Other than a gentle wind down, my training is now complete. 22 runs, cross training, and the type I haven't skipped... rest days! My training plan is now liberally coloured with florescent green for the days where I did something in line with the plan. I've stretched my limits from 8 to 12 miles, and explored a wider area beyond my neighbourhood. Some sessions just haven't worked out, mainly due to tiredness, but that was hardly surprising, especially when the term started back up.
So... week 11... Starting on the heels of the Brownie pack holiday, I was pretty shattered, and had missed my regular slots for circuits and a 2 hour long run. The weather was grim, so two well waterproofed children and I went off to Buggy Babes. The car park was suspiciously quiet when we arrived. Then I checked my phone. Cancelled. Getting out of the house just after lunch requires dedication and perseverance, and I was not wasting that investment, so on we went. I even went beyond the usual 2 miles or so and did 5 miles. Husband was away for a couple of nights, so this was the best available method of keeping up, especially after the lull of a long weekend.
Another successful rest day... Then Wednesday's run. Some runs just aren't meant to be. I pushed myself out. I even wore my new winter kit, but my body just wasn't going to cooperate. That became evident early on. Frustrating, but no point in being upset over it. I went out, I tried, exercise was done.
More rest. Then a sort of reversal of Wednesday, I couldn't quite drag myself out before ridiculous o'clock, so I stayed in, and utilised the dusty exercise bike, and did a session using a tabbata timing app (short, maximum effort intervals). The kind of 10 minute session that leaves your legs feeling wobbly. It was in the spirit of the suggested run.
Circuits. Regular instructor away. A bit more squatty than usual. Lots of weights. Left me paying for it on Sunday's long run. It'll be fine, but bad timing for that. I increased the suggested 60 minute run to 120 as compensation for missing last week. My alarm was set early, gear prepared the night before. My body was fuelled and ready for action... except for my thighs which stubbornly complained from the start and never loosened up. Every thing about the run was great. I even loved running through the fog as daylight crept in. Despite all the positives, I increasingly had to walk. It wasn't worth the risk of pushing through and turning routine soreness into a proper injury.
So week 12 begins. I've been looking forwards to tapering down! I think my last proper run is done as I'm under full time childcare house arrest for most of the week, so I think it's time for exercise DVDs and the exercise bike. The only other thing to do is to wrap my head around the logistics. I'm as ready as I'll ever be, and I know how to prevent the hiccups that have got in the way during training.
13.1 miles... Bring it on!
Monday, 13 October 2014
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
13.1 wk 10 As predicted
Few things turn out as you predict. Last week had more than its fair share, for example, the crazy day where I had "lunch" at 20.30. However, I did sucessfully predict where the plan and I had incompatible needs.
The first half of the week was fine; buggy babes and a 30 min run. The run felt good, a pleasure run, not a duty run, despite the long slog uphill. Unfortunately it was squeezed in rather late which didn't help my exhaustion level for the rest of the week. I'm used to a chronic low level tiredness, so it doesn't take much to tip me. A full-on working day, followed by a Brownie visit, then packing for a weekend away was plenty to tip me. No chance of fitting in a run. Next day was straight on the pack holiday following work. Again, no chance of a run. By the time pack holiday was done and dusted, and 3 hours of cleaning the venue was complete, my idea of an intense physical workout involved a trip to McDonals, and a trip up the stairs to bed.
I know pack holiday well enough to have known that it was incompatible with the idea of nipping out for a run at any point. The chances of going for a 2hr run over the weekend were the same as England winning the 2015 football world cup.The chance of any compromise, short run, was that of England winning in 2014. Not ideal, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
As I start week 11, I'm pleased at how few phases there have been like this. I've done well on cross training, that naturally fits with my routines, and I've done well on getting the long runs in, even if some of them have been walk/run battles. Based on my previous experience, the psychological battle is minimised on the day, so I won't have the internal conflict of my solo runs. I have struggled with the week day runs, and speedwork. That will have some effect on performance, but I feel confident that I can achieve my primary goal of completing my first half marathon, mainly by running.
