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A little wander over the moors

There are endless training plans for running 26.2 miles; endless resources for ways to build up the distance, manage your hydration and nutrition, kit and everything else.

But what about training for a 31 mile hike across the moors?

According to the organisers:

'This circular long distance walk, the Exmoor Perambulation, is a traditional walk dating back over 725 years. It's one of the most challenging walks in the Exmoor annual calendar and during the 31 miles of cross country walking you will be taking in breathtaking views and accessing parts of the National Park not normally open to the public. You will also be participating in a bit of history! Every June hundreds of people from around the country come together to tread the boundary of the old Royal Forest of Exmoor and pass through some unique areas of Exmoor not normally accessible to the public.'

Granted, I'll be walking it. But with a notorious hill dubbed 'Green Mountain', streams and rivers to cross, stiles and boggy fields to navigate, it's not exactly a gentle Sunday stroll.

I've tried this event twice before. The first time, in 2010, my parents and I did the half distance. Not realising just how serious the event was, I turned up in a vest top and cardigan, with cheap trainers on my feet:

Surrounded by serious and seasoned hikers, and completely unprepared.

If it hadn't been dry that year, there's no way I would ever have made it to the end. Somehow, I did - and it was brilliant.

Last year, we decided to try the full distance. My parents had attempted it the year before, but severe weather conditions meant that they were stopped at the final checkpoint, with just 5 miles to go.

It was a bit grey and misty when we set off, but the skies cleared, and we enjoyed a little bit of sunshine as we passed the half-way point. We were in high spirits, and this time I was wearing sensible walking shoes, various layers, and had a waterproof coat in my rucksack (yes, I even had a rucksack that year). Unfortunately, the weather decided to shake things up a bit, and as we passed the checkpoint just before the FINAL checkpoint, the heavens opened. The volunteers asked if we wanted to get a lift back to the start, but being so close to the final checkpoint and those elusive five miles to the finish, we pushed on.

We soon realised that our waterproof jackets weren't waterproof. We shuffled along an endless road, visibility decreasing by the minute as the fog rolled in, a bitter wind pressing our wet clothes against us and making us shiver. My legs had never felt so stiff. We never made it to that final checkpoint; instead, one of the organisers' buses pulled up alongside us to pick us up, telling us that the event had once again been cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions.

Psychologically, it felt as difficult as I expect a marathon to feel towards the end - my whole body hurt, I was stiffening up, I was tired and miserable and wanted to give up. My legs ached for days afterwards. My parents had run Brighton a few months before, and agreed that both events were on a similar level.

When the sun came out, the views on the moors were spectacular.

You can just make out a few teeny people on the bottom right of the left-hand image!

But we refused to be defeated, and signed up once again to try the full distance. This summer, we're determined to get to the finish line - this time, with waterproof jackets that are actually waterproof.

And preferably, without the torrential rain, bitter wind, and crazy amounts of fog.

Third time lucky, right!?

Parkrun

This week hasn't been my healthiest week ever. Whilst I've only just started to work my way through my Easter chocolate, I've been doing a pretty good job of indulging in other ways!

For Mum's birthday (excuse #1), we went to an amazing Italian restaurant in Covent garden. I was forced by both parents to have a dessert, which they promised to help me with. (For future reference, 1 measly spoonful does NOT consitute as helping when the dessert in question is an icecream sundae as big as my face.)

For a friend's birthday, we went to TGI's. The meal itself was pretty unhealthy, but SOOO TASTY! I had the French Canadian burger, with bacon and melted brie, and it was the tastiest burger I've ever had! As it was for another birthday, it would've been rude not to have cake. And the cake was insane - a black forest gateau, pirate style - with chocolate chips and various bits of candy (I cringe at how American that sounds, but the cake was devised by an American, and that was how they worded it .. and it seems wrong to word it another way!)

Yesterday evening, my boyfriend and I had a rare evening together, and decided to have dinner at ASK. I discovered the tastiest salad EVER (in all honesty, it was more salmon than salad) which was about the healthiest I had been all week. For dessert, I might've indulged in a small mocha, and a chocolate and almond cake .. It was a teeny slice, but as before, I was left to eat all but a tiny spoonful of it myself.

To be fair, I've been cycling 12 miles a day all week, and I made it to the gym on Tuesday for a 40 minute run! Talking of running, today I went to my first ever (5k) parkrun. It was so good! The sun was shining, it was crisp and fresh, and 3 uphills meant plenty of downhill, too! 

I took it easy, finishing in 35:49, as I've been slacking on my outdoor runs recently. My age group ranking was 41.32%, and I was the 38th female finisher; 121/138, overall. When they emailed me my result, I got really excited for a second:

'Congratulations on completing your 1st parkrun and your 1st at Guildford today. You finished in 121st place and were the 38th lady out of a field of 138 parkrunners and you came 1st in your age category SW20-24.'

.. Turns out, I was the only person in that particular age category. Boo!

I'm excited to make it a regular thing, and to work on getting my PB down to sub-30, and then hopefully sub-25! 

I'll keep you updated :)

A person who rides a bicycle

I was talking yesterday about how I don't really feel like a proper 'cyclist'. Then again, despite running 2 half marathons (one not official) and a 16-miler (once), I don't feel much like a proper 'runner', either.

