| This week has been very busy - all things go! - and this has included a lot of happy running and also happy memories. At this moment in time, I feel really fortunate to be able to write that and equally as thankful to be able to experience these emotions. MONDAY: I spent a large chunk of this week in Liverpool as part of celebrations for my sister’s PhD graduation. This meant today I was able to enjoy a different start to the week, going on a hilly walk/climb up Moel Famau in nearby North Wales - some active recovery on my running rest day! TUESDAY: usually when I see a progression run on my plan I react with a kind of ‘eye roll’, as mentally I can sometimes struggle with the pacing. I have improved my approach over the years, and today, running with my sister, I was determined to execute the 6 miles well. We not only ran well, but I also thoroughly enjoyed the run along Liverpool’s dockside (see image). Chatting to my sister meant I wasn’t constantly fixated by pace, and instead when our watches beeped in unison as a mile passed, we used this as a marker to pick up speed naturally. We nailed the progressive splits 8.48, 8.26, 8.17, 8.03, 7.49 and 7.28 min/mile respectively, and then spent the rest of the day celebrating my sister becoming Dr Carter. WEDNESDAY: after a very long but memorable day yesterday at my sister's Graduation, in which I managed to wear high heels for endless hours, drank a fair few glasses of free prosecco, and enjoyed a lovely family meal – I did not feel my sharpest this morning! Alone I would have struggled running, but my sister joined me again for a steady 6 mile loop though Liverpool, and we helped take each other’s mind of our aching limbs and sore feet! THURSDAY: back in Lincoln, today turned into a 10 mile double run day. In the morning I ventured out alone for a 5 mile interval run, featuring 3 x 1 mile reps and 400m recoveries. I kept my expectations fairly low after a busy week already, but was very pleased by how my body responded. It was humid and very sweaty, but my legs held strong with intervals splits of 7.01, 6.53 and 7.02 min/mile. Later in the day at Run Club and I logged a further 5 miles as we took the group through a more sustained running session. My legs were a little tired at this point, but I was really pleased to be able to run alongside a fellow member who has recently come back from representing Team GB at Triathlon Championships for her age group – I loved hearing about her experience and as the mid-run conversation flowed, my weary legs were long forgotten. FRIDAY: Rest Day SATURDAY: due to an event in Boultham Park there was no Lincoln parkrun today. I wanted to use the opportunity for some local parkrun tourism, but I was also aware I probably needed to log my long run, as on Sunday I was volunteering at a community event and would be needed from very early until late evening. Getting up on Sunday at the crack of dawn to log 13 miles did not seem a sensible choice, so I found a way to combine both a 13 mile long run and a parkrun into my Saturday running. I ventured to Clumber Park with my friend and her husband, firstly to take on the parkrun course (see image). I have completed this parkrun a couple of times before on New Year’s Day and it is always an enjoyable event. Today was very pleasant again, with a lovely atmosphere and the usual beautiful trail-based course. I ran with a natural strength in my stride, even with the slightly more challenging terrain Clumber Park presents, finishing in 21:01 and with a new course PB. My friend also ran a course PB – so we definitely did not hold back! |   After scanning in our times, we then regathered ourselves and headed out for 10 further miles around Clumber Park to complete my long run. At first, my legs were not that at ease, and a few miles in, I think we were both finding the going a bit tough and probably regretting our speedy parkrun times! However, we focused ourselves, dug into our determination stores and bounced of each other’s growing energy to complete the second half of the run feeling much better. We managed our 10 miles in a steady 8.30 min/mile, which definitely exceeded our expectations after pushing ourselves for those first 3.1 miles! I have never tried a parkrun/long run combination before and I am not sure I could have achieved it without my friend’s support and the belief running together can give you in your own ability. 13.1 miles in the bag and a lovely morning to go with them. SUNDAY: Rest Day – if a rest day can be called volunteering at a community music event at my local park for over 12 hours! I do not count my steps, but one fellow volunteer logged nearly 7 miles of just walking! This was my seventh year supporting the event and I am one of the founding members, and despite the long day, it is definitely worth all the effort to see the now thousands of people enjoying their day with friends and family. So, thank you to any Lincoln locals who support Our Big Gig in the Arboretum – I did get approached by a couple of people asking if I was ‘that runner they see on my drive to work?’ – no escaping! This has been the third week of my marathon training on my journey towards my next race. So far, I am very content with how things are going and how I am feeling. A handful of people know where my next race will be, and I as mentioned last week, it has not been a secret as such, I have just not felt like telling everyone about my goal until I felt happily on the path towards it. I feel I am in that place now. So, on October 13th – all being well! – I will be taking my place on the start line at Chicago Marathon. Chicago represents a chance for me to take on one of the proposed world’s greatest marathon events, and also will be my version of a holiday for the year. Travelling internationally is not something I take on lightly, and it has only really been in recent years I have begun exploring the world through my marathon running. I am going alone on this trip – which scares me a little! – and not to have friends or family cheering on the side line, to give me that post run hug, or to look after me at the end when my legs are not working properly, has been a bit of a hard thing to accept in my head. However, I hope to be able to continue to share my progress toward the race and on the day with you all – so I know I will not really be alone. So its 'all things go' on the journey to Chicago! |
