WEEK EIGHT, DONE -- TO DO, EIGHT WEEK

 This week it has been that time of the month . . . . you know the week before payday when the cupboards are bear and for me maintaining a healthy balance of nutrition becomes a challenge!

Highlights – I have had lots of comments this week both from my running buddies and others saying I have lost weight!

Lowlights- Given the above I pick up the courage to jump on the scales and the few pounds I had lost has actually gone back on!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration – My Sunday morning run

Day 50 Monday 22nd February 2010     Bacon Egg & Chips - Yum

 By the end of this week we will be half way there!

Slept well but still hard to get up and get going but that is about my motivation for work not for training.

Had a lunch break and did my active recovery in the shape of a 40 length swim

Brought work home but haven’t done any of it, busy updating training programmes reading and writing blog, I feel a bit guilty that I prioritise my training over work.

Its end of the month and as is normal have been to raid my mum’s fridge and have ended up having one my favourite teas from when i was a little girl, Bacon (grilled), (dry) fried egg, (oven) chips and tomatoes Yum – not had this in years – Yum!

Bed time

Day 51 Tuesday 23rd February 2010 Easter Chicks Waddle by

I think I went to work today but can’t really remember anything about it!

Don’t have the best of lunches, the cottage cheese I had brought into work last week has a green covering to it now so into the bin it goes, have to make do with a packet of oat cakes, there is two yoghurts in the fridge and I can’t decide if they are the ones I brought to work last week, or if I have eaten mine and that these are someone else’s. Decided best to leave them and have two small oranges instead. About 5pm I make myself a bowl of porridge in hope that this will fuel my run, but I am already feeling sluggish and know this is due to my poor nutrition during the day, not a gram of protein in sight! Roll on pay day so I can eat properly again!

When I leave the office at just gone 6 I am surprised at how cold the temperature has dropped as I head to the gym. My foot has had a slight pain in it for the last couple of hours, put it down to wearing my big snow boots.

Think the cold and return of snow may have put a few people off as not as many out tonight have about 8 in my group. Tom chatters and everyone just wants to get off as its so cold.

Of we set but I had made the mistake of putting my off road trainers on and these made my legs ache, I could barely make it up Gotts Hill Park, bless Helen B she kept trying to talk to me as we ran up the hill but all I could really manage was a grunt. As we round the corner we came across group 3 and I chuckled to myself as I thought (now please don’t anyone be offended) how in their bright yellow jackets they looked like a group of fluffy Easter chicks all following their mother (Paul W)! I had to stop a couple of times to re tie my laces and so I tied them quite tight, but then I got that horrible foot thing I get from time to time, the only way I can describe it is it feels like I am wearing house bricks as trainers, Horrible, but I know now that it usually runs off. I had to walk a little as this feeling made me run awkwardly and I could feel all sorts of things in my lower legs ankles complaining and pulling. I ended up having to drop back a little and as the rest of group 2 ran on in front of me I recalled Tom’s words just before we set off . . . “guys if you struggled to keep up with your group last week maybe move down a group” . . . . . . .

Think may be its me that needs to drop down to group 1!

After a while my feet return to normal and I can run almost comfortably back to the gym. But as I stopped and had a quick chat at the end of the run the very cold air got to my bad tooth and set it on edge and as I drove home I wanted to just bang my head against the steering wheel till the pain subsided. I HATE TOOTH ACHE!

We chatted about arrangements for Sat National cross country, have to say am getting anxious about this now
 * Will I/we be able to find some where to park
 * Amongst all those people will I be able to find my team mates
 * Not sure I like the sound of being pinned in a penn!
 * Someone said something about running up hill 60 - twice!
 * I’m convinced I will be the last lady to finish
 * Worse than that what if I haven’t finished before the men’s race is due to start and we are on the same Course!.

Day 52 Wednesday 24rd February 2010 1@13

Have a slice of homemade carrot cake when I visit one of my teams (think well at least thats some veg) Lunch is again a packet of oat cakes and two small oranges followed by a pre training bowl of porridge about 4 in the afternoon.

Don’t have running on my programme to day but after last weeks interval session on the treadmill feel I want to see if I can focus better.

Was happy with my effort, concerned that my foot would be a problem but was ok!

2@11 2@11.5 2@11.5 2@11.5 2@11.5 2@12 2@12.5 1@13

Followed by an hour of Body Pump, enjoyed!

Followed by Baked Beans on toast – roll on pay day

 Day 53 Thursday 25th February 2010 An early night with Runners World

Lunch is . . . . . . you’ve guessed it a packet of oat cakes and two small oranges followed by a late afternoon bowl of porridge (can hear Tom and others shouting at me now but all I can say is - roll on payday)

Ran with Nicky today which was really good as we haven’t really run together in ages.

