So after the excitement and adrenaline of the Bodyflight World Challenge came the Croydon Half Marathon this evening (Sunday 7th April). With just 2 weeks to go before the London Marathon, I have been starting to taper and the half would be the last run of any real distance before the marathon. To be honest, the first week of the taper didn't feel any different physically (I just knew in my mind that I was tapering) as I was tired from the 20 miler and still did the same distance recovery run and mid-week tempo run. I did however have to miss a swimming session, but the Bodyflight weekend was tiring so didn't really have much of a rest day at all. Even cutting the distance from 20 to 13 miles wasn't that different as I had been following a similar pattern throughout Feb and March anyway (doing 18-20 miles regularly, or a HM every 2nd or 3rd week). So it probably won't feel like I am really recovering until next weekend, where I just get to do a 10K instead of another 15mile+.
Got up early to get the 7am train into London, I was a bit concerned about finding the place as had never been to Croydon at all and the race was a small event in a local cricket club, unlike the other big London races where they have taken place at a massive venue such as the O2 or in one of the royal parks. But I needn't have worried as it was very easy to find - train went straight through to Croydon, then a short tram ride and it was sign posted from the tram stop to the club. There were plenty of other runners on the tram so it was easy to follow the crowd!
I'd not looked at the elevation of the course so although know the route was two laps, I had no area how hilly it would be. I sort of assumed it would be quite flat being in London, but was very wrong! First surprise was a steep walk up a hill up to the venue, and seeing race signs and cones along the road so knew this would be the last half mile of the race! Also chatted to a few people when i got there who said it was very undulating. I don't mind a bit of this - the New Forest 20 would make any race seem easy now - but I knew it would feel tough compared to Reading and Bath.
It was a really good day for a run, blue skies and a nice temperature - not too cold or warm and finally felt like spring. I'd at last got a chance to wear my shorts and charity vest that I was expecting to were for the marathon. There were roughly 500 people taking part and it looked like many of them were also preparing for London. Saw a lot of people with brand new charity vests! The route was mainly along residential streets with closed roads, and then along the footpaths for stretches along the main roads. There were very few actual spectators, except for around the finish line, along there were quite a few people out and about who supported us. The marshals were very good and friendly. It's always nice when there are more people out and about in the good weather - loads of people stayed around afterwards and sat on the grass by the finish line, which makes a big difference. When i finished, I also had a cup of tea and ate the food from my goody bag just by the finish line to cheer other runners through.
The route was more challenging than I expected. I set off at a good pace, took it easy for the first mile and then got into a fairly steady pace of around 10:40 min miles up to about mile 5. However think my pace varied a lot after that and eventually had slowed to an average of 11 min miles but with the effort level of a much faster pace! There were several long and/or steep climbs, but also a nice, long straight down hill of over a mile which was very nice. As it was two laps, we did this twice. It did take it out of me, particularly the final mile which was mostly up hill, it was only at the 200m to go sign that it finally became flat again! Finished with a time of 2:24, just under my time for Reading, which was to be expected as it was a tapering run anyway (I don't think I've done any serious HM's this year at all - they have all been rest weeks or tapering runs!).
What I really enjoy about many races, including this, but it can happen in both small and huge races as well, are the remarkable individual achievements you see with some people. Most us us will either try and get round, or perhaps beat a previous time, maybe even aim for a good for age entry. But I do feel moved when you meet people who really shine as they perhaps have other challenges to face compared to the rest of us. For example, during today's race, I recognised a lady I seen seen in a previous race who is blind. She was running with a guide and for part of the race I was running very close to them and could hear them talking to each other. They were giving each other instructions but also chatting as well. They got a huge cheer at the finish line! I've also seen soldiers with full bergens and gear running the Loch Ness marathon, and a large group of squaddies doing the Bath Half, not to mention all the crazy charities runners who run in huge, cumbersome costumes, or the guy in the Great North Run with a with fridge (yes, as in the kitchen fridge) strapped to his back. Respect!!
I can't say i finished this race strong, as that final mile was so tough I had to walk part of it, and managed barely the slightest of sprints at the final 100 meters! The runners were very spread out at this point and was mostly on my own, so did get a good cheer! It was nice to have beaten the Reading time, even though it was still a very modest time, and was overall quite a tough race but was very glad I'd done it. Only thing I am now worried about is my charity vest, which, just as I remember from the Loch Ness marathon, is that it is too big and rubs. After 5 miles it was irritating and after 10 I could hardly stand it. My skin is actually red and sore from it. I have asked for a different size and I am really hoping it will fit better, as I am not sure what to do otherwise. My other option I guess would be to either wear several plasters, or print the charity logo on a piece of paper and pin it to one of my own vests.
