Category: Uncategorized

When you feel like giving up, remember why you started in the first place

Jess GuthLeave a comment

I saw that somewhere – maybe on the running bug website or facebook or something. So while I don’t actually feel like giving up at the moment, it is always worth reminding myself and others why I am doing this and there could be no better reminder than watching the BBC Natural World programme about Panthera’s work the other day. The programme Mountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places was shown on BBC 2 last Tuesday and it is still available on the iPlayer until mid July (for anyone not in the UK, not sure if or where you can catch it). Watch it if you get a chance. It is amazing footage and shares some of the latest insights and information about Mountain Lion behaviour. It is also a really good example of why I want to support Panthera’s work. The Mountain Lion project which is the focus of the programme shows how Panthera enables scientists to do their thing and to fully understand the big cats and their lives. The programme shows how detailed and rigorous scientific work can challenge our preceptions of how  big cats live their lives. The better we understand them, the better we can protect them.

So, this is just a quick opportunity for me to say thank you to Panthera. Thank you for doing the work that you do. Thank you for protecting the big cats of this world and for trying to make sure that we do not have to experience a world without them. Thank you for bringing us amazing pictures and amazing stories of amazing creatures. This is also an opportunity for me to reiterate our support for Panthera. Our running efforts are about that support. It may have all sorts of benefits for us personally but ultimately this is all about raising money so Panthera can continue the brilliant work they do. Our first ‘race’ is in 2 weeks’ time. If you can support us and therefore Panthera then please do. Thank you to those of you who have already sponsored us. If you haven’t already then you can do so on our Justgiving Page. Seeing donations come in or hearing about direct donations to Panthera really does help! It reminds me why I started in the first place and it reminds me that giving up just isn’t an option!

Thank you

A month to our first race

Jess GuthLeave a comment

A month exactly to our first race – The Leeds run for all 10km. Can’t decide if I am looking forward to it or not. I am sort of keen to see our progress and whether we can post a half decent (by my standards, not by actual runner’s standards!) time. I don’t like crowds though, particularly not at the moment, and I’m a bit worried about how I’ll cope being surrounded by people who actually know what they’re doing. However, I am holding on to the notion that maybe, just maybe we also know what we’re doing. Or at least we are trying to follow the guidance of someone who does by following the RunDisney plans designed by Jeff Galloway.

That brings me to another little rant about Runner’s World (I am actually beginning to quite enjoy reading the magazine and would actually recommend it – my rants say more about me than the mag!). I was looking at the April issue which had something about training which has easy runs/sections and hard sections and less of the middle ground. All sort of made sense (except that ‘easy’ in my case would have to be walking) until I looked at the table for a sample week. According to that table a 6 miles ‘easy’ run would result in 50 minutes of easy running. 8 miles in 65 minutes. What? 6 miles in 50 minutes? I know that’s doable. I’ve seen people do it but that IS NOT an easy pace; that’s an impossible pace for me. Runner’s World is full of stuff that to me just seems impossible. And when everything in a magazine is just so far out of reach it is easy to get completely disillusioned with the whole thing. So I stopped reading and instead took another look at the Jeff Galloway website. Ok, looking at this I do feel a little bit like a runner. Here the numbers make sense, they are possible, even now. We haven’t quite stuck to the run/walk ratio suggested and we haven’t really done the magic mile measurement since the beginning but we are working with the principle of walk breaks from the start and not worrying about having to keep running for long stretches. We are comfortable at 2 minutes running and 30 secs walking for now. It gets me to the end of the longer distances without injury and without feeling that I can’t do it. It means I finish each run strongly and usually feel pretty positive about it even where I’ve had a wobble along the way. Other than when I had my little calf niggle the other day, there hasn’t been a run I couldn’t finish or one I could barely finish.

I also love the fact that his advice is to not worry about time for a first time marathon. He says:

“I don’t recommend that first-time marathon participants try for a time goal. Do the first one to finish, running/walking at a comfortable training pace.”
Yes! I can do that. I actually believe I can do that. And what is even better, the examples he lists include the sort of pace we’ve been working at. Jeff Galloway also says:
“You are the one who determines how much you run and how much you walk. One of the wonderful aspects of running is that there is no definition of a “runner” that you must live up to“
Oh my – is it possible that I am a runner after all?

Running to feel better – no really.

Jess Guth1 Comment

I seem to have managed to keep the worst of my depression at bay. Let’s keep the black dog metaphor going – I have shut that stupid black mutt out but it is still hanging around outside. For only the second time in my academic career (which now spans well over 10 years) I have withdrawn from a conference. I was due to fly out to Sweden tomorrow but I just couldn’t get my head round flying out there on my own, I couldn’t get my head round exploring somewhere I’d never been before and I couldn’t get me head round giving two papers and putting my research out there for comment. I’ve cancelled. I shall miss seeing some great colleagues and friends but I need to look after myself.

