Tag: Half Marathon Runner

That’s a flipping long way….

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

Nerves were very much a factor in the 24 hours before the Manchester Marathon, with all my hydration mindfulness and carb loading threatening to be undone by a terrified tummy. As we arrived at the tram stop to go to the start at Old Trafford, with around at least a million other people, I prayed that it would behave and I wouldn’t become a meme or cautionary tale.

My husband and his gang went off (earlier starts) and Merida and I dropped our bags, joined a never-ending toilet queue and then set off to the start. It was at this point that we said goodbye and good luck (Merida is much faster than me) and I tried to gather my thoughts.

If you’d read my blog before you’ll know that I don’t fare well in hot conditions. Indeed it was one of the reasons why Manchester had been a choice being famously un-hot. I had even over-prepared for this unlikely sunny day by doing my long runs later on a Sunday and it had been warm. However, already at 10.30am on Sunday it was warmer than ideal and although I was determined not to stress, I was a little bit anxious.

Some loud music, a countdown and then we were off.

Merida and I had had a good honest chat and I knew that I was likely to “swept” by the bus on the latter parts of the race, but I would and could still finish (you don’t have to get on the bus, you can move to the pavement). BoB was coming up for the day to support and she was dressed to run/walk for a bit from mile 18 with me (expecting to be swept around mile 20/21) to keep morale up. My youngest daughter and her friend Rose were also on the course so I was feeling quite positive.

The first 10k went by quickly, fairly comfortably and without incident. Manchester were out and they were loud. Support on the race was fantastic. The weather was great for the supporters with roads closed and garden parties in full swing.

But it was hot. My feet were burning and I felt like I was running on hot coals. I tried to ignore it and keep going but at mile 9 I felt light headed and had to stop for a wobble and was sick on the side of the road. Of course, a Marshall came flying over to check and I wobbled even more. She held my hand, poured water over my neck and suggested I take a little rest and perhaps not carry on?….I explained through my wobbling lip, that I had to keep going due to sponsorship money and this silly blog that I write… We negotiated for a bit and I promised to be sensible so she said to go slowly and she would ask a friend to look out for me a bit up the field. I nodded and wobbled off.

Her friend appeared about 4 minutes later (clearly had been looking for me) and again my legs threatened to buckle. I think it’s sometimes better to be left alone in your vomit, misery and terror for as soon as someone is nice and caring to me, it makes it all so much worse. It’s easier to give yourself a kick up the arse as there’s no other option but to finish (I mean, I’d trained so hard) but when kind strangers are mopping your brow and telling you perhaps you should call it a day, it’s harder to keep going.

I was plopped on some steps in the shade and some nice policemen sat with me for a bit. I knew I had to get up and move else the demons would take over so I promised I would walk, and against everyone’s advice I walked round the corner.

For the next few miles I ran/walked at 30/30 but it got hotter and hotter and around mile 15 it became clear that if I was to finish in one piece, it would be walking.

I called my daughter as I was desperate for a friendly face and she and Rose found and walked with me for a bit which was amazing, but I was still quite teary and feeling a bit pathetic. Then around mile 17 or so (honestly it’s a bit fuzzy) BoB appeared. Bob is an extraordinary woman. She has 4 sons, a very big job and has completed numerous marathons and usually does a full Ironman every single year. I am in total awe and she was exactly what I needed on Sunday. We had originally planned that she would be joining me for 5-6 miles of run/walking but there was no running and she could instantly see that.

So we started to walk. But it was still 10 miles to go and that is a flipping long way on it’s own. But walk we did. She regaled me with stories of her times living in Manchester “back in the day” and I followed her obediently, eating salt that she ran into a pub to retrieve, dipping my finger into electrolytes like a sherbet dip and drinking water, often. She cheered and clapped the kind and welcoming spectators and she even carried my hydration vest when I stated angrily that I was throwing it away as it was “too heavy”. She named herself my “Marathon Butler”.

I was still having the odd physical wobble in the heat but kept moving forward with purpose.

Manchester meanwhile were DRUNK and SO magnificent. Gorgeous humans were out with their hoses sprinkling us to keep us cool, offering water in their own cups, cheering, clapping, whooping and in one terrifying moment and lady, who had clearly been “supporting” through several drinks over several hours, grabbed my hand and tried to make me run. My glutes and hamstrings were cramping off and on from about mile 18 and this was dangerous so I politely said I can’t run but she cheered all the same.

The sweeper bus found us about 19 miles. I had been dreading it even though I knew it was inevitable but they were kind and supportive. They explained that we just needed to move to the pavement as the roads would be re-opening (have to say, apart from one stretch on the lead up to a motorway, actually the roads didn’t reopen at all) but we had 8.5 hours to finish to get a medal. I was so relieved and we had a cheer – I was going to get a medal and I WAS going to finish. We kept moving forward.

Everything hurt at this point. Feet were 100% on fire, ankles were sore, knee (and my knee NEVER hurts) had a weird spiking pain that kept going through it, my shoulders were aching and glutes and hamstrings kept cramping. Honestly, it was like a comedy sketch that wasn’t funny at all.

Finally, after 7 hours and 42 minutes I crossed the line and got my medal. Husband, his gang, Merida, daughter and Rose were all there. I was absolutely elated and completely broken. It was a weird sensation.

I’m not sure if I would have got round without Bob and her never ending positivity. I wasn’t a snivelling wreck (most of the time) but I was in pain and definitely not enjoying myself so it can’t have been the best 10 miles she’s ever travelled. But I am forever grateful for her walking with me and thank you “BoB” for being my friend. I will never, ever forget it.

I’m proud to say that I raised, to date, £1062 for Mind. I am so chuffed with this. If you donated, thank you so much. If you’d still like to, the link is here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/claire-tiley-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015

Husband got in under 4.30, Merida under 5 hours and Mr Canard just (excrutiatingly just… argh) over 5 hours. All struggled in the heat but all got it done and done in style. It was so tough out there. Well done.

It was a busy day for the outstanding and wonderful marshalls and emergency services as so many people were taken ill in the heat. The earlier Marshall that had helped me actually walked past Bob and I in the latter stages of my race on her way home. She cheered and shouted and was obviously delighted to see me carrying on and still upright. These lovely people give up their day to support and look after us idiots and they’re invested in our success. Thank you lovely marshals.

After crossing the line most of the gang dispersed pretty quickly. Bob, daughter and Rose ran off to catch a train home. Husband and his gang (who had been hanging around for quite a while waiting for me) also then disappeared back to their man digs and this left Merida and I. Merida was in pretty good shape after running a marathon (she is a queen as my girls would say) and so she shepherded me to the pub for a pint of cold sweet lemonade, and then organised an Uber to collect us as the 20 minute walk back to the hotel just was not on the cards. Nope. Wasn’t going to happen.

We arrived at the hotel and I wasn’t feeling so good. The bar was full of people wearing medals and drinking and celebrating but I struggled to force a burger down and we went up to the room. It was at this point that things went a bit weird. I started shaking uncontrollably and was running hot and cold. This lasted for a few minutes and I just couldn’t stop. The shaking was happening in my tummy and then radiating out of my body. If I’d have been alone I’m sure I would have collapsed but thankfully Merida knew what to do and looked after me. The next day I was ok in myself but still not enormously hungry, had a headache and walking was not easy (my toes today still feel like they’ve been hit by a hammer). BUT, I had a medal and I had completed a marathon.

I’ve had a few days to digest it all now and have some thoughts.

I was hoping for c6.40-6.50 and all indicators from my training runs were that I could achieve this, but I came in an hour after this and I was initially annoyed. But now I am not. I am proud that I got round. Are there things I would do differently if I had my time again? Probably, but also, you cannot control the weather and regardless I have the medal. I got round, I earnt it and I’m proud of myself.

Life isn’t smooth and bad things happen but it’s how we deal with them that define us. We can do hard things. I did a hard thing (it was SO hard) and I’m so pleased with myself. I’m 50. I’m not really in peak physical condition (have I ever been?) but I did it.

So what next…..?

Actually nothing.  

I don’t mean, I’ll stop of course – I don’t think I can. But for now, it will be about enjoying exercise again. I’m desperate to have a few glasses of wine on a Saturday night and not worry about the “long run”. I want to pick up weights again and get strong (have already got a trainer ready to go to help with this – Tommy Trotter if you follow him on Instagram, with the mum who runs with wine….can’t imagine why I thought he would be a good fit for me?!) I want to get out on my bike and I want to put my wetsuit on and swim outdoors. I want to spend time with my wonderful friends and family and I want to take my dog to the river for a run. Life is joyful. Our family have had a hard 18 months and it’s time for us all to enjoy and relax a bit.

