As the title suggests, this week I had no training focus whatsoever. My next race is the Great North Run half marathon in September for which I am following a ten week programme; so during this week and the forthcoming week I have no plan to follow. I had intended to use these two weeks to have a bit of a break from running, cut back on the distance of my runs or the amount of times I run, but I will admit right now I have failed miserably at this during week one....

MONDAY: I wasn't really sure what to expect from my legs today after X Runner on Saturday and a ten miler straight after on Sunday. I was pleasantly surprised by them though, which meant I happily ran 8k before my Body Pump class, averaging 5.08 minute kilometres. I was feeling the effects of X Runner in Body Pump though, my arms stilled ached which made a weights class that little bit more challenging. I also was very obviously displaying my X Runner battle scars, aka bruises, which caused a fair bit of attention (see image)!

TUESDAY: Body Attack class and a chance to try the new release of tracks. Les Mills classes update the tracks and exercises you do roughly every ten weeks, and the first time you try a new set is always interesting. I absolutely loved this new Body Attack, it has burpee tuck jumps galore and a challenging section of jump clap press ups which I cannot wait to try and master fully.

WEDNESDAY: today would have been a perfect opportunity for me to give running a rest. I was working later than normal, so would only make it to my Body Pump class in the evening and not have time to run before. Instead of settling for this, I opted for an early morning 8km. I am not overly keen on running early during the week before breakfast, but I gave it a go and although I felt half asleep didn't do too bad times wise with 5.13km average splits.

THURSDAY: Rest Day

FRIDAY: 7km of treadmill sprints, I only had a short amount of time for my session today so again instead of maybe taking it easy or missing it completely I chose to do a high intensity shorter run - see how I have failed!

SATURDAY: I visited Park Run today with my friends and was delighted to record a new 5km PB of 22.37, knocking a few more seconds of my previous best of 22.55.  It was tough going, but the achievement felt great. The run also made me reflect and think about a number of things, which I plan to explore in this week's forthcoming blog.

SUNDAY: despite toying with the idea of not running too far today,  I enjoyed a ten mile morning run. The air was perfect, warm but not hot, and the rain which fell just before I left meant everywhere was fresh and inviting. I wasn't particularly focussed on my time, but was pleased to see I ran very evenly paced, averaging 5.22km splits. Now it is onto week two of attempting to train for nothing...can I actually do this?

'I understand that by taking part in obstacle running I accept the following risks... sprain/strains... broken bones... near drowning... drowning... heart attack....' Standing waiting to start my first ever obstacle race I will admit this is not quite what I expected to hear during the health and safety briefing! It was just going to be running with a few things to climb over right... and maybe a bit of swimming... To be fair I did expect X Runner Water Wipeout to be a bit more than just this, but the safety briefing still came as a bit of a surprise! For a brief few moments I did doubt whether or not I was capable of what was about to come, but looking around at the array of runners in my starting area I felt more assured, participants were of all ages, shapes and fitness levels - I could do this!

X Runner Water Wipeout was held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, and when signing up for the event many months ago I had pictured myself running around this venue in glorious summer sunshine, with the water being a welcoming relief from the sun's heat. The day was however grey, unseasonably cool and threatening to rain. The stretch of open water visible from the starting area looked equally as grey and extremely uninviting. I was running the race with my two friends - although we would certainly not be racing each other around the course!

Following the confidence building safety briefing (!) we were released to tackle the course. Up first were hay bale hurdles, followed by some zig-zag hill running. The run route then veered towards the grey expanse of water. I could hear the squeals of runners ahead as they entered the water - it was clearly incredibly cold. As we dipped ourselves in, the coldness hit our systems instantly, taking your breath away. The water was dense and a lot different to swimming in a conventional swimming pool. It was also a lot dirtier than a swimming pool, and the odd splash that struck your face from a fellow runner-turned-swimmer was not a pleasant experience!

