London Run

Today's run: 6.70 km / 4.16 miles in 43:52.
Injury check: All clear.
Running buddy: Katie.
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The snow is gone. Which is a bit of a pity, because I was just getting used to how pretty it made everything look. It is, of course, a good thing with regards to training. (But why is the snow gone?) 

This morning was stunningly different to last week's run - I was all prepared with my full cold-weather gear, only to discover that I didn't need any extra layers and I was actually a bit warm in my long-sleeved top. What happened, Winter? 

Running app apparently not designed
with 'good map display' as a priority

Running in a new place today - and novelty in the running schedule is always a good thing. My (fancy) London run started in Battersea Park, led up over Chelsea Bridge, west along the river and back across at Albert Bridge, then around the park a bit more.

And a new running buddy for today: one of my oldest friends (and fellow TEAM member) Katie. Katie is undeniably generally fitter than me. However, being a footballer, she's a bit more inclined to run faster for short periods, whereas I was built for slow, steady exercise. Also, she had a bad ankle today, which considerably levelled the playing field. 

Even injured, Katie has a faster pace than me, which pulled me onwards a bit and gave us a pretty good time for the nearly 7k. And I managed a near-sprint at the end. 

Following this Saturday morning run we met up with (most of) the rest of TEAM for Saturday lunch and the taking of a few group photos to wave at the media chaps at Diabetes UK. Everyone has really been putting in the training and some of them are doing so well on the fund-raising front. Em would be proud of us. She'd be disbelieving that some of us are actually doing this(!), but she'd be so proud. 

The Joy of Snow

Today's run: 8.38 km / 5.21 miles in 1:02:55*.
Injury check: Slight post-run ache in The Knee.
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Once more unto the breach...

Don't actually know where the path ends
and the frozen ponds begin...

Today was even more fun than yesterday - and I think we managed a good distance for the weather/ second day in a row of snow running/etc. 

I had Robert with me again, which encouraged me into a slightly faster pace than yesterday. The going underfoot was better as well: it had been snowing (lightly) for hours today before we went out, so there was a whole new lot of fresh snow over every surface. And it was still snowing while we ran, which was different.

That said, I was definitely tiring towards the end. Even deeper snow makes for a better running surface but it is even more tiring. I found it puts more stress on my ankles, too, with the uneven ground and the slightly uncertain footing with each step. I was never going to slip over or hurt myself, but it's more of a workout for your stabilising muscles. 

We got a few amused glances from the various families/dog walkers who watched us jog past, but we spotted one other runner out in this wonderful weather. I don't really blame the rest of the world for staying inside: the bits of my fringe that had escaped my hat actually ended up frozen solid...

If this weather keeps up, I'll soon be completely converted to snow running. In all my fluorescent gear:

Wouldn't think we were still in Luton, would you?

*Distance and time taken from Robert's app today; mine reckoned we'd only done 6.5k but then it only recorded 50 minutes when we definitely went past the hour, so I've lost a certain measure of faith in it now.

Neither Rain, Nor Fog, Nor Snow...

Today's run: 5.37 km / 3.34 miles in 43:15.
Injury check: All clear.
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Snow!

I love snow. But, funnily enough, I've never gone for a run in it before. It's quite hard work, especially in the deep stuff ("deep" being 4 inches in this case) because it slides a little under your feet, adding resistance to every step. Plus it's bloomin' cold out. 

Perfect weather for sledging!

I didn't try and go fast - or even at my normal pace - because I figured snow running is enough of a workout anyway. I stayed off the paths and pavements because the general tread of people is already packing the snow down to a potentially slippy state, and anytime I had to cross a pavement I slowed to a walk. I mostly stuck to the deep, fresh patches of snow, leaving my footprints on the snowcape.

The overall distance is up for debate, as my app seemed to be having a little trouble finding the GPS satellites today and I also spent some time running back and forth across a small patch of ground writing 'TEAM' in the snow (small things...). Basically today I decided to have fun during my run. 

When I got back I did my usual set of stretches, made myself a hot drink and got into a bath of cold water. This is a tip passed to me by some TEAM members: after a hard run, spending a few minutes in an ice bath is good for your muscles. After all, rugby players do it, Jess Ennis does it, etc, etc... Well, I thought I'd try it. 
I lasted about a minute before giving up. And, to be honest, I even cheated a bit then: I started running the hot water for my shower while I was in the cold bath. I had to - my toes ached from the chill. And no offence, guys, but I don't think I'll be doing that again. 