My husband pointed out to me, that unless I chose to do a full ironman (erm I think I just threw up in my mouth), I actually have a full set of medals. I’ve been thinking about which were my favourite races:

  • 5k – this would be the first time I ever ran 5k without stopping with the lovely Marshall Sue. I will never forget how she encouraged me and I managed it in March/April 2016.
  • 10k – this would either be my first Bristol 10k race with my sister “Running Sister” or the Bristol 10k in 2017 when I first met Merida and she offered to pace me.

I can’t choose between them as both are special.

What I do know is that without running I would never have met Merida and then Bob, Glinda, Hattie, the teacher and so SO many others who are now my friends.  I’m forever grateful that Merida offered that day and became such a wonderful, best and lifelong friend.

  • Half Marathon – This is hard. It would be between the GNR which I ran with the Red Lady the year both of our Mums died in 2019 or the London Landmarks in 2017 when Merida paced me to my sub 3 half marathon. I can’t choose. Both emotional for different reasons and both with very dear friends.
  • Marathon – I’ve only done one and I’m only ever doing 1. (although I did enter the London ballot before the weekend, before I knew the horrors of the marathon). When I don’t get a place though (as is inevitable) I won’t reapply. I’m happy with my one.
  • Sprint triathlon – Westonbirt the first time. Loved it!
  • Olympic distance triathlon – 51Fiver. Flying until the run (as is standard) but it was part of the triathlon club and so was great fun and full of camaraderie and support.
  • Half Iron distance – 113 in 2019. This was the only race my Mum ever came to watch me in and 4 days after the race she went into hospital and never came out. I’m proud to have finished that (absolutely ridiculous, what was I thinking?) race, but my Mum being there made it so special.

So there we have it.

And this will be my last ever blog post.

One day I might turn it into a proper book including a chapter entitled “what I learnt about running in the heat” (it will be a short chapter!) but for now nothing.

I hope my trials and tribulations have helped or inspired you to try something that you might not have tried before, or you’ve just enjoyed chuckling along.

But always remember that if I can do it, so can you. You just have to try.

Thank you for reading and supporting me.

The Taper

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

The taper is when you reduce your activity a bit so as not to arrive on the start line of your event, exhausted and crying. I’m hoping to not be exhausted, I’ve actually scheduled some crying in, but more of that later…
It’s a weird time. I’ve spent the last few months being grumpy about having to run in the cold/wind/rain/now it’s too hot/it’s raining again – you get the picture, and now I’m not supposed to be running and so all I want to do is go and run 10k….just in case. I want to do a run that feels easy and so I will be confident going into the race, but alas, running for me never feels easy and so the anxiety continues.
Yesterday I was supposed to run “easy”. I set off feeling like this was going to be the run where it finally clicked and I would be happy, but alas, the whole run was awful. I felt so slow I was going backwards, but when I finished, I found that I had been running 45 seconds FASTER per kilometre than average. My head is swimming!


I have my last run this evening with The Teacher, who is running the London Marathon, a sports massage tomorrow and then apart from walking and some stretching, nothing until Sunday. I will say, that the most positive thing about this whole training process has been that I have rediscovered my love for running with other people again. I haven’t really run with other people since Hattie moved up North and I started triathlon training. Cycling and swimming in groups yes, but running no. This is almost certainly one of the reasons why my running has faltered so badly as running alone is not a lot of fun.

But the running gang has returned and they have been amazing. The Teacher and I have trundled at least once a week for the past few weeks and it’s been great to run/chat again. Miss Eastpond is another one who has been AMAZING at accompanying me on some weekend long runs. This started with her meeting me for 5k in the middle of a long run and then she was suddenly running half marathons with me, when she didn’t have to?! Finally Sandra-Dee, who became my unofficial coach in the final few weeks. She has been brilliant at meeting me for those mid-week long runs when I’d had enough and was on my knees. She made sure I got those miles in.
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and it’s been fun.

I have a beeper (Gym Boss) that beeps every 30 seconds which is better than using my watch. My rule is that I do not walk more than 30 seconds at a time. If I run 30/30 then my average pace per kilometre is around 9.20—9.40 per minute. However, at Bath Half, I counted beeps and ran 90/30, 60/30 and 30/30 depending on how I was feeling and this gave me an overall, much faster, pace of 8.57 per kilometre and over 42 kilometres, this will make quite a difference and so this is the plan. 90/30 as much as possible but 60/30 and 30/30 as needed. It doesn’t matter if the running is slow, just do not to walk more than 30 seconds. It will also give my brain something to do and keep it occupied as I will need to count the beeps. If I zone out, there’s always the chance that my brain will work out the enormity of the task ahead and a full freak out might occur, so constantly counting up to 3 lots of 30 will keep us all on the straight and narrow.
I know that completing a marathon is as much about the mental battle as the physical one so I have been working hard to reframe my thinking. I’ve run 28K twice now and both times I was fairly done by the end, so the idea of 14k more after this is fairly daunting.
I am confident that I can do the distance (because I’m very stubborn) but I’m worried about the sweeper and so I must go for it speedwise, but not too soon, else it will all go wrong.

Therefore, I have decided that next Sunday is: 3 10k races, 2 parkruns, a cry, possible vomit and gritting my teeth over the final 2.2 kilometres.

If all goes to plan, it will look something like this:
0-10k. 10k training run – this is easy pace – a Sunday training run. No PBs here. 60/30 and 30/30 for the first 2-3k and then winding up to the 90/30, 60/30 and 30/30.


10-20k. 10k race – time to get comfortable. Not sitting back and beginning to stretch out a bit. Not going for a PB but certainly within a minute of it. Ideally here I will be running 90/30 and 60/30 alternatively with the odd 30/30 thrown in if I’m feeling I need a breather.


20-30k. 10k race – here is where it’s going to start to pinch. No time to think just counting. 90/30, 60/30 and 30/30 on a loop constantly with no let up.


As each 10k ticks over, I tell myself that I’m starting a new race. I’ve run the Bristol 10k enough times that I will envisage myself in the pen, being ready to go again.


As we enter the final 12k, we change to a different strategy. I’m no longer running 10k races and now I am doing park run. At this point there are 2 park runs to get to 40k.
The first of these parkruns is not one where I’m going for a PB, it’s one of those that take place in the middle of a long run ie a park run sandwich. It needs to be steady but not all out. I think this is where tears might start and the fear might start to creep in, but hopefully with the counting of beeps, I can just focus on the task. This parkrun will be Eastville Parkrun as this is traditionally my choice for a parkrun sandwich.
The second parkrun is the one where I will have nothing left and will need to run it with my head. I will be mentally going for a PB, but realistically will be hanging on for dear life at 30/30. Tears and anger are very likely to feature in this 40 minute window and I must keep moving forwards. I’ve been to some dark places over the past couple of years and I will need to remember this. Hopefully my hydration strategy will be working else I will be crying lumps of salt. Grit my teeth and dig in. DO NOT STOP.


Assuming I am still alive at 40k, it’s 2.2k to the end (although I will probably end up running further because you always do). There is no strategy for this. I’ll be hungry and tired and just wanting to get it over with. I will be promising myself that I will never put myself through anything like this and I will invoke my inner Diana Prince and shuffle to the finish line.


I also have the added incentive of my daughter needing to get a train home Sunday night after cheering me and my husband on. I need to get over that finish line in a decent time to stop her getting home too late. (Husband and Merida are both also doing the race too so I need to wish them both the best of luck).


So there we have it. Unhelpfully, the weather forecast is warm and sunny but my 2 long runs were done on warm days so I’m not going to let that worry me. Gels are ready, hydration is ready, trainers picked, kit tested. Just me and 42.2k to do. I am plagued by my failure at Weymouth 70.3 but this is my chance to put it to bed forever.

Wish me luck.

I do not have a charity place for Manchester Marathon but I would be very grateful if you would consider sponsoring me to run the marathon for the Mind Charity.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/claire-tiley-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015

The following was written by my daughter:
Last year my youngest daughter went to an inpatient unit for 4 months after struggling with her mental health. She had struggled for the majority of her teenage years. She said “every single person goes through something at some point in their life that no one knows about” and I completely agree. It is for her and everyone else who understands and has experienced this, that I will have in my mind as I run on Sunday so…
I would be extremely grateful if you could spare a few pennies for this charity.
Thank you.

