WEEK THREE - DONE

L

Liquorish

Welcome to my weekly chatter during the week I thought this was a rather dull week and that  I wouldn't have much to say.  But those of you who know me well know once i start talking about running well . . . . I dont shut up so sorry about the long post, you might just want to scroll down to sunday and my Brass Monkey Race Report!

Highlights – Brass Monkey 2010

Lowlights – Losing Liquorish the Rabbit

Inspiration – VARR - my run club and every single member

Below is my week,  day by day

DAY 15 Monday 18th January 2010 – The Tired One

It’s the day after Ilkley cross country and I am 110% shattered, was so hard to get out of bed this morning. I was sat at my desk when Debbie came in, she asked me if I was ok, thinking something had gone drastically wrong at work, but I was just so physically drained! Had to nibble chocolate during the morning to keep me going, couldn’t fight the urge!

Had thought I might do body pump today as missed it at the weekend but in the end decided to stick with my lunchtime recovery swim. I have just enough time to get there do 30mins, shower and back but today I had to get to a meeting and was a few minutes late and got a few strange looks arriving with wet hair!

Anyway although was suppose to be a recovery swim I can’t help but try beat my previous weeks swim and if I counted correctly I did 38 lengths in 30mins!

Was very hungry after, as hadn’t taken anything to eat after my swim. I resisted getting a Mac d after my meeting but got a pizza slice from Greggs, probably not much better.

I enjoy swimming at lunchtime as I still get the whole evening with the kids

Day 16 – Tuesday 19th January 2010 – Too Many chocolate Biscuits!

My work day was busy rushing around trying to cram everything in. I took fruit to snack on and a jacket with chunky veg & bolognaise sauce for lunch. I eat most of the fruit in the morning but didn’t have my dinner before going to a meeting at 1pm, there were biscuit at the meeting and I indulged without even thinking because i was hungry! Had my lunch when got back to office about 3 which was good for run club but need to plan better so not tempted by biscuits!

I chickened out of the Abs class that I want to try as I left work a bit late but just anxious that it would hurt!

Run club was another good session with lots of people back after the bad weather. I lead group 2 as usual and we had 13 all together including about 4 new faces, hope they come back next week and that I can remember their names,

When we got back there was lots of talk amongst us about Sundays cross country and I think just about everyone said how tired/achy they had felt on Monday! By the time i got home it was nearly 9 and i could easily have not bothered eating properly but Tom’s words once again came to me, MUST EAT DECENT FOOD ASAP AFTER a run Baked Beans on toast it was. Still think I’m not having enough protein though!

Ran about 5.5mile in 67 mins.

Day 17 – Wednesday 20th January 2010  Food Glourious Food

Have had a good day nutrition wise took fruit to work as was on a course and got a jacket salads and cottage cheese for lunch. More fruit before gym and some chunky veg soup and cheese on toast for tea . . . . . so i can do it. Though have to say I could eat chocolate now if I had it. Had to miss my scheduled tread mill session after work as worked late and wanted to do body pump as missed weekend session and I’m not sure ill get it in this weekend. The treads were busy any way so i think it will be worth the effort to get up early and do in a morning in future.

Dan  is excited tonight as he had come third in the cross country at school which is a big improvement for him. And more importantly he wants to get better!  I on the other hand am trying not to get excited about Friday night! But oh what to wear ???????

Day 18 Thursday 21st January 2010 - Early Bird Catches a Treadmill

My alarm went off at 530.am and although I didn’t get up straight away, I was up and out by 6! The gym was quiet but somehow I still managed to pick the tread that bangs with every foot fall. I forgot my i pod but think am probably better without it as need to concentrated on timing the intervals and changing speeds. After a 10 min warm up I took Toms advice and started with 2min interval at 11kph and then took the speed of my rest right down to 4.5 – 5kph, I did 3x2@11, 3x2@11.5, 2x2@12 and then a cool down and I’m really pleased with this! On my 11 I felt I could do stronger, not sure how to move this forward, do i increase my speed, increase the length of each interval or do more of them. I was tired at work and some what hungry!

