Tag: half marathon

Stop Start

Jess Guth1 Comment

Well this blogging thing is going about as well as the running is. I have been struggling with all sorts and the running just hasn’t really happened and you know, when you’ve basically sat on your substantially sized arse for 3 weeks getting out the door is just too hard. I have over the last few months – well since London Marathon really, made various attempts at getting back into running and every now and again I think it’s falling back into place and then I stop again. No reason – well no good reason, I just can’t be bothered to hurl my wibbly wobbly bits about in public, or at all.

So I needed a serious reboot. Well luckily a while ago there was a Too Fat to Run? Clubhouse post on Facebook about a reboot run. The idea is that the first one back is always the toughest and the one you’re most likely to put off and therefore you need something manageable to get you out the door. The suggestion is 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back. Doesn’t have to be all running, can be run walk or just walk – just going and doing it is the important bit. So last Saturday I rebooted – run to the sheep  – it’s a little less than a mile to our first field where our boys are currently. It means I could run for however long it takes me to get there (didn’t take a watch), have a little rest while feeding the sheep and then run back. Sounds simple and actually once I got out the door it was – relatively. Running there felt pretty good. Running back, yes well, there was the small matter of Ilkley Road to negotiate and I’ve only ever managed to run from the bottom of it to our road two or three times before. It’s not steep as such, it’s just a steady pull and it really gets me. But I made it to our road and it only took 45 minutes or so for my legs to function again and stop shaking.

So, is this going to be just another reboot run that actually doesn’t reboot anything?  Well, we’ll see but so far so good. We went out again on Sunday for a 45 minute run/walk session. I was back to hating every single step but as I was still swearing under my breath I figured I was doing fine. During the 3rd or 4th running interval everything was screaming for me to stop, lungs, legs, hips, back, shoulders… so I just slowed right down but kept running forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other.  It was only that one interval that was truly horrendous but the others didn’t feel great. I felt a bit dejected because I was sure that I had been really slow and found it soooooo hard but it turned out not to be that slow (for me) – about 12.40 minutes per mile pace and it was hot.

Monday was, well Monday, a story for another day and Tuesday I didn’t wake up till 8.30 and it was already far too hot to move never mind run. I did go for a walk mid morning though and I was dripping with sweat just from that. Lovely. It didn’t seem to cool down at all so we didn’t run. Instead we decided to go this morning. 6am came and had I not really needed a pee I doubt I would have got up. I got my running gear on – I even wore a vest. It seems I no longer really care what people think of me when I’m running. I just care about not being too hot! We walked down to the canal bank to do 6 x 800 metre runs with 3 minute breaks in between. This is what went on in my head throughout

1 – 800 metre run: I’m ok, I’m ok, I’m ok, oh look ducklings, I’m ok, I’m ok. Nearly there now, I think; what if I’m not? Oh I am. Good.

2- 3 minute walk – breathe

3 – 800 metre run: I’m ok, this is fine, maybe a bit faster? No! Don’t be silly. Breathe, I’m ok. Oh look heron. Nearly there. Done? Please? Ok done. Good

4 – 3 minute walk – breathe

5 – 800 metre run – oh look 2 herons, I’m ok, slow down? No keep pushing, 800 metres is a long way, not really, yes – it -is, I can do this, I’m ok, ouch, oh look proper runners, breathe, I’m ok, how much further (about 400 metres), fuck, more runners, ducklings, breathe, I’m ok, nearly there, breathe, if I go faster I’ll get there quicker, go, done? Yes? Good.

6 – 3 minute walk – breathe, no really breathe. Oh goodness that sun’s hot, breathe, it’s hot, just breathe

7 – 800 metres – fuck it’s hot. Heron, fuck it’s hot, ducklings, heron, too hot, breathe, just put one foot in front of the other, how hard can it be. 800 metres is getting longer, bit dizzy now, too hot, slow down? No, getting there will take longer, ok slow down, too hot, dizzy, nearly there, few more steps, done.

8 – 3 minute walk – can’t breathe, too hot, breathe, just breathe.

