Category: Reviews

Whoops! I totally forgot about this last week, but I suppose last Sunday I was recapping the 10 mile race.

So, how have these last two weeks gone?

Week 2:

Monday-Rest day.

Tuesday– 4 miles of down and up underpasses and steps with the OH girls.

Wednesday– 5.1 miles- I had to run a longer route to Sweatshop, then we ran loops of a depot in some horrible sleeting rain and a very strong wind, and then I ran home.

Thursday– Body pump. I really hurt my hand or wrist- I could not work out what it was, but it was from those stacked clean and presses- I think the final weight was too heavy for me.

Friday– Rest.

Saturday– Panshanger parkrun- one of my favourite times of the week.. My Dad and brother came too, the weather was beautiful (frosty) and it snowed when we were getting our barcodes scanned.

This is the alternative ending- long and slow hill.

This is the normal ending- doesn’t look that steep but it really is!

Sunday– 10 mile race.

4/4 runs completed, 22.3 miles run.

Week 3. This turned out to be a bit of a challenge. For this year and last year I chose 4 runs as my target, as I knew that I could easily do 3 runs per week, but 4 was more of a challenge during busy weeks. They said on the show that if you achieve all of your targets, then they are probably too easy, and I wanted a challenge. Anyway, Andy had arranged a day out on Saturday as a belated Christmas present, and had told me I would not have time for parkrun that day. Fine, I can switch it to another day. But then something else came up.

Monday- Rest day. I had a sports massage booked- so many horrible knots in my shoulders.

Tuesday– We were going to go to the cinema (to see The Imitation Game which I thought was excellent). Originally we thought the film was at 6, so my plan was to leave work asap (my normal 2 hour evening meeting was cancelled), go on a short run, then walk up to the cinema. But then during the day Andy texted to say we had the time wrong, and it was actually 5pm! So anyway I rushed home from work but only had time to walk up there before it started. By the time we got home I could have gone out (it was about half 7 I think) but it was cold, I wanted  dinner. At least we had walked to and from the cinema.

Wednesday– Plan said 7 miles. So I went out earlier before Sweatshop and went an even longer way there, then we did 3 miles together, and then I ran home. In total it was 6.7 miles, which was close enough for me in the freezing cold!

I also got this rather terrifying looking foam roller for my 30 Sweatshop runs. Running home carrying it was hard work- it’s heavy!

Thursday– Body pump. Went lighter on the stacked weights this time, and still at the end of the track I could feel my hand starting to get sore.

Friday– 3 miles after work- for the missed Tuesday run.

Saturday. We didn’t need to leave until 10am, so I got up early and did another 3 miles from home- I was back just as parkruns were starting. Then we went into London- more on that another day but we walked for miles!

Sunday– 12 miles scheduled. On Saturday night I mapped out a route and wrote myself a few notes (most of the route I had run before, but some of it was new). I was out at about 8.15am, and it was just wonderful. I had felt apprehensive about it- what with not having a rest day since Tuesday, and all the walking yesterday. But it wasn’t about time, it was about getting the miles done.

The lake was still semi frozen- quite comical to see the gulls “walking” on the water. I am slowly catching up with the marathon talk podcasts anyway- I am into December now! In fact I was surprised to hear a PE teacher from my secondary school on there (although he is younger than me so didn’t teach me!). I did get a little lost so at one point had to get up maps on my phone to find out the way (surprisingly the directions “right, over, right, Woods Avenue” were not that easy to decipher) but in the end I got home having run 12.1 miles in 2.13 (although moving time was 2.06)- but anyway as I said it is not about the time.

So, week 3, 4/4 runs done (by the skin of my teeth) and 24.8 miles

I did hear that the third week in January is when people are most likely to fail at their resolutions, so I was quite pleased that I managed to keep it up this week despite some busy days. I am very much looking forward to a day off tomorrow though!

So Jantastic started this week. In case you didn’t know, it is a (free) motivational challenge organised by the Marathon Talk boys, although this year it’s bigger, better, happier, more productive…. I mean, more companies are involved and stuff. They have linked with Strava, so I have now signed up with them. I was on Daily Mile (I like to see the stats of how many miles per week/month/year) but for 2015 I thought I would start with Strava instead.

In January you pledge how many runs you would like to do each week (I have chosen 4, as that is what I feel I should be doing but it is easy to let the 4th one slide). You can also add other sports like swimming and cycling this year.

In February you do this, and also state the length of your longest run each week, and in March you do both of those things, and predict your time over the distance of your choosing.

The spooky scary cows on my run last Sunday- I ran through that field very fast I can tell you!

Since joining the running club I have been mainly running on a Tuesday with them, so generally my week will be:

Monday: Rest. Possibly a walk if I don’t get home from work too late.

Tuesday: Running club run

Wednesday: Sweatshop run. Run there and back various routes to make it longer.

Thursday: Body pump

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Parkrun

Sunday: Long run on my own or with the club depending on the route.

