Many reasons why this post is so entitled… It’s about confidence; it’s about survival; it’s about I am, I am, I am. At the end of last year, I was reading the Run Mummy Run Facebook group, where people were discussing their annual stats. And I wondered – I genuinely did – how they knew….
Weekend positives
Well, I forgot to do this yesterday, but here are my three positives from the first week of a training programme: I am adapting to running in heat. Slowly, and painfully, but adapting all the same. Turns out you need to hydrate properly *all* week -not just on run days. I have survived the first…
Training Peaks
So I’ve downloaded the Training Peaks app. This does all kinds of spooky, but kind of convenient stuff. The web interface gives you an excellent calendar view of your training plan (in the picture at the top of this post), and sets up an iCal/Google/Outlook calendar which you subscribe to. This rather spookily puts your…
Kit inspector (Week 1, day 2)
I have all kinds of confused myself, today. The programme said 5 x 400m intervals with a rest of 200m in-between each. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down. That’s what it said. Learning the lesson of yesterday (Go early. Eat something. Seek shade.) I set off for Oxford at 7am and ran intervals…
starting blocks
Well, it’s been a largely lazy time since I last wrote anything here. I’ve been running without a programme which, as I think I’ve mentioned before, isn’t my best plan. Still, with no events to train for, and my mojo declining as a result, I’m pretty pleased I’ve been running at all! I’ve managed a…
Planning for pain
After my 10k at the weekend, I’ve regained some confidence. Post marathon, with no particular focus and no particular plan, I’ve struggled to stay motivated and get out there, and I think I’d underestimated just how tired my legs would be. Happy to run, but not far… Anyway, watching my wonderful son munch up the…
It’s a family affair…
That slightly gauche young man is my son. He’s 17, and just doing his A/S levels (or whatever they’re called this year). Very occasionally, he comes for a run with me and once in a while he’ll come home from his Dad’s saying he’s run there. This morning, despite an entrenched antipathy to early rising and a…
Keeping up with the boys
I’m sort of back on it. I don’t do well without a training plan, and I have a 10k in a couple of weeks, so I’m roughly following the i10 plan over at intelligent running. It’s less running than I’ve been doing (but hey, I’m not training for a marathon any more so that’s all…
Nearly a fortnight
In my slight defence, my computer has been in hospital… failed logic board, apparently. I know how it feels! I have carried on feeling great… I ran last Thursday and last Saturday – just over 5k each time. Fast and gentle, if that’s a possible combination. Actually, it must be. I felt like a gentle…
Over the finish line!
I’m in that mass of people. We gathered in Preston Park at 8:30 yesterday morning, where I met up with a handful of the Run Mummy Run community, and chatted in particular to one lovely lady [edit: it was Lisa Jay, who was a star!] as we queued roughly forever for the race toilets… And then…
It’s today!!
I’m drinking tea in the living room of the impossibly cool house we’ve rented in Brighton. God bless Air BnB!! I’d like to tell you my race kit is neatly laid out on the floor. It was, yesterday. Today there’s a jumble of things, I’ve just eaten breakfast (chia porridge with strawberries, omega seeds and…
I FINISHED IT!!!
Yes I did. The whole iMarathon training programme!! Yesterday, I ran the final set of 60s intervals. I ran in glorious spring sunshine around University Parks, running past French school kids on some kind of exchange visit who were lolling on benches, or snogging sulkily under the trees. 6 repeats of 60s sprints, with 90s rest…
Running Between The Water Stations 