I was curious to see what constitutes a cyclist, or a runner, and so I looked up the terms in the Oxford English dictionary.

First, I checked 'runner', given that I've been working on my running for the past year or so, compared to the last two days or so for cycling - and this is what it said:

runner

Pronunciation: /ˈrʌnə/

noun

A person that runs, especially in a specified way

A person who runs competitively as a sport or hobby

Then there was 'cyclist', which said the following: 

cyclist

Pronunciation: /ˈsʌɪklɪst/

noun

A person who rides a bicycle

So according to the Oxford English dictionary, I'm more of a cyclist than a runner. This is despite the fact that I've run regularly for a year or so, whilst I've only been cycling for 2 days. Then again, when I stop and think about it, maybe it is easier to be a cyclist. Most people who ride a bike don't do so competitively, whereas most people who run, run races. But then, if they're both sports, and both offer organised events and races, why should the definitions be different? Why can't a runner simply be 'a person who runs'? Is a runner simply 'a person who runs'? Running in races certainly hasn't made me feel more like a runner. Probably because I finished in the last half a dozen participants each time ..

Do I look the part? :D

I can't say that any of this has made me feel more like either one. Maybe I should do away with labels completely, and simply stick with: 'I run, and I cycle'.

I definitely don't intend to participate in any formal cycling events! Unless 'surviving a busy main road commute' counts ..

When did you start to consider yourself a runner or a cyclist? Why?

Discovering the joys of cycling

Yesterday I took my first steps - pedals? - into the land of the cycling commute. As I put on my helmet and manouvered the bike out of a very tiny flat, I wasn't feeling much like a proper cyclist:

I might not have been high vis, but I sure was well patterned!

(Yes, I dress like a 14 year old).

In fact, I kind of felt like avoiding the humungous main roads and the tempermental drivers in their big, fast cars and getting the train. But I didn't! Probably because I had promised my friend that I would join her on the way in; though I think she expected me to be slightly tougher than I actually was am. Five minutes into our epic (ok, 6 mile) journey, we hit a REALLY BIG junction with traffic lights and cars coming from all directions. I tentatively asked her - with crossed fingers - if we were going to turn left. Unfortunately, we had to turn right. Driving on the left hand side of the road, this seemed somewhat problematic! Somehow, I survived being sandwiched between two lanes of traffic, although a pothole on the other side nearly wiped me out!

I've been quite pleasantly surprised at how considerate the drivers are around here; in the mornings, at least. I guess it's something in the coffee that turns them into maniacs come the evening. (I've seen first-hand just how much coffee real-life Surrey office workers get through in a day. It's insane. As is their evening driving. End.) On a related note, my boss has stopped asking me if I'm a robot - now he simply states it as an explanation for people that ask if I want a coffee, and look confused when I say no.

Well, from tomorrow morning I'm going to be a briiight, flourescent orange robot! High vis, yaaay! Because I bought this jacket:

Waterproof, windproof, stormproof and FAR TOO BRIGHT to do it justice in a photo. Win!

Also, it was reduced from £120 to £35. DOUBLE WIN!

It's awesome, and means that the city-workers-slash-boy-racers in their gorgeous and really fast but REALLY INCONVENIENT WHEN OVERTAKING YOU WHILST LEAVING BARELY AN INCH OF SPACE cars can no longer pretend not to see me. That goes for the Surrey tractors, too.

Yeah, I see you.

Bring it on!

Happy Easter!

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I decided to make the most of the long Easter weekend and venture up to London for the day (ok, we hopped on the fast train to Waterloo and got there in 35 minutes). We had originally planned to skate around Hyde Park, but as the forecast predicted rain for the afternoon (which never materialised, besides a light 30-second shower) the skate shop couldn't let us rent any skates from them. Whilst my boyfriend has his own, short of buying a pair on the spot (I decided £140 was a bit steep for an impulse buy) skating was out for me!

We briefly considered renting a Boris Bike (the ugly Barclays bikes) but as we headed over to Hyde Park, the very light snow turned to heavy sleet, and we ducked into the Underground, instead.

We ended up in South Kensington, at the Natural History Museum. It was free to get in, and just big enough to spend the afternoon there, so we queued up. Luckily, it didn't take too long to get in, despite the crowds of tourists - though it was quite busy once we got inside! After standing around in the cold, the first thing we did was head to the cafe for a hot drink - and were luckily enough to nab a table almost immediately. The drinks were really tasty, and given that we were at a tourist spot in central London, the prices were really reasonable!

The Natural History Museum building is absolutely stunning!

The first area we checked out was the Blue Zone - i.e. loads of really awesome huuuge mammals, and skeletons of various ancestors (including a huge rhino-like mammal with two huge horns!) I was surprised at just how much there was to see, given it was free to get in. It took us quite a while to get round, but it worked out nicely as by the time we queued up to see the Dinosaurs Gallery, the waiting time had gone right down. We both agreed that this was the BEST bit:

Dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and an animatronic T-Rex - awesome!

Of course, we couldn't go home without taking a dinosaur with us - though this little guy wasn't quite as fierce as the ones in the gallery!

Teeny little cuddly T-Rex!

