So it's February ... I did my first half marathon last November. What happened? I couldn't bring myself to write about the race afterwards and I have no idea why. Because it was brilliant! I was on a high afterwards. I loved it (well, most of it!), I felt a huge sense of pride and achievement. I felt so much, I didn't know what to write. I just couldn't begin. So I didn't... and then time passed and it seemed to far away and I lost momentum.
But now I want to start blogging about running again, so I feel I have to update things. I hate leaving work unfinished!
So, quick race report.
Michelle was unable to run. She was still hobbling and in pain on the race day, but she insisted on coming to Norwich with me to drive me there and support me. She was awesome. I felt terrible that we couldn't do it together after all the training, and she was pretty gutted too, but she was/is an amazing friend.
It was a freezing freezing day. It snowed the night before, thankfully just a sprinkling but it was so cold and grey when we started. I was so excited lining up to start and was just determined to run my own pace and enjoy it.
And enjoy it I did. I made a point to say hello and chat to people and I had a couple of lovely chats with people who I ran with for the odd mile here or there. I said hello and thank you (and even high fived!) to all the marshals and people offering water. I smiled a lot and took some photos! After the first mile the sun came out and it was one of those glorious cold sunny winter days. We ran around pretty little country lanes, past houses where people came out to cheer and clap.
When I ran past the half way sign I felt elated. I hadn't stopped and walked yet and I was feeling great.
Between miles 8 and 9 it was horribly hilly but I kept going, but those hills made my hip start to ache. By mile 10 I was starting to really flag and slow down. And then I hit another massive hill approaching mile 11 and had to walk up it, and then the weather turned. I kept going, determined to try and get to the finish before it started to rain, but I was getting slower and slower, running for 5 mins then having to walk for a minute, and at mile 12 it started to bucket down, cold, heavy sleety snowy rain. My glasses were fogged, I was wading through freezing puddles. Started to hate it, just wanted to finish.
Shortly after that, we turned back into the Norwich showground and had a mile lap to do in front of the spectators (and earlier finishers), in the rain. It was miserable. Thankfully i saw Michelle as I started that final mile and that little cheer kept me going.
I still had to walk run that last mile, until the last quarter mile when I just went for it! I came over the line with a massive grin on my face and burst into tears. I couldn't believe how amazing it felt to finish. I was so overwhelmed by what I'd what I'd achieved. I finished in 2 hours 45. Fine for my pace and i was just glad to finish although I really wish I hadn't walked and got closer to 2.5 hours.
I ached a lot after- it was a painfully slow (and wet) walk back to the car. And I kept getting cramp in the car on the way home. But I felt epic. EPIC. I wanted to do it again...
Showing posts with label Norwich City Half Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Norwich City Half Marathon. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Monday, 19 October 2015
Back in the zone - 8 mile run
Yesterday, Sunday 18th October I managed a good long run to get my head back into the half marathon training.
Before going out I had been dreading it, and convinced I wouldn't be able to make it more than 5 miles. However it went really well which has really helped me regain my confidence about this half marathon... which by the way is now 4 weeks and 6 days away! Gulp.
I was feeling very stiff and achey from an exercise class (kettle bells and squats) on Friday which I really regretted doing. So I was not expecting the run to go well, and when I met my running buddy she was also in pain and her toe was still throbbing from her Royal Parks Half Marathon the weekend before. So it didn't bode well, however we started off on another beautiful sunny Autumn morning and there was lots to catch up on to hear how her half marathon went last week so a lovely chatty run.
We set off on an 8 mile route, but both us said we would have been happy to achieve a 10km (6 miles). The first 3 miles was really tough, as always, I felt like I was wading through treacle and I honestly thought that even achieving 6 miles was going to be impossible.
Thankfully as usual, around mile 4 I got into a groove and was pleasantly surprised that my hip felt fine, and the stiffness from the kettlebell class was actually calming down, as though the run was loosening and waking up my muscles. 10kms passed and all felt good and I started to feel that actually, 8 miles was completely do-able. And so we did it. The last half mile was really hard work, and my hip, thigh and lower back was starting to get stiff. However, despite that struggle, hilariously we ran the last 3/4s of a mile at a pace I usually save for a fast 5k race! I think having the end in sight, and wanting to get there quicker just pushed me along!
I felt ecstatic - really really pleased with myself and I can't tell you how important that run was mentally to feel like I can achieve this half marathon and that training is back on track. If I had not been able to achieve this run I would have been feeling behind and struggling to get my distances back up.