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The words to this blog have been whirring around in my head all week, and one of the reasons why I maintain this log of my running is sometimes just to help me get those thoughts written down. In the end I have finished with a part personal reflection/part log of my week of training. The start of this week marked the beginning of my next cycle of marathon training – sixteen weeks until I take on another 26.2 miles, which will hopefully be my 10th marathon event. I will be very honest; at the onset of the week I sat contemplating another training block and I was not really sure how I felt about it. The past few weeks since completing the Brighton Marathon I have surprised myself. Despite a little wobble the week after the race, I have coped fine without a structured training plan in place, whereas in the past I have been lost, and this has often led to me feeling quite down. The truth is, I have not needed marathon training to make me feel happy. This is massive progress for me and perhaps why I was not feeling that desperate longing to begin another training cycle, as I have been in the past. A few things have helped, and one of these in particular has been embracing the other non-running aspects of my life and finding a healthy way to balance still being a running mad individual with being able to celebrate friends’ birthdays, go to a concert, eat that massive ice cream sundae with my sister etc. It is not just the past few weeks however where the change in me can be seen. Those who have been following my running adventures for a while now will probably not be surprised to read that last year was tough for me personally, and there were times I really was not in a good place mentally. I was pretty much relying on running to keep me going. I am pleased to say I feel a long way from that person right now - I still love my running! - but it feels somewhat like I am also free to feel and be truly me. Unsurprisingly, I therefore have hopes for this block of training as well as goals for the marathon itself. My hope is to try keep a happy medium between enjoying my training and enjoying my life outside running. I believe it is possible – in fact, I know it is – I just need to learn to let it be possible. My goal for the race itself remains the same as with Brighton Marathon earlier this year – I will be PB hunting and aiming to edge closer to the 3.30 marker. This is a goal that still scares me, but one I will keep trying to strive towards, and my efforts at Brighton have not done anything to dampen my belief it might be possible one day. The journey begins… MONDAY: a muggy double strength session with Strength and Conditioning followed by Body Pump. TUESDAY: the lingering muggy air was eased slightly this morning with the welcoming feel of some light rain – much preferred for my first interval session in a few weeks. I ran 5 miles with 4 x 800m reps; I pushed hard and was happy to set benchmark rep splits of all under 7.20 min/mile. WEDNESDAY: I found myself in the small, somewhat tucked away place of Yarnfield today for a conference with work. I had stayed here before, so had a rough running route in mind, but was still pleased I only had 4 miles on my plan to try map out. The run became a tempo session as my slight nervousness at running on unknown rural roads and then into a bit of an industrial estate meant I pushed the pace! THURSDAY: a double run day with an easy 4 miles in the morning followed by 3 hilly miles at Run Club in the evening. I was Run Leader for this session and had set quite a tough hill challenge involving repeated figure of eight loops. I enjoyed seeing others draw on their determination to test themselves and realise what they could achieve and also got a good few hill reps in myself. FRIDAY: Rest Day SATURDAY: with possibly my favourite running event ahead on Sunday – Round Sheffield Run – I opted to volunteer at Lincoln parkrun today in the glorious sunshine. The sun tempted me out for an easy 3 miles of my own at lunchtime, and in the 25 degree heat I was pleased it was just a few miles! SUNDAY: Round Sheffield Run – this is such a unique event I don’t think I can ever do it justice in writing (although I will try in a full blog soon!) A multi staged trail challenge, equating to nearly 12 miles of distance and featuring lot of hills along the way; it is not my regular thing, but maybe this is why I love it so much. The best part is being able to compete in the event as a pair and this was the 4th year I had ran with my friend at my side. This year’s event was possibly my favourite in terms of the simple fact we just had a great time running together and wonderful day out in all. Sat next to my friend in a deckchair whilst sipping a post run beer at the race village, it felt like I was setting a benchmark I needed for the weeks ahead – run hard, challenge myself and see what I can achieve, but take opportunities to relax, enjoy life and embrace those within it too. 
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