Hardlopen!

No, it was (bloody) hard!  However it was another one on the Bucket List and a good long training run.  It was also very sunny and hot and WINDY!!  (It has to be pretty hot for me to burn and my neck/shoulders got sunburnt.)  This was another race that was on my bucket list and another which was entered before WHW was on the horizon.  John has run it twice before and I did the 10km on those occasions.
This race has a very strict 5h30 cutoff and when I entered I was hopeful that I should be ok with that having got my 5:0:01 at Loch Ness in Sept 2013 and add to that there are no hills in Rotterdam.  The person who finishes on or just before 5:30 becomes a celebrity as the TV camera bikes follow them for the last 2km and they get presented their medal by the race winner... I wasn't sure if I fancied that part of things but decided even though plans were changed for 2015, that I'd take a chance. 
As it was, I finished behind the official clock so at the moment don't have a recorded time, however along with the other folks who were behind me, and there were a few, we were told at about the 20mile mark, that we would be ok to finish and that would still get our medals.  I was ok with this, as my goals had changed, if as originally planned I had trained for this as my 'A' race of the year I would have hopefully not been in this position.
This is a superbly organised race, a very flat, fast course and definitely one for those of you who are PB hunting.  The support on the course is awesome, and I was blown away by the number of people still at the finish all cheering and shouting my name - I may at some point come back and do it again with a proper marathon training plan and taper behind me.  Like I said when I posted about Berlin, I am in no way being disrespectful by running and not being 'properly prepared' I most certainly don't go out with the attitude that I can 'wing it' but I went out to do a 26mile (26.52) training run and I managed that.  I'm disappointed that I didn't get under 5:30 but not downhearted, I know where things went wrong, where I got bored and where I should have fuelled (but that would mean remembering to take stuff with me...) my legs were less problematic than in Berlin and we had a fine long weekend away topped off by hitting the 6kg weightloss mark today :-)

ps Hardlopen means to run/race

October...

Where did it go?  I can't believe that it's 5 weeks since Loch Ness.  In that time I have attempted and DNF'd Amsterdam marathon, DNS'd Glen Ogle and made a feeble attempt at Run with the Wind 10km.  All the time I have been competing with some nasty viral thing which I thought was a head cold that I'd come down with straight after Loch Ness :-(
Maybe it's just my old body reminding me that it's no longer young and while I'm reasonably fit for an old bird, I needed some R&R and was maybe attempting too much.  I don't know about you, but once a race is over and the euphoria dies down, usually a day or two - or in the case of post G24, a week :-)  then I tend to think I'm ready to move on to the next target - I forget I need recovery time.  However, those are not grumbles and moans they're just the way it is, I was particularly unwell last Tuesday night/ Wednesday and so I stayed home from work and slept lots which seemed to help.  I knew I wasn't up to a 33 mile run on Saturday, but we still managed to get togged up in our foul weather gear and spend 6 hours in the rain/sleet/cold ringing cowbells and cheering on the runners!  Sunday dawned a beautiful day so I decided to give the 10k a go - heartfelt thanks to Dougie for agreeing to chum me round as his recovery run after his first Ultra at Glen Ogle!
However... it's not a negative post, in the space of 8 weeks I
completed the Devil O' The Highlands an hour ahead of schedule
ran 50.36miles in 12 hours at Glenmore24
got a new PB at Loch Ness marathon
got a season's best time for 10 at Run with the Wind...

and yep still I'm grumbling :-D  we're never happy huh?  On the plus side, I think I have finally cleared the virus out my system, I feel better this past 3 days than I have felt for ages, I am back on a training plan and I have set my goals for 2014 and entered races.

one more race this year then is time for marcothon!  Bring on the Winter training! 
 (oh and am about to take part in some trials... more of that to come)

Loch Ness Marathon 2013

Bling...

 Will I?  Won't I? Should I?  Shouldn't I?  Can I really be bothered?  All of those questions were going through  my head for 2 weeks after Glenmore.  I don't know if I was just tired, or whether it was just the slump after having such a phenomenal experience at the G24 Trail Race but I really didn't want to go to Loch Ness.  It was probably exacerbated by the fact that John is still suffering with his achilles injury and there was no way he was going to get to race - He got the great news last Wednesday that he had secured a place in next year's Boston marathon, but he had hoped to get a good time at Loch Ness to improve his starting postition... he's not been able to run properly since July and although he's putting a brave face on it ( most of the time ), you cen tell he's hurting :-(
I was also, I think, feeling a wee bit guilty that I'd had a good couple of months running when he wasn't able to and whilst he's a great supporter, I still know that he'd rather be running!

As last week wore on, I guess I made up my mind that I'd go - we decided to wait til mid week and see how his leg was, before deciding as we'd had a great wee day out to Cumbrae last weekend and had taken the ferry over from Largs, run round the island, 10miles, then got the ferry back.  He didn't seem to have too much of a reaction so was hopeful that he'd be fit enough to pace me round even though he couldn't race for himself.  Our accomodation was booked and paid for so I would have lost the money had we not gone and we decided on Thursday that we'd go and chatting on facebook to a friend who was doing Loch Ness as her first marathon almost got me excited about it...

