Right, it's now just gone 10 on Saturday morning (22nd) and in 20 minutes we'll be leaving to catch the train to Edinburgh!
I'm feeling quite nervous but really excited too! I just really don't want to disappoint myself (or anyone else) so I'll do my stretches like a good girl, eat a big pasta dinner, drink lots of water and give it my very best! I really hope I've packed everything (I have my train ticket, my trainers and my runner's number so everything else is a bonus)
I'll write a new post post-event with my finishing time etc, maybe a photo or two if I can figure out how to do that, but for now it's countdown to zero hour. I would like to thank my supporters very much, not just for their financial input but for their interest. Encouragement is a powerful tool and I'm so grateful!
Wish me luck, see you on the flip side...
Saturday 22 May 2010
Friday 26 March 2010
Right, long time no update so here's what's gone down in the hood (well, middle-class Battersea) since the last good run...
Did some hill training, really really ouch, and had a bit of a knackered 6 miler around Battersea park as per. Sunday's run was a total non-starter which sucked. I have a recurring pain in my right foot which, after about 30 minutes was too much to run on so we had to give up and walk home. Massively disappointed.
It gets better though! I booked an appointment with a physio and went on Wednesday. She said that it's nothing to be too worried about, I just have a lazy hip-wonky calves-squiffy foot issue which is leading to my gammy-Forrest Gump-flipper foot problem. Her terms were far more technical but I feel mine are more illustrative.
She taped up my foot and it seems to be doing the trick! I've also got some exercises to do to strengthen my hip (definitely not to be done in public!) I can't get the foot tape wet so I've had some precarious/ridiculous showers with the help of a sandwich bag and a rubber band. Think of me what you will...
Did a 5 miler last night with the foot tape on and all went well apart from the fact that I was exhausted. Another easy run tonight with the tape off and then we'll try our long run again on Sunday, see how it goes. Follow up appointment on Monday, fingers crossed!
Did some hill training, really really ouch, and had a bit of a knackered 6 miler around Battersea park as per. Sunday's run was a total non-starter which sucked. I have a recurring pain in my right foot which, after about 30 minutes was too much to run on so we had to give up and walk home. Massively disappointed.
It gets better though! I booked an appointment with a physio and went on Wednesday. She said that it's nothing to be too worried about, I just have a lazy hip-wonky calves-squiffy foot issue which is leading to my gammy-Forrest Gump-flipper foot problem. Her terms were far more technical but I feel mine are more illustrative.
She taped up my foot and it seems to be doing the trick! I've also got some exercises to do to strengthen my hip (definitely not to be done in public!) I can't get the foot tape wet so I've had some precarious/ridiculous showers with the help of a sandwich bag and a rubber band. Think of me what you will...
Did a 5 miler last night with the foot tape on and all went well apart from the fact that I was exhausted. Another easy run tonight with the tape off and then we'll try our long run again on Sunday, see how it goes. Follow up appointment on Monday, fingers crossed!
Monday 15 March 2010
Had an AWESOME run yesterday, weather was beautiful and managed 12 miles in relative comfort! We went down to Battersea Park, across Battersea Bridge, back over at Vauxhall and along Southbank all the way up to the Millennium Bridge and then home again. Really packed with tourists (would've been better first thing in the morning but we both woke up late!)
Did my 'recovery run' this morning to ease out the muscles I attacked yesterday, not feeling too bad at all, that's nearly a half-marathon! There's about 10 weeks to go and I'm aiming to have run 20 miles a fortnight before the big day. Massively achievable I think. Defo. Fo sho.
Did my 'recovery run' this morning to ease out the muscles I attacked yesterday, not feeling too bad at all, that's nearly a half-marathon! There's about 10 weeks to go and I'm aiming to have run 20 miles a fortnight before the big day. Massively achievable I think. Defo. Fo sho.
Saturday 13 March 2010
Had a better run yesterday, not as long as we would've liked but was generally injury-free, woohoo!
Came back home to a lovely roast and mash, lots of wine, chocolate pudding and good chat - nice one! Got the long Sunday run tomorrow, uh-oh, all the bridges in London, eep! We'll see...
