' written across my t-shirt in 6 inch high letters! I appreciate that she was probably a volunteer and all, but all I wanted to do at this point was get moving again, and in all fairness, I could have filled the damn form out myself! All this tallied up to a total time of 22 minutes wasted with first-aiders who actually didn't help me in the slightest.
When I finally got away, I had to pretty much limp the rest of the way, with the occasional jog followed by realisation that I was walking because I was injured, not because I was lazy, and that it hadn't improved much in the last 5 minutes.
I got chatting to some lovely people on my way round though, and to look on the bright side, if I had been in that much pain and wasn't running for charity, I wouldn't have completed the marathon. I'd have gone to the pub.
I looked up the symptoms, and although I think the problem mostly stems from the car accident that I was in last year, I also think that my legs are a lot stronger than my back which is great until your legs start to tire and you need to use the rest of your body, so I will try and do some exercises to balance me out a bit.
My next challenge is Juneathon! It's a nice way to ease back into exercise and I like the way that it gently bullys one into exercising, through the feeling of failure if you don't. After that, I think that my next race will be the Wolves half marathon. Even if my back does play up in that one, it lasted 13 miles in this one until it started playing up, so I'd only have .1 mile left to do anyway! For more info, click here.
I was hoping to go for a run today, but had to get up early and wait for a sofa to be delivered at my parents' house, and you can guarantee that if I leave the house, it will turn up. So I wont. Maybe this evening though.
Thursday 21 April 2011
I love my new toy!
I am all about this Garmin! I went out for a gorgeous run today in the sunshine- only an easy 20 mins as the training dictates that I have a lighter week this week. It's so great to get back and see exactly what I did, and also it gives me the freedom to run wherever the hell I want, as I know the Garmin is picking it all up.
The marathon is getting extremely close now, and next week is my last week of full training before I have to start tapering. Scary stuff, but now I'm more excited than anything.
It's just a short post today, but I just wanted to update and let you know that I am still working hard!
The marathon is getting extremely close now, and next week is my last week of full training before I have to start tapering. Scary stuff, but now I'm more excited than anything.
It's just a short post today, but I just wanted to update and let you know that I am still working hard!
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Wow, what have I been doing?
Wow, I didn't realise that it had been so long since I added to this! I have been busy training, studying and fundraising. The fundraising side of things has become very exciting, as I have organised a gig with some friends of mine for the week after the marathon, which will be great fun! There's alot to do for it though, so I will post further details on here soon!
I've also been bought a Garmin! I'm very excited and am about to take it out for its first run. This is a late birthday pressie, and I reckon it's really going to help me in the marathon, as I'll know whether I'm running at the right pace or not, which is quite hard to figure out on your own when you're surrounded by hundreds of other runners. Studies have shown that even inaccurate readings on GPS watches improve race performances, so it can't be bad! I will update later on today.
That's it from me for now, I'm off to take my new toy for a 16 mile jaunt!
I've also been bought a Garmin! I'm very excited and am about to take it out for its first run. This is a late birthday pressie, and I reckon it's really going to help me in the marathon, as I'll know whether I'm running at the right pace or not, which is quite hard to figure out on your own when you're surrounded by hundreds of other runners. Studies have shown that even inaccurate readings on GPS watches improve race performances, so it can't be bad! I will update later on today.
That's it from me for now, I'm off to take my new toy for a 16 mile jaunt!
Thursday 31 March 2011
Hayfever blues
My last two runs have been a little disappointing. As it is now officially British Summertime my hayfever has kicked in, so much so that I've been waking up with a bloody nose (sexy, I know)! Because I'm generally forgetful, I managed to find myself without antihistamines for a couple of days- long story short, I found myself almost hyperventilating up a hill this afternoon and then having to walk a little way. Fortunately, I'm now armed with medication, so hopefully Saturday's 16 miles wont be too horrific!
I mentioned in my last post that I had ordered Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. It finally arrived (note to self: don't order things online at the same time as the Royal Mail has to deal with a national Census) and I must say that I'm extremely impressed. While it's not an easy read, it lays out the facts and backs up all of its advice with statistics from scientific studies. The most interesting part is the few pages where you can read what elite endurance athletes eat in a typical day. Some of the advice in it also just made me feel a little stupid for not thinking of it sooner, but then there is so much conflicting advice around, that it is easy to get into a muddle. It seems to be a lovely holistic approach to nutrition and I already feel happier about what I'm eating. It has also made me rethink my training strategy in general, and I feel that it's time to turn things up a notch. Tomorrow will be my first full day of eating according to Fitzgerald's advice, so I'll let you know how I get on. The main thing that I've taken from it is that I'm not eating enough carbs to sustain my workouts, so I'll be upping them significantly.