The first half of the week was fine; buggy babes and a 30 min run. The run felt good, a pleasure run, not a duty run, despite the long slog uphill. Unfortunately it was squeezed in rather late which didn't help my exhaustion level for the rest of the week. I'm used to a chronic low level tiredness, so it doesn't take much to tip me. A full-on working day, followed by a Brownie visit, then packing for a weekend away was plenty to tip me. No chance of fitting in a run. Next day was straight on the pack holiday following work. Again, no chance of a run. By the time pack holiday was done and dusted, and 3 hours of cleaning the venue was complete, my idea of an intense physical workout involved a trip to McDonals, and a trip up the stairs to bed.
I know pack holiday well enough to have known that it was incompatible with the idea of nipping out for a run at any point. The chances of going for a 2hr run over the weekend were the same as England winning the 2015 football world cup.The chance of any compromise, short run, was that of England winning in 2014. Not ideal, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
As I start week 11, I'm pleased at how few phases there have been like this. I've done well on cross training, that naturally fits with my routines, and I've done well on getting the long runs in, even if some of them have been walk/run battles. Based on my previous experience, the psychological battle is minimised on the day, so I won't have the internal conflict of my solo runs. I have struggled with the week day runs, and speedwork. That will have some effect on performance, but I feel confident that I can achieve my primary goal of completing my first half marathon, mainly by running.
Monday, 29 September 2014
13.1 wk9: A little bit further
Wk 9 sounds scary. That's 2 months that I've been roughly sticking to my plan. That's the same amount of time you could do a C25k in (although mine was longer due to my fear of injury). Now I have less than 3 weeks left. I'm at the peak of my training before the taper down. My goal of running a half marathon seems attainable, whereas 9 weeks ago, it felt a very long way off. My previous maximum had been 8.2 miles in 1h 30 before life got in the way, so really I've been working on pushing my body through that second hour. From previous experience, I'll find it mentally easier on the day as I work with the herd, rather than being a solo battle of willpower.
This week's long run was indeed one of those. I think my body was still in sleep mode from the previous day, where I took the term "rest day" to extremes with 2x 2hr naps. I'd planned to go to circuits, but woke slightly later than usual, and got as far as mostly dressed, and filled water bottle before totally failing to find my trainers. Naturally, they turned up the next day in one of the places I'd already looked in.
The weather has become more autumnal, which is lovely, but my legs seem to be finding it hard to warm up. I may need a change of routine there as I still follow the C25k plan of 5 mins brisk walk. My run on Friday night was chillier than I've known for many months, and being a short run, never really felt like my legs got flowing. Maybe it was my body's way of pointing out that most sensible people were heading for bed, not out for a run.
I had the same feeling again on the long run, not helped by my running early strategy meaning that I don't have time to fuel up well. I ended up pausing and stretching a few times. This shouldn't be an issue on race day as I'll be more mobilised by the process of getting there, and have digested some breakfast first. The first hour was a slog. A pretty, fresh, autumnal slog, but a slog none the less. Hour 2 was more enjoyable. The tipping point was running down hill, waving and clapping my hands above my head to Take That's Never Forget. I don't care if I looked like a lunatic, it was energising! At that point the run seemed to resume its regular level of effort, and my legs finally gained some momentum.
At some point along the way, my stop watch of running time got stopped. I have the time on my phone from leaving the house, but not the actual running time, so including warm up time, it was 2h 04 mins, and 10.25 miles. A little bit further once again. I know that on a better prepared day, I can push that speed by walking less, and not needing to stretch so much, which again boosts my confidence.
I'm beginning to feel ready for the challenge...
This week's long run was indeed one of those. I think my body was still in sleep mode from the previous day, where I took the term "rest day" to extremes with 2x 2hr naps. I'd planned to go to circuits, but woke slightly later than usual, and got as far as mostly dressed, and filled water bottle before totally failing to find my trainers. Naturally, they turned up the next day in one of the places I'd already looked in.
