Marathon training - halfway through

My eyes are now firmly fixed on the Manchester Marathon in April, and my goal of 3.30 is a pretty tall ask for me. That's more than 21 minutes off my PB which I set in London in 2014, so I've had to make sure I train slightly differently than for my previous marathons.

Having just finished Week 7 of my training and almost halfway through I thought I'd take a look at the story so far.

Part 1 - The Running Bit
The first 5 weeks were great! Long runs were around the 15 mile mark and I was feeling strong during these and my track sessions. My weeks were generally shaping up to look like this:

Monday - Yoga to stretch after Sunday's long run
Tuesday - Track speed session
Wednesday - recovery run 4/5 miles
Thursday - Club run 6-8 miles
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - Parkrun (speed) or XC race (although these are pretty few and far between for me!)
Sunday - The Big One - a long Sunday run.

So my weekly mileage was already way bigger than it had been in previous marathon training - I finally feel like I'm doing different types of running sessions rather than just looking at the distance on my training plan and running all my runs at the same pace. This is thanks to running with the club - I would never have dreamt of going to track or doing hill sprints alone.

Also, in previous training cycles I didn't ever build on the base I had already made for myself, I just started my training at the same point each time. I was basically letting myself off the hook for more long runs but this kind of thinking is why my 3 marathon times are all pretty similar!

Having had a year off from marathoning last year has definitely helped me mentally too. Although my goal is bigger, the pressure I'm feeling for Manchester isn't. I feel like I've made a good running base over the last year from running with the club and feel way stronger than I have in my other training. So although I'm aiming for a fast time and I'm going to try my best to get there, I know that I'll have worked as hard as I can and if I don't quite manage it, it won't be the end of the world. As long as I try.

So all shaping up pretty well huh? Well that was all until about two weeks ago...I jetted off on holiday to Hong Kong (which was AMAZING!) with grand plans of going out running whilst I was there and continuing my training. Jetlag and holiday vibes got the better of me and the only running I did that whole week was a token 5k on the treadmill. Oops!

I thought it would be fine and I could just pick up where I left off, so after a steady 4 miles that Saturday I jumped straight in to an 18.5 mile run. NOT GOOD. I basically ran too far after no training and picked up an injury. I still attempted a track session the following Tuesday and had to abandon it after two reps and literally hobble home in agony. This meant no more running for another week. Annoyed with myself I went for a swim and tried to tell myself a rest would be good. Thankfully my brilliant physio Trevor worked his magic and gave me the go ahead to run. I did a steady and tentative parkrun to test the leg and although I could feel a niggle I wasn't in pain. So I am REALLY glad that I was able to complete my long Sunday run today, again at a slow and steady pace. I woke up this morning with not even a niggle and although the 16 miles felt tough at times, they weren't painful. I also dutifully stretched properly and got on the foam roller so fingers crossed I will be OK for the coming week. My priority this week is taking it steady so as not to injure myself again, but still get all my training in.

Part 2 - The Eating Bit

I've also been trying to eat and fuel my runs better. I've been attempting to eat more protein to stop the mad eat-everything-in-sight-hunger I get from my long runs. This seems to be working and I haven't woken up hungry at 4am since I made a conscious effort to do this. A good little trick I've found to keep the mad runger at bay are boiled eggs as a snack (the people in work LOVE it), and I seem to be jumping on the 'everything Nordic is cool' bandwagon and devouring Skyer for breakfast like it's going out of fashion. Protein ahoy! I have no idea if this is what I'm meant to be doing so don't follow my lead - but it seems to be working for me.

The nice people at Natural Balance Foods also sent me a job lot of Trek Energy Bars which are tasty and actually fill me up which not all snack bars do. They are packed full of protein and good stuff to fuel my body and I like to eat them before a heavy session like track, when I know I'll need loads of energy. The peanut ones are yum! And they are a tasty (and healthier) substitute for the continuous chocolate that abounds in my work.

Which brings me nicely on to lent. I do not believe in denying yourself food things and think if you run a lot then you can pretty much eat whatever you god damn like. But I did notice that I was eating loads of chocolate in work, just because it was there. I didn't particularly want it, I wouldn't have gone out and bought it, but I was still eating it. A lot. So for the first time I've given up chocolate for lent. It's surprising how much chocolate is in EVERYTHING. But I noticed that by cutting out chocolate I've been opting to eat things like those Trek bars, an orange or a yogurt, essentially things which will fuel me better as well as get me my sweet fix. This doesn't mean I'm on a super health fest though and deny myself everything nice. The extra food you need to eat is the best part of marathon training, and I still eat pudding. I'm not mad.
Hopefully just by being a little more conscious about eating better, I might run better too.