Back on dry land, running was now made that little bit harder due to carrying the added weight of drenched clothes and soggy shoes. The next obstacles involved vertical walls, cargo nets and giant hurdles, before another wade through a mucky pool of water and mud trenches. A short spell of running then followed through a little woodland area with views of swans drifting on the lake. This was so pleasant it almost felt like a nice, normal Saturday run... until a climbing net appeared on the horizon. The net led up to a giant water slide, which at the bottom loomed a lake of what only can be described as black water. Joining hands at the top of the slide, my friends and I slid into the black pool of god-knows-what - it wasn't especially cold, just very, very bad tasting!

After a short swim out of the black pool, a dense section of obstacles occurred featuring more mud, climbing and crawling. This led to the much anticpated water rapids section. Life jackets were mandatory for this obstacle, which did make me a little fearful! Plunging into the river the thrill of feeling the water surging you along soon dispelled any worry. Your body literally felt weightless as the river threw you down stream. Enjoying the moment, I almost forgot how hazardous this obstacle could be, as it seems so did my friend... The rapids featured a number of stone boulders which you would usually kayak around, however she was headed directly for one! I am actually not quite sure how she missed it. I remember seeing her suddenly go under the water and then reappear again just past the boulder, it happened so quickly I didn't even have time to really register the level of danger playing out before my eyes!

As seemed to be apparent by looking at the reactions of fellow runners throughout the race, the more dangerous/painful/inappropriate something is when obstacle running the funnier it is, and my friend's near miss certainly made us laugh/swallow a lot of water whilst laughing!

The next section of the course saw more cargo nets, climbing, inclined walls and the monkey bars.  I had felt reasonably optimistic about the monkey bars when I heard they were part of the course, but with my body weight now probably doubled from water and mud, and my hands soaked from swimming to the bars themselves, this optimism rapidly faded! I managed nearly half way before plunging into the water. The first 5km loop of the course then finished with yet more climbing, another water slide and even more swimming - now it was time to repeat this all over again! 

On this second lap I could tell I was noticeably more tired - almost shameful after 5km! We now knew what to expect though and could throw ourselves a little more into obstacles. I may have taken this a little too literally at one of the inclined walls - lets just say I have the bruises to show from my extremely ungraceful leap! We also managed to avoid any near death experiences in the water rapids on the second venture...!

Some two hours later we crossed the finish line in a bedraggled state, but with giant smiles across our faces. I don't think I have ever laughed so much whilst running... or swallowed as much water.. or gained as many bruises! I think that's what attracted me to the thought of doing an obstacle race initially, the notion of the run being enough of a challenge without it being focussed on finishing times, and also the extreme level of fun associated with completing it! Reflecting back on Water Wipeout I felt so happy to have been able to complete another fantastic run, with great friends and gain another set of memories - sign me up for the next!

With the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon under my belt, this week I paid very short attention to my next race, X Runner Water Wipeout, which was raking place on Saturday. I knew deep down that there was really no point at all in actually training for this, nothing can be changed in a week, plus I wouldn't even be racing it anyway! But it felt good to have some vague focus after spending virtually my entire year so far being in training for some form of event!

MONDAY: Following the Half Marathon on Sunday I didn't want to run too far or too fast today. My legs did not feel too bad, no aches or pains just a little tired, but I wanted to try and give them a bit of a recovery period. I covered nearly 9km before Body Pump at a steady pace of 5.19mins per km.

TUESDAY: my Body Attack class was cancelled last minute so I didn't really know what to do with myself! My legs had felt a little more sore today so I was tempted to leave running out, but in the end found myself on the treadmill doing a short sprint session, followed by some intervals on the stationary bike and foam roller work .

WEDNESDAY: My legs now seemed to be getting progressively worse. I ran a sluggish 8km before Body Pump, my pace was actually only slightly slower than my half marathon pace from Sunday, but the run felt a real effort. This made me doubt if I had actually been taking my recovery seriously enough following the half marathon. Probably not is the answer. Having ran the London Marathon earlier in the year I think I had almost become a bit blasé that a half marathon is something I could easily recover from, after all I was running one of those nearly every week during training! However a race I slightly different to training, you push yourself more, demand more of your body, and even mentally it tires you more. So lesson learnt - treat all races will equal respect regardless of distance!

