The one where I get my running shoes back on

Watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S from the very first episode, and going for an early evening run in the sunshine; days off don’t get much better. 

I’ve applied for a charity place in the 2016 London Marathon for Beat, fingers and toes crossed that I get a place, but there is a teeny tiny part of me that knows that if I get the place, that means I’ll have to up my training (i.e. start running regularly again) and get back out there. Bums. In the mean time it’s a good excuse to get outside and make the most of these lovely sunny days. Today’s run was hard. I was flemmy and full of hay-fever, and had a twinge in my right calf, but boy did it feel good. It was that perfect kind of time in the evening, when most people are eating their dinner so it’s quiet out, the wind was a blessing, and the sun low enough that it wasn’t cutting my line of vision. 

This week we went to an Annie’s Burger Shack F.R.I.E.N.D.S quiz night with work mates which was epic - pure nostalgia twinned with my competitive streak. We didn’t win (booo!) but we got 50/65 points which was pretty good considering none of us have watched the TV show in years.

What else is new? I found myself dotted around in different Lush shops over the last two weeks, first in Kingston Spa, then Sheffield. Both places I’d never been to before, but Kingston was by far my favourite, it was bloody lovely. I think it helped the sun was shining, but it was just so idyllic, and the people were really friendly. Whilst in London I managed to squeeze in a visit to Lush Oxford St for more exclusive goodies (soon to be in stores! eeee!) and a rushed cuppa tea at Ali & Jim’s. All in all a fun road trip, and it made me rethink where I might like to live in the future…

Sweaty Betty Run Club

This morning I woke up (rather reluctantly), made myself some peanut butter and banana on toast (best breakfast in the world) & got my running gear on, ready to go to my first ever running club. Eeek!

It's never really appealed to me, running with other people. For me, running has always been about escapism: pounding the pavement in the dark when no one is around, letting myself go physically and emotionally. It's never really occurred to me that running could be enjoyable with other people around.

That shifted a little bit when I first did Race for Life, and I really did enjoy running the course whilst chatting to my best mate - it was a breeze compared to all my other runs up to that point. And obviously last weekend for the Brighton Half I was surrounded by people, but I didn't talk to anyone on the route much and I was still very much inside my own head. So today was quite a different experience for me.

The Nottingham SB run club only just started up a few week ago, so I guess they're still trying to drum up interest before people regularly settle into it. This morning it was just three of us including Lucy who was leading, but considering it was a small group it wasn't awkward at all. It was nice to have company & chatting away passed the time quickly. We ran from the shop down by the canal, wearing very attractive fluorescent yellow bibs, for about thirty-five minutes I guess, then back up to the city centre to Sneinton market to do some drills. The running bit was easy, the drills really hurt, but I know it'll be worth it long-term to improve my running style, pace, mobility etc etc. It's all for a good cause!

It's still a bit out of my comfort zone, running in a group, but I'm glad I went. It still amazes me that SB offer free classes in all their shops - I tried the Fly, Flex, Flow class out 3 weeks ago (drills, weights & yoga) and had an amazing time. If you can get booked in to any of their classes you must go - it's too good a resource to neglect. The ladies who work their are an absolute bloody delight too - always positive, encouraging, and generally lovely human beings.

Photo from Fly, Flex Flow last month courtesy of Sweaty Betty Nottingham :)

I'm going to try push myself to go regularly whenever I have Sundays off, what better way to start my day off? 

2:19:52

Barely 30 hours ago I completed the Brighton Half, and it already feels like some sort of surreal dream. If it wasn't for feeling like led weights were attached from my hips down, then I wouldn't count on it being more than a dream.

I wouldn't trade today's pain for anything - yesterday was immense. I was full of nerves before the race, & I'd spent most of this last week fretting about it and having dreams of running in treacle, forgetting all of my kit, and missing the start of the race. Every worry had crossed my mind, but I didn't let the fear get in the way of enjoying myself on race day.

Sure, two and a half hours is a long time to run, but I settled into a really good rhythm mentally, which kept me steady all the way round. The course takes you up towards the Marina, then all the way back down the coast up towards Hove. The stretch towards Hove seemed to go on forever, but my trusty playlist & the crowds kept me pumped. I took time to assess how I felt every so often - not 'Oh God my legs are killing me!' but more objectively, like 'What's tense? What's different? Am I swinging my arms freely? Am I hydrated enough? How's my footing?' A quick body scan every so often just to check in with myself, and then adjust accordingly. This really helped me run strong because I felt so conscious and aware of my movement - when normally I'd just switch off when running on the treadmill. I really wanted to be present and enjoy it as much as possible, after all I'd only be there running this exact day once!

The best advice I received was simply, to smile. I've just downloaded the audiobook of A Life Without Limits by Chrissie Wellington in which she dispensed this secret. Every time I felt like it was a struggle I forced a smile & it instantly flipped my mood.

Everything just seemed to click into place yesterday, and the only things that 'went wrong' per say, was when I squirted half of my first gel all up my arm (but I couldn't help but laugh at myself) and at the last drinks station when I momentarily queued up for the toilets, before deciding 40 seconds on that I could last until the end. It was the only kilometre where my pace was above 6:51which was very frustrating, but hey ho!

I was really chuffed with my time. I tried to place myself between the 2:15 and 2:30 pacers which seemed to work well. I'd love to work on bring my time down to 2 hours, that'll be the next challenge.

48 hours to go

Be mine Valentine

I spy with my little eye...

Photo courtesy of http://robryanstudio.com

A spoonful of sugar

In the lead up to the Brighton Half I'm trying really hard not to get sick. As I write I'm making my way through a plateful of orange segments, reading some blogs & having a wee panic about what will happen in less than two weeks time.

I've hit my fundraising target (woo hoo!) so that's one massive relief. I've just got to, ya know, run 13 miles and hope it's not too hot/cold/rainy on the day. I'm not very good at dealing with the unexpected, so this will be a bit of an interesting challenge. I know I can run, I've got legs so that's a start. But it's all the little worries like 'Oh god, we're staying in a hostel the night before, will I sleep enough? Will the beds be comfy? Will I wake up with shin splits after my next run? Will my stomach settle enough on the day to run for two hours with all that anxiety swimming around?' It's all the little 'what if' worries that are making me second guess it all. But it'll be worth it. I know it will be worth it.

If you run you are a runner

I've clocked up 64Km already this year, meaning if I continue at this rate I'll manage 760Km by the end of the year which seems insane. Running gives me this strange kind of joy I can't quite find anywhere else. When I'm happy, I run. When I'm angry, I run. It's a relief. It's redemption. It's this thing that feels bigger than me, like when I step out on to the pavement I am syncing up with the world, and I am suddenly much closer to everything. It's beginning to get strangely addictive - something I never thought I'd say about running.

This was on the Sweaty Betty bag I received with my last purchase.

This last week I've spent most of my hours in-between finishing work and drifting off to sleep, listening to an audiobook version of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall via Audible. It's so incredible the distances ultra-runners go for, and it's been really inspiring me to look at why I run, and what I should aim for. Every time I plug it in to my ear buds I want to run a little bit more, immediately. It's pure brilliance.