Marathontalking.....

Two weeks have passed me by again, very quickly!  I've been so busy socially and running wise I hardly know where to begin! Thankfully I've managed to keep up with the running and fit in the socials too. Starting with son Tom's 21st Birthday, the campervan cake caused me a bit of headache and a missed yoga class on Thursday to boot.  It was worth it though as his eyes lit up as we sang the obligatory 'Happy Birthday' and he proclaimed 'it's mint!!'. Bowling and a meal ensued causing my only missed training run in the last two weeks. I forgive myself that after two tough races in two weeks, Golden Acre Park and Huddersfield but I'm saying no more! In anticipation of missing Wednesday's club run I completed a 14 mile run from Silsden to Apperley Bridge with my London marathon training husband in the morning.

The highlight though was last Wednesday evening when instead of going to club I attended Leeds University - 'Marathontalk Live', part of the 'Celebrating the Games' series of lectures.  If you haven't listened to the weekly podcasts put out by Martin Yelling and Tom Williams this will mean nothing but believe me there is a mountain of info, advice and just plain humour to be gleaned from these podcasts.  Tony Audenshaw also has a massive input in the form of 'Tony's Trials', hilarious and even more so live.  I'm now eagerly awaiting the downloadable version to listen again - it will be bizarre, I'm sure, to hear the actual conversations since I was there sat in the audience.  A small disappointment on the night was the fact that Liz Yelling was supposed to be there but due to her young daughter being unwell she was unable to attend.  She was, however, replaced by GB Olympic marathoner Tracey Morris who had agreed to step in at the last minute.  The name was familiar and I initially thought she was a Pudsey Pacer's runner.  It turned out she is actually a member of Valley Striders. Billed as 'fun runner to olympian' after she ran the Leeds Abbey Dash in 33 minutes and was fast tracked to an elite start at the London Marathon, Tracey gave us a frank insight into some of her races and a typical training week for her.  A very inspirational lady, she truly came across as just a club runner who 'done good'! No doubt I may have been on the start line of one or two local races in which she has taken part.  Listen on the Marathontalk website when it's available.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  You may also find yourself hooked and searching through the archives of past podcasts.  The interview with ex Eccleshill Road Runner, Diane Aykroyd (Episode 96) is particularly inspirational. Diane talks with such enthusiasm and also in a way in which 'ordinary' people can relate to. I truly admire her decision to tackle her first marathon at the age of 63.

Febulous has gone fairly well (only a small failure to hit my long run target on one occasion) and we have now moved into Marchvellous, as well as, for me, three target runs and a target long run distance each week, we now have the addition of predicting the time for a race during March.  Points are awarded for hitting the target time spot on but we are penalised equally for being faster or slower than the predicted time! Thank goodness then that my race, the Dewsbury 10k is the first of the 'double' I plan to do this coming Sunday, as I have, I think 'zipped up the man suit' and predicted that my time will be 4 minutes faster than my time for the same race last year!!  Due to Dewsbury being cancelled on 5th Feb when it snowed it now clashes with the next in the YVAA race series prompting a few of us to do both! Well there's a first for everything!

When the going gets tough

The going's got tough this last week and it's beginning to show - it always seems that if I drop down my training it has an undesirable effect. Although I've still managed to get out each training session, after proclaiming how Marathontalk's motivation tool had really helped me to get out of the door in the adverse weather conditions last week - I've just found it impossible to keep it up this week which has resulted in my having not done my long run of 10 miles and I've now gone down the league table! I'm not entirely sure just what has been the cause of my maladies but I'm hazarding a guess at it being the bitterly cold conditions we have endured on some of our runs of late. Friday's run up Westfield Lane was particularly a probable cause as I really felt the biting wind. I'm now sporting a face full of cold sores, mouth ulcers, dry itching skin and numerous niggles. At the other end of the scale, Sunday's YVAA first race of the 2012 series turned into a near mud bath in parts due to the milder weather conditions.  Most of the ice and snow had melted and although it was still quite cold it was rather wet and muddy in places.  A rather enjoyable race though.  I played a bit of cat and mouse with Helen from club, she still managed to finish a little ahead of me! A fantastic turn out for Eccleshill meant team spirit a plenty!

Today it's Peter May to the rescue, I hope, at least for the aches and pains and maybe the oil will help the dry skin! Monthly massage day seems to have come around at just the right time again!

I'm desperately in need of a little TLC I think! The choccies are already received from my Valentine and I'll have to drop some hints for some pampering I think. We are all guilty of taking our bodies for granted and then we are surprised when it comes to a head and we begin to suffer for our neglect.  I'm definitely going to try and pay more attention or at least get someone else to!