The weather has become more autumnal, which is lovely, but my legs seem to be finding it hard to warm up. I may need a change of routine there as I still follow the C25k plan of 5 mins brisk walk. My run on Friday night was chillier than I've known for many months, and being a short run, never really felt like my legs got flowing. Maybe it was my body's way of pointing out that most sensible people were heading for bed, not out for a run.
I had the same feeling again on the long run, not helped by my running early strategy meaning that I don't have time to fuel up well. I ended up pausing and stretching a few times. This shouldn't be an issue on race day as I'll be more mobilised by the process of getting there, and have digested some breakfast first. The first hour was a slog. A pretty, fresh, autumnal slog, but a slog none the less. Hour 2 was more enjoyable. The tipping point was running down hill, waving and clapping my hands above my head to Take That's Never Forget. I don't care if I looked like a lunatic, it was energising! At that point the run seemed to resume its regular level of effort, and my legs finally gained some momentum.
At some point along the way, my stop watch of running time got stopped. I have the time on my phone from leaving the house, but not the actual running time, so including warm up time, it was 2h 04 mins, and 10.25 miles. A little bit further once again. I know that on a better prepared day, I can push that speed by walking less, and not needing to stretch so much, which again boosts my confidence.
I'm beginning to feel ready for the challenge...
Monday, 22 September 2014
13.1 wk8: Adapting
It was a calmer week. Most of the shock of returning to work had passed, and no hidden extras to bring me to the brink. I managed to go to both my regular fitness classes which is a nice simple way to get the green highlighter out on my training plan. I've had quite an erratic run of attendance at circuits, but this week I noticed how much easier it was lugging the 8kg kettlebell. I'm getting more power for moves like burpees too.
I made it out for a midweek run, my Achilles heel in my training. On Wednesday, sleep won, but on Thursday, motivation overrode fatigue. I couldn't muster the suggested run, so I adapted to two laps of the local "loop", aiming to do lap 2 faster than the first (success! ).
I suppose I have a bit of a relationship with this route, for want of a better word. On a practical level, it's a simple circle. It has both a drawn out slope up and down, and a steep undulating section, so a bit of variety. It goes past pleasing houses and gardens and a park, and is well lit, so ticks aesthetic boxes day and night. Its also the route that I recorded a time for back in 2008, so its very satisfying to compare back to pre-baby days. At that time I was active, but didn't realise I was in a fitness rut. Each week, I went to yoga, and adult ballet, and had been drifting away from nearly 5 years of step when I started Brownies which clashed anyway. I have a nice book on fitness, a bit simplistic for my needs now, but it's motivating. It has a fitness test, and on this occasion I recorded the results in a spreadsheet, and they are still available today. My body has found pregnancy and birth to be very demanding, and it's satisfying that although it may not be aesthetically what it was, I can thrash minutes off my walk/run effort from my 20s when I assumed I was fit.
Anyway. I made the classic mistake of making a plan for my long run. I set my alarm at 6.50 in an attempt to have an early start... "Alarm 1" went off before 6 with a wail of "wet!", after a shower and change of clothes, I went to bed before "alarm 2" went "wah!" He was then quite blatantly awake, then joined by "alarm 1". This caused a dilemma. Husband is a sleep addict, and was not ready to deal with two wide awake little, bouncy people. They also needed complications like being fed. The 3 year old decided that it was TV time which was happily compatible with the desires of both parents, and baby was put in the pram to keep me company. Therefore it became an 8 mile brisk walk/ interval running session in 1hr 45. My speed was quite favourable to some of my long runs, and it will have been of benefit. Maybe not a perfect solution, but a good compromise of training plan Vs family life.
I made it out for a midweek run, my Achilles heel in my training. On Wednesday, sleep won, but on Thursday, motivation overrode fatigue. I couldn't muster the suggested run, so I adapted to two laps of the local "loop", aiming to do lap 2 faster than the first (success! ).
