And now the end is near...

It is hard to believe it's now 31st December! It's been a pretty good year all round, the last couple of posts were a bit gloomy but in the grand scheme of things I guess they were fairly minor setbacks.
I managed my 5km on hug a runner day in November and then it was a case of gently breaking myself back in in preparation for Marcothon 2011. There are some who doubt the sanity of folk who do "streaks" (does not involve removal of clothing) and there were times when I doubted my own, but I am so so pleased that I managed to run every day in December - 31 days giving me just over 100 miles.
Some days were better than others, some were hellish if truth be told, we ran early in the morning in the rain and the dark, we beat "Hurricane Bawbag" by running at 6am before the gales hit - this was a particularly ferocious storm on Thursday 8 December with winds of almost 100mph! It was affectionately named by some wag, as only a Scots wag would...
Other runs were in the middle of the day in glorious sunshine and crisp white snow, others involved negotiating large icy areas - this is a particular phobia of mine :-(
Some were treadmill runs squeezed in at lunchtimes or after meetings but at the end of it all there was one run every day for the month. During this adventure we have made new friends through the facebook group, all at various stages of madness and we had runners from "a' the airts" taking part.
A particular mention must go to all the parkrun friends who took part as their encouragement and support was invaluable as well as humorous and amusing - each day's highlight was looking forward to the various posts and Alan Lindsay's photos of Islay who looks like one of the best trained dogs ever!
This morning was the finale of Marcothon, runners came along to Falkirk parkrun wearing something red and joined by Marco and Debbie Consani who are the Marcothon parents :-) It was great to see the smiles on so many faces and the sense of achievement was tangible. As always with running it changes your perspective on so many things, I never thought I was capable of running 31 days in a row, I stressed a bit at first about the logistics, but as it became a habit it just worked, it was possible to fit a run in at some point of the day, even setting the alarm clock 15minutes earlier was no hardship...
I also managed to get back to bootcamp twice a week which I am still really enjoying and which is undoubtedly helping with strength and conditioning work.
Now as the new year approaches, it's traditionally a time to reflect and at the risk of getting maudlin, it's been a great running year with loads of new friends, loads of new experiences, a PB at 5k, 10k and marathon distance and my first ultra race all under my belt, lots of new runners are joining our merry band, some more willingly than others and there are already new adventures planned for 2012.
So all things being equal and my wonderful physio earning his money, and with the support and encouragement of my wonderful husband and friends I'm looking forward to whatever it brings!
Happy, healthy injury-free year to everyone xxx

p.s. might change the title to 2012 and come back and do some more, it's been fun reminiscing and writing it all down :-)

MIA

(missing in action - or should it be inaction?)
(thanks to Debbie Consani - I borrowed the image from her blog: http://debsonrunning.blogspot.com/)

It's three weeks since we were in Frankfurt for our last marathon of 2011, I had been fighting a chest infection for about 10 days before we went, and really wasn't sure if I would be able to run or not. I thought I'd just picked up a bit of a cold, there was a lot of it going around, but I think by the time we left I knew it was on it's dreaded "way down"...
I guess this is also partly why I haven't been on here for a while - I've really struggled to shift the infection and my energy levels have definitely been in the below zero range for a couple of weeks...

So what have we been up to?

When we arrived in Frankfurt on Friday 28 Oct the weather was sunny and mild and this was the forecast for the weekend, we checked in to our hotel and then went to the expo where we met Fauja Singh.
A venerable gentleman indeed.
We had dinner in a wee local pub just round the corner from our hotel where we had the largest schnitzel either of us have ever seen, and it was delicious!
As it was the 30th running of the Frankfurt marathon, we got a commemorative backpack which is really nice, with the strangest contents ever... a box of hard boiled eggs :-)
yes the really were hard boiled eggs and they were dyed different shades of gold and green. They tasted nice but definitely the weirdest thing we've ever got in a marathon goodie bag!