I'm booking next Wednesday off to attend a lecture at Leeds Uni hosted by the Marathontalk gang of Martin Yelling, Tom Williams and Liz Yelling which is part of the 'Celebrating the Games' lecture series.  Looking forward to that, Marathontalk Live! I just hope they don't have the motivation scores in front of them!

Well at least I'll be able to run the chocolates off tomorrow - oh I do love Valentines Day!

Absolutely Febulous!

The week that was! The Monday before last's speed and hills session (following my horrendous Brass Monkey Half Marathon) was a busy affair. Lots of members, old, new and returning turned up to take part in the 'short interval' session.  Arriving at the start my intention was to run the 12 1/2 minutes out and back steadily as a recovery run - I counted the runners down and off we went. I, though, soon came to an abrupt halt! Looking down at my watch and trying to switch it from recording miles to recording minutes I ran straight into a lamp post! I literally saw stars and shot off like a bat out of hell! Someone remarked when I got back that I had run off quickly, 'yes, due to the shock' I replied! However, I did complete the interval in 25:07, just 7 seconds out - I joked that I had spent those 7 seconds hugging the lamp post! I don't though, recommend running into lamp posts to improve your speed! I did go on to have several more mishaps that week so was glad to see the back of it!

I promised myself I would get up early to run on Friday morning as I was unable to train with club as I was visiting St Mary's school in Menston to watch my niece perform in their production of 'Sound of Music', awakening to the dark, cold morning I decided against it! Thinking to myself that I'll fulfil my Marathontalk 'Febulous' target with the Dewsbury 10k. The 'Jantastic' target for January was somewhat more attainable since you just had to state how many runs you would do each week, now we have to attain the same number of runs and in addition set a target long run distance. I had done the distance run but was still short in the numbers.

The first snow of Winter fell on Saturday afternoon, right on cue, the forecasters were right for once! Having planned to attend a meal to celebrate my cousin's 50th Birthday I began to worry if we would make it.  I agreed to drive since I had the Dewsbury 10k on Sunday morning.  The snow continued to fall but having made the decision to 'carry on regardless' we set off in earnest to pick up my Aunty who lives up one of the steepest roads around this area, long term Eccleshill members will be familiar with it, Averingcliffe Road, part of the Eccleshill Tuff 10k route - a race I only ever got to marshal. Anyway the trusty Terios got us to her house without too much trouble - even if our hearts were in our mouths the whole journey! We had a lovely meal despite the very late arrival of the Birthday Boy and being a little short of the numbers booked in to eat at the Three Singhs.  I began to wonder whether the race would be on but having checked the Dewsbury Road Runners website all day they were adamant the race was going ahead, all well and good if there was little or no snow in Dewsbury but could the runners from out of town get there? Alas, around 9:30 pm I received a text from a fellow Road Runner to say that the race was cancelled.

Getting up early on Sunday morning, everywhere was white. I studied my options, fail for my first week of Febulous or get out and run.  I decided that I would take Dave and go up to Calverley when Martin went to feed the chickens etc and then run from there or run walk whatever was possible.  To my surprise as I got dressed into my running gear, Martin pulled his out of the wardrobe and announced he would come with me.  He too was going to be short for his Febulous target.  How's that for a motivational tool! Despite thinking on many occasions that I hadn't really challenged myself - the thought lurked there in the back of my mind that I would let the Eccleshill team (and myself) down if I didn't hit the targets I had set. What a very rewarding run we had, everything is so much more beautiful covered in snow and the frozen canal looked amazing.  The ducks waddling along to find unfrozen water! Amazingly we managed over 9 miles - mission accomplished!

It's a little late to join now to score for the team but if you wanted to you can still register and set your own targets for the rest of February's Febulous and March's Marchvellous- just log on and register it's really easy! Good Luck and keep your eyes on what the team are doing!

Way off the mark

I'm currently doing some soul searching. I really can't remember having the feelings and emotions I experienced following Sunday's Brass Monkey half marathon. Setting goals I now realise can be a little precarious.  Whilst I think on the whole aiming for goals can only be a good thing I now realise if things don't go to plan it can also have a detrimental effect.  All part of learning I suppose.  However, at around mile 11 on Sunday I never wanted to run again!

I had wrestled with my thoughts on running with Lyndon and by and large came to the conclusion that it could be my salvation in terms of getting me the time I had set my sights on, 1 hr 50 minutes.  That wonderful thing 'hindsight' has popped up again and I wish I had some of it at the right time sometimes.  With it, I might well have done one of two things, pulled out of the race or at least given myself a break and lowered my goal to take into account my health and the horrendous weather bestowed on us over the weekend.