Anyway: that's this week's 40 minute run checked off, despite the weather. And, actually, it was fun. Roll on the winter.

Snow!

Injury Check

In case anyone is wondering why there's an injury check at the top of all my running posts, here's the background you need to play "guess which body part will fail next" for the rest of my training. And because there aren't any pictures of me running* I picked an inspirational shot to use as a visual aid:

For future reference, this is the pose I intend to pull when I cross the marathon finish line.

The Knee
First injured when I was 11 years old, it's been weaker than my right knee ever since. It finally failed me three years ago and I had surgery to fix the incorrect sideways pull on my kneecap. It's still not as strong as my right side but at least I can run now, albeit with a certain amount of strapping. 

The Ankle
Two years ago I sprained my ankle. Badly. And then again, a year later. (The second time playing netball, which I don't even enjoy...) I was on crutches the first time and it was almost as bad the second time. It's never been quite the same since, which apparently can be the case with ankles.

The Collarbone
This one was entirely my own fault. I was learning how to ride a motorbike a year ago and I went flying over the handlebars and broke my collarbone. That's painful, I can tell you. Anyway, this hasn't actually affected my running and I don't expect it will - broken bones seem to heal much more cleanly than muscular injuries - I just thought I'd include it for completeness. 

So there we have the injury summary to date. Wish me luck, folks.

*That's a lie, there are pictures of me running. But, annoyingly, they were all taken at moments when it looked as if I barely had any pace on me at all, which is just unfair. As soon as I have a picture of me sprinting, I'll post it here. 

Sub-zero

Today's run: 12 km / 7.46 miles in 1:23:48.
Injury check: Twinges in the good knee.
Running buddy: Robert.
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Man, it was cold this morning! It was predicted to be -2 degrees and I could definitely believe that it really was below zero... It was trying to snow as we set out, although it gave up pretty quickly and was just cold. 

The benefits of this were that a) I stood no chance whatsoever of overheating, and b) the parts of the route that Robert had warned me might be really muddy were actually just frozen solid, and were therefore quite crispy underfoot rather than trainer-suckingly nasty. 

He also warned me it would be a bit hilly, which I blithely agreed to run anyway. The inclines involved weren't actually too steep, mostly, but they were fairly long and hence still quite taxing: 

Long incline was long. (Shaded grey incline = 1.5km.)

I hoped to be able to manage a sprint at the end but the final up-slope home (which isn't really visible on the elevation plot, but trust me, it's there) did me in. I have spent the rest of the day being a bit achey and making old person noises when I have to get up out of a chair...

Still, a good time achieved at a good average pace, especially considering the hills involved. 

10k

Today's run: 10.59 km / 6.58 miles in 1:13:07.
Injury check: Minor twinge in good knee.
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Ten kilometres!

The morning was gloomy, but Robert turned up at my door bang on time and we headed out into the fog on my planned 10k route...

Foggy Luton town

Since I am rubbish at directions we took a little circular detour along that planned route, but we kept up a good pace (11:11 per mile) with barely a stop along the way. We paused in the middle and I gulped down a tube of energy gel (which tasted horrible - good thing it was a freebie) and then it was back up to pace again. 

Again, I don't want to jinx it, but running longer distances is definitely not as hard as it was originally. Some of this is no doubt due to my body getting used to actually running for longer periods; I'm also sure a great deal of it is having someone to run with, as that absolutely makes it more enjoyable!

So, 10k in a little over an hour. Done. 

Woohoo!

Plan in Action

Today's run: 4.60 km / 2.86 miles in 30:00.
Injury check: All clear.
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Gym. Treadmill. Short break in the middle to stretch out a stitch. Sprint at the end. I'm happy with that distance - puts me on track for 10k in 1hr10, which is my goal for my next long run. 

In addition, today I discovered that my mental arithmetic really does go to pot when I'm running - unless, of course, 12 + 2 really does = 15. 
Apparently only mental or physical exertion allowed here, not both at the same time. By the end of the marathon I might be having trouble counting to 26...

It's a Plan!

The 16 week countdown begins...

Plan. Colour-coded and everything.