I suppose I have a bit of a relationship with this route, for want of a better word. On a practical level, it's a simple circle. It has both a drawn out slope up and down, and a steep undulating section, so a bit of variety. It goes past pleasing houses and gardens and a park, and is well lit, so ticks aesthetic boxes day and night. Its also the route that I recorded a time for back in 2008, so its very satisfying to compare back to pre-baby days. At that time I was active, but didn't realise I was in a fitness rut. Each week, I went to yoga, and adult ballet, and had been drifting away from nearly 5 years of step when I started Brownies which clashed anyway. I have a nice book on fitness, a bit simplistic for my needs now, but it's motivating. It has a fitness test, and on this occasion I recorded the results in a spreadsheet, and they are still available today. My body has found pregnancy and birth to be very demanding, and it's satisfying that although it may not be aesthetically what it was, I can thrash minutes off my walk/run effort from my 20s when I assumed I was fit.
Anyway. I made the classic mistake of making a plan for my long run. I set my alarm at 6.50 in an attempt to have an early start... "Alarm 1" went off before 6 with a wail of "wet!", after a shower and change of clothes, I went to bed before "alarm 2" went "wah!" He was then quite blatantly awake, then joined by "alarm 1". This caused a dilemma. Husband is a sleep addict, and was not ready to deal with two wide awake little, bouncy people. They also needed complications like being fed. The 3 year old decided that it was TV time which was happily compatible with the desires of both parents, and baby was put in the pram to keep me company. Therefore it became an 8 mile brisk walk/ interval running session in 1hr 45. My speed was quite favourable to some of my long runs, and it will have been of benefit. Maybe not a perfect solution, but a good compromise of training plan Vs family life.
Sunday, 21 September 2014
13.1 wk 7 Exhausted
Week 7 was a vexing sort of week. The event that shaped it was a return to teaching. It was the kind of week where you deliberately go in early to be nicely organised for the first day back, only to discover that the computer won't log on until break time. The kind where you finish in good time to pick the children up to get to Brownies, and it takes over an hour to do what is normally 6 miles becaue the road was blocked and I had to turn and go via a town in the opposite direction. The irony is that I could run the normal route in about that time! The end result was that it was the kind of week where you're zonked out on the sofa for the night while the children are still swarming over you. This is not good training.
I didn't do the week day runs, and had to miss circuits due to other plans, so it was looking to be a washout of a werk. I did however squeeze in my long run.
I'd been puzzling over how to fit it in with Brownies bag packing. The answer presented itself spontaneously. Baby woke at 6 for one of his epic feeds, and by 6.45 I was feeling too awake to return to bed, so I ran instead. Being out of the house at 7.15 was a personal triumph in itself. The first half of the run was very quiet. Even the local runners seemed to feel it was too early on a Sunday. I noticed early on that my body felt good and fast, and that I was reaping a benefit from my hectic week; my body was fresh and rested. I ran 9 miles in 90 minutes, a new longest distance, and a mile further than the time I did my fun run in.
It's quite a big confidence booster. I know a race is psychologicaly easier than training runs on my own, and that I'll have a taper down similar to the rest I had, so it feels much more attainable now. Just a few more hard weeks of long runs to polish me off (both meanings applicable). It all seems attainable now...
I didn't do the week day runs, and had to miss circuits due to other plans, so it was looking to be a washout of a werk. I did however squeeze in my long run.
I'd been puzzling over how to fit it in with Brownies bag packing. The answer presented itself spontaneously. Baby woke at 6 for one of his epic feeds, and by 6.45 I was feeling too awake to return to bed, so I ran instead. Being out of the house at 7.15 was a personal triumph in itself. The first half of the run was very quiet. Even the local runners seemed to feel it was too early on a Sunday. I noticed early on that my body felt good and fast, and that I was reaping a benefit from my hectic week; my body was fresh and rested. I ran 9 miles in 90 minutes, a new longest distance, and a mile further than the time I did my fun run in.
