As readers of this blog will know, the Bristol 10k that took place on Sunday is not the first time that I have run the distance. I have run it quite a few times previously including twice in the fortnight running up to Sunday. Why then, was I so nervous on Sunday morning? Because let me tell you, I was. I was terrified, borderline nausious and my palms were definitely sweating as I ate my porridge and forced down peanut butter on toast. I had had a very clear plan about what to eat and drink in the run up to the big day, but unfortunately, in my past life (ie non healthy and non-running) I ate when I was stressed. From Wednesday of last week I ate A LOT, almost constantly on Friday, but did finally reign it in on Saturday.  My only saving grace probably was that I drank almost as much water as I had eaten, which is critical in a lead up to a race.

Yes I was calling the Bristol 10k a race (not an event) because, for the first time ever, this was how I was viewing it.

I did enjoy being part of the Made in Bristol run up (even if it was very challenging to fit in around an already ridiculously busy job) and I hoped in part that seeing me and my non athletic body might inspire someone off the sofa to give it a go. Hopefully they would find the experience as positive and rewarding as I have, but of course the other thing that Made in Bristol did was that it made my time goals public.

Following “pacergate” (when the race sponsors were unable to provide official pacers for anyone seeking a personal best (PB) time above 70 minutes, and some AMAZING This Mum Runs runners selflessly put themselves forward to help us (me) achieve a faster time) I felt under unbelievable pressure to achieve my desired time of sub 80 minutes – even though the whole scenario was my fault and I had created it. Frankly I had just plucked this number out of the sky (80 minutes) and there was no science behind it’s choice and I really didn’t know if I could manage it, never having got within 90 seconds of it before. However, as always I resolved to do my best. Running Sister (currently out of action and not allowed to run on medical advice) called the day before to talk me down off of the metaphorical ledge that she knew I would be on (I was). Ie self doubt . She assured me that I was bound to run faster than last year and I should give myself a break if I didn’t manage sub 80. I listened, knowing she was right, but also knowing that I would be devastated if I didn’t achieve it.

Husband and I set off for the “Athlete’s Village” just the same as last year. But this year, lots of people greeted me by name as I was walking along, wishing me luck and patting me on the back. One lady shook my hand and wished me luck in getting my sub 80 as I waited to use the toilet for my “pre-race nervous visit” in Wetherspoons and another lady did the same as I left the building. I really berated myself. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut? What if I couldn’t do it?

Husband then had to go as he was in the Orange wave (ie very fast indeed) and so I headed over to the This Mum Runs gazebo. I was greeted like a war hero when I arrived. It was amazing. The encouragement and support from everyone was off the charts. I was nearly in tears already and we hadn’t even started running yet. Captain Mel Bound and her inspirational team scooped me up and I felt a bit better just being with them all. TMR launched in London a couple of weeks ago as Mel does her best to give ladies across the UK a chance of getting what we have already in Bristol and Bath and they had an official gazebo made. It’s quite bright so you can’t really miss it (I suspect it can be seen from space) I had no idea until the day it launched when somebody posted a photo, but something I once said, is on the side of the gazebo.

This is true. Anyone can learn to run.  Anyone. To be a truly great runner (as in fast) I believe that you have to have some natural talent, but anyone can run.

Husband has natural ability in the running department and he himself will admit that he went off too fast on Sunday. His overall finish time was 48.26 but this included 90 seconds sitting on the floor by St Mary Redcliffe after he had pushed himself too far and vomited…more than once.  He realised he had got his race tactics wrong after reaching KM 6 and was overtaken by the 45 minute pacer, his initial plan having been to stay just in front of the 50 minute pacer. A really lovely lady from TMR who recognised him stopped to offer assistance (and contacted me via facebook afterwards to further enquire as to how he was – thank you – the running community is FANTASTIC) but he sat for a bit longer before running the last bit and then throwing up again after crossing the finish line. Frankly I didn’t know whether to be super impressed or horrified when he told me after the race! But he took almost 7 minutes off his time from last year, so it’s impressive. Can he go sub 45? He says he’s not bothered, but this sounds like something I would say too so we’ll see……!

So back to the TMR gazebo.  I had warmed up with Wonder Woman, (yes the real one – I’ll let that sink in a moment) and I had been introduced to the pacers – each adorned with a shiny helium balloon and we were ready to go off to our pen (where we wait to start). The lady that had offered to pace me initially had a gold balloon and she was very friendly, excited and lovely (they all were, just to be absolutely clear – all had paid to run the race themselves, and yet all 4 of them gave up any chance of chasing a PB when they offered to try and help us slower ladies achieve our speed driven goals too) but I did have a natural affection for “Merida” as I’ll call her. She was extremely supportive from the start to the very end and I felt a bit like a small child on a school trip following my teacher when we walked off the pen. The Earmuffed -Extraordinaire was also there and we ran together for the whole race.

As usual, my best laid plans went out the window when we set off and the EE and myself were ahead of the pacers by the turn on the portway. I have to say that we were running really fast but weirdly  it felt quite “trundle-esque” which as I look back on it, must have been adrenaline. All was going well as I knew the second half would be tougher and I thought if we can keep ahead of the pacers we should be ok for the sub 80 goal. But then disaster struck and the sun came out. I literally felt all of my energy melt away as the sun beat down. I had no sunglasses (I am very fair and the sun hurts my eyes) and it was HOT. I was wearing a vest (which is unusual for me) and one thing no-body tells you when you sign up for a running course, is that one day, you’ll find yourself running in the sun being able to smell your own armpits as a vest has no material to soak it up. Disgusting.

I now began to struggle. A LOT. It was here that  Merida really showed us the depths of her fabulousness. She was like Tigger as she bounced alongside, keeping me and the EE going, never once looking cross or disappointed as I chugged along. The Cumberland Road was very tough. I barely spoke on this section of the race for a few reasons.

• I was in a lot of pain after having gone off so fast and I really had to dig in and frankly speaking was out of the question.
• When I am in pain and running, I swear A LOT. Hattie, Curly Sue, the LA Blond, EE, and anyone I run with regularly is aware of this, but I didn’t want to create a bad impression on Merida and so thought it best to keep my toxic monologue, more inner than out.
• Everything was a bit blurry on this section of the race. I mainly kept concentrating on the techniques that Curly Sue had taught me. There are definitely sections of the 10k that I felt I ran with my arms, more than my legs. I kept pumping them and just concentrated on moving forward – all the while Merida being the best cheer leader anyone had ever met.

I have run with Southville Running Club only once before and it was great and I’m sure I’ll go again (they do a run/walk group) and as we approached St Mary Redcliffe, we overtook the run leader. He messaged me afterwards to comment on how fast I was going – but I really feel at this point, I could have stopped had it not been for EE and Merida. I could also see shining balloons in the distance (other pacers) and this definitely gave me the strength to keep going, in the same way that the TMR official cheer station had helped me over the last few metres of the Cumberland Road.

If you’ve never run an official race before, it really is worth it just to experience the euphoria of the cheering crowds. I really felt like they were only cheering me (of course they weren’t) but when people shout out your name (names are on the race numbers), high five you, offer you jelly babies (which you take) there is nothing I can write that adequately describes the feeling accurately enough.

At kilometre 9 I knew I would see my sister and daughters. As we turned the corner, I saw them before they saw me. I was knackered. I could barely even smile but did high 5 youngest daughter and took the jelly baby that she had saved for me as promised. They cheered very loudly and I swelled with pride but I felt sick though at this point and was desperate for water. As I ran away from them, as soon as I was out of sight I had to throw the jelly baby on the floor. I couldn’t risk it. I felt like a terrible Mother though as I knew that Youngest daughter had been saving that jelly baby just for me.

As we turned into the final straight, Merida said we should “go for it”. I wanted to oblige and tried my best, but I had nothing left. We still stormed the finish line like women possessed as I knew that we were still on for sub 80 but Merida had been evasive about the specific details over the final kilometre.

We crossed the line and Merida, EE and myself had the best hug ever and I burst into uncontrollable tears. I am actually crying as I type this now as the emotions still feel very raw and I had been in tears a lot of the last 72 hours. The sense of achievement was immense.

Last year I crossed the line in 93.26 and on Sunday 78.51, not only achieving my desired sub 80 but smashing it.

This blows my mind. I’ve worked hard it’s true, but I really feel it’s a team effort.

Curly Sue should definitely get thanks as she taught me many techniques that saw me survive Sunday, as should EE who danced and smiled her way around, emitting her natural sunshine rays everywhere she went and indeed goes.  Both helped me during dark times (and let me tell you that during some moments of the race I felt quite dark) but also of course to Merida. I know she found the experience emotional and enjoyed it too. But thank you all the same.

I have the Westonbirt 10k in a couple of weeks with Hattie and then long distance training begins ready for the Bristol half marathon later in the year. I’m not going to go for a specific time with this one as it’s my first half marathon. This will be more a “let’s just get round in one piece” race you will be relieved to hear and I am relieved to write.

