Jantastic done!

It is done! For the first time in three years I have completed Jantastic, and with a cracking score of 99.8% with my timed run coming from my Garmin (if I took the chip time I could get 99.9% but on a slightly short distance). 

Final Jantastic score

My trip to Coniston was pretty darned good! I got a good sleep on Friday night, woke up slowly to the sounds of a woodpecker (which it took me about 2 hours to spy a peep of!).  Breakfast was the tried and tested veggie sausage from work - with the addition of a second slice of bread with jam! Then the ancient parents and I mooched the 2km from the caravan site to the race start along a footpath that ran away from the main lake road.

The start and finish of the race were based around the John Ruskin school - who had also donated their school field as the carpark.  A quick loo break was all that was available as there was a big queue for the portaloos (when isn't there!) and then we pottered around to the start line - I let Grandad head off ahead of me as I was planning on starting from the back!

What is quite interesting about this race is that the local traffic is only held back for the beginning of the race - the roads themselves aren't closed.  There was lots of advice in the race pack about not wearing headphones (I stuck to one so I could still hear all around me), and particularly about not running in big groups.  I was actually surprised how many runners didn't pay any attention to this advice - even when there were cars coming up behind them.  One woman even tried to overtake me AS I was being overtaken by a tesco delivery van - this wasn't the fault of the organisers at all  - just runners not paying attention to the advice. One might think a PB wasn't worth getting squished by tesco (now, if it had been Waitrose it might have been another matter).

The worst hill on the route is at the beginning - in that it's quite a long steep climb up to about 3 miles, but then followed by quite a nice downhill section that gives your legs a chance to freewheel for a while.  In fact that was the case with most of the uphill bits (although by the time we were coming up the East side of the lake the uphills were getting a tad tedious).  There were lots of water stations, which was good because it was quite a hot day, but I managed on the wee half bottle of powerade I'd taken (as well as one SIS gel).

By the half way mark, we were heading up the East side of the lake on a much smaller road - there were some cars overtaking (although I never felt unsafe in any way in this section) - and the occasional cyclists were lovely and supportive.   It was a bit chillier in the shade, but all the ups and downs in the routes warmed one up! After about 8 miles, I was getting pretty tired with all the climbing, and even Grandad said he took a few walk breaks after this point. Was almost glad of a wee traffic jam at about 10 miles when a mini bus and a granny in an audi couldn't decide who had right of way and blocked the whole road - it felt like minutes that I stopped, but apparently was only about 12 seconds!

Then came the relief - at about 11.5 miles there is a big downhill towards the lake shore as the road goes into Coniston - overtook two chaps as I free-wheeled down the hill: we had a bit of a laugh as I said they'd overtake me again if there was another hill (I think they'd passed me once or twice already), and they shouted there wasn't another hill so I'd beaten them, to which I replied that I might still trip over a sheep. Needless to say, they did overtake me again, but I kept them reasonably in sight over the last mile or so.

As we got into the village the support from the locals was great (especially considering I wasn't exactly with the front runners!) I managed to pick my pace up again as we climbed the last little hill up to the school turn, and then realised the last bit was all on a reasonably decent downhill.  I also spotted the two guys again about 200 metres ahead of me, and took the advantage of the descent and my last ounce of energy to get my sprint on ... and with a superhuman effort I managed to pass them again (with an apology) just before the line. 

The funnel was then well attended by local small humans - handing out watered down isotonic drinks and a coaster made out of the local blue-green slate.  As I walked back around to look for the ancient parents, the two chaps I had pipped came over to shake my hand, and I thanked them for the impetus to get those last few seconds off my time!

My raceday plan was to 11 minute mile the whole course - I was doing pretty well at the beginning with some 10.30s and the odd 10 which actually gave me the leeway for walking a wee bit in the last few miles. I'm pretty pleased with how it all panned out, given that my average pace was very similar to Wilmslow last year, and yet the course had more than twice the climb.  I would definitely recommend the race on a nice day for the awesome views of Coniston Water itself and the surrounding countryside.  The volunteers were great, the marshalls and the people on the water stations were wonderful, and everything was well organised. Having experience a brief squall of wind on the Eastern side, I can't say I would relish doing it in the rain (although perhaps I'm just too much of a fair weather runner).

