26/11/2012

Short Run Done

Today's run: 2.48 km (1.54 miles) in 19:00.
Injury check: All clear.
______

So, this was essentially 2.5k in 20mins, right? I'm happy with that. 

Not a particularly fast one, and I had stitch for most of it (must sort that out), but I made it to the end of my planned (rather arbitrarily chosen) time without stopping. 

I'll do a long run at the weekend - I'm just hoping for good weather to spur me on...

22/11/2012

Purple and Lovely

I'm running the marathon as part of Team Em And Me - see here for why we're all doing it and meet us all here

Our first full TEAM meet-up is now in the calendar, and to keep us motivated through the many (potentially lonely) miles of training the Chief Instigators have issued us all with some matching laces to help remind us that we aren't alone:

Ready to go
They are indeed purple and lovely and I will wear them with pride. 

21/11/2012

Can't Mistake My Biology

Today's run: 4 km (2.49 miles) in 30:00.
Injury check: Bit of a twinge.
______

Today what felt like a torrential storm hit Luton. Also it's dark at night now. And cold. So I was inside on the treadmill. 

This run wasn't a personal best or anything, but I am actually ecstatic that I now count 30mins as my 'short' run. (Although I did have to stop halfway through for a short stretch due to a massive stitch in my side.) I totalled just over 4k in the end but I didn't keep track of the few metres more that I managed in each half, it was enough that I made it over 2k each time. 

The Knee twinged a little during and then a little more after - and I sat with a bag of frozen peas on it this evening. 

My near-term goal is to get up to running 10k in an hour, which I consider to be a respectable distance+time, and is something I've never achieved before. If I can reach it before Christmas that would be brilliant. 

Today's top running tune: Girls Aloud - Biology. Yes, it's a silly song, but today the beat was perfect for my pace. 

07/11/2012

Pounds Mean Prizes

I am running the marathon for Diabetes UK and I've promised them quite a lot of money in return for a place in the race (www.justgiving.com/RhianChapman). I need your help to get to my total. 

I know that you are willing to donate to this worthwhile cause out of the goodness of your heart (or possibly because I have badgered you into submission), but it's always nice to get something in return, isn't it?

So, in the style of various crowd funding sites, I'm going to offer rewards for your generosity.

If you donate the following amounts to Diabetes UK through my JustGiving page (not including gift aid contributions), I will give/send you the relevant reward:
  • Any amount of money: personal thanks. This may be verbal or, if I don't see you often enough, it might be via email, but I promise it will be a personal thank you and not just a generic thank you email. (You might get that too, from the JustGiving site, but there will be a personal follow-up.)
  • £15: written personal thanks. Who doesn't like getting mail? Everybody likes getting mail. For a £15 donation I will write you a thank you card in my best hand-writing (i.e. it will be at least semi-legible) and send it out via Royal Mail. 
  • £26.20: I shall exercise my artistic side and create a handmade card for any celebration you'd like (see Exhibit A). Birthday, anniversary, wedding - you name it and I shall make a card for it. All cards will be unique.
  • £50: more artistic muscles will be flexed and I will create a hand-painted T-shirt, just for you (see Exhibit B). Give/send me a T-shirt in your chosen size and pick a theme you'd like on it and I shall paint it for you (I'll give any idea a try). Again, all T-shirts will be unique. Just think: you could be the proud owner of a one-of-a-kind piece of clothing. 
  • £60: a handmade card and a T-shirt painted to your specifications. Good, eh?
  • £75: ...well, I haven't really thought this far. I'll work on it and get back to you. But it will definitely be good. 
  • £100: ...I might give you my soul. One careful owner, only slightly tarnished with general wear and tear, nothing too bad.
Exhibit A
Cards
Cards (handmade by me) for any occasion. 
Choose your theme, specify your celebration, or just claim a random card.
Exhibit B
T-shirts
Examples of past T-shirts I have decorated. 
Yours will be new, different and very pretty.
Go on. Just give a few more pounds than you were going to and claim a reward for your extra generosity. 

Remember, I'm doing all of this in memory of my friend Em. I wouldn't be running a marathon for any other reason, believe me. 

02/11/2012

Autumn Running

Today's run: 6.01 km (3.73 miles) in 45 minutes.
Injury check: All clear.
______

I almost didn't run outside today. As I left the office this afternoon it was grey, cloudy and generally grim, and I was very close to giving in and just going for an indoor gym session. However, I then reminded myself that I'm training for a marathon, and I will have to train through the winter. So I persuaded myself to go out and I'm glad that I did.

I tried a new route today, along a path/cycleway that follows the road from Luton to Harpenden. A lot of leaves have turned and fallen off the trees that line the path and it was looking at its picturesque best, especially when the sun came out:
Much better than running on the treadmill.
It's a good route, too. It had scenery and gradient (breaking up the monotony of running), was quite shielded from the (fairly bitter) wind, and due to being tarmac underfoot it was better than pavement for The Knee. I even spotted some wildlife: a pheasant running alongside the path... going a lot quicker than I was.

This path is actually a few miles in total; I only ran a certain distance along it before I turned around and came back again, but I'll be keeping it on my running schedule. I like the idea of running it every so often as I work on increasing my distance, getting a bit further each run before it's time to turn around again. 

The best thing about this run was that I didn't ruin or injury myself and I managed a whole 6k. Today was a good day.