Sunday 29 March 2015

Look before you eat...

This weekend has not gone to plan and it all started with an innocent lunch choice yesterday.  

I know that it is always advised to eat food that you are used to leading up to a long run but as usual, I ignored the voices of experience and went my own way and chose a tasty looking vegetable soup for lunch. Harmless enough you might think, until I gobbled it up THEN realised it contained the dreaded processed garlic that so many food producers tend to favour over the real thing.  The issue here is that and my body never takes kindly to this fake garlic invasion and responds usually with a migraine and/or decidedly dodgy guts (ill spare you the rest of the gruesome details!). 

Luckily, I realised what I had consumed before it had the chance to have the full effect and I went for a 5 mile run in the countryside to ensure at least I had done something this weekend.  Gradually, the usual side effects made themselves known and although I seem to have escaped the full blown migraine the digestive effects soon made an appearance and when I tried running again this afternoon I had to call it a day after one 2.5 mile loop due to horrendous indigestion, and the sensation I may lose control over my bowels at any moment which is not something I want to do. Ever. Least of all with a steady stream of holiday makers all gawking at me from their cars as they drive into town to start their Easter getaways!

So the grand total mileage for this weekend is only half of what it should have been which is very disappointing but looking on the bright side, is better than nothing.  The moral of this story is stick to eating what I know in future and to be thankful that I properly realised this two weeks before the big day rather than two hours before it!  

Pass the Gaviscon....

Lastly a big THANK YOU to people who have donated so far you are all wonderful! Just another little reminder that I have got a fundraising page set up so if anyone else would like to donate (as little or a much as you can) to The Urology Foundation (www.theurologyfoundation.org) then please pay a visit to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/caroline.gower1 where you can find out more information about why I chose to support this charity.

So, from today, there's only 2 weeks to go until I face the challenge of a lifetime and I will need a whole lot of motivation to get there - this should do the trick....


Tuesday 24 March 2015

18 miles down, only 8.2 to go...

It was just under two years ago that I first entertained the thought of running a marathon and ever since then, this particular distance in the training has filled me with dread. 

It seemed a big challenge in so many ways, firstly it's a long way - especially on your own with no one cheering you on.  I also saw it as the 'make or break' distance that would determine whether or not I will be able to make the whole 26.2 miles on the day.  That's why I'm so happy that I managed it on Sunday!

Despite it being a long way and very, very lonely - the one thing that was concerning me the most was my whether or not my right calf was going to start complaining again as it did feel a little bit tight in the first mile or so but as soon as I started to warm up, it settled down and didn't cause any trouble at all which was a huge relief.  Even today, I am still a bit sore in my hips and hamstrings but its bilateral soreness and nothing I wasn't expecting!

The good news is that completing this distance must mean that all the training is paying off and that finish line of the 2015 Brighton Marathon is finally looking like an achievable goal.

But (..there's always a BUT!), I still have just under 3 weeks until race day and another 15 miler to do at the weekend so here's hoping my body stays strong, I don't succumb to any of the nasty cold/sickness bugs that are doing the rounds and stay focused to the end as it is now clearly in sight!

Before I go, just a little reminder that I have got a fundraising page set up so if anyone is feeling brave and would like to donate to The Urology Foundation (www.theurologyfoundation.org) then please pay a visit to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/caroline.gower1 where you can find out more information about why I chose to support this charity.

Finally, I could do with a bit more motivation to help me through the final couple of weeks...



Wednesday 18 March 2015

This little piggy.....



.....ate too much sugary, fatty treats and put on a stone in a couple of weeks!

Today I had a surprise early finish at work. So, seeing as it was a lovely sunny spring afternoon I decided to bring my evening run forward and go out in daylight.  Everything seemed fine until I dug out my summer running tops which appeared to have shrunk dramatically during their time in the wardrobe over winter!  Then the realisation that I maybe overdid it for my birthday at the weekend by gorging on pizza, chocolate, cake and wine hit me hard. 


