Tag: half marathon

9 Miles Done

Jess GuthLeave a comment

I think that is really all there is to say about that. It wasn’t pretty but it is done and it was done in just under two hours. I am very very happy that it is over.

Mile 1 – fine, out towards the sheep settling into the 3 minute run, 1 minute walk intervals.

Mile 2 – we saw a kingfisher!

Mile 3 – hip niggles

Mile 4 – hip niggles more. Mentally gone. Kath starts counting out loud for me – 1 -8, repeatedly

Mile 5 – Fucking hell

Mile 6 – Can’t do it – oh shut up. Kath still counting

Mile 7 – We’ve turned round, we’re heading home

Mile 8 – not funny, Kath still counting

Mile 9 – Kath still counting, longest mile ever.

1 hour 59 minutes and 8 seconds.

Not 9 miles but…

Jess Guth1 Comment

I still haven’t done the 9 miles. I’d rather not do them on my own and Kath’s knee has been niggly  and somehow we’ve been busy. I’m not quite sure how but there’s always been something, probably an excuse, that means we haven’t run at all yet this week. So spurred on by my team mates in the Too Fat to Run Clubhouse I decided to go and get out this morning.

In my head, particularly when curled up on the sofa watching the Olympics, I am of course a running hero and I can get up in the morning, pull on my trainers and knock out a quick nine miles before breakfast. Of course I can. Even though I do quite often think along those rather over ambitious lines I am actually more realistic when it comes to what I can and can’t do. So I thought 5 miles was reasonable. I was going to just see if I could run it all without walking. I have been getting to 45 minutes without walking and covering well over 3 miles doing that and feeling fairly comfortable so I thought well why not. The plan was to  end at the dreaded golf course from sheep loop backwards fame and walk up that and feed the sheep so I don’t have to worry about doing that later.

I should perhaps also mention that this was my first solo run in absolutely ages. I don’t really do running on my own (for a start chances of me going are so slim!). My alarm went off, I had cuddly cats so inevitably it was another 40 minutes or so before I actually got up. I checked Facebook and wondered about wimping out and not going but lots of people were already back from their runs. I got into my gear and set off. I settled into a rhythm quite well I thought. The first part is all down hill so that was quite speedy but then I settled at just about 12 minutes per mile pace. I know this isn’t fast by most people’s standards but this is a pretty good pace for me and the nice thing was I didn’t feel like I was pushing or trying to go fast. I was looking around, watching the swans and their slightly grumpy ‘teenage’ cygnets, wondering why all the ducks were congregating in one area this morning and trying not to trip over ridiculously silly little yappy dogs.

I turned round once I’d done about 2 miles along the canal one way. I still felt pretty good, smiled at a very speedy runner coming the opposite way who gave me a big smile and a thumbs up which was lovely (he was really motoring – a proper runner but one who was still clearly having fun and wasn’t being all serious, lovely). At about 2.6 miles I started being aware of my hip. Nothing major, I just knew it was there and in my experience, when running you shouldn’t really be particularly aware of any one body part. If you are something is probably not quite right. I ignored it for a little bit but then there was a definite niggle. Not pain, just (as my osteopath would say) my hip saying ‘oy you, you’re not looking after me here’. For the next 100 metres or so I debated what to do. I had really wanted to push for the 5 miles. I thought I could do 4 instead maybe but that was still a little over a mile to go and if I was totally honest my hip had gone from politely asking if I may consider stopping to being rather assertive about that request. I was still debating when I got to the next canal bridge and had to stop for a car. As I pulled up to stop it was actually quite painful – just a sharp pain as I put the brakes on – so I walked across the road and then stopped the watch. Sense prevailed although I was really tempted to start running again because I felt fine otherwise.

I stretched a little and then decided to walk the rest of the route – hip was fine when walking (although it protested a little on the uphill sections later on) and the sheep needed to be fed anyway. I walked a more direct route than the one I had planned for the run but added a 2.22 mile walk to my 3.31 mile run so I achieved the mileage I set out to do and I have done some yoga and the hip feels ok now. I feel pretty good about the run and with my ability to deal with it not going quite to plan today – so often that sends me into a negative spiral making me think I can’t do it. Today it just felt like listening to my body and going with what felt right. It’s all good. Happy running!

Hmph

Jess GuthLeave a comment

I’ve had several titles for this blog post going through my head for most of today. Amongst them ‘9 Mile Meltdown’, ‘No 9 miles’, ‘Can’t do 9 miles’… As you may guess, today didn’t go well. Of course it didn’t. I have been doing far too well generally, feeling pretty good about running, looking after myself, sleeping better and eating yummy healthy stuff for most of the time. So just to avoid any sort of complacency  and to remind me that I have some way to go to regain my mental health fully, my mind decided it wasn’t going to play nice today.

