Hard enough to want to throw up….

5.25 miles, 49.41mins, ave pace 9.29m/m ave pace

2 mins, 3 mins x 4

1.30 mile warm up at 9.27 m/m pace

2 mins – 7.28m/m     3 mins – 7.40m/m

2 mins – 7.41m/m     3 mins – 7.34m/m

2 mins – 7.28m/m     3 mins – 7.56m/m

2 mins – 7.43m/m     3 mins – 7.28m/m

0.78 miles cool down 9.29m/m ave pace

My legs were jelly the whole way through this and I wanted to throw up from the end of the first rep but I am glad I went.  The reps were slower than they used to be for me but not as slow as I thought they might be.  Good to be back at the club again.

Hopefully I will continue to feel better but I will be taking Silke’s advice as well – thanks Silke!

Thoroughly fed up

Tues 17th Feb – 3 miles, 30mins, trail

After feeling better for my run with David last Sun it all went wrong again.  I woke up Monday feeling rubbish and have felt that way ever since.   My cold bug just came back on again and I have had had absolutely no energy whatsoever.

I have been getting quite stressed about it and so for a variety of reasons I have not been sleeping well either which does not help.  I have been haivng mega amounts of fruit and veg but no difference made.  Unfortuntately I have also been mega comfort eating as getting quite down about it all so am not losing the weight I put on over xmas so doubly depressing.  Not helping that I can’t fit into most of my clothes either.

I pulled out of the nationals on Saturday (and glad I did as I barely managed walking about) and did not do a long run on Sunday either, partly as David pulled out with an injury and partly due to me being totally lethargic and exhausted.

On extra vitamins now as I wondered if I was a bit iron deficient as that has happened to me before but any other ideas and suggestions gratefully appreciated.  This has been since the beginning of January and I am so fed up now.

Hoping to get to the club tonight though but with 9 weeks to the Fling and 14 to Edinburgh I’m scared!!!!

Better again!

10 miles, 1.28.58, ave pace 8.54m/m

8.47, 8.51, 8.37, 8.55, 9.05, 9.12, 8.36, 9.02, 9.00, 8.47

Felt a bit better this morning but not very confident so decided just to do the 10 with David.  I was rather apprehensive as David is doing his first marathon (Edinburgh) and I offered some company for long runs.  However he has a better 10km time and  although I have a better 1/2 marathon time (although not for long I am sure) I knew he would be faster than me.   He claimed to  be worrying about being too slow for me but I knew that was not going to happen. 

I was supposed to be setting the pace but I went off too fast.  It did not really feel like it though and I did not want to keep David back.  Plus I know that I could do with being pushed a bit and keeping the pace up.  I have never done the hills on this route so fast I do not think.

Struggled in the last few miles a bit but managed to pick it up for the last one.   I found it difficult but glad I did it at that pace although my stomach totally tensed up afterwards and I felt in shock!  I have not done 10 miles at that pace in quite a while – in fact probably since Edinburgh last May!

Going to out again next Sunday with David and will try and keep to nearly the same pace for a bit of a longer run as it will be good for me.  I am feeling I am running out of time to get a good time in Edinburgh with the Highland Fling as well.  I would rather have a higher mileage on my long runs already on the road.  I don’t feel the WHW runs are transferring to the road at all.

One step forward, two steps back….

Did not go to the club on Monday night as pacepusher was a bad influence!  He didn’t want to go and my legs were sore from Sunday and the conditions on the ground could have been bad so I let myself be dissuaded!

I knew getting out on Tuesday would be hard and I didn’t end up running especially as going through to Edinburgh for the WHW night.  I found it really interesting and will especially try to keep in my head what Ian and the twins were saying about not worrying about time and making sure you enjoy it.  This is not because I think no-one should be thinking about times etc, just that I know I get too obsessed with that and if I don’t change my view I will be more than a little gutted if I don’t get the gold time that I want.  It’s all very well having bronze, silver and gold awards but I really want the gold one!

Anyway all the way through the night though I could feel my throat getting more and more sore and was feeling really rubbish. I have since been full of the cold all week and there has been no chance I could run, I have barely managed it through each day of work.  Feeling a bit better today though and hoping to do long run tomorrow. 

So this week definitely did not go to plan, here’s next weeks attempt:

Sun – 16 miles with David

Mon – 5 mile speed session at club

Tues – 7 mile tempo run, Body Attack

Wed – swim

Thurs – hill reps (but will be short of time), Body Pump, Body Attack

Fri – spinfit am, Body Balance evening

Sat – 5 miles (?) national cross country – terrified about this!