Saturday morning dawned beautifully clear and warm and the international friendship run or brezellauf beckoned - this was a led 5km run along the banks of the Main which Fauja Singh took part in, along with runners from many nations. I had a great run - ironic considering how I had been feeling - and we met lots of friendly runners, including Stefan a German who was in a kilt and Jacobean shirt which he had purchased in Edinburgh.
We finished back at the Messe - where we were given plenty of water and sports drink, and lovely fresh brezel. It was a great morning, then we met our Canadian friend Kirk and a German friend Henning who had arranged an afternoon's gentle cruising on the river for us. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon. A very nice pasta dinner followed and as the portions weren't huge, we then stopped at a takeaway outlet where they made us delicious freshly made pasta and pizza.
Back to hotel and kit was laid out for the following morning, numbers pinned on etc etc... Still undecided at this point about whether or not I'd run.
I eventually made up my mind about 20min before the start when I bid John Good Luck and walked down to the start line to watch the race. It looks like a good, fast course, the winner Wilson Kipsang was only 4 seconds shy of the World Record which was set in Berlin in September!
John managed to finish in under 4 hours although he struggled with a sore hip and leg. The finish is quite spectacular, you finish inside the Messe on a red carpet with cheer leaders, loud music, ticker tape etc what an experience!!
So that's the end of our running year - we've both had a month off and I am just about at the point where I think I should be able to jog round 5k tomorrow so fingers crossed. John is still nursing a "sore bum" so he's not going to be running much before 1st December when we are both taking part in the Marcothon - this should be interesting :-)

Wish me well for tomorrow as I set out for my first run in a month on what is appropriately designated as "Hug a Runner Day"

Grumble, grumble...not fair!

oh well, it was all going pretty good in the end, then wallop!! I've now got a rattly cough! I'm extremely cross, having worked hard to get the legs working properly again and I think doing a reasonable job - physio said he noticed a difference in a week - I do my exercises :-) this happens... just NOT FAIR!!!

I made it back to bootcamp last Friday and had a fantastic hour running around doing circuits in the mud and the rain, I've missed it over the summer, but it was too much to fit it all in, so I was all set to go back again tonight but have decided to stay in the warm and try not to cough too much.
I've not run much during the past 2 weeks, but I have had a couple of good long runs and half hour sessions on the treadmill and cross trainer, I was hoping for an even longer run this weekend to convince me that I would be ok in Frankfurt but I don't know now it will depend whether the cough stays up high or sinks down in which case I won't be running.

I know I shouldn't grumble I should be really grateful that I don't have anything more serious than a cough, but it is really frustrating when life slaps you in the face :-(

Fingers crossed that a good night's sleep and maybe a little medicinal rioja will do the business and I'll get my long run in at the weekend.

Where did September go?

I can't believe that's us into October already and I've kinda fallen off the blog wagon a little bit...

Probably a combination of being incredibly busy at work and trying to train, and not having much of import to share :-(

However, on a positive note, we did get to Berlin and we did get round the course, so I did finish my 12th marathon and get the medal I couldn't pick up in 2008 as I DNS due to something weird happening to my liver 5 weeks out...
John was still injured so it was to be his turn to DNS, we flew out on the Thursday and met up with friends with whom we were sharing a nice apartment in the Charlottenburg area of the city. I'd stay there again, it was leafy, quiet, loads of shops, restaurants etc nearby and only a short walk to the UBahn to get to anywhere in the city centre you wanted.
On Saturday morning we ran the friendship run, 6km which finishes in the Olympic Stadium, this is the second Olympic Stadium we've finished a run in this year, we did it in Barcelona in March, and there is something really special about running through the tunnel, into the light and out onto the blue track where so many other famous feet have gone before you :-)

The weather was amazing all weekend - better than we'd had here all summer so on race day it was yet again absolutely roasting! John was still injured but he decided he was going to run round with me - he is my hero, it was probably the worst run I've ever had, I had real issues with the heat and my leg was giving me some serious trouble. I don't think I'd have finished without him and the ice cream cone which he bought me at 36km was the best ice cream I've EVER had :-)
This is definitely, so far, the best finishing chute I have ever run down, to come through the Brandenburg gate 400m from the finish is amazing and the street is lined with people all the way to the finish line, it was truly a wonderful day.

I am hoping that I will be able to do Frankfurt on 30 October, fingers crossed, then I think it's time to have some exploration of my knee so that I can keep on running...

I have a lovely wee video clip of our finish which I can't get to upload here, but I will come back and see if I can add it later.

Like the Parson's nose

- it had good bits and bad bits...

