Alice's Adventures in Running Land

The Journey Begins...

6/30/2019

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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The Final Freedom Week

6/23/2019

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This week has felt a bit like a final week of relative freedom, with more focused training for my next big running goal starting on Monday. With this in mind, I have simply enjoyed running what I have wanted and according to how I have been feeling - it has been nice!

MONDAY: Strength and Conditioning for Runners followed by Body Pump.

TUESDAY: a steady 5 miles with a hilly test thrown in at the start just to add a bit of variation and challenge!

WEDNESDAY: despite the weather significantly improving from last week’s rainfall, the river path I like to run on during Summer was still flooded, so this morning’s 4 miles consisted of a few laps up and down the section that was passable on the pathway. I did not mind this repetition, and it meant I could try a couple of faster miles, with the run resembling more of a short tempo run by the end.

THURSDAY: my morning run was another instance of where I made up the challenge as I went along, starting steadily, throwing a couple of faster miles in, and then finishing with some steep hills. I ran 4 miles in total and then later on a further 3.36 (to be precise!) miles at Run Club. One of my fellow Run Leaders had planned an orienteering challenge for us working in small teams. It was great fun and my competitive side definitely came out a little bit!

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: this week’s parkrun was hard work (see image), with the small positive being that even though it felt a lot tougher than last week, I ran exactly the same time. The main issues this week was my breathing. It was just not right from the start, and I actually felt like I needed to stop at one point just to catch my breath and try clam down. If I am being honest my breathing has not been perfect since I lost my voice a few weeks ago. The same thing happened to me last year the first time I lost my voice, and after suffering a bit, I was given an inhaler to use for a few weeks. This helped me, and I feel I now need to investigate using one again, especially with the weather getting warmer.

SUNDAY: on a pleasant summer’s morning I really enjoyed a steady 10 mile loop taking in some paths I had not ran on for a few weeks. I actually found my inhaler from last year before the run and took it before leaving the house. It definitely helped me, and this confirmed in my head that I need to get myself sorted again, especially with my next cycle of training on the very imminent horizon…

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The Week Of 'Summer' Running

6/16/2019

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It is mid June; and yet I have spent most of this week running in squelching trainers, attempting to avoid the streams and lakes forming on pavements, and finishing my runs looking like I have literally just stepped out the shower – it has been very wet. On the positive, my hamstring injury is vastly improving and I am pleased my sensible approach to running is paying dividends.

MONDAY: a double strength session of Strength and Conditioning for Runners followed by Body Pump. I had to adapt a couple of exercises to account for my leg, but generally it felt much better.

TUESDAY: I woke today and I could instantly hear it was absolutely chucking it down. I tentatively got into my running gear and then proceeded to sit and stare out the window debating if I was really going to run in the downpour. I did; but I reasoned to do a brief 4 mile loop, as my vague logic was I might not get as wet..! Unsurprisingly, I was instantly drenched upon stepping outside, however my leg felt improved again when running. I kept the pace steady but did throw a couple of hills in at the end just for a tester!

WEDNESDAY: today’s planned run had to be dramatically re-routed as the path I was running along was flooded to the point where I think I would have had to swim through it in order to keep following it. Summer running madness. I managed an off the cuff 5 mile route though and picked up the pace slightly for the first time in a while.

THURSDAY: I logged a total of 8 miles today, split across two runs, both completed in yet more rain. The first was my own run in the morning and an easy 4 miles, then later 4 further miles as Run Leader at Run Club. I ran the majority of these evening miles with a fellow Run Club member, encouraging her to reach a new distance milestone. It is really fulfilling being able to support others achieve in running, but moreover, making them realise their own potential.

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: with my leg feeling virtually back to normal, I decided to try and run Lincoln parkrun hard today. It was dry – hallelujah! – and it would be a good test. I ran the full 3.1 miles completely pain free, which was the best result of the morning, as timewise it was nothing to write home about for me. However, this was the first time I had tried any form of ‘speedy’ miles in a couple of weeks so I had to be realistic and not expect miracles.