Nicky called tonight with a slice of yummy homemade Xmas cake, lots of chat which I miss when we are not running together and a presents of some of my favourite running socks for my marathon training! Have warned the kids - hands off!

This week training is feeling a bit dull after the excitement of the last few weeks, but hopefully can settle in to some good solid training now! Though it feels the focus is on racing rather than building up the long runs! Still a couple of weeks before I hit my 14miler

Day 19 Friday 22nd Jan 2010 From Date to Data

It’s a rest day – I’m bored!

Had exciting plans for a date this evening but they were cancelled due to a nasty chest infection which I don’t want to catch!

So instead I eat a bar of chocolate, just one chunk at a time, but it was soon gone – Dam it! And decided to analyse my training data!

I increased my mileage in 2009 by 173 miles that was a 22% increase sounds good till you look at it another way and I discovered I increase my mileage by about 3 miles a week!

I compared my training mileage for Edinburgh Marathon with my planned mileage for VLM and (if I do all my planned mileage) I will have increased my mileage by 22%, Now if this equated to a 22% increase in my marathon time I would achieve a 4hour 10min marathon! LOL

Still bored I put my Abbey dash 2009 PB in to the runners world race time calculator which also predicts I could do a marathon in something like 4 hours 15mins. ROFLOL

Still bored I loaded the Garmin software for Vikki Garmin on to my laptop and downloaded my last few runs, i was puzzled, staggered and for a moment even began to wonder if the runners world prediction was a possibility? My last run showed I had run a top speed of 60miles per hour!. Then I remembered I had forgotten to turn the Garmin off until I was half way home in the car. What it did show me is I drive too fast!!!!

Day 20 Saturday 23rd January 2010 Run with Dan


Yeah got up early for Park Run, Dan came too! It is the Brass monkey tomorrow and I would normally rest the day before a major race but Tom recommends an easy run the day before a race and so we will trust him and give it a go. A nice steady 3 miles, I kept Daniel company because it was his first run back since the bad weather came. My legs felt stiff and achy, so will see what tomorrow brings.

Day 21 Sunday 24th January 2010 Brass Monkey Half Marathon – a rather long race report!


Woke up feeling unusually relaxed for a race day. I’m normally running around a little stressed and chasing myself on a race morning, but not today everything went like a dream, even my porridge was the perfect consistency on the first go and managed to find my safety pins straight away!

Yes everything in place everything running smooth, until Adele went to feed Liquorish (her pet rabbit) and came in sobbing – poor Liquorish had passed away through the night. After lots of cuddles and comfort I dropped Adele at her Dads and was on my way. But have to say hated leaving her when I knew she was so upset.

Went to Nicky’s who was coming to support and had kindly volunteered to drive. We still got there in plenty of time. But typical of me I left going to the loo to the last minute and ended up having to sprint to get to the start line in time!

Mile 1 As usual with the Monkey we seemed to start off at a fast pace. I set off with Sue but knew within 5min I could not keep up with her and slowed down, then I caught up with Gill and we ran together for a while. I nearly missed our support crew who I had planned to throw my jacket to, the photos show me trying to struggling to take it off in a hurry so that I didn’t have to stop!.

Mile 2 At some point I lost Gill but my calves were complaining like mad and I tired to consciously slow my pace but the bridge was upon us. At the top a Marshall was shouting at us that’s two of the four hills done! There were groans from the other runners around me and I reassured them the bridge was as hard as it got!

Mile 3 calves still aching, I reminded myself it always takes 2-3 miles before I feel comfortable, I kept trying to pace myself behind other runners but found I would catch someone up and then be taking them, my Garmin (or should i say Vikki’s) was telling me that I was still running at sub 10min miles, a pace I can just about keep up for a 10k, but not a half marathon.

