Short Long Run and Body Pump!

Although last week was my last long long run (12 miles) before Bath Half Marathon, today was still long run day - just a short one! I can't believe I'm actually calling a 6.5 mile run short - I sound like one of those annoying runner types! :D

Decided to go along the canal towpath, although it was more puddles than path in places!


Legs felt good throughout, and 6 miles felt like a breeze compared to my recent runs in excess of 9 miles. Can't believe my first half marathon is on Sunday! I keep alternating between total denial ("its not really happenening"), to complete delusion ("I'm definitely going to finish in under 90 minutes") to utter panic ("why on earth did I enter this?").

Went to my first body pump class in the evening - in a bid to try new exercises and also do more strength training - body pump ticked both boxes. Arrived at the class and told the instructor I was new etc, she helped me get some equipment (weights, step, matt). When deciding what weights to give me, she said 'you look pretty fit - you're a runner right?' and started selecting some heavy looking weights! "Don't be fooled", I said "I hardly ever lift weights!" I realise now, that perhaps wearing my 'Grim Race: Survivor' t-shirt might have given her the wrong impression! ;)


I made myself a scrummy tuna pasta bake when I got home - tuna, mixed veg (sweetcorn, peas carrots) and wholewheat pasta in a creamy tomato sauce topped with cheese (that's two portions in the picture by the way!).


Now to start my mental preparation for Sunday's race (and the carb loading of course!) :P

New Shoes!

I decided to bite the bullet and get some new running shoes today. These are quite overdue, but due to budget and time issues I haven't got around to getting new ones. I went to Sweatshop in Woking, where the lovely people helped me out.


The analysed my gait, and I tried on about five different pairs of shows - its amazing the differences you can feel - even between seemingly simlar shoes! After trying several of the shoes out on the instore treadmill, I am now the proud owner of a pair of New Balance WR1063 trainers!


I now have just one week to decide whether to wear these for Bath Half or to stick with my old, but knackered trainers - any thoughts?

Last Long Run...

...Before Bath Half. A 12 miler scheduled for today - my longest distance ever. Had my usual porridge breakfast, waited a couple of hours and got ready to go. Packed some Dextro energy tabs, lucozade and jelly beans for fuel.

My running fuel

Route was all planned out, so off I set. First 2 miles were okay, except I realised I need the loo, so had to make a little detour to Fleet train station to use their toilets (classy lady!). I struggled a bit around mile 3-4. It was a mental wobble, mainly because I realised I was only 1/4-1/3rd of the way through the run :(

Miles 4-9 were really good - I ran 95% of the distance and my legs felt strong :) I'd planned out a loop route, but as I got near mile 6, I reaslied that the second half of the run was mainly on the road (whereas the first half had been through woodland, around the pond and along the canal). I decided I wanted to stay off the road, so just turned around and went back the way I came. Its so much more tranquil off the road, with a lot less distractions and obstacles!

Basingstoke Canal

Legs got really tired around mile 9-10, and my knees started to hurt, which I haven't experienced before, I walked the majority of this mile, but the rest did me good and I was able to run the rest of the way home. The last 2 miles were tough, mentally and physically, but then I find the last 2 miles are always tough, no matter how far you run!

The trouble with off road running, is that its a lot muddier than pavements! My shoes were in a right state at the end!

My muddy shoes - think they'll need a wash!

Finally got home, and was starving! Well, breakfast had been some 6 hours earlier! I wanted something quick and satisfying, so had beanfeast (with added grated carrot and courgette), chips and cheese and a peach yogurt for after! It looks like a very unhealthy meal, but its actually not too bad. Around 600 calories for the meal and a good 50/25/25 split.

My beanfeast, chips and cheese combo :)

Slightly disappointed that the pace is so slow, as I know I kept a good pace for the middle 7 miles or so. I guess the walking didn't help and I had to stop a couple of times to stretch out. Will hopefully be quicker in two weeks! I know I'll be able to get round though, whatever the time. And, as I must keep reminding myself, my aim is just to finish - it'll be a PB whatever my time is! :)

Length: 12.27 miles
Time: 2hrs 35mins 50secs
Pace: 12:42 min/mile
Calories Earnt: 822

Another PB!

Went to the new ParkRun again today, for the first 'official' one. After last week's 'PB', I wanted to try and match the time. Because last week was a test run, a few of us took a wrong turning (due to a missing sign!), which ended up being a bit of a shortcut, but then we sort of doubled up on ourselves. The point being that I couldn't be 100% sure whether I'd actually run 5km - it could have been a bit over or under. So this week, (following the directions properly!) I wanted to make sure that I actually had improved on my PB.

