Category: Running

Ok, so I realise that the song is actually walk, and possibly 5000 miles. But still, it is in my head after I logged on to my Nike+ today. 1000 miles since last May. Not bad going. Paula even had a little video clip for me!

So first up today was our school trip- walking around a model village all day is actually very tiring! Making sure you do not lose any children is quite stressful! It was a lovely day but they were so excited (even about going on a coach) so it was tiring. I even had a cup of tea right after the kids went home which is very unlike me, but I was shattered. Then home for a run in the drizzle. Nice. Well, actually it was quite nice. I had a 5 mile run, and as I mucked up my weekend runs I missed the interval run on Monday. So I had considered doing some of that while I was out, but after about 2 miles I think the tea wore off and I felt so tired, so in the end I kept it very gentle. I feel like I am totally easing off more than I should, but hey-ho.

Dinner was fab- some of my lentil tofu veg bake with some crunchy food doctor beans on the side, and a massive pickled onion 🙂

Thanks for the comments about the carb stuff- I have been reading different things and the idea now seems to be that just to make sure you get enough normally, and not to go crazy. I think we might make some pasta to have cold on Friday evening on the plane (I am going to the airport straight from work- Andy is going to pick me up, and as our flight is at 8 we do not want to wait until we get there for dinner. And I love the bagels idea- we have some in the freezer so I might dig them out for snacks at the end of next week. But I had a look over my food diary on WLR and I seem to be getting enough at the moment anyway- I suppose I do not follow a low carb diet or anything like that- I tend to have them at most meals.

I feel like I am on the final countdown now- on my run today I thought “only 3 more runs after this before the big one”- and tomorrow is my last body pump (as I am not going next Thursday). I am kind of excited but also very very nervous.

Right, off for some blog perusing now 🙂

Hey

So, today started fine, with me having breakfast, checking my route and downloading marathon talk. I set off, hoping to beat the rain, and aiming for 12 miles. Soon after I set off I started having a pain in my stomach, but decided to run gently and hope that it went away. I was reading a Runners’ World article about the power of positive thinking, and was hoping it might rub off on me. I got to the lakes and saw loads of goslings with the geese (got a bit scary at one point at the geese were too close for my liking) and also some baby moorhens (they are the little black water birds with the red bit on their beaks)- very cute. But my stomach was still sore, and I saw an empty bench so I sat down as I was feeling really shaky. I did wonder if I had left it too long since breakfast, so while I sat there I had one energy blok and some drink, but I still felt bad. At that point I was thinking of doing 9 miles instead of 12. After about 10 mins I got up with the view of continuing, but then realised I was still shaky and had forgotten my phone. Grr. The one time I could do with it. Anyway, I ended up going back home- I did manage to run home, but I felt so fed up. On the run home I was trying to decide whether I actually could have run the entire distance, which is silly as I know I do not try to get out of them normally. I tried to convince myself I was doing the sensible thing, but I was pretty upset when I got home. I was also freezing- it was actually really cold out there, and as I only ran about 3 miles, then 2 miles, I did not get up much of a speed. Anyway, after a hot shower I felt a little better, but then I had a mini panic that I might be getting some kind of infection again.

After that I had some lunch (but not much) and then we went to the garden centre for a bit, and by the time we got home I felt shattered. I ended up having some rice pudding and a slice of toast as I realised at that point I had not had enough lunch, and felt the need for some sugar. I had a couple of hours of work ahead of me (and to wait for shopping) before we could make dinner, but it took a while for the food to kick in. I think I did not eat very well on Friday- it was a rushed day, we ate dinner pretty late and I didn’t have my usual snack later in the evening. And again today I did not eat enough in the morning/ at lunch.  Work has been busy and is getting a bit stressful, so I think I was probably more tired than I realised, a little underfuelled and stuff like that. The stomach ache has gone now anyway,so not sure what it was but I have been drinking loads of water to help too!