SUNDAY: in a change to my normal routine, Sunday’s long run was logged early evening after arriving back in Lincoln following a Saturday night spent realising a lifelong dream and seeing the Spice Girls perform live at Wembley Stadium (they were incredible and worth the 23 year wait!) I was tired; we had not got back to the hotel until roughly 2am and I had been on my feet for probably in excess of 12 hours throughout Saturday afternoon and evening – all completely worth it, but not conducive to running! I had earmarked June as a bit of a ‘no pressure’ month for me a long time ago with social things all seemingly falling in this period of the year, so I was not too stressed. I did however want to try and do a longer run as my leg injury had also meant I had not logged more then 6 miles for a couple of weeks now. I managed a confidence boosting 10.5 miles, just at a steady pace and enjoying some warmth and dryness! Maybe some real summer running is on the cards for next week… let’s hope so!

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The Week Of Low Miles But Happy Smiles

6/9/2019

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This week will not go down as one of my greatest running wise - there has not really been much running to talk about! Obviously, this has not been through choice, and instead my lack of miles have been enforced after picking up an injury niggle. What I have been impressed with however is my ability to cope with this minor setback; I do not feel down about my reduced running or the need to keep things steady for a few more days. Fear of making things worse has actually led me to being rather sensible! This is progress for me.

MONDAY: after Woodhall Spa 10k on Sunday my legs felt sore and I had some sharper pain toward the top of my left leg. To be honest I think I knew I had torn something, you get to learn you own body at times. I went to my Strength and Conditioning for Runners class and Body Pump, however, on the small stretch of running I was required to do, I could feel that sharp pain into my leg which made my running very difficult. Alarm bells were now ringing - this was definitely more than just DOMs. I already had an appointment booked to see my Sports Therapist on Wednesday anyway, so I knew I needed to try and make it to that without doing any further damage.

TUESDAY: with the above in mind, I rested today and hoped to give my leg some healing time.

WEDNESDAY: my appointment with my Sports Therapist was not until the afternoon today, however I woke with what I thought was no leg pain. I had already cancelled meeting my Wednesday running friend, but reckoned I could maybe manage a few easy miles. I was wrong; as I started to run with each step that sharp pain returned. I made it to 0.60 of a mile before I gave up and limped back home. The consultation with my Therapist later told me I had in fact caused a slight tear at the top of my hamstring close to the attachment. Some rather painful cupping treatment was used on the area and I was informed to rest until Saturday.

THURSDAY and FRIDAY: Rest Days

SATURDAY: after virtually no running all week I was keen to run at Lincoln parkrun today. It was also the celebration of the end of the first 6-week block at my Run Club, so I wanted to support some of the fellow members. I was cautious in my approach to running; I literally had no idea how things would feel and was fully prepared to have to run very slowly or even stop if I needed to. As I gathered on the start line I found my friend, it was her birthday in the week and I wanted to give her a belated birthday squeeze before we set off. This did mean however as the 'go' signal was given I was probably a bit further forward in the masses then maybe I had planned. I went with it and slotted in behind my friend. Chasing my friend around the park was very good for me, it kept me at a steady pace which I was working hard to maintain, but I was not pushing myself to the maximum and straining my leg. There was something so familiar about running with my friend too; it felt natural and not like I was forcing myself to slow down. My leg was not perfect, I will not pretend it was; it twinged a bit and was a bit tight, but I could run and I was very happy! I finish in 22:27, a second behind my friend. As we finished, I thanked her for helping me with my run and gave her a proper post run/birthday hug.