I ran faster that I ever thought I could on Sunday, but deep down I know that I am a trundler. I love trundling and I love chatting whilst I run. I also like running with ladies who are slower than me or at the beginning of their running journey and encouraging them to keep trying and be the best that we can be. I love this and this is me 95% of the time. However, sometimes, you have to give yourself a target to see if you are progressing (not everyone I understand and to be honest, sometimes I really wish that I wasn’t built this way) and for me this is what the 2017 Bristol 10k became. It didn’t start that way of course. When I signed up after last year’s 10k (2016) I was hoping that having the 2017 race in the diary would be enough to keep me running and perhaps I would be a bit quicker? I never dreamed back then that it would turn into what it did turn into. But there we are…that’s life. You never know what is going to happen and all you can do is embrace it when it does.

Incidentally, yesterday I signed up for 2018 Bristol 10k and who knows what type of run that will be. Maybe I’ll be going for a sub 75 minutes or even 70? Or maybe I’ll be running with my sister Queenie and Hattie in their first Bristol 10k? Maybe I’ll have a shiny balloon myself and will be able to pay it forward? Time will tell, but God willing, I will be there again at the start line.

Race Day, Bristol 10k day, is nearly here. I’m feeling an interesting mix of calm and confidence, mixed with a healthy dose of panic.

I’m calm because I know I can run 10k. I’ve completed the distance 4 times since Christmas and 3 times since my last blog post and so unlike last year, I know that I can complete the course and still be in one piece at the end. Unfortunately, I like to give myself targets (I work in sales) and with the added bonus of being on TV now, these targets are not secret anymore.

Being profiled on “Made in Bristol” has been quite an interesting experience. The first interview I found terrifying and I was NOT relaxed at all and so the interview seemed very uneasy. By the time I was interviewed earlier today (whilst filming some VT for the show that will broadcast during the actual race itself), I was feeling confident enough to stop the interview at a certain point in order to clarify things as well as crack jokes. The filming involved me having a personal trainer Tom (@protom_fitness on Instagram) put me through my paces whilst I was filmed. Tom was excellent and taught me a couple of stretches I hadn’t seen before. During the interview, I was also able to manoeuvre the conversation around to talk about issues and factors that have been important to me in my running life. I droned on quite a bit and so in case they edit some of it out (!), here is a list of important people/events that have been important to me:

My husband starting running again after a 17 year gap to support me and then discovering that he has quite the talent for it – will he crack sub 49 on Sunday? I expect so.

My Daughters – I haven’t shared this before but 3 years ago, (when I was very heavy and sedentary) my eldest daughter took some flack from a hideous boy in her class who has noted my rotund appearance on the school run and had then decided to tease my daughter about it. She was mortified and stuck up for me but it must have been terrible for her. This will never, ever happen again. It is important for all children to have activity built into their lives and this starts at home.

My Sisters (all 4 of them, I include my sister-in-law) being constantly supportive and my youngest sister Queenie completing couch to 5k and now being a member of the bona fide running community and parkrun attendee. She was profiled on the Wotton Parkrun page a couple of weeks ago and there was a brilliant photo of her running for the finish line with her “never give up face” shining. Running Sister has had to have an operation but I am 100% certain that she will be back pounding the pavement before we all know it.

Curly Sue – what an amazing friend she is to me. Apart from the (extremely important) fact that I like her very much and we are genuinely good friends, she has taught me so much. Technique which helps and is critical to stay injury free as I push for longer distances, but also and possibly more importantly, to try and enjoy each run. Even when I am slogging down the Feeder Road (it’s so boring) I try to look at the canal and imagine what the fish are doing. I try to take in the nature and scenery. This is what Curly Sue has taught me. It really helps. Some runs are about speed (even for me) but as long as you are out there in your trainers, you are 90% there and the rest will largely take care of itself.

This Mum Runs : this is a facebook community that I have been a member of for over a year now and I have met SO MANY amazing ladies through it I cannot begin to tell you. They are always encouraging and supportive to newbie and experienced runners alike. I trained to be a “Run Angel” last Summer and so now can hopefully pay this forward by encouraging newer runners to join in and make friends as I have done. I lead a 30 minute run (as often as my job will allow) and I love it.

I met Hattie through TMR and she has since become my proper running buddy, dare I say, training companion. She isn’t running the Bristol 10k but has signed up for the Bristol half with me and so I’m sure will continue to feature heavily in future blog posts.

There are lots and lots of others too.

When asked on “Made in Bristol” what time I was hoping for in this weekend’s 10k, I said 83 minutes, which would take 10 minutes off my time from last year. I regretted saying this out loud on TV almost as soon as I had left the studio and so knew that I would have to find out if this was possible otherwise would be making a total chump of myself (no change there then). Over the Easter holidays, I had a couple of days off and so took myself for a solo 10k. Hattie was on holiday (I really missed running with her whilst she was away) and so without my run/chat buddy, I really, really pushed myself to see if I could do it. It’s fair to say it was a 10k of two halves. The first 5k was ludicrous. I went like a speeding bullet and was nearly sick at the end of it. I walked then for 60 seconds and then ran/walked 1 kilometre/1 minute for the rest of the run. I am not going to lie it was very, very hard indeed…..but I had run it in 81.05 minutes. I was nothing short of shell shocked and absolutely elated. But I was keen to make sure that it wasn’t a one off.

I’ve been continuing in the gym with the Red Lady on strength training and think these sessions are definitely making me stronger. The 81 minutes seemed to back this up. I love these sessions but I can barely walk for the next couple of days, so haven’t been in the past week, but will return again after the 10k.

The other two 10ks I have run were also very different. The first was an Aspire 10k trail run of which there was also a 5k option. Queenie, keen for her first medal, was there for 5k and I ran the first loop with her and then completed the second loop with Hattie. It was very hot and very tough and genuinely it felt as hard as my very first 10k over a year ago. I felt ill as I sat on my sofa at home afterwards (wearing my medal) and for the first time in a while genuinely questioned my sanity with running. I find running in the heat very, very hard and I was wiped out. However, I felt fine the next day, but didn’t run again until the Thursday of that week, when I ran another 10k. This was a This Mum Runs 10k practice, but was “unofficial” as it was on a Thursday. We ran a double harbour loop and I ran with the LA blond at the back and again I ran it in 81 minutes. So, 80 minutes is so close I can almost taste it.

Husband ran Bristol Half last year in 1.51 and one reason was (apart from being a good runner) he started the race behind an official “pacer”. This is someone who runs at the steady pace required to get you over the finish line at the pre-determined time. He chased the 1.50 pacer all the way and so was pleased with his time.

I wanted to really give the 80 minutes time a bash and so looked up the pacers. I was really quite annoyed to discover that the slowest pacer that is being offered by the run co-ordinators is for 70 minutes. I contacted them and explained that they have profiled this blog on their site, I was on the TV promoting their race and so it seemed a shame not to provide pacers for 75, 80 and 90 minutes, especially as they are “championing” all types of runners, even the slower ones. Sadly they said that this could not be accommodated, although promised to review this for future events. I was gutted. No actually I was angry.

I posted about this on the This Mum Runs facebook page (as I know that I am not the only trundle paced runner and lots of ladies – and I am sure men too – will be aiming for a 70-100+ minute finish) to vent my frustration. I was overwhelmed by what happened next. A lovely lady, whom I’ve never met, immediately offered to pace me for 80 minutes and what has happened since is also amazing as other times will also be paced from within the TMR community. I love this. I am hopeful I can do 80 minutes now, as I will feel a bit guilty if I started all of this and then discover that I can’t actually manage it, but I’m going to give it my absolute best shot. I’m watching the weather like John Kettley expecting a hurricane as the current forecast for next Sunday is for hot sunshine. This is not good news for me but I am hydrating like a camel in preparation. If you’re coming to watch please shout hello and it’s important that you know that jelly babies are always welcome. I’m going to be wearing a navy vest with “This Mum Runs” on the front and I’m sure that I will have other ladies running with me.

The pressure is on. Can I take 13 minutes off my time from last year?…..I guess we’ll find out.

 

 

The definition of “runner”, according to the online dictionary, is a “person or animal that runs”.

That’s it. It’s that simple. There is no mention of speed or being a member of the sub 30 minute 5k or sub 60 minute 10k club. You don’t have to be a member of a specialist running club, have super cool trainers or outfits (although don’t get me started on the Wonder Woman running outfit I have seen), do interval sprints or fartleks (snigger), run a specific distance (half marathon, marathon or ultra – ULTRA? Seriously?!) It simply means that you run.

As runners, especially brand new and new(ish) runners, we are all guilty of trying to define ourselves by speed. If you are fast, you must be a better runner than someone who runs slowly? This simply isn’t true and the more you run, the more you understand this. Now I don’t want to be last in a race, as you know, but as long as I am improving that’s all that matters to me. Unless you really are Mo Farrah, then there is always someone out there faster than you. ALWAYS. It has to be about enjoyment too. Enjoyment and running are not words that I often like to put in the same sentence, but it’s true.

The other thing that I have noticed is, regardless of how fast anyone runs, they ALWAYS describe themselves as being “slow”. Why is that? Is it a British self-deprecating trait, or do runners from other countries do the same thing? I am member of a few running forums and pages, and if I had a pound for every post that mentions a “slow” run that the runner has just completed, well I would be treating myself to something hefty from Selfridges, every single month. Practically ALL of these runs are considerably faster than my top speed, downhill, with the wind behind me, being chased by an angry swarm of wasps. However, I also know that this is something I am also guilty of, so I am going to try to stop thinking of myself as a “slow” runner. Hopefully this will be more successful that my failed attempt to give up swearing for lent – I lasted less than an hour. (Yes, I know it’s not big or clever and demonstrates a staggering lack of vocabulary, before you tell me.)

So I think we need a new way to define it. Unfortunately, I have come upon this definition this week.

I believe that you are a runner, if you run (regardless of speed or distance as I have previously stated). But also, importantly, you are a runner if you NEED to run. This is frankly a new observation to me and one that I have sadly learnt this week, when I became ill. I was struck down with a particularly nasty, quite aggressive, sore throat, chesty, high temperature, snot ridden, flu-like virus which has gone onto my chest. I thought that I had run my asthma away, but it turns out that sadly this is not the case. It’s still in me and was waiting for an illness to come along to enable it to return. This got me on Sunday (Happy Mother’s Day to me) and so far has caused me to be off work for 2 days. Not the kind of ill, where you just don’t feel 100% so you work from home, no. This is the kind of ill where you sleep for 18 hours a day and exist on the sofa for the remaining 6 hours, re-watching the same episode of Homeland on a loop because you keep nodding off (I don’t know if you watch Homeland, but it requires your FULL attention), or watching old Hugh Grant films of Sky Movies, because if you do nod off, you will still be able to keep up as you’ve seen them all before.

I haven’t been ill at all since the beginning of my new (sorry, not new, 15 months and going strong) lifestyle. Not one sick day or even sniffle (other than hayfever) and so this was a bit of a pain. Not just because of having to stay off work, but even more surprisingly, because I was so annoyed at not being able to run. I had a BRILLIANT week running last week and began to feel like I was finally on track towards the Bristol 10k, and so being unable to run this week has been horrendous.

This brings me to the new definition of runner: a person or animal that runs, or gets extremely frustrated and *insert your favourite swearword in here* annoyed about not being able to run when they want to.

This further confirms what Running Sister told me all those months ago – you can run if you believe you can. It’s as much about the mind as about the body. Now I’ve reached the strange point where my brain needs me to run as much as my body does. I’m addicted. And not being able to run this week has been awful.

As I’ve said before running gives me time to think. I’ll let you into a secret because, well, what’s the point of having a blog if I’m not going to share my secrets with you, I really need to run at the moment. 2 weeks ago, the week I appeared on “The Crunch” you may have noticed a scab on my left cheek. This was because earlier that week, I had to have a mole removed as it had changed size and colour and the doctors were worried about it when I brought it to their attention. I am quite pragmatic about these things and so it was an easy decision to make to have it removed and then sent off for diagnosis (although the timing was hilarious, TV debut and all). I’ve also been advised that it’s probably just a warty mole (sorry if that made you do a bit of sick in your mouth then) and I have always called it my “wicked Aunty spot”, but as we approach the follow up consultation to get the results, I am feeling increasingly anxious and rattled. Not being able to run this week to be able reconcile these thoughts and give myself the usual required mental slap has been very tough.

Also, on a more practical fitness level, I had had quite a good week last week and so not being able to build on it this week is frustrating beyond belief. Last week I managed a fairly speedy run home on Tuesday which felt ok, although it was warm and made me realise that I need to drink more water.

On Wednesday, I was leading the 30 minute local run for This Mum Runs. Our “Trundlers” group has moved from a Thursday and we are now a 30 minute run group on a Wednesday. Yes we feel very grown up and we’re official, and I lead it. Honestly I am so proud I could burst – who would have ever thought that I could lead a run when I started this quest at the beginning of last year, but I love being the enabler for other ladies to get out and run “at the speed of chat”. So if you can run for 30 minutes without stopping, regardless of speed (see above definition of a runner) please do come and join us.  Before the 30 minute run last week, Hattie and I decided to do some sprints along a flat road near the start point of the TMR runs. It was hard, but we know that sprints work to make you stronger and faster so they have to become part of our week. Now I know I keep saying it’s not about speed, and it absolutely isn’t – but I want to run as fast as I can, largely so the run is over as soon as possible – it’s confusing isn’t it?!- but also to get round without injury so I don’t have to stop running for a period (see new definition of runner) and sprints make you stronger, so you see it’s all connected.  Also, to put my fast running into context, Husband’s normal running speed is already MUCH faster than my top speed running full pelt down Ashton Court hill…..so there is always room for improvement.

On Thursday last week (work was busy so I had to run back to back for 3 days, which isn’t ideal I realise) I managed to get out on a lunchtime harbour loop with Curly Sue and it was glorious. She has now successfully completed her coaching course and is now focussing on the Brighton Marathon which is a couple of weeks away. However, she has been injured and so has been forced to rest over the past couple of weeks and so this was the first 5k we had run together for a little while and it was great. |I love running with her. I felt strong and was remarkably speedy and the times were improving and importantly, not just at the beginning of the run. Now they are beginning to be consistently at the same speed over the whole distance. I was delighted.

On Saturday morning, I went to the gym with the Red Lady who is back in the groove with her fitness again, and looking great, and I followed her instruction as we did interval sprints on the treadmill (I think I ran the fastest I have ever ran) for a minute then a short 30 second rest, then straight into weighted squats and lunges, then the same on the cross trainer and then we ended up with a stint of interval rowing. I LOVE rowing and I have to say it was the most enjoyable gym session I have ever attended. Of course, later on Saturday I came down with this hideous virus and so that was the last time I did any exercise, or even walked more than 300 steps in a day. I had sore muscles on Sunday as I had pounded them and worked so hard, and this made me feel great…sore but great.

So this week has derailed my plans. All of the press that I am getting (and hilariously it continues as I’m on The Crunch, Made in Bristol again this coming Friday 6-7pm) is all well and good if it helps someone to take the first steps towards putting on their trainers and becoming a runner – and I really hope it does do that for somebody – but I’m also feeling quite a lot of pressure to really improve my time from last year. Last year I ran the 10k in 93 minutes. I would really like to take 10 minutes off my time this year, but I don’t know if I can. All I can promise you is that I will try my very best and will hopefully find a way to jump over the hurdles that life keeps throwing at me. However, as discussed, I know that I am part way there already as I am a runner regardless of the time. My daughters have promised to have jelly babies for me as I pass them on the Bristol 10k and I want to look strong as I run past them. I am a runner. But as usual I want more…I want to be a strong runner and so the training continues.

I have had a very busy couple of weeks since I last updated my blog.

Firstly work is “off the charts” busy. I like being busy and as I run my own business, it is definitely good to be very busy, but there are times when it doesn’t feel manageable or fun. This has definitely been the case over the past fortnight. Running over the past year or so has helped me to keep focus when life is like this but even getting out for a short run over the past couple of weeks, in the week, has been tough.

Although there hasn’t been as much running, I have still been pounding the pavement a bit and I have managed a couple of trail runs. Hattie, my brilliant new running buddy, and I, keep talking each other into new challenges.

A couple of Wednesdays ago, I was sitting at home when I got a message from Hattie with a link to a 6k trail run with a big question mark attached. I’d seen it on facebook previously but hadn’t really given it much of a second glance, but now I looked again. “Why not?” I thought and so we both signed up. There are three things I like about trail runs:

1) They are pretty and as much of my running takes place on the Feeder Road with White Van Men “encouraging” me as I run alongside traffic, the prospect of running through fields and along the riverbank is very inviting.

2) I feel less pressure to go fast – I don’t know why this is, but it’s true.

3) You get a medal.

Hattie and I ran together all the way around and we laughed and giggled. There was mud. Oh my goodness there was SO much mud. I wore my trail shoes, which are not as comfortable as my lovely running trainers, but they felt ok and at the end they were absolutely CAKED with mud. The mud make it completely impossible to run in places and so there was more walking than I would have liked but waiting for us at the end as a reward was a table of cakes and treats. The cakes and treats were so good that I know that I undid much of my good work with the run, but I wasn’t bothered. Running allows you to eat and this has been my mantra for the past 15 months.

The following week, Hattie sent me another link – this time for another run with the same company along the cycle path and then by the river. This time I was the one who suggested we go for 11k rather than 6k and Hattie agreed. You see? We are an appalling combination – one of us suggests something and the other agrees?!  My reasoning behind the 11k rather than 6k was due to it being better value for money (only £1 difference between the two distances) – anyone who knows my husband will know that he likes a bargain and after nearly 17 years, it seems to have rubbed off, but more importantly with the Bristol 10k looming, we needed to test our overall fitness. I hadn’t run more than 7.5k this year and Hattie hadn’t run further than 7k ever, so it seemed like a good idea.