I guess the next 8 weeks will tell...

2015 - The Run Down

This time last year I set myself 5 'Runolutions' - running goals and resolutions for 2015 - and boy did I have fun trying to achieve them.

Without a marathon to concentrate on, 2015 saw me become a triathlete after completing the London Triathlon; run with Paula Radcliffe; be a poster girl in the This Girl Can campaign; learn to swim front crawl again, and take part in my first 24 hour race at Equinox24 which included getting up and running in the dark at 1.30am! Phew!

So let's see how I got on with the rest of my goals...

1) Join a running club
This is probably the best thing I've done for my running all year, hell probably ever! After a few tentative visits, in January I signed up to the Manchester YMCA Harriers and haven't looked back since. Running with these lovely lot has meant going to wonderful races I'd never have entered alone, tackling a 24  hour race and coming top ten, winning the Christmas 5K Handicap as well as lots of brilliant social outings - not to mention chat chat chatting all the way through our weekly club runs.

Harrier!

2) Go to parkrun and make it routine
As soon as I completed my first parkrun early last year, I knew I would be back. The atmosphere en route; waiting for the text later to confirm your time and the feeling of being back in the warm tucking in to a post run brekkie by 10am, have all contributed to the best start to the best weekends. This weekly free 5k has also helped in increasing my speed (my 5k PB is now 21.34) and kicked me into gear to up my mileage by incorporating it into a long run. I've run in a number of different parkruns and when I'm away always check if one is nearby! Brilliant.

Impromptu Harrier parkrun meet up

3) Try out Cross Country
Not too long ago I did my first Cross Country race with the club. The wind was howling, the rain was pouring and the mud was slippery. But it was lots of fun. I've only completed one race so far but the season is young and I will be back for more in Jan!

Mud mud mud

4) Properly train for half marathons and try and break 1.45
Along with completing my triathlon, this is the running achievement I am most proud of in 2015 - completing the Wilmslow Half Marathon in 1.39! A new PB and much faster than the 1.45 I was hoping for. It was really hard work, but I really felt like I put the effort and training in, and unsurprisingly it paid off. I must remember this in my marathon training for Manchester 2016.

5) Have a clear out and lend a hand
A mile in her Shoes is a charity which helps women who have been affected by homelessness help find their feet through running. It's great, and I was really pleased when my new club told me they'd read my blog and were also doing a collection of running clothes to donate to the charity. So after sorting through my kit drawer I added my donations to the pile. In fact, having complained that my drawer is currently bulging, it's about time I had another clear out. I also volunteered to marshal our club race this year. It's nice to give something back and I should very much make it my goal to do more volunteering this year.

So there we have it - a pretty busy 2015 with lots of achievements I'm proud of. But the over riding bonus of the last year are all the lovely crazy people I've met and trained with along the way. From swimming, cycling, triathlon training and of course running, it's been the people who have been crazy enough to do these things with me that have really made it a brilliant year.

The dreaded treadmill - Friday photo #39

A round up of CrandonRuns in one weekly photo

I've been working away most of the week and staying in less than runner friendly areas, (think hotels at the side of motorways - glamorous). Long hours and working away has meant I've missed loads of Thursday night club runs with the Manchester YMCA Harriers, and that the view from my run has sadly often looked like this instead:

The Dreaded Treadmill

I hate the treadmill. It's so hot and I cannot overcome the repetitive boredom of running but staying put on the same spot. Running outdoors is so much more fun, give me the sweltering heat or the Manchester rain outside any day - at least battling the elements keeps it interesting. I'm also convinced that there is some time continuum where seconds on a treadmill last much longer than they do in real life too.

So when I awoke last Saturday morning to Twitter messages re an impromptu Harriers meet up at parkrun I was stoked. We came, we saw, we cheered on all our runners, and we conquered the run in hot and muggy conditions. A fantastic unexpected running start to everyone's weekend, which totally beat every soulless air conditioned treadmill run I'd been on that week.

And then last night I actually made it down to the club run. 8 miles of sunny, breezy canal running and chatting with the harriers has undone the horror of the treadmill and restored the running balance again. Phew!

Impromptu Harriers meet up

Marathon Motivation

...Or 'Where's my mojo gone?'