We headed up the road on Saturday morning leaving in a real Autumn mist, but it cleared by the time we got to Aviemore where we couldn't get into our venue of choice for lunch so made do with a second rate offering in another establishment - to which I probably won't return.
A horrendous traffic jam getting into the city, caused by a broken down car held us up for a good 40minutes, but we got to Bught park in glorious sunshine and registered and picked up our numbers.  Caught up with Fiona and Pauline, Ailsa and Krysia as we wandered about then headed to our guesthouse then out to dinner.  I slept well on Saturday night, though I dreamt that John wasn't going to run with me as planned, and true enough when he got up his achilles was grumbling - I blame the traffic jam and sitting with his foot in one place for so long :-(  We had an early breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage & tomato - John also had mushrooms and beans :-)  Many of the other runners were tucking into porridge and banana or toast, and were giving us some strange looks, but each to their own!
Just like New York and Niagara Falls marathons, you get bussed to the start so it was off early to get the buses, a wee jog along the road and John knew that it wasn't a day for a run, so a quick reorganising of the stuff that he'd been taking in his bag and we headed across to the buses.  On the way we bumped into the lovely Emma so I had company on the journey to the start - you're an hour and a bit to Fort Augustus then up the hill to the start line - this has to be the most spectacular start line of my 15 marathons - eat your heart out NYC!

start line

A quick hug and a hello with the superfast couple that is Owen and Lindsy then Emma and I met Audrey and we got into the start corral.  Secret here is to huddle in and keep warm, it wasn't cold, it was a bit windy being on top of the mountain though!

The race started and we were off - it's quite something to cross the start mats and have the pipe band playing on either side of the road :-)

The first 5 miles is pretty much all downhill, and we went off way too fast!  Even though I know not to and would remind anyone that, I still did it!  Faster than I have ever run in my life!  Crazy!  But I was loving it!  We were very quickly on the sheltered side of the mountain and the wind disappeared, the sun was out and it was really warm, but it was such a glorious morning to be out running!  Some awesome downhills meant I managed to motor on and was through the 10mile and half marathon mark faster than I've ever been before.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I am the most awful pacer ever!  I just can't do it :-(  My strategy, such as it was, was to be disciplined and run/walk and I managed this well until about mile 15 when the run intervals got a wee bit shorter, but I did still manage to keep the walk intervals to 30seconds and was recovering fine in that time.  The famous 'monster hill' is at mile 18 and the signs before it are amusing but the hill itself isn't so bad, it's just a long, long uphill, the hills between miles 5 and 7 are much steeper though shorter.  I coped well with the hills, keeping my run/walk going and 'ultra marching' when necessary - I was surprised at how many people I passed who were running albeit slowly up the hills when I was doing my 'ultra march' but I felt strong and managed to keep it going.  Up the hill at mile 19 and I could feel a butterfly in my left calf muscle - the muscle was twitching but wasn't sore, just 'fluttering'.  Some nice downhill stretches to keep me going and a best ever time for 20miles as well.  I was feeling confident that I was going to get a new PB - I was hoping to go under 5hours for the first time ever, my PB being 5:02:38 and doing the sums in my head I felt I was maybe going to get about 4:57ish.  At mile 22 a lady in front of me stopped dead - her right calf was completely solid and poor soul, she couldn't move, she couldn't put her foot down, she couldn't walk never mind run!  Then, at mile 23 the butterfly returned wearing pit boots and he brought his friend with him!  Both calves were twitching and cramping!  I was terrified that I was going to suffer the same fate as the poor woman I'd seen up the road and I was determined to keep on moving I wasn't going to have to pull up - even if it did mean no PB :-(

It was good to see John at this point as felt better for shouting to him that it was "fkn sore!"  The last 2 miles really were run as hard as I could in short bursts then slow down to try to prevent the cramp seizing!  Along the riverside and over the bridge then the last turn of the course, a sharp left onto some cobbles wasn't pretty and the first of a few involuntary squeals and perhaps a wee sweary word were uttered.  All the way along here I was checking my watch and trying to do the sums, was I going to make it?  I knew it wasn't all that far to the finish but it seemed like a long, long way and a couple of times I did have to stop for a second to squeeze my left leg to keep it moving, at this point I reckoned I'd no chance of a good time any more.  Past the last marshalls and there's the big inflatable Nessie, this is about 200m or so from the finish and I could see the clock which said 5:02:something so I knew it would be close because that was the gun time and the chip time would be a wee bit faster.  I pushed even harder at this point - not for the time now, but because there was a  bloke in front of me!  A much younger bloke at that, and those of you who know me well, know that I can't help it, I have to try my hardest to pass him - I don't know why, I can't help it but by god it doesn't half spur you on when you think that there's nothing left :-)  In the end I did beat him by a good few seconds, and his pal :-)

John thought I'd got under 5, but my Garmin said 5:00:06 so I wasn't convinced, but I did know I'd got a new PB regardless!  In the end my time was 5:00:01 which has amused John as he's been teasing me about 2 seconds ever since but I'm not upset about it, there were lots of places I could have saved those 2 seconds - I had to stop for a pee and couldn't 'go' any faster!  I maybe could have kept running instead of stopping to rub my calf but I was so terrified of a total seizure!  I should have pushed past some folk that I stopped behind for a second or two... and so you can go on and on, but at the end of the day, I got a new PB and I'm in one piece today, so my 15th marathon was, in my book, a success.
This is not the most flattering race photo (are any of them?) but I'm quite proud of it, I was hurting like hell and I think possibly squealing again at this point - or uttering an expletive (or both) but I was still working as hard as I could.

