Today's run: 4.85 km (3.01 miles) in 40:19.
Injury check: All clear.
______
New knee support, new running tights (given to me by another member of Team Em and Me), new enthusiasm for running - and here I go!
Well... two out of three ain't bad.
However, the tights are great: they made such a difference running in the cold weather, and my legs felt so much less numb/chapped/horrible during and after my run.
Now I need to find a lightweight jacket/fleece of some kind to protect the rest of me from the chill - and then once I have that I'll be properly kitted out and the weather will have no hold over me. Mwahahahaha!
Ahem. Apologies for that moment, but I am on a buzz after finishing nearly 5k - in the cold and the wind - and not feeling like I was dying at the end of it.
In other thoughts, I have a JustGiving page now: www.justgiving.com/RhianChapman.
Watch this space for more sponsorship musings...
Succeeding and failing on the road to the London 2013 Marathon. Possibly falling to bits in the process.
26/10/2012
19/10/2012
Short Run
Today's run: 1.47 km (0.91 miles) in 10:00.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
16/10/2012
With Friends Like These
Today's run: 2.94 km (1.83 miles) in 21:57.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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?
14/10/2012
Why?
I've never run a marathon before. I've never wanted to run a marathon before. So what made me decide to do it now?
In April 2012 my friend Emily died, aged 29. It was in her sleep, due to complications arising from Type 1 diabetes; it was completely unexpected. She will be missed so much by so many people. As I type this I don't think a day has gone by when I haven't thought about her and the things we did, the things we were planning to do - and the things we never got to do.
I knew Em for more than ten years. One of the most impressive things about Em was that she never stopped pushing herself. When she succeeded in one challenge, she set herself another one. Academically, physically, emotionally, she never stopped; she always had another goal in mind. It made the rest of us feel positively lazy.
Em took up running a few years ago, starting with 5k runs, then 10k races, then half-marathons. The next challenge she set herself was to run a full marathon. She trained for it and she got a place in the 2012 London Marathon, running for Diabetes UK. I was looking forward to being there to cheer her on. I had absolutely no doubt that she would achieve her goal.
Em never got to run her marathon. So a group of us, friends and family, decided to run it in her memory.
I never had a reason to run a marathon before. This is why I'm running it now.
In April 2012 my friend Emily died, aged 29. It was in her sleep, due to complications arising from Type 1 diabetes; it was completely unexpected. She will be missed so much by so many people. As I type this I don't think a day has gone by when I haven't thought about her and the things we did, the things we were planning to do - and the things we never got to do.
I knew Em for more than ten years. One of the most impressive things about Em was that she never stopped pushing herself. When she succeeded in one challenge, she set herself another one. Academically, physically, emotionally, she never stopped; she always had another goal in mind. It made the rest of us feel positively lazy.
Em took up running a few years ago, starting with 5k runs, then 10k races, then half-marathons. The next challenge she set herself was to run a full marathon. She trained for it and she got a place in the 2012 London Marathon, running for Diabetes UK. I was looking forward to being there to cheer her on. I had absolutely no doubt that she would achieve her goal.
Em never got to run her marathon. So a group of us, friends and family, decided to run it in her memory.
I never had a reason to run a marathon before. This is why I'm running it now.
 |
| Em finishing a London 10k, 2007 |
12/10/2012
Back on Track
Today's run: 3.74 km (2.32 miles) in 29:54.
Injury check: Nothing more than minor twinges.
______
Following the scary Official Letter - and with it the confirmation that I am actually going to be taking part in the London Marathon next year - I decided it was time I got back into my running shoes.
I read somewhere recently that when you start training you should put your efforts into time on your feet and not worry too much about the distance you achieve. Since the rate at which I'm increasing my distance is feeling a little, well, pathetic, I'm going to try the time tactic instead: slowly increasing my time and seeing how that affects the distance I can cover.
Today I set myself a time limit of 30 minutes, and a running playlist on my phone that was 30 minutes long as a timer.
I made it the end of the time but it was not a fast run. The last two months oflaziness not exercising has definitely knocked my fitness, although my knees held up pretty well to the sudden demand to perform: a couple of tweaks from the good knee but not enough to actually stop my run. I was, however, moving pretty slowly by the end.
Next run: a target of 33 minutes.
Injury check: Nothing more than minor twinges.
______
Following the scary Official Letter - and with it the confirmation that I am actually going to be taking part in the London Marathon next year - I decided it was time I got back into my running shoes.
I read somewhere recently that when you start training you should put your efforts into time on your feet and not worry too much about the distance you achieve. Since the rate at which I'm increasing my distance is feeling a little, well, pathetic, I'm going to try the time tactic instead: slowly increasing my time and seeing how that affects the distance I can cover.
Today I set myself a time limit of 30 minutes, and a running playlist on my phone that was 30 minutes long as a timer.
I made it the end of the time but it was not a fast run. The last two months of
Next run: a target of 33 minutes.
10/10/2012
09/10/2012
Post-holiday Re-start
Today's run: 1 km (0.62 miles) in 6:42.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
05/08/2012
Inspired By Ennis
Today's run: 6.16 km (3.83 miles) in 46:48.