It was my sisters' birthdays that day, so a great excuse to go home and eat birthday cake. We also all went out for a meal in the evening so had a nice big pizza, loads of sides and plenty of chocolate pudding.
Total training
13.1 miles - Croydon Half Marathon
Monday, 8 April 2013
Bodyflight Challenge
Had an epic weekend! Took Thursday afternoon and Friday off work, so our team could take part in the Bodyflight World Challenge. If you're not a skydiver, this is a fantastic event held in an indoor skydiving simulator (a massive vertical wind tunnel) each April, and attract some of the best teams in the world. It's a brilliant atmosphere where you can spend the day alongside some real top-of-their-game talent and watch their performances live, then all hang out in the same bar afterwards for the parties. Even better, it's also the perfect opportunity to receive coaching and tips from the best of the best - there's not many sports where weekend/novice/casual sports team get this opportunity.
Check out Skyleague's videos of the event here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Skyleague and the results here! http://ww1.skyleague.com/pages/dzs/showDZ.php?dz=110&league=55
Our team was called Amnesia and we entered the single A formation skydiving (FS) category.
We were really pleased with how our scores, as we had got much better scores than any of us had achieved in the past. It was also the first time two of our team had competed in this competition and we had only formed this team in January and had relatively little training time together. Our average score across the 10 rounds was 11.2 and we placed joint 13th out of 16 teams. Although not on the podium, we all had a great time, and our best score was 18 on round 6 - I think this was a PB for all of us. My favourite part of the weekend is that teams of all levels, from rookie to AAA and freefly, compete against other nations and therefore represent our country. It's pretty awesome seeing your country's flag next to your team name!
Huge congrats to all the UK teams who took part and earned some medals!
Looking forward to next year already!
Bodyflight's photos available here: http://www.facebook.com/BodyflightWorldChallenge/photos_stream
Video clip of the event here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=818663955949
Below - Team Amnesia larking about (Sam, me, Tony and Gill). Hopefully some pics of us flying will be available soon!
Check out Skyleague's videos of the event here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Skyleague and the results here! http://ww1.skyleague.com/pages/dzs/showDZ.php?dz=110&league=55
Our team was called Amnesia and we entered the single A formation skydiving (FS) category.
We were really pleased with how our scores, as we had got much better scores than any of us had achieved in the past. It was also the first time two of our team had competed in this competition and we had only formed this team in January and had relatively little training time together. Our average score across the 10 rounds was 11.2 and we placed joint 13th out of 16 teams. Although not on the podium, we all had a great time, and our best score was 18 on round 6 - I think this was a PB for all of us. My favourite part of the weekend is that teams of all levels, from rookie to AAA and freefly, compete against other nations and therefore represent our country. It's pretty awesome seeing your country's flag next to your team name!
Huge congrats to all the UK teams who took part and earned some medals!
Looking forward to next year already!
Bodyflight's photos available here: http://www.facebook.com/BodyflightWorldChallenge/photos_stream
Video clip of the event here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=818663955949
Below - Team Amnesia larking about (Sam, me, Tony and Gill). Hopefully some pics of us flying will be available soon!
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Review of my running accessories
And finally, a review of my running accessories such as belts and bottles!
Ronhill 600ml hand held water bottle
The handheld strap is really comfortable, adjustable and easy to hold. It has a pocket but only a small one, hardly big enough for one small gel or a few jelly babies. But I wasn't impressed with the water bottle itself, which leaked. I had to buy a new bottle from Tesco which fitted the strap. Now the bottle doesn't leak, I quite like this bottle as the strap is better than the Hilly one so I prefer to use this when i don't need an big pocket to carry more gels.
Hilly 600ml hand held water bottle
The bottle has survived, unlike the Ronhill bottle! The strap is not quite as nice to hold though, as there is a buckle on the adjustable strap that digs into my hand a little. But it has a good sized pocket for a couple of gels if you don't mind adding extra weight. The pocket on mine is hi-vis pink but think you can get black or blue as well! It also comes with a tiny ID tag you can fill in.