Dr Elly's Bear modelling my finishers coaster 

Results as follows: 
Gender Position 342 of 500
Category                 FOPEN
Category Position 78 of 121
Chip Time                 02:33:38
Chip Position         953

(Needless to say, Grandad was a lot faster, coming in at 1:55:45)

Jantastic has definitely worked for me this year: I think I'm going to be 6th in Edinburgh (although technically I think it's joint 3rd just on the score) - and I finally approached a race with a decent body of training behind me! I now have an 8-week plan to follow for the Edinburgh Half - starting at the weekend  - and that's where I'm going to aim to get my time down by doing longer steady runs, and more speedwork in the build up. Hoping on a flat/downhill course I can 10 minute mile it all the way!

Saying Farewell ...

Not to the blog-o-sphere! No my sad farewell is to my Brooks Ghost trainers (fondly known on GRG as my Halloween Shoes).

It struck me earlier (as I was attaching experimental locklaces), that this Saturday's race is going to be the last hurrah for my Brooks Ghost shoes.  Those who know me better might remember that I managed to go from the age of 17-27 without even owning a pair of trainers, and therefore might be surprised at the sadness I feel when considering retiring these shoes.

Runners might understand better, although most of you probably change your shoes on such a regular basis that you might be thinking why get so soppy over one pair ... move on!

There is something special about these shoes though: their purchase was made after a rather happy hour or so spent in Sweatshop chatting away to the assistant who had the same dodgy tendon problems as me (although less severe) and who managed to sell me quite a lot of extra bits and pieces for not a lot of money.  I have had gait testing before - but this was the first time I had actually gone the whole hog and purchased on the back of it (as opposed to getting a freebie from Grandad's running guru).

Secondly, these trainers got me round London.  They also got me round quite a few miles in preparation for London (although not as many as I should have done).  They were with me at the worst of times, and they were with me as I ran over that finish line with a medal-wielding volunteer in sight.  They also got me around the Wilmslow Half Marathon (also done on too little training), which is still my longest run without stopping.

They have run through puddles, through mud, on one occasion waded through knee deep water (South Manchester Parkrun) but have also run through dust and sand and all sorts of other terrain.  And this weekend they will run their last race around Coniston.  I know I won't be literally chucking them out - they'll still be good for the odd short run, or maybe a quick blast around parkrun.  But there won't be any more long runs, and there won't be any more major races for my Halloween Shoes.

As a much-out-of-date model, I can't even find Ghost4s on ebay to replace them - they are outmoded. And even if I could, they wouldn't be my Halloween shoes that got me round when I didn't want to go any further.  Thankyou shoes.  You were awesome.

The Dress Rehearsal

As well as being last week's postponed 10 miler, my run today became my race rehearsal. I breakfasted as I plane to: normally I would run on bacon + egg on toast, but as lent precludes that I decided to go with the veggie sausages from the shop. I also had powerade to sip as I never have been able to stand lucozade, or many of the other brands  - I think it's an issue with the sweeteners they use. I also took an aptonia apple gel thing from Decathlon (and another brand I picked up in London last year - but didn't end up taking today). 

My plan for the gels etc was to take one after an hour (which seemed to go fine), and to take mouth swill sized sips of the powerade not more than twice a mile (and preferably less).  All seemed to go ok - last mile of the run was a bit stilted, but was running into a pretty strong headwind and it was making me a bit zonked - was also slightly thrown by being stopped and asked for directions, therefore knocking my momentum (but hopefully making sure someone got their piper for their wedding/funeral/other event!).

I have two more runs before the Coniston 14 - still debating whether to keep my tempo session in or not, as Marathon Talk this week was talking about not over-tapering.  If I do, that will be my Monday session, and I plan to do a nice easy run either Tuesday or Wednesday just to keep the muscles moving.  Then off to the lakes on Friday night for an evening in the caravan with the ancient parents, and then Grandad* will be running the race as well on Saturday.

I also (unintentionally) managed to practise the pre-run nerves this morning - I've spent the last few weeks feeling utterly nackered (hence the drop in last week's training) and despite getting a good 10 hours of sleep last night, there's only so much one can catch up on.  However, I psyched myself up, got myself out of the door, and set off.  Next week is much more about getting round on the back of the Jantastic training - not about speed or anything.  The EMF 1/2 in May is the one I am aiming to get a PB in ... and so I just need to remember how well I managed Wilmslow last year after much more broken training (darned PhD) and I dragged my sorry and very slow arse around London too.  

Now I just have to pray that it doesn't rain ...

*For those new to the blog, Grandad is actually my Dad ... it's a long story! 

Two Weeks to Go

This week had been another tough week for running, one in which I got my three runs in, but by no means the distance I had intended.  I seem to be suffering both from general tiredness overhanging from last week's craziness, but also anticipation anxiety for a meeting I have on Monday (and all the preparation for it). 