So before it began I did parkrun on New Year’s Day, then 6 miles on my own on the Friday, a rest on the Saturday, and then on Sunday I was going to go out with the running club, but it was cancelled due to the ice so I went around the fields later on, for 7 muddy miles. The first parkrun back was not the best- better than my 25th one, which perhaps was not such a good idea, but I struggled to get my breath and although I loved it, I was much slower than usual.

But this week I have been getting closer to my normal running self.

On Monday I was home nice and early so we had a walk before dinner.

On Tuesday I did a club run- there were loads of people there, so we paired up and then every now and then ran back to join on the end again, so no-one got too seperated. 4 miles complete.

On Wednesday I went to Sweatshop. My marathon plan said 6 miles, but it started back in December so I am playing a bit of catch up at the moment. I didn’t get home too late, so I left with enough time to run the long way to the shop- 2 miles before it even started. Then 3 fast miles, before running home, for 5.55 miles. Not too shabby, and close enough to my plan to keep me feeling happy.

I won this hand torch on Beki’s blog so I tried it out that evening. I was really impressed- most of our runs are well-lit but in a few areas the trees cast shadows on the pavements so it was helpful then. It has a rear red light too, and an alarm. I don’t think I would take it out all the time, but on club runs I would as I never know the route we are going to do.

Thursday was body pump. This has nothing to do with Jantastic (although I have worked out how to add it onto Strava which I am quite pleased with). Anyway, it was the new release, and I hadn’t been at all in December so it was quite a shock. Plus loads of new people came so it took 75 minutes to get through! The back track was so tough as you had to keep on adding more weight, and although I only finished with my normal weight it felt super super tough.

Friday was a rest day. I went straight out from work and got home at midnight so not even a walk after work.

Saturday was busy. I did parkrun first thing (31.41- beating my 32.19 on 1st Jan)- the weather was actually pretty kind- it was misting with rain (not even drizzling) on the drive there, but after the first km it stopped. There was wind, strong wind, but we were running into the wind on the downhills, and the wind was behind us for the final uphill slog to the finish. I treated myself to a chai latte from the coffee van, as I was pretty cold and had to walk back to the car. After driving home (in the pouring rain- it waited until I got back to the car at least), having a shower and some porridge, we went into town to pick up an online shopping order, and then after lunch we walked up to the shops as Andy had ordered something to be delivered to the amazon lockers (which by the way are the best invention). I was pretty shattered after all that walking (we probably walked about 4 or 5 miles).

Sunday I was up early but this time opted for a solo run. I am so behind on my marathon talk listening that I heard my “rate your run” from the Brighton 10K back in November! It was beautiful weather- cold, but clear and bright, although as I ran the wind picked up and my last couple of miles were quite tough. I just wanted to get some distance under my belt, as I have a 10 mile race next weekend. Originally my plan said 11 miles for this weekend, but that was with longer runs the previous weekends. Anyway, in the end I did 9 miles so I am really happy with that. It wasn’t my fastest (in fact it took me the same time as my last 10 mile race) but the distance is what counts at the moment. I needed the confidence before next weekend that I can do 10 miles, and they have a 2 hour cut off so I was a bit worried that if I needed to walk I wouldn’t make it.

So, week 1 done. 4 runs completed (and logged- peeps if you are doing Jantastic don’t forget to log your runs) for a total of 21.9 mile (how I love Strava for all their stats) and a much more optimistic feel about marathon training now. Phew.

How has Jantastic been for you?

Anyone else on Strava? Which websites do you like to use to track workouts?

So, I am a few days late, but better late than never I suppose.

I have enjoyed reading the recap post that have been popping up all over blog-land, and I like to look at my own race calendar and see what I have been up to this past year (I won’t link to any of the recaps here, but if you have a burning desire to read them, then they are all linked from that race calendar link). When I looked, I was surprised to see that I did 10 races last year. That sounds a lot to me.

This year I really wanted to speed up. I think I mentioned before that I really wanted to do another marathon, but before I signed up to one I wanted to get faster. Of course I love getting a pb, but I am never going to be at the front of the pack (unless the pack is very small), and to me finishing a race and enjoying it is what is important to me. But running non stop for nearly five and a half hours is pretty tough, so I wanted to work on speed before aiming for that distance again.

Anyway, the year started well with the Bath half, although that would be a race I would not do again. I had wanted to run it for a few years, but a combination of things (late start, awful weather, no foil blankets at the finish, finish line being away from the bag drop, expensive cost and rubbish cotton t-shirt) meant that I didn’t massively enjoy it. But I ran my fastest ever half, and the closest to the 2 hour mark I have ever been. On a side note, when I trained for my first half (before I even started this blog) I read that if you finished in 2 hours you would be with the average runner and that had stuck with me. And after all this time, I am still not there. I can’t remember where I read it (it was a magazine but can’t remember which one) but it annoys me that it has stuck with me.