I plan to do two workouts tomorrow: a strength workout in the morning and some cross training on the exercise bike in the evening. I'm on holiday from work this week, so it's very nice to be able to fit these things in whenever I want to, especially with all of the extra snacks that I'm supposed to be eating now!
We shall see how I can fit them in around work next week, but I don't want to think about that now!
I mentioned in my last post that I had ordered Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. It finally arrived (note to self: don't order things online at the same time as the Royal Mail has to deal with a national Census) and I must say that I'm extremely impressed. While it's not an easy read, it lays out the facts and backs up all of its advice with statistics from scientific studies. The most interesting part is the few pages where you can read what elite endurance athletes eat in a typical day. Some of the advice in it also just made me feel a little stupid for not thinking of it sooner, but then there is so much conflicting advice around, that it is easy to get into a muddle. It seems to be a lovely holistic approach to nutrition and I already feel happier about what I'm eating. It has also made me rethink my training strategy in general, and I feel that it's time to turn things up a notch. Tomorrow will be my first full day of eating according to Fitzgerald's advice, so I'll let you know how I get on. The main thing that I've taken from it is that I'm not eating enough carbs to sustain my workouts, so I'll be upping them significantly.
I plan to do two workouts tomorrow: a strength workout in the morning and some cross training on the exercise bike in the evening. I'm on holiday from work this week, so it's very nice to be able to fit these things in whenever I want to, especially with all of the extra snacks that I'm supposed to be eating now!
We shall see how I can fit them in around work next week, but I don't want to think about that now!
Sunday 27 March 2011
New shoes!
Apologies to the hordes of people who read this for the lack of posts recently! I haven't been able to get to the computer much due to Mr. D. needing it to work on his thesis. I haven't taken a break from running though and have logged some steady mileage over the last week or so.
They say that you should retire your running shoes after around 300-500 miles. After 417 miles it was time to say a tearful 'goodbye' to my beloved ASICS Gel Stratus 3's and say 'hello' to these bad boys: http://www.activinstinct.com/sale/footwear-sale/running/ladies/saucony-pro-grid-hurricane-11-ladies-running-shoes-silver/
I took them for a little spin on Friday and they provided an extremely smooth ride... however taking them for a 13.5 mile run on Saturday was a little silly, and I have the blisters to prove it! The problem was that I had to choose between cushioning- as I'd noticed that my hips and knees had been hurting more the older that my ASICS got, or blisters from new shoes. I thought skin would heal faster than achy joints... and I think I made the right choice.
My bugbear at the moment is that I'm heavier than I was this time last year, but I have trained harder, so maybe I'm eating a lot more than I realise to compensate. I've ordered Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald though, so hopefully that will kick me into touch! I will post a review; I could do with losing around a stone in time for the marathon, so I really hope it works.
They say that you should retire your running shoes after around 300-500 miles. After 417 miles it was time to say a tearful 'goodbye' to my beloved ASICS Gel Stratus 3's and say 'hello' to these bad boys: http://www.activinstinct.com/sale/footwear-sale/running/ladies/saucony-pro-grid-hurricane-11-ladies-running-shoes-silver/
I took them for a little spin on Friday and they provided an extremely smooth ride... however taking them for a 13.5 mile run on Saturday was a little silly, and I have the blisters to prove it! The problem was that I had to choose between cushioning- as I'd noticed that my hips and knees had been hurting more the older that my ASICS got, or blisters from new shoes. I thought skin would heal faster than achy joints... and I think I made the right choice.
My bugbear at the moment is that I'm heavier than I was this time last year, but I have trained harder, so maybe I'm eating a lot more than I realise to compensate. I've ordered Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald though, so hopefully that will kick me into touch! I will post a review; I could do with losing around a stone in time for the marathon, so I really hope it works.
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Positive Mental Attitude
Yesterday I ran around 4 miles and today I did just over 6. When I first started running, just over two years ago, I could jog for around 7 minutes before passers-by started dialling 999 and hovering their thumbs over the 'call' button. To build up, I simply kept at it and when 7 minutes, which conveniently took me around the block, felt comfortable I added a little extra distance and ran to the petrol station which was at the end of the street, and when that felt comfortable, pushed myself a little further again. Now I'm training for my second marathon, and while I'm not all that fast, I can (fairly) comfortably run for miles on a good day.