My plan was to run about 3.5 miles meet Nicky and do another 4.5 miles but I was later leaving work than I planned and a certain someone had wound me up so I just ran in to town to meet Nicky running a total of 6 miles. I have promised myself sometime ago that I wasn’t going to let that someone wind me up anymore but arrrrrrgghhhhhhhh he has taken to shouting at me in text now and sometimes I just want to shout back! But instead I just have a grumble to Nicky which means you don’t need to get chapter and verse here! But because I am a little wound up I feel as if I am running quite fast. However for the first two miles my legs are cold and I can feel all sorts of aches and niggles, and so a couple of times I have a little walk, I’m sure its just a result of running on tired legs as once I warm up these little niggles seem to disappear. It is raining but about half way round it starts to poor down and then we have to have frequent stops for Nicky to wipe her glasses as she cant see properly, so our overall pace on the Garmin looks about normal but my legs said that when we were running we were a bit speedier than normal.

My monthly copy of runners world is waiting for me when i get home, have brought work home to do but feel an early night with my mag is in order!

Baked Beans on toast for tea and as a treat I have the last tin of fruit in juice!

Still very scared about Saturday National Cross Country

Day 54 Friday 26th February 2010 Pay Day - Yippe

Have a rest day programmed today and thought I would miss my early morning spin class but I don’t. The niggle in my left foot was sore through the night and I had to take some pain killers.

It is payday, dined out with a lovely charming young man called Daniel. Had a gorgeous mouth watering hunters chicken breast, jacket spud and salad. Dan also had a pudding a warm chocolate brownie with ice cream and cream, it looked gorgeous but by the time I had said “Daniel if you can’t eat all that don’t worry ill finish it” it had gone and the plate was almost licked clean and Daniel gave me a look as much as to say “don’t even think about it”!

Still can’t settle my nerves for tomorrow, don’t understand why so bad, but I am!

Go to bed, can’t sleep

Day 55 Saturday 27th February 2010  -
I CAME 5th IN THE NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Am still awake when my alarm goes off at 6am, I put it on snooze and then fall asleep but I must have turned alarm off because I slept till Harp texted me at about 7.30 – I’m glad she did otherwise would have been late getting Daniel to Park Run. I sense he is chasing a PB today, gets up earlier so that he has time for breakfast and to let it settle. He gives me a good morning hug and I swear he has grown another 2 inches overnight (must have been the brownie). I am under strict instructions to get some good photos of him that he can use for his facebook profile, he even takes the time to gel and style his hair.

Off we go and Dan has a good run, seems to be running stronger and not leaning forward quite as much, he is more upright which I have told him he needs to do but I know this takes time and practice. I still lean forward when I’m tired! Dan managed to run nearly all 3 laps before having a short walk break on the last corner. He finishes taking 44 seconds off his previous time for a new PB of 30.30! He wants a sub 30mins next time.

Daniel walked over to the cafe with Vikki who told me after wards that she hardly got a word out of him and although she tried to get him talking he just grunted. I forget how shy he is around people he doesn’t know well or maybe its just a teenage thing! Dan and I share a fresh orange and BLT at cafe caldo before dashing home to get ready for the XC nationals



 I set a bath running then ring Helen B to discuss arrangements, I pop back upstairs to check my bath as I’m talking to Helen, who must have wondered what was going on as I shrieked out loud when I discovered I had left the cold tap running and the bath was about to overflow! I screeched and tried to turn the tap off but turned the hot tap on as well, by this time I had dropped my phone (Helen must have wondered what all the fuss was about) and my hands were wet so I couldn’t turn the taps off, had to shout my hero Daniel who wondered what his silly old mum was panicking about this time! Had to drain the bath and start again, curse as I’m on a water meter.

Have my bath, get dressed, kit bag ready and a have a big bowl of porridge. Then it’s time to go

Set off, realise no safety pins, text Helen, call Harp, pick up Helen, Helen hasn’t pins, back to Helens, pick up pins, running behind schedule, panic rises, call David, ask if he will drop us at Roundhay (am leaving my car at their house), my nerves result in incoherent chatter, I start to make Helen nervous, get to Davids, Helen drops her key, it gets stuck under the seat, eventually I get it out, David drops us at Roundhay Park, find registration tent, am late, only Khara there, collect numbers, still panicking, hope Trevor makes it, will calm me, fuss about sorting out envelopes, a few of the girls have withdrawn, consider withdrawing myself, more of our team arrive, hand out envelopes, Harp calls, where we are, try to explain, fuss around putting on my chip, tie my laces, really hope T makes it, pin my number on, am all thumbs , what to do with the bags, need the loo, get a text from T – running late, might not make it, go in search of loos, a race is underway, have to dodge racers to get to loo, join que, still queing, not good for my nerves, feel sick, still in loo que, Text T back, loo done, back under course tape, nearly get in way of lads racing, back to tent, Harp arrives, hug from Rick Club Chairman, I panic more as don’t know where the start is, only 20mins to go, Girls Team photo and finally we go in search of the start which is a massive  . . . . . 30second walk away, I'm told off, for putting my chip on my lace, we are told to go away and come back in 15mins and so I relax and have a bit of a warm up.