Instead I took the decision to run with Lyndon and agreed if I couldn't keep up he should keep going.  Hmm, 2 miles in and he pulled away, never looking back, gasping as I fought to catch my breath, I kept him in my sights up until about mile 5 and then I didn't see him again. I plodded on trying to fight against the wind, at times being blown off the path and into ditches, once even having another runner blown into me! The further into the race I got, the weaker I got, I hadn't anything at all in the tank. I told my self at mile ten I only had a parkrun to go. By mile 11 I was in pain across the bottom of my back and chest, I felt sick and I truly considered giving in.  I have never, ever done that before. Coming back into the village of Bishopsthorpe, the cheery marshals kept telling runners that they had only a mile to go, what seemed like an age later I came upon the 12 mile marker. eventually I struggled back into York race course, the relief was immense.  Not having once looked at my watch, I stopped it and glanced down, just as I expected I was way off the mark - way off my previous time for the same race even.  How had I got it so wrong?  I hadn't a clue, my head was fuzzy and I couldn't think straight.  I joined the queue for drinks and was thrust a plastic bag, 'one size fits all' said the man.  When I finally was able to comprehend what he had given me I realised it was a 'large' gilet displaying the race logo! Wonderful, the darn thing doesn't even fit so I don't even get a reward for my efforts.  I do wish that race organisers would take into account that smaller people finish near the back of the field too!

A few hours later I was able to look back on the race, nobody likes making excuses and it's difficult to accept that there are going to be days when your race or run don't go according to plan, c'est la vie! I've now cut myself some slack but my pride is still a little dented and it might take me a while to think about chasing goals in the future!

All in order...

I'm writing a short blog this morning in an attempt to get my thinking in order. I hope.  It's been another busy week what with this session, that session and a new yoga class thrown in for good measure!  I have to admit to feeling a little under the weather today, so my plan is to chill and destress.  Starting this morning with a long hot bath and self pamper session. I won't go into details! 'Thank God' I hear you cry?

Well this brings me to here and now.  Reflecting on the week.  I have been searching for a while for some form of cross training and I'm really pleased I joined a yoga class on Thursday evening and I plan to keep going until I either, get the gist of it or figure it's really not for me.  The good thing is, unlike my first Zumba class, I do want to go again.  I also plan to go back to my Wii fit yoga for an extra session each week too, I'm sure the 'real thing' will  aid me in this.  Funny how some people's reaction to the Wii fit yoga is 'oh it'll be nothing like it' - it really is, I was surprised that apart from the teacher being 'virtual' (an advantage here is I can choose a female or a hunky male!) the poses are very much correct, the teaching of the class is what's not, having to choose each pose with the cursor, I can skip the poses I don't feel I'm very good at, therefore, never will be!

I'm hoping it was a one off but the morning after yoga - and coincidentally completing a health questionnaire before the class, stating that I suffer with migraine, as I have since my teens although attacks are few and far between these days, yes you guessed it, I suffered a migraine, quite mild but I'm still feeling the effects today.  Anyhow the good news is that Fen (yoga teacher) has assured me that although the first yoga class often brings out a few things in clients it's often the breath (as we often don't breathe properly on a day to day basis) that causes it rather than the physical side of things, and it shouldn't last. Here's hoping.

So last night I received a text from club mate Mick asking if I would like to run with fellow club mate Lyndon tomorrow at the Brass Monkey.  He said although I was looking for a PB, Lyndon wasn't going for a time (he's returning from injury), so decisions, decisions.  Once more I sit on the fence, part of me thinks I should not put myself through the stress beforehand, I'm slightly worried for some reason, I'm of the mind that this may well affect my sleep tonight, and as I'm already feeling fatigued won't help my race.  On the other hand I could be missing out on an opportunity to be paced round and at the end of the day if I find I can't keep up then Lyndon can go and do his own thing is that's what he wants, so long as we agree that beforehand then what's to lose? I think I might have talked myself into that one!

Now as I write the house doors are rattling and I can hear the wind howling down the chimney, let's hope that dies down before tomorrow.  I think I need to go lie down now.........

Mine Hosts!

Not deep but crisp!

