WEEK NINE – DONE

Can't believe another week has gone already!



Highlight – The Fact that I LOVED my solo 20 miler


Lowlight – Reoccurring bouts of very painful tooth ache


Inspiration – Has to be the Double First Place From Team VARR!

                                                          The Winning Team!

Day 57 Monday 1st March 2010 – Groundhog day


My entry for Monday reads almost the same as last week . . . .


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.

Day 57 Tuesday 2nd March 2010 – Club Intervals – So tell me how come 1min rest goes much quicker than 1 minute running?

Not very much to say today really, went to work, spent all day in the office but most of it I was meeting with a colleague going through things, which was most helpful but I didn’t get anything from my to do box (yes I’ve now gone from a list to a box!) done.

My tooth has been niggling throughout the day take some painkillers before run club.

As we gather for the start of run club there is a lot of chatter about Saturday National, someone asks me if I’m recovered I say ask me in an hour! Its first Tuesday in the month and so we run as a group and as we warm up my legs ache, my right Achilles feels very tight I’m not sure I’m up to the interval session ahead! We are trying somewhere new, Tom splits us into two groups and we do 12 X 1min intervals with a 1min break. I take the first one steady and all is fine and I am able to have a good hard training session, I try mark someone on each of the intervals my aim is to finish before them, on one of them I chose Vikki and keep on her shoulder before taking her in the last 10 seconds (though I know Vikki is been sensible and coming back from injury in a very steady manner, by next month I won’t even be able to keep pace with her). I push myself and it takes me nearly a minute to get my breath back in between each effort I am really surprise and pleased how my legs work, no pain, but as soon as we start to run back I can hardly move my legs and I know I’m not recovered from Saturday! By the time we get back to the gym my legs are so tight I have to walk the last bit for fear that something will snap! Tooth ache – which was fine while running starts again! Really wish I had a sitter for tonight as would love to go for a curry with the guys.

Day 58 Wednesday 3rd March 2010 - It can’t be Wednesday I’m not training!

I wake up just before my alarm, have had a good night sleep but have a headache and tooth is niggling already. Also my left foot is a little sore again! Think I need to call Harriet the Hands Morgan and get myself booked in for a sports massage, as I lie here contemplating this I can’t decide which is most painful a sports massage or Tooth Ache!

It’s a rest day to day so I focus more on my work, want to get through my to do box today but also have an interview for ILM course at lunchtime which I need to prepare for first thing as I haven’t really thought about this yet.

Adele has developed a new tactic of asking me things in a way that she gets her way it starts with “Mum I think I know what you will say, but . .. . . “ And as the one thing I hate to be is predictable I end up not saying what she expects and therefore agreeing to whatever she has requested. This is how at the beginning of the week Adele got me to agree to her friend staying over on a school night. Tomorrow they have to go dressed as characters from a book and they wanted to go as twins . . . . . from which book I never actually found out . . . . .But they were as good as gold hardly saw them and when I went to tell them to go to bed they already had.

I had a relaxing evening and filled up on pasta veg and chicken in preparation for tomorrow’s long run!

Day 59 Thursday 4th March 2010 - Solo 20 miles, just me, myself, iPod & open road

Its long run day – Adele friend brings me a cup of tea in bed, could get used to this! Have toast for breakfast then a little while after a big bowl of porridge with sultanas. I have just converted to Sultanas in my porridge as last week when I was skint I ran out of my usual golden syrup, but actually this is much nicer! Can’t decide what to wear as sun is shining, My new coat with removable sleeves has arrived, but it’s not quite what I want and I think I’m going to send it back: so should I go for long sleeved top and sleeveless gillet, but pockets are too small for my water bottle: or short sleeved top and long sleeved jacket, but zip has gone on this and I have to step in and out of it, a pain if I want to take it on and off? Start to get myself in a tis-was.