Injury check: Delayed pain.
______
Inspired by all the Team GB Olympic success last night* I got up and went for a nice, long run. "Long" being a relative term, of course.
Realising that running to somewhere worked quite well for me, I mapped out a route around the local streets that was about 5k and would finish in a park only a few minutes walk from home. It felt good, too. I got as far as 4.5k as I entered the park and decided to push for 6k, which is the furthest I've run in five years.
The time is inconsequential really, because it involves pauses at traffic lights and includes a mix of terrain: nothing too steep - as I purposely avoided a lot of the big hills around my part of town - but a lot of long, gentle slopes both up and downhill. The best things about this run (apart from the distance) were that I kept a pretty good average pace and that I actually had a bit of a sprint left in me at the end - only 50m to reach a nearby landmark in the park, but still a sprint.
The worst thing about this run was the complaining my knees did for the rest of the day. I'd probably have been alright if I'd sat around resting them but I didn't - I walked at least four more kilometres across the course of the afternoon. Both knees were tweaking by the end of the day; I think it was probably exacerbated by the fact that I was running on pavement and concrete instead of grass.
Pity my local streets are almost entirely made of pavement and concrete...
*but mostly inspired by Jessica Ennis's abs
Injury check: Delayed pain.
______
Inspired by all the Team GB Olympic success last night* I got up and went for a nice, long run. "Long" being a relative term, of course.
Realising that running to somewhere worked quite well for me, I mapped out a route around the local streets that was about 5k and would finish in a park only a few minutes walk from home. It felt good, too. I got as far as 4.5k as I entered the park and decided to push for 6k, which is the furthest I've run in five years.
The time is inconsequential really, because it involves pauses at traffic lights and includes a mix of terrain: nothing too steep - as I purposely avoided a lot of the big hills around my part of town - but a lot of long, gentle slopes both up and downhill. The best things about this run (apart from the distance) were that I kept a pretty good average pace and that I actually had a bit of a sprint left in me at the end - only 50m to reach a nearby landmark in the park, but still a sprint.
The worst thing about this run was the complaining my knees did for the rest of the day. I'd probably have been alright if I'd sat around resting them but I didn't - I walked at least four more kilometres across the course of the afternoon. Both knees were tweaking by the end of the day; I think it was probably exacerbated by the fact that I was running on pavement and concrete instead of grass.
Pity my local streets are almost entirely made of pavement and concrete...
*but mostly inspired by Jessica Ennis's abs
28/07/2012
Proper Runner
Today's run: 1.87 km (1.16 miles) in 12:41 + 1.99 km (1.24 miles) in 14:45.
Injury check: All clear.
______
Not that I am actually claiming to be a Proper Runner yet, but I looked it today. As in: proper-crazy runner, out slogging through the streets on a blazing sunny day, with my sunglasses on, headphones in, and a rucksack on my back.
I ran to the Post Office, to pick up a package - hence the rucksack, to carry it back. I checked the distance first and, as you can see, it's less than 2k to the Post Office. However, I live on a hill, and the Post Office is the other side of town, back up another hill.
So the first 60% of this run was fine - downhill at a good pace (knee support on), through town and then uphill for the last 30%. And then I got a ten minute break while I stood in the queue and then fiddled with my Runkeeper app (it crashed when I paused it for my queueing time).
And then it was time to run back again, which - as you may have guessed - was a bit harder. Not only did I now have two bottles of contact lens solution in my rucksack (not exactly heavy but not as light as an empty bag), but more of the return journey is uphill.
However, I made it. The final rise was pretty slow but it was still just about a jog and not a walk. And I enjoyed actually running to somewhere, as opposed to the nowhere of the treadmill or the circular route I run around the training fields out behind the gym. I shall have to try more purposeful runs in the future.
Injury check: All clear.
______
Not that I am actually claiming to be a Proper Runner yet, but I looked it today. As in: proper-crazy runner, out slogging through the streets on a blazing sunny day, with my sunglasses on, headphones in, and a rucksack on my back.
I ran to the Post Office, to pick up a package - hence the rucksack, to carry it back. I checked the distance first and, as you can see, it's less than 2k to the Post Office. However, I live on a hill, and the Post Office is the other side of town, back up another hill.
So the first 60% of this run was fine - downhill at a good pace (knee support on), through town and then uphill for the last 30%. And then I got a ten minute break while I stood in the queue and then fiddled with my Runkeeper app (it crashed when I paused it for my queueing time).
And then it was time to run back again, which - as you may have guessed - was a bit harder. Not only did I now have two bottles of contact lens solution in my rucksack (not exactly heavy but not as light as an empty bag), but more of the return journey is uphill.
However, I made it. The final rise was pretty slow but it was still just about a jog and not a walk. And I enjoyed actually running to somewhere, as opposed to the nowhere of the treadmill or the circular route I run around the training fields out behind the gym. I shall have to try more purposeful runs in the future.
25/07/2012
Count It Out
Today's run: 2.5 km (1.55 miles) in 16:45.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
Injury check: All clear.
______
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.
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