6 days to go!

Well I'm really in countdown mode now.  It's Monday and my first half marathon is this week - this Sunday!   Excited and terrified all at the same time.

This weekend Michelle and I had planned a 10km run on Sunday morning when disaster struck! Michelle has injured her back.  I'm so gutted for her, as she's so desperate to do this for me after training together all the way.  I don't want her to feel bad at all but I do feel so sorry for her.  She is under strict orders to rest.  There is a tiny chance she may feel better enough to run next Sunday, but I'm carrying on this week on the belief that I am going to have to do this alone. (Sob sob sob!)

Although that does make me panic slightly, I am not as panicked as I thought or might have been, because... I went out yesterday, on my own, without Michelle and ran that planned 10kms.... and I did it!  And I know I could have kept going.   I did it all alone. No music, no running buddy. I just ran!

That in itself is a massive massive achievement for me.  Some weeks I can't run a 5k on my own. Even a few months ago I couldn't finish a 10km run without some walking.  Seriously.  For me to get over all my mental demons and keep going was amazing.  I felt epic afterwards, even though i wasn't even very fast, my target was just to do it. Without walking. On my own. Result.

It was so windy, but a decent day - no rain, not too warm and not too cold.  I managed to find a good flat out and back route.  Since running these longer runs I've started to really enjoy out and back routes - i like the physical marker of turning around and running back towards home, knowing that the miles left to run are getting shorter with each step.

I ran from my house, up into town, through the parkrun park and was passing 5kms and ready to turn back before I realised it!  I won't lie, i did have my usual negative thoughts for quite a few stretches of that first 5kms but I just kept using all the mental tricks Michelle has taught me.  I would focus on being positive, slow right down when I started to get out of breath and panic, break down the route into chunks in my head.  Then play little games like, I won't look at my tracker on the phone until after that traffic light etc, to stop me getting down-heartened about my pace or miles to go every 5 minutes. I tried to focus on everything around me, and enjoy seeing the city, peering into windows, smiling at parents walking in the park, saying hello to other runners.

I actually ended up doing 10.5kms to get home.  It took me 1 hour 12 minutes.

And then I had a little epiphany.  I'd spoken to a few people about the half marathon and many of them were surprised I wasn't fundraising.  I had said I wouldn't, partly because I didn't want to tell lots of people I was doing this challenge, in the fear that once I started to tell people there was more pressure and more chance of things going wrong or me failing (oh the silly mind games we play!).  But I realised that there is a very very low chance that I will ever do this again, and a few of my friends, on being told I was doing this wanted to support me and asked if I could choose a charity to get sponsorship for.

So I've caved - I've set up a justgiving page for a small charity that works in South Africa that i have been closely linked to for 15 years.   Here is a link.  https://www.justgiving.com/Lisa-Mills4/
I don't want to set a target to raise lots of dosh, but any donations will help keep me mentally focused on the day.  (Especially if I do have to run without Michelle! Sob sob sob!)

So what for the week ahead?  Not a lot, as I know I need to rest to ensure my hip and bum muscles don't get too sore ahead of the long long run on Sunday!  I'll have a little 20 minute run tomorrow and the same again on Thursday, and I'm planning lots of lovely food for before and after.  He he he!

In 6 days time it will all be over!

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

Race Report - Women's Running 10kms WR10K in Finsbury Park

Last Sunday I travelled up to London very early in the morning by train, with two running friends from the Chelmer Roadrunners in a race!  

I'm quite confident about attending these sort of organised races now and see them as a great fun and social occasion - with the post race adrenaline buzz for free  I did my first 10kms in July 2014 and over the last 15 months have now completed a total of 9 races.  But I remember my first and how much I hated it, even though I was with a friend.   I remember them all, all slightly different with different courses, some on the road, some trail runs on National Trust properties, some in the rain, some in the too hot sun.  I've had varying degrees of success but I'm glad I did them all.  I find that signing up to 10km races pushes me to do a bit more and get out of my comfort zone, and keep me running.  This is because to run a 10km race, you can't just turn up.  It's short enough to be achievable but long enough to mean you have to push yourself a little bit more than you might.

Anyway, back to Finsbury Park, late September 2015...

It was a gorgeous sunny Autumn day (actually felt a bit like summer!) and it was lovely to take part in this event that was organised by the Women's Running magazine just for Women.  They have organised 10 such races during the year, up and down the country. This was the last race of the year.

It was a brilliantly well organised race featuring a secure place to leave bags and coats, sponsors giving out freebies, a warm up from a Parolympic Swimmer, pace makers to help people get good times, a well sign posted course with lots of marshals to direct, support and cheer, and best of all at the end we were rewarded for our efforts with a medal, a bottle of water, a t shirt and a bag with some snacks in.  One of the best goody bags I've had at a race. (Don't get me started on the one where I won an ugly mug (for tea!) and a mars bar! a mars bar! really healthy - yuk)!

The course itself was tough.  I was so so glad to be running with friends as I'm not sure i would have managed to run all the way if run leader Julie hadn't been encouraging and threatening me (!) ... especially up the hills... and there were some huge hills.  I had been to Finsbury park before but I'd forgotten the three steep and long hills... mountains!  And the route was two laps of the park... so we did those 3 hills twice ... sob...!

I started off, as usual, far too fast for the first 3-4kms, because I was buzzing and felt good on fresh legs.  I found the middle a real struggle, especially slowing down a lot up the hills and feeling so tired.  But once we got past 7.5kms and I knew the end was in sight it all melted away and I just wanted to get to the finish.  And it was wonderful to be able to manage to speed up and spring finish over the line with Julie, while my other Friend Runcoach Michelle (who is amazing and finished 10 minutes ahead of us), was there cheering us on.

So, not an amazing time due to slowing up those hills, but one i was proud and happy with because I ran all the way. And that's an achievement for me!  I will never run in under 45 minutes.  Probably I'll never get close to running an hour for 10kms... I'm just happy to be running.

After lots of obligatory selfies with our medals... off we went to the pub.  I can't take alcohol in the middle of the day so I rewarded myself with a coke. Rock and Roll!

I hated the race while I was running up those hills, but I love love love the adrenaline rush afterwards and the amazing feeling of satisfaction and achievement from completing it.  

Will I be doing Finsbury Park WR10K again....? no chance.... not with those hills.  But I will be doing something... very soon.  I'm about to embark on a new challenge because this running and racing lark is addictive.  More of that to come in future posts

Thanks for reading
Lisa x