"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." -Oprah Winfrey
While I don't watch Oprah or even know a lot about her, she's got a bloody good point! I think that's what I find so addictive about running, that I mostly have control over it, if I put the effort in, I get stronger, fitter and faster.
On Sunday I was feeling a little down about running after a disappointing long run in which I *only* managed 11.5 miles. If somebody had told me two years ago that I'd be able to run 11.5 miles I would have laughed at them! Sometimes it's worth looking back in order to move forward.
I hope I read this post, along with my 'Inspiration Issue' of Runner's World next time I'm in a funk.
"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." -Oprah Winfrey
While I don't watch Oprah or even know a lot about her, she's got a bloody good point! I think that's what I find so addictive about running, that I mostly have control over it, if I put the effort in, I get stronger, fitter and faster.
On Sunday I was feeling a little down about running after a disappointing long run in which I *only* managed 11.5 miles. If somebody had told me two years ago that I'd be able to run 11.5 miles I would have laughed at them! Sometimes it's worth looking back in order to move forward.
I hope I read this post, along with my 'Inspiration Issue' of Runner's World next time I'm in a funk.
Sunday 13 March 2011
Oh dear, oh dear...
I feel like an old lady today. My long run was scuppered by an achey hip, which meant that I had to walk the last 2.5 miles home. I did manage to run 11.5 miles before it put me out of action, which I suppose isn't too bad. This is all due to an idiot driver going into the back of our car and writing it off last May...I'm still waiting for my cheque!
I will do my physio exercises tonight and hope that the ache goes away a little. If not, a trip to the doctors may be in order.
In other news, True Grit was fantastic, and I got a great grade for an assignment this morning. Also, I've sold a book on Amazon, and will be donating the profits to the British Heart Foundation- it's not much, but it all helps. Keep an eye on the blog and the fundraising page (http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/fayedaly) as I will be listing a load of stuff to sell soon, either on ebay or Amazon, and all of the profits will be going to the BHF.
I will do my physio exercises tonight and hope that the ache goes away a little. If not, a trip to the doctors may be in order.
In other news, True Grit was fantastic, and I got a great grade for an assignment this morning. Also, I've sold a book on Amazon, and will be donating the profits to the British Heart Foundation- it's not much, but it all helps. Keep an eye on the blog and the fundraising page (http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/fayedaly) as I will be listing a load of stuff to sell soon, either on ebay or Amazon, and all of the profits will be going to the BHF.
Thursday 10 March 2011
Back on Track (after a minor wobble)
Well I've had a few health problems this week (nothing too serious, but nothing I'd want to post on the internet either) which have prevented me from running for a couple of days, so because I'm feeling better today, instead of my cross training, I decided to go for one of the runs that I missed earlier in the week. So I did just under 4 miles and took it easy, and really enjoyed it after an initial tricky start.
I do absolutely have to update my running playlist though, I've got songs that I love on there that I'm starting to get sick of! Any suggestions would be welcomed!
I'm off to see True Grit now! :)
I do absolutely have to update my running playlist though, I've got songs that I love on there that I'm starting to get sick of! Any suggestions would be welcomed!
I'm off to see True Grit now! :)
Sunday 6 March 2011
What a difference a week makes (and some sports drink and gel...etc)
Wow! I went for a gorgeous 12(ish) mile run this morning. I was a bit concerned about this after last week's 10 mile disaster. I was feeling tired when I awoke because I knew that I had to get up at 8 to go fit the run in, as there were two very important football matches on this afternoon. If I know that I have to wake up, my body tends to go into emergency mode which means that I keep waking up and panicking that the alarm didn't go off and that I've overslept by 2 hours.
I was over in Staffordshire this weekend, visiting the Mother-in-law, so had to choose my route carefully as I was in a little village- I would have to circle the village around 5 times to cover the distance on pavement! Luckily I remembered that the old railway line has been sorted and the ground evened out, so it's lovely down there to walk the dog or go for a run or cycle. So I laced up my trainers and off I went.
I must say it was really lovely to be able to run surrounded by trees and fields and nature, and not having to worry about being run over. Nutrition-wise, I had some toast with marmalade before I went, and lots of water. I'd had gorgeous veggie lasagne with salad, potato wedges and olives followed by apple pie and ice cream the night before. But no wine! I took some SIS Go Electrolyte with me, which I sipped around every half hour and a SIS Blackcurrant Gel, which I had at around the halfway point and was just plain weird. SIS products aren't the most delicious things, but the gel certainly did the job and kept my energy up for the rest of the run; in fact I finished feeling really strong. When I got back to the house I took on some SIS banana rego recovery drink, which is by far the best tasting thing of theirs that I've tried. It's supposed to speed up the recovery process and I don't feel as achey as usual this evening, so perhaps it's working!
