Tag: running

Shhh….I might have enjoyed that

Jess Guth1 Comment

I’m a little confused this evening. It seems I actually enjoyed a run. And I mean actually enjoyed the running part of the run, not the having done a run bit of the run. And not enjoyed the surroundings, the moorhen running alongside us almost, the lambs in the field, it wasn’t about all that. I think I might have enjoyed running. I’m not quite sure what to make of that. 45 minute run from home, including hills and it was sort of fun. I got a silly pain in my side again going downhill. I don’t like going downhill on uneven ground so I think I tense and breathe funny resulting in a stitch quite high up my side. It disappeared almost as soon as we were back on the flat. I liked running, no that’s not quite it, I liked being able to run. I think I enjoyed the being able to do it. Rather than struggling with trying to get to then end, for the first time I was conscious of doing something I couldn’t do not that long ago and that felt really positive.

So 45 minutes – running 2 mins, walking 30 secs, 18 times – Pace 12.15 minutes per mile giving us a distance of 3.67miles

Kath might also have solved the underwear problem for me (see here). She ordered some pants from Under Armour. I have to say I was sceptical, even more so when she told me that they were one size fits all. In my experience one size fits all usually means ‘one size fits all unless we think you’re too large to wear this’ and too large to wear this is then about size 12.  The pants arrived today so I thought I might as well get it over with and try them. I stand corrected.  They were comfy and they stayed comfy even when sweaty. In fact, I don’t think I really felt sweaty. I was, and the pants still needed careful peeling off after the run but they didn’t feel sweaty during or straight after the run. No chance of chafing either and it means I don’t have to get my head round the no underwear thing which was the most popular suggestion following my original post on the issue. I am not ready for no knickers when running, just no.

Heatwave

Jess Guth7 Comments

So how many of you are braving a run in this heat? Well, for England this is hot hot hot – for northern England this is insane. How do those of you who live in hot countries ever do any running? I’m not complaining about the weather, don’t get me wrong, I like hot but I do prefer it when I don’t actually have to do anything much!

Yesterday was the 30th June and that meant the start of our marathon training programme. That means it is 28 weeks to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Oh my goodness – 28 weeks! Given the heat the sensible thing would have been to give running a miss and perhaps walk instead or to at least postpone the run until later on in the evening when it got a bit cooler (although I don’t remember it getting cooler!). But no, we went at about 5pm. The first run of the programme is a 45 minute run. In fact all the runs during the week are 45 minutes.There is then a distance run at the weekend, 3-5 mile one weekend and a long run the next – the mileage for the long runs builds up by 2 miles every other weekend.

We are continuing to follow the run/walk approach to running  – sort of adapted a bit from Jeff Galloway who has also created the training programmes for runDisney.Our run/walk intervals are still at 2 minutes running and 30 seconds walking but we did talk about increasing the running bit soon. Not in this heat though. So off we toddled in the heat. We probably started at fairly strong pace for us but that didn’t last long, even in the shade it was a struggle. In the sun I just couldn’t breathe. We kept going though and on a few runs started walking up to 15 seconds earlier. We got to the end. The pace was 13.23 minutes per mile so actually not that bad given that it was so hot and we went for 10 minutes longer than we have done on our weekly runs before.

I didn’t hate that run, I quite enjoyed it, I just found it very very very hard. I am excited to have ticked off the first run of the training programme. It feels like we’re in the game now. Next one is tomorrow, the forecast suggests a slightly cooler day. I’d like that!

Getting back in the zone

Jess Guth1 Comment

As I write this there are gorgeous smells coming from the kitchen where Kath is making healthy blueberry bran muffins as well as our late lunch/early tea of quorn chilli; we’ve had a lovely morning (after a very long sleep for me) at Bolton Abbey where we went for a roughly 3 mile walk and we have spent most of the time talking about training, the runs we’d like to do from home as well as from starting locations locally. I am in a much better place mentally today. A number of things have contributed to that.

1. The little messages of support and tips on here, Facebook and Twitter and the very generous sponsorship/ donations made to Panthera. Thank you

2. It is Sunday which means weigh-in day and I have lost another pound. If I can shift another 2.2 pound I will drop into the next stone and it is exciting to see that first number go down rather than be an irritating and slightly depressing constant. I will be close to being the lightest I have been in over 3 years and not far off being the lightest I have been in over 18 years.

3. Our next run will be the first run of our marathon training programme. Now yesterday this freaked me out. Today I am excited about this. I am even more excited because Kath has bought me some smileimagey star stickers so I can mark of each run (yes, I know I probably need to get out more – but smiley star shaped stickers!). Here is the first page, blank. I’ll post again when it is full of happy little stars

4. Our first ‘race’ is two weeks today. That was just stupid yesterday but today I see it differently. Today I see it as part of my learning curve. It won’t be fast, in fact it will be very slow but it has been a very long time since I’ve run in a crowd, the timings for when to eat, when to pee, when to warm up…. are all different so it will be a great, if difficult experience. I know I can do the distance. I’ve done it twice now in the last 4 weeks and once I did it when I really really wasn’t in a happy running place.

So, yesterday running  made me miserable, and it really did. Today I feel better. Today I am pleased that the 6.5 miles yesterday haven’t resulted in any niggles or even stiffness. My legs were a little tight but the walk sorted that. Today I am proud of how far I’ve come and (while still totally unfit) how much fitter I am than I was. I am back in that tiny little zone in my head that knows that I can do most things I really put my mind to. It’s a little zone, a tiny one, one that I don’t manage to get myself into very often, one that shuts the door on my depressive black Labrador and on all the doubts, questions and negativity. It’s the zone that knows that this girl can and it is the zone that is learning to shout and be heard over all that other crap. So, Leeds: here’s my number. Look out for me. I won’t be running fast but I will be running because I have decided I am doing this so whether I can or not is actually irrelevant, I am doing it.

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Being honest

Jess Guth1 Comment

At the start of this whole blogging thing I said I’d be honest. So here is honest: today I really hated running. Really hated it. All 6.5 miles of it. I got up early, stupidly early to start the day with a positive, with an achievement. The running experience today is right up there with having one of those internal camera things put down my throat, having stitches removed or the dentist prodding your gums. Not painful exactly, just unpleasant. Something you really wish wasn’t happening to you.

Kath and I were out of sync. It felt like she was disappointed at the pace, critical of my running style, not helpful and not supportive. She of course felt that there wasn’t anything she could say that would help and she was probably right. It was all just awful. Today running did not make feel better. There wasn’t and still isn’t a sense of achievement for having run another 6.5miles. There is just disappointment that I just can’t shake off, there’s a sense of just not being able to do it, a sense that the goals we’ve set are so far out of reach that trying is a bit pointless. Today running just made me miserable.

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

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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