Nathan 330ml sprint water bottle
This is a really cute and easy to carry bottle. It is nicely shaped due to the way your thumb goes through the strap, you can hold it whilst your hand is relaxed. It has a good sized pocket, and could fit keys, ID, gels etc (although if you're carrying this bottle you would probably only be doing a short run and therefore have no need for gels). There is also a tag to write your ID details and emergency phone number.
iFitness Mini running belt
Really great running belt. It doesn't bounce or move about and is comfortable (I wear it across my hips, quite low down rather than around my waist). The bag is stretchy and can hold my iphone, credit cards, one large gel or 2 small gels, plus spare hairband and painkillers. However if it's over filled it will start to move about. The belt is wide, fully adjustable and does not move about unless you try and stuff too much into the bag. I sometimes use the running belt to tuck my gloves or hat under to carry them if it suddenly heats up. It doesn't come with any extras such as gel loops or race-bib clips though. I have 2 of these.
iFitness Ultimate Race Belt
Looked great in the shop but sadly it was totally unsuitable for me. The belt was less stretchy than the mini belt and the bag was larger and of a neoprene material. It ended up sitting too high round my waist and then bouncing up and down. The neoprene material wasn't as stretchy as the mini belt and I even had trouble closing the zip when trying to fit my phone and car keys in it. A shame it didn't fit (I took it back) as it looked promising - I wanted it as it also included loops for gels and race-bib clips and I was impressed with the Mini, but this didn't quite cut it.
Saucony running gloves with USB light
These are a good buy in the sale. Very comfy and warm enough for very cold weather - 2 layers, a soft thin inner layer and a water-resistant outer later. Looked bulky but really they are not and it is still easy enough to hold a running water bottle. Sadly one of the reasons these were so cheap was because the light had been lost so i cannot comment on that. If it's really cold I need to wear my light running gloves inside these! However my hands also overheated quite quickly if it got too warm.
Karrimore Run gloves
A cheap pair from Sports Direct, but do the job for cool weather runs. They are fairly comfortable (a bit loose fitting and the band round the wrist is a bit tight) and a rather thin material so best for autumn and cool spring days - I wore them in the winter once or twice and my hands just froze. They are hi-vis yellow with some reflective logos on them. There's no extras like water-resistance or grippy palms although there is a tiny pocket in the palm for a key (which i haven't used).
Ronhill 600ml hand held water bottle
The handheld strap is really comfortable, adjustable and easy to hold. It has a pocket but only a small one, hardly big enough for one small gel or a few jelly babies. But I wasn't impressed with the water bottle itself, which leaked. I had to buy a new bottle from Tesco which fitted the strap. Now the bottle doesn't leak, I quite like this bottle as the strap is better than the Hilly one so I prefer to use this when i don't need an big pocket to carry more gels.
Hilly 600ml hand held water bottle
The bottle has survived, unlike the Ronhill bottle! The strap is not quite as nice to hold though, as there is a buckle on the adjustable strap that digs into my hand a little. But it has a good sized pocket for a couple of gels if you don't mind adding extra weight. The pocket on mine is hi-vis pink but think you can get black or blue as well! It also comes with a tiny ID tag you can fill in.
Nathan 330ml sprint water bottle
This is a really cute and easy to carry bottle. It is nicely shaped due to the way your thumb goes through the strap, you can hold it whilst your hand is relaxed. It has a good sized pocket, and could fit keys, ID, gels etc (although if you're carrying this bottle you would probably only be doing a short run and therefore have no need for gels). There is also a tag to write your ID details and emergency phone number.
iFitness Mini running belt
Really great running belt. It doesn't bounce or move about and is comfortable (I wear it across my hips, quite low down rather than around my waist). The bag is stretchy and can hold my iphone, credit cards, one large gel or 2 small gels, plus spare hairband and painkillers. However if it's over filled it will start to move about. The belt is wide, fully adjustable and does not move about unless you try and stuff too much into the bag. I sometimes use the running belt to tuck my gloves or hat under to carry them if it suddenly heats up. It doesn't come with any extras such as gel loops or race-bib clips though. I have 2 of these.
iFitness Ultimate Race Belt
Looked great in the shop but sadly it was totally unsuitable for me. The belt was less stretchy than the mini belt and the bag was larger and of a neoprene material. It ended up sitting too high round my waist and then bouncing up and down. The neoprene material wasn't as stretchy as the mini belt and I even had trouble closing the zip when trying to fit my phone and car keys in it. A shame it didn't fit (I took it back) as it looked promising - I wanted it as it also included loops for gels and race-bib clips and I was impressed with the Mini, but this didn't quite cut it.