I woke up fine, Kath even brought me porridge in bed and then I got sorted. I felt more nervous about the distance than I expected and my tummy was a little unsettled but we were going and that was fine. We left the car at my Mum’s because she lives at the bottom of the hill and we thought at the end of 9 miles we might not want to have to drag ourselves up the hill. Then we were going to catch the bus to the station and the train to Skipton and then run back. Well the bus didn’t come when it was due and the live departure board suggested it was still 12 minutes out. We waited a bit longer and there was no sign of the bus which meant that we would now miss the train and would soon be in danger of missing the next one too. So we gave up on the Skipton idea and decided to just run along the canal towards Bingley and then back. I felt relatively settled and ok with that idea.

With that we set the watch to 3 minute running and 1 minute walking and set off. We’d run less than a minute when I burst into tears. Not really sure why but I was just overwhelmed with the feeling of not being able to do it. Not just a few little doubts and tears, you understand, oh no, full blown sobbing, snotty, blotchy face kind of a mess. We gave up, went to the co-op for cheesy rolls and bacon, went home, made sarnies and coffee and sulked. Well I sulked.

Actually the rest of the day hasn’t been too bad. We got our shopping done and have deep cleaned a lot of the house in a, probably futile, attempt to get our cats’ fleas under control. I’ve spent a lot of time dusting, vacuuming, and combing cats with a flea comb and drowning fleas in a glass of water. Doesn’t sound like much – BUT  I have spent maybe 10% of my day on the sofa and when I have been on the sofa, like now, I’ve spent it watching the dressage phase of the Olympic 3 day eventing. This is good. This is progress. So although my mind had a bit of a hissy fit this morning, I don’t feel too bad now. The 9 miles will still be there another day. We may try tomorrow but Kath has a sore knee, so we may not. We’ll see. I’m a little grumpy about the run and I think the title of this post sums it up nicely. Hmph!

 

Reflections and 9 mile musings

Jess Guth5 Comments

Well I have now had a bit of time to reflect on my earlier run and also to think about the next one on the training plan – 9 miles. So, reflections first.

I am still very happy that I managed to do the backwards sheep loop as planned. I think I just needed to get that one out of the way. At just over 5k it really shouldn’t be a big deal but it was. I set off a little slower this time and then got slower but I didn’t walk. The first mile down the hill and along the canal was quite comfortable really. I again started struggling a little just before we crossed the canal bridge and up the hill to the golf course car park. Then I walked up the hill, quietly and determinedly. I hardly felt like I had my breath back when we set of again but then I had to concentrate on where I was putting my feet as I made my way down the path trying to follow Kath who seemed so much more sure footed than me.

The hardest bit was coming up the road after leaving the track past our sheep field and I really wasn’t sure I’d make it to the top and the downhill. Kath was encouraging all the way and I don’t think I would have made it up the slope without her constant talking. I got my breath back a little going downhill and then I took a deep breath and started up Ilkley Road. One foot in front of the other. At just over half way up Kath asked if I wanted to walk and my legs screamed’YES’ but I kept going and I got there and then I sat on the back steps for about 10 minutes before my legs could be trusted to carry my weight again. For my efforts I have awarded myself the Red Shorts medal from the Virtual Shorts series.

IMG_0982

Next is our 9 miler. We are planning on doing it tomorrow. We’re going to get the train out to Skipton and run back along the canal. I am looking forward to it. 9 miles is a bloody long way but it doesn’t seem too scary. I shall just plod my way along using run/walk intervals and see how we go. I’m hoping we might see a heron or two and general canal life. The last time I did a 9 mile run was last August and that seemed a positive run. I wrote about it here and reflected on the run in the posts which followed that one. Well, let’s see how we go. Anything under 2 hours would be fab.

Sheep Loop Backwards – Boom!

Jess Guth1 Comment

Got the bugger! I ran the sheep loop backwards (that’s the loop backwards not me running backwards). As you can see  if you’d like to look on strava – not pretty, not fast but DONE

https://www.strava.com/activities/665254135/embed/37956d63661b4819b2c9e81dea567cccda3eda5b

The run has been bothering me – I wanted to run it all apart from the golf course because I still don’t understand why I couldn’t do it on Monday. Well there you are – I can do it. It was really hard and by the end my legs were jelly but I feel much better about it now and I have more energy now than I did before I set off!

Happy Friday.