Hippy hippy shake

I didn't mention it before but I did have a bit of pain in my right hip flexor during the race on Sunday.  Started at 3 miles in and persisted.  That's the thing that you notice when you lift your leg up.  Last time I had that trouble was after my first half marathon and it lasted for a few weeks. Pretty painful the next day so I emailed my sports therapist who very kindly sent me a load of exercises.  Compensating for torturing me with sports massage of course! Anyway I went swimming on Mon eve and on Tues it was miles better.  On Wed I did a 30 min interval run and no problem.  On Thurs eve I ran with the club and we were doing hill repeats.  So after two repeats the pain was back.  Groan.  Obviously its the extra effort of going uphill. So today I went for a long walk and now it has gone off again.  So will it reappear tomorrow on a 7 mile run with the club?  I hope not.  Maybe I will just stuff myself with cake afterwards and ignore it. Otherwise it will have to be a trip to Mick the Marmaliser to batter it out. Yerk.

It all went horribly wrong... and then went right again

OK I admit it.  I've been putting this off.  Basically everything went sky high and then plunged dismally into the abyss.  On 15 December I did the  Great Yorkshire Pieathlon which is the most fun you can ever have with your trainers on. It was absolutely brilliant. Yes that is us posing with the great Pieman himself and no this photo does not show the chuffing great hills we were expected to climb on the route. Yes that is a turkey on my head. Is that a problem?

There's so much I could say about it but I try to keep these entries short so alas I'll move on.
Basically, to cut a long story short, I was on such a high after this fantastic weekend that I didn't notice the storm approaching.  And that storm was a nasty chest virus thingy that wiped me off my feet, put paid to my Christmas and New Year, stopped me running for three weeks, made me miss seeing my lovely family and friends and caused me to pull out of my New Year's Day 10k race. You absolute swine. Though not swine flu thank goodness.

Naturally I was not in the best of moods.  Especially when I got an email from the Stroke Association Just Giving page reminding me that there was only 12 weeks to go to the marathon.  Shriek! Tentatively I tried to run down the lane and back.  Wow, talk about not appreciating your health when you have it, I could hardly breathe.  So no running, no swimming, even walking felt like a huge effort.

Okay fast forward to now.  Gradually I have managed to eke my way back to 13 miles. That was in the icy conditions that caused me to narrowly avoid doing a Torvill and Dean's Ravel's Bolero on several occasions.  I could have fallen and squashed a dog at one point.
Yesterday I ran the Ferriby 10.  What a day. You know when you're on holiday in a caravan and the rain is lashing down the window panes and the caravan is rocking in the wind and your little face is pressed up against the window willing it to stop so you can go to the beach?  Yes well it was like that but instead of sitting inside, nice and warm and playing cards, you put on a tee-shirt and prance off for 10 miles up hill and down dale in temperatures of 2 deg with horizontal sleet shotblasting your cheeks. So cold in fact that my arms and fingers went numb and I didn't realise I couldn't make a pincer movement until I tried to get a Shot Blok out of my bag. Good job I didn't have to re-tie a shoelace. Anyway, despite the conditions being the worst I have ever run in, I had a brilliant time.  For some reason it all went really well. My legs didn't ache, my breathing was fine, my pace was comfortable and all in all I just ran it.  No problems.  How often can you say that?  I feel like saving that experience in a bottle for times when things are not going well.  Strangely enough I was running along thinking 'it's going to get bad/ be a really steep hill/ feel really difficult in a minute' but it just never did.  Oh the joy of such a run. You read it here remember?

So here I am.  Back in the zone as they say. Not sure how this week is going to work out or when I am going do my next long run but suddenly this marathon looks like it is not so far out of reach after all.

Unlucky for some

So they say.  Today I weigh 12st 4lbs which means that somehow, miraculously I have lost 3 pounds which seems unlikely considering the excesses of the Christmas market and the hot chocolate with Baileys which I allegedly consumed.  And for that read 'consumed'.

Anyway this week has been very good.  On Tuesday in Zumba we were doing the Plank.  That's not a dance by the way.  Now since I have no upper body strength whatsoever, and since my core muscles seem to be non-existent, this was very difficult.  Come Thursday I realised I couldn't even cough without my stomach muscles hurting.  What a state.  Better do more of those.

On Wednesday I ran 11 miles which went a lot better than I had anticipated.  It was very foggy and very cold but I plodded along regardless.  I had been reading that on the long runs you should run a minute/minute and a half slower than your anticipated marathon pace.  I did my utmost to keep at that and hey presto! it worked. In addition my new compression socks meant that my legs felt OK through the whole run.  So that's the secret then.  I had meant to do this run on Monday but I was a wimp and allowed myself to talk myself out of it.  Shame on you! So come Wednesday I did a Ray Winstone on myself  -  ' Oi Leggy! Wotcha doin'? Get yourself out there or else! You're going dahn...'