We stayed until closing, and then hopped back on the Underground and headed over to Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street. If you find yourself in the area, you have to check out Cha Cha Moon - they do the most amazing noodle dishes ever. This time, we started with prawn dumplings (sooo good) served with chilli and garlic sauce, and then I had the wonton soup. After the dumplings (which were pretty rich) the soup was quite light, and really hit the spot. The restaurant itself is really cool, with low atmospheric lighting and rows of wooden benches. Highly recommended!

Dumplings and wonton soup at Cha Cha Moon

As for Easter, I've somehow found myself with no chocolate today !! (I know, something's wrong with the world). Luckily, we picked up some M&S hot cross buns yesterday. We had apple and cinnamon ones last night, which have always been my favourite, but this year there's a new flavour to try - Belgian chocolate and orange:

A little taste of Easter!

They may not be Easter eggs, but they'll do for now. I guess I'll just have to eat extra chocolate tomorrow!

Happy Easter, everyone :)

Smiley faces!

If only I had these in more colours - so much fun! 

Lean, mean commuting machine!

Today I picked up my new bike, and it's gooorgeous! I didn't appreciate just how slim and light a hybrid bike would be, and I'm really impressed!

My lean, mean, commuting machine!

Of course I went out and bought the usual accessories, too. I found a decent helmet and a bike lock (which weighs nearly as much as the bike .. or felt like it, anyway!) I also invested in a reflective sticker sheet - by that, I mean the stickers haven't been pre-cut, so you get to cut out custom shapes. I added a strip to each side of the helmet - you can see one on the left-hand side in the picture above.

Whilst I tried to be sensible, and just buy the essentials at a price that wasn't too high, a little something caught my eye and I had to get it:

Flourescent, reflective smiley face stickers !!

Aren't they awesome!? I just need to figure out where to stick them. I'm thinking helmet, so far, but that doesn't seem very creative! I'll have to experiment ..

I had no idea there were so many awesome accessories I could get for my bike! It's a good thing I got it in the sale, because I can see myself spending lots of money over the next few weeks. Self control, I have not.

Pain and Suffering

Today, I stumbled across a brand new 10k/10mile race, and I'm not sure what to think of it. On one hand, it looks quite .. well, not fun, but maybe satisfyingly challenging!? And my stubborn, competitive side is trying to make me focus on how awesome it would feel to cross the finish line. On the other hand, the name seems pretty apt, and I think you'd have to be nuts to even consider it.

Maybe I'm just nuts.

The 10k race is The Suffering, and the 10 mile version is the Pain and Suffering. Whilst by the names alone, neither of these sound worth going anywhere near, part of me is half considering it. Realistically,  reading through the obstacles, I'd probably get a mile in and want to go home! 

'The legendary Rockingham Castle holds host to its first bout of Suffering in June 2013. The grounds boast vicious terrain, including hills, valleys, mud, water, and nettles, natural and definitely unnatural obstacles including the Land Rover Experience course, The Gauntlets and The Killing Zone guaranteed to make the soul despair.'

When put like that .. yeah, I probably wouldn't last ten minutes. But imagine if I did! Whilst tough runs can be physically and mentally draining and make you feel like curling up in a ball and never moving again, getting through those sorts of experiences is SO rewarding. My 16-miler was the worst (sporting) experience of my life, but I felt almost hyper once I had showered and curled up on the sofa in a big slouchy jumper with a mug of hot chocolate and a satisfying ache to .. well .. my entire body.

But this one does look excruciating!

Check out a 'taste' of the obstacles:

• The Press: Straight off the bat we get you on your knees, crawling through the mud. A little audience participation here as your friends, family and total strangers pelt you with wet sponges in an area designed to make you an easy target.
• The HolHollHollow: The first of our water obstacles.
• The Tunnel: A modest bridge you would normally be encouraged to pass over. Where would be the stinking mud in that. Mind out above you though because there might well be some gunge coming your way.
• The Training Gauntlet: this figure of 8 in a deep set bowl is here to test you. Visibility might be an issue. Don’t expect to be able to move freely.
• Valley Run: Steep muddy banks are the name of the game here. Try to stay upright as we send you darting in and out. Watch your footing this is not the time or place for speed.
• Engineered Suffering: We are not unveiling these obstacles just yet. These are our flagship obstacles. Designed and constructed by engineers who also compete. You will not be able to prepare for these.
• The Gauntlet: We’re entering 4×4 territory now; this is a ¼ mile of hell. Steep banks litter the landscape, it’s uneven under foot. It’s slippery, water logged and we’re going to chuck in a few nasty surprises. How’s your arm strength, fancy picking up something large and uncomfortable. Now you have to take this over, through, under everything this section throws at you. If you get to the end and you don’t have it, we’ll send you back to the beginning.
• The Ford: This is the second of our water tests. speed may be your enemy here.
• The Field Traverse: Barbed wire lines this narrow stretch. Don’t expect to be able to move quickly here.
• The Nets: This isn’t your everyday set of cargo nets. You’re the meat in the sandwich and the nets are the bread. There’s no quick way through this little beast.
• The Ponds: Water obstacle number 3. You are going in! Beware though it’s not just water here, there will be a special little something here to make it a little more challenging 
• If you run around Rockingham you’ll know about Rockingham Hill. Many an over confident runner has fallen foul. Of course this isn’t all we’re going to ask you to do. Oh, and you’ll have to repeat this little stretch, on the bright side you get a lovely view of the castle. On the down side your hyperventilating may spoil the ambience.
• The Assault course: We couldn’t leave this out, tyre runs, A-Frames, cargo nets, crawl tunnels, we will of course have a special little something in there for you too.
• An obstacle race wouldn’t be an obstacle race if it didn’t have a big wall, but or a sequence of killer walls.
• The finish: You’ll be the happiest person alive when / if you make it to the finish and we’ll have your goody bag waiting for you. Get your photo taken before getting changed, don’t worry all the photos are free; just like us on Facebook and we’ll send them over to you.