We decided to stop there. We had 4 really positive runs which were hard but good and we both maintained good form and we think a decent pace (haven’t checked yet) and it had got noticeably warmer just in the time we were out. We walked home for breakfast.

I daren’t say we’re back on track or that I’ve got my mojo back but it did feel good to get out this morning

For Donna

Jess Guth3 Comments

So it is International Women’s Day. I wanted to write something about the inspirational women in my life who helped on this running journey but somehow the words didn’t come when I sat down to write it. That’s not to say that I don’t think that all those women are awesome – you all are but my thoughts kept drifitng back to an exchange on facebook with my friend Donna. Donna has been instrumental in my running journey and she probably doesn’t really know that. Donna is superwoman. Always has been in my eyes but lately I think she might have forgotten she is superwoman when it comes to running.

Anyway, Donna, this one is for you, to remind you that you can do anything you want to do, that you can achieve anything you set out to achieve and that you are awesome. It’s funny, in some way I don’t actually know Donna that well -We are both academics and I did some work for her former institution and we keep in touch – and yet Donna was the first person to comment on my running blog, she’s the only person I know who reads it regularly I think. She was the first person to remind me that by just being out there I am doing more than anyone sitting on the couch and eventhough Donna is this stunningly gorgeous tiny little thing and I must be about 4 times as wide as she is, she has always made me feel like we could talk about running (actually talk or write or whatever) as equals. Where I plod, Donna runs. She can actually go fast and I was a little bemused that Donna could possibly be in awe of my running achievements and it was heartbreaking to hear her fall out of love with running a bit. It’s been on my mind. You see, I know that running is basically just awful most of the time and that’s fine for me, I’m happy taking the occasional high and sense of achievement but I want it to be all rainbows and unicorns for Donna because, well because she is Donna.

So Donna, I want you to know this: Without those encouraging words early on I might well not have kept running. You have no idea how often your likes, comments, shows of support made me cry and kept me going. You didn’t laugh at my efforts when you had every right to. You have been hugely supportive every step of the way and I haven’t really said thank you – so thank you. Now for that half marathon of yours. You can do it because you are you. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. The training is awful, it hurts, you get tired, it’s boring but you will smash that distance on race day because you are you. Remember why you like running, remember how it clears your head, remember how it is ‘you time’. You just get a little too much of a good thing for a little while longer and then you get the bragging rights of having done a half marathon. And I, for one, want to hear all about it! You go girl!

More Dopey reflections

Jess Guth6 Comments

A week ago I ran, well walked mostly, a marathon. Hm. Doesn’t seem real at all. In fact, the idea that I completed the Dopey Challenge seems utterly bizzare. Me?! I can’t run! I can’t do that. But I did and here’s the proof:

Dopey cert JG

So if it feels like I am milking this a bit – I am  – but this is a huge deal. I went from not being able to run 100metres without hyperventilating and being in pain after to running 48.6 miles in 4 days in just about 12 months. I think I have earned the right to go on about it a bit. I’d also like to say thank you so much to all those of you who supported me through the running and who sponsored us. Our sponsorship page is still open if anyone would like to acknowledge our achievement and support Panthera. Thank you!

So, a week on and any muscle soreness (not that there was that much) has gone and my mega blister on my little toe has settled down; I am back home, it’s been snowing and tomorrow I go back to work. With a little bit of distance, here’s what I think and feel about the Dopey Challenge and what I learned.

