There was a young runner who swallowed a fly...

It’s been another busy few weeks (with lots of running of course!) and I’ve been meaning to blog for a while again but this is the first chance I’ve had! My training plan is going well and I can’t believe there’s only 8 weeks to go until the big day!

Last Saturday I had a brilliant session at the track with Dynamics Personal Fitness. Celia and I both worked together really well and although it was a hard session, I was smiling all day long from my achievements! We were doing 200m repetitions of the track, maintaining a certain pace (aiming for 2.26 which we did well, and even improved by 30 seconds on the last repetition!)

Me, Celia
At the track

After the Lambton 10k I had a blood blister on my left shoulder where the strap of bra had obviously been rubbing. I’ve been meaning to get properly fitted for a sports bra for a while as I knew the one I had wasn’t perfect. The shoulder ‘injury’ was the push I needed to get one fitted properly. I went to Sadie the Bra Lady last Saturday and she sorted me out. Whoever said that running was a cheap form of exercise, obviously wasn’t a woman! Not helped of course by me needing to buy a white one and a black one, to ensure I have a suitable one according to the top I am wearing!

I went to London last weekend to visit my cousin Kirsty and I wasn’t planning to take my trainers as I didn’t think I would have time to go for a run. Not wanting to rule it out completely, last minute I decided to pack my running things ‘Just in case!’

On Sunday night we went to the pub and I had a couple of ciders, so when I went to bed on Sunday night I decided it was unlikely that I would be running on Monday morning. I got up the next day, running the last thing on my mind until I saw my trainers. I couldn’t really be bothered but Kirsty and her boyfriend asked me if I was going to go running so I began to think about it again. About two hours of deliberating later I finally got ready and headed out the door for a quick run. I ran to Hampstead Heath, about half a mile from Kirsty’s house, for a nice run around the park.

 

It was a warm morning and I was struggling a bit but I was enjoying being out in the fresh air. Hampstead Heath is quite hilly and every time I turned a corner there seemed to be another one! I just took it easy and tried to enjoy it. I never thought I would go out for an enjoyable run. At the top of one the hills I could see the running track below and I could see a beautiful view of London. It literally took my breath away…coupled with the fact that I had just ran up a hill which was probably the main cause of my breathlessness! Looking at the view I could see the London Eye and I had to stop to take a photo. It made me think of one of my favourite quotes:

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”

I was so happy that I decided to go out for a run (4 miles) as it was an overall enjoyable experience and I wouldn’t have been out that early if I hadn’t decided to go running. It was also the first run in my new bra and I realised that I should have bought a better one much sooner (to any women runners that haven’t been measured for one, I’d recommend it!)

Kirsty and I did lots of walking on Tuesday (and we went back to Hampstead Heath) so by the time I got home on Tuesday night my legs were aching!

On Thursday I went to the strengthening and conditioning session with Dynamics Personal Fitness, in Cramlington. This was a brilliant session working on core strength. I feel like I get a lot out of these sessions and it is greatly improving my running. I was impressed with my ability to do sit-ups and press ups as these are exercises I used to avoid. By Friday afternoon I could feel my muscles aching and this was even worse by Saturday morning…just goes to show how little some of my muscles are used, but also how much good it is doing.

My training plan for Friday was an easy 3 mile run. I’d been looking forward to getting out after work and was raring to go when I got in. I got ready and went out as soon as I got home (with the view that the sooner I get out, the sooner I could come home and have something nice to eat!)

I decided to just run from my house, round the lake at the QE2 then home. It was a warm evening and I foolishly wore my long running bottoms. I also had different running socks on to what I usually wear and after a mile I could feel they were quite tight. My legs were heavy and my feet were hot and beginning to swell; I couldn’t wait to get home. I then choked on a fly! A very unpleasant experience (for me as well as the fly!) I spent the next 5 minutes coughing and spluttering and subsequently stung my arm on a nettle! 2.8 miles later I arrived home with very uncomfortable legs, a sore throat and an itchy arm. I got straight into a cold bath, which is normally torture but was actually rather pleasant on my aching legs. Needless to say, what started out as a pleasant 3 mile run, turned into one of my least enjoyable runs to date! But I can’t expect all of my runs to be a success; in fact it still surprises me that any of them are!

Thank you for joining me in my journey to the Great North Run.

Coming soon…..My First Great North 10k