Tissues at the ready

No I'm not going to make you cry but it seems the hayfever season is upon us and bleurgh to it.

I just went out for my second run of this week - week 6, run 1 if you're keeping track, and I can't remember the last time I was so snotty and my eyes are nasty and itchy too.  So I'm going to have to have my pockets stuffed with tissues from now I guess as today really wasn't pretty!

Decent run otherwise 1 x 5 minute, 1 x 8 minute and a final 1 x 5 minute with 3 minutes walking in between and the usual 5 minute warm up / cool down either side.  I went back to an older route and it was amazing to see myself carry on running past the point I used to want to collapse after just a 60 second burst.

Slow and sure but getting there!

The start of spring - in my step?

So the warm weather is wonderful after such a cold, crappy few months and it feels lovely to be out in the sunshine but OMG, it's not as easy to run when it's hot.  I never ever thought I'd say it but I did find it easier when it was cold and raining - maybe it was motivating to keep running and get back indoors when it was horrible outside?  Though that leads to the premise that the sunshine would make me want to run for longer to enjoy the warmth more and I'm afraid that isn't the case, I still want it over and done with as soon as I can!

Anyway, I can thank the sunshine for making me get up early yesterday and enjoy the start of spring.

Sunday's route

This photo doesn't really do the view justice as while it's not the best view in the world, the feeling of being out on a Sunday morning was fab.  I was quite high up looking out across to Wentworth, the sun was shining, the sky was so blue, there was hardly any traffic noise and it felt so easy to breathe up there if that makes sense to anyone?

I don't think I'll have this route as a normal running one though as to reach the footpath I do have to walk up what is usually a very busy road with no pavement and it's a bit scary to be honest. I will however wander up there on the occasional non-running day just to take a break from my desk when I need it,  as it was lovely. Although actually, as this is the view from my bedroom maybe I could just go stare out of my window and get the same effect :)

Monday's route

Today I stuck to my usual road run and managed to run for 20 minutes, it felt even warmer today.  It's incredibly bright too and while I do have those magic glasses that go dark in the sunshine I have got a headache from the glare now I'm back home.

I also felt like I was cooking so next time I'll be running in short sleeves again and maybe even start looking for some cropped running trousers.  Thank god I never see anyone I know when I am out there!

What have you given up for Lent?

Despite my Catholic schooling I haven't done the Lent things for years.  My children come home each year with a list of things they're giving up - this year my son outshone himself and has decided to give up going to the supermarket with me and eating any food that isn't a pizza .  Kind of missing the point there Sam don't you think?

My daughter is doing a bit better, her class are completing little tasks during Lent to help them count their blessings.  So to support her, this year I'm giving up being half arsed!  For the next 40 days and 40 nights I will stick to my 1,200 calories a day intake and I will run 3 times a week and I won't allow myself to make any excuses not to do this.

You've all heard me now so I can't back out.  Well if you've read all my blog you might have heard me say very similar before but at this point in time I am very determined and it's the now that counts.

So today was week 5 run 2.  2 x 8 minute runs with a 5minute walk in the middle and at either end to warm up and cool down.  I actually went over on my ankle as I crossed the road before I started my first run so I'm surprised I managed this one, I thought I'd given myself the ultimate excuse there as you can't run when your ankle doesn't work can you?  But no, I carried on and it was okay, I surprised myself.  Let's hope I can say the same at the weekend when I'm planning my 20 minute run again!

Getting back on track

I'm feeling determined again - it's easy to tell I've fallen off the running wagon recently as I've stopped blogging too but I'm back!

The sun was shining this afternoon and I think the fact that I spent all day yesterday in bed feeling crap has actually given me more energy than usual.  I was just going to take it easy but thought I may as well put the week 5, run 1 podcast on to listen to and see if I felt up to it regardless and it went better than I thought.

I added a new tiny loop on at the beginning of my usual route so by the time I got to my second run, I was back to the place I usually would start run one.  Mentally this felt ace, especially when I got to the final run and realised that was it.