Ouch!!!

 

 

Does size matter?

A friend recently posted a question in a running group which set me thinking...
He asked peope to say Big or Small - whether they preferred the Big event or a Small race?
I've been mulling this over for the past few days and decided to jot down my thoughts, they are my thoughts, my personal opinion nothing more, and in no way judgemental.
My answer will always be Big, and here are some of the reasons why...

I have now completed 14 full marathons, 1 full ultra, a couple of ultra relays, a number of half marathons and 10ks and I have been fortunate to experience both Big and Small.  I guess the unasked question in amongst all the comments was quantify Big?  For me, Big is 35,000 people or more, lining up at the start in Chicago, New York, London or Berlin, these are, in most people's opinion, Big events.  However, it's not just the number of participants that make an event Big, it's the event itself.  My first ever full marathon was Chicago in 2007, I will never forget arriving at Logan international airport to be greeted by 12 foot high banners welcoming marathoners to the city!  Then when you get into the city itself, there's the thrill of spotting the banners which hang from the lamposts along the actual route, you see where you're going to be running!  Then, there's the EXPO... having been very fortunate to have travelled to many wonderful cities in Europe and N America/Canada, I still think that the Chicago expo is the best.  It's held in a huge exhibition centre and you start by picking up your bib and race packet then you wander round all the stalls, other races touting their race to prospective participants, stalls where you can try gels, drinks, get your gait analysed, have a massage, shops selling merchandise, selling other sports gear, celebrities signing their latest books etc etc etc... it's not uncommon to go twice to a big expo :-) Berlin expo is held on the no longer used airfield at Templehof, where you enter past the memorial to the pilots who flew in the Berlin airlift and where John F Kennedy famously proclaimed himself to be a doughnut :-)
The trip to the expo can be fun too, in the US and Canada you are often offered free transport as part of your entry and it is invariably a yellow school bus!  These are not overly comfortable, but you do get to meet other runners on the way and it's all part of the experience.  Then there's race day itself and the organisation of these events is something to behold... even just the sheer number of portapottis!! The corrals are all labelled and marshalled the baggage drops run with military precision, you get chatting in the queue for the loo, you share anecdotes and good wishes for a great run, with complete strangers but there is a camaraderie unlike any other I have experienced in my life. 
Then there's the support - if like me you are a slower runner and often near the back of the pack, it can be a long and lonely road in a small event.  That's not to say that I am not trying my very best, and if I pass specatators then I do get support from them and this is hugely appreciated, but in a big event there are many many more people in the same place as me, and the spectators give us the same if not even more support as they did to the front runners racing past at the head of the pack.  I can never write eloquently enough to explain how it feels but it is a very emotional experience to be swept along on the wave of support that I have been fortunate enough to experience, to have my name called out in many different tongues especially when you are getting a bit tired, is hugely uplifting.
I could go on and on because for me, it's not just about the race itself, it's about being taken to the hearts of the host City and it's people, to be encouraged along the whole 26.2miles and then to be congratulated by complete strangers as you hobble back to your hotel or appartment with your medal hanging proudly around your neck is fantastic, and if you're really lucky, in Chicago you can even get a free beer in a bar if you wear your medal :-)  In Barcelona, the day after the event we had a really enjoyable meander round the city the next day, spotting the 'blue line' and noticing things that we hadn't seen on the race itself... like where the blue line disappears into a film set!!  This wasn't there the day before when we ran down this street!

I have also taken part in small events, as well as many medium sized ones, and I enjoy them all, however it can get a bit lonely in a smaller event if your near the end - there aren't as many spectators, there aren't as many runners around you and whilst you still get your medal and your banana at the end, it's not the same... that's not to say there's anything wrong with it, it's just different.
So there you go, I did as I was bid on the original posted question which was to answer Big or Small, no opinions or explanations were to be given, but it has been bothering me since, I felt I had to try to write down my reasons - and maybe I've managed to do this here... and in conclusion, whilst I am happy to take part in small local events and will always support them if I'm not participating, it has to be for me the Big event for my first choice.  I hope that I will be fortunate enough to continue to travel and participate in many more Big events :-)
The caveat to all of this has to be that none of the above applies to the Ultra scene, by there nature, Ultra races are smaller, with fewer participants, but immense organisation and a 'family feel' unlike no other, this is a totally different world inhabited by some very strange but lovely people :-)