It's still going to be a push - We think we only have time for 2 more long runs. Later this week on Friday we will have another long run, hopefully 10 miles but then it's half term the week after, and I'm going to be doings thing with my little Monster, including a weekend visiting friends in Spain, so a long run is not possible. We then plan to have our final long run of 11-12 miles the first week of November, before resting for two weeks before the event on 22nd November.
And this morning? Well my hip and bum are still incredibly stiff and uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it's still the after effect of the over the top kettle bell class that I shouldn't have done on Friday!
Feeling positive about running though. Back in the zone!
Before going out I had been dreading it, and convinced I wouldn't be able to make it more than 5 miles. However it went really well which has really helped me regain my confidence about this half marathon... which by the way is now 4 weeks and 6 days away! Gulp.
I was feeling very stiff and achey from an exercise class (kettle bells and squats) on Friday which I really regretted doing. So I was not expecting the run to go well, and when I met my running buddy she was also in pain and her toe was still throbbing from her Royal Parks Half Marathon the weekend before. So it didn't bode well, however we started off on another beautiful sunny Autumn morning and there was lots to catch up on to hear how her half marathon went last week so a lovely chatty run.
We set off on an 8 mile route, but both us said we would have been happy to achieve a 10km (6 miles). The first 3 miles was really tough, as always, I felt like I was wading through treacle and I honestly thought that even achieving 6 miles was going to be impossible.
Thankfully as usual, around mile 4 I got into a groove and was pleasantly surprised that my hip felt fine, and the stiffness from the kettlebell class was actually calming down, as though the run was loosening and waking up my muscles. 10kms passed and all felt good and I started to feel that actually, 8 miles was completely do-able. And so we did it. The last half mile was really hard work, and my hip, thigh and lower back was starting to get stiff. However, despite that struggle, hilariously we ran the last 3/4s of a mile at a pace I usually save for a fast 5k race! I think having the end in sight, and wanting to get there quicker just pushed me along!
I felt ecstatic - really really pleased with myself and I can't tell you how important that run was mentally to feel like I can achieve this half marathon and that training is back on track. If I had not been able to achieve this run I would have been feeling behind and struggling to get my distances back up.
It's still going to be a push - We think we only have time for 2 more long runs. Later this week on Friday we will have another long run, hopefully 10 miles but then it's half term the week after, and I'm going to be doings thing with my little Monster, including a weekend visiting friends in Spain, so a long run is not possible. We then plan to have our final long run of 11-12 miles the first week of November, before resting for two weeks before the event on 22nd November.
And this morning? Well my hip and bum are still incredibly stiff and uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it's still the after effect of the over the top kettle bell class that I shouldn't have done on Friday!
Feeling positive about running though. Back in the zone!
Monday, 5 October 2015
Double run day and first time physio!
Yesterday was a beautiful day. Started off cold and crisp, and bright and sunny and my son and I headed off to Junior parkrun full of excitement and with a spring in our steps to enjoy the sunshine. The leaves are just starting to turn and the park looked so pretty and by the time we started to run, it was surprisingly warm. The last gasp of summer in October! As he is only 4, bless him, junior park run for us is more a fun thing, with lots of walk breaks, and chasing and racing from tree to tree and playing tag. He adores sprinting over the finish line though, and yesterday he was much faster than usual because he had a batman t shirt on!
He runs the 2km (1.5mile) course in times ranging from 18-20 minutes. Some of the over 10s at junior parkrun are amazing and finish in 7 minutes! My aim is not to push him into running or being competitive at all at this age. To me it's just important that he enjoys some physical activity and being outside, and it's nice to enjoy it together.
After dropping him at home I was off on my own run with my running buddy and by 10.30am it was positively tropical out! Such a nice sunny day for a run. As usual we went out all excited and feeling great, and went off far too fast (10m30s per mile!) so by mile 2 I was really out of puff! We had a plan to run for about 45 minutes, and we had said we would go slow and take it easy but we start talking and just speed up and even when we tell each other to slow down we do and then forget and speed up again!
It's good for me though, as if I ran on my own I would plod and never push myself. With Michelle I push myself to keep up with her.
After mile 3 my hip started to niggle again :( we kept going but decided not to push for an extra little loop around a park we like, and head back for home, with a plan of running for 40 minutes instead of 45. In the end we completed 6kms (3.75 miles) in 40 minutes and I was happy with that as it was faster than my usual pace, given that I hadn't run for a whole week and was recovering... however by the end my hip and butt cheek was very unhappy. I spent the day stretching and hoping this wouldn't turn into something serious.