Didn't run much during last week, felt a bit under the weather, and my leg was incredibly sore. I had a physio session on Thurs evening and it was the toughest I've ever had to endure, I almost swore and almost cried :-( Then came the DOMS!!! It was awful! Saturday morning I really had to haul myself out of the door for a run, I so did NOT want to go! Ironically I had a really pleasant and reassuring 15km run, once I was warmed up it all kinda fell into place and I was able to toddle along quite comfortably and in control. This gave me a huge confidence boost - thank goodness! On Sunday I ran the GSR 10k race in Glasgow and whilst I would have liked to have gone faster than I did, I still knocked 1minute off my previous time so I'm pleased, especially as I had tired and stiff sore legs. Congratulations to the guys from Runtime Error who also all ran well, and special mention to Janette who ran her first race :-) Commiserations go to John who has pulled a soleus and couldn't run this time :-(
So if that was the good bits, the bad bits are that I haven't run again since Sunday until today at lunch, I have been incredibly tired all week and also struggling to walk never mind contemplate running...
I nearly gave up at lunchtime the first mile hurt like hell, but eventually things stretched out and warmed up and I had a reasonable session. This Saturday coming I MUST do a long run I hope to do about 20miles, it's only 2 weeks to Berlin, and although I've done lots of running this past few months, I don't feel as if I've trained properly for this and I do want to go and give it my best shot.

Back from holidays...

It was a fabulous holiday, saw lots of places & people, met up with lots of old (longtime) friends and made some new ones, ran a fair bit, went whitewater rafting, was privileged to attend the best wedding I've ever been to - apart from when John & I got married of course :-)

We had 2 wonderful, hot, sunny weeks in Canada, split between Toronto, Ottawa, Toronto and I really did not want to come home...

Back to reality - rain, low temperatures and jet-lag with a bump! Arrived home on Wednesday morning and didn't run until Saturday when I volunteered to be Tail-runner at Falkirk Parkrun. I had a great time, a nice gentle 5km taken slowly which my legs needed, and chatting with Karen along the way and managed to get her a full minute off her PB so I felt good! I had planned a longish run for Sunday, went to bed Saturday evening just after 10 and slept until the alarm went off at 7 on Sunday morning. When I got up and visited loo, I could hear the gales blowing outside and decided to go back to bed, we eventually surfaced at 9.30!! We NEVER lie-in but I guess the jet-lag was catching up! Anyway, weather was foul and I couldn't get motivated to go for a run, I caught up with a mountain of ironing, baked some banana bread, tidied up a bit and then started back at pilates last night - an hour of stretching should sound like gentle exercise but NO! It's a good workout :-) (ok secretly we enjoy it and it does make you feel good)
I went to the gym at lunchtime today to do a few Kms and I had a great wee 5k run, it was really good, everything felt smooth and relaxed and I didn't have any of the leg pains which I've been plagued with since I did the Clyde Stride. Hopefully that's me recovered and can get a couple of long runs in in the next 2 weeks as we're off to Berlin on 22 Sept.

Well done John!

Up at 3am yesterday morning to head off to Tyndrum for the start of the Devil O' The Highlands. This was John's first ultra as unfortunately he'd been injured in April and was unable to take part in the Highland Fling - this was when we marshalled at Rowardennan (see earlier post for info) and I suppose if I'm honest, it was this day that inspired me to enter the Clyde Stride.
It's a different type of person who runs the longer distances, and a much smaller number but all really nice folk :-)
We had a nice clear run up the road, not much traffic in the middle of the night! Arrived in plenty of time for registration at The Green Welly, a big bowl of porridge for John and some not so healthy rolls and sausage for Dave and I. Dave is a friend and work colleague who is also an Ironman twice over who had agreed to be John's support runner, this race has to be supported as there are no aid stations along the way and you have to be able to carry your own nutrition & fluids so it's vital to have someone who can feed you at checkpoints etc, but you also need someone who can come out and run back in with you if you get lost along the way - there are long stages of inaccessible mountains and moors to cover. Pacers aren't allowed if you're in contention for one of the prizes, but you are allowed company if you fancy it for sections of the course although you must always carry your own backpack.
The weather forecast had been for rain but I was sure it was going to be sunny and warm having watched the satellite forecast earlier in the week, and I was right, it was a beautiful day if a bit hot for the competitors!

This is one of the most spectacular parts of Scotland and very popular with tourists who walk the West Highland Way and yesterday it was in it's full glory.
John did brilliantly, he finished the 43 miles in 9hrs 20m - unofficial time - from my watch, and was still mobile and coherent at the end - for those of you who know him, this is quite significant ;-)



Well Done you are now officially an Ultra-Nutter! xx