Random Ramblings part 2

I know this is a bigger picture than usual but I just love it I think it's stunning!
I took this at the halfway point of the friendship/breakfast run on Saturday morning the day before our 2nd marathon of the week.  This was a 3km(ish) run led by Captain Canada followed by a hearty breakfast in Planet Hollywood.
It was a fun run, we met another Scots lady who comes from Ayr and whose name I don't know - though I guess we could look her up in the results :-)  A guy from Surrey called Robert whom I passed at 14.5miles which gave me an enormous ego boost - sorry Robert :-)  A lovely young Mexican couple who have travelled nearly as much as we have to run international marathons and many others - a 70something guy from the Isle of Man who has run almost 200 marathons I think John said... and so it goes, it's a great thing to do the day before a race and some people - us included, wear their national colours and flags so you get a lovely atmosphere.  Planet Hollywood and Tim Hortons provided us all with a substantial free breakfast which was very nice as it gave people a chance to sit and chat with each other.
Unfortunately this was the best of the day weather wise, it clouded over mid morning and then got quite rainy.  After lunch we had the joy of standing in a queue for 50minutes to clear US customs, even though we have a valid ESTA as a land borne immigrant you still have to fill in the green form and get it stapled into your passport - 21st Century USA and they don't have their computer systems linked up yet.... I ask you!!!
So having stood for forever and as always been dealt with very efficiently if bordering on churlishly by an official it was a pleasure to walk back across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada where the customs official on that side asked what we'd brought in with us, laughed when we said nothing we only went for the I-94 so we could run tomorrow and wished us a nice day!
We spent an hour in Starbucks using their free wifi then headed back to our hotel to sort out kit have dinner and get ready for an early night.
We had to be up at 5.30am even though the race didn't start until 10am, this is in order to get on the buses and clear immigration - AGAIN! then be driven to the race start...
It was like NYC all over again!  Sunday  morning dawned dry if cold, the rain of previous day had long gone and the forecast was for it to get sunny and warm up to 20C - It Did!!  There didn't seem to be too much wind either though John had spent all week assuring me that any wind would be at my back for most of the race so not to worry too much about it.
We got our bus at about 7.15 drove to the bridge and yes sat another 50minutes!  We then had to traipse off the bus, passports sighted by a much more pleasant young guy, then back on the bus again to be driven to Buffalo - about 20mins journey - yellow school buses are not the most comfortable coach transport on the planet though ;-)
However all the discomfort was more than made up for when we got off the bus (once the driver managed to find his way into the park) we were ushered into a building which turned out to be the amazing Albright-Knox Art Gallery it is definitely the most impressive pre race accomodation we have ever been in and the staff were lovely too.
It's not every race you get to warm up and stretch beside Van Gogh's and artwork made by adults with learning difficulties.  It was such a pleasant surprise it really calmed the morning.
Quick visit to the wobbliest port-potti I have ever set foot in, drop bags on buses to go back to Canada - slight fear here as we'd had to take our passports and leave them in our drop bags... then it was up to the start line.  This isn't a huge race so standing on my toes I could see the start line and the open road ahead - can't explain how it made me feel it's something you'd need to experience, but as there were no corrals it was really cool to be able to stay together at the start.  Both anthems were sung and the hooter went!  Off we headed into the leafy suburbs of Buffalo - not at all what we were expecting :-) lovely big houses, people out cheering, wide roads, and blazing sunshine, so far so good on the wind...
Almost 6 miles through Buffalo and you approach the river over a hill, phew it was windy!  Never mind I thought it's just blowing off the river so buckled down and got on with it, as we turned towards the bridge it was at my back which was pleasant.  We then had to run over the Peace Bridge which is one of the main road bridges between the two countries but although there was a fair bit of traffic there was a lane coned off and a sidewalk as well -  I really don't like high bridges over water so I had a bit of a fight with  myself to get to the half way point, however I made it and once I started to run down the hill into Fort Erie felt better again.  A wee loop off the bridge and under it and out along the shore for another 3miles or so to a turn around point, I saw John on the other side of the road - we'd passed in Toronto as well and that always gives me a lift to see him :-) especially if he looks like he's running well which he did.  Round the turn - some nice support from some residents along the way - fabby houses too!  Then back along the river and through the town of Fort Erie itself - great support from some firefighters who'd put flags on their platform- ladder and raised it across the street.
There were water/cheering stations every mile from here on in and the kids manning them were great - there was a competition to involve local high schools so they were all different themes and music and stuff.  It's the first marathon I've run which is only marked in miles not kms or both and I was surprised that they seemed to come round fairly quickly, though I'm sure this is because you heard them from way off :-)  By this time it was getting hot and I wasn't drinking much water but was wearing it, oh and the wind??? The bloody wind was a headwind for the whole way for the 20miles from Buffalo!! There I promise John I won't mention it again lol!
Anyway apart from the headwind (oops!) it was a beautiful run, this has to be the most scenic marathon course I've ever run and I'm sure there can't be that many  better, the sunshine and the Fall colours were magnificient.
Mile 24 there was a jelly bean station :-)
Mile 25 you see the cloud of spray that's always over the falls and can be seen for miles
Mile 26 and as you turn the corner to the finish line if you can look up, you can see the rainbow - I have to confess I didn't see it til I'd finished, but I did see our friend Eric who came and took photos, I didn't see June Ann who ran along in front of me but I was looking across at John at that point as he was waiting for me and taking photos.
When you cross the finish line you are wrapped in a foil blanket by a young cadet from the Mountie School, then you get your medal, some water, food if you want it, your bag and that's another one done :-)
Great Great races both of them and two lovely  medals :-)

It's over :.-(

But it was awesome :-)

We had a fantastic holiday and I ran my two fastest marathons so far, had good weather, good food, good wine and met good friends - not much more I can ask for really (apart from being able to stay and not have to come home!)

