Under a week to the half Marathon!

Ok, so in a weeks time we will have run the Great Bentley half marathon! Just writing that is strange, it seems it was only a little while ago that Amy and I were struggling to run once around Great Bentley Green! Ruth (your comments make me laugh so much and how terrifying to turn one's computer on at work only to find that someone (?) has put 30 or so copies of the photo of me running on the screen! Anyway, Ruth your tentative beginnings as a runner are spot on - you are doing it safely and it won't be long till you are doing a half marathon - seriously - the rate of increase of fitness is staggering and really encouraging - that's the best thing about running. Plus there are no gym fee's, you only need to splash out on a decent pair of trainers - you can go anytime that suits you - you're out in the fresh air - you can choose to run by yourself and 'think/run things through' (I like doing this for half my runs) or run with someone else and talk non-stop (I like doing this for the other half of my runs). It isn't all wonderful - I have to say that I really struggled driving to Amy's to do the 12 miler on Saturday - I just wasn't looking forward to running for two hours + around Great Bentley - but once we got started it went really well. The thing that really, really helps is knowing that that money is trickling in - I had an anonymous donation of £100!!!! Unbelievable! That REALLY helps and motivates me.
I am about to start a Monday at work, and this is why I'm running for the Hospice. The clients I work for and the colleagues I work with.
Anyway, more about the training later.

Two weeks to the half marathon ..

Amy and I completed our first 12 mile run yesterday. Running between Clacton and Walton, almost pier to pier (we can't wait to achieve that). It was really mild yesterday and incredibly windy on the return run but it felt great. I was grateful that I ran out of time for the hill training I was supposed to do the day before. Yesterday, we went in the afternoon which is a little out of routine and this meant that food intake needed to be carefully considered. I know what you must be thinking, isn't that a little obsessive but really it makes such a difference to your experience of running. What you eat before a run is crucial! So I played safe and had a bowl of porridge at lunch time. This was fine. I had a pouch full of sultanas (great tip Kevin) but didn't need any. I did run out of fluid - two bottles of 50/50 OJ and water wasn't enough so I need to consider taking 3. It was so mild we took our sweatshirts off and left them thinking they would Ok for our return run - however sadly Amy's really cool top was stolen - strangely they left my cheap as chips, slightly torn sweatshirt!
I find myself thinking about dogs and, probably more to the point, dog owners! There seems to be such a difference in attitude of these people! Some spot you running towards them a long way off, call their dog to them, hold them while you pass and continue, with a warm, and sometimes sympathetic hello. You can see that I'm building to something ... last run Amy and I were running towards two little boys on bikes with a dodgy looking dog running towards us - this is probably a good time to add that I am running with a real animal lover and a knowledgeable dog identifier - this is very useful in such situations as Amy immediately identifies the 'make' of dog, it's rough age and whether friendly or not. However this did not stop me feeling a little panicked and I have to admit, cross with the owner who was miles away. Actually the dog was OK - but it may not have been! Sarah told us at the training evening that she had been bitten twice by a dog whilst running and left on the pavement! Anyway - what is my point? Well, I suppose I just wish dog owners could be a little more considerate as probably most of them are actually. It's just the odd one or two added to which I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to loose dogs on a run! OK, rant over - feel like an episode of 'grumpy old women'.
So, this week, a hill training session, a six miles and a run with the training group. Have a good week!
Jo

Time for a review of training

Morning! Having attended the first meeting with some of the other individuals who are also training for the marathon for the Hospice (hello Clare, Amanda, Jo, Pauland Duncan (thanks for the support Duncan) Amy and I are reviewing our training shcedule. We based ours on one someone else put together and learned from Kevin who is going to accompany us all on our training programmes that our mileage during the week is too high. On the one hand this was great to hear as it was getting difficult to fit the ever increasing length of time the runs took into the week. However, now we have to consider hill training and tempo runs - so less time but harder work! Our long runs are going well and the 11 miler on saturday felt great. We are going to run the half marathon in a couple of weeks in Great Bentley and should be up to 12 miles by then.
I have to admit to being a little distracted whilst I am writing this and will probably continue this another time. Tim, our IT man at the Hospice, set this blog site up for me because I really know very little about such things. He and his wife and little boy have had a baby girl very early and I am thinking of them and send them lots and lots and lots of congratulations, love and best wishes xxxxxxxxx.

To run or not to run...

I have got a cough. You probably think that means I have taken a break from the training as my sensible co-runner Amy was advised and indeed did do. However, when preparing for the long run on Sunday I kept asking myself 'do you feel unwell' and the answer was no. It was quite a dilemma - to run and end up feeling worse or to take a break and recover. In the end I decided to run (of course!). As I mentioned before, my husband agreed to run with me in Amy's absence and this was brilliant except that he was on-call and, at two miles was called and took half an hour dealing with an issue at work. My body temperature drops quite quickly and it was a little chilly Sunday morning so I spent 1/2 an hour trying to keep warm, using the opportunity to stretch etc and trying not to get too despondent about there still being 8 MILES TO RUN! Nevertheless it was beautifully sunny and we had a great a run. I do think I made the right decision as I have felt OK since.
Amy is back on track and we did our short run of 5 miles last night. She was relieved to find that even with an 8 day break she had not forgotten how to run and in fact felt physically really good.
We have got our first Hospice Marathon Meeting this Thursday where we will meet all the other bizarre, I mean great people who are training to run the London Marathon to raise funds for the Hospice - can't wait. Although I am grateful to be doing two of the four weekly runs with Amy, it can be an isolating experience so it will be good to meet up with others.
Now, that reminds me - here I am merrily writing this blog thinking that maybe my friend, cat or coffee mug will read it from time to time when I find out that, for instance ... and I'm not going to protect anyone's identity here - RUTH ELLAM - MUSIC THERAPIST at ST HELENA HOSPICE reads it regularly. Don't get me wrong, I am delighted and thank her for her interest. I only mention it because I would really appreciate it if you, Ruth would leave a comment - just a 'hello'?
I wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to Lindsey who organised an Art Auction at the Railway Tavern in Brightlingsea and donated £25 towards the Hospice. Thank you so much and I know that you are also training for the London Marathon so I am really grateful.
OK, so it's Wednesday and I have to fit in an 8 and a 7 mile run before the first 11 miler on Saturday - here goes .....

It's a New Year

Thank you to Paul and Helen for donating your £15 on my Just giving page - this really means a lot. I get a real buzz knowing that something I'm doing is potentially encouraging people to give their hard earned money for the Hospice - and I don't know any rich people! And that buzz translates into motivation for getting out and running. I really, REALLY did not want to run last night. I did my 7 miles on New Years day and had a six to do last evening - but the actual putting on of the trainers was painfully 'oh no!!' but it went OK. My running partner, Amy has been laid up with a rotten cough by Docs orders - apparently new research questions the old view that if you were poorly from the neck up you could run as opposed to the neck down (IE head cold versus chest cough) when you shouldn't. Amy's Doc says 'Cold or cough - no run for a week' - Amy is really disappointed and is out of the long run at the weekend. I was being quite brave thinking I could do it anyway on my own but am delighted that my husband is going to accompany me - we were due to step up from 10 to 11 miles but I'm saving that milestone (honestly, that's how each incremental increase of mileage feels) for when Amy is back on board. So, Amy - get well soon. Brilliantly, she is not wasting her time and is instead, working out her fundraising ideas for her sponsorship for the Hospice.
Anyway, I have 5 miles to do in the morning which I'm looking forward to - short distance + daylight + seawall = happy me!