After running both London and Berlin Marathons last year, I'm no stranger to losing my running mojo. That feeling of being on a constant merry go round of running, working, sleeping, running, running, running; endlessly getting up at what feels like the middle of the night or running at lunch in a bid to get your god damn run in; and the boredom of plodding out alone, on the same old tired routes and wondering where the hell you can run to to get those 18, 19, 20 milers in. We've all been there. 

With the London Marathon in 8 weeks, spring time marathon training is firmly under way and your big day is almost here. But with the normal loss of motivation littering my twitter feed, I thought I would share some tactics I found useful in getting myself out of my running slump and getting excited about running again.

1. New kit, new kit, NEW KIT
It's no secret that I love new kit. Whenever I'm training and start to feel the lack of motivation creeping up on me I visit the Nike, Adidas, or Sweaty Betty website - let's be honest, usually all three - and get spending. There is nothing better to make me look forward to a run than new snazzy kit to try out. So I suggest you head on over to your preferred running brand's website and get purchasing. 
Those new snazzy tights you've been eyeing up? Get them! 
The swanky new jacket you don't need but really want because it's pretty? Get it! 
Hell even a pair of new running socks have been known to get me giddy about a run the following day. And don't worry about the expense, you totally deserve it after all your hard work and seeing as your life is now just constant running, think of all the money you're saving by having next to no social life.

2) Read read read
You may feel like the last thing you want to do is immerse yourself even further in the world of running right now, but do. Become a running geek and throw yourself at it's mercy. Books or articles which share other's inspirational running stories can be so helpful and give you a huge boost to get  back out there and remember why you're running in the first place. 
My favourites are Chrissie Wellington's 'A Life Without Limits' and Alexandra Heminsley's 'Running Like a Girl' which are both inspirational and funny. Hemmo's section on looking good while you're getting your race on is brilliant - hello race day nails! 

If books aren't your thing try out some podcasts. I love Marathon Talk, which again is hilarious and informative and really lets you get your running geek on.

Reading, or listening, to these make me realise I'm not the only one doing all this training malarkey and stoke the fire in me to find my missing enthusiasm.

3) Run with People
I cannot stress this enough, running with others is WAY more fun that running on your own. For starters, I find a good old chat while running makes the miles fall away and you will also discover new routes to run. Making a running date also makes you more accountable to get your run in and if you're strapped for time do what I do and coerce your fellow workers into a lunch run. For free running you can't beat parkrun, which is easy to incorporate into your long runs at the weekend, giving them a bit more of an interest; or join your nearest Sweatshop Running Club. 
If you live in Manchester check out this Time Out guide to free running groups.

4) Reward yourself
Get yourself a massage; treat yourself to a pedicure to help those tired manky feet (boys, I'm looking at you too); go out for a swanky dinner and spend a night not thinking about running; buy yourself that new top; go for a walk; visit a mate you've not seen in a while; basically do whatever the hell you like to do when you're not running. Go and do it, and don't think about your training. A little time off really helps, as does eating cake I find. 

5) Release the pressure
Now this one is way easier said than done, but trying to let go of the pressure you put yourself under while training, really really helps. I'm not saying don't aim for those amazing goals, or stop trying all together, no way! I find that sometimes thinking 'what is the worst that will happen if I don't achieve this and what will be the repercussions' can help and make me focus on the amazing thing that you are doing. Remember, you are training for AN ACTUAL REAL LIFE MARATHON. Don't forget how amazing this is, and in turn how amazing you are for actually doing it.

Hopefully these things will help you find your missing mojo. If you've got any other tactics, share them in the comments below!

Parkrun tourism - Crandon Runs Friday Photo #21

A weekly round up of Crandon Runs in one Friday Photo

After accidentally running 11 miles after work on Thursday, I decided that instead of my usual long run, this weekend I would do a spot of park run tourism while at home in Cardiff and do a steady paced 5K instead. 

Parkrun was one of my New Years Runolutions and I am absolutely loving the atmosphere there. It's so good and the fact that they are everywhere means you can do them almost wherever you are that weekend! After Katie wrote about it recently, I thought I should definitely try out the one on my home turf in Cardiff.

Cardiff parkrun

I'm not entirely sure why I'm looking so serious, I loved it! The 'taking it easy' part didn't go too well though when a guy running slightly ahead asked me my PB and told me to stick with him as he was pacing 23 mins and was well ahead of that time. I didn't WANT to race, but I couldn't seem to stop myself trying for a PB when I knew it might be in sight. So the easy run soon turned into a reasonably hard effort for me and I ended up with a new PB of 22.20. 

Well that's probably why I'm looking so serious, my body is trying to keep up with my brain.

Maybe I'll take it easy next week.

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