SUNDAY: following parkrun, Saturday had been filled with my friend’s planned birthday celebrations, which meant I had enjoyed an afternoon drinking and eating possibly the most perfect cake, followed by an evening out dancing and drinking even more. I had a wonderful time; my friend is very special to me personally and in a running capacity, and I felt very happy in myself to be able to celebrate with her and also to see her looking happy too. I was so content I can honestly say that running the next day never crossed my mind- which it always does normally if I have something out of the ordinary planned on an evening. Unsurprisingly, I therefore woke today not feeling my best…! I knew I did not want to push a long run anyway as my leg was still healing, and the fear of doing something stupid overrode my urge to do a 'long run' on a Sunday. My car was left at the party location, so I opted instead to run and pick it up. I weaved a steady near 6 mile route to collect it and my leg felt improved again - the rest of my body maybe less so!

Next week I will continue to be cautious and hopefully I will be ready to begin training for my next goal in a couple of weeks time…

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Woodhall Spa 10k 2019

6/3/2019

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Last year I took part in the Woodhall Spa 10k for the first time – a very popular local race in my Lincoln area, which always sells out quickly. On a hot day and struggling with possible laryngitis, I was very pleased to be able to run a new PB at the time of 43:57, and to go sub 44 mins at a 10k. Fast forward a year and I have secured a place again, it is another very warm, muggy day and I have just about recovered from another bout of what I can assume was once again laryngitis. I really wanted to have my voice back for Woodhall after being practically a mute last year, the popularity of the 10k means I know a lot of runners taking part and it is a great social occasion. Being able to talk therefore helps! What also helps when you are about to race a 10k distance is to have a pair of fresh, fully functioning legs, and unfortunately, I couldn’t really say I had that…

Stood on the start line the noise among the crowds of runners was the first thing that hit me. Woodhall Spa 10k is a big event for local running clubs, and you can sense the fact people know each other as conversations fill the air, instead of perhaps the silent nerves of larger, less intimate events. The air itself was warm, dense and muggy, and even a relatively strong breeze seemed to have no cooling effect. I knew I was going to find the heat hard; unlike last year when I had already ran a good number of events in warm weather by this point in the year, the British summer has been less freak, and I definitely did not feel accustomed to warm weather running yet.

I also knew physically I was going to have to endure extra pain this year at Woodhall. My legs were not great; sore and tight from some track running in the week, with my quads especially at a pain level which was still rather high. My race strategy was therefore pretty non-existent; I rarely race 10ks and I am not very accustomed to how I should best approach them anyway. Given the weather and the state of my body, I did however anticipate the next 6.2 miles would be pretty hard work.

As the starting pistol fired, I raced off, setting what I knew would be a quick first mile. It ticked over on my watch as 6.45ish min/mile pace; too fast, but I knew I would settle. I did for the second mile, but my body was becoming very warm, my face almost felt like it was burning and keeping in the heat rather than sweating. I was therefore very grateful to grab a cup of water from the aid station and pour it over my head. I began to slow during the third mile, the water had helped me cope with the heat a little better, but now my legs were struggling, and I could feel I was not able to use them to their full capacity.

Mile 4 was the worst for me – it nearly turned my race into a disaster. The Woodhall course is pretty exposed, set along straight rural roads which form a large loop, and this meant there was no escape from the wind. It blew strongly into my face on this section and I just felt awful. I seemed to be plodding along now, my pace very slow in comparison to my starting speed, and I just wanted to get to the finish.

The final two miles were simply a process of ‘keeping going’; I was hot and my legs hurt, and if I am honest, I was just not really enjoying myself. Time didn’t matter to me now at all; there was no way I could get quicker, I just wanted to get it done. I did manage to salvage some speed to improve from my mile 4 dip, and it was then simply me telling my mind not to give up, and hoping my legs could hang in there.

As I crossed the finish line I was hurting but also happy this meant I could stop running! My time was 45:11, which is not great for me, but not horrendous either. I know I am not at my quickest speed at the moment, so a sub 44-minute time was probably too much to ask. Sub 45 minutes would have been preferable, but I do not think I was in a good enough shape on the start line to achieve this, and I probably should have eased into the race better knowing this.

