Nottingham triathlon .....so whats next?

So nottingham triathlon came and went..... considering my lack of time to train this year i did pretty well.... Well that is as long as you forget the fact i got a little lost in the swim!!! yes i know how can you get lost in the swim...

 Well its suprisingly easy in murky lake water when your goggles steam up and amazing how much extra distance you can add im pretty sure i swam an extra 400 meters... so my swim was slow but in total i only came in 2 minutes slower than last year... so had i not decided to swim away with the duckies i would actually have pulled off a faster time than last year which just goes to show that even if you dont feel trained enough its worth giving things a shot!!

so what next?

well i have 2 weeks left of term before things get quieter... than its time for some serious running training!
im hoping to run the london marathon with my partner next year in 2012... so this year running will take presidence over anything else...

Now my partner who had never run a step in her life before is  now trying to embrace the thought of running the marathon ... in fact she was the one who actually suggested running the london marathon ( rather stupidly she chose a family gathering to do this so now the whole family are waiting and expecting her to run so its a done deal!!!!)

After 3 weeks of training she is now running 4k by running for 7 minutes and walking for 3 and repeating this interval.... Now this is not to say we have done this without shedding a few tears, weve had a few dramas over some GIANT blisters (really they were huge!!! lol) and some tantrums running round the lake, but i am so proud of how far she has come in just 3 weeks..... the london marathon proffessonals better watch out we will be right on their heels.....
we will also be raising for cancer research so keep an eye out for a link in the next few months to a just for giving link.
so me the slow runner and my partner the never runner.... will be spending this next year running we will beat the 26 miles and we are going to enjoy every blistering step it takes us to get there..... some come on guys if you have ever thought about doing a marathon..... well just do it there is no time like the present....

watch this space for news on how we get on.

You Can

Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'.


The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?

 
What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate
 
If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise

 
 
My therapist is the pavement. My drug is endorphins. My foe is the next hill. I am a runner.

My lunch hours aren't for eating, my Saturday mornings aren't for sleeping, and my holidays aren't for taking it easy. I am a runner

Woohoo New Legs

well as you all know i have just recently started running again.... well jogging and for just a few minutes at a time :-)
But yesterday i went out for a slightly longer jog with a friend...... 3k no knee pain (well not while i was running) then a little walk followed by another 1k jog .....wehey! god i have missed it and it seems so far so good ...touch something woody (fumbles around and finds a small wooded pencil grabbing it quickly)
Unfortunatly as i havent run for so long albeit my legs seem to be taking the reintroduction to running fairly well my lungs are not!... i have kept fit, but it seems the loss of running has had a severe effect and its going to take me some time to convince my lungs that running really is fun :-) there was a little bit of screaming coming from the lung area they were not happy.... but soon i will whip them back into shape.

so the new plan is up 1k in distance every week with at least 2 runs at that distance each week for 6 weeks. After this time if all is well and the lungs and knees have settled i will up it by 1.5 k each week for 6 weeks which will get me to 18k just befopre the half marathon setting me up for a good injury free run :-)
oooh i do like a good plan :-) bring on the next few weeks and my new legs :-)
(shussssssssssh lungs you will learn to love running again)

The Challenge Begins

Last year i conquered my first half marathon, now i loved it, (not at the time - i cried towards the end) BUT FINISHING WAS AMAZING.
now i did a none too shabby 2 hrs 33 mins, and for someone who was many stone heavier and hadnt run at all till 6 months earlier this wasnt bad.
well as some of you already know im doing the same half marathon again... hopefully a bit faster and with less tears :-)
Luckily for me i have been invited by Shape up Notts (see link at side) to be part of their marathon team, not only will they pay for it but i also get a load of free new balance running kit too woop woop. I am running with them as they found my story inspiring and hope that it will continue to inspire others just as i do.

so i got home from work and there was a parcel note for me ( i love getting parcels its so exciting)... off i went to collect and excitedly rushed home to try it all on.

i love it all matching capri's, t-shirt, running jacket and Trainers, and couldnt wait to use it... even the trainers match a lovely pair with pink trim. I have yet to run in them but as i have now had the go ahead from my physio today to start running again next week i am raring to go!

Look out robin hood half... here i come!

2 weeks to go..... my itchy feet will soon feel the tarmac again

well as you all know i have been struggling with ITB syndrome, this has meant over 3 months without being able to run. But good news! i saw my physio yesterday who along with giving me a million more excercises to do (where i will fit them in to my day i have no idea!) she has also said that all being well i will be back to running in 2 weeks! woohoo
now ofcourse this does not mean i will be sally gunnel straight away... its more likely i will be just running a few minutes a day to build up gradually, and believe me i will be listening to all the advice i am given. i aim to run the half marathon again this year and hopefully shave some time off and i can only do this if my ITB stays under control. so a gradual build up it is, first to 5k ready for the triathlons i have planned and then on to the 21 k i need for the marathon. but no problem it will be fine as long as i listen to my body.
i cannot wait to get on that treadmill or out on the road again. i cant believe how much i have missed running. only just over a year ago i would never have even run for the bus.... if i had attempted it i would no doubtedly fall over in a fat sweaty lump and miss the bus anyway! Now i reckon i could beat the bus!
So come on 2 weeks run by so that i too can feel the pleasure of a sunday morning jog or the elation of crossing a finish line... i have missed you my friends.

Do i have the time?....... the answer has to be yes!

All day i had been planning to head out on a bike ride after work, i knew what time i needed to leave and how long it would take me.... but today was one of those days where everyone and everything was determined to thwart me!

Despite trying to finish work on time the cash machine broke in the venue which then had to be fixed, i had several last minute phone calls which turned into mamouth conversations where i truly find myself wondering if the person on the other end really needed to tell me this right now!

I finally manage to set off in the car only to find im stuck behind a dear old lady doing 35 max in a 60 ahhhhhhhhh im beginning to wonder if i have the time before it gets dark

I get home and im madly running about again with the phone tied to my head as i try to sort ourt some work stuff and try to carry out my road bike at the same time..... the bruises on my legs show this really wasnt working :-)

finally i head off in the car to the bike ride location on the way i manage to persuade a friend to meet me out there.

Finally im there i get on the bike and i realise the scambling to get away from the office, the falling out of the door as i try to rush out the house with the bike, and the keeping my patience with little old ladies was all .....................completely worth it!

Later as i ride my friend joins me, and we soon realise its time to head in... partly due to the fact it was now difficult to see where we were going, note to self get light for road bike to avoid near death collisions with geese!

So when you are wondering do i have the time..... just make that concious decision to push through and do it anyway. whats the worse that could happen.... you finish a little later than you had planned. get up get out and have fun. After all whats the point in working if you dont have the time to enjoy yourself every now and again.

Rubbish butt.... and wet weather training

Well i had an appointment the other day at the hospital and with a physio.... it turns out that the cause of my lateral knee pain is ITB Syndrome.... essentially this is one of the muscles which goes down the outside of your thigh.... its getting inflammed and rubbing against my femur... what is the cause you may ask.... well it turns out i have a rubbish Butt.

i know can you believe it for all the things to have wrong its a rubbish bum.... essentially my gluts are weak so i now need to strengthen my butt to enable my gluts to be strong enough to hold my leg in the correct line when i run. So for the next 2 months i am not allowed to run.

But thats fine it means im going to miss out on my 10k next week (but i shall be supporting the rest of my mates who are doing it) and the spring triathlons are out of the window... but it just means i will have time to really work on my bike and swim.

now my swim is pretty strong 14 min 12 secs for open water 750m, but my bike is rubbish. So i will be getting the bike out far more now the weather is getting better.

Mind you i say that and i arranged with a couple of mates to go out for a training session round homepier pont yesterday (great for training as its a 5k lap) and when we got there the heavens opened. this of course didnt stop us but it was pretty amusing the state of us by the end of it. i ment to take some photos but as we looked like and felt like drowned rats at the end the desire to get home, warm and dry meant i completly forgot to get some pics for the blog. however i do have some pics of my brand new trainers which were white and are now more of a muddy brown... why did i not wear my old trainers!

Now i timed a lap round the lake and it was just under 13mins.... this realy needs to improve as that essentially means we were only going about 23kph, but i must point out down one side of the lake the riding is awesome, down the other it feels like your pushing against a 12 tonne elephant due to a horrid head wind. this combined with the torrential rain actually means for a first training ride this is not too bad, but i hope to get it down to about 10 min per lap so 30kph ave. this of course means hammering it up the easy side and sustaining a good pace against the wind on the other... but thats what makes it all the more challenging.

and as my rubbish butt means no running for a bit i have no excuse but to grab the bike and get training.

note to self though.... must get some designated bike shoes (clip in preferably) to save my poor running trainers from the trauma that has now left them whimperring under the radiator :-)