Happy New Year – 2024

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

2024 is here and in the UK the weather has been abysmal. It wouldn’t have surprised me if I’d seen someone building a boat and loading pairs of animals into it at any point over the festive period and anyone who owns a dog have been questioning their life choices.

It’s hard enough to motivate yourself to run or exercise at the best of times but when the weather is bad….and there’s enough chocolate and cheese in your house to sink a battleship? Forget it.

Needless to say other than some long and muddy dog walks, I have not done much over the Christmas period.

Following my last blog and promise, I did run 3 times before the big Ho Ho Ho which was great, but then did nothing for the rest of the year.

Well, this isn’t strictly true. My sisters and families (there were 18 of us) all went to play laser tag on the 27th December and this was MUCH more exhausting than any of us could have predicted. I recommend this heartily if you have teenagers. I still have the remnants of a blister from my “ trigger finger”. It was fun and we were running and shouting and laughing. A kind of “Ab Fab” meets “Die Hard” if you will.

But other than this, ZILCH.

On New Year’s Day, my Instagram feed was a disappointing and depressing stream of “lose weight”, “get fit”, “be a better person” and honestly, it’s so depressing.

Why can’t they be more honest. So you’re not a bad person, and you are perfect the way you are, but if you fancy trying to be a bit healthier, maybe you could try this?…..this would be a much more positive way to proceed and wouldn’t make me (the reader) so angry.

So it’s important that I tell you that my plans for 2024 were already confirmed by the end of 2023 and none of this “New Year, New Me” bullshit is involved. I like to think I’m quite a cool person anyway (I can almost feel my daughters rolling their eyes at this?!) Yes I sometimes drink too much, spend too much money on shoes and handbags, and did lose my phone just before Christmas in an Uber due to too much champagne and sequinned fuelled bravado, but on the whole, I’m ok. I don’t need a complete overhaul, and probably just need a few tweaks – and I suspect most people are the same.

I’ve gained a bit of weight and this is largely due to eating too much and not moving enough for the last 6 months of 2023. There’s no way to dress this up. So if I want to lose this weight (and I’m not desperate but it would be nice not to hear my bum applauding me as a I run along) then I need to eat a bit less and move more.

For inspiration, I have re-read this blog from the beginning and so although I’d signed up for the Bath Half last year, I have now decided that I am definitely doing it. I came to this decision whilst eating some Cadbury’s Heroes over Christmas. 2024 is going to be a year of running for me. Getting back to basics and generally getting moving. But I’m not putting myself under any time pressures – races will be about getting round in one piece and not dying. Smiling is going to be critical for 2024 and I’m really going to try to keep things in perspective, especially as I feel a bit like a beginner again anyway.

I have written a plan and so far I’ve ticked all the sessions off. I’m going to Park Run on Saturday with Madame Maison and I’m excited. (Do need to dig out my barcode though – I only did 1 park run last year I think).

I need a new sports bra and some new running trainers (haven’t bought a new sports bra in over 2 years – this isn’t as awful as it sounds as I have lots of them and do rotate them, but I’m buying a new one and chucking the rest). Luckily it’s my birthday (I’ll be 49) later this month so that’s fortuitous.

I am also doing the 30 days of yoga on Youtube with Adrienne. So many people tell me about the benefits of yoga but I have always struggled. This is in part due to the fact that I am SO tight in my hips that most of the moves are borderline painful and so when I do finally pluck up the courage to go to a class, I hate it so much that I don’t return. BUT, mindful that a return to regular running, plus being a bit heavier can cause injuries, I am committed and will do the whole 30 days of yoga.

I need to be smart about this in order to keep myself moving, but it’s fair to say that I am not a naturally gifted yogi.

What do you mean it’s a pandemic?

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

Life has a way of slapping you in the face just as you feel you are getting somewhere and this has always been my experience with running. I always find it hard, even after 6 years, but just when I’m getting somewhere and beginning to feel (dare I say it) strong, I fall down a pothole 2 days before a half marathon or twist my ankle.

I had carefully procured a place for Cardiff Half for the end of March and was beginning to feel good about it. Would this be the half marathon where I would be fit and run a proper race?

ENTER COVID…….and so errrrrr no.

I’ve had a good run (if you’ll pardon the pun) avoiding covid so far, but it’s a pandemic after all and so eventually my luck ran out. Myself and my eldest daughter tested positive first, followed by my youngest daughter two days later and then 5 days later my husband came down with it too. This meant, for the main part, I was isolating with teenagers. So if anyone has any questions about Tom Holland or Harry Styles, I can definitely help you. I’m also quite good at TikTok dances now and we did watch quite a lot of TV, paint our nails, do facepacks and tested new hairstyles quite a lot, but aside from that (which was actually quite joyful), the covid itself was horrible. I have asthma, I’m also triple jabbed and apparently Omicrom is less severe than previous strains, but I was quite poorly. My temperature spiked up and down and my breathing was awful. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind at all that had I caught covid before being jabbed that I would have almost certainly ended up in hospital.

Even after I finally tested negative, I was still feeling awful and not well. The exhaustion was brutal and I was napping constantly. My body felt ravaged. Mentally I was struggling too as I was also feeling very sad and anxious about the Cardiff Half.

The other thing that had happened whilst I had covid was that my left leg had locked up. It was painful and walking was not easy. Running was absolutely not possible at all and so I could feel desperation start to swallow me up. I had to make a decision and this is where M came in.

I am programmed to want to complete everything I enter. I sign up, I train and then do the race but Cardiff Half is not really what I’m training for this year. Yes 2 out of the 3 triathlons I’m doing have a half marathon at the end but I’m training for the triathlons, not the half marathon. So, the decision was made to not run the Half meaning that my first race of the year is now an Olympic distance triathlon mid May (I am also signed up for the Tour de Bristol which is a 100k bike ride in April, but this is not a race).

Deciding not to run Cardiff immediately took all the pressure away. I was able to build back up after covid with gentle training and no running for a further couple of weeks to allow my chest (which was still sounding like a bag of spanners) to recover properly. It was a total gamechanger and a much better and more sensible plan.

Therefore, since having had covid the emphasis has switched firmly to cycling and I’m doing 3 bike sessions a week. A 30 minute endurance ride, an interval session and a longer ride at the weekend.

I tend to fit these in around my daughters playing hockey and do my interval session on a watt bike at the gym whilst they train. The wattbike is an excellent piece of kit, but it seems to have the most uncomfortable saddle I have ever encountered. Goodness alone knows what the “serious looking gym boys” think when I arrive in my cycling padded shorts, with a padded saddle cover and sit there watching the TV on my phone (to distract me from my pain) and diligently following my plan. Last week, I somehow seemed to get into a pretend race with one of them as each time my interval (the fast bit) kicked in for 8 minutes, he pedalled even faster on his separate, not linked to mine at all, bike…..I don’t know who won but I looked like I’d just got out of the shower when I’d finished. Somewhat annoyingly, he didn’t even seem out of breath.

The bike section of the triathlon is the longest bit and if I am to have any chance of getting round Weymouth, I need to gain as much time as possible on the bike leg, to allow me to survive the run. So intensive bike training is going to continue. Luckily it’s my favourite bit, so I don’t mind the training so much.

I’ve also managed a few outside bike rides with my friends. I cannot tell you how much joy this aspect of training gives me. I’ve cycled to and from Bath a couple of times along the cycle path with the Auditor and this week Merida and I cycled to Clevedon for cake (it was very, VERY cold).

Since covid, I have run three times. Once as a 20 minute test (it wasn’t too bad) and then on Saturday I went to Chipping Sodbury parkrun with my eldest daughter and Merida. We met M and the Auditor there too – a flat parkrun is always a good idea! Merida got first in her age group and was delighted and I somehow managed to get a PB for Chipping Sodbury. I was pleased but very shocked. I guess it shows that all the base training is helping and working. Of course, M had already finished his 5k as I came round the corner for my final lap and so he offered to run with me. That kept the mind focussed I can tell you – running with the boss?!! But I suspect if I’d run the final lap alone, that I might have walked more and so wouldn’t had got a PB. So although I felt like I was dying on that final lap and desperately wanting to walk, but my pride now allowing me to, it lead to a good result.