THURSDAY: Rest Day

FRIDAY: another 8km run, a lot faster than Wednesday's attempt with sub 5min kilometres, and my legs felt much better after a rest on Thursday.

SATURDAY: X Runner Water Wipeout 10k - definitely a 10k with a difference...water, mud, climbing, swimming, rapids...but probably the most fun I will have running a 10k race! Full blog to follow.

SUNDAY: following Saturday's race I wasn't really sure whether to run or not today. I woke early though so laced up my shoes and went for it. My body ached from X Runner, mainly my upper arms and across my back, but I hoped this wouldn't affect me too much when running. My legs however were severely bruised and battered (see image). Running was at first quite painful as the bruising pounded against my skin. I got used to it though, however within a few minutes I could tell my legs themselves were a lot more tired than they initially felt. I soon decided that I should make this a very steady, slow run. I ran along the river near me focusing on enjoying my surroundings rather than my running time. I did reach ten miles, but it was much more of an effort than I have been used to!

Running the Rock n Roll Liverpool Half Marathon further emphasised to me two of the many 'bi products' to running. Completing the race enabled me to explore another new city which I had never visited before, and also strengthened my friendship further with one of my running buddies. I didn't do too badly time wise either...!

During my time in Liverpool I was lucky to be staying in a family members flat, which was literally 2 minutes from the start and finish lines of the Half Marathon. This obviously didn't mean I just rolled out of bed to the start line, but did mean the stress of getting there to begin with was removed. My friend and I still arrived a little too early though, and there was enough time for us to notice the strong, cool wind coming off the dock. Standing in the start 'corrals' it was also clear how much the Rock n' Roll series of running events had a international following. Spanish, French and American runners all surrounded us, and many runners were also bearing old Rock n Roll race t-shirts from around the globe.

I strangely was not too nervous at the start line, unlike my friend who was running after a good six weeks of being out injured with a stress fracture. Having done extremely limited running in this time, and definitely not anything on paper that would resemble half marathon training, she was feeling a little anxious! We started together, although I didn't expect to run the race together at all - but we did. As we wound our way through Liverpool my friend stayed by my side and we shared the joys of the route together.

The start of the Half Marathon takes in the centre of Liverpool, including running past the famous Cavern Club. The route then takes a bit of an incline, including one hill in particular which is rather steep and long. One runner sticks in my mind who at the bottom motivationally shouted to us all 'its only a hill!', followed by a few moments later adding 'its a bit of a b*****d hill though!' The route then leads on through a serious of beautiful parks which seem like hidden gems, and also includes a little trip down The Beatle's very own Penny Lane. The fact that live bands were dotted around the course seemed just an added bonus to the route!

The hardest part of the race came at the final 5km. This long stretch along the dockland was where that strong, cool wind made its presence felt. Up until now I had felt really good running, the tiredness in my legs was minimal and I certainly had no niggles. My pace had been a little fast at the start of the race, but had steadied to a consistent level.

The head wind now bearing onto us made steps feel harder though, and people around began to struggle. I used this as my motivation to keep going, picking who I deemed to be a struggling runner ahead and aiming to catch up with them. At one point along this stretch I thought I was going to lose my friend, I upped the pace a little and suddenly she wasn't by my side. She soon returned and we then vowed to cross the line together.

As we headed into the last kilometre it suddenly became me who looked like was going to be left behind. My speedy friend started to surge for the finish, something I would never do with a kilometre left to go still. But I knew I had to keep up. I hung in there, a fact which has told me I need to have more confidence in my legs during the final stretch of a race, and we crossed the line as planned, hand in hand in 1 hour 49 minutes. How my friend did it I don't know, but I am just glad she did.

With a wonderful race and finish time behind us, not to forget some very 'bling' medals - we spent post race enjoying the bars of Liverpool. I forget to mention that other running 'bi product' - you can drink and eat guilt free!