It's quite a big confidence booster. I know a race is psychologicaly easier than training runs on my own, and that I'll have a taper down similar to the rest I had, so it feels much more attainable now. Just a few more hard weeks of long runs to polish me off (both meanings applicable). It all seems attainable now...
Sunday, 7 September 2014
13.1 wk6 Making Progress
It's been quite a straightforward sort of week. Buggy Babes was on, so that naturally ticked Monday off. Rest days are easy enough to achieve.
Wednesday was my penultimate day of the holidays so I took my 3 year out to a theme park. There's a kind of self powered monorail there that you i have to cycle round. I was on another ride and saw a rugby build type bloke puffing his way round and moaning about the difficulty of it but I decided to give it a go anyway. It was quiet up there, and we were the only ones on there. I has to slouch a bit to reach the pedals, but otherwise it was easy enough although a bit of resistance on the bends. As I pedalled back in, the attendant exclaimed, "you were quick!" I explained about the training and we ended up having a good chat about running.
I ended up doing my run at night. The plan said "easy 30 minutes with last 10 at threshold".I decided the easiest way to do that was to flip my routes round and do a long uphill at the end. I rather enjoyed it.
I had plans for Saturday, so decided to do my 75 min run on Thursday. It wasn't ideal tim7ng as my legs still felt low on fuel from running the previous night. It turned outbto ve a battle with some walking mixed in. On a positive note, my speed was better than my previous attempt when I also felt low on energy for different reasons.
I have dropped a run from the plan to allow rest days on Friday and Sunday. Worth it in the grand scheme of things for Saturday was the day of The Big One North...
Most years my friend and I head up to Blackpool for a hedonistic weekend of yoga, pilates, aerobics, dance, HITT, circuits, spinning, zumba... if it's a fitness trend, it's there and being presented by the top people in the industry. Highlights have previously included aerial hoop and aerial yoga. This was our first go at a similar one day event hosted by the same people. So an early start and trip to the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, was followed by 6 hours of pilates, Insanity, Areobics, kettlebells and a stretch class. I bailed out of the 3rd session when I had an energy crash 5 hours after breakfast, so we went to be revived by jacket potatoes before the big rush for lunch. I noticed that the main part of my body whinging was my hips from sideways movements that I've not done in a long time. I noticed little strain on my cardiovascular system, a very pleasing improvement on Blackpool back in March.
I've also been pleased at my tolerable levels of stiffness today. They've eased up with gentle activity through the day. I've resisted the urge to do anything more demanding, hoping to resume business as usual tomorrow.
I'm now halway through the plan. Let's hope the second half is as successful.
Wednesday was my penultimate day of the holidays so I took my 3 year out to a theme park. There's a kind of self powered monorail there that you i have to cycle round. I was on another ride and saw a rugby build type bloke puffing his way round and moaning about the difficulty of it but I decided to give it a go anyway. It was quiet up there, and we were the only ones on there. I has to slouch a bit to reach the pedals, but otherwise it was easy enough although a bit of resistance on the bends. As I pedalled back in, the attendant exclaimed, "you were quick!" I explained about the training and we ended up having a good chat about running.
I ended up doing my run at night. The plan said "easy 30 minutes with last 10 at threshold".I decided the easiest way to do that was to flip my routes round and do a long uphill at the end. I rather enjoyed it.
I had plans for Saturday, so decided to do my 75 min run on Thursday. It wasn't ideal tim7ng as my legs still felt low on fuel from running the previous night. It turned outbto ve a battle with some walking mixed in. On a positive note, my speed was better than my previous attempt when I also felt low on energy for different reasons.
I have dropped a run from the plan to allow rest days on Friday and Sunday. Worth it in the grand scheme of things for Saturday was the day of The Big One North...
