A busy woman with a running agenda...


Hi all

So, this is me and my running journey for 2012.

My biggest year of running yet which will undoubtedly include my many highs and lows over the year.

Sunday 25 March 2012

Woo Hoo!

So, wow, another week has yet again flown by!  I'm sure that I ask myself the same question on a week by week basis but, truly, where does the time go?  It's been a hectic week to say the least.  Less intense than last week but no less pressured, draining or busy to say the least!  It has been the week where work has decided to be full on with report writing, training primary school maths teachers, after-school coursework assessments, marking and meetings galore.  All I can say is, thank goodness that the end of term is nigh!

Having said that, I've been very fortunate that the girls have had a couple of days with their dad which has enabled me to work late and still focus on my running.  Consequently, I have happily made up for the lack of distance from last week.  I've been really tired and am typically on around 6 hours maximum sleep per night but have SO enjoyed my week and really feel tonight that things are coming together.

So, the week that was:
I hit the school treadmill on Monday straight after work to squeeze a steady 8 miles in (65mins 45 seconds) which is fine by me.  Not my best but I wasn't trying to achieve that, it was as planned, just a happy and steady run.  I had intended to run on Tuesday night but between work and going out, there simply wasn't the time (not good).  Also not a great session on Wednesday night due to having such a late night out on Tuesday but did manage 5 miles of fartlekking at the gym (I could not have managed a single metre more if I tried) - so followed this up with a reasonably fast 4 miler first thing Thursday morning before work.  I took Friday as a rest day as I had made the decision to sack the Joe Cox half on Sunday and put the distance in on Saturday instead.  It was actually quite a tough decision to make as I know I'd have run better in race conditions and really wanted to don my Pacers vest but felt that I needed the miles and not the pace.  So, with my sister-in-law Tara on the bike next to me to keep me sane, I ran 22 miles on Saturday.  22 VERY slow miles on Saturday.  I'd set my pace at 9.15min/mile which felt horrendously slow for a very long time.  I did, however, want to be in a position where my legs would recover quite quickly and that I could complete the route.  On the positive, I DID complete it and whilst I had had enough (I SO had had enough), there was enough fuel in the tank to speed up for the last 3 miles or so.  This is encouraging in itself and also knowing that I've spent 200 minutes on the go is, perhaps, the sign that I needed to be convinced that I can happily complete the Milan marathon.  It is now Sunday and I've completed 39 miles this week. So, woo hoo!  :o)

My plan for this week is to get some miles in still but to drop the LONG run slightly down again:
Monday - highly likely to be a rest day due to meetings and parenthood
Tuesday - I could probably get 8 miles in at some point, depending upon whether I have the girls at home or not.
I could probably get 10km in on Wednesday straight after work.
Thursday - rest day.
Friday - 10km perhaps
Saturday - 3 or 4 SLOW miles
Sunday - I would quite like to get 16 miles on the clock but time permitting may push for a fast half instead.  I'll play it by ear as I have to with pretty much most things!  Either way, I certainly anticipate on completing 35+ miles this week.

I also plan on getting some more sleep in which looks to be quite achievable as the workload this week is far less intense than in previous weeks!  Also, given how 'fine' my legs are today, I'm certainly geared up for Milan and beyond.  By the way, when I say 'fine' I really couldn't just knock out another 22 miles tomorrow but I'm walking fine, managed an afternoon of rollerskating with my daughters and am looking forward to my next (shorter) run.  There's a lot to be said for slow running sometimes! 

21 days until Milan, 63 until Edinburgh!

Sunday 18 March 2012

Sleep beckons...

Where do the days go?

4 weeks from now and I will have, or rather I hope to have completed my first Marathon of the year!  I am genuinely so excited about it!

That said, I'm also shattered and am deliberately keeping this short tonight as I've promised myself some well needed sleep.  I always knew that this was going to be a tough week work-wise/children wise and hence have little training time but didn't quite anticipate the severe lack of sleep! 

I have however, really focused on my foods and in particular the protein/carb/water intake.  I certainly don't drink enough and am genuinely trying to rectify this but really think that my conscious effort to eat protein/carb rich foods soon after running is helping.  That and less running although the latter won't really aid me in the long term training plan!

So, in keeping it brief - my week that was.
A steady 5 miles on Monday directly after school which was ok given that I ran hard on Saturday and also ran on Sunday.  I had the children on Tuesday, no training :o(  Worked on Wednesday and then drove straight to Birmingham with work and was tied up with work until gone midnight.  Again, no training :o(
5.45am get up on Thursday morning for a quick 4-miler before breakfast and a day spent on training other potential/existing Heads of Maths (tiring but good) before driving back to Suffolk for an evening with my daughters at the school's Rockestra concert at the Apex.  Home at 10.15pm, worked until 12.30am... SO tired!  I did however manage to squeeze 7.5miles in at the school gym before collecting the girls on Friday after work.  I was playing mummy all weekend and visited some friends in Rochester, Kent for the evening - great fun but a late night/early morning (5.55am wake up call from my daughter who seems to have misinterpreted the whole Mothers' Day point).  I did however manage a fast run to the local Marina and back, only 4 miles in total but the return leg was a killer hill!  I actually managed 20.5 miles this week which was further than I had anticipated and the legs are feeling great!