Starting to worry about fundraising, lots of people are all talk and no trousers, I might have to try new tactics - nagging/threats/bullying/emotional blackmail etc. £800 seems a long way off :(
All suggestions welcome! I'm thinking of starting a sweepstake, I've checked with SOS and there's no reason why not, but if people are technically 'entering a competition' they can't tick the gift aid box so I don't think I should do it through justgiving - it'll get a bit confusing. I might just take a spreadsheet everywhere I go and collect money from people when I see them. Not sure about it yet, hmmm.
Came back home to a lovely roast and mash, lots of wine, chocolate pudding and good chat - nice one! Got the long Sunday run tomorrow, uh-oh, all the bridges in London, eep! We'll see...
Starting to worry about fundraising, lots of people are all talk and no trousers, I might have to try new tactics - nagging/threats/bullying/emotional blackmail etc. £800 seems a long way off :(
All suggestions welcome! I'm thinking of starting a sweepstake, I've checked with SOS and there's no reason why not, but if people are technically 'entering a competition' they can't tick the gift aid box so I don't think I should do it through justgiving - it'll get a bit confusing. I might just take a spreadsheet everywhere I go and collect money from people when I see them. Not sure about it yet, hmmm.
Thursday 11 March 2010
Went for a bad run yesterday after work - multiple injuries :(
I have a gammy-Forrest Gump-penguin-flipper type foot issue, and James was still recovering from his half-marathon on Sunday. We managed down to Battersea Park, round it once and then decided to walk back.
Morale has been better but hey-ho, there's bound to be pitfalls! Think I should book myself in for a physio MOT and find out what I need to do (other than rest/ice/massage/specialist insoles/ingainly stretches and all the other bumpf I've taken on board). This really is an investment in so many ways but there's no turning back. I may have to drag myself over the finish line with my fingernails as they may be the only functioning body part left, but dammit if that's what it takes...
Friday night run tomorrow, here's hoping it can only get better!
I have a gammy-Forrest Gump-penguin-flipper type foot issue, and James was still recovering from his half-marathon on Sunday. We managed down to Battersea Park, round it once and then decided to walk back.
Morale has been better but hey-ho, there's bound to be pitfalls! Think I should book myself in for a physio MOT and find out what I need to do (other than rest/ice/massage/specialist insoles/ingainly stretches and all the other bumpf I've taken on board). This really is an investment in so many ways but there's no turning back. I may have to drag myself over the finish line with my fingernails as they may be the only functioning body part left, but dammit if that's what it takes...
Friday night run tomorrow, here's hoping it can only get better!
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Oh, and another thing...
As you can see on the left, I'm naming my miles after films as a positive psychological tactic. They needn't be great films but should either be vaguely relevant (i.e. Happy Feet), or have a catchy theme tune that I can sing in my head as I run. Or they should be funny. Or silly. Or whatever.
Please let me know any suggestions, I will take them all on board, donators get special mile-naming dispensation!
As you can see on the left, I'm naming my miles after films as a positive psychological tactic. They needn't be great films but should either be vaguely relevant (i.e. Happy Feet), or have a catchy theme tune that I can sing in my head as I run. Or they should be funny. Or silly. Or whatever.
Please let me know any suggestions, I will take them all on board, donators get special mile-naming dispensation!
Hokay, let's get this thing on the go...
My plan is to keep a record of my training, how it's going, what it's like, and also to keep a log of my fundraising, new ideas and anything marathon-related. Suggestions, comments and input are most encouraged! I would like to point out to all people like me (shy of a little exercise, nervous of sport in general) that until you try you really would not believe what you can make your body do in a short amount of time!
Brief history of my training to date:
November: started training with 2 to 3 short runs a week around Clapham Common (about 1.7 miles). Really tough at first but got used to it surprisingly fast! The plan is to do about 3 comfortable runs in the week and a long run on Sundays, increasing them all gradually. End of Nov - up to 6 miles for the Sunday run (ouch)!
December: - had a big fat indulgent Christmas break (unintentionally) but managed my first 1 hour run, nice and slow. Ate a lot of chocolate. Drank a lot of wine.
January: - new year, good intentions n'all that. Still doing some 2 mile runs in the week but really building up the Sunday runs!
