A Day to Remember...

It had been what felt like ages since I’d last done a Parkrun, so last Saturday I decided to do South Shields, for a number of reasons:

1.       My big sister was off work and was also running

2.       I wanted to try for a sub 30 personal best

3.       Colin, Parkrun director, was running in a wedding dress ahead of his marriage to the lovely Sam

I woke up bright and early and was excited to be doing a Parkrun. I love the course at South Shields and I love it even more when Joanne does it too. Joanne hasn’t been running much recently due to working a lot so she said she wasn’t aiming for a pb this time, just a gentle run round the course.

Me with my sister Joanne

Before it began the blushing bride (groom) arrived in (his) her wedding dress and I went and took a photo. I was mighty impressed he was doing a Parkrun in a dress – I can only just manage it in my running clothes!

Colin before the run

Joanne and I started off together and it was lovely that we were running alongside each other, as Joanne is usually faster than me and I don’t try and keep up. Back in December when I did my first South Shields Parkrun, Joanne ran with me (slowly for her) to keep me company and support me round. I came last with a time of 39:40 which was a new pb for me! That day, it was Joanne that got me round the route so it was lovely that on Saturday we were running along together. I am so proud of the progress I’ve made in the last 9 months and Joanne is one of the reasons I started running in the first place.

I was chatting to her along the way - and commenting how I couldn’t believe, that even in a wedding dress, Colin was still miles in front of us! At the first mile my Garmin beeped and told me that it had taken 10.14. I knew that I needed to stop chatting and run faster or I wouldn’t get my much desired sub 30 personal best! We both picked up the pace and having Joanne alongside me kept me going. My legs were getting heavy and the sea mist was holding the heat in the air, making it a bit too warm to run. I was so impressed that our second mile was my fastest yet (9.36!). Joanne was beginning to struggle with her breathing as she hasn’t been running much and was running faster than planned. I began to go ahead of her, but felt bad about leaving her behind. As soon as she saw I was slowing down to keep running with her, she told me to just keep running, so that I could get my pb. She’s a lovely big sister!

The last mile was difficult but I kept going as I was determined to get a pb (and hopefully a sub 30). Once I was on the final stretch I began to increase my pace. I felt sick and my legs hurt and I didn’t know if I could keep going. I wasn’t sure if I was going to manage a personal best but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

 

Once I crossed the finish line I stopped my Garmin and had mixed feelings about the numbers I saw. At 30:20 it was a personal best by 8 seconds!!

But it wasn’t the sub 30 I was hoping for...

I could see Joanne approaching the finishing stretch and went to cheer her on. There was something really special about seeing her cross the finish line and I was proud to be there cheering her on. I’ve never finished before Joanne so it was nice to support her instead of the other way round.

I told her I got a pb but not as good as I was hoping for, and she was really pleased for me. I no longer felt sick and I’d had time to think about the run and I realised that I should be really proud of myself. When I started running my aim was to run. Nothing more than that. But each time I have made progress over the last few months it has just made me want to get even better.

I knew I shouldn’t feel bad about running 5k in 30:20 as back in December that was a time I could only have dreamed of running it in! I think this is a perfect example of how it is important to look at how far we have come, not just how far we have to go. My coach Steve is always telling me this.

I got my pacing a bit wrong on Saturday and I know that I ran the first mile too slowly for a sub 30. But I ran it with my big sister and I enjoyed it. After having time to think about it I am really pleased with my time and I’ve realised that the time it takes isn’t the most important thing. It is getting out there and running, enjoying it along the way (as much as it can be enjoyable!). I couldn’t think of anything better than running with my big sister, and if that means that I missed out on a sub 30, then that’s ok because there’ll be lots more times to run and it’s something to improve on next time! I don’t get to run with Joanne every time I go out.

After the run I congratulated Colin for his big day (in awe of the fact he still ran superfast in a dress!)

Joanne and I then went back to her house for a cup of tea, before I headed off to buy some much needed new trainers! I was very excited and I never thought I would be excited about buying running things!!

Thanks for reading and joining me in my journey to the Great North Run for the North East Trust for Aphasia.

Rachael and her Raspberry Rescue!

Another couple of weeks of running have passed in my journey to the Great North Run. When I am not running I can’t stop telling everyone how much I love it. Then when I go out running again it always shocks me how difficult I still find it. I talk about it so positively between runs that I almost forget how hard it is until I start running again.