This week however, the miles creep up again:
Monday - 8 miles directly after school I hope, time permitting!
Tuesday - 5 miles
Wednesday - if I'm able and don't have the girls, I could really push for a longer run on Wednesday (8+ miles) but I'll play that by ear and may even be able to run early on Thursday morning. 
There WILL be a longer run this weekend, I'm just not sure when/where yet.  I'm hoping to run the Joe Cox half but really wanted to get another 20 miler in!  Decisions, decisions!  Even so, I should easily get nearer the 40 mile mark somehow by the end of the week.

I just know that all the healthy eating and drinking will serve me well but without the sleep, I'm never going to feel great.  Surely, others must sleep more than ever when they're in training?  I know I need to and yet...

So, on that note, good night and have a great week!

Sunday 11 March 2012

The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb

Wow, yet another week! 

So, as I sit here on a Sunday evening, my typically tired self, I'm reflecting on the week that was.  I'm amazed as to just how much has happened in the past 7 days.  Work has been a constant grind, day and night and as much as I love my job (and I really do), the demand is tough sometimes.  My children are rightly making their own demands on me, as children do.  Not forgetting the birthday celebrations which, whilst fun, cut further into some well needed sleep... I think I may sleep tonight! 

To add to this - this is the first week where I've really had to respond to my training by considering my diet.  I love food - always have, always will!  Food and I are friends, fact.  I eat well: a varied diet with lots of vegetables. That said, in the midst of my working life, as the title of this post suggests, my belly rules my mind. I eat because I'm hungry and I eat because I like it but I don't necessarily eat the right things at the right times.  More usually, I eat on the go because I need to and I eat what's accessible to me as it's easier.  Consequently, I've really begun noticing how my leg muscles just don't seem to be recovering between runs.  No wonder my times aren't improving when each run is begun with tired muscles.  I know I'm perfectly able to cope with the miles I've been running and I know (know) that I'm able to cope with the demands of the training and improve... and yet, the legs remain tired!  So, a brief conversation with my dietitian sister-in-law (It's not what you know.) and one long-and-blinding-by-science email later, I've made a concerted effort to up the protein, control WHEN I eat (as in recovery food) and avoid the craving for sugar fixes to fill gaps that exist through my poor eating habits/lack of sleep.  The first two are manageable with a bit of careful planning (this is ok, I thrive when I have a plan) but the sugar fixes are less easy to manage: I also need more sleep.  My current routine of a maximum of 5/6 hours per night just isn't working, hence the continued bouts of sugar to help keep me going. 

It's only been a few days of careful eating - in particular the protein/carb intake soon after running, especially after the longer runs but already I feel some of the benefits.

My week that was, absolutely on target in terms of the mileage and training.
Monday - rest day (I had no choice about this)
Tuesday - 8 treadmill miles, fartlekking although my legs were still incredibly tired from the 20 miler just a couple of days previously ALONG with a dreadful night's sleep (1hour 15 mins max) that the fartlekking was more a case of trying to get faster but really just a matter of survival.
Wednesday - 5.45am run with my friend Charlotte.  5 miles.  Fortunately, the mornings aren't quite as dark as they were a few weeks back.
Thursday saw a Parents Evening so I swapped nights in terms of the children so had a late night and SLOW 4 miler session on the treadmill.
Friday - rest day  but FAR too late a night (silly Sarah)
Saturday -  My birthday (37!!!!) but also a timed half-marathon at 9am with Tara on her bike, 1 hour 47.  This is OK but would really have liked sub 1hr 44.  That said, it was a really enjoyable run and a nice way to start the birthday celebrations.  I'm hopeful that more sleep and a slightly more focused diet will help the times.
Sunday - Not exactly hungover (I hardly drank being the lightweight that I am) but yet another late night and early morning so there was suffering-a-plenty!  I did however manage to survive (pure survival) some interval training at the gym.  5 miles on the treadmill mixed with 20 minutes on the step-machine.  I did NOT enjoy today's session AT ALL! (Although I did enjoy reading the joys and delights of various people who competed in today's Cambridge Half-Marathon with some fantastic results.)
A grand total of 35 miles this week... How, HOW do people find the time to squeeze in any more miles than this? 

This coming week is going to be a real challenge for me.  A challenge to find opportunities to run for there will be few.
I may be able to squeeze a 30 minute session on the school field before collecting the children on Monday.  Working and then meetings on Tuesday plus playing mum so no training.
Working all day and then driving straight to Birmingham for a meeting on Wednesday evening - no training again.
I'm hoping to get an early morning run in Birmingham before the world wakes and the working day commences.  Driving home thereafter and playing mum again!
Friday, working all day but hoping to get 10km in before I collect the girls for the weekend.  We're with friends on Sat night/Sunday so I'm also hoping that I may be able to esape for 30 minutes on Sunday morning but I'll play that by ear.  In total, at best (!) I MAY be able to get 15-18 miles in this week.  Hardly equipping me for the long distance training runs I need but also, perhaps, proving to be a week of recovery in preparation for a tougher week thereafter.