James (jack of all trades - brother, trainer, task master, entertainer) has been designing the Sunday runs so that they're always different, interesting and humourously named; Born to Run (Guy's Hospital - home), Deer oh Deer (Richmond Park) etc.
Went to a specialist running shop for some trainers - I tried on about 4 different pairs and ran up and down the street in them while the lady assessed my footfall. Big white trainers, skinny jeans, humiliating. Very good though, feel kitted out! End of Jan - up to 7.5 miles!
February: - having to leave behind the 2 milers now, upping the weekday runs to about 4-5 miles. New Sunday run: Run and Hyde! (To Hyde Park and back again). Exhibition Road on a Sunday lunchtime is not fun to manouvre, stupid people and tourists and kids and stuff, grr. We're starting to use energy foods on the long runs - bars are like sawdust, gel packs are like tar, shot blocks, however, are like giant jelly fruit gums, my new favourite! Started facebook group so please check it out, there'll be a link from my page...
March: - a little way in but not going too badly. 'Easy' runs in the week are now down to Battersea Park and back up (5-6 miles depending on how we do it). It's very peaceful up by the river in the evenings. James did a half-marathon which looked really good/painful, lots of hills and mud! Long runs are now around 10 miles and feeling pretty comfortable! I've got a bit of an injury (iliotibial band strain - or hurty knee to you and me) from road running (beep beep!).
If anybody has any fundraising suggestions or would like to dress up as an orangutan please let me know! I'm quite short on time on a day to day basis so I feel a bit limited in terms of fundraising 'events' - e-fundraising is definitely preferable, not that I'm lazy or anything.
My plan is to keep a record of my training, how it's going, what it's like, and also to keep a log of my fundraising, new ideas and anything marathon-related. Suggestions, comments and input are most encouraged! I would like to point out to all people like me (shy of a little exercise, nervous of sport in general) that until you try you really would not believe what you can make your body do in a short amount of time!
Brief history of my training to date:
November: started training with 2 to 3 short runs a week around Clapham Common (about 1.7 miles). Really tough at first but got used to it surprisingly fast! The plan is to do about 3 comfortable runs in the week and a long run on Sundays, increasing them all gradually. End of Nov - up to 6 miles for the Sunday run (ouch)!
December: - had a big fat indulgent Christmas break (unintentionally) but managed my first 1 hour run, nice and slow. Ate a lot of chocolate. Drank a lot of wine.
January: - new year, good intentions n'all that. Still doing some 2 mile runs in the week but really building up the Sunday runs!
James (jack of all trades - brother, trainer, task master, entertainer) has been designing the Sunday runs so that they're always different, interesting and humourously named; Born to Run (Guy's Hospital - home), Deer oh Deer (Richmond Park) etc.
Went to a specialist running shop for some trainers - I tried on about 4 different pairs and ran up and down the street in them while the lady assessed my footfall. Big white trainers, skinny jeans, humiliating. Very good though, feel kitted out! End of Jan - up to 7.5 miles!
February: - having to leave behind the 2 milers now, upping the weekday runs to about 4-5 miles. New Sunday run: Run and Hyde! (To Hyde Park and back again). Exhibition Road on a Sunday lunchtime is not fun to manouvre, stupid people and tourists and kids and stuff, grr. We're starting to use energy foods on the long runs - bars are like sawdust, gel packs are like tar, shot blocks, however, are like giant jelly fruit gums, my new favourite! Started facebook group so please check it out, there'll be a link from my page...
March: - a little way in but not going too badly. 'Easy' runs in the week are now down to Battersea Park and back up (5-6 miles depending on how we do it). It's very peaceful up by the river in the evenings. James did a half-marathon which looked really good/painful, lots of hills and mud! Long runs are now around 10 miles and feeling pretty comfortable! I've got a bit of an injury (iliotibial band strain - or hurty knee to you and me) from road running (beep beep!).
If anybody has any fundraising suggestions or would like to dress up as an orangutan please let me know! I'm quite short on time on a day to day basis so I feel a bit limited in terms of fundraising 'events' - e-fundraising is definitely preferable, not that I'm lazy or anything.
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