Race week - although I kept having to remind myself I was actually running a Half Marathon on Sunday! Rightly or wrongly the distance felt achievable and therefore not something which was consuming my thoughts (unlike marathon race week!)

MONDAY: following a weekend away it felt good to get out on the streets! I ran 8k averaging sub 5 minutes per kilometre without it feeling like too much of an effort. Body Pump after.

TUESDAY: Body Attack class

WEDNESDAY: for the second week in a row I began running and within minutes my Garmin watch was telling me it had no battery - great! I managed to keep it alive by doing small sections of the 10k distance and saving the individual workouts. This did make me question why I was so preoccupied with my Gramin. I knew the route I was running was 10km as I had ran in hundreds of times before, so GPRS didn't really matter; this was also supposed to be taper week so my pace was not essential in the grand scheme of things either. Even when I arrived at the gym for Body Pump, with my watch now totally dead, I was annoyed I couldn't review my splits, something which has become so habitual to me at the end of each run I do. I definitely need to become less reliant on my Garmin!

THURSDAY: my last run before the Half Marathon. 8km with 6 x 30 second sprints. The treadmill was definitely required in order for me to do this, and I feel I am slightly rebuilding my relationship with the machine. It serves a purpose for these type of workouts - but I definitely still cannot imagine doing long runs on there like I used to do many months ago!

FRIDAY: the first of two rest days before Sunday. The day was spent travelling to Liverpool and exploring the city. I am still wearing my pedometer as part of the walking challenge my work is involved with, and even without doing any form of exercise I managed to rack up an impressive 16000 odd steps - so not much of a rest after all!

SATURDAY: A 'proper' rest day today in prep for Sunday.

SUNDAY: Half Marathon time. Despite having run a few unofficial half marathons during marathon training, this was my first official race. The Liverpool Rock n' Roll Half Marathon proved to be a wonderfully organised event and a thoroughly enjoyable route through Liverpool. With no previous time to beat I was aiming to be in the 1hr 45min (dream outcome) to 1hr 55min (top limit) time bracket. My official time... 1hr 49mins 1 second - which I was very happy with, and which is now a great benchmark to work towards beating in the (inevitable) half marathons to come!

Saturday morning saw me complete what could quite possibly be my greatest Park Run ever. Together with my two friends we managed to squeeze in a trip to Lincoln Park Run before I headed away for the weekend on a training residential. Despite a bit of rushing around, it was all made extremely worthwhile...

We arrived at Boultham Park quite early as it was also my friend’s birthday and we wanted to give presents beforehand. Heading to the assembly point, it was clear it was going to be a beautiful morning for running, warm but not too hot and only a slight breeze in the air. I usually get quite nervous before a formal run, even a Park Run, and I had felt a little anxious before leaving the house. Now any form of nerves had completely gone as we stood chatting in the sun – I nearly forget we actually had to run still!

The running element of Park Run obviously did arrive, and as we gathered at the start line my intention was to try and beat my Alien onesie time of 24mins 52secs which I recorded at Old Deer Park Run in London a few weeks back. I would be even happier if I managed to get under my Lincoln Park Run PB of 24mins 40secs. As the run started I was instantly shocked at how different my legs felt. My last Lincoln Park Run venture had been well into my marathon training, when I recorded a sluggish 26mins. Running the same route again meant I was able to directly feel the variation in the two runs, and I literally felt like a totally different runner. My strides felt longer and more powerful, whilst my feet seemed to only strike the ground briefly before stretching out effortlessly. My two friends were also close to me, whereas last time I had lost them within seconds, only glimpsing them streaks ahead of me at turns in the course.

Lincoln Park Run involves three laps of the same course, and after the first lap I started to think to myself I must not be able to keep this up. I maintained my pace though, and although my friends had gained a little gap on me, they were still very much in my constant vision. Entering the third lap I could barely believe I was still running so strongly. I started competing with a male runner who was just in front of me, and we spent most of the time nudging backwards and forwards in front of each other. I streaked ahead of him on a slight downhill section of the course, seeing my chance to make distance. I put all my effort into keeping in front and I could just hear his footsteps behind me as we turned the last bend. This spurred me on to push further into my legs and sprinting to the finish funnel I made it, literally pipping my competitor at the post.