After my last grumpy post on 21st Sept, things did get slowly better...
I still didn't manage to get back to my full training but I did manage to get some running done, managed a long steady run that weekend then the following weekend we went to Strathclyde parkrun where I managed to set a new 5k PB of 29mins! This was over 2minutes off my previous best so I was chuffed to bits and somewhat reassured that the previous couple of weeks of bugs and stress hadn't taken too much of a long term toll.
We got through the remaining days of work and headed off to sunny Toronto on morning of 10th October - and yes it was sunny :-)
Arrived safely at lunchtime which gave us heaps of time to find our way to our apartment and get freshened up before meeting up with the first group of the ever growing group of friends and fellow runners whom we meet every time we go.  First evening was a quick visit to the opening of a new running shop followed by dinner with friends, managed to keep going til 'normal bedtime' which meant we'd put in a 22 hour day but it helps to alleviate the jetlag.  Up early next morning and out for a nice gentle wee 8km run, it was supposed to be a 5k but John hadn't got his internal satnav quite tuned into the new time zone yet and missed the road sign, and because I was comfortable and enjoying myself I didn't think to question him - not that I would ever...
Next couple of days were spent quietly socialising, nothing raucous we had a race at the weekend! Weather stayed nice and crisp and sunny so we ran a little each day then spent time just chilling and catching up, it was great.  Weather forecast was threatening to turn for the weekend and there were really strong gale force winds and heavy rain on the way - this filled me with a little bit dismay as a long stretch of the race kms 10-20 head out along the Lakeshore and if the wind came it was going to be a real tough fight to run into it :-(
Sunday morning dawned wet and grey but seemed reasonably calm and true enough when we left to go to the start it was torrential rain but there was no wind - guess you have to take the breaks where you get them, and the rain was preferable to the gales in my book.  We warmed up by jogging gently to the start, got changed and dropped our bags - offering a silent prayer of thanks that we had managed to rent a place that was only 5minutes jog from the start line.  John's corral were off pretty quickly, but I had to wait about 20mins before I crossed, at which point the rain stopped! (another silent thanks sent heavenwards!)
Micro report of race - started off to fast had a great first 30km then struggled to 35km picked up again after that but was done and hurting at the end - however it was all sooooo worth it to cross the finish line 27minutes quicker than I'd ever done before!  Very happy bunny indeed!
Ice bath, shower and out to meet up with our fellow runners and supporters - no wild partying for me though by 9pm I was in bed and out for the count! Slept til 0630 like a baby!  Very gentle 3km recovery run first thing Monday morning then our friends Eric and JuneAnn who had taken a couple of days off came to get us and we went off to hunt down specialist running shorts which unfortunately the shop no longer stocks, had a nice Indian buffet lunch, home to change and out to spend the evening with more friends in their beautiful new home and meet their daughter who was born just after we visited last year.
Tuesday morning a better and further early morning run - 5k this time then lunch with E&JA and chilling and dinner with them in their home, we spent the evening watching US presidential debate which was interesting!  Wednesday was pancake day - pancakes for breakfast is part of the thrill of a trip to Canada or USA and I hadn't had any yet however I also didn't want to be too naughty and eat stuff that I wouldn't eat at home however I did want to have them once.  A little bit of internet searching found a place highly reviewed and not to far to walk from our appt - just over 1mile so that was our exercise for Wednesday we walked there and back.  Luck was on my side too the pancakes were made with oatmeal and banana so were reasonably clean, and they were delicious! It was a quirky wee place too so was fun to visit it was called Aunties and Uncles and I'd highly recommend a visit if your ever in Toronto.
Thursday morning we jumped(!) on the streetcar (tram) and took a trip to The Beaches - this is an area of the city which has only been part of the marathon route for the last 2 years and it was nice to go back and see where we'd run.  Another find for lunch and another evening out with friends.
Friday we picked up the hire car and drove to Niagara Falls to get ready for race 2 - guess I should do another post about it as this has probably bored the pants off you by now :-)

Back Again! :-)

It's a bit of a cliche but it is true... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and having just finished my 4 week stint as a Guinea Pig, I am not dead, but I AM stronger!!  Mentally and physically stronger, more aware of the strength of my body and the limits I can push it to - this has paid off in my running and I am delighted, as this was the initial purpose of trying to lose weight and get fitter.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 4 weeks of training with John Allan and Pamela Halkett of PinPoint Fitness really nice people who can motivate and push you to just grind out "one more" :-)
I've made some new friends along the way and have enjoyed the banter and am grateful for their encouragement and support.  They have all done brilliantly, with lbs and inches coming off all over the place :-)

Since I last blogged about running here, we have done the Hoka Highland Fling - what a day!! The weather gods took pity on us and we had almost perfect racing weather, not too warm but not too cold, hardly any wind and enough sunshine to warm your bones.  I am totally in awe of my amazing husband who ran the full course, 53 miles from Milngavie to Tyndrum, in 12hours and 13 minutes!  He was incredible shape when he finished, lucid, smiling and injury free!
Our friends and colleagues Janette, Rab and Colin ran the relay with me and we all had fantastic runs, we finished in a combined time of 11hours and 50minutes which I am delighted with.  On a personal note, the climb up Conic hill which took me 1hr 30 in March, took me 1hr 10 on race day and I got to Rowardennan 18minutes faster than I had the last time.