Have a lift arranged and so at about 10.40 I am abandoned in Morrison’s car park at Whetherby. I set off, back to Leeds divert through Collingham the first 2 miles hurt in my legs, but am ok, Garmin suggested I was going too fast. But I soon settled in to my run as I worked my way along towards Harewood. I had chosen this route as I thought I would be able to take in the lovely country scenery, I always feel at peace in the country side and it was lovely, the snow drops and other spring flowers are finally making an appearance. But what I hadn’t thought about was there was no pavement on this road and the traffic was somewhat fast, including several large trucks and so I had to keep my wits about me particularly on bends in the road. Once or twice I had to jump into the hedgerow just to be sure. As I reached Harewood I decided to have a gel as there was a bin could throw wrapped away in, Nicky, with brilliant timing, sent me a supportive text at this point and so I was able to quickly reply before I was on my way again. Up Leeds Road, never realised what a hill “up” this was but got up it by taking steady paces and singing along to Surfing USA, Ruby Ruby Ruby, and Maggie May........ walking just wasn’t an option for me at this stage. Was worried I might miss my turning to Eccup but found it ok, from here on I could visualise my route as it was made up of different runs I have done several times. I think this helped as I just ran it a section at a time. In what felt like no time at all I was at Golden Acre. It was here I had my only real walk while I had another gel and text Dan who was at home poorly. I’m not a fan of running along Otley Road, it’s just too long and done it too many times but today it felt ok. I stopped at the garage to get some water and top my bottle up and had another gel, then off down Ade Lane, I love house spotting down here, across the ring road up Weetwood Lane, felt a need to turn the music up a little here, then as turned left to run down through the Hollies on came “eye of the tiger” and I found myself bounding down the dirt track round fences and boulders punching the air as if I was Rocky himself. I felt my shin ache a little here though and know I was just going too fast. In to Meanwood Park and I took advantage of running on the grass to give my legs a breather from the pounding. Along the back way to Monkbridge Road (passed the bakers shop my Granddad used to run in the war and where my dad used to call regularly to buy teacakes so that he could try chat my mum up) and up for what I knew is my last but one hill, I slowed my pace and stuck with it. Nipped through Headingly and downhill to join Kirkstall Road. When I reached my turning to go up Canal Road I still had half a mile to go and as Canal Road is up I contemplated running further on Kikrstall road but didn’t decided to go up Canal Road which I have to say was the hardest bit of the whole run. I then had another mile to walk home but this helped to ease my legs.

Now last year after doing my 20 miler I think I just had a bath ate and did nothing for the rest of the day but today I have arranged to meet Mabeth for a coffee and a long overdue catch up. So it’s a proper meal, bath, dressed, drive to town, park up a quick browse at Up & Running and Sports Direct than meet up with Mabeth. Lovely to see how well Mabeth is and hear all her news.

Day 60 Friday 5th March 2010 – Duvet day!

I have a second full rest day today and when I say rest day I really do mean rest day, Leisurely bath, a little nap, read, write my blog notes for yesterday, rest my eyes a little, lunch, read some more a wee afternoon 40 winks and read a little till kids come home from school! Very lazy, very self indulgent – but hey I think I deserve it!

Day 61 Saturday 6th March 2010 – Massage with Tea & Cake

Shan’t bore you too much with my Saturday routine as I’m sure you know it by now, Park Run (no Dan) Hot chocolate at Caldos (thanks V) Body Pump then home to do washing and chores etc.

Went to Nicky’s later who gave my legs a brilliant massage (reckon Nicky could be on a winner here massage with tea & homemade cake) It was great to have a proper chat and catch up and I felt very relaxed after but I bet Nicky was tired as she spent ages on each leg!

Day 62 Sunday 7th March 2010 -

Last race of the 2009/10 season Peco Cross Country today. I seem to remember when the club first raised this as something we could do that I said very clearly that I would not be taking part in any cross country as I was scared and convinced and I would injure myself. I am thrilled that my team mates persuade me to give it a go. One pair of off road trainers later and I have completed 5 out of 5 with spilling my first blood today from one slight wound from some brambles that tried to trip me up! It has been an experience a challenge and I have enjoyed (in a perverse kind of a way) every single minute of them! Each course has been different bringing its own challenges but today saw us returning to running up, down and through woods, over tree roots, stiles, bridges, cobbles, boulders, puddles, ice and even some metal hurdles and of course the obligatory mud!

First Blood!

As I ran down the final hill I thought about how far I had come and was taken back in time about thirty–cough-cough-ish years ago. My dad was a scout leader and our summer family holiday was the annual scout camp and one particular year when I was about 9, abseiling was the main activity. I remember sitting at the top of what my much older brothers called a nursery slope in the woods and they were teaching the scouts the techniques etc for abseiling. I was desperate to have a go but just daren’t as I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of all the scouts. After a while I decide to go back to camp, probably to set the tuck/sweet shop up which I was in charge of (what power I had for such a young girl) and as I started to walk down this hill – much like today’s final downhill - my feet started to run away with me I got faster and faster and could not stop I was quite terrified and trying not to scream and as my feet turned over faster and faster I was propelled forward until slam I ran straight into a big tree my chest and face banging right into it (if I remember right I even lost a tooth) the tree stopped me momentarily but then I just kind of slid round it and continued on my journey to the bottom of the hill where I arrived in a dishevelled heap! Then later that year I was on a Sunday school trip to Filey and was walking along a winding path that went up the cliff through a wooded area. I lost my footing on the path (and I wasn’t even running) and went tumbling down the hill side hitting my head on a tree and landing in a great big bunch of nettles my legs and arms were covered in cuts bruises and nettle stings. But what I remember most is that the Cadburys Caramel Bar had only just come out and I had treated myself to one ( for me this was a big treat) and in my tumble I lost it!

I reckon these two events had left me with a deep seated fear of any sort of off road running that involves hills and trees! But thanks to the VARR team and Peco I think I’m nearly cured!

And the best thing about today?

Well this may have been the last race of VARR’s first cross country season but both the Girls and Boys team came first! Brilliant! And the boys have gained promotion double brilliant!