The “covid recovery” weeks are now over in the training plan and so now it’s back to normal. Sleep and nutrition will once again be critical but we’re now 4 weeks out from the 100k bike ride (up mountains….I’ve looked at the route and frankly, what was I thinking?) and so we need to ramp things back up again.

Operation “let’s run everywhere”…

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

It’s been 2 weeks since my last blog and Operation “let’s run everywhere” is in full swing.

The first week we were on holiday in beautiful Dorset. Glorious, hot, picturesque and…hilly. Oh my days….the hills! But I committed to 4 runs and so I completed 4 runs.

The first two runs of the week were with my friend, the Barefoot runner and these were idyllic. We ran, we walked, we chatted, we laughed and we did get a bit lost. But we had nowhere to be at any particular time and so just ambled our way out and back. The hills were horrible however and our speeds were slow, but importantly they were enjoyable. It was very hot and so sweat was a feature and I regretted not packing my hydration vest. I need to remember that in future.

For our second run, all of our daughters (we have 4 between us) and our husbands (who are regular running partners anyway) all went and I couldn’t help but giggle as we set off from our tents, running in a big group (at the beginning anyway!)  We had become the families that I used to look at in disbelief as they would set off running whilst on holiday. I mean, what kind of crazy people do that, I used to think? Well…erm…us. We are now those people. I am bemused about this, yet also proud.

The third run of the week was on my own (so instantly less enjoyable) and this was just sprints backwards and forwards down a lane for 30 minutes (including a warm up and cool down). Functional, sweaty but necessary. The final run of the week (yes 4 runs whilst I was on holiday – I am as shocked as you are) was parkrun! Yes, my first parkrun post covid and I am not ashamed to say that I bribed my entire family with a cooked breakfast post run to attend along with me.

As we arrived in the car park on the Saturday morning, I felt that old prickle of excitement that you get at the beginning of a race that had been absent for so long now – yes I know that Parkrun is not a race, before I get lots of angry messages, but it is a large group of people running together and it’s GLORIOUS.

We attended the “new timers” briefing and then we were off. Husband shot off as fast as ever and was quickly followed by eldest daughter (who has signed up for the Bristol 10k, so is in training and she’s fast) and then my youngest daughter went too. I’m so proud of my youngest daughter as she finds running tedious and challenging and so I empathise enormously with her but she keeps showing up and doing her best. She is of course, still faster than me as she runs and I run/walk but we all got round in one piece and in respectable times. I was grinning as I thanked each marshall for their time (I have been a marshall and I always appreciate it when people say this to me and so we must pay it forward). I can also report that the cooked breakfast was magnificent.

So that was the first week and I had completed 4 runs. This is the most I have run in well over a year and a good start. Not all the runs were feeling terrible and although they were painfully slow, I wasn’t hating it. However, I needed to be consistent and so I needed to replicate this in the following week.

But of course, being back at work and life returning to normal would mean that it would be easy to skip some runs, which is not ideal 5 weeks from a half marathon and so I needed a plan. I like running with other people and although I don’t mind running alone sometimes, I have deduced in recent weeks that to get through this training phase, I need company, and so I reached out to my network of running buddies.

I did and do feel anxious about doing this, as running 90/30 is not ideal for everyone, but I decided to be honest with the people I contacted and give them a pass to say no, especially if it didn’t fit in with their training plans. Transparency is key in these situations and I also knew that I would be happy to run with others if the tables were turned.

So last week I ran with Smiler for a short 2 mile burst before she then joined the “This Mum Runs” Wednesday social run afterwards and on Thursday I joined the Seamstress on a lovely lunchtime run between Eastville Park and Snuff Mills. The temperatures at the moment are not great for running and seem to be a constant reminder as to why I decided never to train for a half marathon over the summer again, but the conversation helps so much. Not only because these people are my friends and so it’s lovely to catch up with them, but also because it makes the runs enjoyable, and I need all the help I can get with that!

On Saturday it was “long run day” and so as I have in the past, I decided to utilise parkrun. I met with the lovely Catherine after 5k and we ran/walked the final 8.24k to, and including, parkrun making it 13.24k in total. I don’t mind telling you that afterwards I was shattered. The heat is hard to run in, as well as getting up with a 5 in the hour to ensure that I had eaten enough to cope with the distance, this coupled with the distance, meant that I was wiped out. I’m out of practice and you forget quickly how hard these bigger distances are on the body. I had also completely forgotten about chafing….but a sweaty 13k run will very soon remind you of that. I had sore bits and sudocrem was my friend in the days immediately after.

I met husband and youngest daughter at the end of parkrun (they had run it too) and we went home – Catherine ran home as she is training for a virtal marathon – legend. I was shattered, but for the first time in a long time, I began to believe that I would be able to run the distance.

My running buddy for the Great North Run, the Red Lady, is injured and so cannot run with me on the day itself and so this is daunting, but I am determined to do it. I am not going for a time. The aim is to simply get round in one piece, uninjured.

I was supposed to run yesterday, a recovery run, following my epic Saturday run, but I was too tired and so didn’t. Bt I did go out for a dog walk and leg stretch and this evening, I have done some strength work. Tomorrow I am already booked in for another run with Smiler and this time her lovely Mum which I am looking forward to. I also have 10 miles planned for next Saturday, using Eastville Parkrun again as part of the run.

I running the Great North Run for charity as you know, so if you are able to, please consider sponsoring me.

If everyone who reads this blog sponsored me for £1, I would hit my target and it would mean so much to me. I would be so happy to be able to give back to the charity that helped me when I most needed it.

Here is my Just Giving page details: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/claire-tiley

This week marks 4 weeks to go and my goal is to complete another 4 runs. Wish me luck.

Guess who’s back…

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

You will have no doubt noticed that it’s been nearly 6 months since my last blog and I’m sorry about this. It’s been a difficult six months (for all of us) including another sodding lockdown but for me it also included an injury. At the end of January (the weekend when it snowed) I set off to take part in the “Me-versus-me” challenge as set by my tri club. The idea is that you pick a 10k route and race the same stretch once a month, all year. The results would be recorded as a percentage increase or decrease only and then prizes would be given out at the end of the year.

Bolstered by my 10k time in the January race, and determined to do well in this challenge, I set off and completed the 10k in a respectable 75 minute or so time. The problem was it was so cold that something went pop and as a result I pulled my groin.

And my god, it was painful. I ended up in A and E and spent a week on some very interesting painkillers that meant I spent the week in bed as high as a kite to be able to manage the pain. There was no running for 8 weeks and if I’m being honest, it isn’t 100% perfect now.

This coupled with the third lockdown meant that I struggled during the first few months of this year from a fitness perspective and have also gained a bit of weight. Not a huge amount (and kind friends tell me they can’t really see it, but it’s enough that I feel it when I run and it’s slowing me down again). I ended up pulling out of the Olympic triathlon completely.

Since April though, I have at least been exercising a bit, but just not at the intensity that my body had gotten used to, and it has been a bit intermittent. One week I would do 3 spins on my bike, 2 runs, a swim and some weights and the following week only 1 run and a weights session. It’s been enough to keep my mental health ticking over, but not enough to get back to proper full fitness.

One positive point though is that I have restarted PT. Since April, I have been going with Fitbit sister to Silverthorne Fitness and this has been a consistent once a week fixture. Strength and weights are now fully ticked off and as the groin strain was so incredibly painful and debilitating, I am very keen that it not happen again. EVER. Sara (PT) is an excellent trainer and even if the rest of my training week has been a bit less than it should have been, it counts as a restart point each week. I have seen huge progress and am now lifting much heavier than when we started. Fitbit Sister and I are naturally competitive with each other too which helps and Sara definitely uses this fact in the sessions too. I love them and they have really helped me this year. We have a couple of weeks break coming up for holidays, but this is something I can see continuing indefinitely.

But running. Oh running. As always, when things are not great for me, it’s the one thing that stops. Honestly, I have been so worried about injuring my groin again, that for a long time I was too scared to re-start running and opted to swim and cycle instead. Regular readers of this blog will not necessarily be surprised by this but it doesn’t help when the Great North Run is now 7 weeks away and it’s 13.1 miles.