On Thursday I walked across to the nearest village, scoffed a toasted teacake and a skinny latte and walked back.  Then I went for my appointment with Mick the Marmaliser and had my legs well and truly pummelled into oblivion.  Ooh the agony.  Especially my right Achilles. Got to pay more attention to that.

Today I ran a 30 min interval session with my TMP (Trusty Marathon Pal).  It was very mild and still so that was ideal.  Mind you a minute can seem a long time when you're running fast.  Hopefully that's going to feel a lot better the more we do it.

Now gearing up for the Great Yorkshire Pieathlon on Sunday.  My last race of the year.  It sounds a right hoot, can't wait!

Finally the sunrises and sunsets here have been beautiful recently.  Who can't help but marvel at them?  

More running

So that's two more runs done this week.  On Thursday I ran with my fellow Paris Marathon chum and we decided to attempt a 30 minute tempo run with the add of the app on her phone.  All good in theory but cue unprecedented windy weather.  Now tempo running is hard enough without feeling that you are running into a concrete wall.  Nevertheless we achieved.  Bring it on as they say.  Good job we did it when we did because it all went bonkers after that with flood alerts and the works. 

Today I ran 8 miles with the club which was very good as they are excellent fun.  Not sure whether schlepping round the Xmas market yesterday and stuffing myself with goodies, mince pies, mulled wine and hot chocolate with Baileys (what a combo!) was such a good idea pre-run.  Especially when I woke up with a headache and feeling distinctly under the weather.  Never mind, the route was beautiful, mostly off road and through some lovely villages. Afterwards we were treated to sausage rolls, hot chocolate and cake.  What could be better? It was most amusing when another group of runners approached as we were scoffing and we were tempted to frantically stuff it all back in the boot of the car!

Next weekend I am doing the Great Yorkshire Pieathlon .  That's 6km of trail, 220m ascent and a pie station every 2k.  Hah! Can't wait.

It starts today...

Okay Okay... deep breath... here we go... today is the start of 16 weeks of training culminating in my first marathon on 6 April 2014.  The Paris Marathon.  Or should I say Marathon de Paris.  Ooh la la. At the moment this is a terrifying prospect.  Let's hope that over the next few weeks it will become a little more believeable.

Today I weigh 12 st 7.  How did that happen?  I'm heavier now than after I had the kids.  So much for taking up running and losing weight.  I'm getting bigger by the minute.  By the time the marathon is here I shall be the size of Pavarotti.  If there was any justice in the world I would be stick-thin and running along like a gazelle with all the running/swimming/walking/zumba I do.  And now Christmas is on the horizon so that's not going to help is it? Anyway each week I will post my weight in the hope that it will spur me to lose some.  Let's face it, all that weight slamming down on my knees with each footfall is not good.

Today I ran nearly six miles on a loop from home to the nearest village and back.  Since the local farmer (!) has not marked and flattened the footpath I had to run around the field and got stung to high heaven and soaked for my trouble.  Nevertheless it was a lovely morning for a run, slightly misty and with a very interesting pinky/beige sky.  The nice man in the signal box poked his head out and let me go through the side gate over the railway line. So that's the first run of Week 1 over. Stick with it gal!

I like to move it move it

Yes I'm out there and doing it.  The Sting, that is.  No it's not a crazy dance from the 60s.  It's our running club's 10k race which this year is on 14 July.  And the Sting?  Well that's the last mile and believe me, if you're not prepared for it you might as well pack up and go home.  Two glute-wrenchingly horrific hills and an uphill finish.  Pure torture.  So three weeks ago I made a pledge to myself to run the route every week.  Can I get anyone to run with me?  Hah! So every time I do it I find myself bursting into the market place like a Wild Woman of Wongo, all breathless and gasping like a maniac.  Meanwhile all the normal people are going about their daily business, standing chatting, posting a letter etc. What must they think?  Plus I have to struggle up a hill right next to the school and cross my fingers that my kids aren't going to spot me. Oh the shame for them!

Excellent news on  Wed 1 May when I did the first  Croxby Crawl of the season and managed to knock two and a half minutes off last year.  Woo hoo! What a course that is.  I think I may have left a lung on that last hill.

Anyway onwards to my next race which is the 10k Trailblazer at Clumber Park on 18 May.  Bring it on!

What a day!

Still on a high after the Lincoln 10k.  Wow.  What a brilliant day.  The sun shone and I actually got to wear my shorts for the first time this year. Yes I didn't think anyone else would be wearing bright orange shorts.  And I was right.  You've been Tango-ed.  It was perfect.  I was very smiley as I joined the sub-60 section this year as opposed to the 60 plus section like last year.  It is an incredible feeling to line up with 4500 runners, pretty sobering in fact.

The race went well.  For me it was all about running the whole distance in order to put away the demons of last year.  It was very uplifting to see familiar faces round the route and that always gives you a boost just when you need it.  I finished in 59:16 which puts me under the hour yet again.  Whe-hay! And a very impressive medal too.