Tag: run

More solo running

Jess Guth4 Comments

Back at home and there are gaps on our training schedule. I don’t like gaps. Having gaps makes me feel unprepared and being unprepared gives my ‘I can’t do this’ voice an excuse to shout louder. I decided I would go for another run this morning and clear one of the gaps. Kath said she’d help me get my butt out this morning and she did gently nudge me out the door.

Kath showed me how to use her Garmin  – she’d programmed it so all I had to do was hit start when I set off and then save the data after my run. I needed to do 45 minutes and decided to do the 45 minute loop from home, past our sheep fields, down the golf course and along the canal. I wanted to run with the Garmin just in case I need to run the half marathon next weekend on my own (looks likely) where I will need to  run intervals and I was also vaguely intrigued how much slower I was running on my own.

I set off, the first stretch is slightly downhill so I’d planned to keep going for more than the 3 minutes because in an organised race it is usually too chaotic to take the first walk break without really pissing people around you off! Howver, I hadn’t tied my pants tight enough and my belly was in danger of escaping so that needed sorting. I took the first walk break. Then I kept going and felt ok really. I was a bit puffed as I got to the sheep which is roughly a mile and decided to take the walk break there. I then managed the slope up to the little wood before the golf course and then made my way down the golf course carefully. I still don’t like downhill and there were a few golfers around on the path blocking the route I would normally take. It was spectacular though because it was quite a misty morning and I’d set off from home above the mist and ran down into it as I headed down the golf course to the canal.

As I got to the canal bridge I was briefly tempted to turn left and just do a short run – but I’d committed to 45 minutes so I turned right. Shortly after that I passed a guy on a canal boat going in the opposite direction who shouted ‘Bloody hell lass, well done!’ and waved. I waved back and kept going. I was just wondering about taking the next walk break when another runner coming the other way said hi and smiled without any hint of sarcasm or ridicule. I could have hugged him (but he was long gone!). I kept plodding along forcing myself not to look at the watch. I ran to the next bridge and turned round. I met another runner who also said a cheerful hello and also didn’t seem to think I shouldn’t be doing this. So onwards. When I got back to the bridge where I had first crossed the canal  I met the first runner I’d seen again. We were now both sweatier and a bit more puffed than we had been first time we’d passed. We both managed a smile and a thumbs up. Thank you whoever you are – I hope my little nod and thumbs up helped you as much as yours did me!

Then I passed the canal boat again and as I drew parallel I called out ‘any chance of a lift?’ The bloke laughed and said ‘You’re doing well aren’t you – I’m doing 3 miles an hour on this what are you – about 6?’ I just waved and then he was behind me. Then I passed a cyclist who said hello as he whizzed past and then a runner who looked utterly miserable. He had his earphones in and a look of intense concentration on his face. He was motoring but he just seemed so unhappy. He didn’t acknowledge me inspite of my smile and ‘hello’. ‘Sod him’ I thought as the bridge that I thought would be my finish line came into view. Nearly there! I glanced at the watch as I got to the bridge thinking that surely the beeps for the last 30 seconds must be imminent. No, there were still just over 2 minutes left. I kept going. I found the next 20 seconds or so really really hard  – probably because I had presumed I would be stopping at the bridge. I kept going though. There was a bloke walking a little dog a little way ahead of me. He was walking fast but I was determined to catch up with him. I did and made some comment about him walking faster than I was running which made him laugh. I just got past him and then it was over. I felt pretty good, I saw people on my run, I interacted with people and everybody I met didn’t seem to think that me running was utterly ridiculous!

I just hit save on the watch without really looking but I knew I’d come quite far. Once at home I got Kath to show me how to check the data (well actually she did it for me!) and it turns out my average pace was 11.28 minutes per mile. I was surprised at that. I was fairly sure that I must be plodding along far more slowly than if I was running with Kath and really I was just hoping it wasn’t too much over 13 minutes…

I phoned Kath to tell her I was done and starting to walk back home and she promised me pancakes when I got back (they were really yummy!). The problem with living up a hill is that after a run, to get home I have to get up this (well I could walk along way round to avoid it but that’s also up hill, just not as steep):

Unity street

And annoyingly it doesn’t look that bad on the photo but it is, it is really steep. I do wonder whether one day maybe I’ll be able to run it. For now though I’ll aim for a 3 miler tomorrow and then all my gaps are gone and I am back to 45 minutes Tuesday, 45 minutes Thursday, a 4 mile walk on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday

Oh and it is Sunday so weigh-in time. I’ve lost about half a pound which given my 3 meals out and 2 bottles of wine this week is pretty good going!.

London Running

Jess Guth4 Comments

I was in London for a work meeting. I travelled down yesterday and stayed overnight. The big question was: would I be brave enough to try and run on my own in a place I didn’t know  and where there would inevitably be loads of people? The answer is yes. I was. And it really wasn’t that hard!

I had decided I needed to run while away. I didn’t run Thursday, deciding to go out for dinner with the still injured Kath instead. I didn’t have time to squeeze a run in yesterday so I have gaps on the schedule and a very very fast approaching half marathon. I just had to get my butt out there. In a rather brave moment on Thursday evening I printed out a Regent’s Park Running Map and decided that the 4.45km outer circle route would be a good one to go for. Nothing much to worry about, just a slow, not quite 3 mile plod around the outer edge of the park. Simple. Hotel to where I wanted to start in Regent’s Park was, according to google maps, almost exactly a mile.

I set my alarm for just before 6am. It went off. I turned over a few times and went through my possible excuses. The conversation in my head went something like this

  1. Too tired – No, not really. I’d had a good night’s sleep
  2. I didn’t bring a cap so my hair will fall across my face (I know!) – I did bring my washbag, I have hairbands in there!
  3. I didn’t bring my running belt, nowhere for room key – I did bring my new running pants which have a little pocket which fits a credit card sized room key
  4. I don’t have time – Yes I do, I’m not meeting Chris for another 2 hours 45 minutes
  5. There will be people – what kind of bloody excuse is that – get your arse out there

I got dressed. I went downstaris into the hotel lobby and out the door. I walked from the hotel to the park. I walked quite fast to treat it as a bit of a warm up and because London streets are remarkably busy even at 6.10am on a Saturday morning! I felt anything but confident as I walked down the street in my running pants and ‘Leeds 10km Glory Achieved’ T-shirt. It was a huge relief to duck into the park. I set my little stopwatch and set off. The first couple of minutes were a bit huffy and puffy and I felt a bit rubbish but a minute or so of counting in my head sorted that out and I settled in. The path was easy to find and follow and before I knew it I’d run 5 minutes. Ooops, there was supposed to be a walk break after 3 minutes on my run/walk interval training. I kept going until I hit 6 minutes and 30 seconds and then stopped to sort my laces out. I’d tied my right shoe tigther than my left and it was annoying me. Then I set off again.

After another 5 minutes or so of following the path I got bored with the idea of running round the edge of the park – there were so many paths going off here, there and everywhere and I wanted to take them instead – so I did. I zig-zagged my way to the Zoo and waved at a couple of camels eating their breakfast as I ran past their enclosure. I didn’t pay that much attention to the route, I just took whatever path I fancied really and tried to keep a vague sense of direction (not a strength of mine at the best of times). I planned to run for roughly 20 minutes that way and then start heading back to my starting point using a fairly direct route. My plan was to run for 30 minutes total. I enjoyed the open space as I turned away from the zoo. I didn’t see anothe person, just gulls, crows and a few geese. I then weaved my way in and out of what, looking at the map now, must be Queen Mary’s Gardens and was just in the middle of another random little loop when I realised I’d been running for 29 minutes. I felt pretty good still. I wasn’t sure where I was exactly so ran past one of the information boards that seemed to be everywhere. Helpfully they mark the ‘you are here’ point with a big red dot so I didn’t even have to slow off to see. I figured that it would take me roughly 3-4 minutes to get back to where I started and that if it then took me somewhere between 12 and 13 minutes to run the mile back to the hotel I would actually make the 45 minutes of a normal maintenance training run.

So I went for it. I got back to my starting point and my watch said 33.46 – so I had another 11 minutes and 14 seconds to go to make up the 45 minutes. Perfect I thought. I’ll get to just before the hotel and can just walk a few steps and get my breath back before walking into the lobby. I left the park and got back onto the main road. After the total quiet of the park it seemed horribly noisy and busy. I didn’t like it at all. I had to stop twice at traffic lights but otherwise I just kept running. I just wanted to get away from the hussle and bussle. I stopped my watch when I stopped right outside the hotel. I hadn’t checked it at all since leaving the park. It said 43.25. That is a very fast mile for me (presuming of course that google maps is accurate – it might not be a mile at all!), particularly given that I actually had to stop and wait at some traffic lights twice. I wasn’t conscious of trying to run fast. I didn’t feel like I’d just run fast although I was a sweaty mess. I was just relieved to have turned off from the main road!

So, second ever solo run: One walk break, not a clue on overall distance or pace, 2 traffic light stops and a quick last mile. My ‘I can do this’ voice is getting louder and it is being cheered on by colleagues and friends being fantastically supportive. Thank you.

First ever ever ever solo run

Jess Guth4 Comments

I just did it. I just went for a run ON MY OWN. As you can tell from the blogs it has taken me a couple of days to work up to it. I was shattered from work but I’d talked about going for a run with Kath this morning and she promised to get me to go. I didn’t really want to but I also sort of did. So my first solo run was going to have to be along a route I know well and it also couldn’t be a long one or a hard one. To ease me in we’d agreed that I would run to the sheep, feed them and check them and then continue my loop. We also needed some bread and milk so I thought I’d stop at the shop after my run.

I didn’t want to use Kath’s garmin – that’s just a step too far for today – so I had my little stop watch on that we used before Kath got her fancy watch – that means there is no data other than time for my run. Off I went with my phone, key to our sheep field gate and a tenner in my little running belt. I set off from home and when I glanced at my watch I’d been going just over three minutes and still felt fine. I just kept going. I got to our sheep field in 9 minutes 20 seconds, no walk breaks. I stopped the watch and got a bucket of food out of the shed. Then I walked and fed the boys and then walked on to the next field and fed the girls. I probably had roughly 10 minutes out before setting off again from that field. I vaguely thought about walking up the slope and starting from the top but I thought I might be disappointed with myself if I did that so I ran it. I was ok when I got to the top so I kept going down the golf course, still fine. Then I turned left along the canal – aiming for the next bridge which would have completed the 2.5 mile ish loop we did the other day.

The canal was deserted. I didn’t see another soul, animal or human which was a bit odd but thinking about that kept me occupied for a bit. As I got to the bridge I glanced at my watch and it said 26.46. So I did the 2.5 mile loop minus the little stretch I walked between fields in that time, no walk breaks. I was going to stop at the bridge and then just walk to the shop but I thought I’d better try and run for 30 minutes so I kept going. It was hard to push past the bridge because I had been focused on just getting to it but finally I saw some ducks and a blackbird and then some more ducks and then it was over –  I made the 30 minutes.

I phoned Kath because obviously I had to tell someone immediately that I had done it and the cyclist who was stopped in front of me talking on his phone didn’t look much like he wanted to hear about my run. Then I went to the shop where I felt a bit self-conscious in my running gear but nobody fell about laughing.

Now I don’t quite know what to do with myself. I went for a run ON MY OWN.

Woman Down

Jess Guth3 Comments

Kath has hurt her knee. We don’t know when or how exactly. The 11 miler was fine and running the 2.5 miles yesterday she was fine too – a little achey as we walked back home up the hill. It got worse during the day. This morning she couldn’t put weight on it at all. The poor thing is in agony. The doctor was useless. She got a telephone appointment and was told to keep icing the knee, keep the leg elevated, use ibuprofen gel (she can’t take the tablets, they give her ulcers) and wait a few days. If there is no improvement in a few days she is to ring them back for further advice. She has made an appointment with her osteopath for this afternoon.

I should probably wait to blog until we know what’s what but it is on my mind and I am not concentrating properly and thus not getting anything done. I thought getting it off my chest might help with that! So I realise that this is totally selfish, self- centred and just a little bit out of line but I’m back to that honesty thing again: I am scared. Obviously I am worried about Kath’s knee and it is awful to see her in pain and to see her frustration at not being able to do anything. Empathy, worry, concern…all those emtions are there. And then there is also just being scared. Chances of Kath running again before the Nottingham Half Marathon are, I would think, zero. Hell, chances of her running the Nottingham Half Marathon are pretty slim looking at her hop her way through the house. So best case – Kath rests her knee and is ok to run in 2 week’s time. That means I have at least 5 runs to complete ON MY OWN. I have never ever ever run anywhere for any length of time on my own. The idea fills me with horror. I don’t have the self-discipline to do that. I’ll never make it through 3 minutes of running, never mind a full 45 minute loop.

Worst case? I feel quite sick thinking about this. Worst case, Kath is out for a while and not back for the Nottingham run. I need to keep training – Kath is fitter than I am by loads so she’ll catch up. I can’t stop. That means I need to run 13 miles in 2 weeks whatever happens. I will have to run Nottingham by myself. Just me. I may have to run the Scarborough 10km by myself. Just me. I may have to ramp up the mileage to 15, 17, even 19 miles by myself. Just me. Oh hell

Ok let’s try and be positive here. Kath is pretty fit, she doesn’t have underlying knee issues and hasn’t had problems before. She didn’t feel anything tear or pop, she’s had ice on it and has looked after it well since it got bad. She has an excellent osteopath. Surely nearly two weeks’ rest should do it and we can carefully potter our way round the half marathon and then kick on from there. I want to do this together and not just because I’m not sure I can do it on my own but because this is our thing, our challenge, something we said we’d do together. Kath has always promised she’d never leave me behind and she always crosses the finish line right next to me although she could clearly outrun me in every finish – she could just leave me for dust. We are going to cross the RunDisney WDW marathon finish line together but if she is going to be out for a while that means that I have to keep going on my own. Kath might be able to deal with several weeks of not training and I don’t think it will have an impact on her ability to finish a marathon at my pace. If I stop and wait for her to come back I will be too far behind schedule and risk not being able to make it round at all. So for us to do this together I have to keep going on my own.

Just me.

A steady 2.5 miles

Jess Guth1 Comment

Just a quick one. Our schedule is a bit to pot because of my melt down and then having to get back to the 11 miles but we are trying to catch up -you know me and gaps on the training schedule. So we headed out for a short loop. The schedule said three miles but I’ve been getting a bit obsessive about schedules and it was just about going for a short little jog today to see if the legs would move after 11 miles  on Friday so we just did a simple loop from our house – no doubling back on the canal or anything like that. 2.58 miles with a pace of 12.34 minutes per mile. Everything works, nothing hurt. Calf muscle and right hamstring are tight but ok. I didn’t feel great getting up, I feel better now I have run.

It’s Sunday so it’s weigh-in day. I seem to have stayed exactly the same which is fine. Judging by my clothes I suspect it is one of those funny weeks were my clothes feel big but the weight hasn’t shifted. I’ve just moved my belt on another notch. They weight may come off next week.

It’s also Great North Run day. I’ve got it on the telly now. I think maybe one day I’d like to do that run. Maybe that’s something to aim for to make sure we keep running after the RunDisney event. For a start it’s a half marathon and half is beginning to feel slightly less insane in my head. It is beginning to feel doable (just as well really – 2 weeks today I’ll have to do it in Nottingham!) Anyway, watching all those people slowly setting off is sort of emotional but how I think about it is changing and I’ve just realised something – I want to be there, I want to be part of it. Wow.

Good luck everyone – it’s just one foot in front of the other!