A positive note, at this moment in time, I'm not in the least bit nervous of running a Marathon within my own busy world and am willing Milan on with each passing day.  Today, despite the tiredness and aching-legs, I'm really enjoying the training schedule and remain excited about the weeks/months ahead.  I'm also extremely grateful to the friends who are keeping me company on the basis that I've been unable to make any of the scheduled Pacers' meetings.  Hopefully this will be rectified at some point soon! 

One last thought for the week, in the words of the Scientist, Martin H. Fischer, "Life goes faster on protein".  (Although, I'm rather hoping that races will go faster as opposed to life going faster!)

Sunday 4 March 2012

Remind Me Again Why I'm Doing This!

Another week down - that's 10 weeks into my 50 week training plan.  But that means there's STILL approximately another 40 weeks to go!  Remind me again why I'm doing this!

This week I've felt tired, stressed and slightly drowning.  An incredibly busy week with work - report writing; twilight training; getting ready for a week of middle school maths roadshows and having tired legs that don't want to seem to move for me.  Not to mention the children!  So in many ways the running has been THE perfect escape from it all but on the same token, it has depleted my energy levels somewhat too.

I do think that my constant thinking about running, times, schedules, pace and juggling it all are proving to be a focus as well as the actual physical running in itself but - as these things do over time - it has all started to embed itself into some sort of routine.  I like routines!

So my week as was:
Pretty much on target - woo hoo!
Monday - zip!
Tuesday - 10km on the treadmill (I had intended this to be slow and it was at just under 51 minutes, but my legs weren't happy at all.  They felt so very tired.)  Plus side was that I then spent the evening at a pudding night devouring pretty much everything in sight!  Down side - too much rich food and sugar that I couldn't sleep and felt ill on Weds morning!  A short rest before exercising Wednesday evening:  A slow-ish run to the athletics track (this was longer than I had anticipated, 3.5 miles), 5.25 miles of interval training at a very constant 7 minute miling followed by the 3.5 miles home again.  I loved the track session but felt that I should have pushed myself harder at the track and yet, knew that I needed the reserve energy to get me home again having also ran the day before!
I did however manage to run a WHOLE 2 miles on Thursday morning before work!  Legs weren't best pleased but they didn't fight too much!  Friday - well needed rest and an even more well needed deep tissue sports massage by the lovely Sheryl.  I hadn't realised just HOW much I needed this maintenance!
Saturday - long run day, 20 miles on a lovely route around the Norfolk/Suffolk border.  This is the first time I've ventured into anything over 16 miles since 2005.  My goodness did the legs know it!  Surprisingly enough the second half was actually faster than the first 10 miles but even so, the final 4 miles felt a real punishment.  My lovely friend Tara gave me some well needed cycle support - I'd forgotten just how much mind-over-matter is needed when you push yourself at a faster pace/longer distance. (I ask again, 'Why am I doing this?')  It took me 2hrs 55 which was, I felt, disappointing.  I'd have quite liked 2 hours 50 (well, let's be honest, I would have quite liked 2 hours 30 but I need to be realistic) so I'm not a million miles away but 7 years ago, I was running this in 2 hours 45.  That's a drop of 10 minutes! (TEN minutes!).  Bigger picture - I'm getting the miles in AND I'm interval training so the times will improve I'm sure... and if they don't, I'm getting the miles in regardless.
Sunday - Children at home, rest day.  No Wymondham 20 for me.
In total 40.25 miles which on balance,  I'm really pleased with.

I know the next few weeks are going to be difficult as I have Parents Evenings and such like but am still planning on getting a few good runs in.  The plan for Week 11 of training is:
Monday - working and then being mum, no miles
Tuesday - 10km (minimum) hard running at the gym
Wednesday - I've madly (!) agreed to run with my friend Charlotte, a dedicated morning runner, at 5.45am before work (4-5 miles)
Thursday - Work, Parents Evening, being mum - no miles.  :o(
Friday - 4-5 VERY slow miles!
Saturday - half marathon although no race entry.  Will try to up the speed as it'll do me the power of good! 
Sunday - Although the children are with their dad, I plan on nursing a hangover after my birthday celebrations (Easily done, I'm no drinker!) so I may get a few slow miles in but I think I'll play that one by ear.  I suspect in total, there'll be only 30 miles covered this week but I'm hoping that at least two of those will be intensive and fruitful.

On my final note for the week, I did spend Saturday afternoon/evening trying to coax my legs into being my friend again.  I truly believe that they disowned for me a spell (Exactly why AM I doing this?)! Today, leg muscles are slightly sore; appetite is ravenous (every cloud and all that); mental attitude and positivity are restored and I'm ready for the week ahead.  Bring the challenges on!  Milan is now only 6 weeks away and Edinburgh thereafter.  NB - I'm still trying to climb my ladder one rung at a time.