On Friday  past I ran the Black Rock 5 race with a group of friends from Falkirk parkrun  it is a slightly crazy race out onto the beach and round a rock before the tide comes in!  It was freezing cold but great fun, and yes I'm looking forward to doing it again next year... It's quite a sight to see all the runners streaming across the sand.

I am really enjoying my running at the moment, this is probably due to the fact that I lost 8lbs on my Guinea Pig journey and this means there's less to move over the ground so makes it a much more pleasant experience.  I feel so much stronger too which means I don't tire so quickly and I am running faster than I have ever run before so I am hoping that this bodes well for my next race which is the Women's 10k in Glasgow this coming Sunday.  Fingers crossed that all goes well as I'd really like to get another new PB at this one, I'd like to keep the chain going.
My leg is behaving itself at the moment, it's the usual tired-sore after a run, but no new pain or swelling etc so hopefully all is calm for a while to come.
I had a wee moment of madness after the Highland Fling, and put in an entry for the Devil of the Highlands, this is the 43 mile ultra which John ran last August and is the second half of the West Highland Way from Tyndrum to Fort William... I am officially on the waiting list so here's hoping I get a place - the first 3 on the waiting list have already got places - eeek!  This will mean a bit more intense long distance training over the next few weeks, but it will set me in good stead for the Marathon in Toronto in October even if I don't get the place on the Fling.
So that's enough for now, will try to update reasonably regularly over the coming months and record what we get up to :-)

Ups & Downs

After having a good day on Tuesday where I got in my run and my 2 cycle rides, I was really tired again on Wednesday and my poor old legs felt like lead :-(
My training programme had a 7 mile run scheduled and I just couldn't face it when I got home...
It was hot - well hot by Scottish standards! Sunny and still warm at 6pm and the way I was feeling it was too warm to run so I ducked out and decided I'd burn some calories by washing the cars. They were both in great need of a wash so it was a good job well done, but it ended up taking me about an hour and a half and because it's quite a stretch up to do the roof of mine, my calves got a really good workout!
So much so that I had a dreadful night's sleep, kept wakening up with shooting pains going through the big muscles of my thighs and calves so woke up on Thursday morning in a terrible mood :-(
Tears and tantrums ensued as I had a real moan about how unfair it was that I was tired and didn't feel like running even though my head wanted to and so on and so on...
I was gently reminded that I have run 3 marathons this year and it was only 12 days since my Ultra, didn't make me feel any better though!
However, I had a massage booked for Thursday evening and although it was quite painful in parts, it did the trick and my legs felt much better afterwards and I slept better last night - probably as a result of legs being bit less tight.
I haven't run today although I have done a fair bit of walking, and I am marshalling again tomorrow at Falkirk parkrun, but I intend to run round the course before I start so hopefully I will manage that and then get a longer run on Sunday morning.
Will let you know :-)

Getting ready to race :-)

Saturday morning will see us off to the Lake District to take part in the Lakeland Trails marathon, or as I prefer to think of it a pleasant run round Coniston Water. The weather forecast looks favourable and we are having Monday off work so am looking forward to a pleasant post race meal/beer in a local hostelry after the race and a leisurely drive home on Monday.

It's John's 20th marathon which I think is an incredible achievement!!

I had a physio appointment this evening, my achilles tendon is playing up a bit - not something I'm terribly prone to but there you go, this week I am, so I am all wrapped up in pink tape again :-)
I hope the weather is nice and we can take the wee car as we can get the roof down and get some sunshine...
Will post about our adventures when we get back

Ten Tough Trail miles...

that's what I did yesterday!
Looking for somewhere new to run, I decided to run on the Clyde walkway again. This time I ran from Cambuslang towards Strathclyde park for just over an hour and then turned and retraced my route, this let John run on to Maudslie Bridge to get his long run in in preparation for next weekend's Lakeland Trails Marathon.
It was a tough trail run! The start was on cycle path for the first km, then it left the path and quickly entered fields with hills!
The trail is very narrow at this point and it was quite tricky going but it was interesting and challenging and certainly more fun than pounding round the familiar roads near home.

Legs bore up reasonably well, I ran out for 1hr 6min and back in 1hr 2min and then after a quick drink and use of a supermarket's facilities, I drove down to meet John. It was a fine day for running, there wasn't too much of a wind blowing, and although it was really quite dull with heavy cloud, the rain didn't come to much and there were brief spells of sunshine. It was however warm, much warmer than you'd think if you were looking out from your cosy bed! It looked like a dull cold day out :-)

Last night, we made it to pilates so a good stretch for an hour made us feel much better and as a result not quite as stiff and sore this morning. I have been moving furniture at work today so will probably be really achey tomorrow but never mind, the office looks much better now :-)

Having a gentle week this week as we race on Sunday and hopefully will be able to have Monday off and make a long weekend of our "romantic weekend in the lakes"!!! (there's an explanation...but it's lengthy!)...

Incredible(s)!