So 3 x 5 minute runs today with 2 x 3minute walks in between, starting and ending with a 5 minute warm up walk (plus a bit extra on the way home as I ended up further than 5 minutes away - or I walked really slow once I heard "stop, that's it" which is actually more likely)

Not bad, I'm pleased with this one.

I'm going to repeat this again on Thursday and then again once at the weekend before moving onto week 5, run two.

This is hard

So since my last amazing blog when I ran for a full 20 minutes I think my mind and body are talking to each other without me knowing and seem to have decided that that's it cracked and I don't need to bother anymore, as I've not been able to sustain anywhere near that long a run since.

I've decided to like myself to a baby starting to walk - you know one day they can all of a sudden walk clear across the front room but the next day you think it had to have been a fluke as they won't try it again?

Well that's me, I'm back to crawling everywhere.

It's such a mental challenge.  You have a bad run and it's so easy to think, that's it, this isn't for me, why do I bother?  It's hard, it hurts, I'm not a runner and I never will be.  I've had so many days when I could just cry at how little I'm progressing.

But then someone very wise told me, you never regret a run, even a bad one. You only regret the days you don't bother running at all.

And that's so true.

It doesn't matter if I'm progressing very slowly as long as I'm still progressing.  It doesn't matter if it takes me 2 years to complete a 9 week programme as long as I get there.  And then again even if I never get there what does that matter actually?  I'm somewhere I never thought I'd be back in September when I started this running malarky and that counts for something, that counts for a lot.

So I'm running week 4 on the podcasts again and I'm just going to stick with them for a while, sort my breathing out, get my actual technique sharpened up and then I'll think about trying the 20minute run again.

And if I have to stick at week 4, then a week 4 runner I am but that's still a runner!

It's been a while but...

Today I ran for a full 20 minutes!!

I'm still on a high, I feel amazing :)

It's been a long couple of months since I last posted.  Since then we've had Christmas and I've had a houseful of sick people, myself included.  I have been running as an when I could between then and now but not getting anywhere fast and I was really disappointing myself as I just couldn't get back into a routine and when I did, I just didn't have the energy to run.

But a couple of weeks ago, everything clicked back into place.  I went back to the week 3 podcasts and built back up again.  On wednesday this week I set out in the pouring rain and high winds to do my 2 x 8 minute runs, did one, did half of the other and literally couldn't move any further as the wind kept blowing me back.  I ended up calling my husband sobbing asking him to come and pick me up in the car - which bless him he did.

Then today I was determined to get the scary 20 minute run over and done with.

Sods law it started raining the minute I went out but with my face hidden beneath my buff (Christmas present from my husband) I soldiered on.   Starting with the usual 5minute warm up walk (isn't it odd how that first 5 minutes takes no time at all but once you're running 5 minutes actually takes forever) and then it was Go!
I was quite surprised really when the first 10 minutes had passed and I didn't feel like I was going to keel over.  Then I got to 15minutes and I was beginning to falter, I slowed right down - honestly a baby could have crawled faster - but I kept going.   And then suddenly I only had 2 minutes left, I actually could do it.

And I did and to repeat myself,  I feel amazing !!

Just a few months ago I couldn't run from one lamp post to the other (seriously) and now I can run a mile and a half non stop !!

Yay Me!

And onto week 5...

Three different runs for this week according to the NHS C25k plan with the last one being a 20minute run which is already giving me nightmares..!!

However I felt like that when I started week 3 and agan in week 4 and I've got both of those cracked now so maybe I'll be okay and if not I've already booked a table at La Tasca for Friday night so I'll just drown my sorrows in sangria and try again the week after.

As I'm now half way through the 9 week programme (though I'm repeating some weeks when I need to) I thought this might be a nice time to remind myself just how far I have come. When I first started out I honestly couldn't run from one lamp post to the other, I can remember by 12yr old son looking at me with disbelief saying "Come on mum it's only like 10metres" and me huffing, puffing and collapsing on to the nearest garden wall.

Now I can run for a full 5 minutes x 3 (as long as the last one is downhill and I have an upbeat tune playing along)   I plan to take him out with my again during the Christmas holidays and let him see the difference, hopefully it'll be a positive look of disbelief next time round :)