I have been so annoyed by the injury also that I have struggled to recover. At the beginning of the year, I was finally, FINALLY, getting my running to a point where I was making progress. I am a slow runner, but I would like to be faster and all that I was doing was beginning to work. To have been stopped, literally, in my tracks by an injury was frustrating on a whole new level. I try so hard and train so diligently, that it just isn’t fair and for a long time this year I was pretty pissed off about it all.
Work has also been very busy and so it’s been easy to not do as much as I need to. Of course, work has been busy in the past and I’ve managed to fit my training by running before or after work, but I was using it as an excuse and wasn’t committed in the way that I have been in the past.  

BUT….I’m pleased to say that I seem to finally be finding my way back.

I have been running a bit more over the past few weeks and as I write this, I am 7 weeks away from the Great North Run – 13.1 miles. I think this has also been part of my apathy, as we really didn’t know if the race would go ahead, and it’s difficult to find the effort to train for a race that might not even happen but now it seems to be confirmed.

I am delighted to be running this event for charity and will be part of the Bodie Hodges Foundation charity team.

These guys were amazing and offered me a place to run with them after my Mum passed away nearly two years ago and I have always been grateful to them for that. Therefore (for the first time ever I add), I am running the race for charity. Please consider sponsoring me and my efforts as they offer such a wonderful services to the bereaved families of children as well as raising awareness of organ donation. https://www.bodiehodgesfoundation.co.uk/

I would be really grateful if you could sponsor me a few quid.

Here is my Just Giving page details: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/claire-tiley

So with this in mind, and the pressure now being well and truly on,  I really do need to get my act together.

Tomorrow I am going to run 7 miles; run/walking obviously, there’s no reason to go mad, but it’s happening. This blog is my call to arms and has always in the past, acted first and foremost as an accountability post for myself. 3 runs a week and 7 weeks to go.

I’ve done it before, but this time it feels like it almost feels like starting over. Let’s do this.

Runniversary and a new decade

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

2020 heralds the beginning of a new decade and a new year.

For me this is the perfect opportunity for a reset. The 3rd of January marked my runniversary (4 years since I downloaded the couch to 5k app and changed my life for ever) and I did spend quite a portion of the day mulling over the past 12 months.

It wasn’t a great year as you know and many awful things happened.

BUT, good things happened too and I need to keep reminding myself of this.

  • I learned to ride Shiny Sheena properly using all the gears. You may inwardly snigger at this, I mean, it’s just a bike isn’t it? but road bikes are complicated and you almost need to sit a test to understand how it all works. I finally understand the difference between the big ring and small ring on the gears and I’m not afraid to cycle in traffic. This last bit is HUGE as I have been terrified of this for years and as Bristol is a “cycle city” this is quite important. This culminated in completing the Tour de Bristol 100k bike ride up welsh mountains and back in April. It nearly broke me, but I did it.
  • I finally learned how to front crawl and found that I love open water swimming. I find the swimming pool quite dull now and the chlorine makes my nose itch for hours afterwards. At the swimming pool there is no-one to assist in or out of a wet suit (which happens regularly up at Mad Mike’s lake with people you may or may not know!) I love the camaraderie of the cup of tea afterwards in the club house where we all shiver and try and warm up after the swim wearing gloves, hats and Uggs in May. I even enjoy squeezing myself into my wetsuit like a sausage….I am convinced that this burns at least 100 calories before I even start the swim. My swimming bag contains small plastic bags (to go over my hands and feet which helps you to get then suit on) and lots of body glide to minimise the rubs. At least I look like I know what I am doing from the casual observer.
  • I completed a middle distance triathlon. I do need to keep reminding myself of this as it’s huge. 70.3 miles propelled forwards by my own body. Much of the run was miserable admittedly, but I still completed it and against all the odds. I am super proud of this. As my Mum was taken ill 4 days after the tri, I didn’t really have a chance to digest it at the time or even think about it really, but I need to remind myself. And often. I looked at the medal on the 3rd January and it’s a good one. It might be my favourite….but there are some other contenders there for that accolade also.
  • I ran the Great North Run, which whilst it was an emotional decision to even try it, was one of the greatest things I have ever done. I absolutely loved it and I smiled from start to finish (which was no mean feat in September, I can assure you). I am running it again this year but this year I am going to train properly for it so I can walk the next day, unlike last year. I’m also going to be officially part of “Team Brodie” and will be doing some fundraising for them throughout the year – more on this as the year goes on.
  • I met and was enormously welcomed by North Bristol Triathlon Club. What lovely people they are. It doesn’t matter that I am the slowest and least competent athletic member they have ever encountered, they only seem to care that I am trying my best. They cheered me on at the 113 and have offered advice, encouragement and care when I need it repeatedly over the past year. I even won an award at the Christmas party – the “smiling through adversity” award and it meant so much to me. (Although if there had been a “who drank the most fizz and remained upright” award, I may well have been successful in this category too although I would have faced plenty of stiff competition on the night. Triathletes certainly know how to party as my slightly dishevelled and drunken photo here demonstrates).

I had been so intimidated by a “triathlon” club in the beginning and never would have joined had Merida not encouraged me, but you would be hard pressed to find a more supportive collection of people. If you have any interest in any of the disciplines of triathlon (many members only do one or two of them so don’t let it put you off) do look them up and maybe I’ll see you at a training session soon. http://northbristoltri.co.uk/

So where to this year? And where to this decade? This are very good questions. I have some events lined up – some serious and some not so serious. I have days where I am full of enthusiasm and vigour and want to book BIG events and then some days when I struggle to do anything. But on the whole things are moving in the right direction and I am doing much more exercise than I was 6 weeks ago.

The main thing is I have started running again. The physio told me to go easy to start with and mentally I struggle anyway as running often brings the tears. It’s an emotional release (probably because I find it so incredibly hard) and so for the last 4 weeks of 2019 I ran/walked (3 minutes to 1 minute) just to try and get back into the habit of running again, often whilst crying a bit, but it has helped me enormously. Run/walking is much more enjoyable than properly running and so it’s felt more manageable. Anything “too hard” isn’t an option some days and I was of the opinion that something is better than nothing.

Minehead Dec 2019Then a week ago, I ran 35 minutes without stopping. It felt great to know it’s still in there and I can do it if I need to. I didn’t start the run planning to see if I could run without walking, it just felt ok when I started, so I decided to keep going. Before I knew it, I had run the whole journey to work (I fit many of my runs in around my work commute) and I was elated. It also means that I am once again able to lead runs for This Mum Runs as a Run Angel. I didn’t do much of this last year due to injuries, not to mention the Dark Summer, so this very good news indeed. I love it. I love running with my friends and also love running with ladies at the beginning of their running journeys. It gives me genuine joy.

My big race and my big goal this year is going to be…yes you guessed it, the Bristol 10k. My old nemesis. 2018 and 2019 were blighted by injury (even though I managed to get round) but THIS IS THE YEAR. If I can keep my old knackered body going for 8 and a half hours to complete a triathlon, then I MUST be able to run the Bristol 10k in less than 75 minutes. I have already sought out a pacer for this event and Smiler has bravely (because I can be a bit grumpy in races if I’m trying to go fast, just ask Merida) offered to pace me to whatever time I want to go for. Already I want to go sub 75, but possibly, and hopefully, I will end up going for an even faster time. We’ll see as training progresses in the coming weeks.

In addition, lots of my close friends are doing marathons this year; Merida is running Manchester, Hattie and Smiler are both running the London Marathon.  It’s very hard not to get FOMO (fear of missing out), but I know I must be patient and take time over the course of 2020 to get strong again and most importantly, get my running back up to scratch after, essentially, having had a year out from it.

I have entered a couple of triathlons too – the 51Fiver, is an Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run – which is possibly what I should have done last year, but when do I ever take the simple route?!) and I’m also entered in the Long Course Weekend in July which is a 1.9k swim on Friday in the sea (with jellyfish I discovered last night – yikes), the 90k cycle on Saturday (it’s hilly, are there any flat parts of Wales?) and a 10k run on the Sunday. This is to keep my cycling and swimming ticking over as well as providing a good cross training programme for my running – which is my priority this year. I love cycling too and so I can’t give this up – it brings me too much joy. Life is short and we must do things that make us happy.

If all goes well and things are looking ok, I might enter the Weymouth 70.3 triathlon in September. I have a hotel room booked already (which can be cancelled up until the day before the event), and as I know it rarely sells out, I can make the decision a couple of weeks beforehand. It’s niggling away at me, because I was supposed to do it last year but I need to not suffer any injuries and rebuild my body before this can even be considered.