However my biggest issue at the moment is that when this happens, I'm afraid to tell my husband, because he's so negative about me running that he will use it as an excuse to try to put me off running.
Likewise, I had not told him that I had an appointment booked in with a physio this morning....
Fast forward (through coffee shops, cooking, homework, mowing the lawn and Downton Abbey) to today (Monday) ... After the school run I had my appointment with a physiotherapist who specialises in sports and had been recommended to me by other runners.
He was brilliant! He obviously sees a lot of people with similar issues and was really positve. He concluded what I had an inkling of myself - that I lack good muscle strength in my body and in particular the muscles in my hips and thighs and bum that are the main controller of running, lack strength. This is fine if I just keep running comfortably up to 5-6kms but once running regular 10kms and more, my muscles are struggling as they don't have the strength to keep me going for runs over an hour without causing pain.
He showed me how, as a result, my knees are bowing in, to over compensate for the tightness and strain those muscles are feeling which is in turn making the hip hurt more, slowing me down, causing me to waste energy. After lots of questions, watching me stand, walk, stand on one leg, bend my knees, touch my toes etc, then he spent about 20 minutes manipulating the muscles in my right thigh, hip and bum to try and loosen up the muscles. It was EXTREMELY painful! But, it helped a lot, the mobility in that leg and hip improved immensely as a result by the end of the session.
He then took me through two exercises that I have to do twice every day for the next 6 days to start to build up my strength. He also thankfully said I should NOT stop running, but just stick to 3mile runs for the next week, as that is the point at which it starts to suffer.
His theory is that with perhaps 3 sessions with him and 6 weeks of exercises (and he said he will change and add more exercises each week), my hips will be a lot stronger, I will be able to run longer without pain, and ultimately run better with less after effect.
Very interesting talking to him and I'm feeling more positive now about tackling the half marathon next month. Just have to make sure I do these exercises twice a day now! Oh, those exercises if you're interested are:
Single leg bridge, 10sec Left, 10 sec right x 10
Side leg race (lying on left, raising right leg) hold for 30seconds x 10
And finally... last night, running buddy Michelle sent me a plan for our longer runs for Norwich. Our aim is to get up to 12 miles before then. So off we go!
Lisa x
He runs the 2km (1.5mile) course in times ranging from 18-20 minutes. Some of the over 10s at junior parkrun are amazing and finish in 7 minutes! My aim is not to push him into running or being competitive at all at this age. To me it's just important that he enjoys some physical activity and being outside, and it's nice to enjoy it together.
After dropping him at home I was off on my own run with my running buddy and by 10.30am it was positively tropical out! Such a nice sunny day for a run. As usual we went out all excited and feeling great, and went off far too fast (10m30s per mile!) so by mile 2 I was really out of puff! We had a plan to run for about 45 minutes, and we had said we would go slow and take it easy but we start talking and just speed up and even when we tell each other to slow down we do and then forget and speed up again!
It's good for me though, as if I ran on my own I would plod and never push myself. With Michelle I push myself to keep up with her.
After mile 3 my hip started to niggle again :( we kept going but decided not to push for an extra little loop around a park we like, and head back for home, with a plan of running for 40 minutes instead of 45. In the end we completed 6kms (3.75 miles) in 40 minutes and I was happy with that as it was faster than my usual pace, given that I hadn't run for a whole week and was recovering... however by the end my hip and butt cheek was very unhappy. I spent the day stretching and hoping this wouldn't turn into something serious.
However my biggest issue at the moment is that when this happens, I'm afraid to tell my husband, because he's so negative about me running that he will use it as an excuse to try to put me off running.
Likewise, I had not told him that I had an appointment booked in with a physio this morning....
Fast forward (through coffee shops, cooking, homework, mowing the lawn and Downton Abbey) to today (Monday) ... After the school run I had my appointment with a physiotherapist who specialises in sports and had been recommended to me by other runners.
He was brilliant! He obviously sees a lot of people with similar issues and was really positve. He concluded what I had an inkling of myself - that I lack good muscle strength in my body and in particular the muscles in my hips and thighs and bum that are the main controller of running, lack strength. This is fine if I just keep running comfortably up to 5-6kms but once running regular 10kms and more, my muscles are struggling as they don't have the strength to keep me going for runs over an hour without causing pain.
He showed me how, as a result, my knees are bowing in, to over compensate for the tightness and strain those muscles are feeling which is in turn making the hip hurt more, slowing me down, causing me to waste energy. After lots of questions, watching me stand, walk, stand on one leg, bend my knees, touch my toes etc, then he spent about 20 minutes manipulating the muscles in my right thigh, hip and bum to try and loosen up the muscles. It was EXTREMELY painful! But, it helped a lot, the mobility in that leg and hip improved immensely as a result by the end of the session.