Mile 4 to distract my mind from the pain in my legs I started “people watching”, at my end of the field you can see how inclusiveness the sport of running is as i share the field with all shapes and sizes. Each with their own reason for running and I wondered about their running stories. I noticed one guy in particular in front of me, he looked like he had a three course meal in gels on a belt round his waist. I listened to girls chatter about summer holidays and boyfriends and smiled to myself as I used to chatter like this in races but now all I can manage is a gasping thank you to the marshals! And slowly one by one I ran passed all (well many) of my fellow runners.

Mile 5 Finally i started to feel comfortable though I was still running at sub 10min mile, my mind turned to numbers as I start to analysis the data from my Garmin and I realise if I could just keep going I would be on course for a PB, I mused about what that might be, 2.15.16 was my PB at Sheffield and 2.16.22 my pervious BM PB. I set my PB goal at 2.15.00 but really I wanted 2.12.00! I thought about the 5 miles we had just run and thought great only 8 more to go, I then heard this in my head and thought OMG STILL 8miles to go and decided to run the rest of the race just one mile at a time.

Mile 6 I thought about the guy with all the gels and wondered if he had had any yet which reminded me of the one gel I had in my pocket and although I wasn’t hungry decided to have this as I often feel hungry at about 8 miles. I managed to have this gel without stopping. I think it’s about this point you pass through a village just as you start to head back on the loop. Outside the village school was a group of supporters including lots of young children looking out for people they knew but giving everyone a huge cheer, for me it was such a lift as they shouted my name and words of encouragement. The children seem so enthusiastic and despite the cold were enjoying themselves, I wondered how many of them will be running this race when they are older!

Mile 7 I had to dig deep now my pace slowed a little but I tried to keep under a 10.5 min mile. I thought about Adele and her sadness at losing her Rabbit.

Mille 8 Only 5 miles left and although I was digging deep I still felt strong. The guy with the gels passes me  I notice he has had at least 3 of his gels. All of a sudden I wanted to walk my legs ached my breathing was hard, I thought of Debra and the texts she has sent me, I could hear her voice calling me, “Its not a walk club you know” and at that point running the whole race and not a PB became my primary goal. I slowed but kept running settled back into my pace for a while before building my pace back up slightly, I managed to keep the guy with the gels in my sight for a few more miles!

Mile 9 I realised that I kept dropping my head and shoulders as I was becoming tired and each time my pace slowed, when I made myself run tall again I felt better and my pace picked up!

Mile 10 – only 3 and a bit to go, that’s just a park run – I can do this, run girl run!

Mile 12 – don’t ask me what happened to mile 11 somehow I missed it and there i was at mile 12 the bridge looming up in front of me. I have never managed to run all the way up this on the way back, but I could hear Debra still and I wasn’t going to give up now. This time Helens words came to me and I remembered her advice on hills “Little Bambi steps” it worked I was at the top and sprinting down the other side. As I came round the bend back in to the village there were some very cheerful and encouraging marshals who I had a little banter with and went through this point smiling, one of them shouted “Kay you look as cool as a cucumber”, I’m sure as red as a tomato would have been more apt! But I did feel very relaxed. But I knew was still a little way to go and so tried to pace it.

Mile 13 – could see the stadium now, and wonder if anyone would notice if I took a shortcut across the muddy field? . . . . . . “Kay come on Kay keep going” . . . I looked up and there is Paul S shouting me on, he ran to meet me and his encouragement made me want to run faster but I knew if I went too soon I would not manage a sprint finish. Running past the VARR support crew (which I think is the best) is just fantastic you feel like a celebrity on the red carpet and I had to have a cheery wave. Then on to the last stretch, I hoped I had enough left for my normal sprint finish, checked my Garmin 2.11.40, head up I was off sprinted pass everyone in front of me on that last stretch to just miss my 2.12 with a 2.12.04!

Job done  2.12.04  Brilliant!