This has all left me feeling rather positive and given me a real mental boost, every now and then I fall back in love with running, and I'm deeply enamoured right now!
I was over in Staffordshire this weekend, visiting the Mother-in-law, so had to choose my route carefully as I was in a little village- I would have to circle the village around 5 times to cover the distance on pavement! Luckily I remembered that the old railway line has been sorted and the ground evened out, so it's lovely down there to walk the dog or go for a run or cycle. So I laced up my trainers and off I went.
I must say it was really lovely to be able to run surrounded by trees and fields and nature, and not having to worry about being run over. Nutrition-wise, I had some toast with marmalade before I went, and lots of water. I'd had gorgeous veggie lasagne with salad, potato wedges and olives followed by apple pie and ice cream the night before. But no wine! I took some SIS Go Electrolyte with me, which I sipped around every half hour and a SIS Blackcurrant Gel, which I had at around the halfway point and was just plain weird. SIS products aren't the most delicious things, but the gel certainly did the job and kept my energy up for the rest of the run; in fact I finished feeling really strong. When I got back to the house I took on some SIS banana rego recovery drink, which is by far the best tasting thing of theirs that I've tried. It's supposed to speed up the recovery process and I don't feel as achey as usual this evening, so perhaps it's working!
This has all left me feeling rather positive and given me a real mental boost, every now and then I fall back in love with running, and I'm deeply enamoured right now!
Thursday 3 March 2011
A catch up
I've been unable to get to the computer too much over the last couple of days- so I'm just posting a quick catch up.
I've discovered that electrolyte drinks are hideous, but I'm powering through with it. I ran 5 miles yesterday and cycled on my stationary bike for 16 minutes today.
I've received some more sponsorship too- yay! and I shall be doing 50 mins of fartlek running tomorrow morning.
I will post a much better and more interesting post soon-honest!
Faye
I've discovered that electrolyte drinks are hideous, but I'm powering through with it. I ran 5 miles yesterday and cycled on my stationary bike for 16 minutes today.
I've received some more sponsorship too- yay! and I shall be doing 50 mins of fartlek running tomorrow morning.
I will post a much better and more interesting post soon-honest!
Faye
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Ooh, that's better!
After much resting and stretching yesterday, I was almost ready to go for a little run this morning. And I did! It was a tempo run, so I did a 10 minute easy jog, followed by 10 minutes tempo and 11 minutes at the end to cool down. My cool down wasn't that effective though, as the last street was like running up Everest! I had to stop myself jumping around like Rocky at the top.
It was lovely to get out there and enjoy a run, as I thought I might be psychologically scarred for a while after Sunday's effort. I felt even more pleased with myself after I got home and checked my emails, as I had a wonderful message from the people at Virgin saying that I'd been sponsored! Thank you to the lovely Claire, you've made my day!
Speaking of sponsorship, here's a link to my fundraising page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/FayeDaly
I'm keeping the post short today, because I've got an assignment due in for tomorrow, and unfortunately, they don't type themselves.
It was lovely to get out there and enjoy a run, as I thought I might be psychologically scarred for a while after Sunday's effort. I felt even more pleased with myself after I got home and checked my emails, as I had a wonderful message from the people at Virgin saying that I'd been sponsored! Thank you to the lovely Claire, you've made my day!
Speaking of sponsorship, here's a link to my fundraising page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/FayeDaly
I'm keeping the post short today, because I've got an assignment due in for tomorrow, and unfortunately, they don't type themselves.
Sunday 27 February 2011
Run.From.Hell.
Hello! It's been a while, I've been in Munich this week, which was beautiful but also, due to the snow and the position of our hotel, unfortunately run-free. I was looking longingly at the joggers in the Englische Garten, knowing that the next run of my own would be a toughy.
Which brings me nicely to today's run. Unfortunately, when I returned from my holiday, after looking at my training plan, I should have been a little further ahead than I thought, so I decided to remedy that by doing a 10 miler today. BAD IDEA!
I will list all the things that contributed to my hellish run:
Tuesday's little run will seem easy in comparison!
Which brings me nicely to today's run. Unfortunately, when I returned from my holiday, after looking at my training plan, I should have been a little further ahead than I thought, so I decided to remedy that by doing a 10 miler today. BAD IDEA!
