13.6 miles

This week, not today. But I had you going for a minute there, didn’t I?

Today: 3.7 miles

In public.

With running trousers on.

In the middle of the day.

Today was groundbreaking stuff. I ran with Paula, who is sneakily fitter than she lets on, due to her strange habit of using the time when her smallest one is at preschool with my smallest one to go and do Body Combat classes at the gym. I on the other hand prefer to relax in the nearest coffee shop and eat a bacon sandwich on the pretext of doing the Christmas shopping.  I can write this safe in the knowledge that Mr Marathonmummy never reads my blog, probably because he has to live with my incessant witterings on a daily basis, and has done for nearly 15 years.

Anyway, back to running. So up the hill we went, walking because we were warming up and not because the hill is hideous at all. Run run run, walk walk walk, run run run, walk walk walk. Onto the main road which has a footpath but also has lorries and things driving past at 60mph. Note to self: slightly short, loose fitting t-shirt + backdraft from lorries = bit of an eyeful for the following cars. I ended up having to jog along holding the hem of my top to avoid scaring the drivers. Run run, walkwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkchatchat, oops this isn’t marathon trainingrunrunrun, up a hill (vomit), down a hill (clever trick from P: lengthen stride slightly to avoid hideous jarring feeling, and it works), run run run. Passed whilst running by someone we know, so we have proof it really happened, then home for water, stretching, cups of tea and oh the absolute bliss of a hot bath in the middle of the day. Thank goodness for preschoolers who still have an afternoon nap.

Paula: Right, shall we run when we get to that post?

Me: Yes, good idea.

(post passes>

Paula: We’re still not running, have you noticed?

Me: But we’re thinking about running. That counts, doesn’t it?

So this week’s mileage is 13.6. Hooray for me, and for lovely running chums, and for all the moral support from people telling me they think I must be mad but well done.

leaden

I really, really didn’t want to run today. I rested yesterday, because my legs were tired after Wednesday, and I thought I’d be full of energy this morning. Unfortunately I had a whole 4.5 hours sleep (note to self: staying up late when home alone with the children is a very bad idea) and this morning all I wanted to do once I’d taken the children to school was come home, curl up on the couch and drink coffee for a few hours until I felt human again.

I’ve been wondering for the last week or so why I’ve had a non-specific stressy feeling, and I realised as I was wheeling out the treadmill what it has been. I think the reality of the marathon is hitting me, and I’m nervous and excited. It’s a massive commitment, and there’s no going back on it. So instead of moaning about how tired I felt, I got on my deeply unflattering running outfit and ran.

Today’s run/walk: 1.5 miles, 20something minutes (?!). Bit slower at 4.5mph – a slow jog rather than a run. Legs tired but manageable. Too tired to write any more! Off for a cup of tea.

in the words of the Wonderpets

This is serious! 28 weeks to go. No more rest days, no more colds, no more sore backs, no more summer holidays, no more messing about. So today whilst the children were at school I got the little one off to bed for an afternoon nap and fired up the treadmill. I am slightly ashamed to admit that apart from a little run before my sinus infection became a chest infection, I haven’t really done a thing all summer.

I ran for a whole half a mile without stopping, which might sound like nothing, but it’s not. It’s fabulously amazing and I am really pleased with myself. No runabitwalkabit, but proper half a mile of running. Not bad considering I haven’t done anything for aeons. I did a good bit of brisk walking too. I have my training programme all sorted out now, and I’m going to post it up on the blog on a page of its own.

But first I’m in the process of moving house. I’ve become a dot com, a decade late. Fashion never was my strong point. I’m hoping that if I start training with a marathonmummy.com t-shirt on, I’ll gather lots of supporters who’ll give lots of money to Heart Research UK.

no more excuses

I wasn’t going to run today because I’m tired and I still feel grim. Then I saw a friend running past my house and I remembered that I have a marathon in just over seven months. (Seven months! Argh!)

Those of you allergic to boring details, skip this paragraph. I ran as follows: Run 1m, Walk 1m, Run 2m, Walk 1, Run 1m30s, Walk 1m, Run 1m, Walk 1m, Run 1m, collapse in sweating heap whilst walking for several minutes, Run 1m30s, cool down. For run, read jog at a really pathetic snail’s speed, but I’ve set the treadmill at 1% and I’m planning to put it up to 2% next. The back of my calves was a bit achey, so I’m hoping that was because of the virtually non-existent gradient. I’d like to say how far I ran, but being a bit of an airhead I forgot to check before I turned the treadmill off. It was probably a mile. Only 25.2 more of them, as Zoe likes to tell me on a regular basis. She’s doing really well on her training. I’d like to say that sibling rivalry is spurring me on, but instead I’m wondering if I could wear rollerskates and she could tow me along.

Oh dear. I am a bit of a mid-afternoon slump person, and that combined with being a bit tired from running has left me inarticulate and needing to have a little snooze on the couch. Can you just imagine something entertaining here, whilst I have a little sleep? Zzzzz.

brace yourselves

It’s a little known fact that Paula Radcliffe and I share a pre-running ritual. We like to get up, get our children off to school, then stop at the roadside cafe for a bacon roll and a delicious polystyrene cup of builder’s tea. Then we pop into Ikea for a bit of shopping with our friends, followed by a healthy lemon and ginger tea (very good for the energy levels) and a slice of Dime cake. Then, and only then, do we head home for our daily training.