.. Yeeeah, maybe not!

And the cycling begins!

I received an awesome email this afternoon:

'We’ve got some exciting news about your order: Your bike is being assembled!'

That's right - I will soon be the owner of this awesome speed machine:

I'm way more excited than I probably should be .. Cycling, wooo !!

My new job is currently a 1-hour commute - only 1 stop on the train, but there's a long walk to and from the station. However, I worked out that it's just 6 miles from home to my office - which means I can cycle there in under half the time it takes me to travel there at the moment! 

And as an added bonus, whilst I was too impatient to wait 3 months to get the bike through the 'ride to work' scheme - i.e., discounted - the sale price of the bike is actually less than I would have paid for 3 months of train tickets (yes, for just one stop .. which is costing me £6.40 a day. With my railcard, which theoretically offers 1/3 off the cost of train tickets, it would cost me £12. SouthWestTrains, I will never understand you).

I'm excited to add some regular, non-negotiable cross-training to my schedule each week, especially given the problems I've been having with my knees lately, thanks to the last few uber-long training runs.

Now I just need to stop slacking on the running, and I might just survive Brighton Marathon next month!

Here's to Healthy Eating

I came across a post in Runners World the other day: Nutritious Smoothies for Runners. I've always been a fan of smoothies, and have become a bit of a smoothie fiend since getting a hand-held blender for Christmas last year (they're so much fun! You can whizz up practically anything!)

I always thought I was being pretty healthy, mixing low-fat yoghurt with various fruit (and maybe occasionally almost always some cocoa powder or dark chocolate), but after doing a little research, I've realised that there a ton of other ingredients I could add, and most are healthier - less sugar, for starters, and often more protein. The protein, of course, is key for muscle recovery after a tough run; and at this stage in marathon training, I'm sure you'll agree that all of the runs are getting pretty tough!

Blueberry, raspberry and vanilla - tasty!

So, inspired by the articles I've read recently, I decided to look into the most commonly recommended ingredients, to see what benefits they really offer - and I realised that I've been underestimating a lot of them!

I was on the right track with some things, at least: cocoa powder is a great source of anti oxidants. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, it contains a higher amount of antioxidants than red wine and tea. Pretty impressive!

Other good sources of anti oxidants are blueberries, kiwi, raisins and mangoes. Strangely enough, cinnamon also makes the list - and boasts other benefits, like potassium and anti-inflammatory properties. Banana is another ingredient that seems to keep appearing, as they're rich in potassium. I personally love bananas in smoothies, as they go with nearly anything, and thicken it up nicely.

As for protein, there are a number of ways to add a little extra. The obvious choices are yoghurt and milk, but there are other, less obvious options: soybeans, tofu, almonds (e.g. almond butter or almond milk) and peanuts are all great. If you fancy being a little adventurous, egg whites apparently also work well - though I don't think I'll be trying that any time soon.

I might've drizzled a large amount of honey over this ..

Now for me, it's been brilliant to learn about the nutritional benefits of things that I eat all the time - and I've realised that my usual breakfast is quite a bit healthier than I gave it credit for. Most mornings, I'll make a bowl of porridge, mixed with cinnamon, raisins and honey, and occasionally topped with sliced banana. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just have plain porridge with a drizzle of honey. I thought that this was kind of bad, given that porridge + honey is basically just carbs + sugar (not that this made me any less lazy), so I was pretty happy to stumble across this article, which cites a number of ways that honey is actually good for you! Drizzle on!

To coffee, or not to coffee?

So instead of my mammoth gym session yesterday, this happened:

Hazelnut mocha, with whipped cream. Heaven in a mug.

And it got me thinking. Living and working in France, I very quickly got used to the idea of café culture. During my first placement, I ran a bar at a small holiday centre in rural Charentes (département 17). I assumed I would mainly serve alcohol and cold drinks, but it was the espresso that people really visited for. It was such an integral part of the day that the owners offered each guest a free espresso in the hour after lunch - dozens would descend on my tiny little bar, crowding together, all at once. Nobody ever ordered coffee, which I learnt had to be distinguished from espresso by specifically asking for café au lait (colloquially known by the French as a noisette, due to the colour the milk makes when mixed with the espresso). As far as tea went, all they served was a variety of tisanes - or infusions - and I was the only one that ever really drank them. My personal favourite was pomme cannelle, with a little bit of brown sugar. Amaaazing. I haven't been able to find that flavour here, unfortunately. Might have to pop back to France!

Charentes is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Sunflower fields, traditional French villages, and long sandy beaches - heaven! 

I saw coffee as part of the French culture; a reminder of the days of Sartre and Hemmingway; of Left-Bank cafes, frequented by artists and literary types. When I got to Paris, I wasn’t disappointed. I occasionally spent my lunch hour sat at a table outside a café on the Avenue de l’Opéra, sipping espresso and watching the world go by. To me, that was the quintessential Parisian experience - away from the groups of tourists on the Rue de Rivoli, at the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe (and of course, the Champs Elysées).