We eventually get called back to the start and have to go through a deep puddle to get to our allotted pen (which was actually just a wooden stick in the ground, it’s like been back at school as were given strict instructions to stay behind the post, single file, we all look a little apprehensive, still not sure where we are supposed to be going, we are told to move forward to the line, I turn round to wave to the lads, BANG the gun is fired, it makes me jump and a few of us give an involuntary scream and we are off!

VARR GIRLS TEAM

As soon as I set off I knew I had not tied my laces tight enough, the start was on a slight up hill and it was impossible to not go with the pace and so I set off too fast and knew this very quickly! I normally struggle with either my legs or my breathing sometimes changing from one to the other during the race as I warm up, but not to day both my legs and breathing hurt from 5mins of the race starting till about 10 minutes after I crossed the start line! The Mud was every bit as bad as the Ilkley Peco and all though there was no water jump the course was much much hillier both down and up. On the downward run I put the brakes on as I didn’t want to risk going ar$& over t$t and doing damage in the process, as we came back round in front of the mansion and turned to go up hill 60 I slipped in the deep mud and thought I would fall, somehow I seemed to save myself but felt my knee and ankle twist. I could not run up hill 60 as much as I tried though I did try to keep a trot going but when i got to the top I could barely breath and had to take a few walk steps to let my breathing regulate a little then back to running and as I came back round soldiers field I saw and heard, Tom and Helen W and Liz J and some of the lads (sorry guys i can’t remember who exactly) I remember passing Rick who told me I was nowhere near the back ( not yet - I thought to myself) then round to the bottom of the field I remember thinking thank god for that I’m nearly done, but then it dawned on me that the men were still all milling around and had not gone through to the starting area, I checked my watch I had only been running about 26min and only covered 2.4 miles, my heart sank as I realised we had to do the whole thing again! It was about here that Dave and Jan were stood cheering everyone on, Dave said later I didn’t look happy at this point and I could hear him calling advice and support which did help settle me. I stopped trying to race it as if my life depended on it and just ran it, but by now my legs were screaming out but there was so many spectators I didn’t want to walk, but soon my legs just would not push anymore and i took a few steps. I wanted to shout out to people I’m not slacking - my legs have already done 35miles in the last 6days! However I know that I won’t have been the only one there having done this amount of mileage and im sure lots will have done lots more but to me its a lot! Back down the treacherous hill I ask a marshal what happens if the men’s race starts and they lap me? He laughed. But this is still my biggest fear! A lady from Southampton with a less likely running physic than my own over takes me, I realise the course takes a different turn and that we aren’t heading back to hill 60 . . . . . .just yet (there is a god) I finally find a comfortable pace and think yes i can do this and push on a little, we reach the lake and follow its edge I think yes I’m going to overtake the Southampton girl and after a few minutes I do but then my legs just seem to say ENOUGH! And all I can get from them is a walk and a slide across the mud! And Southampton girl leaves me for dust or should i more aptly say stuck in the mud!

At this point I really consider just giving up, but one of the marshals gives me some encouraging words, “come on Kay your doing great” “I don’t think so” I reply my head shaking “Yes you are, you are doing something today (taking part in a national) that I never managed in 50 years of running, keep going” and that was enough to get my legs going again at least for a little while but mentally i changed to the I’m finishing this whatever it takes! I could see ahead of me that the course doubled back on its self and then i could see Helen, Hansa and Harp in front of me, I had no chance of catching them but I wasn’t as far behind as I had imagined! A bit more run /sliding through the mud a bit more walking and I was back to the muddy approach to hill 60, this time I took it a bit easier through this mud as it was even worse now and then the hill, there wasn’t as many spectators around this time and I resorted to a walk to climb this impossible hill. No one seem to be watching any way, but then I heard it “come on Kay run, come on you can do this” Tom and Helen shouting for me I actually could not see them, I looked but I couldn’t see them and then their voices got louder as if others had joined in their call, but still I couldn’t actually see where they were, I’m sure I must have looked straight at them but I couldn’t see them, But it felt like their words were physically pushing me up the hill and I did managed to do a kind of a run/trot to scale to the top of the hill. When I thought I was out of sight I stoped and walked only to find Ady(?) one of Tom & H friends I recognise from Park Run also calling my name out – busted again! In to the finish lane I went but I had to get my breath back and a marshal said if you can walk you can run, but I just had no idea how far there was to go. But then my breathing returned to normal and oxygen was pumped to my legs and I started to run . . . well actually it was more of a mud slither/slip/slide/wade/run kind of motion I could see Liz ahead with her camera posed and I was sure I was going to fall, but finally I was close to the end but I had no motivation to do my normal sprint finish and was just so relieved to hear the bleep bleep bleep of the chip as I crossed the finishing mats!