Yes. I did say training. It’s official, I have dusted off the trainers (and removed a fine layer of dog hair and fluff from the treadmill) and this afternoon, fuelled by cake-made-from-chocolate-bars, I ran. Shuffled, really. Gosh it’s sweaty, this running business, isn’t it? I ran and walked for a mile and a bit, whilst watching Strictly Come Dancing on tv. There was an awful lot more walking than running, and my face looked like a very red thing when I was finished, but it’s a start. Only another 24 and a bit miles and I’d have done a marathon. If Eddie Izzard can do 43 marathons in 52 days with only 5 weeks of training, I can run one with 7 months. Just keep your fingers crossed, everyone, that there are no more back problems, chest infections, holidays or other excitements. From now on it’s serious.

Getting Better?

It’s official. Despite the beautiful sunny mornings, I am over getting up at 5am and running  shuffling  no, it’s not walking, so it must be running. Anyway, more shouting birds at 3-something am today (am considering a machine gun, or less radically closing the bedroom window at night) so when I hoisted myself out of bed at 5.30 it was with much grumbling.

I went my alternative route today, which starts with a little hill. Last time I did that I tried to run up it and that’s when I gave up and went home to bed, so this time I walked it, sensibly. Then I did the old 1m walk, 1m run routine, seven times. My legs hurt, so I’m sitting here with icepacks on my shins. I don’t think it’s shin splints, having had them before when I ran as a student (barefoot on a sandy beach = ow). I think it’s just ‘what are you doing to us, we like curling up underneath you whilst you sit on the couch eating chocolate’ protestation.

Good news: it felt a tiny, tiny little bit easier today. I am definitely fitter, but it’s hurty legs that let me down. If I wasn’t carrying around all those bags of dog food, I’m sure it would be easier. Anyway,  I’ve agreed to start making more of an effort with the weightloss with my friend S for company. Have just drunk a litre of water, so that’s a good start to the day!

my legs are like a shield of…wobbly stuff

I stayed up till midnight last night reading which was a really bad idea. At 4.30 I was woken up by about fifty million birds yelling outside my bedroom window, and I eventually dragged myself out the door about an hour later feeling like death.

I did 7x 1minute walk, 1 minute run, plus walking to warm up and cool down (aka get my breath back). My legs were like lead weights and I got cramp in both calves – something tells me that’ll be the late night and 2 large glasses of wine before bed catching up with me! I’m going to have to start being a bit more virtuous and only drinking on a Saturday night, I think. No more celebrating the end of the weekend with cheesecake and wine.

Anyway,  the good news is my marathon pack from Heart Research UK has arrived. The bad news is the running vest is rather small (and other excuses). I tried it on this morning and couldn’t move in it, and when I showed my friends they peed themselves laughing and then J had to help me out of it whilst I was helpless with laughter. I bet that never happens to Paula Radcliffe.

I ran!

I ran! I got up this morning (and that was torture – I seem to be out of the habit of leaping out of bed at 5) and I got dressed and went out. Yesterday I got the official all clear to run from the chiropractor, rather than the ‘you can do a little bit of jogging, but be careful’ I had before. I have to see her again in a fortnight, but she said there was a huge improvement. Hooray.

So, I walked for a while, then I did

30 sec run (and I did run, I didn’t jog or shuffle, and I felt all strong and bouncy and powerful – but that’s not hard to maintain for 30 seconds, is it!)
2 min walk
45 sec run
2 min walk
35 sec run
2 min walk
30 sec run
2 min walk
30 sec run
2 min walk

Tomorrow, I’ll up it to 1 min runs. I could have done minutes today, because my body seems to have remembered what it was meant to be doing, but I don’t want to wear myself out or damage my back. I did however remember to engage my core and use my bottom (so I probably ran like a constipated penguin on bouncy trainers, but as it was 6am, let’s hope nobody noticed).

It was hideous getting out, but it was lovely coming back and feeling full of energy. However it’s now mid afternoon and I feel like I could have a little snooze.

Inspiration

So, fired up with lots of marathon inspiration I leapt out of bed this morning, ready to go.

Or not. I woke up at 5am, saw that it was still a bit dark, and thought I’d lie in bed for a bit before I went out. Unfortunately I then fell into one of those early-morning-really-heavy sleeps, and woke up at 6 with a start, feeling sick. I dragged myself out of bed and forced myself out the door. It was hideous to start with – my legs felt like they were made of lead. I’d decided to try a little bit of scouts’ pace (walk 1 min run 1 min) and that seemed okay, then I died in the middle and had to have a 4 minute recovery walk, thinking my legs were in danger of falling off. I did the most pathetic shuffle for a minute, which was probably slower than walking but still looked like a jog, then whilst I was recovering I decided I needed to stop being so pathetic, so I did the next minute at a run, rather than a feeble amble. By the time I’d done a couple more I was realising that whilst my legs were tired and aching, I wasn’t having trouble breathing. I even managed to put on a spurt to look a bit dynamic for my friend J’s husband, who was leaving for work as I was trundling towards their house.

So, one week ago running for 20 seconds was so torturous that I thought I might have to lie down on the pavement and expire. Today I ran without it hurting. I can’t believe it’s so easy – one week and I’m already a tiny bit fitter. Talking of which, I’ve booked a consultation in a couple of weeks with the chiropractor so I can make sure my back and hips aren’t going to cause any problems as I start running more.

In between all the other stuff, I’ve spent the whole day trying to get onto the Virgin London Marathon website so I could apply for a ballot place. I think they didn’t realise anyone would want to log on today (snort). I have, however, applied for both myself and Z to run for Heart Research. Fingers crossed…

Running times, for the records:
1m run, 1m walk, 1m run, 1m walk, 1m run, 2m walk, 1m 25sec run, 4 (help me, I’m dying, how can 25 seconds have such an effect) minutes walking, 1m run, 3m walk, 1m run, 2m walk, 1m run and home for lots of leg stretching and drinking water.