Saucony running gloves with USB light
These are a good buy in the sale. Very comfy and warm enough for very cold weather - 2 layers, a soft thin inner layer and a water-resistant outer later. Looked bulky but really they are not and it is still easy enough to hold a running water bottle. Sadly one of the reasons these were so cheap was because the light had been lost so i cannot comment on that. If it's really cold I need to wear my light running gloves inside these! However my hands also overheated quite quickly if it got too warm.
Karrimore Run gloves
A cheap pair from Sports Direct, but do the job for cool weather runs. They are fairly comfortable (a bit loose fitting and the band round the wrist is a bit tight) and a rather thin material so best for autumn and cool spring days - I wore them in the winter once or twice and my hands just froze. They are hi-vis yellow with some reflective logos on them. There's no extras like water-resistance or grippy palms although there is a tiny pocket in the palm for a key (which i haven't used).
Chilly but good Wednesday tempo run
So it's apparently spring but who would know?? It's still freezing out there and even got a few tiny flakes of snow as I was riding to work this morning!
At least it is now much lighter in the evenings. I did my usual 8.3 mile mid-week run last night and it was great to finish it in actual daylight! I'll now be able to do some more interesting routes out along the country lanes which are normally really dark in the winter (and taking a head torch annoys me).
Anyway last night's run went well, set off at a strong pace and managed to keep this up. Got the 2nd-fasted time for this route, just 30 seconds off my PB which was set 2 weeks ago so pleased with how it went.
Worked hard on the hills but on the downhills I didn't speed up but just used the time to go at an easier effort level, perhaps if I'd kept the same effort on the downhills I would have scraped a PB, but hey I'm tapering now and don't want to risk any injuries to the knees!
It was colder than I thought and had to wear my full length tights and gloves (although stayed with the tee-shirt). I've pretty much only run in tights since October and I'm not used to my shorts (I wore them to circuits a few weeks ago and they are a lot looser round the waist than i remembered) so I hope either the weather for the London Marathon is cool enough to wear tights or I'll need to get in some runs wearing shorts in case we suddenly get a heatwave on the day... At least my new trainers now seem fine, I bought them about a month ago ready for the marathon - and on my first medium-distance run I got a blister and panicked! I'd bought the same model of shoe as last time but they had upgraded it from the 2012 version. Thought that there was something that was part of the upgrade that did not suit my foot and that I'd have to go back to wearing my worn out trainers I bought last August! But now they have been worn in a bit they seem fine.
My hair is now just about long enough to tie back in a proper (tiny) ponytail! No more hair creeping out of the clips and getting in my eyes!
Also went for a short swim at lunchtime - unfortunately Tri-Force only have use of the pool at this time during the term time and not over the University holidays. Plus i've been told we might not have it over the summer term this year either at that time which will be a shame as I find the short Wednesday coached swims really useful and convenient. I went for a swim anyway but as it's the holidays they had closed off a third of the pool for the kids, so the pool length was only 17m which is a pain.
Today is mostly a rest day, but it will be fairly busy. I cycled to work but have finished at lunchtime as I have taken the afternoon off for the Bodyflight Challenge which starts tonight!! So am getting my stuff ready to go up to Bedford tonight. We have registration and a practice session tonight and then the competition over Friday and Saturday so it should be really good fun!! There might be a few other marathon runners competing as well so no doubt the topic of VLM and training will come up a few times!
Total Training (Wednesday)
8.3 mile run (1hr 22 mins)
35 minutes swimming
At least it is now much lighter in the evenings. I did my usual 8.3 mile mid-week run last night and it was great to finish it in actual daylight! I'll now be able to do some more interesting routes out along the country lanes which are normally really dark in the winter (and taking a head torch annoys me).
Anyway last night's run went well, set off at a strong pace and managed to keep this up. Got the 2nd-fasted time for this route, just 30 seconds off my PB which was set 2 weeks ago so pleased with how it went.
Worked hard on the hills but on the downhills I didn't speed up but just used the time to go at an easier effort level, perhaps if I'd kept the same effort on the downhills I would have scraped a PB, but hey I'm tapering now and don't want to risk any injuries to the knees!