Hansa powering through the MUD to the finish line!

Hansa, bless her came to meet me and helped me take my chip off it didn’t occur to me at the time but I wonder now if I had looked so bad that she felt I needed the help!

I joined the rest of the girls, Liz and Tim to watch the boys pass us, it was like watching a stampede of wilderbeast, they just kept coming and coming. I have to say we gave typical Virgin Active Road Runners supporting cheers to everyone of our team mates out there. And on the first lap round we got big smiles and waves from each of them and a few kisses too, on the second run pass they were given an even louder cheer but alas the smiles were diminishing a little, by the time we moved across to watch the finishing straight even Dave didn’t manage to muster his normal finishing wave, in fact the only one of our boys that had anything resembling a smile on their face as they passed us was Russell. But this is because of how hard they were all working, a longer course than the girls taking in hill 60, 3 or 4 times. They were all absolutely amazing!

I’m not really sure what I did with the rest of my day, a chat with Harp, a long bath to soak off the mud, a chat with Vikki a few text chats a bit of facebooking, Russell posted the results up, I proudly text some of the girls their times and positions telling them I had come 5th !

Harp was understandably a little puzzled by this comment and when I text back I was 5th from last she sent me this lovely message back

“Kay you are my inspiration and a lot of the time my motivation. You’re always there and committed and that makes you first across the line in my book!”

Harp, thank you! (have to say you nearly had me crying again)

It is bed time now, I did originally have a run planned for tomorrow but put an extra one in earlier in the week and so I have decided for the first time in over 8 weeks I’m NOT going to set my alarm to wake me up, I’m going to let myself wake naturally, when I’m ready to do so and then have a rest day, at least in terms of training!

Day 56 Sunday 27th February 2010 A Sunday Morning Lie in!

I woke up about 4, had to get a drink as quite thirsty, often am after a hard run or race, read a bit go back to sleep, wake in morning not really sure what time is, dose a bit more, read a bit more, dose and read some more, I can hear Daniel moving about and Adele has her TV on. I look through the gap in my curtains and can’t see the rain that was expected today, looks a nice day, realise pain I have had in my foot for most of the week has gone, really looks quite bright outside, think how nice it would be on one of my favourite runs from home, how peaceful and quite it would be on back lane in Farsley, turn over dose a bit more, wake up think I want to run, not because I have to train, not because I need to get the miles in but I want to run because “I ENJOY IT” and so at about 9.40 I jump out of bed have a quick cup of tea and some malt loaf, throw my kit on and tell kids I won’t be long! I have no running goal in terms of target pace, time or distance I just pop the ipod on and start to run. I head up Tong Road, walking a little up the hill and across to Chapel Lane, as i come level with the end of the woods an elderly gent comes out obviously enjoying a Sunday morning stroll and we exchange a cheery hello. I run a bit further and when I get to the clearing I stop switch off my music (sorry Trevors Music) and sit on the wall and take 10 minutes to look out over the fields and back towards Leeds, I can see Dans new school, Elland road and that really big building in Leeds City Centre, I love this view how the country field in front of me opens up to the city and how they come together. Behind me is another field opening up in to the countryside. In the 10mins I’m sat here not one car passes me, love it love it love it, feel refreshed, rebalanced, calm and ready for anything! Have a lovely run down Whitehall Road (someone beeps me a friendly beep and waves but i can’t see who it is, if your reading this sorry i didn’t recognise you) and before I know it I’m back home having done a very easy 5 mile recovery run!

Unfortunately once home within 30seconds of being inside my tooth ache starts again! This time worse than ever! Find some pain killers but can’t do anything for about 20mins as I rock back and forth till the pain subsides and I can face eating breakfast before another soak in the bath!

Adele agrees without any need for bribery to come do the monthly food shop with me, she says she enjoys it??????!!!!!!!!!!!! Very strange, last time i had to almost drag her round. Ask Dan to tidy kitchen while we are gone, he has a really good go, washing all the surfaces down but just leaves all the washing up in the bowl, apparently that would have required a separate specific instruction, but still what he has done I’m very pleased with. We all get stuck in to put the shopping away the cupboards, freezer and fridge are filled again but I wonder how long it will be before Daniel has worked his way through all this, not a month that’s for sure!!!!!

Other than shopping, making a nice tea, washing up, ordering some new trainers and running gear and washing clothes i don’t get much more done today!