In fact, I think my greatest goal for 2020 will be to get to the end of it in one piece and strong.

I want to do a marathon in 2021 and so 2020 will be a year of foundation work, hopefully with some fun and events thrown in for good measure. For 2021, I have my eye on a bucket list marathon (which will be as serious as it gets) as well as a wine and cheese marathon in France (which will be decidedly less serious and will involve fancy dress) so plenty to motivate me to work hard this year and onwards, into the new decade.

It’s my birthday this week and I will be 45. No-one can tell what the future holds and if I’d told myself in 2009 (or even 2016 when I first dowloaded the couch to 5k app) that I would be a member of a triathlon club on 2019, I never would have believed it. So much has changed in the past decade and I wonder where the next decade will take me.

Let’s find out.

Decade to decade photo

Wetsuits and open water swimming

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

Outdoor swimming is a curious thing. Generally, people who decide to enter the foray of triathlon have a strong background in running or cycling and often swimming is their biggest challenge. Open water swimming in particular, can make even the burliest triathlete squeak in fear as they take their first steps into a lake or the sea.

My background in running is fairly well documented (*coughs*) and I am a recently converted cyclist. But I have swum for many years off and on and although I have had to re-learn how to do front crawl properly, I do not fear the water and actually I prefer open water swimming to the swimming pool. I think this comes from the fact that I am a confident breaststroker and so if everything went wrong whilst I was swimming, I know I wouldn’t drown and would be able to get myself safely back to terra firma.

However, I am not a strong front crawler and although my lessons have now concluded, I have been continuing to swim lengths in the pool. But I seem to have got worse in recent weeks not better. Swimming in a pool is fairly dull. Even if you go with a friend, as I do sometimes, you can’t chat whilst you swim as you can with running or cycling. Death follows swiftly if you try and chat as you attempt to bi-laterally breathe (on both sides) as you swim up and down. Water in your lungs does not help with buoyancy. Apparently you can get headphones that work in the water via Bluetooth and so in theory I could listen to Take That as I swam back and forth, but apart from the fact that I have faithfully promised my husband that I won’t spend any more money on anything triathlon related, swim dancing is not really a thing in triathlon so that’s not really an option either.

Merida has shown me quite a few swim drills which do alleviate the boredom a bit eg 100m focussing on your arm technique, 100m focussing on your kick, 100m wearing little shovels on your hands which help you with your hand placement and “pull” through the water but even this wears a bit thin after a while. I find my mind wondering and not concentrating on the job in hand and then becoming fixated on the plaster I can see at the bottom of the pool at the 20m mark and then wondering what other hideousness I am swimming in. *shudders*.

With my swim confidence at an all time low, I booked a swimming lesson with John Wood who has been swimming nationally and internationally for 25 years and is also a “Good for Age” GB triathlete. He has coached some swim sessions for my tri club and is also Merida’s triathlon coach. He knows what he is talking about and is also a really nice guy, which always helps.

https://www.tri-coaching.co.uk/about-us/meet-the-coach/

I arrived for the lesson feeling quite low and extremely nervous, but the 45 minutes was possibly one of the best investments I have ever made.  The most important thing I took from the lesson is that I am not a terrible swimmer and when you are lacking in confidence and approaching the business end of your training plan, this is important to hear. I do have a tendency not to look down at the floor enough whilst swimming, which in turn leads to my legs sinking and I am told this is quite a common problem. However, given that I have been working on this now for over 4 months, it’s a bit irritating. But John gave me some drills to practice and I was feeling much better about life.

#notanad but I really recommend John if you’re thinking of perfecting your swim technique.

Pool swimming has been a staple in my weekly training plan now for some months, but, both of my triathlons are in open water this year and both at the distance of 1.9k and so I knew I needed to get out of the pool, and in England, this means buying a wetsuit.

I’ve worn wetsuits before to the beach as our family is a regular visitor to Woolacombe each Summer but a triathlon and swimming wetsuit is very different.

Firstly, even with substantial weightloss, I do not look like most triathletes. My boobs are a 34FF (I was a 42FF), I am only 5ft 3.5 (the half an inch is very important when you’re short like me) and I weigh 90 kilos. Now this is a massive reduction from the 117 kilos I was when I started running, but even so, I am much heavier than your average triathlete.

Wetsuit size charts are incredibly complicated as they work on weight, chest size and height. I didn’t care what the wetsuit looked like on as long as it fitted, but I really didn’t want to buy a man’s one as having had to buy men’s clothes for years due to my size, I didn’t want to go back there.

Unfortunately, my weight meant that I probably would end up having to get a man’s wetsuit but I was determined to try female versions first of all. I ordered from Wiggle (online store, very good and importantly free returns) so I could try them on at home. The box arrived and sat in the corner of my bedroom for over a week. I was dreading trying them on and so was putting it off. But I had also booked myself in (well Merida had booked us in actually as she knew I needed the push) for an Open Water Swimming lesson at the Triathlon Centre in North Bristol on the Wednesday evening with an experienced Ironman triathlete called George Clack, and so I had to try them on.

The first thing to be aware of is that getting into a wetsuit is exhausting. They have to be tight, very tight and they are quite grippy and stick to your skin. If you have long fingernails, file them off as it’s very easy to put a finger nail through a wetsuit which immediately renders them less helpful.

I’d had PT at lunchtime on this day and had done cycle sprints and weights and I think getting into and out of 3 wetsuits was even more exhausting. I’d ordered 3, a cheap, middle and more expensive one and I started with the most costly: dhb Aeron Lab. I couldn’t even get this past my hips. I was gutted and had a sinking sensation about the other two. Zone3 Women’s Advance was next and it took 10 minutes to get into it with the assistance of my long suffering husband. Although it was tight (understatement – he almost had his knee in my back at one point trying to get it done up) once it was zipped up, it felt ok. I could breathe, it wasn’t too tight on the neck and I felt ok. It was like wearing SUPER spandex. I finally tried the last and cheapest on: Zone 3 Women’s Azure.  WetsuitThis was by far the easiest to get on as it seemed to be the most stretchy…..but once in it, I couldn’t really move my arms (much like the time I had to be cut out of a Boyzone T-shirt that I had bought stupidly thinking that “skinny fit would be ok…it wasn’t) so sadly that one was a no. But finally, I had a wetsuit, and I was delighted. I look a bit like an Avenger (if you squint really hard and almost cover your eyes) and I feel like a superhero in it.

So now, just to get in the lake. The following evening rolled around and I arrived at the lake with 20 minutes to spare. I have swum in the lake previously last year, but this was in the midst of a heatwave and so I didn’t need a wetsuit at all. One this evening, it was freezing cold and the sky was grey. I dragged myself off to get changed and was relieved to find a lady in the changing room who I knew from running. She helped to zip me into my wetsuit and I did the same for her. Anyone that wears a wetsuit needs help and I have discovered that people are not afraid to ask for it. On my past two visits to the lake I have zipped and unzipped 3 complete strangers, men and women into their suits. Merida arrived and we set off the side of the lake where George the coach, and 4 other people were waiting for us.

What I have learned from two open water swimming lessons so far with George are as follows:

  • No matter what the temperature is officially, the water hits you like a brick when you first get in and it’s hard to breathe. You have to take time splashing the water on your face and onto the back of your neck and try not to scream out loud as the water seaps in naturally through the zip. Do NOT, as I did, open the neck and allow a flood of water to seap in quickly. On Wednesday the temperature in the lake was 12.5c. When an Ironman Triathlete coach says “it’s cold tonight. There will be no shame if you decide to get out early. You will never have to compete in temperatures that are this cold”, you know it’s going to be a bit fresh.
  • It’s most important to swim as slowly as you can to start with, almost in slow motion. Also, and bear in mind that I have spent the last 4 months learning how to breathe on both sides after 3 and 4 strokes, in open water swimming, you breathe on the same side and after every two strokes. HALLELUJAH. I find bi-lateral breathing hard and so this is brilliant news.
  • Even better, you float in a wetsuit. Completely. This means that your legs float too so no more sinky legs for me. Hoorah. I still need to keep my core tight and be mindful of my legs, but it’s MUCH easier in a wetsuit. Swimming is easier in a wetsuit, full stop.
  • When the lake is cold (and it’s cold, make no mistake) my googles steam up. My teeth are also affected as when I open my mouth to breathe, some cold water comes in (which I spit out as I breathe out under water) but before long, my teeth go numb. It’s a very weird sensation.
  • Whilst my body gets, eventually, warm in the wetsuit, my feet, hands and face are not. You hardly kick whilst swimming in a wetsuit (important to save legs for the cycle and run so this is good news) but this means that your feet are essentially just suspended in very cold water. Arthritis in my bad ankle is affected enormously by the cold and so I’m going to get some “wetsuit material” socks to try and keep my feet warm.
  • When you leave the lake, you are cold. Much colder than when you initially got in. You need to rinse your wetsuit and so have to take it off, in the fresh air. This is a whole new level of cold. Getting changed after swimming is a challenge as I started shivering so much I couldn’t do my bra up or do my laces up on my shoes. Ugg boots are the answer and probably elastic laces for the tri. Thermal vests are important and I don’t need a hairbrush as I towel my hair off and then put a woolly hat on.
  • A post swim cup of tea is absolutely essential, as is a warm bath when you get home afterwards.