In fact, thinking about it, I didn’t visit the Louvre once in the whole six months I lived there (though I did visit as a tourist a few years before). I climbed the Eiffel Tower just once, and that was because my boyfriend visited me from England and asked me to take him. By living and working in Paris, I experienced it in a completely different way. I discovered the hidden shopping arcades by the Palais Royale; I cycled a vélib through the centre of Paris in the middle of the night, weaving through crowds of people during the Nuit Blanche. 

The Tour Eiffel sparkling with hundreds of tiny lights, and the Hotel de Ville covered in LED signs with 'Love Differences' in dozens of different languages - the Nuit Blanche was spectacular.

So there I was yesterday, sat in Café Nero, thinking about the differences in café culture here and in France. The English may not be big on espresso – they may prefer the big American chains to little independent cafés, unlike in France (I’m generalising) - but there seems to be an overlap. The Anglo (American, really) café culture is spreading across Europe – there are as many Starbucks in Paris as there are in central London, although the French haven’t warmed to them quite so much! I’ve seen plenty of French articles over the years referring to Starbucks coffee as ‘jus de chaussettes’ and ‘pipi du chat’ (rough translation: not proper coffee) and most of the Starbucks I went to in Paris were full of Asian tourists. 

Whilst we may not place as much importance in a good quality cup of coffee as the French do, we certainly drink a heck of a lot of it. It seems to be something people do without thinking – they queue at Costa or Nero when they get to the train station in the morning, and swig from a takeaway cup as they rush for their train; they put the kettle on the minute they get into work, making a coffee for anyone else who fancies one (pretty much the whole office, usually!); an hour later, someone else will fancy a coffee and the office drinks round begins again. In every office I’ve worked in, drinking coffee seems to be the way to meet people and make friends; the kitchen is the social centre of the office, as making a coffee is often used as an excuse for a break and a chat.

I’ve never been much of a caffeine junkie. When I’m at work, I’m perfectly happy to just drink water throughout the day. But I’ve realised that by not drinking coffee (or, of course, tea) I’m almost excluding myself from the social side of things. I accepted that in France, whether you drank coffee or not, the after-lunch espresso was compulsory, but I had always assumed that we had a different mindset here. In reality, the only difference is that we don’t (usually) drink espresso.

I’ve started joining the drinks round just to draw attention away from myself. In my first week, when I declined a coffee in front of my boss, I was jokingly asked if I was a ‘robot that didn’t drink’. For a moment it took me right back to my first week in Charentes, when my boss, astounded, exclaimed ‘Tu bois pas du café? Putain, tu bois quoi, alors?’

It seems that in some ways, we’re not that different at all.

Goodbye, winter - hello .. snow!?

When I signed up for the marathon, we were getting towards the summer and it seemed like a great idea. I figured that whilst I would be training through the winter, once the miles got really high the weather would be getting better and better, and my last few runs - given they would be done in the spring - might even be kind of nice.

Now obviously last weekend's long run went entirely against that reasoning, and was awful (torrential rain, biting wind, mud ..) but I thought nah, this weekend is officially a few days into spring, so the weather should at least be reasonable. And we've had a couple of lovely crisp, sunny days this week, so it was looking promising!

But when I looked out of my window this morning, what did I see?

Heavy snow.

I'm not even kidding - it's white outside, and still coming down heavily.

Welcome to spring!

I think I might be doing my long run at the gym this afternoon - 9/10 miles, short break on the bike, then another 9/10 miles. I'm going to need to rework my running playlist - 3.5 hours is a looot of music.

I just can't imagine being at the gym for that long .. Though it's better than slowly freezing on my own out in the snow, I suppose!

Then again, there's always tomorrow.

Life Lessons, written by a 90-year-old

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for things that matter.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful.  Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to be happy.  But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose Life.

28. Forgive but don’t forget.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Rain, rain and more rain ..

Looking out of the window at 10h00, all I saw was dark grey clouds and drizzle. Not the most inviting weather for a long run, has to be said. But I'd committed myself to it, and eaten half a ton of (amazing) Chinese food the night before, so I had to burn some serious calories - at that point, running seemed as good an option as anything else. 

After a breakfast of yoghurt (with chopped strawberries and a drizzle of honey) and poached egg on toast, I headed out. It started off ok, with the rain staying quite light and the temperatures quite mild. I headed up from West Molesey to Hampton Court, where I crossed the bridge and made my way to Bushy Park. I had set off a little faster than I meant to, at around a 10-minute pace .. For some reason I found it quite hard to pace myself today! I took a quick pitstop at the loos, and then begun doing laps around the park. It's a gorgeous place to run, though the weather meant the paths were full of puddles, and there was lots of mud:

 

(This is the state of my trainers AFTER torrential rain cleaned them off. They're still soaking wet).

Having slacked on my mid-week training (it's becoming a real habit that I should probably break) my legs were quite lazy today, and I took a few miles to really get into it. I'm so used to running on pavements that the varied terrain in the park was quite a challenge - I definitely had to work harder! It was great for my joints though, and a previous niggle in my left knee didn't flare up once. The shin pain started up a couple miles in, but a slight adjustment to my posture made it go away. Score!