The best part of my day actually came once I had crossed the finish line. My knackered state meant I hovered around the finish area for a while and chatted to lots of people. I must have stayed for over an hour and actually manged to get quite sunburnt! I needed to do that though, as sharing my hellish experience with others helped me compute it a little, and I was also able to realise I was not alone in my struggles and being quite far off an expected finish time. I know I can run a quicker 10k in more pleasant conditions and with a fresher body – things cannot always all fall into place at every race and I do pride myself in my determination not to give up!

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The Week I Asked A Bit Too Much...

6/2/2019

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Hindsight is a great thing - and looking back on this week I have realised I probably asked a little bit too much from my body. Ignoring running; work-wise it has been a busy but rewarding week, and the long days have left me feeling a little tired at times. From a health perspective, I have also been slowly recovering from my loss of voice, with a progressive return to vocal capacity occurring as the week simultaneously went on. It feels good to be able to communicate again, but the strain of trying to speak, and the niggling chesty cough which accompanied it, has also tired me a little. Now onto running; I started the week with all good intention of taking things easy, but ended doing almost the complete opposite! The benefit of hindsight is however, that I can try learn from my mistakes going forward.

MONDAY: feeling tired after an active weekend away with work and with virtually no voice, I knew that even with the Bank Holiday temptation of having a free day to effectively run, I had to be sensible. I reasoned with myself, and completed an easy 2 mile run to the gym for Body Pump, and then another 2 miles home afterwards.

TUESDAY: still not feeling my best, some more easy miles were on the cards, and I logged a 10k at 8.26 min/mile average pace.

WEDNESDAY: after a couple of days of easy running I still felt like I needed to take things steady, so agreed on an 'easier' run with my Wednesday morning running partner (note: his easy is definitely my steady!) My breathing seemed a bit laboured this morning, especially with the slightly quicker pace, and the final hill at the end finished me off a little. Despite this, I was pleased to average 7.49 min/mile and to log nearly 7 miles.

THURSDAY: today I simply forgot my aim of trying to be good to myself and my body. The draw of taking part in a Track running session with Run Club, with the chance to join in as opposed to being Run Leader, was simply too much. A Track surface is something I have never trained on and the prospect of pushing my limits running in circles strangely appealed to me. It was a hard but fun session featuring a pyramid of running 800m down to 100m, then 100m back up to 800m again, with recovery periods in between. Unaccustomed to track running I just let my watch keep going rather than perhaps recording each set distance as a different lap, so I have no real idea what my times were like. However, I do know I worked very hard, and as soon as I stopped I could feel the soreness and fatigue in my legs, especially my quads.

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: despite a day off exercise yesterday, my quads were still very sore today and at a level where simply touching the muscle caused me to flinch a little. It was a beautiful sunny day though and there was no way I was missing Lincoln parkrun, so I convinced myself that maybe a run would help get some blood flowing and ease away the pain. As soon as I started running the tightness in my legs was apparent, but as the muscle warmed, they did loosen and I was able to set a very speedy first mile split. My legs soon tightened back up though and there was no way I could hold the pace, and I finished eventually in 21:21. My poor little legs were not happy with me afterwards, feeling extra sore and achy, and they still had a 10k race to run tomorrow...

SUNDAY: I really wanted to have my voice back for Woodhall Spa 10k after being practically a mute at the event last year, and thankfully I achieved this aim. However, what also would have been handy was not to be stood on the start line of a 10k with a pair of sore legs and quads which hurt to even move let alone run. Add to this a warm, muggy day, with an equally warm, gusty wind, and I think I knew the next 6.2 miles were not going to be a walk in the park. It certainly was not - in fact I found the 10k extremely hard work, but somehow managed to struggle home in 45:11. Full blog to follow, but simply put I was not in racing condition and paid the price a little for some unwise decisions mid-week, and probably in my approach towards the race. We live and learn!

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The Journey Begins...

The Final Freedom Week

The Week Of 'Summer' Running

The Week Of Low Miles But Happy Smiles

Woodhall Spa 10k 2019

The Week I Asked A Bit Too Much...

Alice's Adventures In Running Land

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