Tuesday's interval session went really well, and I managed to get my third interval up to pace - will stick at three for next week rather than adding a fourth, so I can push a bit harder instead.  My final Monday run before Coniston will be an easy jog rather than a speed sesh though, just to keep the legs moving but without wearing myself out.

I woke up on Thursday aching all over (including my jaw!) - which was either a sign of sleeping badly (and tensing) or that I was about to start with a fluey cold - therefore I decided I was going to spend the afternoon napping to make up for lost sleep on previous weeks rather than doing a long run.  Having agreed to work on Saturday, I knew this meant effectively cancelling my long run of the week (and having to use my final Jantastic joker), but I definitely needed the rest.

Following a good night's sleep, and a relatively easy day at work yesterday, I decided to head out with Runkeeper going (rather than watching my Garmin) and just run.  Turned out I ran, and ran, and ran! Was still feeling strong when I got near the 5 mile mark, but was having some issues with rubbing, and decided to hop on a bus while I could rather than endure the stinging.  I'd still managed about 4 more miles than I had intended! And at a much faster pace too -  would have easily managed a sub-1 hour 10k ...

Early start this morning (after an early night, and 9 hours sleep!) to get my final 1 mile in to tick off that last run of 3 for the week.  Been almost a rest week, and I deffo think I need to build them into my training plans in future rather than doggedly pushing further each week - another training lessons learned.  Just two more weeks until Coniston - and my race pack has now arrived too, so it's all feeling rather real! However, after managing a good pace for my 'anti-CBAs' run - I'm feeling a bit happier about my predicted time of 2.20 - who knows, it might just be doable!

Longest LSR - taper time!!!!

Ok so this is a tapir, not a taper ... but hey ho!

This week has officially been bonkers: from fitting in my Monday tempo session, crossing the country (by coach) for a rehearsal on Tuesday night in Glasgow, Ash Wednesday's long service in the evening, a crammed Thursday (of which more anon), and finishing with a normal Friday in the roll shop. Yet I still managed somehow to fit in all my running, and do my longest run before Coniston in 21 days time - so I am officially tapering (woo hoo!).

Thursday was officially crackers! One of the choirs I sing with were involved with the birthday celebrations of Edinburgh's Usher Hall - hence the Glasgow rehearsal on Tuesday.  It was a spectacular event, and fabulous to be a part of, but meant that my usual Thursday activities (including my run) had to be fitted around a 4.30 rehearsal call.  I spent most of the day shaving 10 mins where I could, including by subjecting my students to their lecture without the usual 10 min break in the middle so I could get away early. This combined with bus hopping got me to my dog-walking duties half an hour early ... which I couldn't skimp on.  

As I was a touch ahead of schedule by this point, I went home via the shop, to pick up the mahoooooosive bag of rabbit food I'd ordered.  Then ran back to the teaching job to drop the dogs' flat key back off  - and get my run in.  Topped off with a shower and a quick change, and I was off to the rehearsal. I had an hour or so to kill before the concert which I spent flopped out on a sofa in a cafe with a fellow singer - before heading back for the spectacle of the concert itself.  Being a musician, of course I went out to the pub afterwards for une beverage - culminating in a quick trot back home for 1am! A very long day, followed by a rather madcap one in the shop, where we wind each other up like billy-o (I have never had a job where I laughed so much in my life :-D)

Saturday morning dawned bright and early - or at least I assume it did, because there was no way in HELL I was going to be awake to see it! Alarms off, I woke from slightly odd dreams at 8.30, only to roll over and get another hour's much-needed kip ... not-so-lenten breakfast of two scrambled eggs on two crumpets, preceded a nice morning of catching up on iplayer, and watching the trees outside my window trying to bend themselves in two - oh and occasionally chasing Esme bunny out from under my bed where she was trying to chew wires.  Quick lunch at 12.30 (as I was planning to run at 2.30) of a beetroot and cheese roll followed by a banana - and started to plan my route by combining an old favourite (Innocent Railway Path) with a new (Water of Leith Pathway). 

Togged up, I headed out of the door as planned, well wrapped up against the wind.  For the first few miles I felt like I could have been flying! Slowly flying, admittedly, but I was totally in the zone and even considered adding an extra wee loop to get up to 14 miles.  The wind was fair battering admittedly, but there was about 1/2 a mile it was behind me, and I felt a bit like a lycra-clad kite.