The first loop of the course was ok. It wasn’t too muddy (apart from a couple of places) and the sun was shining. We had agreed before we started to run/walk – run a kilometre and walk a minute the whole way round. However, as usual we got swept along by the occasion and very quickly changed our minds to start with a 3k run before we started walking. In the main part the run was good. It was fairly flat and we ran further each time than 1 kilometre before walking which was good. We were caught up on kilometre 7 by Mr Sweep, the tail runner, who immediately recognised us from the previous week’s race (we are nothing if not consistent) and he was friendly, encouraging and very supportive as we ran the final couple of kilometres. The final kilometre hurt and it showed me I have much work to do if I am to get the time I want at the Bristol 10k. We finished with the bacon sandwich that we had spent the last 15 minutes talking about and I wore my medal ALL day, only taking it off to get into bed.

Over the course of these two trail races, I have managed to convince Hattie that she should accompany me for the Bristol half marathon and I am so pleased that she agreed and has now signed up too. A training partner that you like and can have a really good laugh (as we will need to laugh) with is going to be essential for both of us over the coming months.

Curly Sue is injured and on the advice of her physio is not allowed to run much at the moment (which she is not very happy about). With my work being so hectic, we’ve only managed one session over the past couple of weeks, so we made this an interval session around Queen’s Square. I really hope she gets better soon as it’s been ages since we had a harbour loop together and I certainly enjoy them more than the sprints. My fastest sprint speed is still slower than my husband’s normal running speed, but it’s the fastest I can go….at the moment anyway.

So with my 11k yesterday, today it was husband’s turn as he took on the Bath Half Marathon. He has been training well and had his eye on a fast time. He smashed it and finished it in 1.47.53. He did Bristol in 1.51.25 last September so has really improved. He mentioned the word “marathon” for the first time ever today too. I am so proud of him. He only restarted running to support me and it’s genuinely changed both ours and our daughters’ lives so much.

The atmosphere at Bath was fantastic today and although we were there to support Husband and his friend “Batman’s Buddy” (who also got a very fast time) it was brilliant to cheer, clap and encourage the less speedy runners too, especially as this is where I am likely to be in the field of any “event” I enter. Our jelly babies were very popular and daughter and her friends were handing out “high fives” by the dozen. We were all inspired by the mega effort that everyone was putting in.

Another future race buddy is my youngest sister “Queenie” who has recently been bitten by the running bug and is 4 weeks into couch to 5k. It’s so good to see her enthusiasm and she is doing really well. I am desperate to do a park run with her but with us both being Mums and having to negotiate children’s football matches and birthday parties on a Saturday morning, we’ve not managed it yet, but we will. In the meantime, Queenie is making enormous progress and importantly feeling better about life and enjoying the sanity that 30 minutes of headspace gives you. Keep going Queenie.

Finally, I have some very exciting and surprising news. Quite a few people read my blog now which I am so pleased and proud about. As you will have seen, it was recently picked up by the “Great Run” company, who manage the Bristol 10k, when it was profiled and shared on their website. Well this in turn has been picked up by a local TV channel. They have approached me and asked me to keep a video diary of my runs and then go in to be interviewed live on TV. Yes….you read that correctly… I am going to be on TV talking about running. As Hockey Sister quite accurately stated when I told her, “of all the things I thought you would ever be famous for, running wouldn’t even have made it onto the Top 50” and she is right. But here we are and it’s true. This coming Friday (17^th March) I will be on Made in Bristol’s “The Crunch” between 6-8pm. Please tune in. I’ll let you into a secret – I’m absolutely terrified. It’s about as far away from my comfort zone as I could be, but as with most things running related, being terrified is no reason not to do it. Please tune in. Like Davina, I promise not to swear.

Over the past few weeks I have run in rain, wind, sunshine and snow – the standard array of February weather. My sister has finally taken back her silver reflective jacket that she lent me whilst she was unable to run but now she is back running, I’ve had to return it. I loved that jacket and I’m not embarrassed to say I miss it! Obviously I tried to steal it and “forgot” to return it several times, but in the end I had to give it back.  This has meant that I have had to improvise my “reflective” night time running strategy since and so now have a high viz long sleeved T-shirt, high viz vest and I also purchased some flashing lights to go around my legs. I look like a Christmas Tree…but I am visible and people can see me in the dark, which of course is the important point.

Running in the winter is miserable and the “Trundlers” group (we run but slowly) has been an absolute life-saver and game changer for me. I’ve met a really lovely lady (Hattie) who runs at a similar speed to me and we get on famously. Thursday nights are now Trundler Nights and myself and Hattie are going to use these evenings to build on our distance as she has also signed up for the Bristol 10k. We’re planning to do the usual 4-5k Trundle with the rest of the ladies and then will gradually add a bit more on each week after the run until we get up to 10k. We managed 6.5k a couple of weeks ago and this had been the furthest I had run since early December.

Hattie had not ever been to a Park Run so I persuaded her to join me. I wanted to test my speed a bit to see if all of the extra lunges, squats and kettlebell classes were actually helping and so I decided to seek out a flat Park Run and so opted for Chipping Sodbury which is a 3 loop FLAT course, much in the vein of Little Stoke Park Run (which I still miss). It was fantastic. We met Running and Fitbit sister there too and so all set off. It was good. I took the first 2 loops steady and was largely running with running sister, which is always something I enjoy but then as we approached the final half of the loop, my running watch showed that I was close to a PB so we went for it. I really, REALLY pushed myself and even finished with a sprint (I have never, ever done that before) and I got a new personal best not only for Chipping Sodbury Park Run but also my fastest time full stop at 5k at 38.28. I was VERY pleased.

It demonstrated extremely clearly that the extra work is having an effect. I do feel stronger and although I am no longer losing weight and sadly I think I have reached the point where the only way I am going to lose more weight is to really look at my diet now and change what I’m doing (I don’t think gin is included in any diet plan I have ever read), I am smaller and leaner. (Not lean…you understand, there is still plenty of work to do, but I am seeing a change). I measured myself at the beginning of the year and I have lost 1 cm from my tummy and my arms are half a centimetre smaller too. I have bought a couple of size 16 tops and a pair of size 18 jeans are beginning to feel a bit loose. This is good and it has made me more committed to keep trying.

Of course, when things are good, the law of sod means that then things will start to unravel.

The following Saturday, Husband, who is only a couple of weeks away from competing in the Bath half marathon and so has been focussing on longer runs (he is up to 18km which took him 91 minutes – which is less than the time it took me to run the Bristol 10k last year, just to add a little bit of context for you, he is fast) was keen to try Chipping Sodbury Park Run as I have been raving about how great is is so much. I’d been 3 weeks in a row, once with my daughters, once with Hattie and now today. Sporty Daughter, who is not yet 11 so is not allowed to run unaccompanied without an adult yet at Park Run is frustrated by my lack of speed and so was desperate to have a real crack at getting a good time on it – and for this she needed Husband and will LOTS of kilometres under his belt for the week, he was happy to run a bit slower so she could try.

When we set off from home that morning and it was ABSOLUTELY freezing. It was snowing and the wind was bitter. As we pulled off the M4 and into Chipping Sodbury, disaster struck as “check tyre pressure” flashed up on the dashboard. Luckily we were only metres from a Kwik Fit so we pulled straight in as we had already had one puncture earlier in the week and didn’t want to take any chances so far from home and also on a date where we had 2 family birthdays to attend later in the day. The time was now 8.35am and we were still quite a distance from the Park Run so daughters and I jumped out the car and then started to run. To be honest, it may seem strange and people who I have told this story to subsequently, have largely responded “why didn’t you just abandon Park Run” but it genuinely never occurred to me. We were going to Park Run – so we went to Park Run.

It was 2 km to Park Run and we all ran it. If I’m being honest, it was further away than I had remembered but we were committed. Husband caught us up before we arrived (having left the car at Kwik Fit) and we got to the start just in time. He and Sporty Daughter went off like a rocket which left me and younger daughter jogging and chatting. I love running with my little girl and I love that she enjoys it too. However on the final lap she was pretty tired (and so was I as we had run to Park Run at a fairly brisk pace) and we were both wet from the snow and although sweating, were also cold. At this point, my 9 year old had run 7k and so we walked a bit. She was nearly crying as she didn’t want to “slow me down” – frankly this was laughable as the fronts of my legs were so cold they hurt (need to get thicker leggings for the next winter season) so we walked a bit (whilst making silly voices and pulling funny faces) and then ran the last bit. She was pleased to have finished. Husband and Sporty Daughter cheered us over the line having finished nearly 10 minutes ahead of us. Sporty Daughter had taken 8 minutes off her 5k time for a new PB of 31.11. She was elated. She has also subsequently used this new found confidence to get into the school cross country team (which she was desperate to do) and this also makes me very happy.

We then had to get back to the car so walked the final 2k back. My daughters had completed 9k and it wasn’t even 10.15am. Quite a morning.

However, the snow, cold, extra exercise seemed to have taken a toll on me and for the next few days I was unwell and was feeling shattered. This meant that I didn’t run until the following Friday. I was in London awaiting the arrival of my bestie galpals from university and so before they arrived I had time to squeeze in a quick run. We were staying on Trafalgar Square and so I ran up to Buckingham Palace, down Birdcage Walk and back to the hotel. Tourists are not helpful when you are trying to run and it was also unseasonably warm and this all combined to make the run hellish and I only managed 3.5k. However, knowing that I was about to embark on a weekend of drinking that would make no-one surprised if we woke up to find a tiger in our bathroom, I knew that I had to do it.

A weekend of socialising duly followed and then on Monday I woke up at home groggy and dehydrated. I had planned to run to work but I bailed and as usual spent all day regretting it, but then still couldn’t be bothered to run home. Youngest daughter goes to a gymnastics class in South Bristol on a Monday night and so husband suggested that I go with them in the car and then I run home. I reluctantly agreed. I told myself that a really slow run/walk was all I needed to get back in the groove and so I set off. What I hadn’t factored in was that although I was running along a main road, parts of it are fairly isolated from the road and as we have already established that I am a bit of a scaredy cat in the dark, it meant that I was really quite uncomfortable on various sections of the run. What also hadn’t occurred to me was that when you are feeling unsure (because let’s make no bones about it here, I was scared for a large proportion of the run) it makes you run fast, REALLY fast. I glanced at my watch at about 4.2k and was very shocked to see that I was on for not only a PB but a STONKING PB. I sprinted the last 600 metres and ran 5k in 37.01 minutes.

I really pushed myself and used all the new techniques that Curly Sue has been teaching me, knees lifted, shoulders down, arms pumping and it worked. You cannot believe how happy I was. I cried a bit as I panted to get my breath back and then me, being me, was annoyed that I wasn’t 2 seconds faster to get a time in the 36 minute bracket, but for the first time (probably ever) I actually felt like a runner. I ran fast, strong and consistently. Each kilometre had been run at a speed of less than 8 minutes and there is something very psychologically uplifting about having a “7” in each of your kilometre time splits and this was the first time I have ever managed it. The “7s” have been creeping in since early January but usually at the beginnings of runs, but I had never managed it all the way through. I know I can go faster too as I stopped a couple of times at traffic lights to cross roads. This blows my mind but I’m going to try for a sub 37 minute 5k before the end of March. I think I can do it and I never thought that I would be typing that.

I’ve learnt 3 things this week.

1. 56 hours of excessive drinking appears to be excellent preparation for a fast run.
2. It’s true you do run faster when you feel like you’re being chased.
3. It’s important to rest when you need to.

I need to think about this in the run up to the 10k and incorporate this into my training. So I guess the week before the race I will rest, download the “zombie running app” (yes you are chased by zombies as you run) and then head to Wetherspoons the night before and we’ll see what happens……(only joking Curly Sue!)

Following my Joe Wicks induced “mountain climber” injury, I’ve had to visit the physio four times, which has been a bit annoying to say the least, not to mention expensive. The physio however was lovely, very supportive and he understood what I was trying to achieve…i.e. getting stronger so I wouldn’t get injured and need to see a physio – the irony is not lost on me. Still after a couple of weeks during which I was allowed to do “gentle running” I am pleased to say that I am now completely signed off, but with strict instructions that if I am pushed for time to exercise over the course of a week for any reason, I will not sacrifice a strength session for a run. He made me promise faithfully.

I had a stint over the summer last year when I was attending some barbell strength classes at the local leisure centre and I so with my clean bill of health, I decided that this would be the way forward again. However, over a few polite gin and tonics on my birthday weekend, the Red Lady persuaded me to join her gym. I have always hated gyms and have a string of failed memberships to my name over the years, but on the basis of basic economics I was persuaded. The leisure centre classes were £6.50/7 a class and the gym is £15 a month. I won’t insult your intelligence by “showing my workings” here but needless to say with no long term contract attached, it was definitely worth a go.

The class I was most interested in was “kettlebells” which alas, have nothing to do with Father Christmas or cups of tea. I’d asked for a kettlebell for one of my birthday presents (along with make-up and gin – I haven’t changed THAT much!) but then realised that I didn’t have a clue what to do with it. So I joined the gym on my birthday (yes….I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in….) and then signed up for a kettlebells class. A kettlebell is handbag shaped (so far so good) in that it is spherical with a loop coming out of the top (like handbag handles) but alas that is where the similarities end. It is a dead weight  (3kg) and the handle is for….well holding, as you put yourself through a variety of squats (this is where you get your body into a sitting position, but don’t have anything to actually sit on), lunges (one leg forward and the other leg dropping to the floor knee first) and arm related torturous exercises. I managed all the exercises and the next day could feel hundreds of new muscles that I had no idea that I had possessed previously. The good news was that it only hurt if I breathed or moved (!)….walking down stairs was the worst. But it did only last 48 hours and at least I knew it was working all the muscles that I needed to be working so I have signed up again for next week.

I’ve also started my proper training sessions with Curly Sue and they seem to be going well. They last around 30 minutes once a week and they largely focus on technique. There is more to running apparently than lumbering forward at the fastest speed you can manage whilst not falling on your face and I am keen to learn.

I’ve had three sessions now and we’ve worked on squats and lunges (everyone is obsessed with squats and lunges). I damaged my knee playing netball when I was about 15 and was advised by the doctor not to do lunges at the time – 27 years later it was clear that I have been using this as a cop out ever since because, let’s be honest, they really hurt. Knees have to be in certain positions so as to avoid hurting yourself, but once Curly Sue was happy that I could do a safe lunge (did I actually just type that?!), I had plenty of homework to be getting on with. Forward lunges, backwards lunges, side lunges, lunges round an (imaginary) clock, walking lunges, not to mention the walking squats I have to do, which has me moving like a constipated crab twisting whilst in a squat position, like I am trying to impress Len Goodman. These sessions take place outside, in public, where people walk past as I perform these dances. The weird thing is that a year ago, I was still running in the dark so nobody could see me, these days I’m always wearing something neon in colour so people can’t help but see me and I genuinely don’t give a stuff if they think I look ridiculous or not (although, I am fairly sure that I do look ridiculous)!

Curly Sue breaks everything down into easy bite size pieces and if I had been sceptical about her methods to start with (I wasn’t, as I trust that she knows what she is doing) I am no longer, as since the beginning of January I have taken 2 minutes and 39 seconds off my time at Ashton Court Park Run (and the mountain) and this is AMAZING.

In the first of the two park runs I ran with Youngest Daughter and I had to stop a few times as she had a stitch – she is only 9 and it is 5k. But she wanted to stop and walk at the beginning of the downhill – I couldn’t believe it, NOT THE DOWNHILL but being a good Mum I kept her going as much as I could and then told her that her sister would beat her if she didn’t get a move on …and that seemed to do the trick! but nonetheless, I knew I could have gone faster. So the following week, I didn’t put up too much of a fight when daughters didn’t want to come along to Park Run and so was able to give it everything I had. Another ThisMumRuns lady was there. She recognised me and introduced herself (I love meeting new people) and we ran together. I was tired at the top of the hill and said I was fine if she wanted to leave me (“save yourself!”) but she waited and we finished it together. It was great chatting as it distracted from the pain and I pushed myself harder than I have ever done before. I was still over 40 minutes at Ashton Court but the time had enormously improved. This pleased me. My next target is to get it under 40 minutes.

I’ve also been running to and from work. Work is fairly busy at the moment so with the exception of my diarised session with Curly Sue, getting out at lunchtime is practically impossible and there has been lots going on at home too. Therefore, I have been focussing on 3-4 runs a week but 2 of those have been the 3k commute to or from work. I’ve been trying to make them fast and sometimes this has worked and sometimes it hasn’t but on the whole I am getting faster. I guess the extra strength work, squats, lunges etc must be doing something other than making my thighs wonder what they did to make me hate them so much, as Strava is showing that more and more I am running each kilometre 30-40 seconds faster than before Christmas. I’ve also lost 6 pounds since the beginning of the year which is more good news.

Strava (another of those apps that track and logs your speed, routes etc) is something that Curly Sue asked me to download so she can be my “friend” and track my progress. It is AMAZING. I have so many Strava friends now and I can see routes that my running buddies are doing too. It’s fantastic.

I’ve also been on a couple of 5k runs with some local neighbour Mums (both really lovely ladies) and we all seem to run at a similar speed and so this has been positive too. The Trundlers are also still going strong and so I am having lots of opportunities to run with different ladies. I’ve volunteered to lead a “ThisMumRuns” formal run too. Next Sunday I will be leading a 30 minute run and I’m quite excited. If you’re reading this and have been thinking about coming along to one of these Sunday runs but haven’t managed to get to one yet – COME ALONG! I need to keep pushing myself and trying new things…although I suspect that squats and lunges will be in my future for many weeks to come…..which is good because my future also holds a 10k and a half marathon….yikes!

Tomorrow is my “runniversary”.  For those of you that do not speak fluent “Friends” (Annivegasary anyone?) it means that on January 3^rd it will be exactly 1 year since I downloaded the couch to 5k app and went for the first run.

Much has changed in the last year.

• With the exception of 3 weeks, I have run at least twice a week since the first week of January 2016 and often/usually this has been 3 times a week.
• I have discovered more about my local area in the past year that the whole of the 14 years I have previously lived in my house. I have discovered shortcuts during my runs fuelled by a curiosity of “I wonder what’s down this road” followed by a knowing exclamation of “oh I’m HERE”. It’s been brilliant.
• I’ve lost 3 and a half stone. That’s 22.2 kilograms or 49 pounds.
• I have gone from a size 22/24 to a size 16/18.
• I have slept better over the past 365 days than at any point since I was a teenager and I have more energy that I can ever remember.
• We are now an active family – enjoying parkrun, cycling, hiking and even climbing together.
• Sleeping on a camping roll mat is an enjoyable experience – even for a fortnight at a time.
• I have run the 10k distance 5 times and the furthest I have run ever is 11.2k.
• I’m strangely addicted to Superhero running leggings.
• I have totally worn out a pair of trainers from running. They have a hole in them and I need a new pair, but I can’t seem to part with them.
• I own more running bras than regular everyday ones.
• According to the health check I had last week, I have a resting heart rate of 53.
• I consider myself to be a runner.

However, as much as all of the above are achievements (even the Superhero leggings) that need to be celebrated, there is still work to do.

I bought the Joe Wicks DVD as I am aware that I need to strengthen my body as well as run. I don’t want to get injured and as someone who is now quite fit, I felt confident that the 20 minutes “absolute beginners’ workout” would be something that I could handle.

It was 4 exercises, each for 30 seconds as hard as you can go and then 30 seconds rest before heading into the next one. The exercises were running on the spot – fast (yes so far so good), burpees (hideous but manageable), power squats (jumping up from a squat – I decided to moderate this in order to achieve good technique so did normal squats) and then mountain climbers (this is a press up position and you bring your knees to your chest in a “running style”). It was hard but I managed it. But the next day I was in a ridiculous amount of pain around my glutes (bottom – it’s a sizeable bum, so a sizeable muscle group and so it was sizeable pain). This was good, I told myself, as it shows that I had needed to work the muscles. However, the next morning, as I was changing to accompany Curly Sue on a run at the Tyntesfield Estate, my right shoulder went into spasm. It was agony and I panicked a bit. I have struggled with my back for many years and so I knew exactly what to do. 45 minutes later I was at the physio’s for assessment in tears (partially because of the pain and partially because of the genuine fear that I was about to be told that I couldn’t run for a while), but the very helpful and sympathetic Dan, quickly diagnosed the source of the problem – Mountain Climbers. After 30 minutes of torture (or massage as he called it), he assured me that I would be running again after a week or so, as long as I rested in the meantime. I have duly rested and so hope to be back at Park Run next Sunday.

I may be fit but I am not strong. Not at all. In fact weak and feeble is a more accurate description. This is something that I will be working on in 2017. Coach Curly Sue assures me that this is part of the 2017 plan and apparently I will be getting quite well acquainted with something called a “kettlebell” over the coming months as staying injury free is critical if we are to achieve a solid time for the Bristol Half Marathon. I have promised to not do any mountain climbers for the foreseeable future and will go back to watching Joe Wicks exercise whilst drinking cups of tea….

So what are my goals for 2017. This is tricky and I have given it a lot of thought over the last few days.

• I would like to lose a further 2 stone. Again though, as last year, I’m not interested in dieting and as you burn less calories the less you weigh, I recognise that this will be quite challenging. However, as the mileage will get higher as I train into the Summer, hopefully, as long as I continue to eat healthily, this should naturally take care of itself. I hope so, but we’ll see.
• I want to run 10k in less than 1 hour 20 minutes and 5k in less than 36 minutes. I don’t yet know if I will be able to do this, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
• I want to complete a half marathon. In my head I would like to do this in less than 3 hours, but I don’t know if this is realistic. More on this as we progress throughout the year I guess.
• The final goal is more specific and relates back to my favourite gadget – my fitbit. I am going to do 65000 steps a week – each week. This needs to break down into 5 days of 10000 steps minimum. It sounds easy, but when work is busy it’s hard to get to 10000 steps so I think this will be a tough challenge.

My first ever blog post ended with the question “41 and a runner? We’ll see but I hope so”.

Well I’ll finish this blog entry with, I am 41 and I am a runner.

But will I be a half marathon runner at 42? We’ll see but I hope so.

December arrived and Christmas is nearly here.

Here are some December stats:

• Number of Mince Pies consumed: somewhere in between 18 and 26 ( I love Mince Pies)
• Number of Gingerbread Lattes slurped: at least 9
• Number of Advent Calendar chocolates eaten: 36 (I have a calendar at home and a supplier sent us one to work also).
• Number of real donkeys spotted at Carol Services : 1
• Number of minutes spent observing Danny Mac’s Samba at the Strictly final : 77
• Number of gin and tonics, glasses of champagne, glasses of wine I have drunk: I gave up counting after the first week. Let’s just say that if my Doctor asks it will definitely be less than 22 (!) but the reality is probably at least double that and we haven’t even reached Christmas Day yet.
• Number of meals eaten “out” up until today : 11 (this includes both work related and social events)
• Number of times I have heard Maria Carey sing about Christmas : 390,001
• Number of times I have mentally hit Maria Carey on the nose with a snowball: 390,000

It’s been much, MUCH tougher than I thought it would be. At the beginning of the month I had genuine plans to lose 4 pounds which would bring my annual weight loss to 4 stone, but by the end of the first week it became quickly apparent that if I made it to the end of the month still being able to fit into my “work suit” this would be an achievement all by itself.

I am someone who likes to socialise. Seeing as December and socialising pretty much go hand in hand, I have done a fairly convincing impression of Edina from Ab Fab staggering from one social gathering to the next since the month started.

Of course this year, I was better prepared and so quickly resolved to run as often as I possibly could, even if it was only a short run. Therefore the other important stat is that since the 1^st December I have run 38.8 kilometres (24.1 miles). I’m heading off to Park Run at Ashton Court on Saturday morning and so this means that by the time Christmas Day rolls around, I will have run a marathon. It’s been tough to squeeze them in as work has also been very busy, but it’s definitely helped.

Many of these runs have been short (as in 2.5-3k) but I’ve also run a 10k (just on my own on a Sunday morning) and a couple of 7ks. My mantra has been – as often as possible to counterbalance the December Calories.

On the whole it’s been successful. I am wearing my work suit today and I can (just about) breathe in it. I have also enjoyed the hap-hazard nature of chucking my trainers on and getting out for 25 minutes if that’s all I could do. It’s not something that I would like to do in the long term but it’s been an interesting experiment. I have run back to back 3 days in a row, and then not been out again for another 5 days. This is not something I have done before either as I have always been scared that I would “lose” my fitness by spacing things out too much, or injure myself by not having enough rest days, but it turns out that this is not the case and I am still standing to tell the tale.

I have persevered with my “slower running group” and I am pleased to report that this has been successful and we call ourselves the “Thursday Thrill Seekers”. We are trundlers and proud. One lady who came the first week could only just run 30 minutes but later in the month managed 36 minutes. She was really chuffed and I was delighted to be able to help. I have met another running lady whom I like very much (we’ll call her the EarMuff Extraordinaire) who is a stretching guru and so being properly stretched after this run means that I always sleep well on these nights. We don’t operate a “looping” system (where the fastest runners run around the back to loop the slowest so they are not always at the back) we simply all run together at the slowest person’s pace. I try and make sure that I am the last person. It’s not fast but I don’t care. It means we can all get out for a run and a chat. Although I can run and chat at the same time now, it’s much easier if the pace is slower and often the chat is as important as the run. We will definitely keep this up in the New Year.

I also managed to get out on two “This Mum Runs” social runs. As you know I haven’t ventured out on one of these for a few months now due to work (I often seem to be in London or Birmingham on a Wednesday for some reason) and also worrying about being able to keep up, but they were both very enjoyable and although I was at the back, on both occasions I felt comfortable. Also interestingly, there were ladies who were glad to have someone to trundle with at the back. Last Sunday we did a 4 mile run and I could keep up. The pace was probably more “social” than usual, and I was running faster than I would if I was on my own, but it’s good to challenge yourself and so I am going to try and join the Sunday runs a bit more often in 2017.

Curly Sue is still very much around and I ran with her this week. With yet another night out on the horizon and work (finally) calming down a bit, I decided to bunk off Tuesday morning for an hour and we went for a 5k Harbour Loop. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and it was glorious. It was one of those very rare runs when everything seemed to work and I felt that I could actually do a convincing impression of a runner – I need to bottle that feeling because in the main part when I run, I mentally say every swear word I have ever heard and question every single life choice I have made this year whilst it’s happening. The moment I finish I feel like a rock star but whilst I’m running, it’s still largely horrific and I hate it. After nearly a year, I have now decided that this is clearly what running is. I like the thinking space, the fresh air, the ability to listen to Rick Astley’s Greatest Hits in peace and have no-one judge me, not to mention the feeling of euphoria when I’ve finished as well  as a shrinking body and these all make the running worthwhile. But I realise that I don’t really like the run itself, however I’m also ok with that now.

Anyway, back to Curly Sue. She is training to be a proper athletics coach. She will be excellent of course, and is already a great coach and champion of the recreational runner, but a piece of paper will always help. She was telling me that one of the chaps on her course has picked a man to be his “athlete” (they all need a subject to work with in order to qualify) who is genuinely trying to get into the Team GB Athletics team. She has asked me to be her subject.  I’ll be honest, at first I thought she was joking, but when it turned out that she wasn’t, I took a few days to ponder and then decided emphatically that the answer was a big fat yes. Surely only an idiot would say no to such a wonderful opportunity? She is going to help me with technique (apparently there is more to it than “don’t fall on your face and try not to die”) and having signed up for the Bristol half marathon in September 2017, let’s face it, I’m going to need all the help I can get! The final reason is less about practicalities and more selfish – I have to run with her once a week (so she can assess any improvements and make suggestions and corrections). Now although I am worried that she is going to try and make me run interval sprints up Ashton Court Hill on a Saturday morning at Park Run, but as long as this isn’t every week, it will be brilliant. I have made lots of friends this year through running and running with your mates is now one of my favourite things to do. That is something that I never would have thought I would have ever said a year ago. There are so many things that are now normal for me but 12 months ago would have been a completely alien concept. It just shows that anything is possible if you really want to do it.

Thank you for reading my blog over the past year. I am going to keep writing it as I train for the Bristol Half Marathon but I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for your support and encouragement. It’s been amazing, very humbling and I have enjoyed sharing it with you.  I am on Instagram as @ladyclaireabell if you would like more regular running related updates.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

 

Much has happened since I last wrote a blog.

The clocks have changed and I am now back to running in the dark. The first week after the clocks changed, it was dark at 5.30pm and although the route home would have been safe and busy with commuters at this time, by the time I actually left work at 6.40pm, it was Tumbleweed Central. Deserted, very quiet and frankly terrifying. I have absolutely no idea how I managed to complete couch to 5k, wearing headphones, in the dark during January, February and March of this year and although I ran home fairly quickly, a state of constant terror is not something I want to exist in. The whole process of running is horrifying enough without being genuinely scared, so I have decided to do something to rectify the situation.

I have mentioned before, on more than one occasion, I am not particularly fast at running and I also crave company.  With the dark nights prompting me to take action, I put a “shout out” on the TMR (This Mum Runs) group to see if there were any other ladies who were not able to run with the main group on a Wednesday (I have daughter duties on a Wednesday, as well as genuinely half killing myself in trying to keep up with them when I do manage to go) and if there was anyone that fancied a slightly more leisurely paced run on a Thursday instead. Happily lots of ladies seemed keen, although many couldn’t make it that week, and I felt confident that this was something that could work. One lady did make it however in the first week and so we enjoyed a very smiley 3.5k around the streets of Bristol. We chatted and she was very friendly. Apparently it was her first run for a year having only recently had a baby, but she was a competent runner. I rambled away, talking her poor ear off and then we were finished. She had done brilliantly and I was grateful to be able to get out in the dark. As I jogged back home afterwards, it occurred to me that I had chatted to her for the whole run. This is something that Curly Sue has done for me many times, chatting away as I have gratefully listened, unable to respond, trying to breathe. My new running friend was able to chat too (so she was already in a much better state of fitness than I had been earlier in the year) but I was pleased to be able to a) chat and b) encourage as CS has done for me.

We’re going again this Thursday and another lady is joining us too. I am hopeful that this group is going to get bigger which will make winter running safer and I am also excited to be able to meet new running ladies too. They might be at the beginning of their running life and if I can help them, then I will.

During October I took part in the 401 challenge. The most amazing human being called Ben undertook the herculean challenge to run 401 marathons in 401 days (yes you read that correctly) in order to raise money for Stonewall and Kidscape. (www.the401challenge.co.uk for more information). The scale of this undertaking blew my mind so when Ben made the 401st marathon “virtual” as well as “physical” I was keen to take part. The rules were that you paid your money (which went to the charity) and then signed up to run a 10k, half marathon or full marathon in 7 days. You logged the miles on a website and then at the end, you got a medal. Yippee.

My training had been, as ever, up and down.

Post Dyrham Park 10k (and THAT mountain), I’d been trying to mix my running up by throwing in some sprints. As I HATE sprints, I elected to make them a shorter session and so one morning a week ran to work the short way, but forced myself to run MUCH faster than I was comfortable with for a minute and then walk 30 seconds, then jog 2 minutes before sprinting again. I hate sprinting. It’s hard. My boobs, in spite of my epic running bra (which I cannot get into on my own – how do single women ever exercise? I surely burn 150 calories by the time I have managed to get myself into it and it’s done up) have a mind of their own and I breathe so hard I swear I can feel my lungs filling with blood. I have tasted vomit in my mouth more than once and I don’t enjoy it. AT ALL.  Goodness only knows how I must look to the poor commuters who have to endure this sight in the mornings. The euphoria at the end is good of course and it’s a genuine combination of the exercise endorphins as well as genuine relief that I am still alive, but sprinting for pleasure?….no. However, I had been assured that it would help me get faster, so I persevered. No pain, no gain. Well, there was plenty of pain, but would there be any gain?

Late September, I set off for a lunchtime run from the office and by running for 1k and then walking for a minute each time, I managed to shave 1 minute 19 seconds off my best ever time for 5k making it 38 minutes and 41 seconds. I was elated. The first time I had run 5k at the Little Stoke Park run (RIP) I ran it in 45.49 so the reduction in time was significant and I was pleased. I felt I was finally making some progress, however, I was still yet to crack a 90 minute 10k. Quite a few of my running friends were doing the 401 challenge and so happily Curly Sue’s sister, we’ll call her the LA Blond,  was happy to run a 10k with me to add some needed miles to her tally also as she was running the virtual marathon  – I was running a half marathon. We ran a double Bristol Harbour Loop (flat) on a Friday lunchtime and used the run 1 kilometre, walk a minute technique (I need a catchier name for it) for the whole 10k. The LA Blond was fantastic and encouraging. I found the last 1 kilometre quite tough but we ran the 10k in 1 hour, 25 minutes and 48 seconds. This was nearly 8 minutes faster than I had ran the Bristol 10k in May earlier this year and I was really, really pleased. I’m still forcing myself to do the sprints and will probably never learn to love them, but I recognise that they do help.

During this period also, Husband was deep in training as he had signed up for the Bristol half marathon. Obviously, as he is my husband, I would have gone to cheer him on anyway, but now, knowing first-hand the horrors he was about to subject himself to, I was the most enthusiastic cheer leader that anyone had ever known. Daughters and I were heavily laden with jelly babies for the brave running souls, our best cheering voices and kagouls as rain was forecast. We saw lots of running friends and we cheered loudly and clapped people until my hands hurt. Husband smashed it. When he originally signed up he was hoping to run it in 2 hours. On the day he ran 1 hour 51 minutes. He was delighted and I was so proud of him. Again, that nagging voice was there on my shoulder saying “why don’t you do it?”…… I don’t really have any good response to it and so I am proud/horrified/hysterical (delete as you see fit) to tell you that I have signed up. Next September I am going to run the Bristol half marathon. I know however that I will never want to run a full marathon so don’t worry…..unless it was in New York maybe or Chicago…one day?….If this year has shown me one thing it’s to never say, “I’ll never do that”.

Last Thursday was genuinely one of the most surprising days of my life. Myself and a friend whom I have met through running and Park Run, attended the “This Mum Runs party” – it’s 2 years old and so had a party to celebrate. If I had told myself 12 months ago that I would have attended a “running club” party, I would have laughed so hard I might have hospitalised myself, but there we have it. It’s been a surprising year.

It was a dressy affair and it was lots of fun. I met ladies that I have only previously seen online when we post “sweaty selfies” after our runs and chatted with lots of new ladies too.  The agenda of the evening was drinking prosecco and cocktails followed by a buffet, then a presentation and awards “The Birdies” given out, then more drinking. I was particularly interested in the first and last parts of the agenda.

The second award was “Most Inspiring Community Member 2016” and I won. I was flabbergasted but proud and very grateful. As my name was called out, apart from complete disbelief, my main emotion was panic as I was quite worried about falling over in my skyscraper shoes and make a fool of myself in front of over 120 women. Happily, I managed to compose myself and got onto the stage without incident. I got a big cheer and I was completely gobsmacked. Luckily I didn’t have to give a speech (I was a bit drunk) but when I got back to my seat I shed a tear. It’s a strange thing. I’m really not very good at it. And it’s not one of those things where people go “oh don’t talk rubbish, you are”. I’m REALLY not. I still find it very, very hard and I’m not fast. I don’t know if I can ever get as fast as I want to be, probably not actually. I’m worried about disappointing my daughters constantly – the latest from them is that they want me to “win” Park Run by the way(!) ……

I know I won’t give up but I will always be frustrated. But if that inspires people and it means that someone reading this decides to give running a go, or indeed anything that scares them, then that is a good thing.