Aren't we just :-)
This was us at Strathclyde parkrun taking part in the Lucozade Runfree event on Sat 4 June. There weren't many people who turned up in fancy dress, but to those who did Well Done! I like to enter into the spirit of these sort of events, and as we had been given the costumes as Christmas gifts year before last it was nice to be able to put them to good use!
I wouldn't like to run more than 5k in them though - I found the mask quite claustrophobic and wasn't happy in it - it spent half the time being used as a hair band. It was nice to be warm though as the wind was blowing a gale again - surprise! I don't know what's going on with the weather at the moment, on Friday it was beautiful, sidewalk splitting sunshine and temperatures in the high 20Cs but Saturday morning was back to 11C and cold with the wind! Thankfully the rain stayed away.
Sunday was long run day, it was dry and not so windy but the ENE wind made our minds up for us as to where we'd run, 14miles along the Forth & Clyde canal from the Falkirk Wheel to Kirkintilloch, it was a lovely day but my very, very tired legs didn't enjoy the experience!
Need to get up to 15-20miles next weekend as it's only 4 weeks until our next marathon - the Lakeland Trails Marathon around Coniston Water on 3 July.
Hmmmmm we have a friend who also runs who said the other night that we're all mad, I think I am starting to agree with him!

Update

you can tell I've not had much to say... it's been 2 weeks since I posted anything :-/
Catching up from my last post, John did smash his PB at Parkrun, 19mins!!! Wow he was flying down the finish and got into a little bit of a sprint for the line with a young guy who took the win by about 1 sec! I don't know if he had intended to sprint for the line, but I was marshalling and when I saw him flying towards us I was screaming encouragement and he responded :-) I think he also got a personal best for the number of insects stuck to his face and neck - Yuck!!
We went for a drive on the Sunday and did a wee recce of the marathon course, I was allowed to jog/walk 100m at a time, I did about 2 miles like that and was reasonably happy that the healing was progressing well. Monday at lunchtime I went to the gym and did a couple of miles on the bike and then a mile on the treadmill, again jog walking intervals and feeling ok.
Tues evening I decided not to go to Bootcamp as we'd had a day of very heavy rain and the grass was slippy and I thought the risk of slipping and maybe tweaking my leg was too great - also I was late finishing work and very tired. I allowed John to convince me to go to they gym, even though I was really tired, and settled down on the treadmill and yes he was right, I did start to enjoy it and feel better for the exercise. Then, PING!!!! Something went pop in my calf... it was a quick hop along on the treadmill as I hit the emergency stop button!
Fortunately there was no great pain, some numbness but I could walk and stretch reasonably easily. Following morning was very tender and a gentle exploration and treatment from physio reassured me that nothing seemed to have torn, it was most probably scar tissue releasing. Needless to say more taping took place and a lot of hobbling ensued - as well as a fair degree of worry and stress :-(
Further treatment on Friday and instructions to repeat the rehabbing I'd been doing and take it easy, lots of rest ice etc etc.
Managed back on the treadmill on Monday although I was petrified! I couldn't relax and was just waiting for the Ping! Physio made me laugh on Tues, she assures me that that is the mindset of an elite athlete - I asked for his legs!!
I am conscious that this is becoming lengthy and boring so will stop soon... We picked up our friend at Edinburgh Airport yesterday afternoon, he has come over from Canada to run on Sunday with us. It is great to see him again, and hopefully today we are going to take him up to Aberdeen and show him where his ancestors live - we have managed to research his family for him back to the late 1700s.
Weather for marathon is not great, it's been really stormy here all week with gale force winds and rain and still meant to be same on Sunday...
I woke early this morning and decided to try to jog a little this morning so I went out and managed 3km slow jogging with walk breaks at start, and whilst it wasn't exactly the greatest run I've ever had, it was the best I've had for 3 weeks!!
OK going to stop here it's just a bit of a ramble today :-)

Running away...

No, not me, but the days/weeks/this year! I don't know why time is going past so quickly, old age? That's mid March already, nearly a quarter of the year gone in, and the days are lengthening quickly now. It's nice to wake up to the lightening skies and have an hour after work when it's still light.
It's 10 days since the Barcelona marathon, we ran in bright sunshine and 22C had the same glorious weather the following day which we spent walking around the city, watching the residents enjoying their holiday weekend and then got off the plane to 3C and rain!
It was a run of mixed feelings, I didn't get the time I was aiming for as I had a really tight left leg from 3km onwards which then led to the right hand side glutes and ultimately lower back seizing up so I felt like I was running bent in the middle... on the positive side though it is definitely the strongest I have ever felt running a marathon, and by far the strongest finish to date. I usually end up run/walking in the final 500m but this time I kept going all the way to the line totally fixated on the finish line and determined to keep going, it was hard work but I was so proud of myself :-) so perhaps on another day without my sore leg and maybe a little bit cooler I would have got what I was aiming for... I know it's there and I know it's getting closer so am not too downhearted.
It's a very well organised event and a great course, pretty flat with a mix of city and seafront running, it's well supported in most areas and the combination of nice weather and the Carnival weekend brought supporters out in numbers, many still in their fancy dress.
It was straight back to work on the Tuesday morning and then back into the birling maelstrom that is our work life at the moment...
In no time it was Friday and the weekend was upon us, we went out on Friday evening for a couple of hours with some friends and as the designated driver I managed to get through 4 Sprites! I woke on Saturday morning feeling as if I'd had more than 4 pints!! I had a head that felt as if someone had put an axe through it and generally felt yuk... It didn't help that the weather was foul, grey miserable and snowing! I have to confess that I barely went out of the house all weekend, I was still suffering from sore back from the race so had no motivation to go out and do anything. I missed my diehard bootcamp session on the Sunday which is probably a good thing as the challenge was to run up and down hundreds of stairs in a football stadium!
So all in all it was a funny old week last week and I'm glad it's passed :-)