So tomorrow I will see how I am in the morning and maybe attempt another run (but maybe 8 miles or so, not the 12). Sounds ok?

I did have a nice dinner (by the time it came around!)- I fancied those carrot pancake bake things that I made last week, but I had no carrots. I did however have some courgettes.

So enter courgette pancakes-but-cooked-in-the-oven. Batter:

Green! 1/2 grated courgette, 35g chickpea flour, 15g apple sauce, 30ml rice milk, rosemary, baking powder and enough water to make it runny. Baked for 25 mins.

Yummy! Topped with tahini and served with Food Doctor easy grains with tomato and spinach, and some Food Doctor dry roasted bean mix (crunch)- I felt the need for some protein to help me out!

Anyway, I did have some good points from the day. I started my marathon list. It is a long one already! I ordered a food processor (I was given money for this for my birthday, and get to pick it up tomorrow! Hooray what to make??), and got some lovely plants at the garden centre- hanging basket of strawberries, some oriental poppies, 2 different pumpkin plants and one squash (the pumpkin seeds I planted earlier this year have not made it), and a few other bits. 🙂 Andy will be out planting while I am (hopefully) out running tomorrow!

Fingers crossed anyway.

And this time I feel more like I was in the boxing ring!

After work I had a 3 mile run- I did some intervals, and I thought I was going fast, but 3 miles took me 31 mins  (not my slowest, but not my fastest either)- I felt like I was going quicker. Oh well.

Then it was off to a sports massage- as I am just over 2 weeks out she decided on some deep tissue massage, lots more on my neck and shoulders (which were getting stiff again) and loads of weird stuff on my legs (I have no idea of the feeling, sort of like burning, sort of like things popping)- but she did tell me it was the deepest massage I would have. I did not feel too bad, but then during it I was realising how tight my muscles actually are. So, feeling a little tender now- I may need to ice tomorrow!

I also feel totally shattered now (although I have had a couple of late nights so it could just be that).

Time for tea I think 🙂

Hey

So I think you are going to see a lot of this panic from me over the coming weeks, so be warned!

I must say thanks for the good advice from Alison, Jessica and Rob regarding the running. I know that I have done all the training so far (well, pretty much) and that I can’t change anything now. I was going to do an 8 miler, and even mapped out a route, but then when I read the comments I cut it back- I ended up doing the 6.7 mile route from last week. I did do some tempo in the middle- when I was looking at my watch when running I was around 9.40 ish pace, but then I had to stop so many times to cross roads that the recorded pace is slower. But anyway, it keeps the legs ticking over. So I promise to be sensible and stick to my plan. If not you can all come around and bop me on the head, rabbit foo foo style.

Also thanks Lara- you are right about body pump- I will cut back on the weights for these next couple of weeks (and I am not going on the Thursday before as often I still ache on a Saturday and I don’t want to be sore for the actual run).

Great advice peeps!

I have booked my next massage for this Wednesday- they said to have one 2 weeks before, but she is away then, so it was either this week (2 1/2 weeks before) or in the final week, only a few days before. So I went for this week. Not long to get nervous for it!

Other news;

More scrummy yoghurt and muesli and apple for brekkie- getting a bit obsessed at the moment 🙂

Also I think I am about to give up on reading a book. I borrowed the book “Too big to Fail” about the banking crisis on Wall Street, and it is taking me so long to read- seriously I read about 2 pages a night and I am not finding it interesting. The subject is interesting, but the book just goes on about how different people got to be CEO’s and stuff, and I am 200 pages in and not at the interesting bits! Anyone read it? How do you feel about not finishing a book? It irritates me so much- normally I read books quickly as I love to read. I am defeated.

Also, can I ask a question for Andy? He needs to change his trainers- I kind of feel he needs to wait until the marathon is done now, as I think it is too close (no more long runs left to try them out- he is doing 13 miles this weekend)- but then I also have heard that trainers should not need breaking in, and they should be comfy right away. So, ideas? Cheers me dears 🙂