As Confucius says, “it doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop”.

I am not going to stop.

January 3rd 2016 (first ever run)           V            10 November 2016

 

Yesterday I ran 11.1k (according to Fitbit) or 10.8k if you prefer Runkeeper (another app for storing your run information for those not in the know). Either way, it was significantly longer than the 10k “event” that I had signed up for and it was definitely my longest run to date (genuinely EVER!) Dyrham Park 10k has been on my agenda for a month or so now and I was quite looking forward to it, even though my preparation had not been perfect…

I had completed 2 more HIIT classes as I promised you I would the last time I blogged. Each were as difficult as the first, but honestly I did enjoy them. Having the very enthusiastic Sally, walk around and encourage us in the middle of a 40 second plank (which I can’t do without a rest yet) straight after a sprint and after some squats, helped me get through the pain at the time and the chit chat with the ladies afterwards (and a bit during too, if only under the breath shared swearing) definitely made me want to return.

Unfortunately TMR (This Mum Runs) were only running them over the Summer and so now they are finished I am back to having to self motivate myself to do the workouts alone. Needless to say, with the school run, life and the 10k on last week’s agenda, I haven’t done one since. If anyone feels like joining me on something like this (lunchtimes or evenings, I really can’t do the morning bootcamp thing) I would be very keen to hear from you. Applications particularly welcomed from people who like batman leggings….

I had also been cycling to and from work a fair bit and have been quietly impressed with my speed. I have been going with the mantra that any exercise is good and the more varied activities that I can do, the better. Cycling is free and essentially perfect for commuting. There was an evening over the Summer when both daughters were having a sleepover at Hockey and Fitbit Sisters’, which left Husband and I with a free evening. We treated ourselves to dinner out (steak, vegetables, no chips) and drank a little bit of wine. Ok quite a lot of wine. If it’s a choice between chips and wine, I choose wine.  When it was time to get home, we had the inspired idea of cycling home as both of husband’s bikes were at the office. The old me would never have contemplated such a thing but the new (and slightly drunk) me thought this was a genius plan, so we set off. My bike is a more traditional sit up “lady” bike (because when I was more sedentary and heavier, I suffered with terrible backache so thought this would be the best option) but husband’s bikes are sportier and I had to lean forward over the handle bars. So imagining that I was Laura Trott, we set off (in the dark) along the cycle path to get home. Any policemen or women reading this will be pleased to hear that we didn’t cycle on the road at all, but I did give Husband quite a race. He was surprised (and so was I) as to how much faster his bike goes compared to mine. The different position seemed to make quite a difference. Needless to say, I would quite like a new bike now.

So with cycling, some HIIT classes and a couple of 5k runs (which were difficult in the heat) under my belt, I knew with the 10k approaching that I had to try a longer run. I set off on a Sunday morning to attempt an 8k run. As always, part of it was horrific but some of it was ok. I was worried that I didn’t have the stamina to run the whole distance, so allowed a couple of walk breaks (30 seconds maximum) but when I got to 8k I felt ok so kept going. I managed 9.5k and was most relieved.

The week after we went to Woolacombe on holiday. We had a glorious time as the weather was superb and over the course of the week we were joined by friends and family and we were on the beach 5 days out of 7. I meticulously hit my 10000 steps each day apart from one, but despite my best planning I didn’t run once. When we returned, I had only 1 week until the 10k.

I was now beginning to inwardly panic as I felt that I wasn’t properly prepared so knew I had to drag myself out as soon as we were back. I decided to ask Football Mum is she fancied a longer run on the Sunday (one week before the 10k) as it’s always better to run with company and happily she was keen. We ran 8.5k and had a good catchup at the same time. The sun was shining and it was a really glorious morning. We finished in the local coffee shop and I felt a bit better about the following week. During the run there was quite a funny moment where we were discussing our favourite foods whilst having a little walk break, when we were overtaken by a super speedy man, running. We took it as a sign from above that we should stop thinking about food and start running again…which we did! Motivation comes from many different sources.

With just 4 days to go, I decided to go for a final 5k run home from work. I wished I hadn’t bothered. It was hot and sticky. I looked like I had been swimming by the time I got home and everything hurt.

The thing is, and I wonder if this is the same for really experienced runners, I still have very real highs and lows with this whole exercise malarky. I know I won’t ever stop now as I feel the benefits too greatly, but equally I really thought that by now (and I am 8 months into this)that it still wouldn’t be so incredibly hard. But some days, actually most days, it is. Even on the days when I feel ok doing it, it’s still hard. The high afterwards and health benefits keep me going, but I’m beginning to think it will never get any better than it is now. I’m not sure what to say about this, but I’m just being honest. It is still very, very hard.

The physical positives are there for all to see, but psychologically I have also experienced a change. I am a confident person and have always been a confident person. One of the reasons I think I allowed myself to get to the size and weight that I did in the first place is due to my self esteem. I used to joke that I had “reverse anorexia” in that I used to look in the mirror and say “you look great” and I meant it, and I believed it. Other people’s opinions of me have never bothered me (much to the annoyance of many of them) but as I have said before, it turned out that I did care what my daughters thought. Although I have always encouraged my daughters to be sporty, It was the only time I was embarrassed because I could never really join in. However, in the spirit of “well 2016 has been a bit different hasn’t it?!” I booked myself and both daughters into a climbing lesson on a Saturday afternoon whilst husband was entertained by Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

My girls were genuinely delighted that I was going to be climbing with them and we had a brilliant afternoon at Clip and Climb in Bristol. When I have watched my daughters climb before, they always had a friend holding the rope but the potential comedy image of my youngest daughter shooting up towards the roof on the end of the aforementioned rope, as I fell off the wall was too much for me to contemplate, and so I was advised by Youngest Daughter’s Godfather that this would not happen at Clip and Climb – and he was right. The harness was not flattering (at all) but it was physically challenging (it hurt to lift my arm up to scratch my head the next day) and we loved it. We are going again…soon.

I enjoyed the thrill of trying something new so much that I have also signed up to try Stand Up Paddleboarding in a couple of weeks with TwinMum and I have also emailed the local rowing club about their beginner’s course (not that they have got back to me yet). I want to try all the things I have never been able to try before. I have a list and I’m going to slowly work my way through it.

So yesterday, Dyrham Park 10k arrived. I was running with GodMum and we met there along with her husband (whom I went to school with) and their children, one of which is my Godson. Curly Sue was there along with a TMR lady whom I had met at one of the HIIT classes, and a lady I have been talking to online through the Run4Life group. Much like myself she has taken up running and has lost lots of weight. She is incredibly positive and I liked meeting her in person very much. I hope we can run together soon. I know I’ve said it before, but I really have met lots of lovely new people through running.

The National Trust Dyrham Park is a beautiful venue. The Manor house reminded me of “Pemberley” from Pride and Predjudice, (although no sign of Colin Firth in his white trousers) with a sweeping frontage set in a lush green backdrop. The course was described as a “10k with a couple of cheeky hills”. This was a lie! It was all grass (which is relatively new for me as I have only run on grass once before) and the course took you all over the Estate. At the start of the “event”, GodMum and I were right at the back and the tailrunner ran with us for a bit, (I have come to expect this) but as we pushed on, slowly and walking a teeny bit when we needed to, we did overtake a couple of people. It was a strange sensation overtaking someone. I felt a bit guilty about it, because I know what it is like to be at the back, but at the same time, I was delighted with the achievement of not being last.

Running on grass, although undoubtedly kinder to your knees and joints (as I could tell when I discovered I could actually walk this morning), it is hard if you are used to running on concrete.

So all was good, we were running on grass, under trees, we saw some deer grazing, met some friendly ladies at the water station who gave us jelly babies (important sustenance for the runner) and all was going well. But then we encountered the “cheeky hill”. Oh my days.  I cannot think of a famous hill that I can liken it to that is steep enough. Perhaps the book “Heidi”? It was a Mountain. Before yesterday morning, I was borderline obsessed with completing the 10k in under 90 minutes. It became clear, as soon as I saw the hill that this was not going to happen. We walked up it (running up any part of it was simply impossible) and were genuinely puffed out….after walking. I am not unfit and it was not easy and this was in the middle of a run! The course was 2 laps. As soon as we went up the hill the first time, our objective changed from a desired 90 minute PB, to simply completing the course with my hip still fully functioning. As if this wasn’t challenging enough, at the end of the first loop, my fitbit surge told me that I had run over 5.5k which meant that the whole course would be over 11k. This would be the furthest that I have ever run.

But we did it. Curly Sue was there and she came back to run the last 1k with GodMum and I after she had finished and encouraged us over the finishing line. I was hurting and GodMum was hurting but we did it. I felt no guilt at all yesterday afternoon as I ate a full roast dinner and ate apple crumble and custard for a sweet. I wore my medal all day.

When I weighed myself this morning I had lost 3 pounds and I felt proud.

11k is my new best ever distance, but I am determined to crack the 90 minute 10k. At some point in the next 6 weeks I am going to run a double harbour loop to see if I can do it. If you would like to join me, let me know…