First Casualty?

Today's run: 2.16 miles / 3.48 km in 23:52.
Injury check: Well...
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I'm going to make a rule in the future, after all this marathon nonsense: if I can see my breath on the air, it's too cold to go out running. It's just too cold. 

Anyway.

The offending toe,
second from right.

I ran outside at lunchtime today, in the chill and the mist. Got two miles down in a nice time, given that it was very cold and there were also hills in my route. (They're unavoidable, really, since my office is essentially on top of a hill.) Oddly enough today the uphills were actually better than the downhills: my knees did not particularly like the steep slopes down.

But I am beginning to fall apart. Aside from the bad left knee and the bad right ankle, I now have a problem toe to fuss over as well. I've got a bruise or a blister or something under the nail... I didn't notice it at all during the run today, but when I put my smart work shoes back on afterwards they definitely pressed on it the wrong way and sent me limping around the office. Sigh.

You do hear stories about people losing toenails during marathon training and so on... I don't want to lose my toenail. I didn't sign up for that... >:-(

Running, eh? Bad for you. Definitely. 

Filling in the Gaps

Injury check: All clear.
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This week I ran twice at the gym: 

• 30 mins that included hills
• 2 km, which took just under 13 mins

These sort of times / distances don't really feel like they warrant a post of their own any more - I'm just dropping them in here so you don't think I'm sitting with my feet up during the week and only running at the weekends. 

Onwards!

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. 

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...

My December

Today's run: 5.68 km / 3.53 miles in 40:35.
Injury check: All clear.
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Now, I don't want to jinx anything by suggesting that this running malarkey is getting easier... so let's just say that I had a good day today. 

I am back with my family for Christmas so I ran along my old village high street (in the rain), down to the church, back past the cricket ground and up to the bridge - our bit of the Thames is running crazily high and fast at the moment - before turning back towards home. All in 40 mins, and I even had enough left in the tank for a sprint finish. 

I would have taken some picturesque photos for you, but my phone is currently on the blink - and since my phone does everything for me, today I had no running app and no camera (I resorted to my ipod for music, because that's an essential). 

Running somewhere different was nice and I quite enjoyed it all. I could even, possibly see me becoming a bit of a Proper Runner - if it wasn't a marathon at the end of all this training. That day will probably put me off running forever more. 

But for now, things are looking good.

Let's Do Lunch

Today's run: 2.67 km / 1.66 miles in 20:00.
Injury check: All clear.
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It was actually quite warm in the sun today. Pity the wind was doing its best impression of a lively Arctic breeze. 

This was my first attempt at a lunchtime run, which means it was necessarily a short one (I managed the change-run-shower-change routine in exactly an hour), and not a fast one. My office is essentially on a hill - and a steep one at that - so whichever way I run it's going to involve a fair amount of gradient. 
I will not be breaking any records on my lunchtime runs; the best I can aim for is a slow, steady increase in the distance achieved. 

Plan: another lunch run on Weds and then a long run on Fri. 
Yay.

Short Run Done

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

Can't Mistake My Biology

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

Short Run

Today's run: 1.47 km (0.91 miles) in 10:00.
Injury check: All clear.
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Today was wet, gloomy and horrible. So it was a good thing I was running inside.

I'll try for a real distance over the weekend but this was a 10 minute run as part of a longer gym session. Not much to crow about but it does feel good that I can now knock out ~1.5k in ten minutes without killing myself: as I walked away from the treadmill I didn't even need to sit down to catch my breath.

I'll make a runner of myself yet.

With Friends Like These

Today's run: 2.94 km (1.83 miles) in 21:57.
Injury check: All clear.
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A shorter run today, by design. It was a bit easier today than the last run and I managed a slightly quicker pace throughout as well. It was, however, quite cold. Blustery and chilly. And the skin on my legs went numb, reminding me vividly of school PE lessons outside in the winter. It might be time to treat myself to some more snazzy running gear - to get me through the colder months. 

I'm still charting my distance with an app on my phone but I don't have it talking me through the distance any more, since I decided to concentrate on just increasing my time. Of course, if I had known my exact distance on the finishing mark then I would have managed that last 600m to make it an even 3k. Never mind: next time.

I've now started telling people that I'm running the marathon. Up until now - until it was official - I didn't want to admit that I'd signed up to something so unlike me. Here are some of the reactions I've got so far:

Me: I'm doing the London marathon next year.