It was colder than I thought and had to wear my full length tights and gloves (although stayed with the tee-shirt). I've pretty much only run in tights since October and I'm not used to my shorts (I wore them to circuits a few weeks ago and they are a lot looser round the waist than i remembered) so I hope either the weather for the London Marathon is cool enough to wear tights or I'll need to get in some runs wearing shorts in case we suddenly get a heatwave on the day... At least my new trainers now seem fine, I bought them about a month ago ready for the marathon - and on my first medium-distance run I got a blister and panicked! I'd bought the same model of shoe as last time but they had upgraded it from the 2012 version. Thought that there was something that was part of the upgrade that did not suit my foot and that I'd have to go back to wearing my worn out trainers I bought last August! But now they have been worn in a bit they seem fine.
My hair is now just about long enough to tie back in a proper (tiny) ponytail! No more hair creeping out of the clips and getting in my eyes!
Also went for a short swim at lunchtime - unfortunately Tri-Force only have use of the pool at this time during the term time and not over the University holidays. Plus i've been told we might not have it over the summer term this year either at that time which will be a shame as I find the short Wednesday coached swims really useful and convenient. I went for a swim anyway but as it's the holidays they had closed off a third of the pool for the kids, so the pool length was only 17m which is a pain.
Today is mostly a rest day, but it will be fairly busy. I cycled to work but have finished at lunchtime as I have taken the afternoon off for the Bodyflight Challenge which starts tonight!! So am getting my stuff ready to go up to Bedford tonight. We have registration and a practice session tonight and then the competition over Friday and Saturday so it should be really good fun!! There might be a few other marathon runners competing as well so no doubt the topic of VLM and training will come up a few times!
Total Training (Wednesday)
8.3 mile run (1hr 22 mins)
35 minutes swimming
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Review of my running tops
So I love my running gear, so have decided to review some
of it! Part one - tops.
Things I
like in tops - breathability, flat seams, bright colours and/or
reflective logos, soft material, small pockets.
Things that annoy me about tops – ill-fitting design, seams
in irritating places (such as under the arms – ever seen someone try and adjust
the sleeves under their arms and they end up looking like a monkey?).
Adidas Supernova tee-shirt
This is
my favourite running tee-shirt which I have in various colours (since I wear it so
much), in yellow with the VLM design, blue VLM, and baby blue. Lovely and soft and
breathable, and the seams are very comfortable.
It even has a small pocket. Only
thing it, the material is quite delicate and I’m weary about sticking safety
pins through it at races as it leaves a mark.
I’ve also got the long sleeve (middle pic) and double-layer versions for cold
weather.
Adidas AdiZero halter-neck top 2013 model
Probably the best looking top I have! Got to look good whilst running! It’s a halterneck design so makes a bit of a
change from the normal racer back, and cooler too. Very nice, lightweight material. Only thing I don’t like about it is the
halterneck is very thin and tends to rub after a while so is best suited to
shorter runs and cross training. Great for circuits class. It was
pretty expensive for what it is to be honest.
Got this during the Olympics, a brilliant shirt! Very comfy, fits well and great
material (different material in different places as required). Well designed with no irritating bits. I wore it for a 20 mile trail run and it was
excellent. Good for when feeling
patriotic, overseas races, and for long runs in spring and autumn.
Adidas
AdiZero running singlet 2012 model
Bought this one at the same time as the Team GB tee-shirt,
as I wanted a loose running vest and only one I had was a charity vest. It’s a good vest, pretty light, but unfortunately
I bought the wrong size and it starts to rub after a while. I tend to just wear it for short runs in
summer. Good one for 10k races. You can try something on in the shop and it fits and feels good, but sometimes you don't know if it will rub until you have actually gone for a long run (and therefore cannot return it to the store).
Got this in TK Maxx very cheaply, in fact I didn't even
recognise the brand when I bought it. I
wear it mainly for cycling and wearing after a run or the gym. Wouldn't wear it for actual running as it
would be far too hot and it had a tendency to ride up!
Skins compression tank top
One of my favourite running tops. I wore it for pretty much all my long runs
last year including the Loch Ness Marathon.
Sadly they have stopped making this model anymore so I can’t get another
one. Really comfortable, but the only
(big) issue is that it tends to keep riding up at the hip. During the long runs it stopped doing that
after about 4-5 miles (once I’d worked up a sweat, obviously made it stick!!!!)
so was ok for the long distance, but it did annoy me during those first few
miles. (no pic!)
Under Armour short sleeve compression top
Another TK Maxx impulse buy. Bought it to replace my Skins tank when it
dies, but the sleeves are very short and just a weird length. Gets worn for cycling a lot instead.
Adidas
AdiVis running gillet
Awesome running gillet.
Very comfy and well fitting, with two zip pockets. Great for when it’s raining but not cold
enough for long sleeves.
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Easter!
Happy Easter all! I know this is a little late but never mind!
Funnily enough I had this weekend planned out about 6 months ago, ever since I got a place in the London Marathon and was planning the date I would do my final long run and start tapering. Easter was 3 weeks before so I knew at some point myself plus many others would take advantage of the long weekend and get some serious miles in nice and early, so we could treat ourselves to chocolate on Sunday!
So I got my 20 mile run done on Saturday, and as a treat could watch Doctor Who with a bowl of ice cream Then could relax on Sunday although of course I went to church in the morning - 2 services in fact, one at Ashley and one at Vineyard.
On Monday I did a short 3 mile run, a nice little route, and wore one of my new tee-shirts which I bought on Saturday (I had £15 of Sweatshop vouchers to use). I absolutely love the Adidas Supernova range of tee-shirts, they are by far the most comfortable I've worn, perfect for the really long runs. I now have two of the tee-shirts from the range, one in yellow from the VLM store and one in baby blue. For cold weather, I also have the long sleeved version in royal blue, and the double layer tee-shirt with long sleeve base layer in pink and grey. When i have done the marathon I will probably reward myself with another of the tee-shirts with the VLM logo! Since they do get worn a LOT and it's nice to have one for, well, each day of the week! I'm also keen to try the AdiZero tee-shirt too as I have the halterneck vest top and it's a gorgeous, VERY lightweight top with a lovely feel to it. Should be good for the hot summer weather. I quite like the tank top as well as it would have been ideal to wear under the charity vest, but sadly I tried on 3 sizes and it just didn't fit very well.
I am debating what to wear for the marathon, on one hand I would like to wear an Adidas tee-shirt as they are the most comfortable, but I need to wear my charity vest as I am running for them and want to be seem wearing their logo. Only problem this this particular brand of vest is not a perfect fit and despite exchanging it twice for difference sizes it does tend to rub slightly after about 12 miles!! I discovered this in a training run last year (and again at the Brighton Half) and I think I just put up with it on the day, this year I think I will cover the parts of my shoulder with tape and vaseline....
It's a bit annoying that we have had such cold weather and has been too cold to run in vest tops and shorts. So far I have mostly worn 3/4 length tights and tee-shirts which I'm used to, I have not worn the shorts since about October except for a couple of very short recovery runs. So now the weather is warming up I will need to wear them for a medium run to make sure they still fit and the elastic hasn't gone!!
I would have done a proper "dress rehearsal" on Saturday's 20 mile run, but it was just too cold to wear the shorts and charity vest top.
I was also planning to go swimming yesterday, but sadly I got the days they were open mixed up. Sports Village was open on Easter Sunday but closed on the bank holiday Monday! I thought it would be open on the Monday so drove there only to have to turn round again. There was no Tri-Force swim session either, so had a lazy evening (kicking of the tapering, what better way!). I went today instead though, at lunchtime and then circuits in the evening with TF. A lot of core exercises...oooouch.
Total Training
Monday
3 mile recovery run
Tuesday
Cycle to work and home (8 miles)
35 minute swim
Circuits class - 1 hour
Funnily enough I had this weekend planned out about 6 months ago, ever since I got a place in the London Marathon and was planning the date I would do my final long run and start tapering. Easter was 3 weeks before so I knew at some point myself plus many others would take advantage of the long weekend and get some serious miles in nice and early, so we could treat ourselves to chocolate on Sunday!
So I got my 20 mile run done on Saturday, and as a treat could watch Doctor Who with a bowl of ice cream Then could relax on Sunday although of course I went to church in the morning - 2 services in fact, one at Ashley and one at Vineyard.
On Monday I did a short 3 mile run, a nice little route, and wore one of my new tee-shirts which I bought on Saturday (I had £15 of Sweatshop vouchers to use). I absolutely love the Adidas Supernova range of tee-shirts, they are by far the most comfortable I've worn, perfect for the really long runs. I now have two of the tee-shirts from the range, one in yellow from the VLM store and one in baby blue. For cold weather, I also have the long sleeved version in royal blue, and the double layer tee-shirt with long sleeve base layer in pink and grey. When i have done the marathon I will probably reward myself with another of the tee-shirts with the VLM logo! Since they do get worn a LOT and it's nice to have one for, well, each day of the week! I'm also keen to try the AdiZero tee-shirt too as I have the halterneck vest top and it's a gorgeous, VERY lightweight top with a lovely feel to it. Should be good for the hot summer weather. I quite like the tank top as well as it would have been ideal to wear under the charity vest, but sadly I tried on 3 sizes and it just didn't fit very well.
I am debating what to wear for the marathon, on one hand I would like to wear an Adidas tee-shirt as they are the most comfortable, but I need to wear my charity vest as I am running for them and want to be seem wearing their logo. Only problem this this particular brand of vest is not a perfect fit and despite exchanging it twice for difference sizes it does tend to rub slightly after about 12 miles!! I discovered this in a training run last year (and again at the Brighton Half) and I think I just put up with it on the day, this year I think I will cover the parts of my shoulder with tape and vaseline....
It's a bit annoying that we have had such cold weather and has been too cold to run in vest tops and shorts. So far I have mostly worn 3/4 length tights and tee-shirts which I'm used to, I have not worn the shorts since about October except for a couple of very short recovery runs. So now the weather is warming up I will need to wear them for a medium run to make sure they still fit and the elastic hasn't gone!!
I would have done a proper "dress rehearsal" on Saturday's 20 mile run, but it was just too cold to wear the shorts and charity vest top.
I was also planning to go swimming yesterday, but sadly I got the days they were open mixed up. Sports Village was open on Easter Sunday but closed on the bank holiday Monday! I thought it would be open on the Monday so drove there only to have to turn round again. There was no Tri-Force swim session either, so had a lazy evening (kicking of the tapering, what better way!). I went today instead though, at lunchtime and then circuits in the evening with TF. A lot of core exercises...oooouch.
Total Training
Monday
3 mile recovery run
Tuesday
Cycle to work and home (8 miles)
35 minute swim
Circuits class - 1 hour
Final long run - 3 weeks to go
It’s April, which means Marathon Month
is here again! Last week was a long,
hard week but at last I have done the final longest training run and have now
started the tapering period! It was even
better than it was over the Easter weekend so had four days off work – and as I
did the long run on Saturday I could enjoy the Easter chocolate eggs and have
Sunday and Monday to recover!
Did a good mid-week run on Wednesday,
8.3 miles at just under 10 min/mile pace.
Not quite as fast as last week, but very close – less than a minute’s
difference. I felt good throughout the
run, even though I’m rarely keen on running after work (especially when it’s
cold and dark and you just want to get home and have dinner!) but hadn’t gone
for a swim that day at lunchtime. I’m
hoping that now the clocks have gone forward, the evening runs will be a lot
lighter now and I might actually finish them in daylight! That will be much nicer as I will be able to
do some different routes such as along the cycle paths or out into the
countryside, that aren’t feasible when it’s dark.
On Thursday we headed to Bodyflight
for a team session in the wind tunnel which went well. We’ve got the Challenge coming up this
weekend so we’re just about there! It’s
a good all-over body workout, tunnel flying, certainly makes you ache the next
day. We did 45 minutes and went through
all the blocks and randoms. A late night
though – didn’t get home til after 1am so was very glad of a day off the next
day!!
Had a rest day on Friday in
preparation for Saturday’s 20 mile run, just did some shopping and ate lots of
carbs. Didn’t have a very good night’s
sleep as I kept dreaming I’d already done my long run and then woke up at odd
hours remembering I still had to run! Last week's run had gone well do I tried to follow the same pattern and foods as before - had the same egg and cheese carb-free pizza at lunch and the a potato with beans and cheese in the evening, with soya chocolate milk to drink.
On Saturday got up at about 6.30am to
eat breakfast nice and early as I didn’t want an upset stomach. My brother was home for Easter and we planned
to do the 5k Park Run with my two sisters.
Only difference is they would drive home after the run, and I would
carry on for another 17 miles!! I took
all my gels and everything ready before we got to the start for Park Run. I had prepared two bottles of water (one with
water to carry for the 5k and then leave, and a larger one with Lucozade that I
would pick up after Park Run for the rest of the run), 4 gels, one single Clif
Blok left over from the last long run, and some jelly babies stuffed into my
pockets. I couldn’t carry all the gels
so I left one at the finish line of park run to take when I’d done that part.