I will list all the things that contributed to my hellish run:
- It was too far (or rather I jumped ahead too far in my mileage)
- It was absolutely tipping it down for the first 3 miles, which resulted in me looking like a drowned rat when it stopped raining (I became paranoid that people thought it was just sweat)
- My back started playing up again
- I went the wrong way and had to double back on myself
- I had no sports drink or anything of the sort
- I got cramp in my toe- twice!
- It hailed, yes hailed, for the last mile
- I'd had a glass or two of wine last night
- I saw a dead frog :-(
Tuesday's little run will seem easy in comparison!
Thursday 17 February 2011
A post-birthday update!
Hello! It was my birthday on the 15th, so, while I did run for the bus to get to town, that's about all I did exercise-wise (unless shopping counts?). Had a lovely day and ate far too much cake!
Yesterday I went for a tempo run (10 minutes easy, 10 minutes tempo, 10 minutes easy) which felt odd. I was feeling a little under par anyway as I had a migraine all day, which thankfully has gone today! The easy bits were fine, but the tempo bit felt...wobbly, as if I wasn't completely in control. I'm glad I did it though, and felt happy afterwards.
Today I got up early and did 11 minutes on my exercise bike. Because this uses different muscles, I realised that I need to do more cross training, as I can run for a long time but find it tricky to do other exercises for any length of time. So that's my resolution for my next year- more cross-training!
Finally, and I know this is a long post, but thank you to the lovely Sarah, who is my first sponsor, and a fellow fundraiser+runner! I'll definitely be returning the favour :)
Yesterday I went for a tempo run (10 minutes easy, 10 minutes tempo, 10 minutes easy) which felt odd. I was feeling a little under par anyway as I had a migraine all day, which thankfully has gone today! The easy bits were fine, but the tempo bit felt...wobbly, as if I wasn't completely in control. I'm glad I did it though, and felt happy afterwards.
Today I got up early and did 11 minutes on my exercise bike. Because this uses different muscles, I realised that I need to do more cross training, as I can run for a long time but find it tricky to do other exercises for any length of time. So that's my resolution for my next year- more cross-training!
Finally, and I know this is a long post, but thank you to the lovely Sarah, who is my first sponsor, and a fellow fundraiser+runner! I'll definitely be returning the favour :)
Monday 14 February 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
I went out for a lovely, easy 2 mile run this morning. My legs felt heavy after last night, but it was great to be out in the beautiful sunshine!
That's it from me today- I have to get ready for work now, and then this evening I have a lovely meal to look forward to- cooked by my delicious hubby :)
That's it from me today- I have to get ready for work now, and then this evening I have a lovely meal to look forward to- cooked by my delicious hubby :)
Sunday 13 February 2011
Long, Wet, Run
I did it! after all of my procrastination, I finally went for a run today in the rain and the wind. I managed to do 5.5 miles and my god it was depressing leaving the house, but actually once I got going it was good fun. I got plenty of funny looks from people driving past and pedestrians firmly clutching their umbrellas, but if you live in England and you want to run, you've got to be prepared to do it in the rain!
I do like Sunday evenings, because they mean that I don't have to do another long run for a week! I'm having a night off from studying tonight, so I'm going to settle down with my lovely hubby and watch the baftas.
I do like Sunday evenings, because they mean that I don't have to do another long run for a week! I'm having a night off from studying tonight, so I'm going to settle down with my lovely hubby and watch the baftas.
First Post!
I'm completely rubbish at keeping up blogs...I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm not interesting enough! No that can't be it...
Anyway, this blog will be a record of my training towards the Edinburgh Marathon on the 22nd May 2011.
My training has been going fairly well so far, I'm building up my miles nicely, and my lovely run-specific mp3 player that was bought for me for Christmas has definitely helped.
I'm just loading it up now with some new running choons (that's right, 'choons') to accompany me on my hour long run, and then hopefully I'll have run out of distractions and will actually go for said run!
I have to remind myself why I'm doing it on days like today...money for the British Heart Foundation, getting to take part in an amazing race that very few people get to experience, and all the health benefits and all that.
Right no more stalling, I'm getting my trainers on and getting going!
Anyway, this blog will be a record of my training towards the Edinburgh Marathon on the 22nd May 2011.
My training has been going fairly well so far, I'm building up my miles nicely, and my lovely run-specific mp3 player that was bought for me for Christmas has definitely helped.
I'm just loading it up now with some new running choons (that's right, 'choons') to accompany me on my hour long run, and then hopefully I'll have run out of distractions and will actually go for said run!
I have to remind myself why I'm doing it on days like today...money for the British Heart Foundation, getting to take part in an amazing race that very few people get to experience, and all the health benefits and all that.
Right no more stalling, I'm getting my trainers on and getting going!
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