I took a gel at mile 5, and started to quite enjoy the run - the rain eased off, and the sun (just about) made an appearance for a little while. My Uncle caught up to me on his bike just after 8 miles, which meant I got to take my mind off the aches and have a nice chat - which also helped me pace myself properly. The path took us quite close to a big group of stags, which was pretty cool! It was all going really well until 9 miles in, when I suddenly got a sharp pain in my right knee. I'm thinking this was related to my right hip, as the muscles around my hip and upper/outer thigh have been really tight since my last long run. From then on I had to take occasional walking breaks .. The pain would ease off to a dull ache for a while, which was great, but occasionally the sharp pain would come back. Only briefly, but still. 

(You can see where the pain kicked in!)

We decided to give ourselves a change of scenery and headed out of the park and along the toe path, past Hampton Court (what an amazing view!) and back to the bridge. Whilst I'd had a bit of a break from the rain for a few miles, by the time we got to the toe path the rain had really picked up again - for nearly 2 miles it was absolutely torrential, and the wind picked up too - horizontal rain is SO not fun. I tried to take a gel at mile 10, and had to open it with my teeth because my hands had gone numb (yes, whilst I remembered my hat, I thought that the weather wasn't bad enough for gloves. Note to self: Never underestimate the crappiness of English weather. Ever.) but it gave me a little boost which helped me to dig deep and push past the knee pain. 

We got back to the bridge and I sprinted up and over, and it felt great to take longer strides and stretch out my legs. At the end of the bridge my Uncle went on ahead and I slowed down to a comfortable (well, comfortable when compared to a sprint) jog. The rain began to ease a little but given that I was already soaked and absolutely freezing, it didn't really help! I sped up again for the last hundred meters or so, and then hobbled back to the flat.

Tomorrow's long run

With a weather forecast like this for tomorrow's 18-miler, I'm beginning to think that the universe is trying to tell me something:

3+ hours out in that .. It looks like I'm going to get very wet and muddy. Thanks, England!

#NothingFeelsBetterThan

#NothingFeelsBetterThan lacing up for a run.
— Nike Running (@NikeRunning) March 15, 2013

I would LOVE to agree with this .. But right now it's cold, and dark, and raining. And when the weather's absolutely naff, I can always think of pleeenty of things that are far better than lacing up for a run. Like being a big wuss and sitting in my nice cosy flat and munching my way through half a bag of M&Ms. Not that I chickened out of my 8-miler in favour of M&Ms, or anything ..

Week in Review (11/3)

I kind of shot myself in the foot last week, by slacking on my training until Saturday. Yeeeah, you read that right - Saturday. You can tell I'm a first-time marathoner. I did go to Pilates on Monday, which was good, though I discovered that my core strength is pretty much non-existent .. I guess I started at a good time!

As for running, Prezzo won over my short run on Tuesday, and I'm not sure what happened the rest of the week (well ok, rain and cold on Friday meant I chickened out of my medium run). I hauled myself to the gym on Saturday for my 8-miler, and it went ok. It didn't feel great, not surprising given that I hadn't run in about a week, but I finished it. It reminded me how much I hate running in the gym - it's always so hot and stuffy!

Sunday, it was time for my 16.5 mile long run. I was pretty nervous beforehand, given my lack of training the week before, but I was determined to give it a go. I set out at about half 10, and it was fairly cold and cloudy but dry. By mile 4 I had warmed up and was feeling quite good - this run took me on a new route through a couple of nearby villages that I hadn't visited before, and included some woodland, which was really lovely and took my mind off the distance. I ran a 7-mile figure of 8, with a loop of the park added to the end, which meant that I could cut my run into roughly 4-mile segments. I stopped off as I passed home at 7 miles, to refill my bottle with some sports drink, take a gel, and put some extra vaseline on a couple of my toes (yeah, blisters, fun times). It was at this point that I noticed a sharp pain in my lower back - it was tender to touch, and I couldn't bend forwards very far. The muscle was extremely tight and sore.

The second half was much tougher than the first. The temperature was dropping, the wind was picking up, and the previous day's 8-miler meant my legs really struggled on the hills. My energy was ok, but I was hurting. By 12 miles, my left knee started to niggle - this started during my 14-miler, but healed in the weeks since - and it got more and more painful over the last few miles. By 14 miles, my left foot, right ankle, and right hip decided to join the fun. My lower back was now in constant pain. When I hit 14.5 miles and went into the unknown, I was feeling quite negative. I hobbled up a particularly long (but shallow) hill, and a small boy and his Mum (and what I assumed was his brother) were coming towards me. As they passed, the young boy loudly exclaimed 'GOD, how SLOW are you running!?' Needless to say, in the state I was in at this point, I took that comment pretty hard. It was with great difficulty that I refrained from throwing my half-empty gel at his face.  I did give him a glare, as well as his Mum, who said nothing to him! What is wrong with some people!?

Unfortunately, from then on I was unable to focus on the fact that I was running further than I had ever managed before - instead, all I could think was 'Why on earth am I bothering? I'm clearly rubbish, and I hurt, and I'm cold, and I'm tired, and I'm never going to get to 26.2 miles. Ever.' For the last two miles I was on the verge of tears, though I couldn't give just one reason for it. I think it was a mixture of the fatigue, the pain, the discomfort, and a severe blow to my confidence.