Most years my friend and I head up to Blackpool for a hedonistic weekend of yoga, pilates, aerobics, dance, HITT, circuits, spinning, zumba... if it's a fitness trend, it's there and being presented by the top people in the industry. Highlights have previously included aerial hoop and aerial yoga. This was our first go at a similar one day event hosted by the same people. So an early start and trip to the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, was followed by 6 hours of pilates, Insanity, Areobics, kettlebells and a stretch class. I bailed out of the 3rd session when I had an energy crash 5 hours after breakfast, so we went to be revived by jacket potatoes before the big rush for lunch. I noticed that the main part of my body whinging was my hips from sideways movements that I've not done in a long time. I noticed little strain on my cardiovascular system, a very pleasing improvement on Blackpool back in March.
I've also been pleased at my tolerable levels of stiffness today. They've eased up with gentle activity through the day. I've resisted the urge to do anything more demanding, hoping to resume business as usual tomorrow.
I'm now halway through the plan. Let's hope the second half is as successful.
Monday, 1 September 2014
13.1 wk5 Back on track
A better week mainly in the second half. I missed my Sunday long run slot with a daytrip to visit family, and Monday was a bank holiday so my usual Buggy Babes class wasn't running. Tuesday went to plan, that was a rest day! Wednesday involved a random digestive glitch, so not a great idea to expend lots of energy.
I caught up on the long run when the boys were in nursery on Thursday with the 75 min run. I adapted and walked some parts as my energy was low and I could feel the lack of it in my muscles as I hadn't eaten much in 24 hours. I just felt positive doing something on the plan. I also went exploring, and went down phase 2 of the Greenway for the first time. Its the conversion of a disused railway to a multi use track. This section opened at the start of the year, but is awkward to link to. It's very pleasant for running with views into fields on both sides, and a level, gritty surface. I achieved my objective of keeping moving for 75 mins, and managed to restore my appetite.
Friday was a nocturnal easy run. I went for 30 mins because of the previous long run, and an intention of going to circuits in the morning. Circuits was a success after a 6 week absence. Its legacy was felt mainly around my shoulders. Not good for painting the downstairs toilet, but of negligible inconvenience to Sunday's long run.
When waiting for paint to dry, you can do much worse than a 60 minure run! I revisited the Greenway and ran its entirety. Access at the top end is via a busy country road that at least has good visibility. At the lower end there's a section along a main road which at least has a pavement. The slow traffic lights provide a crafty recovery from the steep hill! It was another good run, and pleasantly mild.
I'm reaching a turning point this week. The holidays are drawing to a close, so I lose free time just as the runs are getting longer. It's going to take a bit more determination to keep up with the plan.
I caught up on the long run when the boys were in nursery on Thursday with the 75 min run. I adapted and walked some parts as my energy was low and I could feel the lack of it in my muscles as I hadn't eaten much in 24 hours. I just felt positive doing something on the plan. I also went exploring, and went down phase 2 of the Greenway for the first time. Its the conversion of a disused railway to a multi use track. This section opened at the start of the year, but is awkward to link to. It's very pleasant for running with views into fields on both sides, and a level, gritty surface. I achieved my objective of keeping moving for 75 mins, and managed to restore my appetite.
Friday was a nocturnal easy run. I went for 30 mins because of the previous long run, and an intention of going to circuits in the morning. Circuits was a success after a 6 week absence. Its legacy was felt mainly around my shoulders. Not good for painting the downstairs toilet, but of negligible inconvenience to Sunday's long run.
When waiting for paint to dry, you can do much worse than a 60 minure run! I revisited the Greenway and ran its entirety. Access at the top end is via a busy country road that at least has good visibility. At the lower end there's a section along a main road which at least has a pavement. The slow traffic lights provide a crafty recovery from the steep hill! It was another good run, and pleasantly mild.
I'm reaching a turning point this week. The holidays are drawing to a close, so I lose free time just as the runs are getting longer. It's going to take a bit more determination to keep up with the plan.
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