By the time I blog, the pain has gone, the endorphins have kicked in, and I’ve had time to reflect on the whole run, therefore it usually results in a positive blog about how great running is. I love how much running has changed my life and how much fitter and healthier I feel, but there is no denying that I still find it extremely difficult. Just as it begins to get a little easier, I am pushing myself harder, and further out of my comfort zone, in order to keep improving, therefore it never gets to a point where it is actually easy. I started running as I wanted a challenge (and to raise money for a very worthy cause) – and a challenge is certainly what I got! My daily calendar really resonated with me today as it says ‘Nothing worth doing is easy’ and I couldn’t agree more.

 

I’ve had a few difficult runs since I last blogged (and some good ones too!) and I think it is just as important to reflect on both, as every run teaches me something, even if it’s just that (even when I think I can’t) I CAN do it.

Last week my Running Coach Steve set me a 7.5 mile run. This was scheduled for the same day as my best friend Rachael’s run so we decided to go out together. Rach arrived at my house straight from work and I was excited to run with her as it has been a good few months since we went out running together. The aim was a slow and steady run, as I was still recovering from the Great North 10k and I didn’t want to overdo it.

That morning I saw my lovely friend Katie (a physio) and was telling her about my painful legs. She offered to give them a little massage for me and afterwards told me that there is nothing to be concerned about (no injuries etc) but that a new pair of trainers would probably help the pain I have been getting. My legs felt much lighter after the massage – the best they’ve felt in ages!

When Rach and I first set out on our run it was raining pretty heavy, but this didn’t put us off! In fact, we were glad of the rain to keep us cool. You can imagine our disappointment when the rain dried up and the sun came out! (Actually, you may only be able to imagine this if you are a runner yourself, as the non-runner part of me still can’t believe that I sometimes complain that the sun is shining!)

I already had my 7.5 mile route planned (as I had done it previously) so we decided to go with this. Rach was looking forward to trying a new route and I was looking forward to having some company.

As always the first couple of miles were difficult but having Rachael with me to chatter to really helped. It’s a nice route and the scenery is pretty, which always makes a run more enjoyable. It didn’t take long for the sun to feel uncomfortably hot and I began to wish I had put a vest on rather than a t-shirt.

I’ve been having trouble with pain in my calves and shins for the last few weeks and I could feel it in every step I took (although not as bad as previous runs due to the massage). The route we chose wasn’t flat and it was difficult in the heat. The view of the river at Sheepwash was a pleasant reprieve (and was also about half way through our run!). When I was running downhill I felt like someone was kicking me in the glutes (butt cheeks) and I began to wonder if I needed new trainers more than I previously thought. I wondered if this could be an indication of the cushioning in my trainers being worn out (coupled with Katie’s and Steve’s advice about new trainers too). Not one to give up though, I kept plodding along.

About 5 miles into the run, I was really beginning to suffer with the heat. As we approached the shops in Stakeford, I told Rachael that it was typical that the first time I would have stopped to buy a drink was the first time I didn’t run with a pound in my pocket. Rachael told me she had a pound and suggested we go in to the shop to buy a cold drink (stopping our Garmin’s first of course!)

She bought a bottle of Raspberry Lucozade Sport, and never have I felt like I needed a drink so much! I don’t normally like to run with a bottle, but I was extremely grateful for this one. Once feeling (a little more!) refreshed, we started our Garmin’s again and began running again.

When we got to Stakeford bank, I managed to run down it ok (still feeling like someone was kicking me though!) but my knee began to hurt on the upward bank so I decided to walk rather than risk hurting my knee further. Rach did brilliantly and ran all the way up the hill (and waited for me at the top).

With just a mile or so to go, I was still struggling in the heat, and my legs began to feel heavy again. At 7.2 miles I could not run another step and told Rachael I would just walk home from here. I told her she could run ahead and I would catch up with her at my house, by she told me that as we’d started together, we would finish together and she walked home with me. *True Friends*

Once home, we stretched and had some more Lucozade before tucking in to a large portion of homemade lasagne!

 

We did it. We ran 7.5 miles, which so far is my furthest distance (though I had done it once before). It took us an hour and 35 minutes, which is probably a bit faster than if I’d gone out on my own. Having someone to talk to and share the experience with made me run faster.

It was definitely made more bearable running with Rach, and her raspberry Lucozade was very welcome on the hot run!

I was booked in for a deep tissue leg massage the day after this (from the lady who does my monthly Indian Head Massages). Even though I’d had a massage the previous day I decided to keep my booking. This was just what I needed, although slightly painful in parts, it made my legs feel much better. She said the same as Katie about there being nothing to worry about in terms of injury, just that there’s a little fluid around my ankles which could be attributed to needing new trainers. I went home and had a cold bath and put ice on my ankles for 20 minutes afterwards and my legs felt as good as new!

 

And guess what I went shopping for on Saturday….

No pain no gain!