But all in all, I love open water swimming. The start waves have been published for the 113 triathlon and there are 6 waves, all setting off at 10 minute intervals. I am in wave 2, starting at 6.10am (I’m trying not to think about what time I’ll need to get up at the moment). My biggest fear isn’t that I can’t complete the swim, it’s that faster swimmers from the following waves will catch me up and swim over me or I’ll get punched in the head during the swim. I need to also work on swimming with lots of people around me. I’m booked in for more open water lessons and I know we’ll be working on this I the coming weeks. But for now, I still haven’t swum the entire 1.9k required of the tri, but I’m going to the lake after work tonight and this is what I’m intending to do.

Practice and consistency in the lake will be key over the next 4 weeks….oh and sunshine. Please keep your fingers crossed that it warms up a bit as whilst it’s just about tolerable at 12.5c, it’s always more enjoyable if it’s warmer and my teeth don’t go numb….and even more important if you’ve immediately got to jump on a bike straight afterwards. But that’s a worry for another day.

The Lake May 2019

The Triathlon Centre run lessons every Wednesday and I heartily recommend them -suitable for experienced and inexperienced swimmers and triathletes.

Details can be found on the website: https://bristolopenwater.co.uk/   #notanad

 

To cleat, or not to cleat…

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

In January I ran 51k, cycled 80k, swam 2825m and attended 6 PT sessions.

I’ve had to drop my trained sessions with Dr Crane down to one a week as I was struggling to fit everything in around home and work and so now only attend PT on a Monday. The half marathon is now only 4 weeks away this coming weekend and so the long runs are back with 10k becoming frequent and a 14k run planned for this weekend.

Watch 1500m swimSwimming is ongoing and some swims are good, and some are not. Some weeks I can’t remember all that Triton has taught me and it’s a bit hap hazard, but my distance is improving even if my technique leaves a lot to be desired. This week I swam 1500m which is the furthest I have swum since I was at school.

The largest part of any triathlon is always the cycling and as I have documented previously, I love cycling. I love my bike, Shiny Sheena, and I’m learning to love the padded shorts and cycling clothes that accompany the activity. However, what I don’t enjoy about cycling is how technical it is and how complicated and baffling it is to a beginner.

I am someone that will always research anything new that I am undertaking and I also enjoy the research process. This is true of anything I do– we are currently are researching Labrador breeders as we hope to add to our family later this year with a puppy. I dream of running through the woods and fields with my dog running beside me, off lead, in the vein of the Dalmation Mamas that I stalk on Instagram. They have magnificently combined the activity of walking their dogs whilst running and it looks glorious – beautiful scenery, fresh air and enormous blue skies. I want some of that in my life. One of these ladies have even set up a business doing this. If you want your dog walked whilst she runs with them, send me a message and I’ll put you in touch. (I’m not on commission by the way, I just think they are fabulous).

So back to cycling. When you decide to cycle, you think you will jump on the bike and start peddling. You then quickly, reconcile yourself to the fact that your bottom will never like you again and may well never recover from being made to sit on such an uncomfortable saddle, but apart from this it’s fairly straight forward.

Then, someone suggests padded shorts as they will help your bottom – so you get some and it does help, but still you experience discomfort.

Chafing.

Now I have experienced chafing before whilst running on a few occasions. The friction that is caused by material (often damp from the sweat) moving rhythmically hundreds and thousands of times, often tiny little movements which causes the skin to rub away. You are usually unaware of it until you get in the shower and experience a scene not unlike Hitchcock’s Psycho where you scream so loudly the cat falls off the windowsill and your daughters storm into the bathroom with fear etched across their faces terrified at what they might find.

But cycling chafing is a whole new ballgame of horror. It’s also not something anyone ever warns you about either (unless you know them very well) as it’s a bit embarrassing. Luckily for you, I don’t care about being embarrassed so I am here to share my wisdom and experience with you.

When you cycle for an hour, even with a padded bottom (do not wear underwear, this is critical), the movement of your legs rotating around on the peddles causes friction in your nether regions. Obviously, I can’t comment on what the situation is like for men, but for women, it is staggering. There is a lot of skin and erm…flesh down there, right in the hot spot of all the action, and it rubs. It rubs a lot.  The thing is, you’re not aware of it when it happens the first time. Basically, your whole bottom hurts from the saddle so the specifics of chafing are unknown……. until you need to use the toilet. I sat on the loo and waited for the comforting trickle to start unware of what was about to happen.

Oh, my goodness. The horror. The burning sensation. It felt as though the urine was physically burning a hole into my…. bits. Imagine a soldering iron……ARGH. I was in a public toilet when this first happened to me and I had to bite my hand to stop myself from screaming. The cat falling off the windowsill would have been the least of my worries if members of the public had heard my toe curling screams of agony. And the worst of it was, that this was the half way stop point and I then had to cycle home again. I won’t dwell on this further, but it was not nice and unlike anything that I had ever experienced before, and I had had no warning. I asked Merida what I could do to alleviate the pain (I didn’t go into details as an accomplished cyclist herself, I knew that she would understand what I was asking about) and she did. You can buy creams and lotions to put “down there” – liberally is my advice – and it definitely does help to mitigate the unpleasantness.

When husband and I cycled to Bath on my birthday mid-January, I took a little “travel pot” of cream and re-applied it for the journey home. One of my largest concerns about the triathlon is how I am going to apply this cream to my nether regions in the transition phase, after a swim in a lake and getting out of a wetsuit, without anyone seeing anything that they shouldn’t. Should I ask my Mum to make me a “modesty robe” so I can get changed in public without showing my wares to all and sundry, or should I adapt the philosophy that nobody will care what I am doing as they’ll all be worrying about their own stuff anyway? More on this in months to come I am sure.

So apart from comfort, the other technical bit about cycling is power. For a 56 mile cycle, I want to get it completed as quickly as possible and therefore want to have as much power going through my feet as possible which will in turn, rotate the wheels quicker. This means cycling shoes. I have seen people wearing these before and frankly they look weird. The shoes have “cleats” which are bits of plastic that are screwed into the bottom of the shoe, which you push into the pedals resulting in a pleasing “click” noise. You are then secured in and become part of the bike. This increases your power as you not only push down when you pedal, but you pull up too – which doesn’t happen when you pedal in trainers.

I received cycling shoes, cleats and pedals for Christmas but up until a few days ago, they had remained in their box. Dr Crane is very enthusiastic about cleats and as I am training with him to keep my cadence (technical word for how many times I rotate the pedals in a minute) to 80-90 a minute (fast!) cycling shoes and cleats will help this.

Shoes and cleats

Upon opening the box, there were no instructions as to what to do or how to assemble them. They are a reputable brand and again this was annoying. Once you’re in the cycling club, you’re in. But finding this stuff out at the beginning is hard. Merida came to my assistance once again and now the pedals and cleats are ready to go. I’m too scared to try them out on the open road just yet as if you don’t clip your feet out quickly enough when you need to put your foot down, you fall over sideways, usually a road junction. So, for the time being, my bike is attached to the indoor trainer and I will spend the next couple of weeks practicing clipping in and out as I cycle in my back room.

I have also bought a gadget called a cadence sensor, but already exhausted from the cleats fiasco, I haven’t had the enthusiasm to open the box yet. I’ll report back next time. I need to practice with cleats as Team Fearless (myself, Merida and RubyRed) accompanied by the Baron are planning a 75k cycling in 3 weeks’ time. 75k?! I will need the power, the cream, the padded shorts and probably an ambulance, but we’ll see what happens.