The competition I was engaged in during the final lap meant I had not been paying much attention to my time. I was therefore absolutely gobsmacked to see my Garmin displaying an unofficial time of 22.57. My two friends had finished just in front of me and needless to say had also recorded excellent finish times. As we headed back to the car for birthday cake I tentatively raised the question of whether there had been any other female finishers before us, as I could not recall seeing many, if any. None of us were really sure, and with the important matter of cake to be eaten it was temporarily forgotten.

The excited wait for the Park Run email then consumed the rest of my morning. Sat in my training workshop, I subtly kept checking my phone, until at last it arrived. My time: 22.55. Not only this but I was first in my age category, 48th overall finisher and, most importantly, third female overall! I was ecstatic! After this surge of exhilaration it then hit me that as my friends had both finished in front of me, they must have came in first and second place - meaning we took all three top places. Moreover, my friend whose birthday it was topped of her birthday run by finishing first, leading to literally the best Park Run result possible. 

The thrill of finishing third almost meant I didn't take the time to fully appreciate the numerical time I had recorded. Nearly two minutes faster than my previous Park Run PB and over three minutes faster than my last Lincoln Park Run. This really emphasised to me just how much marathon training had taken out of my legs and the constant state of tiredness they must have been in. I was also quite proud that my finish time seemed to demonstrate that my post marathon training has been effective in restoring my legs to where they were prior to embarking on sixteen weeks of high mileage running.

All in all, what some would see as a little 5km run around a Lincoln park, brought a lot of pleasure, achievement and fun; and has given me another fantastic running memory to keep and share with my friends. 

MONDAY: an 9k run to start the week. My Garmin watch died on me shortly into the run as I had forgotten to charge it... however after my initial annoyance at the fact I wouldn't be able to track my pace etc. I actually enjoyed not being fixated by my wrist, and just ran at a pace which simply felt good. Body Pump after.

TUESDAY: Body Attack class - I woke with a cold today, my first in a very long time so I should not complain really, but I could definitely feel it slightly affecting my breathing.

WEDNESAY: a beautiful sunny and warm evening to hit the streets on National Running Day. My quads felt a little tight today as I still had not had a rest day for nearly two weeks. Despite this, and my cold, I was pleased to average a sub 5min pace per kilometre over the 9.5km distance, including one random very fast 4.25km split! Body Pump after.

THURSDAY: due to weekend commitments I completed my 16km long run on another lovely sunny day - great for topping up my developing runner's tan! This was also my last long run before the Rock n' Roll Liverpool Half Marathon, which seems to suddenly have crept up very quickly! I ran alongside the river near me, going out for 8km then turning around and running back again. Although the route along the river is beautifully tranquil and a great way to escape from centre of Lincoln I don't often run this way as the thought of running, turning around, and then running back the exact same way often doesn't inspire me much. Tonight I really enjoyed it though, even with both my cold and the soreness in my quads still very much lingering, and even discovered some new art installations along the footpath (see image).

FRIDAY: today my cold, and probably the lack of an actual rest day, really caught up with me. I generally felt tired, my legs were still very sore, and I really debated not bothering with any form of exercise. I did go to the gym though, mainly due to the fact I had a weekend away ahead where I knew my options to exercise would be limited! I ran a very steady 5k on the treadmill, followed by a 10km cycle, and then some foam rolling and stretching, trying to loosen my legs a little.

SATURDAY: I managed to squeeze in a trip to Park Run before heading away for the weekend on a training residential - a run I was extremely glad I was able to complete! This Park Run included friends, birthday celebrations, PBs and (if they existed in Park Run events!) podium place finishing spots.... a run clearly worthy of its own (soon to follow) blog post!

SUNDAY: Rest Day - at last! This felt much needed and for once was one I felt absolutely no guilt about!