Eastleigh 10K

Roger's Profanisauras

Now that's something I might have swallowed and regurgitated this morning at about 9.30, only manners kept my mouth closed. It's Spring right? It should be all chicks, bunnies and daffodils, shouldn't it? For goodness sake, what's with all the white stuff, what's with the minus temperatures. Where's this Global Warming I keep hearing about (I do know that the Gulf Stream could make it colder for us in old Blighty). And so, donned in Lycra leggings, trainers that have seen far too many miles, an orange beany, fluorescent gloves and a rather fetching fluorescent T-Shirt (thank you B&Q) and the 'now' obligatory bright red lipstick (the red lipstick seemed like a fun thing to do for the Santa Run, and now I think it's fun for any race I do and will drag as many of my chums along to do the same with all other races) I was outside. And that ensemble is  not enough clothes to wear on a morning like this morning. And so I managed to refrain from spouting from Roger's Profanisauras as the excitement at the beginning of the race took over and I jumped excitedly in an effort to keep warm and warm up some muscles that were shortly going to get a beating.

In a strange way, just in my mind, 6.4 miles sounds longer than 10k.  I'm not sure why, it may because breaking the race down into little chunks of 1k at a time make it easier to get round, and also to see how far you're going tots up quickly (well, I say quickly!).

And soon the gun went off, the elite runners shot off (in case you were unsure, I wasn't at the front with the elite runners) and eventually I crossed the line where the first chip reading was taken and off the crowd went.  I was running on my own, which I'm perfectly comfortable with and was able to give myself some positive chat as I went round. Remind myself to relax, go with the flow like the sound of train meandering across the country side, lengthen my stride and enjoy myself.

There was The HILL which, after training with the Lordshill Road Runners last Monday was fine, I worked my arms and tried to push myself up a little faster and after the hill it was downhill and flat all the way. All the way around the route each k was marked and in no time at all I was over half way round and then mentally I'd already won.

My legs thought differently however. Their desire was to curl up with a good Sunday afternoon movie at about 5k was quite strong. The only difficulty being that there's no going back at this point, the sofa, a movie and a hot cup of tea were just mere pipe dreams at this point.

But round I continued, and then before I knew it the end was in sight and it was like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. And I completed it, my legs didn't fall off, I didn't throw my toys out of  the pram, I didn't cry, I just ran and ran and ran, until I reached the finish. I did it in 1:15:44 and now I have something to beat for the next race and I can't wait.

For this afternoon though, I will engage with my sofa, a nice glass of red, a good movie and enjoy the endorphins that feel like a giant warm hug.

A big thank you to my running buddies who are always an inspiration and motivator. And a massive thanks to the Marshall's who must have been colder than liquid nitrogen.

They say, every second counts . . . really?

Who are 'they'? Mystical people who lurk quietly in the background and invent stuff that is universally accepted by many. So every second counts. Does it? Counts towards what? Does every second asleep count towards less wrinkles? You'd never get a woman out of bed if that was the case. Do seconds actually count?

Hell yeah!

If you're a runner, every second definitely counts, do doubt about it, no forgotten seconds when you're a runner.

My first Southampton parkrun since the beginning of December 2012 on was 9th March. Ouch, that's a fair amount of lie- ins on a Saturday when my pj's should have been swapped for my running gear. And the joy of 'Route B' for my first parkrun in ages (large groan and look of trepidation). Any parkrunners of Southampton common will know that Route B consists of the killer hill, twice, with a mini hill at the beginning. Oh my lordy how on earth was I going to manage this. Well, it appears bullying, and sheer determination work quite well.

My goal is to run 5k in 30 mins, well to start with, I may amend that time and make it shorter the faster I get, but at the moment my goal is 30 minutes with my fastest time coming in at 36 something so metaphorically speaking I have some ground to cover.