(Man, you can tell where the hills and the pain kicked in!)

I finally got home, finishing 16.17 miles in 3h02 (including walking breaks, which I didn't pause my band for - my 14.3 miler averaged a slower pace than this, and I paused the band during the walking breaks, so that's progress!) and after a hot shower, a long stretch, lots of water (including a really cool Hi5 hydration tablet that dissolved in water and bubbled everywhere, turning the water pink .. and tasted like Refreshers!!) I was feeling a lot better. Looking at the stats, I felt really good. Despite a number of walking breaks, and niggles, I averaged an 11:13 pace, putting me on track for a sub-5hr marathon. This is assuming I run the marathon faster, which I think I will - the course is flat, I've got another month of training to go, the weather should be better, and I won't have run 8 miles the day before!

So my weekly mileage, spread very unwisely over just 2 consecutive days, was 24.1 miles. I won't be slacking again - this weekend calls for an 18.5 mile run, whilst the following weekend will be 20 miles. Given how painful 16.1 miles was, I don't know how I'm going to add an extra 10 miles on top .. I guess I'll find out.

Fingers crossed!

Total weekly mileage: 24.1
Weeks to go until Brighton: 5 (!!!)

Week in Review (4/3)

I'll start this by saying that last week was a bit of a fail on the running front. I'm now starting to slightly panic, as the marathon is NEXT MONTH. (How did that happen!?)

It started off ok, as I got to the gym on Tuesday evening for a 3 miler (it was meant to be 5, but I figured I would make up for it with the Wednesday club run). Unfortunately training sort of trailed off after that as I came down with a cold. I didn't feel up to the club run Wednesday as I was headachey, tired and blocked up - ditto for Thursday, which was meant to be my medium run day (8 miles). I considered doing the 8 miler on Friday, but steak and wine at Cafe Rouge seemed like a better idea at the time. I then decided that I would do my long run Saturday, but didn't feel great and had lots to do, so it didn't happen.

Just look at that steak .. Can you really blame me?

Sunday was meant to be my 16-miler day, and the evening before I was still planning to run it .. But I woke up on Sunday morning and the cold had got worse, I felt stuffy-headed, headachey, weak and slightly dizzy. I ended up spending the day huddled up in my big slouchy jumper, drinking hot drinks and watching Project Runway. (Not the most productive of days, I admit!)

Looking at the training plan, it's pretty bad timing, as I only have 3 more long runs scheduled between now and tapering. My previous long run (and longest to date) is only 14.3 miles, but I've worked out that I can still hit a 20 miler if I adjust the plan a little. I've decided to add in a weekly 3 miler recovery run after the medium run, just to get some more time on my feet as I've failed miserably to keep up my mileage recently and don't fancy jumping to an uber-long run without building up to it properly during the week! I'm also going to change my remaining long runs to 16.5, 18.5 and 20 miles (instead of 17, 18, 19).

I'm still not feeling great, and the cold seems to be getting worse reeeally slowly - I hope it clears up soon! Luckily this evening is my first pilates session, rather than a scheduled run, so it should be a good way to stretch out my muscles and prepare my body for the week ahead (that, or break myself - I've not really tried pilates before!)

This week's training includes a 5-miler on Tuesday, (possibly) a club run Wednesday, a 3-mile recovery run on Thursday, rest day on Friday and long run on Saturday. Fingers crossed!

Total weekly mileage: Not worth mentioning
Weeks to go until Brighton: 6 (!!)

Week in Review (25/2)

After my physio appointment at the beginning of last week, I decided to take it easy with my mid-week training. I did two lunchtime bike sessions and one evening jog on the treadmill (each workout 20 minutes) as I hadn't run properly in nearly a week.

On Saturday I went back to the gym for my medium run, as I figured it would be easier to work on my posture on a smooth, flat treadmill than outside (that, and it was really cold!) I managed a comfortable 10k at a 1% incline. That run kind of boosted my confidence, as I had managed to overcome the shin pain - pushing my shoulders back and leaning back slightly eased the pressure on that foot. Phew!

When I woke up on Sunday and my legs felt pretty good, I decided to bite the bullet and give my long run a go. I was due 15 miles, but as I had missed the 14 miler the weekend before, I decided to aim for 14 instead. I headed out at 3pm, and the weather was awful - it was trying to snow, and there was a strong, biting wind. Being the genius that I am, I forgot to wear my hat (though I did wear gloves and a neck-warmer - 2 out of 3 isn't bad!)

Given the niggles I'd had over the past couple weeks I decided to forgo my new longer route, and instead did 3.5 loops of my medium route (about 4.5 miles). This meant that if I had any problems, I wouldn't need to hobble very far to get home! I did stop off after the first loop to refill my water bottle and grab a gel (I carried a second gel with me for the rest of the run) but after that it was fairly continuous. By the third loop I started to flag, as my thighs began to really ache - the upper outside edges of both thighs (by the ITB), which was a really tricky area to try and stretch out on the go! I did give it a good try, though .. I've lost count of the positions I worked myself into to try and ease the ache (and the consequent looks I received from innocent pedestrians).