  1. I ran a marathon! Well I walked a marathon mostly but I completed it within pacing requirements  – less than 16 minutes per mile – just.
  2. Conditions matter, they really matter. I knew it could well be hot and humid for the running but that still didn’t prepare me for how the humidity would impact on me. Heat on its own isn’t as bad but humidity even when it isn’t that warm is just something else. I couldn’t breathe
  3. The support from the crowds and from people supporting on facebook or by text messages etc make a huge difference and can be the difference between managing another little jog and giving up. Thank you to all those people who shouted encouragement along the routes
  4. I can walk pretty fast for a very long time
  5. I really would like to have run much more than I did in the marathon
  6. Half marathon is a good distance – it’s a real challenge and it comes with bragging rights but it’s not so bloody endless. I’d like to do a couple more half marathons
  7. Star Wars music is just the best for crossing a finish line.
  8. I don’t think I could do a marathon somewhere where there is nothing of interest to me to see. I had my major wobbles and nearly giving up points along long stretches of road where there was just nothingness. The theme parks saved me because they broke it up and gave me stuff to look at. So I could probably run something like Berlin, Hamburg or of course London because there are places there of historical or personal significance that I can focus on
  9. I have to remind myself that doing the Dopey is a big deal  – I struggle with that. I did it, therefore it can’t be that big a deal.
  10. However tired you are and however impossible it seems, it is always possible to run the finishing stretch and cross the line running. Always.
  11. Usually when I know I am not going to be good at something I just don’t do it or I find an excuse to give up early… not this time. It never crossed my mind to actually stop. Not once. I struggled badly from mile 5 of the 26.2. I thought I might not be able to complete the marathon and I was almost sure I wouldn’t make Dopey pace but I never thought I might actually stop. I thought I might be swept or possibly even taken off the course by medics if things got really bad but it never occured to me to actually stop.
  12. Every now and again I giggle to myself because I did it! I’m proper Dopey
  13. I haven’t run since Dopey but I did do a lot of walking in the theme parks and my next training plan starts with a 45 minute run on Tuesday – very possibly in the snow.
  14. I feel oddly calm about everything. Running the marathon after having run the 5k, 1ok and half marathon on the preceeding 3 days was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Physically that’s obvious but mentally too. It’s all fine – you just have to breathe through it.
  15. Running long distance takes you through all sorts of emotions – mostly for the marathon there was a mixture of self-doubt and determination with splashes of total desperation and despair and sprinkles of excitement and elation. I was sobbing from the minute I crossed the finish line and I had to hold my breath for the finisher photo to get myself under control. I wasn’t excited to cross the finish line, I was relieved! Being excited came later.
  16. I’m looking forward to running again

And there we have it – it was all a pretty amazing experience – from day 1 at the expo picking up our race packs with all the shirts and the bib numbers etc to day 5 – the marathon. The early starts somehow add to the occassion and the events are so massive that it is hard not to get caught up on the occassion. I won’t promise that this will be my last Dopey post – in fact it won’t be because there are photos to sort through yet and I wanted to tell you about the race retreat and the runners world challenge package etc but for now I’ll leave you with this – hower unlikely that seems to me :

badge_dopey

Half the madness. 13.1 miles

Jess Guth6 Comments

Donaldso the Run Disney craziness steps up a gear comehalf marathon day. I am exhausted. It’s 6.45pm on half marathon day and I am not far of sleeping. I did want to write all blog posts on the day of the race though. The half marathon was fun. No really it was. I never thought I would say that.

we left the hotel room to get the monorail at about 3.35am.  As part of th Runners World Challenge we got entry into the race retreat tent and the plan was to get there, find a quiet corner, grab a bagel and sit calmly. However, the queue for the security check was mental and we didn’t get to the tent until 4.35. The scale is just indescribable. Masses of people everywhere. Anyway, just as we got to the tent loads of people from the Runners world bit left which panicked me a bit. However, there was time to check in our bags and have food just not in quite as calm a manner as we had hoped.Donald 1

Then we set off to the corals. We were in J for this race. It is about a 15 minute walk from the main holding area to the corals and they started with A and went all the way through to P. I don’t know how many people ran this race but it was thousands. Yesterday we’d had a conversation about Paula Radcliffe and were saying how she was our running hero. Well we were in for a lovely treat because Paula is here. She was running the half. In fact I think I heard them say she was running the Dopey Challenge. I ran in the same race as Paula!

corals started in roughly 2 minute intervals today and we crossed the startline at about 6am. I was a little stiff for the first bit and Kath called for a toiled stop at about half a mile in which was a great call because the queues were short and we both felt more comfortable after that. The first stretch is along roads and across car parks with music and Disney characters along the way to keep you entertained. As with the other races we didn’t stop for pictures or anything. I just can’t get my head round stopping for a photo during a race.