I have always struggled with my weight due to a combination of a overwhelmingly sweet tooth and a lack of self discipline when it comes to the sheer amount of it I shove in my cake hole!  I can see now why that boy shouted 'Fatty fat arse' at me the other week because it was a true statement - I had just become so complacent with the fact I was running more that I somehow thought that an extra bit here and there wouldn't hurt.

Anyway, I digress, the run this afternoon was made pretty uncomfortable by the fact that my clothes were trying to get away from me as I wobbled along the road but I did it - promising myself with every step that no more sweet treats will cross my lips in the next three and a half weeks if I am to stand any chance of finishing this marathon! 

The good news is that my troublesome calf seems to have resolved itself so at least I'm not in pain when I run any more - it's just the dying from embarrassment that's painful as I attempt to haul my huge frame alongside a busy road.

So plan for the next few weeks is to take my diet seriously and try to shed a few pounds before the big day or there will be big trouble!

In other news, I have finally got around to setting up a fundraising page and it can be found at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/caroline.gower1 if anyone would like to donate.  I am raising money for The Urology Foundation - more information about the charity and the work they do can be found at www.theurologyfoundation.org

All that remains for me to say today is that I need some motivation to keep me away from the sweet stuff and bring back some much needed focus for the weeks ahead....








Sunday 8 March 2015

Too far, too soon.

The title of this post says it all really. The training was going so well, and I was all happy because I had caught up on mileage for the long runs but unfortunately, as a newbie runner this is proving to be unsustainable.

Saying that, this week hasn't gone too badly with all but one training run completed successfully.  Today was supposed to be a 14 mile run but it appears my right calf had other ideas.... It has been playing up a bit since the 10 miler I did a couple of weeks ago but I have been diligently stretching and foam rolling it but it's still protesting - to the point where it's no longer an ache but full on pain. So, 2.5 miles in to the long run today I had to make the decision to call it a day and rest up for a bit because pushing it further was probably not the best course of action.  It's so frustrating though because the rest of my body is well and truly up for running with no worries! The problem is that my right calf has always been slightly weaker since I broke my ankle 10 years ago and was left with a puny, hairy lower leg when the cast came off and I never really got it back to equal the left.  This is something i'm now regretting!

Not sure where it will go from here but as usual I'm not giving up just yet and will try to do at least 3 half hour runs this week then maybe a 10 miler at the weekend  - calf permitting!

On another note, I  made the move to elastic laces on my shoes this week  (after getting fed up with the  traditional ones constantly coming undone and feeling  tight on long runs) they seem to be nice and comfy and I don't feel that my feet are moving around too much but guess I'll have to get some longer distances in before I can really tell...watch this space!

Motivation time - and this quote is particularly apt for this week's training!




Monday 2 March 2015

Going the distance...

This last week has been a bit of a milestone in my quest to train to run 26.2 miles.  Not only have I managed to not succumb to any nasty snot inducing bugs (which are hard to avoid at this time of year) I have caught up distance wise with the training plan!

This weekend just gone was one I have had mixed feelings about for a long many months.  It was the weekend of the 15 mile run. Its a formidable distance and I can tell you now that 15 miles is a very long way, plus its the furthest my little legs have ever covered in one day in my entire thirty-odd years on this planet!  The important thing here though is that I did it. In spite of heckling along the lines of "oi fatty fat arse!" shouted from a passing car 11 miles in and the fact that my legs were a tad numb after 14 miles I did it. The feeling of completing such a distance is hard to describe - I felt sore, knackered, proud, relieved and amazed all at once but that is only a fraction of what I will feel once I have gone the extra 11.2 miles on the day of the marathon!

So today is the start of week 11 of training and it kicked off with a nice slow (would I do it any other way? Haha!) 40 minute run which went well with a bit of tiredness from the weekend but at this stage if I can't manage to run on tired legs then i'm definitely not cut out to run a marathon! 

The remainder of the training for this week involves a bit more time training with a 50 minute steady run, 60 minute speed training session and a 14 mile long run at the weekend. 

With all that to get through, it must be time for Monday motivation.....