I averaged out at an 11 mile pace, and finished at 14.3 miles. The last couple miles were extremely uncomfortable, as my pace had slowed, the temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up .. But I made it home in one piece and enjoyed the world's longest, hottest shower - always my favourite part of a long run :D

Total weekly mileage: 22.5
Weeks to go until Brighton: 8

Week in Review (18/2)

A day late, I know! This week hasn't quite gone to plan on the training front, unfortunately. I started off well, managing to fit in both my short and medium runs, as well as a cycle at the gym .. But I attempted my long run twice yesterday - once in the morning, once in the evening - and the pesky burning shin pain flared up both times, leaving me no choice but to walk home after less than a mile :(

The short run was meant to be 4 miles, but I ended up doing 4.4. It was veeery cold but dry, and felt alright apart from a slight niggle in my shin/foot.

The medium run was 6 miles, and I managed 6.2. This one wasn't great, as I felt a bit out of sorts and ended up running it rather slowly, though I didn't have any walking breaks, so that's something!

So my weekly mileage worked out as 10.8, and I missed a 14-miler. Ouch. On the up side, I have an appointment booked with a physio this week to get that stupid foot/leg sorted out (I hope!!) In the meantime, it'll be lunchtime cycling at the gym for me, and daily sessions with the foam roller. Boo. Fingers crossed.

Race Review - Exeter Half

So I had originally planned to write up my week's training on a Sunday; however, last week my training effectively consisted of a half marathon:

Yeeeah, check out those sexy purple Asics! (They're currently stuffed full of newspaper. Devon didn't really agree with them). Oh, and the medal's pretty awesome, too. Did I mention they gave everyone a medal at the finish? And creme eggs! The creme eggs were the best bit! I tried to persuade everyone that as I was basically last, and there was basically a full box of them left, they must have meant for one per mile per person - needless to say, nobody was convinced. Pft. Their logic fails me.

Talking of miles, due to running this half marathon in truly Devon style - i.e., in the torrential rain - part of the original course was flooded, so they ended up adjusting it on the day, sending us off with a 'well I don't really know how long the route is now, to be completely honest .. Possibly 12 something ..' I wish. The official length was 13.25, meaning this was both the wettest AND longest half marathon, ever. I think the universe is trying to tell me something.

Well, given that this blog is supposed to be a training log of sorts, I should probably talk about running, rather than chocolate. Madness, I know. I do apologise.

My longest training run before the half marathon was 12.1 miles, completed in 2h07. In reality this was effectively 2 shorter runs - 5 miles, and then 7 - with a quick loo break in the middle. Given this, and the fact that over the past 3 or 4 weeks I've been severely slacking on my mid-week runs, I'm honestly not surprised that I found this race as tough as I did. I had initially hoped for a finishing time of around 2h15-2h20, but even by half way I could tell that it wasn't going to happen.

I could list excuses: the weather was warmer than I'm used to running in; I've never run any substantial distance in the pouring rain; I didn't wear my ipod; the half marathon was at the end of a stressful week of late nights and early mornings, and preceded by a 6h15 wake-up call .. But really, I think I shot myself in the foot by not sticking to my training as well as I should have. I finished in 2:28:31, 5th from last place. On the up side, according to my Nike+ band I managed to maintain a pretty steady pace:

(The calibration was slightly off - it only felt like 13.9 miles).

Psychologically, I found the route pretty tough; running out and back along the same path 3 times, being regularly passed by the faster runners heading back a loop ahead of me (awesome to watch but somewhat distracting), the route felt longer than it was. I've never been good with long, straight paths - I like to break up my runs with strategic turns and pedestrian-dodging (the half marathon delivered on the latter, tenfold .. pedestrians, cyclists, dogs ..)

I think what really kept me going was the fact that I didn't run it alone - I had my Dad to coerce me into carrying on (even when I wanted to just give up). Being fitter and faster than me, he occasionally went a little ahead, but regularly slowed to let me catch up. I think once you get into a bad mental place during a long run like this, moral support makes all the difference. By the third loop, all I could focus on was the rain, the blister on my toe, the niggles in my left ankle and right knee, my aching legs .. By 11 miles, it was all I could do to keep jogging. Overtaking a guy on the way back on the final straight was a little boost!

We got to the last little stretch, and the clock read 2h28. Mum, having come along to support us despite being unable to run it herself due to injury (I can only imagine how frustrating it must be watching a race you wanted to run, especially when her and Dad had already completed two half marathons and then a full one the year before .. so THANK YOU, you wonderful person), was standing there waving and smiling as we approached the finish line. It was at this point that my Dad grabbed my hand and pulled me into a sprint finish, calling out 'come on, sub 2h30!' This not only made me smile; it made me laugh. The finish changed the mood of the entire race for me. In those final few meters my thoughts went from 'I'm miserable, I'm a failure, and I never want to talk about this again' to 'I. am. a. half. marathon. runner.'

And that's what I have to remind myself. Yes, it was tough. No, I wasn't the fastest runner ever. Yes, I probably could have done a little better with more preparation, and yes, I would have loved a faster finish time. But you know what? The reality is that is the hardest a half marathon will ever be for me. Because that run was the furthest I had ever run, and I showed myself that I could go the distance - and a little extra - and get to the end with a smile on my face, a medal round my neck, and a creme egg in my hand.

And that sounds pretty awesome, really.