10 weeks – Fling

12 weeks – Women’s 10km

15 weeks – Edinburgh Marathon

16 weeks – Stirling triathlon

Drover’s Inn to Bridge of Orchy

19.40 miles, 4.05 hours

2.03 hours – WHW at Beinglass to Auchteryre Farm -13.03 ave m/m pace

4.54 min rest at Auchterye farm

32.30 mins Auchteryre to Tyndrum, 2.82 miles, 11.31 ave m/m pace

1.20 hours Tyndrum – Bridge of Orchy, ave pace 12.20 mins

I lost my GPS with 5 miles to go as the battery ran out but managed to work out the last bit and total time with the time in the car when we finished. 

What I really wanted to know today was how long it took me to get to Tyndrum so I had finished the Fling route with an  idea of the total time.  It took me 2.40 with the time taken off from the Drovers to the start so this now leaves me with a total time for the fling of 12.25 hours.  I would like to do it in under 12 hours but not sure if this is now possible.  This time does include that terrible run the other week when I know I have done individual parts of that faster probably taking me to about 12 hours but that does not take into account tiredness from putting it all together on the day.

Anyway to today’s run.  To save taking two cars Neal drove Paul and I to the Drovers and we started running and then he drove to Bridge of Orchy and ran back from there.  We exchanged the car key halfway and then we drove back to the Drovers when we finished to pick him up.

I was tired today after a night out last night (non-drinking) but was okay when I started.  I made the mistake of focusing on getting to Tyndrum which then meant I lost the plot a bit after that.

I probably did my best running uphills today as Paul was with me so I was trying not to slow him down too much.  It was really hard going other than that though as there was plenty of snow on the ground the entire way.  It was also really icy and I think my time would have been a bit better if we had not been picking our way across ice a lot of the time.  We could not even run down the Crianlarich hills as much as I would have liked as it was just too dangerous.

Paul and I at Auchtertyre Farm

I was 20 mins faster to Tyndrum than the last time I did it but then took 1 hr 20 to get to Bridge of Orchy.  I lost the plot a bit early on, then was okay but fell twice!  First time because I thought I would just try to cross the ice and ended up spread eagled on my stomach narrowly avoiding sliding down about 50 feet by grabbing onto some bracken.  I decided just to slide along the ice to get to the other side as there did not seem to be any other way.  Then less than 10 mins later I fell again – just tripping over a stone this time but there was blood and I have some scrapes and bruises and my legs really sting!

The whole way was covered in snow!

I totally lost the will to live a while after that as I was getting convinced there was a LOST conspiracy going on and ‘the others’ had moved Bridge of Orchy.  I was so glad to see the station.  I was therefore really surprised to see that the time was 1hr 20 and a total time of  4.05 as I thought it would be longer.

Training w/b Sun 8th Feb – going to be quite hard this week with going to the WHW night, my management course and going out a couple of other nights

Sun – 19.4 miles WHW

Mon – 5 mile approx speed session at club (although the amount of snow that is falling just now may put paid to that

Tues – run am – that will be hard!

Wed – small run after management course, maybe on treadmill as it will be getting late to run by myself

Thurs – rest (due to no time)

Fri – 16 miles on the road with Louise

Sat – rest or something on the bike

11 weeks to the Fling, 13 weeks to women’s 10km, 16 weeks to Edinburgh marathon, 17 weeks to Stirling triathlon

A bit more focus now

Tues 3rd Feb  5.07 miles fartlek (supposedly)

1 mile warm up

1min – 7.43m/m pace,   2mins – 8.33m/m pace

1min – 7.24m/m, 2mins – 8.19m/m

1min – 7.53m/m,  2 mins – 7.45m/m

1min - 7.47m/m,  2 mins – 7.51m/m

1min – 7.57m/m,  1 min – 8.13m/m

1min – 8.12m/m

This was terrible, I had had too much to eat, I had my throat problem and I just felt awful so I did much less repeats than I thought and certainly at a slower pace than I thought – I could have been sick on any one of them I was feeling so bad.  The recoveries got longer and slower as the run went on which was the only way I could get the reps done at all.  I was really chuffed though that I went out and did it at all.  Missed attack and pump though as I was longer on the run than I thought but as long as the runs get done I am happy.