Monday I had a physio appointment and he did a lot of work on my back managing to finally elicit the "crack" he was looking for :-) simple things that give some guys pleasure....
Seriously though although I feel like I have been kicked by a carthorse and then run over by the cart, I do feel the difference, I have much more mobility again and although I didn't do any exercise on Monday, I managed a steady 5.5km treadmill run at lunchtime yesterday and my bootcamp session in Stirling last night. It felt good to be back doing "stuff" and I am back at bootcamp again tonight in Linlithgow. This is the last of the 10 weeks of the Diehard programme, I'm glad I signed up for it as I do think it has made me stronger and fitter and I've made some new friends too. I will keep going once a week while I train for Edinburgh as it is good cross-training and I may do another 10 week session over the summer between Edinburgh marathon and our summer holiday...

Back again

I knew I'd not been blogging for a while but didn't realise it had been over 2 weeks... I guess life just kind of got in the way!
It's been a busy couple of weeks both work and life wise, but it's been fun too. We left for Barcelona early last Thursday morning - 5am early! Flew via Luton and arrived in a rainy Barcelona mid afternoon. By the time we got off the train/metro and headed to hotel the rain had stopped so we had a pleasant wander through the city, a nice dinner and back in bed by a respectable 10:30pm
Woke late on Friday morning - 8am which was a pleasant surprise, and when I opened the curtains, the previous night's clouds were rolling away and the sun was shining. We had a gentle 4.5mile run along the old harbour to the beach stopping for coffee and pastries on the way back, what a lovely way to start your day :-) John's knee held up well so things started to look a bit brighter on that front too. After a shower and change back at the hotel, we headed up to the expo to pick up bib numbers etc. Sun was splitting the pavement by this time but it was still airy and about 12C which bode well for race day although the forecast for Saturday was rain. Picked up numbers and the nicest race shirt so far, except that John's shirt was blank! We decided to take it back on the Saturday after the Breakfast run. Rested up in the afternoon for a couple of hours then people watched and drank coffee before meeting friends who had flown in from England then another nice dinner & some vino tinto del casa.
Saturday morning's sky was also azure, (the heavy rain seemed to have fallen overnight) with a bright sun blazing down as we headed up to the marathon start for the Breakfast run. Almost 2000 people from all nations gathered together to run the last 4.195 km of the Olympic marathon course which we did last year and finished at the Olympic stadium, it's a lovely run up the hills with stunning views from the top. This time the course started off the same but the route altered and we passed boys playing rugby, children getting horse riding lessons and ran through a tunnel which was also a climbing wall! We were a tad perplexed about the change of route until we crested a small rise and realised we had reached the stadium and were about to enter the tunnel - what an emotional moment, to be running through this very quiet almost ecclesiastic space imagining what it was like for the Olympic athletes - you enter the tunnel from sunshine and supporter noise to absolute peace and cool air - it's quite eerie - then you turn a corner and there's a bright light and more noise, and it was noisy enough for us it must have been awesome when the stadium was full!!
To top it off, you have to run a lap of the blue track and the finish arch stands where the official finish line was, it's a tremendous track for running on and just an incredible experience. It was a truly magic moment!
After spending a wee while absorbing the atmosphere, we headed off down the hill - on the conveniently placed escalators to partake of the breakfast part of the Breakfast run :-)
Successfully changed John's shirt for one with the appropriate markings and then spent another hour or two (and some Euros) in the expo before we joined our fellow runners for the free pasta lunch - which was very good.
It was Carnival weekend in Spain so we wandered back down into the city stopping to watch a parade of children in fancy dress with drums, stilt-walkers etc. Rested for an hour or so then headed out for another quick bite to eat and to watch the parade of floats which lasted a couple of hours and was spectacular. Back to hotel, race number pinned on and kit sorted for the following morning then off to bed. Race report to follow in another post :-)

A new year!

Last year I celebrated my 50th birthday and decided to mark this momentous landmark by attempting to complete 5 marathons before my 51st. I managed to achieve this goal by completing

Barcelona - 08/03/10

Swiss Alpine Marathon Davos 31/07/10

Chicago Marathon 10/10/10

Toronto Marathon 17/10/10 (yes 1 week later!)

Florence Marathon 28/11/10

It was a great journey, hard work and occasionally emotional, and as I got to the end, I wished I'd written it all down.

This year we have decided to try something slightly more ambitious and I have decided to write it all down this time so that I don't miss any of it :-)

So far the year hasn't got off to a great start as I've been unwell and therefore unable to get out and run, but maybe just maybe I will manage a few miles this weekend so I decided to start this blog today.

My year of running starts with Barcelona Marathon on 06/03/11