Tuesday 31 December 2013

Doggie Doo Dodge

This morning was my first 30 min easy run of the week and the last run of 2013! Sounds easy enough and it was.....by the time I got out out there. First of all, I popped my head out of the door then had to go back in to get my rainy running gear on as it was tipping down plus a bit windy but this is England and that's what happens so had to go with it! 

The run itself was fine but the one big thing that bugged me is the amount of dog poop everywhere. I'm a big lover of dogs but unfortunately they can't be trained to clear up after themselves so sort it out people, only takes 2 minutes and a doggie doo bag! What makes it worse is that it's wet, slimy and smeared all over the pavements, lying in wait around corners for clumsy runners like myself to slide around in it!   Luckily I just about managed to avoid most of it. Tomorrow is a 25 minute run, and, from past experience, a new years day run involves avoiding piles of vomit too woo hoo!

If only this happened....

Sunday 29 December 2013

Take it Indoors

After a week of eating my own body weight in unnecessary cheese and chocolate, it was not particularly easy to haul my butt out of bed to go for an early morning long run.  The Long run is only up to 50 minutes so it's not very far yet but considering the fact I simply 'forgot' to go for a short training run on Friday It was important to me that I got out there and did it. 

Winter this year has been a bit all over the place, so i'm never quite sure what to expect when I get out the door but this morning I was greeted with a shimmer of ice over the cars and a slight frost on the grass.  Undeterred by this, I carried on with my warm up walk and began to notice that the pavements were a little slippery too.  Now, to a normal person this would not pose a problem but to someone like myself who falls over on a perfect summer's day on a flat road the thought of running on slippery pavements and the damage that could cause does not bear thinking about!

Before I started to head back and admit outdoor defeat, I quickly checked the opening times of the gym on my phone and as it was open, went home to grab my gym stuff, change out of my thermals and resign my self to 50 minutes of boredom on the treadmill instead. It was horrible and  it dragged on forever, but at least my run was done so it's on to week three for a little bit more of the same! 

Time for the weekly dose of motivation and i've found that this way of thinking has helped me a lot during my training so far..


Sunday 22 December 2013

Christmas pudding




I have made it to the the end of the first week of marathon training still intact.  Had a slight problem this morning when I woke up still under the influence of last nights silly juice and was in no fit state to go for a run but a day of intense hydration and resting got me back on track and I somehow managed the scheduled 40 minute run. 

While I was mooching around today I came across a great article from Runners World about pushing through mental barriers.  Perfect reading for this time of year when it seems easier to come up with a million excuses rather than getting out there. Have a look if you need a bit of inspiration -  http://www.runnersworld.com/the-starting-line/5-mental-barriers-smashed?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-SmashMentalBarriers

On the subject of mental barriers, next week is going to be a bit of a challenge as I will have to do battle with the perils of Christmas indulgence.  There is also some nasty stormy weather on the way combined with the gym closing early, making an indoor run impossible - So it looks like i'll be making the most of my thermals.  Bring on week two!

Must be time for some motivation again to prepare for next week....


Friday 20 December 2013

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire??


Frost bite!!

All corny Christmas cracker jokes aside, I didn't attempt to cross breed any inanimate objects with fantasy beings but I did go for a run in the cold and wasn't sure whether my fingers or ears were going to fall off first!

The reality of winter training is starting to hit home and it's not even properly cold yet.  In the summer I jump out of bed, it's light and balmy outdoors and all I have to worry about is getting too hot on my morning run.  In the winter it's hard enough open my eyelids let alone the front door to go for a run.  This morning, wasn't that bad once I warmed up a bit (and actually enjoyed it in the end) but it has made me think about investing in some winter running gear as a Christmas present to myself...



Tuesday 17 December 2013

So it begins....



Eight months ago I had the genius idea that I would run a marathon.  The day has finally arrived that I begin 16 long weeks of intense training for that very event!  (Officially, it began yesterday but as the first day was a rest day there's not a lot to say about it - I rested, that is all.)

This morning's task was a 20 minute easy run.  Well, it sounded easy yesterday when I was perusing this week's schedule.  But then I got up at 4:45 am today and looked out of my cold, condensation covered bedroom window to see an uninspiring chilly, dark, wet December morning.  I did have the option of going for a run later when I got home from work with the boy, but knew deep down that there was no way I would do it after a day at work so I just had to bite the bullet and get out there.  

It lived up to my expectations of being dark, cold, damp and uninspiring but I just used my imagination and visualised all those lovely summer mornings that I went out running and got on with it!  

The schedule this week is very kind, considering it's marathon training. The first week is designed to get me back into a regular running routine with another 20 minute easy run on Friday morning then a 40 minute long run on Sunday (that will be fun after an Xmas party on Saturday night - ha!)

I am using the Bupa beginners training plan as that is what I followed for the half marathon and it seemed to suit me.  There are so many training plans out there and some look horrendous to be honest and I know that I have to have a schedule that's simple and flexible or I know that there's no chance I will follow it! Here's the link to it if any beginners out there are interested in training for a marathon http://www.bupa.co.uk/running/training/training-programmes/beginner-marathon/

The start line of the Brighton Marathon  - the place this training will take me to! (ITV.com)

Monday 2 December 2013

Two weeks until the real work begins!

Today I managed to drag my sorry butt out of bed for an early morning run and it felt good - only did 30 mins but it's still the longest run i've done for well over a month.  I have been going out, just at night and for 20 mins at a time so it was reassuring to know I can still manage 30 mins without stopping for a break!

The reason i'm making an effort to get back out on the early runs is because marathon training starts two weeks today. Woo hoo....AND i'm looking forward to it like a nutter!  There was a bit of doubt as to whether I was going to go for the marathon this year or postpone it until 2015, as last week I managed to bag myself a new job - on the other side of the country! This will mean training around a whole life move but I figured that as long as I get all the long runs done everything will be fine and to just go for it. After all, I have spent the last 6 months telling everyone i'm doing it so i'm as sure as hell going to give it my best shot! 

This is so true......