I started off quite quickly, but managed to maintain that pace for the first lap (of the two lap course), so I ran that in 14:50 - on target for the PB. I slowed down a bit on the second lap, but kept making a conscious effort to up my pace (it seems so natural to slow down a bit, and sometimes I find this happens almost without realising it). I hadn't started my HRM at exactly the right time, so had to wait for the official results to come through on email.

Before last weeks unofficial PB, my 5km PB stood at 31:52, last week's time was 31:18 and today's time was (drumroll please!) 30:10!

I'm so pleased - almost 110 seconds off my PB, the first sub-10 minute mile race I've ever run and I now I know that a sub-30 time is well within my reach! :D

I also got a free Nite Vision reflective bib as it was the first race - which was a nice surprise at the end. :)

Length: 5km
Time: 30:10
Pace: 9:42 min/mile

New Parkrun, New PB!

Things have been a bit quiet on the racing front, as I have been focussing on my training for my first half marathon! But today I ran at a new parkrun event in Frimley Lodge Park and got a PB! I've posted about it on my training blog, Rachel's 13.1 Miles.

:)

Bath Half Marathon

Just a quick update; I've entered Bath Half Marathon which takes place on March 7th 2010. Along with keeping this blog updated, I've also started a new blog tracking my progress as I train for my first ever half marathon!

You can read this new blog here. (http://rachels13point1.blogspot.com/). :)

8 miles - The Grim Challenge

Well, as the name suggests, this isn't a race for the faint-hearted! The race's website says 'Run, Wade and Crawl - 8 mile off road challenge'. So when I woke this morning to torrential rain and gale force winds I wondered what on earth I was doing!

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time we arrived at the race (set in Aldershot's Army vehicle testing ground!), and the sky was clear and there was actual sun! The announcer did his best to panic us while we were waiting to start with statements such as 'our two most common injuries here are people running into the water too quickly and jarring themselves and people falling whilst in the water and cutting themselves on rocks'. Hmm. He also said 'don't forget our motto here folks - if it looks deeper than a puddle, it probably is!'.


So off we went, and were greeted by a few puddles, which everyone mostly went around and then a steep-ish hill, and as I was running down the other side I could hear shrieks and squeals, turned the corner to be met with what can only be described as a pond (I must point out here the difference between a 'puddle' (small, no more than a few inches deep, space around it to walk around) and a 'pond' (big, 1-2 foot deep, no space around the edge, so the only option is through it!)). It was icy cold - my muscles siezed up and it was tricky to run for the first few steps afterwards. I especially enjoyed the Army man on the side shouting at us to 'get in'!


This continued for the next few miles; puddle strewn lanes, mounds, hills, ponds - even some camouflage netting to crawl under at one point! Then at mile 5 we were met with the boggiest, yellowist 'mud' I had ever seen - the muddy parts were a foot deep and the ponds were mid-thigh high! Even after we'd gone through it - the colour stayed on our legs - looking like we'd been painted! I think this guy might've fallen in!

Miles 5 - 7 were pretty boring - no puddles/ponds/netting, just plain running really! It got pretty boring at this point - many people were walking, and it seemed to take forever to get to mile 7. The last mile was suitably filled with more puddles and ponds and a few mounds - which we mostly slid down! As we rounded the final corner, we came within touching distance of the finish line, only to realise that the route diverted off around another corner (a mean trick at that point in a race!) after another 500 metres or so we came to the final (and deepest) pond and then we were finally 'allowed' to cross the finish line!


All in all, it was a really fun race. Anyone looking for a 'serious' race or a PB need not apply! But although it was challenging, because there were so many obstacles and points at which you couldn't run, you'd probably be able to do it if you could run around 4 or 5 miles. I would question the length though - they were definitely 8 'country miles' - I managed the first 5 (with all the obstacles) in an hour, and it took me 50 minutes to run the last 3 'miles'!

It was a great atmosphere - with many people in fancy dress, no one taking it seriously and lots of support and marshalls on the way round. Next year I will definitely be taking a water-proof camera on the way round to capture the muddiest bits, which seem to have been missed off of the official photos (presumably so as not to scare potential runners!). No goody bag, but we did get a great t-shirt which says 'Grim 09: Survivor' on the front! :D

Here's my feet, socks and trainers afterwards! (You can't tell from the photo, but my trainers and socks were sopping wet!).


Then it was off to the pub for a well deserved hot lunch! :)