The last few days being extremely cold and frosty makes you aware of how difficult it is to choose what gear to run in. One minute it's mild, next it's windy and driving rain, next slippery under foot! Yesterday was a slight shock when I got up fairly early to prepare to meet club members to travel over to Temple Newsam in Leeds for race number 3 in the 2011/12 Peco cross country league. Having celebrated my son's 30th birthday the previous evening with a scrumptious meal and a drink or three I'd had to prise my eyelids open to peer out of the curtains, everywhere was white, no snow, just severe frost. Brrrr I really could have climbed back into bed, 'I'll probably end up walking most of it or even worse I can see my lamb shank et al making an unscheduled reappearance' I thought as I shuffled into the bathroom! I knew though I couldn't let the team down with such a lame excuse, so I told myself I'm turning up to make up a team and if we had a team without me I could sit this one out and cheer them on. Alas, Gill, Shirley, Amanda and me made up the team of four we needed to score! I needn't have worried about having my excuses ready though, the ground was so frozen, at times slippy, rutted, tree roots, tractor tracks frozen so solid they were difficult to negotiate, all manner of obstacles in the way that I had a mountain of excuses for being even slower than normal, not least waiting for what seemed like an age in a queue to get over a stile.

The highlight of the day for me though was when we emerged from the woodland and got to the bottom of quite a steep incline and the lady marshal at the bottom was repeatedly shouting (in her German accent I think it was) 'up past the temple and go straight forward' - temple? I thought - are we heading back towards the house? Upon getting to the top of the short but steep incline, behold, there it was, 'The Little Temple' - a small stone built structure, I obviously couldn't hang around to read the tourist information board but I definitely intend to return some time soon to have a closer inspection of that and the surrounding area of Temple Newsam. One of the beauties of running is that you get to places you wouldn't normally get to near and far!

Another frosty evening awaited us for tonight's club (Enterprise) session, speedy and active though it was, the arrival of my number for the Brass Monkey Half Marathon today reminding me to take it slightly easier than I normally would, it failed to even warm an inch of my body! So with the half marathon in mind this weekend I'm planning to take the rest of the week easy too, rest tomorrow, club night Wednesday, my first yoga class on Thursday and club Friday, and a sports massage tomorrow should ensure I get to the start line confident of my target, a sub 1:50 half marathon, whoops, that's twice I've said it now......

Whistle while we run!

Parkrun, Leeds, Hyde Park last Saturday heralded the first 2012 race in the Eccleshill Winter championship, incidentally, of which there are only five remaining, can't be too long until Summer then can it? A breezy, drizzling morning met us in the park, hundreds assembled to run the 5k time trial, 8 of us in the blue and white club colours. I bravely stripped down to my club tee shirt and began to shiver immediately and that was just at the sight of Mick Hogan in nothing more than his vest, all the other ladies and one gent had long sleeved tops under theirs - now why didn't I think of that? Lap three of three and I finally began to be able to feel my hands and arms again! Sipping freshly brewed coffee and nibbling my delicious chocolate brownie in the Opposite cafe afterwards made it all worthwhile. When the results came through my time wasn't what I had hoped but only seconds away from my 5k PB I couldn't really complain. I am, I think, still suffering the effects of the Christmas excesses and I didn't wear my new running shoes either as I was for warned that it was muddy! The excuses are piling up! I really did enjoy the change of scenery though and hope to go back some time soon.

A long run on Sunday with some of the girls from club was another welcome change. We met at Rawdon Meadows, Apperley Bridge and set off on the road to Bingley, once there we got onto the canal for the return journey. As we approached Dobson Lock at Apperley Bridge my spirits were lifted upon hearing a whistle from one of the cottages on the side of the canal, looking over to find out who it was it soon became apparent that it was in fact a parrot whose owner had sat him in the porch quite probably for some fresh air! We giggled! It soon became clear that our planned 10 mile at 10 am wasn't 10 miles but over 12! Brilliant confidence booster for the Brass Monkey half marathon which is looming. A week and a half away now, it feels good to have got the miles in the bank. Now to try not to over do it before race day.

After failing to get to club for the last two Wednesday's I really missed going out this morning but no doubt I will feel better when I get back from my run this evening! Funny how you can get used to a different routine so quickly. I won't make a habit of it though.

Chatting to Anne (of member of the month fame!) at parkrun the subject of yoga came up, I've had a stretch of doing it on my Wii fit and did quite well for a while but like most things you try to do solo, I gave up after a couple of months. Anne said the class she goes to at a local church might be what I need so I've agreed to give it a go when she comes back from her skiing holiday. A week tomorrow will be my first class. I'm quite looking forward to it and then maybe I'll be able to do an extra session each week on my Wii fit and most probably do it correctly. I always felt that without instruction I may not have been carrying out the poses correctly so hopefully I'll be able to make a comparison! Bring on the cross training!