Running and yoga seem to be becoming a part of that. I went to work today and mostly it was ok. I had my little panic this morning but mostly I just got on with things once I got to work. It was just much more of an effort that usual. I had to force the focus that usually comes naturally. I was tired on the way home, really tired. I wanted to get home and run though. Well no, that’s not quite true. I wanted to have that post-run feeling. The only way to get that is to run. 30 minutes along the canal in 2 min run/30 secs walk intervals was what we had planned. I felt reasonably happy about that having managed nearly 6 miles on Sunday using that same ratio. I pushed. Maybe for the first time since we started the running I consciously pushed the pace a little. Usually I just try keep going. I let Kath worry about pace and just follow her lead and she keeps an eye on how I’m doing and speeds up (oh come on, who are we kidding – slows down) accordingly. But today I pushed and I kept pushing all the way to the end. Pace: 12 minutes per mile exactly. Distance: 2.5 miles. Well that silly fat black labrador that seems to be the symbol for depression  in my mind can’t take that pace. I’d left that behind after the second run section. The problem is, it finds its way back ‘home’ and just hangs around waiting for me to unwittingly leave the door open.

The yoga is useful too. It’s helping and I’m getting better at it. I’ll write about that in more detail another time though.

Thank you – Real Neat Blog Award

Jess Guth1 Comment

img_2787

It has been a very busy few weeks and I have kept meaning to post but just haven’t got round to it. Updates on running to follow but I must say thank you to fellow bloggers BritsRunDisney who nominated my blog for the Real Neat Blog Award. I got the notification from them after a really really tough day during which our last ewe had trouble lambing and all 3 triplets died (more about our sheep here). It was lovely to come home to a positive message. This is what they said:

“Hello there, I love reading your blog and have nominated it on my blog for a ‘real neat blog award’ – you don’t have to participate but if you do fancy it you can read the rules on my post https://britsrundisney.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/the-real-neat-blog-award/ Keep up the great work! It’s so nice to hear updates from someone on a similar journey as we are :)”

As part of this they wanted me to answer a number of Disney related questions so here goes:

1. Who is your favourite Disney Character and why?

Oooh tricky. I like the Winnie the Pooh gang but don’t really see them as Disney… I also have a soft sport for Dopey and Grumpy

2. If you had to skip a park on your next visit to Disney World which would you skip and why?

As we are going in January, I’ll happily skip the waterparks! Ok that’s cheating! As much as I love the Magic Kingdom, I’d probably skip that simply because I’ve spent most time there already on previous visits and I have specific reasons to want to go back to the others. However if all goes to plan that won’t work as I will have to run through the parks as part of the marathon!

3. What is your Favorite Ride at Disney(Land or World or Both)?

Never been to Disney Land so no idea for that but Disney World. Hm. I suspect I would love Splash Mountain but I have always been in January and it has always been closed for maintenance! I love Soarin’ in Epcot

4. What is your favourite snack at Disney(Land or World or Both) and why?

Corn on the cob – love it

5. What is your top tip for someone about to go to Disney?

Believe in the magic

6. What is your Favorite thing to do aside from going to Disney?

Sitting reading a book in the field with our sheep

7. If you could bring back an old ride that has now closed down, which would you bring back and why?

I don’t know! I am not aware of any rides I like being shut down. Last time we went we did miss a shop though – it was on Main Street USA before and sold disney stuff for pets, Kath’s mum wanted something for a friend’s dog and we looked all over but couldn’t find it.

So – once again thank you! Thank you for reading and thank you for the encouragement. I don’t really read any other blogs about disney or run disney (I knwo there are a good number of you out there) – just don’t have the time at the moment so I’d like to save nomination until I have actually read some. But if you like Disney and you like following a runner’s journey I do recommend BritsRunDinsey!

Panthera – please support us and therefore them if you can

Jess GuthLeave a comment

If you have read the previous posts on this blog you will realise that this running thing is a massive massive challenge for us and for me in particular. Part of what helps me get my backside out there plodding round is that it is a way I can help change the world. Yep here’s the slightly cliched vomit inducing bit about changing the world… Those of you who know me already know that changing the world and helping others (mostly my students) change the world is kind of my thing. Making a small difference is really important to me. I’m not naive I know I make a tiny tiny difference if I make one at all but that’s enough. If we all try and do that every day the world will be a much better place. So if I am going to run, drag my moomin butt round a stupidly high number of miles and go through that physical pain and mental struggle then there has to be some changing the world happening as a result of that. Otherwise I am not playing.

Any money we raise in this slightly insane endeavour is going to an organisation called Panthera. Their mission is this:

Panthera’s mission is to ensure the future of wild cats through scientific leadership and global conservation action.

Panthera and their ethos speak to us on a number of levels: Panthera’s work is science based and at the cutting edge of conservation. It understands that there are a number of factors that have to come together to make conservation possible and that dealing with any one of them in isloation will not work. Education and training are fundamental to what Panthera do. Have a look at the letter from the Chair on their website to get more of a sense of what they do. So, education and training, programmes/projects which target the specific needs of the big cats they are focused on as well as the communities sharing the geographic area with the cats and work underpinned by the latest science are all things that earn my respect. The other reason to support Panthera over any other conservation charity is that 100% of the money raised will benefit the coservation programme/projects as the running costs and non-programme costs are covered by the Panthera board of directors. It seems that these people believe in what they are doing and are prepared to put their money where their mouth is and that passion and commitment is something I am delighted to be able to support. They really do change the world and they change it big time. With your support for our running challenge, we can help them do that! If you can sponsor us, however small the amount, please do. It really does mean a lot to us and seeing the amounts of money raised go up over the next few months is really going to help keep us going!

Sponsorship page is here: https://www.justgiving.com/Jessandkath/