Stopped for a loo break at about 5 miles in - just cos it was there - but I think that stop might have slightly been my downfall.  I was still doing pretty well for the next couple of miles, but then I started to struggle a bit more and had a couple of (very short) walk breaks.  By the time I hit the 8 mile mark, I was utterly starving - so paused again to eat the wee soreen banana loaf I had taken along, and snap a quick pic of Leith looking spectacular. But I definitely struggled from then on - my right ankle started being a bit niggly, and I was slighly losing the will to carry on - not sure how much it was helped by listening to Tony's Trials on Marathon Talk! 

After another loo break - more of an opportunity to give myself a bit of a talking to - I decided that as I only then had 3 more miles, it would take as long to run-walk as to get the bus.  Headed off again, and picked up the running over the walking, despite dodging small humans and prams on some rather narrow pavements.  By 11 miles, the hunger was rather starting to get at me, and I was flagging again - but I persevered and eventually rocked up home with 13 miles under the belt, another Jantastic run in (and another 100% week). Switched to my favourite Schubert song-cycle for the last mile (as the MT podcast had ended) and that definitely helped my home - I think it will have to be (one-eared) music listening for the race - as it just motivates me better.

I suspect I should either have had more to eat for either breakfast or lunch, or scoffed some more carbs on Friday night - possibly both! Brought my tea a bit earlier, so I could appease the poor rumbling tummy, but I suspect tonight might involve some serious nibbling.  Ankle is still a bit moany, but I'm sure it's nothing a nice hot bath won't fix - and it's not like I am due to run again until Monday anyway.  Next week is a much calmer prospect - so fingers crossed my next long run will be a bit more successful in the 'not-walking' stakes.

Roll on tapering ...

Feeling Febulous

This week has been a bit up and down running wise (although mostly up). I spent some moneys on Monday signing up for two races in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival: I'm doing the 10k with a lovely friend from my undergrad days, and then slightly madly decided I would also sign up for the half! The intention is to take the 10k at a reasonably slow pace, and save some energy to belt out the half - then again, I don't have to belt out too hard to beat my previous PB (just run it all in fact). 

I then turned my Monday run to the shops into a tempo session I'd picked up from the Women's Running website - doing fast 1km reps interspersed with walk breaks - which I REALLY enjoyed and am going to keep repeating/extending. My first rep was at 8.55 min/mile and the second at 8:30 - which got me wondering whether I could keep a faster pace going for longer, and I decided to try and get my long run in on Thursday, so I could test my fitness out at parkrun (which I've not run in AGES).

Thursday came along, and after a rather tedious morning having been called to court as a witness (and sitting for 3 hours before the charge was dropped for lack of evidence!), I was quite glad to be heading out into the fresh air.  My plan called for 11 miles, but I also wanted to run 4.5 of those with a choir friend - so I decided to run the EMF 10k course, and then to our meeting point to get up to the necessary mileage.  The course is actually quite hilly, with Arthur's Seat (the long climb) near the beginning, a short sharp hill into Duddingston about 6k in, another rotten (short) steep bit up from the Innocent Railway path at about 8.5k, and then a final wee hill up the the 9k-ish point before heading down to the finish.  I had set out to take it quite easily because of needing to get the extra in, but I have to admit the CBAs got me a little, and I walked rather more than I really needed to.  The final 4.5 miles with my friend were at a much better slow pace, and flew by whilst chatting about life, the universe, and everything - we even survived a short sharp hail storm! I did call a wee walk break (by which point I was at about 9 miles) but it was only 100 metres and we set off again.

So this morning I got myself out of bed - having had a very early night after a crazy day in the shop - and toddled off on the number 41 bus - I could practically name it the parkrun bus given the percentage of passengers that were runners!  My intention was to run at a reasonably steady pace and see if I could get a course PB on the training I've done over the Jantastic competition.

Arrived at the Cramond prom, and dropped my wee carrier bag off on the 'stuff' fence - before testing out the start for slippy/icy conditions which the course can be prone to in bad weather. This morning wasn't too bad, and I did some warming up before heading to the loos - where for the first time ever I encountered a queue! The Edinburgh parkrun has grown a hell of a lot , with 524 runners compared to 325 the last time I ran, and was nice to see so many people out on a Saturday morning.  Bumped into the wife of a colleague from my last workplace - and was nice to have a chat to while away the last moments before the start.  Had headphone issues this morning, as I couldn't find one pair, and the one I had found had been slightly bunny-nibbled - which might have been perfect as she'd bitten off one earbud - but the other cable went wrong as soon as I started running rather than walking.  There went my most reliable pacer (my playlist!)

Decided to hum one of the pieces I often 'fast' run to in my head as we started, and set off at a comfortable but quickish pace based purely one my ability to breathe - checked my watch at the first km mark and I was at 5:55/km pace - with a reasonable chance at the course PB I was after.  I also felt like I could keep it up, which was one of the most important things.  Kept humming and concentrating on the breath between each marker (trying not too look at my watch too much) until the last km where I tried to up the pace a wee fraction - and then managed a bit of a sprint finish - although I could possibly have managed a bit more.  The lovely lady I had been chatting to at the beginning had waited for me and was cheering me on at the finish which was AWESOME!!!! Especially as she'd beaten me by quite a bit, so had been standing around in the cold waiting.

Bit of a kerfuffle at the funnel - which was about 4 times the length it should have been - we had a funnel jumper in front of us, and the two of us who crossed the line almost together were a little confused as to whether we should keep going or wait for marshals.  The marshal was a bit short with us tbh, considering we were just waiting on instructions, but I think he was annoyed with the jumper and people were coming in quite steadily behind us.  I stopped my watch in the funnel (having started it a tad early) and I was 2 seconds off my all time PB from South Manchester LAST New Year - but I had to wait for the text to find out my official time. Having run it quite steady rather than all out, I still had enough in the tank for a sprint finish (probably could have managed a bit more tbh). And I didn't feel too nackered at the end - so a good balanced effort with pretty even splits according to the Garmin.

At the return bus stop, I got chatting to three girls who were asking for instructions into town - from Cambridge, Lincoln, and Manchester (originally from Stockport near me!).  The girl from Cambridge had underestimated the weather, so I lent her my spare jumper while we were waiting - and this turned into an awesome chat on the way back as we were heading to the same bus stop.  It's nice to get the parkrun camaraderie when so often in Edinburgh runners blank you when you are out running.

Results came through just as I got back to the house an hour and a half after finishing (this is why I don't get up on my one free day to go out to the front very often!). 

******* I GOT A PB !!!!!!!!!!!!! *******

Not only did I knock 22 seconds off my PB from South Manchester (when I ended feeling ROUGH and nackered beyond belief) I took 3 mins 57 off my previous record from Edinburgh. And, on top of that my run today marked my last Febulous run, and finished me off one 100% for the month.  Totally flying and had to give Grandad a ring at the end (although, typically was out, so I had to leave a message).  Much as 5k is hardly 14 miles, I hope that being able to run 9:20/mile splits a month out from Coniston, means that with the extra training I can hit my target 10:00/mile for race day.  One can only hope.

 

Lenten Running

I have a tradition of giving up meat for lent: it used to be on the basis that alcohol/chocolate would be too easy, and coffee would be too hard (at least on everyone around me). I think these days not all the above statements would be true ... but we'll skite over that remark I think! Last year I didn't give anything up for lent at all because of the marathon training, so this year I decided I will go veggie again for the 40 days (with the dispensation of Laetare Sunday in the middle - which handily falls on the day after the Coniston 14! 

Having struggled a bit in the past with fuelling for running, especially as I've been on a diet for pretty much the last 18 months, I think I'm going to have to plan ahead much better - rather than just stuff my face full of cheese as I might have done in the past! It will help that I'm only giving up meat rather than being a true veggie - so I will still have fish as a good source of protein.  It WON'T help in the slightest that one of my jobs at the moment is in a bacon roll shop! Temptation everywhere.  

In the true manner of an ex-scout, I spent some of yesterday evening going through some recipe books, partly looking for inspiration, but mostly confirming that I can manage the whole running/no meat balance without the cheese binge.  I can't say my favourite Go Faster Food was a huge amount of help - although I guess I can make some of the recipes without the meat, or substituting soya/tofu/quorn.  

Delia Smith of course came to my rescue: her Vegetarian Collection was somewhat my bible in my youthful veggie days (when my mother told me I had to cook for myself because she wasn't going to do veggie food!) My copy still has the handwritten list from about 1999/2000 when it was bought for me, with all the recipes I wanted to try at the time. The only problem is that a lot of them are high fat, but with some tweaks, substitutions, and portion control I think I should get to explore some more gems.

Finally I remembered that I had on a whim purchased Sophie Dahl's Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights which is part food-journal and part recipe book. I'd browsed it some time in a book shop, and enjoyed her diary-style writing so much that I bought the book for that rather than to cook from.  Although SD isn't in fact a veggie, she eats very little meat, and most of the recipes are suitable for pescatarians/vegetarians (and in fact many of the meat recipes have veggie alternatives already suggested).  The recipes are also a little lighter than Deliah in most cases, and mainly written with 2 portions in mind rather than to feed a family - so particularly good for cooking for the fridge!

I will also have to go through some of my (many!) back copies of Runner's World and Women's Running to investigate what they have recipe-wise - although I tend to find lots of cake recipes and skip over some of the more practical ones ... oops!

I will definitely have to plan a bit better with lunches and breakfasts, especially when I am surrounded by the glorious smell of meat (and the fabby home-made sausages) in the shop - although we do also of course have veggie options! Slightly naughtily, I'm quite looking forward to exploring the various cookbooks (I'm not sure you are supposed to be excited about  your lenten fast!), but as I'm about to enter another couple of races to keep my running going, it will be an interesting challenge.

Apologies in advance, that there may well be some food pics appearing on this running blog in the future - but you have been warned!

More long run lessons ...

... I think the first of which, is Grandad is too fast to do long runs with!

70.38/?

Febulous W2R3 *Joker Played*

This week has been a hell of a week, what with work and a concert last night.  I woke up this morning feeling like I'd done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson - and I would usually go back to bed and crash/read until after lunch, and then do my long run late afternoon.  However, as Grandad was driving back down south today, he wanted to go out early - we compromised on 10am.  Set out too hard, although it felt ok at the time, partly because it was difficult to pace against Grandad who is a much better/faster/seasoned runner than me.  Had to keep telling him to slow down because I couldn't keep up!

Was still feeling strong about 6 miles in, despite the detour we'd made because Grandad had mixed up a cycle path and a railway line on his OS Maps app (never mind that it was a route I do bits of reasonably often so didn't need his mapping).  The wind was building up and the rain was getting slightly worse, but really I was just getting a tad annoyed and feeling the effects both of the concert the night before, and the fast start. 

Changed plan in Leith, to take in a different path (and cut the run a bit short) but by that point I was really fed up and starting to feel a bit sick.  Ended up run-walking the last mile or so until we found the tesco that was my new finish point (1.6 miles short of the planned distance).  Stopped in for a coffee in costa, but (unusually) that just made me feel really sick.  It might have been the fast pace at the beginning, it might have been the after effects of overdoing it the rest of the week, but I was feeling a bit cross with myself.

HOWEVER, I then sat down and thought about it. I've had a cold all this week, and managed not to miss any work, or choir, and therefore have been on the brink of exhaustion.  I sacrificed my long lie so Grandad wouldn't be too late driving home. And, I only started running again just over a month ago.  I don't think I need to beat myself up about not quite managing to run 11 miles on a week when I've nearly dropped my other runs twice and have been feeling pretty under the weather. 

I do need to remember to go slower on the long training runs (I've deffo said that before), and to recognise that I really do not like running in the morning if I can help it.  I played my Jantastic joker on the excuse of the cold/flueyness and sheer exhaustion so I'm still on 100% (I would have got 83% anyway for this week without it which is better than nothing by a long shot).  Next week is hopefully going to be a bit less manic, and my long run drops back a bit, to acknowledge that I am upping my midweek run a bit.  

Onwards and upwards!

Mansuit EARNED

I've been a bit wiped out this week - what with getting up on Sunday (which was crazy as usual) to get my final run in, being out the previous Friday night, and a (wonderful) day trip to York and the National Railway Museum on Saturday.  Managed to dislocate my jaw (and relocate it) in my sleep on Tuesday night which made for a very uncomfortable couple of days. Been napping a lot the last couple of days which is very unlike me - and spent most of this morning catching up on some Zs in between breakfast and lunch.

I have also been trying, with reasonable success, to deal a bit better with the running hunger.  I've been using Go Faster Food (GFF) which has been featured in Runner's World at least once, and trying a few of the recipes. Combining this with proper carb loading the day before my long run, and some sensible snacking seems to be helping.  This morning's breakfast was some lovely American style pancakes with blueberries, made up with half buckwheat flour - this was a slight confusion when doing my shopping list between two recipes, but was a fantastic addition.  Lunch was a lemon and basil pasta, followed by soreen banana loaf - my new most favourite discovery! I then settled down to watch a few programmes on the interweb to let my lunch go down before my planned 7 miler in the afternoon.

Got my togs on ready to go out at 3 ish, and decided that it might be an idea to grab some sugar for refuelling - as this is the first time I'd planned close to a 2 hour run in a while.  Popped into the local tesco to grab a snickers bar, and then set off.  I'd yet again not had a huge amount of luck planning a run, and decided to add a wee bit of a loop to the one I'd kinda thought out on GRG - taking in more of a local cycle/walk route along the Water of Leith.  After just over a mile I realised I hadn't set my Garmin off properly (argh) but at least had a reasonable idea of how far I'd been already (I could guestimate my time from the till receipt from my chocolate bar!).  

Got a wee bit lost trying to find the footpath in the right direction, but eventually found my way thanks to some instructions from a kindly fellow runner - finally a city runner who said hi in passing and even paused to give me tips! The route along the Water of Leith is spectacular - taking in some weirs and some glorious scenery you really don't expect in a city.  There were some muddy sections, but puddle dodging was doable, and it was a bit of a relief from solid tarmac the whole way. However, after about 3 or 4 miles the signage totally ran out, and I headed off in what I hoped was the right general direction to find the canal footpath which was intended to be my route home. Got honked at by a carload of people, who waved frantically, so I'm sorry if it was you and I didn't recognise you - but I couldn't see well enough with glasses bouncing!!

One of the weirs on the Water of Leith taken from Walk Highlands

Was still feeling pretty strong at this point, even if I was a tad lost, but I thought if I followed the bus routes/water/railway I could work out how  to find my way back (and if nothing else I had a bus fare home on me).  It was then that it started to rain ... it had been drizzling a tiny bit, but nothing my hat couldn't handle (to keep my glasses clear) ... but without much warning it got a lot harder.  And then harder still.  And then turned into a monsoon.  It was at this point that I decided I really was properly lost, it was starting to get dark because of the clouds and my feet were pretty sodden.  I spied one of the buses that passes near my flat and was rather tempted to hop on even though by this point I had only just made the 4 mile mark (out of a planned 7-8).  

Instead I jumped in a phone box, got out my phone, and after a disastrous first attempt with Apple maps (usually reasonable in the city - but missing the canal footpath/canal entirely) I manage to work out that I wasn't that far off course, and I could find a way to the path reasonably easily.  I girded the loins, zipped up the mansuit, and headed off into the monsoon! Oddly enough, once I found the canal, and realised I was starting to get into familiar territory, everything felt a little easier. I wasn't particularly cold despite the drenching, and in fact the rain and wind both started to calm down a bit. Had to have a few words with myself to keep walk breaks to a minimum (mostly when walking under canal bridges) but I kept going until the end of the canal before cracking open the snickers for a few nibbles.  

This had been the point where I had nearly made 8 miles (by my estimation including the bit I'd missed off my Garmin at the beginning) and was prepared to allow myself a bus home if I needed.  However, the snickers perked my legs up no end, and I did manage to run/walk the rest of the way back to my Tesco start point - including a wee bit to get my watch reading nearly 8 miles as well.  Popped into Tesco for a hot chocolate to warm me from the inside, and grabbed a nice yoghurt/granola pot for dessert for tea, and toddled the last bit back to the flat in very soggy trainer - even my heel pads had slipped - and that's only happened once before (at the New Year parkrun last year when the puddles were nearly calf deep for a midget like me!).

Got home, put my tea in the oven (roast peppers/tomatoes/anchovies - to go with cous cous and some feta - another GFF special) and hopped straight into the bath.  Now relaxing with a silly film and stretching my leg muscles out under the duvet.  Also used some of my foot cream to help stop blisters forming - think I'm reaching the threshold of long run/blister forming, and not helped by the sodden feet! Although to be honest it could have been a lot worse considering how wet my feet got - must be my awesome running bear socks.

Having loaded my run into GRG (which included a wee bit post-phonebox where I forgot to set my watch off again), and added in the bit that was missed at the beginning, I realise that I've managed just over 9 miles today! Well on track with the training plan (although next weekend is another busy one that will require some thought to get my long run in). Grandad is coming up the following week too - so maybe I can have a bit of company on one of my midweek runs for a change!

Back on the Jantastic Track

As my friends and I have one of our fabulous (gin fuelled) rail trips planned on Saturday, I decided to get my long run in today (Thurs) after lecturing.  I walked the 2 miles each way to work, so decided to have lunch first, do some knitting, and then head out before it got dark - sunset being at about 4.30. I tried to come up with a good route on GRG, but I couldn't really commit to any mentally, and none of my old routes took my fancy.  Although I must admit I was a little tempted not to bother, I was kitted up and decided just to stick on my favourite CD/Album/playlist on my phone (Gilchrist singing Schubert's Winterreise - a handy 76 min recording!) and head out in the general direction of the Union Canal.