Friend #1: You crazy fool.

Me: I'm running the marathon next year.

Friend #2: What would you go and do that for?!

Me: I'm running the London marathon.

Friend #3: (laughter)

Friend #4: Do you think it's a good idea, with your knee?

Me: No, I don't think it's a good idea at all!

But after the laughter and commiserations on my foolishness, there was support, and even a couple of offers to help me train. With friends like these, how can I fail?

Post-holiday Re-start

Today's run: 1 km (0.62 miles) in 6:42.
Injury check: All clear.
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Well, that last burst of inspiration didn't last very long, did it?

Anyway...

A very short run today, mainly because I wasn't sure how The Knee would take the exercise after two months of not running. It coped very well and I managed a good speed for the whole kilometre. 

So, onwards and upwards.

Count It Out

Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 16:45.
Injury check: All clear.
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Not a fast one today, I was just aiming to tick off an easy 2.5k on the treadmill. My plan was to spend the run trying to keep my pace even and equal - to run The Knee without putting any extra pressure on the good side. 

And on that criteria: success. 

Total Mileage: Not Worth Boasting About

Today's run: 1 km (0.62 miles) in 6:20.
Injury check: Minor twinges.
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Yes, a very short run today. But having been lazy/busy/not well enough to run [delete as appropriate] for the last couple of weeks, I thought I'd take it easy. My bad knee has been twinging (for no obvious reason) for the last week, so I didn't want to push anything - but it felt alright after the first minute so I pushed enough to get a pretty respectable time. 

However, I probably do need to up the ante. The organiser of this whole marathon effort has recently posted that he and his other half are making good progress in their training and are "up to 15 miles a week and it is kinda fun now".
Just done a quck tally on my tracking spreadsheet (if it surprises you I have this, you don't know me well enough) and including today's effort I have now just passed 15 miles in total since my training efforts started. 
And believe me, it has yet to be 'fun'.

Anyway, I'll take tomorrow off and try a short run outside on Thurs. Probably not back up to 5k yet, but hopefully further than today. 

Hey, I Put Some New Shoes On

Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 15:12.
Injury check: All more or less ok.
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A short run today, partly just to try out the new shoes, partly because The Knee has been aching a bit this week and I didn't want to push it.


However, I did manage to keep up 10 km/h for nearly the whole of this run, ending it with a sprint that let me claim a personal best time for this distance. 
I also did a whole kilometre as a warm-up jog. Slowly, yes, but it was a whole kilometre - and then I did the 2.5 k run. I had to lie down at the end (yes, really) but I got my breath back more quickly than I have in the past. 
All the above may not impress some people, but I am very proud of today. 


Footwear verdict: the new shoes are very nice. They're a bit more comfy than my old pair and I think they're a little lighter too. 

Shiny new shoes

Yes, I stood on a treadmill and took a photo of my new trainers. I fully expect to feature in the anecdotes of a few strangers as 'the odd woman in the gym who photographed her own feet...'

Clothes Maketh The Woman

Today's run: 3 km (1.86 miles) in 19:03.
Injury check: Felt The Knee on the last 50m sprint, but otherwise ok.
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So I went out and bought some shiny new togs for running in: lightweight tops and shorts to help me fly like the wind. They're lovely, and (even if I do say so myself) I think I look pretty cool in them. Until I actually start exercising and my face turns strawberry red - and then I exude all the coolness that I normally do during a gym session...

However, the gear is nice to run in and the 19:03 is a personal best over 3k, so I'm calling that a win. 

Short Run

Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 16:39.
Injury check: All clear.
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A short run today, in the gym on the treadmill. I didn't push it today either, so it's not a fast time; I just wanted to do a little run to see how the knees held up after taxing them on Monday. All appears to be ok.


This short run is the length I've been working on for a while for an entirely different goal - which requires me to speed up a good deal over this distance rather than increase my endurance for the long runs. So, diametrically opposite my marathon goal.


Hmmm.


Conclusions from today: I need to buy some of those fancy running tops that help you keep cool, because I overheat like anything when I run. (I go red in the face pretty much as soon as I do any exercise. So does my mum; it's genetic.) I also need to sort out my breathing because I got stitch again. That happens more on the shorter, faster runs than the longer, slower ones. My body was definitely built for endurance over speed.