We set off for Park Run – a really
fun way to start off a 20 mile run! I
went at a very slow pace, and although not the last, was certainly near the
back this week! It was very difficult to
get the pacing right as the 5k is generally very fast and it was tempting to
speed off as my normal 5k pace! Good
practise for the marathon when people are overtaking at different speeds right
from the first mile! Finished the 5k in
just under 34 minutes (which I laughed at later when the email with the time
came through) and gave my timing chip to my brother so he could collect (as I
didn’t want to stand in the queue when I needed to crack on). I quickly took the first gel, ditched a layer
of clothing and swapped water bottles, then set off again for the next part of
the run (my brother took my left over bottle and bag of stuff I no longer
needed).
The next part of the run was the only
hilly part, a loop around the golf course and then back to the same park and
lake I’d just run round. It’s a section
I do a lot on my long runs and is quite tough if you do it towards the end of
the long run, but had good scenery. When
I got back to the lake I topped up my water bottle at the fountain and had
another gel, but unfortunately had to use the loo as well which I’d really
wanted to avoid, probably having eaten too soon before running. Otherwise, was still
feeling pretty good at this point. I
headed down to the cycle track which would be the main stretch of the route. It’s about 4.5 miles long and pretty much
flat (there is a gradual climb over several miles but it’s not really noticeable). About half way down this track was the 10
mile point – half way!! I still felt
good at 10 miles, legs were beginning to ache a bit but nothing to slow me
down. Passed plenty of runners including
one or two familiar faces. Got into
Hatfield and did a big loop round the Business Park – again, another familiar route
that I sometimes do for short lunchtime runs. Was starting to feel the pain more now as I went through the half-marathon point. The route goes right past work so the plan was to pop in one of the
buildings and top up water at the fountain I know about. But as it was a Saturday, that building was
locked!! Had to run right into campus
and quickly pop into the sports village (luckily I’d bought my membership card)
and used the fountain in the gym! I also
took another gel while I was there.
Tempted to stop in the café and buy a massive caramel latte as well!
Got back onto the cycle track and ran
in the opposite direction for about a third of the length. It was getting tough now, having done about
14-15 miles and there was still a way to go.
I was looking forward to getting off the cycle track and being on the “home
run”. There are some steps at the point
of the track where I was running back onto the main road home – this was really
difficult!!!
Back on the main road with about 3
miles to go, I passed two women I’d spotted from earlier – they too were still doing
their long run and hopefully nearly finished too! We all recognised each other and waved again –
they still looked fresh as daisies!
Last couple of miles were tough but
almost all downhill and things were going well.
There was a short climb up a hill to my road and then finally about 400 meters down
the hill to the park when I planned to finish. I
ran strong through to the finish - and then immediately doubled over and put my
head in my hands, totally knackered – only to notice someone watching me out their
window!! Was aching like anything but
felt so good to have finally finished the long run and could now start tapering! I walked slowly back to the house to try and
stretch my legs a bit and stop them seizing up. I took the rest of the day very easy... I find it difficult to eat for a few hours after a long run so just drank a large glass of chocolate milk with added cream (yum!) and then had a proper meal later (with Ben and Jerry's afterwards. If you haven't realised yet, I am mad about B&J Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, with added chocolate desert sauce... guys take note, no need for expensive dinner dates; a bowl of this will do!!!).
Now as long as nothing awful happens such as a cold or injury, I am now confident about the marathon and the number of miles I’ve put in. Less than three weeks to go now!! I have a half marathon on Sunday after the Bodyflight Challenge and a 10k in Dublin (any excuse for a city break) the week after that and then before I know it, it’ll be Marathon day.
Now as long as nothing awful happens such as a cold or injury, I am now confident about the marathon and the number of miles I’ve put in. Less than three weeks to go now!! I have a half marathon on Sunday after the Bodyflight Challenge and a 10k in Dublin (any excuse for a city break) the week after that and then before I know it, it’ll be Marathon day.
Total Training for Saturday
20.6 miles - 4 hours 4 minutes
Below - my Shelter running vest :) Although I'm running for 2 charities, Shelter and Blesma, I guess I will only be able to wear one running vest...
Below - my Shelter running vest :) Although I'm running for 2 charities, Shelter and Blesma, I guess I will only be able to wear one running vest...
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