The first half of th half was really uneventful which I guess is good. I felt comfortable and we were plodding along at a steady pace every now and again reminding ourselves to take it steady and conserve energy for tomorrow. At just before mile 5 we passed our hotel and made jokes about nipping in for a shower and a nap. Just after we entered the Magic Kingdom and passed the 5 mile marker. There is nothing quite like running up Mainstreet USA with Cinderella’s castle up ahead. Annoying people just stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures. I get the wanting a picture bit, but please, just stand to one side!

Running through the park gave me a little boost and mile 6 came and went and we were suddenly half way. At mile 8, now back on the road I. Started struggling. I’m not really sure why but suddenly our two minute running intervals seemed long and our 1 minute walks seemed short. Kath offered to take an extra walk and I gladly accepted. Part way throught that walk a woman called Jacqui asked what intervals we were running and if she could join us because she was really struggling. Of course we said yes.

Well two really good things came from that for us. One, it took my mind off me completely and I focused on helping her get through. We chatted a bit but not much on the walks but for the most keep our 2 minute intervals going. She was struggling but she kept going and we promised not to leave her and we didn’t. The second was that it made us slow down a bit. That sounds daft but we were probably going a little too fast given the marathon tomorrow and going at that slower pace just helped me in particular finish feeling really strong. The other main benefit of course was that Jacqui finished. She was in pain and I’m not sure she would have got to the end still upright without Kath’s unwavering leadership and my constant talking telling her how amazing she was. It was so great to be able to do something positive like that and help her. I hope someone would do the same for me!

I missed the 9 mile marker completely, then were were at 10 miles. It’s hard to explain how good it feels to get to double figures on a half marathon!. Only 5km left! And on we went. The three of us, always telling ourselves and each other that we only had to run 2 minutes. Then we entered Epcot, I loved that last little run through the park. I knew we were nearly there, I knew we had got ourselves and Jacqui there and that we would make th finish line in roughly 3 hours. I suspect I was grinning like an idiot. We turned into the final Epcot back lot, passed the 13 mile marker and saw the finish. Jacqui was cramping up and really really struggling. I felt great. As we turned into the straight I saw Jacqui relax and we picked the pace up just a little and we ran, as we had promised her, the three of us together across the line.

2.58.59 is the official time. Kath is delighted to have gone sub three, as am I. I worry it wasn’t slow enough and took too much out of us for tomorrow but actually I feel ok. We have stayed off our feet mostly. We had to leave Jacqui because we thought we had to check in for Dopey but actually we didn’t. We then couldn’t see her again so we made our way to the Race Retreat where we could get some food in addition the the snack box we got immediately after finishing. I had 3 small bottled of water, some scrambled eggs and sausage and then we used the stretching area.Donald 2

Back at the hotel we had a cold bath, did some yoga, had lunch and then slept for a couple of hours. The. We did more yoga and went for teat in the Magic Kingdom. We had a lovely pasta with veggies drizzled in garlic and olive oils and sprinkled with feta cheese. Then we came back, got our things sorted for tomorrow and now I’m ready for bed.

I have run my 3rd half marathon. It was a good run, a really good run and I feel ok, I really do.image

The Dopiest thing I ever did do!

Jess Guth10 Comments

So I said I would always be honest about running on this blog but I have to come clean. I wasn’t entirely honest about our marathon efforts. We were actually training for the Rundisney Dopey Challenge.Toy story

The challenge includes a 5km, a 10km, a half marathon and a full marathon on 4 consecutive days. Back when we signed up we were so worried that we wouldn’t be able to get a marathon place because the sell out so fast that we took the opportunity to sign up through the Runners world challenge which was the Dopey. We initially thought we would just run the 5km and then the marathon but as training progressed the idea took hold.

Dopey f

Well today we completed that challenge by running the marathon. I am a little sore and very tired so I will leave reflections on Dopey for tomorrow or another day but I did write a blog post each day after each race and I will post them here shortly. I apologise now for any dodgy spelling or formatting – I only have the iPad here. Completing the challenge is bloody huge. I couldn’t run 100metres 12 months ago and now

Dopey e