My neighbour is another crazy fool who runs, and is considerably faster than me and we were going to parkrun together on this particular Saturday (yippee?). And luckily for me, she is also very good at bullying friends, crazies, other runners and now it was my turn. Gulp, there was no escaping now and it's not as though I could outrun her. The whistle went and off we set, hill no. 1, completed, only another 2 to go. And around the route we went, encouraging words all the way round.  My conversation limited now as I panted at an increased pace round the 5k route, sounding like an extra for a horror movie. I'm sure I was responsible for others getting a PB as those ahead of me were running for their lives rather than planning a new PB!

On the last leg, my faster neighbour jetted off to the finish. She was the good cop, then I was left with bad cop. And she pushed me (not literally of course), and pushed, 'stretch those legs', 'just a bit faster', 'nearly there', 'keep on going, one last push', 'you can swear at me when you finish'. If I could have, I would have sworn at her there and then all the way to the finish.

The end is surely nigh

As I crossed the finish line egged on by parkrunners, I thought my lungs were going to turn inside out, but there was a knowing grin stopping 'The Fly' moment from happening. I knew I'd a new personal best, I just didn't know by how much. And in the words of the Money Supermarket advert I felt 'Epic'.

I waited with excitement and trepidation for my results and when they came through, my smile could have split my face. I had a new personal best, not just 2 or 3 seconds, not even 10. I smashed my PB by 33 seconds, and every one of those 33 seconds made my weekend.

A light bulb moment

It was an eye opening day for me, that demonstrated how easy it is to get complacent about my ability to achieve more than I thought I could. I'd labelled myself as a slow runner and to a lot of runners I'm sure that my times are slow but it's a huge mental block that I've overcome. And now I'm a faster runner and there's no turning back and no stopping me. Bring on my 2hr half marathon in October.

Losing lbs

Incorporating a new healthy eating plan is also contributing to my belief and ability to reach my desired goal, and as the lbs fall away, the speed increases, and so my life continues on a positive merry go round.  I would not have believed a year ago how much running would enhance my life, so much more than I ever believed possible.

This Saturday I'll see if I can knock a few more seconds from my time.

And if I could only work out how to use my Garmin watch I may be able to be my own bully, to push myself  a little harder and make some more of those little seconds count.

Give me a cocktail of drugs . . . NOW!

Following my first long ish run a weekend or so ago, I followed it with a trip to the Lordshill Road Runners Club the very next day. My drive to keep on running even stronger now that I managed a 5.2k route, I just wanted to do more, to get back to where I was in October when I was doing practise runs of 8 miles.

Of course I didn't expect to sprint off like Jessica Ennes but, to be out in the brass monkeys weather with a still slightly twingy knee is kinda liberating.  Inside my head I'm strutting like the Fonz, well chuffed with myself, out in the freezing cold, ard as nails. Imagination is a wonderful thing, but then delusion can be as well.  It was tough, it was cold, my knee complained a couple of times, but I had a word with it, was a little more gentle and finished the evening without a limp. So I was pleased, at last, pounding my stress out through my feet.

A crazily manic week ensued and my next run didn't happen until the Sunday by which time I was feeling a little stir crazy, a little twitchy, eager to don my glamorous running outfit. Sunday morning arrived, outfit donned and I planned my route, all 7.19k of it, around the houses and common and off I set. I ran all the way, no stopping, no walking, all the way home. And I felt amazing when I got back, that cocktail of drugs: epinephrine, serotonin and dopamine (so Wikipedia will have me believe) and it's a wonderful feeling. Like you're having the best day you could ever have but just a little knackered, knowing that I could still do it and I wasn't going back to my pre-running self, knowing that I wouldn't give into the sofa and allow it to meld around me and suck me down. And I have to wonder, why on earth didn't I get this years ago? Why didn't I twig in my 20's how great exercise can be, why is partying hard, so much more attractive in your 20's . I bet natural drugs are far better than any processed drugs?

But the drugs are paying off
It seems that this healthy 'ish' lifestyle is paying off. A quick visit to the GP for those female checks that you have to have from time to time include a blood pressure check, your weight as well as the god awful lolly pop stick test. Yeuch. Anyway back to the blood pressure. It appears I have the blood pressure of a teenager. Picture smug Fonz strut. Yep, the blood pressure of a teenager, I've no idea what that actually means, but I'm presuming it's good and it's the closest I'm going to get to feeling like a teenager!  The other part of the check-up is the dreaded scales and the scales declared that I had the weight of someone who likes to eat cake, cook good food and go out to dinner. Bugger, I knew there was a reason that I didn't replace the battery in my scales. Unfortunately I cannot un-know what I know and now I have to do something about that too. Add expletive of your choice.

Mothering Sunday
This weekend will see a visit back to Southampton parkrun, somewhere I haven't ventured this year. I will be laying out my running garments on the floor next to my bed, ready to slide into first thing, to ensure that I get my arse running 5.2k.  With my drug cocktail flowing round my bloodstream I will then get myself up to my lovely Mothers and Step Dads for some family get together time this weekend.  And this is where I'll enlist the help of Mum to take some crucial measurements so that I can no longer hide from the truth.

Hypnosis for Running by Adam Eason
While reading this book I realised that I was lacking in goals. Yes I was running, yes I was eating healthy food the majority of the time, yes my wine consumption had dwindled to a glass or two a week and yes I was still off the fags. But I didn't have any goals. And so I've got a couple of good SMART goals now. To reduce my weight by 18lbs and to run 5k in 30mins. As yet I haven't planned the end date or how exactly I'm going to do it or over how long. But I will post on here how I'm doing, and what my plan is. I may not put my weight or measurements but I will post my losses.

There, I've done it now. Committed myself to blog, and it's a little scary but as the teenagers say YOLO!

Now where's that Justin Beiber CD . . . .

The Liberation of the Trainers

I escaped.  Escaped a poorly tummy, escaped a slightly dodgy knee and escaped from the confines of my house and liberated my trainers.

After being confined to my house yesterday, nervous about being too far from a bathroom, and chained to my desk to study, this morning I woke feeling OK.

I haven't completed a decent run since the 16th December which was the Santa Run and the last few months have been exceptionally busy. So I can't blame it all on my mental attitude but I could feel a decline into my old ways.  Where the sofa was more enticing than my trainers, where a bar of chocolate was more agreeable than a stir fry and where mentally I wasn't being very nice to myself.

And this morning I changed that, I ran my 5.2k route.  I woke, put on my running gear, plugged in my ipod and hit the pavement and there was the merest hint of snowflakes in the air and it was bloody cold but I ran all the way.  My knee was a bit twingy but ultimately fine.

And now I feel amazing and now I remember why I love running.

I have some running goals; to run 5k in 30mins and to run the Bournemouth half marathon in 2 hours.  My 5.2k this morning was about 37/38 minutes (I hadn't charged my Garmin up, so was going by the clock in the lounge as I left). So to help me get there I'll be reading this:

I'll be getting a new pair of these:

Considering entering this . . .
http://www.racetothestones.com/

And will be doing more work on my stability ball!

I'll post progress of times and measurements.

But right now, it's time to continue enjoying my runners high and make some poached egg on toast with a fresh coffee before back to my studies.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Holy Crap, oh . . . .

Yey, parkrun Day

Saturday was my first tentative step back to running following a dodgy knee picked up from a skiing holiday a few weeks ago. Well, it was planned to be my first tentative step back to running.

I've read numerous times, in all sorts of places 'DO NOT RUN ON AN INJURY'.  So as someone who likes to follow rules (I tend to do as I'm told) I didn't run, because I didn't want to make it worse. Anyway, my knee still niggling I eventually went to the Dr.  I had put it off because a little part of me was worried that I would be told 'No more running for you Miss'.  My left knee already sounding like a bowl of coco pops with any movement it makes.

So, sat like a nervous rabbit, explaining the knee situation with the Dr.  The Dr insisted that she bend it this way and that, push it about a bit and then concluded that there was in fact, no serious damage. That I could start running again, gently to start with. That the Rice Crispy sound effect was fine, it was just wear and tear. Woo hoo, I could stop licking the windows at home, I could put my trainers back on, go out, get sweaty, get cold, get the blood going.

Except, nature said 'NO'.

Please do add, at this point, an array of expletives, lots, and as vitriolic as you care to imagine. I fear that I might offend if I were to write my own. Nature decided that on Friday evening, in the time it takes to leave the office to the time it takes to get home, it would present me with a lovely surprise, which saw me rushing through the door, to the WC, making it in the nick of time.  I don't need to go into detail here but believe me when I say that I felt nervous about sneezing or coughing.

Thank you nature for providing a stomach bug right at the start of my weekend. Please add more expletives! So Saturday morning starts with a lie in, not a huge one, but a lie in nonetheless and I felt sad, despondent and quite frankly a bit pissed off. And I miss my running buddies lots.

But we always have choices in life and I had a few:
a) mope around the house, feeling sorry for myself, being grumpy and miserable or;
b) do more hypnotherapy homework, plan my running schedule in more detail, book a few more races and make use of the cosied time up being indoors.

I chose b.

So as I sit in my study watching the merest hint of snow flakes falling from the sky, in my fluffy socks and scomfy hoodie getting on with my work, I must admit to feeling a little bit pleased.

Time for another mug of Ovaltine and some TLC.

Ooooh abs, there you are . . .

Hellooo abs, so long trainers . . .

I haven't been running for a while, well, when I say running, I mean running regularly. There's been snow, and some more snow, it's dark, a slight knee injury, a crazily busy few weeks and here I am confessing my sins, on my running blog.  Confessing that I've hardly run for a good three weeks, unintentionally of course.

Winter
Let me start by pointing the finger at 'Winter', god damn you.  What with your dark nights and snow, menacing dark shadows and icy patches all set to bring down any runner who hasn't the fortitude of Bear Grylls.

I don't have the fortitude of Bear Grylls it has to be said, but I'm not one to give up, more like a dog with a bone, which is not flattering to any woman but I'm not brave in the dark, on my own. I'm very fond of running in groups and with my buddy. Just not running on my own in the dark. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of who else might be in it. Having a day job in the Winter doesn't provide an awful lot of daylight hours to run in, if I'm going it alone, as I leave the house at 8 and get home at 6.30 ish.

Monday is Running Club Night
But, there is the running club I hear you cry.  Yes there is the running club, and I did go last week, gingerly but I'll come back to that. I've been pretty busy these last few weeks. With a hypno business evening on a Monday, then the snow stopped play the following Monday, and then I'd gone elsewhere to play in the snow the Monday after that and that leaves me to last Monday, where I did a baby run/jog/walk ish thing.

Generally I run with the club on Monday's and haven't ventured to other running club days, which is all part of the plan this year, but have yet to materialise. I'm a little nervous you see, as there will be what I refer to as  'proper runners', you know the sort, lean and fast and don't need use Chinese Foot binding skills to keep their boobs in one place. Those types of runners.  I know I'm putting barriers up, so it'll be time to get some self hypnosis going on that little mental block.

parkrun
So there, I can abdicate responsibility for Monday's running night and not running in the dark. But what about 'parkrun' surely you've been doing parkrun. Sheepish look from under the eyelashes. No I haven't been doing parkrun either, shame spreading now. But . . . I have very good excuses for not doing parkrun as well.  First week missed: I had a work conference in Telford on a Friday night and didn't get home until the afternoon; second week missed: we had snow, and we all know that snow brings the UK to a standstill. And I didn't go and the reason for this was I was off on holiday the following Saturday, Skiing.  And not having had a decent holiday for at least three years I didn't want to risk a slip that might result in a twisted ankle or knee that would put a stop to a week of Skiing. Then of course I was skiing, another two Saturday's passed and the Saturday just gone I've been presenting at a Wellness Convention.

So it's been an absolute age since I've run, parkrun.  But I am hoping to run next Saturday's parkrun. And I say hoping as I brought back from my ski holiday, not a young Bulgarian husband, but a knee injury.  Nothing major, but my knee joint lets me know in no uncertain terms that it's not especially happy going up and down stairs (but this is intermittent), not very keen on slopes up and down, but very happy to go backwards and forwards.

So with some slight twinges here and there on my knee I figured that perhaps I should listen to my body and let my knee rest this week. I have a particularly hectic week this week anyway so it seems it would fit well to rest up and get ready for parkrun.

The Wellness Convention
So I was lucky enough to present at the Wellness Convention discussing how the mind can influence our health with the aid of hypnotherapy, and in between consultations I booked myself onto a Stability Ball class. Phew it's been even longer since I went to Pilate's, what with studying, clients, running and the day job. I just couldn't do it all.  It's been at least six months, at least.  So Pilate's on a ball, how hard can it be? Well let me tell you I feel like I've had my abs sliced with a Stanley knife, numerous times, while being chased through a slasher horror movie. So that's where my abs are! I remember now, the pain that comes from what appears to be, not doing very much. And I have a certain smugness about the pain emanating from my stomach region, as this means that I've worked those muscles, and worked them hard. So thanks to Marie-Claire Prettyman for putting together the convention and giving me the opportunity to speak, and to Tanya Dominey, who helped me ruin my abs.

As Pilate's is on my menu this year to improving my running and my strength, I've proved to myself just how much I need it.

So my knee hurts a bit in certain situations, my abs hurt like hell, but I am still very excited about getting out running again.  So I'll enjoy the rest, book up my Pilate's sessions and get ready for Southampton parkrun. Trainers watch out, you're going to get a pounding. And here's to hoping I'm not going to wobble like some of the men in the video for Lets Get Physical?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWz9VN40nCA

Eight months until birth

Eight months. Phew. Eight months doesn't sound like a very long time at all thirty six weeks somehow seems even less time and 252 days, well isn't it about 252 days that a full time worker puts in for a full working year. 6048 hours, 362,880 minutes.

Not very long then, not very long at all.

So I've already started planning. I've already pulled together an Excel spreadsheet, with weeks and days, what I'd like to have achieved each week and each month. Record what I've actually achieved such is the focus on achieving my biggest challenge to date.

The Bournemouth Half Marathon.

There must surely be some wiring gone awry in my brain. For after The Great South Run I suffered with terrible, pestiferous cold sores, it was like the Black Death, honestly I'm not exaggerating, followed by a big emotional trauma, followed by a week of being ill (I've not been that poorly in over 20 years), followed by more cold sores although not to the Black Death standard, then enduring the festive season and all the parties that go with that and then at some point in the last week or so I start to feel a bit better.  Now as much as I'd like to blame it all on The Great South Run that would be churlish and abdicating any responsibility for my health. So it must definately be a wiring issue.

Hence all the planning, well in advance, perhaps, some might say a little OCD? But in October my goal is to run The Bournemouth Half Marathon in just about 2 hours. Mmm, maybe I should ask my GP for a CAT scan? The Great South took me 2:17, there was a little break to powder my nose and I don't mean with artificial stimulants, so I reckon taking that little stop it would have been 2:12 give or take a few seconds. And now I've decided I'd like to run even further, in less time, definately need that CAT scan.

My training plan this year will be vastly different to last year. Last year's training plan, was a bit 'Forest Gump', keep on running and running until your legs stop working or you keel over.  I didn't do either of those so I know I can do the distance I'd like to do it with a bit more panache. Whether or not you can run with panache is questionable. The plan this year includes a healthier eating plan, pilates, interval training, long distance runs and also lots, lots more work on my mental attitude using hypnosis.

The training starts early Feb and in the mean time I'm enjoying running, pushing myself that little bit harder, reducing my times, and just enjoying running for running's sake.

So onwards to the birth of my new improved running style with panache, and faster, and using hypnosis. Perhaps I could be the Audrey Hepburn of running. Mmmm, now where is that number for my GP.