I’ve had another busy couple of weeks but have still managed to fit some running in! At the recommendation of my coach I went for a longer run last Saturday. I planned to get up early and go out running (as I am usually up early on a Saturday for the parkrun anyway, so thought this was a logical thing to do!) However, once I was up I really did not want to go running. I felt that 7 miles seemed so much further than my previous runs and I felt defeated before I even had my trainers on.

If you haven’t already noticed yet, I am a pretty determined person and I know that I need to put the training in to enable me to run a half marathon. I got my running clothes on and decided that even if I just went out for a little run it would be better than no run. This made me feel better about running so I got my trainers on, set my Garmin, and put on my nice new running cap (a lovely birthday gift from my sister).

My lovely new running cap!

It was a sunny day last Saturday and it was rather warm to run, even though I did go out quite early (about 9am). I decided I would try and run 3.5 miles away from home before turning around, as I wasn’t really sure where I could run for 7 miles.

As I was nearing 3.5 miles, I was enjoying the scenery and decided to keep running. I ran along the bridge at Sheepwash, stopping to take a few photos as the river was very pretty in the sunshine. There were quite a few hills from here back home, and I walked some of it. I was also starting to overheat, though my new keep cool cap was helping, both prevent my head getting too hot from the sun as well as keeping it out of my eyes!

My legs were quite heavy again and I had to keep walking it out. All the time, I kept telling myself I was doing well for being out there and running….though part of me thought I should be sat in the garden with a cold drink!

Finally, after what felt like hours of running in the sunshine, I arrived back home. Surprisingly I was still able to walk and breathe…though talking was a little more difficult (not for long though!) I was bursting with pride that I actually managed to run 7.1 miles! I walked some of it but it was definitely mostly running. It took just over an hour and a half, which is the longest time I have been out running!

My brother-in-law pointed out that my run last Saturday is more than half the Great North Run! I’m well on my way with training! I never would have dreamed of this a year ago!

All week I have been buzzing with the sense of achievement from running in general and was looking forward to my first parkrun in a few weeks this morning. I was going to go to Saltwell and meet fellow Great North Run Beer Tenters but my sister and brother-in-law were both at work and asked if I could pick my niece up. As they live in South Shields, and not wanting to miss doing a Parkrun altogether, I decided to go and do that one. All week I was hoping that today might get me closer to my sub 30 (pb currently at 30.28) but after a late night last night I knew I was too tired this morning.

There was a small part of me that was tempted to snooze my alarm, miss the parkrun and just go and get Toni but I knew if I did this, I’d regret it by 9am.

Running conditions were good this morning, if slightly on the cold side, and I was feeling positive. I think I started off too fast though and my legs quickly became tired and heavy. My right knee also began to hurt again and I had to walk for a few seconds on two occasions. I knew then that I wouldn’t be getting a new pb today, but rather than give in (as much as I wanted to) I decided to see if I could get it as close to my previous pb as possible.

Usually I know that Joanne and Rachael, are just up ahead and will be waiting for me at the end, but today this wasn’t the case. I found this harder than I thought I would but just kept plodding along. Someone, had written messages such as ‘keep going’ in coloured chalk along the way. This is the first time this has happened (at least when I have been running it) and it really helped me. The volunteers were brilliant as always. The last one before the finish, pointed a camera at me so I forced my Jolly smile and thumbs up. He said I didn’t look tired enough and needed to start sprinting. I really appreciated the encouragement and am pleased that my smile hides how much my legs are suffering!

When I had just under 1km to go my legs really felt like giving up (I really shouldn’t wear heels the night before I run!) and that’s all I seemed able to think about. The Jolly part of my brain told me to think about something else to take my mind off it. I’m a great believer in positive thinking. I began to mutter ‘I love running’ over and over (and hoped no one was around too close to hear me!).  I certainly did not feel like I loved running at this point and once again was left wondering why I even bother. I then remember the reason I started (to fundraise for the North East Trust for Aphasia) and the progress I have actually made over the last few months and just kept chanting away to myself.

I also tried to focus on what my shoulders were doing rather than my legs, as my coach said there was a bit of extra, unnecessary movement in them, on Monday and this is something I can try and work on.

I was ever so pleased when I crossed the finish, the volunteers cheering me for the final stretch. I was really pleased with my time of 32.26, considering I was finding it so difficult. My knee is still a bit sore now and my legs are aching. Hopefully I will get out for a gentle run once I get back from my little trip to London to visit my cousin.

I also need to focus on my core strength to improve my running even more. I have attempted to do some planking this week (boy does that hurt - but no pain no gain!) and Rachael and I have done some exercises together.

 I talk so passionately about running between runs that it still surprises me a little bit just how hard I actually find it once I start to run again! The power of positive thinking!

Hope you all have a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend!