Tag: running

Wow, people actually read my blog

Jess Guth3 Comments

I woke up early but have been having a lazy Sunday morning finishing my book (more on that soon).liebster-award When I logged on I saw a lovely little message from runandlivehappy saying she had nominated me for the Liebster Award. Thank you Tara! Now I’m not really into these award things and it seems to me they are blog equivalent of what we used to do as kids when we got each other to complete ever more detailed questionnaires about each other in little notebooks etc or sent one chain letter after the next. However, it is really nice to know that at least some people out there read and enjoy my musings. So for that reason I decided to ‘play’. As far as I can tell (using google) the award recognises new bloggers and is a way of promoting new-ish blogs

Here is how it works:

  • Link back to the person who nominated you.
  • Answer the questions given to you by the nominator.
  • Nominate up to 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.
  • Create 11 questions for the nominees.
  • Notify all nominees via social media/blogs.

So Tara asked 11 questions of her nominees and here are my answers

Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging for work stuff at Ramblings of a Legal Academic and then to share experiences of keeping sheep at Riddlesden Jacobs but I don’t keep that up regularly (I keep saying I will) but the running blog is a way for me to make sense of and deal with all the conflicting emotions I have linked to running and also to keep me motivated and on track

What is your favorite hobby?

Our sheep, they’re fab

What is your favorite way to spend your free time?

Someone remind me what free time is

What annoys you the most?

People not doing what they are supposed to do or say they would do

Where is your favorite place to travel?

Ooh tricky – Love Bempton Cliffs  (- the RSPB nature reserve) if we’re talking relatively locally. I loved Cuba if we’re talking world wide

What has been your favorite running experience?

The one I wrote about the other day  – running with herons

Where do you find motivation?

In the fact that I couldn’t run to the end of the road 8 months ago and I did 9 miles yesterday and in the stunning enverionment I have right on my doorstep – and of course the ultimate goal – running a marathon to raise money for Panthera (if you’re feeling generous visit our Just Giving Page)

What is your favorite meal?

Depends on my mood. Kath is making a South American brunch just now which is right up there! It’s quinoa and black eyed beans, avocado, a fried egg and a tomoatoe and spring onion vinegarette dressing

Laptops or tablets?

Laptop when at home or for writing, tablet when on the move

Warm weather or cold weather?

Depends what I’m doing. Don’t really like either when it’s extreme. I quite like a slightly grey average West Yoskhire early summer morning or what I call a ‘back to school’ morning  – early autumn, clear and crisp

Cats or dogs?

Cats. I’m a bit scared of dogs although I do like them and would love to have time to have one.

So there you go. I do need to nominate so I want to go for 3 blogs I have enjoyed recently (I’d include Brits Run Disney too but they’re already nominiated!). I have enjoyed reading about the running adventures of Liveloverunlikeaprincess and  11months26miles and about Janine’s life at whatbringsjoy. So Britt, Niki and Janine – I nominate you and hope that others enjoy your musings as I do. I haven’t checked your number of followers and you may have more than the 200 but I thought your blogs deserved a little plug anyway! I do need to give you 11 questions so here goes

  1. What keeps you blogging?
  2. What is at the top of your ‘bucket list’?
  3. What’s your pet hate
  4. What’s your favourite motivational song
  5. What’s the last book you read
  6. What’s your favourite book
  7. What’s the most bizzare thing encountered on a run?
  8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
  9. What’s your favourite (running) gadget?
  10. What’s your own favourite blogpost and why?
  11. Morning or evening run?

Going further than I ever have – apart from once

Jess Guth7 Comments

Training re-cap for week ending 22nd August: Monday – stopped half way through, Tuesday – did it! 45 minutes at Bolton Abbey, Wednesday –  rest, Thursday – got less than 50 metres before calf muscle twinge, icepack, Friday – more icepack, Saturday 9 MILES.

Yes that’s right. 9 whole miles, 14.48 km. That is the longest distance I have ever run. Oh actually no it’s not, there was the half marathon 3 years ago but when we trained for that we never got past 10km. So it’s the longest training run I’ve ever done and I almost certainly ran far more of the 9 miles today than I did of the half marathon. Apart from 2 little glitches we managed to stick to running intervals of two and a half minutes with a 30 second walk rest. The glitches involved starting the walk break a little early. The 9 miles took us 1hr 56 mins and 10 secs with an average pace of 12minutes 55 seconds per mile. I am really happy with that for such a long distance. I also think that if we stick to the Jeff Galloway training plan we’ve been following, I will be able to keep going at that pace for much longer which means I can probably stop panicking about the minimum pace required at the Disney World Marathon which is 16 minutes per mile.

Anyway, the run. We got the train out to Skipton and ran back home. The entire route is along the canal and you can get onto the canal just opposite the station car park. No navigation required – just keep running next to the canal. There is quite a lot of info on the Leeds Liverpool Canal online and the section we covered today is detailed on the Skipton to Stockbridge section of a website all about it. There area lot of pictures so you can see where I was running. I do have to keep reminding myself that we are pretty lucky to be able to run in this part of the world!

I was a little concerned about this run, not just because of the distance but also because of my calf muscle twinges and slightly creaky knees over the last week. The first three miles were ok actually. I settled into running quite quickly and I enjoyed being out and being by the canal with its colourful canal boats (some with brilliant names like Soggy Bottom), its dog walkers, its ducks, swans and moorhens. My legs felt ok. I started to struggle at roughly half way, I was feeling tired and struggling to focus on enjoying it and it all just felt a bit like plodding. I do wonder if I need to think about eating something at roughly 5 miles, I may try that on the next long run. Anyway I desperately tried to hang on to why we are doing this and tried to focus on how much progress I had already made. I took a slightly longer walk break somewhere just before 6 miles (not that I knew that) and then Kath told me we had gone past 6 miles. We’d done two thirds! Then I really just kept plodding, my thighs and hips were tight (but not my calf!) and it seemed a huge effort but I never felt like I wanted or needed to stop the run. I needed another longer walk break because I just couldn’t get my legs to move but shortly after that we were in familiar running territory and running along a section of the canal we have done before. I couldn’t take the walk breaks out but I did keep going to the end. It was so good to have done it. I was surprised to have done it at what is for me a very decent pace over the distance. It didn’t feel at all comfortable but I’ve sort of forgotten that now. I remember a field full of calves lounging about in the sun. I remember the heron (not one of our ‘usual’ herons, it was smaller and lighter in colour, maybe a young one), the miserable looking cyclists and the happy ones, the rabbits in fields and the just being outside.

We finished the run and then had to walk home from the canal. It took a very long time and as we got to the top of the golf course I actually felt quite poorly. Kath had taken her backpack with hydration system. I had ignored it for most of the run but I did then take time to drink some water. The walk route took us past Kath’s mum’s house and Kath stopped off and grabbed me a banana. A bite of that and I felt much better.

Once home I did some stretches (actually I spent a long time in Child’s pose and lying on my back with my knees to my chest but I did stretch too) and had some icelandic yoghurt with fruit and then a cool bath. My legs are tired, my knees are a bit grumpy but not much actually hurts. The exception to not hurting is both middle toes which seem to have taken a battering and which are bruising under the nail. I’ll do some yoga and stretching later and we’ll see how bad it all is tomorrow

A good run with lots to learn – I need to drink more during the longer distances, I should probably eat something for enegery too and, perhaps most importantly, however hard and horrible it gets, a few hours later I really just remember having done it and a few of the nice things seen along the way

Running through the Wall and Running Q & A

Jess Guth5 Comments

After the two disasters I was dreading running yesterday but I was also sort of excited about it. I had decided I was going to complete a run and be positive about it. I wanted to be back on track. We drove to Bolton Abbey to do the loop I described previously. It was raining which meant there weren’t many people around. We set off and I wasn’t doing too bad except on the downhill bits which scared me. In fact I think I screamed on one of them. It was fine really but I’m a wimp. I started to really struggle coming up to the aqueduct. We walked up the steps, ran across the bridge and then walked down the other side. The next bit is a bit of a slope and looking at it it just seemed impossible but it wasn’t. I felt physically just as I had on Monday when I stopped but this time I was mentally stronger and also ready for it. The next running interval was hell and then it got easier again. I managed the rest with just one additional walk up the steeped hill and then even took the last two walk breaks out. Not only did I do it, I did it faster than last time. A pace of 13.10 which considering hills I am quite happy with. So much more positive even if my legs are a bit sore today.

The lovely people at BritsRunDisney tagged me in a running Q&A so while I am thinking about running, I have answered the questions below.

Would you rather run along a beach path or a mountain trail?

Tricky. I like the idea of a nice flat beach path but I can also see the attraction of the views from a mountain trail! Both are so much better than running along a road or on a treadmill

If you could choose the flavour of Gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?

Do we have Gatorade in the UK? I don’t like any sports drinks particularly. I hate the artificial flavour. I’ll stick to water

If you are given a $100 git card for a running store, what would you purchase with it?

I need to start thinking about the winter and I need a waterproof running jacked and some full length pants

Do you prefer to use a training plan or wake up and then decide how far or fast you want to run?

I need a plan. If left to getting up and deciding the answer will be ‘not far very slowly’. A plan motivates me because I wnt to tick off the runs one by one

Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end with the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?

Can I cheat on this? I’d like the hills somewhere in the first half of the run. Not right at the beginning but definitly not at the end either.

When you can’t run, what kind of cross-training do you choose to do?

Yoga is working well for me at the moment and I do like walking. I’m not a gym bunny, I get bored

What is your preference –> out and back, point to point, or loop runs?

All have their good points and it depends on distance and mood. Out and back is good for mid distance where the turning round gives me a little boost. Loops are nice but only if you just do one loop – I’d get bored having to do two or more laps of the same loop. I will try the first point to point of our training on Saturday when we need to do 9 miles. We are going to get the train out to Skipton and then run home. I like the idea of running home

If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner it would be?

Hm. Don’t know. A training plan and a pack of smiley stickers to mark your achievement

Do you see any wild animals while out on your runs?

Herons, ducks, swans, rabbits, deer, kestrel, lots of little birds like finches, swallows, long tailed tits…

Ever gotten lost while out on a run?

Not yet, not gone far enough yet really and it is difficult to get lost along the canal!

If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would it be?

A big South American brunch (quinoa and black eyed beans, fried egg, avocado and a tomatoe/ arping onion vinegarette)

Capris or short? What do you run in most?

I don’t run in shorts – shorts don’t stop my thighs from wobbling

At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?

Usually after the 2nd running interval so at about 6 minutes at the minute but sometimes it takes longer and sometimes it’s only towards the end that I feel like I’m just settling into it.

What do you do with your key when you run?

I give it to Kath, she usually has pockets

If you could re-live any race that you have done in the past, which one?

I don’t want to re-live any of the races of my previous running life. They were all pretty awful. The half marathon I did was quite spectacular but it was emotional, I wasn’t prepared and it was very slow.. Hm. I have only done one race in this running life – the Leeds 10km and it wasn’t bad. I am looking forward to the Scarborough 10km on October.

What type of run is your least favourite?

Short and fast. I don’t like fast. I also panic about not being fast enough. I’m more comfortable with the idea of just plodding away and slowly ticking off the miles. I find trying to do, say 3 miles, at a fast (for me) pace quite stressful.

When you go for a run, do you leave from your front door or drive somewhere to start?

Both. Tend to start from home for the weekly maintenance runs and mix things up at the weekend

When running in daylight, are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?

I only wear them when it is really bright. I wear a cap since I’ve had my hair cut and can’t tie it back anymore and that keeps the sun off enough. The couple of times I’ve worn sunglasses they steamed up and I couldn’t see at all

When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting?

Usually Kath keeps me going but also trying to focus on why I started this in the first place and remembering how far I’ve come.

If anyone fancies the Q&A just go for it. I’m not going to tag people, it’s all just a bit of fun.

The puppy won

Jess Guth4 Comments

After my 3 mile hell (see last post) things got worse. The plan was to get up early-ish  yesterday and get our working week off to a good start with a nice positive run. My gremlins and stupid depression mutt had other ideas. I did get up, tempting as it was to hide under the duvet. We set off. It felt physically hard but ok. I was doing it. My legs felt quite tired, I felt quite tired but hey, I was out, I was doing it. I dragged myself to the golf course – downhill from here for a bit. I get scared going downhill but it was ok, I felt pretty ok, just a bit tired. We turned towards Silsden on the canal. It was hard, really hard. Nothing really wanted to quite move. One foot in front of the other… I was slowing down. We got to where the nice path turns into track, just keep running. We turned and I was now definitly running slower than walking pace. I’d hit a physical brick wall. Everything hurt, one foot in front of the other just wasn’t possible and I had nothing left mentally to push through. Nothing at all. I did something I haven’t done for about 6 months (other than because of injury), I stopped. I was too exhausted to block out the negative voices, too drained to give the black stupid puppy dog a good kick, too ’empty’ to fight that sense of ‘I can’t do this.

It was a long walk back. I cried.

I will try again today

3 mile hell

Jess Guth10 Comments

After the positives of yesterday today’s run came as a bit of a shock. Our programme said 3 miles and I was actually looking forward to that. I woke up around 7.30 and slowly got up and we got ourselves organised to go. We had decided on starting at home, running down to the canal and turning towards Bingley. So off we went. It was awful. My gremlins were shouting at me, my silly black labrador puppy was back (see here) and I was convinced that a) I couldn’t do it and b) we were going very slowly. Kath kept pushing on and I kept going somehow. Every bloody step of the whole bloody way was bloody awful. Not a happy place in sight. 3 miles later it turns out it was our fastest yet. 11 minutes and 5 seconds per mile. It was still bloody horrible.

I also forgot to get on the scales this morning so don’t have a Sunday Weigh-In to report on. I may get on and have a look later or I may just not bother. After the awful run I’m not sure I want the scales to tell me that I’m a fat bugger, I am very well aware of that today.

So there we are, another week of training done. Go me.