Normally, I would run out down the canal, and back along roads, but I thought for a change I would switch - and it was actually a really good decision.  Some of the more industrial areas look terribly pretty in the last rays of the winter sun - and the canal is well lit enough to run down at dusk (including path lights to stop you falling into the murky waters!).  I was feeling pretty good at about 2.5 miles, so decided to extend my planned 5 mile run towards the 6 mile mark with a wee detour.  

Did a bit of speeding up during mile 4-5 and even more of a push as I hit 4.85 miles, promising myself a wee touch of a walk break if I could keep bringing my pace up.  Unfortunately, this was also the point where my HR monitor slipped, so it looks like I have the heart of an Olympic athlete as I push myself towards the 7 min/mile mark (fast for me!) - my HR drops to 63. I assure you this wasn't the case! Hilarious Garmin stats can be found here.

After hitting my 5 mile target, I decided to run-walk home. Although, it was mostly run, and as I got within sight of the finish line, I kinda felt like I could have kept going for another mile or two.  However, I know that if I push myself too hard at this point I'll get either fed up, injured or just throw in the towel, and I really do want to try and keep this up for a bit. If only for the sake of my skinny jeans.

Finished my run with some yoga - I bought an app for my phone the other day with pre-run, post-run, and off day poses.  It's not the greatest of apps, and the exercises are not exactly ground breaking - many of them are just normal runners' stretches - however, the advantage was that I went through a routine, and got my breathing under control faster than normal.  Now sat eating quiche and a baked spud, and looking forward to my chocolate dessert.  I love running calories off ....

Runners are Awesome Human beings

This weekend thousand of runners across the world are running in honour of a woman they never met, and dedicating their miles to her memory.  This woman was not a politician, a pop star, Hollywood actress, or a self-made celebrity.  She was a loved wife, and mother to three children, and was tragically hit by a drunk driver when out running.  Sadly this doesn't appear to be an unusual story, but what is extraordinary is how the running community have reacted: a Facebook event was set up by Meg's running club (the Richmond Road Runners) to encourage the running community to dedicate their miles on Saturday 18th January 2014 to the memory of a fellow pavement pounder.  Watching the news feed of this event today is a moving experience, not only are there posts from all over the world, there are posts from people of all abilities, and coming in thick and fast as the day goes on.  Like myself, many of these people want to make a point that we are a community, who support each other, and who grieve over every member of our community who loses their life doing the thing they love.  The organisers have planned to consolidate this in a map on a dedicated website when they have collated all the miles, and it will be fascinating to see the final total.

However, this is not the only story of support from the running community.  A few months ago, when finishing my PhD, I sat in my University Library desperately waiting for news from a member of my Facebook Running club (the awesome Good Run Wall), who had completed the Boston Marathon - thankfully in time to be safe from the awful events that occurred later in the race.  A matter of weeks later, I was stood on the start line of the London Marathon, wearing an armband with the Boston logo on and taking part in a minute's silence for those runners who lost their lives.  Many people who passed me that day were wearing Boston t-shirts, or caps, or other clothing to show their support both for the running community but also for the city as a whole. When you hurt one of us, we all stand up to be counted.

Finally for this blog (but certainly not for the running community), an article appeared this year on the Runner's World website that never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Sadly, it is the story of yet another runner struck by a car when out doing his favourite thing - this runner (Jim Kelley) was well known in his running club for helping others and being selfless in helping others achieve their goals, while often sacrificing his own chances of a PB.  At the funeral his widow asked his friends to turn up in their running gear, as Jim would be buried in his own running kit as a final tribute to his passion.  The funeral director then had a fantastic idea - and asked the runners present to accompany the hearse in the mile  journey from the service to the cemetery - and this resulted in the most fantastic photograph entitled "Jim's final group run" ... people involved in this final run commented on the camaraderie and the chatting that reflected Jim's own attitude to running.  A smaller but no less powerful tribute from a group whose main commonality is simply that they strap trainers to their feet and go out in silly clothing in all weather.

Three small examples of how a group of crazy people in lycra actually form the most awesome community in the world. And however many breaks I take from running (and however long it takes me to really get to love it truly) I am proud to be a member.  Whether you run marathons, 10ks, 5ks, or just a slow run-walk mile around the block, you are a runner and therefore amazing.

Obligatory terrible photo for Meg's Miles ...