Runing in the Forest of Dean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January and phase two….

Posted on by chunkyrunner41

eliz and me boxing dayChristmas has been and gone in a wink of an eye. It was predictably busy and mince pie filled but I somehow managed to keep my training on track with PT and as many runs as I could fit in. A “little and often” was the mantra and this included a lovely Boxing Day trot with my sister Queenie who has really caught the running bug since last Summer. She’s entered the Bristol 10k and I think we will be racing…!

I had very determined plans to run Eastville Parkrun on New Year’s Day and get my 2019 off to a positive start, but alas I was still fast asleep at 10.30am following a 3am bedtime and epic kitchen disco the night before.

Unfortunately it got worse and shortly afterwards, I came down with a hideous cold that lasted the rest of the week and meant that I didn’t manage any other runs, cycles or swims. Back to work followed on the Wednesday and I was a bit frustrated at the, not exactly, flying start to the year.

At my first PT session with Dr Crane, the following week, I was presented with the next phase of my training plan. It had ramped up a notch or two and now included swimming and cycling and I was relieved to see them both on the plan. In addition to the two PT sessions, the plan now had a swim, a longer cycle and a longer run but the runs were only increasing by 5 minutes and for January the longest run was to be only 70 minutes. I could feel the panic set in as I read it as in order to complete 21.2k on the 10 March (the Big Half) I would need to be at least be running up to 14k by the end of January, as this is what my previous plans have entailed. 70 minutes probably wouldn’t even get me to 10k (although I am ever hopeful..)  Dr Crane explained calmly that although I am running the Big Half, I need to decide what I’m actually training for here. I didn’t quite understand what he was asking me until the penny dropped. I’m training for a half Ironman distance triathlon, NOT a half marathon. Essentially, the half marathon is going to be a training run as part of the triathlon programme. With this in mind, I won’t be tapering in the run up to the half in the same way that I have previously and I also shouldn’t race it…..(well no promises there obviously!)

For this week, this has been the plan:

MONDAY: PT – weights and cycling
TUESDAY: Swimming 1200m Run – 30 minutes
WEDNESDAY: Rest
THURSDAY: Swimming lesson
FRIDAY: PT – cycling and weights
SATURDAY: Run 60 minutes
SUNDAY: Orienteering Cycle for 60 minutes

We tweaked it a bit and added in one extra short run as I like to run with my friend Lady J whilst our daughters play hockey on a Tuesday evening and this is just a sensible use of time, but apart from having to flex the days here and there for work stuff, the first week has largely been ok.

The sections in italics were not initially on the plan I was given by Dr Crane but I have added them in. My swimming lesson on a Thursday needs to keep happening and my swimming bock of lessons I have paid for doesn’t finish until March. The lessons aren’t strenuous at all though as they are largely technique driven meaning that all swimming is doubly slow as Triton encourages me and my 4 classmates to slow the entire movement down to perfect it and learn it properly. I am constantly told I am going too fast as believe it or not, it’s hard to swim front crawl as though you are in slow motion. The point is that the swimming lesson is not strenuous.

Now the plan is quite full and busy as you can see, but I am committed. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for other things though. My youngest daughter was 11 last week and apart from her birthday presents, the thing she was most looking forward to was running parkrun solo. As I had to run 60 minutes according to the plan, it would have made much more sense to have just taken myself off for a plod on Saturday morning alone, but as well as being a trainee triathlete, I am also, and more importantly, a Mum. So I was going to parkrun too. We got there early and I started running straightaway around the park. I was able to get to the start just as everyone else (647 of them on Saturday morning) were setting off and so as my usual parkrun time is 38-40 ish minutes, this would leave me with only 5-10 minutes to run at the end which would make a lovely cool down. This was all fine and worked pretty well. My daughters completed their Parkruns in respectable 30.32 and 31.45 and husband was sub 30 as usual.

lois and i parkrun

I felt ok but I did push myself over the final lap and so knew I needed to stretch properly afterwards. All would have been well if I hadn’t promised my daughters that I would take them to town in the afternoon as they were keen to spend the rest of their Christmas and birthday money. Despite a shower and a good stretch, I could feel my entire body start to physically seize up over the course of the afternoon and I was practically begging them at 6pm to go home and not just because I had spent 45 minutes in the Primark changing rooms. I did 25000 steps on Saturday and I was exhausted.

The next day, Sunday, Daughters and I were orienteering at Ashton Court at 10am. I absolutely love orienteering. If you’ve never done it, please try it. You don’t have to run and plenty of people walk it. I spent the most glorious 55 minutes running around woodland in beautiful countryside and for the first time ever, I completed the course without getting lost.  Now orienteering was NOT on the plan, but I love it so did it anyway. To my mind, balance comes in different forms doesn’t it? Straight after orienteering we had a mad dash to get Eldest daughter to a hockey match up in Failand. Sandwiches were eaten in the car and then I had a 60 minute cycle on my plan and 3 changes of clothes packed to make the day work. My husband is very supportive of my exercise endeavours and I know that I am lucky in this respect. He cycled my bike up to Failand to watch the hockey and then we swapped. He drove the car and daughters home and I then cycled to meet RubyRed’s husband, the Baron, who had very kindly volunteered to meet me and join me on a cycle ride. I am not that confident on roads and I’m still struggling a bit with the gears so I was grateful to have an experienced rider in charge.

We cycled out towards Barrow Gurney and he shouted helpful instructions about gears, how to manage climbs and I absolutely loved every single second of it. I learned that cycling down steep hills is terrifying and I was shouting to myself “I’m going to die” as we descended at speed. As we sped past the airport we peaked at 51 kph. That is REALLY fast and I haven’t even got my special cycling shoes and pedals on yet. THe Baron and I went our separate ways not far from Temple Meads and when I rang our doorbell, husband opened the door and looked visibly shocked to see me. “You were fast?” he said. I replied, “I KNOW” with a big grin on my face. Big thanks to the Baron for Sunday and to my amazing friend RubyRed too.

So as you can see, it was a busy week and exhaustion has been quite a feature of the evenings. Training in December, when work is quiet is one thing, but training in January which is one of the busiest months of the year when you work in recruitment is something quite different. I haven’t barely managed to catch a breath. School run, work, PT, family birthdays and training commitments have made for a very tired Claire indeed. I have also lost 11 pounds since New Year’s Day which whilst I am pleased about it, does seem to be quite a lot. I am eating well and focussing on protein for muscle recovery but the weight is dropping off quickly and this again is making me tired.

When I arrived for PT yesterday, Dr Crane asked how I was and I was honest and said that although I wasn’t sore (30 minutes of tortuous foam rolling had taken the edge off that on Sunday night) I did feel a bit weary. I wear a Garmin watch which gives me millions of statistics (most of which I don’t understand) but one thing I do take note of is my “resting heartrate”. This is how many times your heart beats in a minute when you are asleep and is a fairly good indicator or overall health. Mine is usually 51-54, but on Sunday night it was registering at 61. I started on the treadmill for the session of scheduled sprints which started with a 5 minute jogging warm up but my legs were not playing ball at all and my heartrate was through the roof. I felt dreadful. Sweat was pouring from me and it just wasn’t happening. Very quickly Dr Crane came the conclusion that sprints were not happening (even if I had wanted to do them) and we went and did weights instead. He also sent me some poignant reading material about how rest is important! Today I have rested and worked from home and have spent most of the day eating protein as I was hungry. This is a new and challenging process for me and I know now that I am going to have to listen to my body and rest when I need to rest. Orienteering on Sunday probably wasn’t the best idea from a training point of view and it is almost certainly what pushed me over the edge, but I loved it. So if I need to rest today in order to do something I really enjoyed off the plan, then so be it. I know Dr Crane is supportive of this but this is new for me. Not going at 100% all the time is going to be essential if I am going to complete the triathlon in one piece.

It’s my birthday tomorrow and I will be 44. To celebrate (and the plan has been tweaked to allow for this) I’m taking a day off work (or at the least a few hours) and Husband and I are going to cycle to Bath for lunch and then cycle back. I hope it won’t rain, but even if it does I don’t care. This training is hard work and I’m going to have to dig deep to get through it, therefore doing things I really enjoy is going to be important if I am to survive the next 6 months at all.