After that was the Sports Relief 6 mile run- loops of a 400m running track! I ended up being the first female finisher, due to most people doing the 3 mile option instead. It was a good run though, and surprisingly I enjoyed the repetitive nature of the track. I just hope if they do it again it gets a bit more publicity.

I was meant to do the Oslo Rock and Roll half (such a cool medal) but it got cancelled, so I signed up to a trail half marathon instead. Wow it was tough. But really enjoyable. It gave me a glimpse of ultra running I think, as people were stopping to walk, check maps, and everyone was very friendly. It was all about finishing, and I did, in my slowest ever time, but that didn’t matter as the scenery was just beautiful.

I did a couple of 10K’s, including the Women’s Running one- I wasn’t sure I would like a women-only event, but the scenery around the lake was lovely, and there was a good mix of club runners and first timers.

October was my busiest month, with 3 races. My beloved Ware 10 miles (how all races should be- small but perfectly formed)- I managed a pb which really boosted my confidence, as since March and Bath, I hadn’t managed pb’s in any races and was starting to worry I was slowing down again.

The 15K breakfast run (which changed to a Women’s run or something) was enjoyable to run (I saw deer and parrots!) but it reminded me that the hassle of getting in and out of London for a race is not generally worth it for me.

I did a 5K Poppy run which wasn’t timed, but a really lovely event with lots of families taking part.

In November I finished the year on a short-but-speedy streak, with a new 10k pb of 55.23 in Brighton, and then a new 5 mile pb of 44.44 (the coolest time).

So there we have it. I really should look into getting a medal hanger, as they are still just hanging on the door handle of our living room door.

I think best medal goes to the 15K (that cool pink shoe with the deer on it), best goody bag goes to the WR 10k, with an honourable mention to the Poppy run, best scenery goes to Ashridge, best pb potential goes to the Brighton 10k, and best overall race goes to Ware.

I am really pleased that I have managed to speed up some more. I know that running with Sweatshop helped, and I think I have a bit more belief in myself now. Before the 5 mile race I knew that I could hold a certain pace as I had achieved that in the 10k, so although it sounded fast, I also knew it was do-able.  I went to parkruns a bit more regularly too (and achieved 25 in total by the end of the year) and I want to keep that up, although my new favourite parkrun course is really cross-country so not really speedy.

I am also looking forward to more runs with the club I have joined- I know running with other people helps. My fitness has taken a bit of a dive recently, but I am pretty much over the cough now.

I am going to have to work pretty hard though as I have a 10 mile race in a few weeks time (and 6 miles was very tough yesterday), then the Brighton half not long after that, and then the Brighton marathon in April (I didn’t quite get my 2 hour half, but I was only 6 minutes off so decided to have another try). So 2015 is going to be about running long (until April anyway) and then running for fun.

 What are you looking forward to in 2015?

 

(And iced tea follows gardening)

Recently we have been enjoying a pot of loose leaf tea on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

On our trip to Nice I bought some gorgeous teas from the Christmas market, including this chocolate orange tea, which contains huge flakes (pieces?) of dried orange.

Although I love “normal” tea, there is something lovely about the ritual of brewing tea in a teapot and taking time to enjoy the drink.

It is even better if I have been out on a run, either in the freezing cold, or more commonly this winter, the pouring rain.

I was sent this rather bright and fabulous running rain jacket from Mountain Warehouse to help me stay dry in the rain.

Since I have had it, it hasn’t rained so I have not tried it out, although we are heading off to the Lake District later so I am going to try it out on some walks up there.

I love the bright pink colour- it will be great for dark evenings too.

They have plenty of waterproof jackets to choose from, and if you are unsure what you can look to find out how to choose a waterproof jacket with their expert guide.

I was considering some waterproof trousers too, so on Sunday afternoon (after watching the London marathon) I walked up to the shops to have a look. I tried on pairs in 3 different shops but they didn’t seem very comfy for walking in, so I am going to take my running trousers instead.

Yesterday I did my longer run of just over 8 miles- I was going to do a shorter loop but forgot and went the longer way automatically. It was good to be out there and although I was chilly at the start I warmed up pretty soon- no need for a jacket!

After some work at home and helping my Dad load up his car for the tip (he has a bigger car so offered to take all our garage junk for us) I headed to the allotment for a couple of hours of weeding. Oh my word there were dandelions everywhere!!! I was so tired by the time I got home, and hot and thirsty too, so instead of hot tea made myself an iced chai.

I used a chai teabag, and then topped with milk and ice.

So refreshing!

This morning I had another short run (3.5 miles)- I saw some rabbits! I had to pop to work, and then to the shops, and now need to finish packing for our trip.

Do you have any favoured post run rituals? Really I should focus on stretching more, but normally I want to wash the salt off my face and then have a drink.

Any Lake District recommendations?

The jacket was sent to me by Mountain Warehouse.