Thurs 5th Feb 4 miles hill training

1.86miles warm up

4 times up hill in Bellahouston Park – 0.14 miles

1.30 mins at 10.46m/m pace (recovery – 1.36 mins 11.33m/m pace)

1.35 mins at 11.28m/m pace (recovery – 1.37 mins 11.22m/m pace)

1.37mins at 11.46m/m pace (recovery – 1.30 mins 10.46m/m pace

1.43mins at 12.56m/m pace (recovery – 1.41 mins 11.24m/m pace)

Then 4 laps up set of stairs in park (299 feet)

51 secs, 53 secs, 55 secs, 54 secs with about 1min to get back down each time.

Again just glad I got out, the recoveries were slower than I would like but just really felt I needed to get some hills practice in as I have been struggling with that in training runs.

Body Attack but no bike as went to see my nephew instead!

Friday 6th Feb – long road run

13 miles, 2.01.23, ave pace 9.20m/m

I mucked up my GPS here as I forgot before I started the run that I had turned the auto lap off.   Now instead of just doing it manually I changed it a bit into the run and so the first and last bits of the run are not a mile, as it mile lapped it from when I sorted it.

1.11 miles 9.17m/m, 9.20, 9.08, 9.14, 9.20, 9.27, 9.32, 9.31, 9.10, 9.23, 9.23, 9.17, 9.23, 9.32 for 0.89miles

I had my throat problem tonight the whole way round and it was a right struggle.  I could not really talk and it was a tight pain across my chest and back – it occurred to me that it may be like the pain you get during a heart attack, it’s the only way I can think of to describe it.

So it was not a pleasant run but pleased to have got it done at 6 secs per mile faster than my ten mile run last week and I suspect if I had not had that problem then I could have felt stronger and been faster.

Bit of change of plan for the weekend as don’t think a munro would be very sensible given the weather and we are running on the WHW on Sunday now so that someone else can join us.

Total miles for this week: 27

Too slippy for speed

4.74 miles, 43.51, ave pace 9.15m/m

10.02, 9.00, 9.26, 9.20, 6.01 mins  for 0.74miles at 8.01 m/m pace

Although only a smattering of snow compared to where I work it was a bit slippy for a speed session so 5 of us just went for a steady run instead. 

I am just counting this as a tempo run, even though it was shorter than planned.  Happy just to get out though!

Going to change and do a fartlek session of some kind tomorrow now instead as I really need to get back into that – I have not done one in ages.

And after buying all that fruit and veg – I have had 13 portions of fruit/veg today.  But not a lot more than that though!

A bit better

Thurs 29th Jan

Body Attack

Body Pump

Sat 31st Jan

10 miles, 1.34,  ave pace 9.26m/m

9.39, 10.06, 9.35, 9.26, 9.11, 9.34, 9.12, 9.22, 9.10, 9.02

1 hour bike – 17.53km

I had not run all week and mostly rested as I am still feeling rubbish with the remnants of this stupid cold – having trouble sleeping, lacking energy etc.  Have now more overloaded the fridge than usual with fruit and veg and am determined to stop this!  The cost of fruit and veg is criminal!

Neal ran with Lousie but I was still feeling rubbish this morning with the cold so said I would probably be slow and I certainly was at first.  They were in sight of me though so that helped and I certainly felt better as the run went on.   Struggled on the hills though and will need to start doing hill reps again.

Managed to keep the pace up as I wanted the ave pace to be under 9.30’s and finished strongly although tired.  I could have done some more but would rather have finished strongly at 10 miles.  Still feels a long way to go with building up the road mileage for the Edinburgh marathon especially with WHW runs to do and a couple of 1/2 marathons hopefully as well as being unable to miss the women’s 10km! 

Total miles for January – 86.5 so hopefully should easily get more than that in February.  Desperate to get some more quality runs and get my speed going again.  Unfortunately I will miss the next Wed’s at the club as it is the final part of my mangement and leadership course for this year.

This week I am planning (hoping) to do:

Sun – rest (unplanned!)

Mon – 5 miles approx speed at the club

Tues – 10 miles with 5 mile tempo in the middle

              Body Attack and Body Pump

Wed – rest

Thurs – swim am

               5 miles with 6 hill reps

               Body Attack and bike at the gym

Fri – 13 miles road

Sat – 20 miles approx – Beinglass Farm to Bridge of Orchy

I am hoping posting my weekly plans will make me more likely to do them!