He then took me through two exercises that I have to do twice every day for the next 6 days to start to build up my strength. He also thankfully said I should NOT stop running, but just stick to 3mile runs for the next week, as that is the point at which it starts to suffer.
His theory is that with perhaps 3 sessions with him and 6 weeks of exercises (and he said he will change and add more exercises each week), my hips will be a lot stronger, I will be able to run longer without pain, and ultimately run better with less after effect.
Very interesting talking to him and I'm feeling more positive now about tackling the half marathon next month. Just have to make sure I do these exercises twice a day now! Oh, those exercises if you're interested are:
Single leg bridge, 10sec Left, 10 sec right x 10
Side leg race (lying on left, raising right leg) hold for 30seconds x 10
And finally... last night, running buddy Michelle sent me a plan for our longer runs for Norwich. Our aim is to get up to 12 miles before then. So off we go!
Lisa x
Saturday, 3 October 2015
Fear of injury
It's Saturday night and I haven't run since last Sunday when I did the 10k race at Finsbury Park. Until Tuesday I was very stiff and sore particularly in my right hip and so I had to take it easy. By Thursday I felt fine and wanted to run but a busy work and school and social schedule has meant I just haven't managed to.
I think this is probably for the best. My legs are now properly rested. And hopefully when I do run again in the morning my legs will be fine and I'll have no pain, aches or niggles. Fingers crossed.
The problem is that now I've signed up for this half Marathon on 22nd November I've started to feel really really paranoid about potential injury. I've never had any problems before, but since I started to run the slightly longer training runs over August and September I'm noticing more niggles. And thankfully so far they are just niggles but I don't want them to develop into full injuries in the next 7-8 weeks.
When we ran 9 miles I had a groin twinge in my left leg from mile 7 which was fine the next day and has never bothered me since. I've had a tender left shin on and off since we started the longer runs, which funnily enough doesn't bother me when I'm running but is very tight and sore for the day after a run. And then after my 10km run - the right hip and upper outer thigh was making me limp.
So, possibly prematurely I am going to see a physiotherapist on Monday. I would rather have his assessment before I start the long runs up again, and hopefully prevent anything getting worse. He was recommended by a running friend and he (the physio) is a sport and running specialist. Let's see how that goes!
Before then though I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. My morning of runs is beginning at 9.30am with my little boy at Junior Parkrun and then I'm meeting my running buddy for a 45 minute run.
Will report back!
Lisa x
Friday, 2 October 2015
Time for a new challenge
This week I have signed up for my first ever half marathon. YIKES! I said I would never do that.... my sneaky friend Michelle, who is a run leader with the Dynamos and has recently qualified as a Running Coach and set up the Chelmer Roadrunners group, made me do it.
I have been toying with the idea for a while but never dared say it out load. And I really didn't think it was something I could or wanted to do. Michelle started training for a half marathon in the summer (she's run other half marathons and even the London Marathon before, but has been struggling with injury and getting her fitness back. I offered to join her on the longer runs, just to test what my body could do. I didn't want to sign up to a race and put that pressure on myself... but was curious.
So over the summer we started doing longer runs on a Sunday morning. 7 miles, 8, 9, 10 and even made it to 11 two weeks ago, although I really struggled with 11 and I'm not sure I ran very much of the last half mile!
I started to think that maybe it's possible, with a bit more training, to get up to that magical 13.1 miles of a half marathon.
While we were on a high from our Women's Running 10km race last Sunday we talked each other into it and booked ourselves onto the Norwich City Half Marathon on 22nd November. EEEeeeeeeeek. What have I done?!?!
I can't believe that this time 3 years ago I was massively overweight and hadn't run since school, and now I'm happily paying out money and giving up my weekend to run 13.1 miles or 21kms. Freaking out a bit now actually.
So this week I am resting a little as I've had a sore right hip since running the hilly 10k on Sunday. It's now Friday and I haven't run since Sunday which has been tough ... I'm itching to get my trainers on. I may try and go out for a gentle couple of miles this afternoon or evening to see how my hip feels.
On Sunday my running buddy and I are going to run 4 or 5 miles to test our legs again after the 10k, and because she has her first half marathon next weekend she can't do too much this week.
Then after that, we will be back onto those runs again later in the month, and I look forward to posting my training diaries.
So here I go... wish me luck. Half marathon here I come.
Lisa x
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