Inspiration, perspiration, and inebriation!

What a difference a few days can make.....

Earlier this week I was feeling a bit down and sorry for myself after giving up too easily in a session on the treadmill. Come Sunday evening, and looking back over the week, I am chuffed to say it's ended on a high note :-).

Re-motivation came in the form of inspiration from various people. A work colleague tried his best to show his support and encouragement by telling me a very scary story about collapsing at mile 12 of a half marathon. It was really nice of him to share his own lowest moment, but I can honestly say now that I won't be signing up for a half marathon in a hurry! He has though, for the Edinburgh Half, and I'll be eagerly following the progress of his own personal challenge.

The same day I got a text from my best friend who moved to a new life down under a few months ago. We had started our Women's 10k training together last year and though I didn't manage it, I am proud to say K did, and when I got my confidence back in the summer we kept running together, going along to parkrun (more of this in a moment) and joining the Glasgow Running Network. Losing her to the attractions of Australia was a bit of a blow but we are constantly in touch and one of our favourite subjects is comparing our running progress.

With an average temperature of 29 degrees at the moment though, K has had to revert to the treadmill (so have I, but not cos it's too hot outside...Oh if only, in Scotland!) and without planning to, or with anyone by her side to cheer her on and encourage her, she texted to say she had just done 21k, ie a half marathon, at the gym, much to her own disbelief! This was no mean feat, having started running just last year, and only ever done a maximum of 10k. Well, I am still completely in awe 4 days later at her achievement and as proud of her as a best friend could be. Only shame is that I can't give her a huge well done hug in person (probably just as well as I think I would hug her to death!).

Inspiration no.3 came yesterday when I returned for the first time this year to Glasgow's most welcoming and friendliest (in my wee opinion) running community, parkrun. Parkrun is a free, timed 5k organised by volunteers which takes place every week without fail (even on christmas day!) in Pollok Park on Saturdays at 9.30am. It's been going for just over a year, and I first went along in June last year after K had given it a try first. I've managed to get my personal best down from dropping out after the first lap (about 3k) on my first attempt to completing the 5k course in 34:27, and hoping to get faster this year.

But running the actual race is just part of parkrun. Equal satisfaction (and you might say even greater if you count watching people come in at the finish line with a huge smile on their face as satisfying :-)) is helping that week's race take place by volunteering. I've done it a couple of times now, and though nerve-wracking (big sweaty fellas lumbering over me as my frozen fingers make sure I type their finishing place correctly into the laptop, eek!) it's been made more than worth it by the friendships which are now forming with the other volunteers. It was a lovely moment proudly typing in A's finishing time on Saturday, who I had met my first time volunteering, and who is returning from his own setback due to injury.

The only reason that Glasgow parkrun happened was down to a lovely guy called Richard Leyton who had seen it work in England, and now living in Glasgow wanted to start it up here. So he is my final inspirational model this week, cos if he hadn't gotten up off his ass, instead of leaving it up to someone else, and decided to start parkrun with some fellow enthusiasts, then I wouldn't have gotten my ass up out of bed on many a Saturday morning...come to think of it though, shouldn't I blaming him rather than thanking him, for all those missed long lies? ;-)

And a big shoutout to all who came along on Saturday for the highest attendance so far, a whopping 267! To think it was averaging 50-60 this time last year - who says the residents of the West of Scotland are the unhealthiest in the UK! Check out the parkrun website http://www.parkrun.org.uk/glasgow/Home.aspx or facebook page http://www.facebook.com/glasgowparkrun?ref=nf if you fancy joining us next Saturday (pre-registration via the website and printing off a barcode from your welcome email is required if you want your official time recorded).

I've no doubt that thinking about all these inspirational people kept me going when I managed to run for 8k at the gym today, the most I've done on the treadmill so far! And that's despite the bottle of wine I had last night, but don't tell anyone....;-)

Ok, so here goes.../

Hello all, firstly let me introduce myself. My name is Cat, I am a 30 year old psychology student, and a wife and mother of one. I'm a 10k virgin, and in actual fact I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to all types of running! I still can't quite believe I have signed up for this, if you were to ask me this time last year, I'd have become breathless just at the thought of it!

At the beginning of 2009, I was 5 and a half stones overweight, and the only exercise I partook in was walking to the kitchen to top up my wine glass, however, I was turning 30 in July '09, and I really didn't want to spend my 30's the way I'd spent to majority of my 20's - overweight and miserable! I began controlling what I was eating in January '09, and went to my local Body Combat and Body Pump classes at least five times a week. It's been hard work, but I saw results really quickly as the weight started falling off. By July '09, I'd reached a weight I was comfortable at (just in time for my 30th birthday holiday).

I've maintained my weight loss, and I'm still an avid BC & BP go-er, however I'd like to lose one more stone and felt that going into the new year I need a new goal to keep me focussed on this. When my friend suggested we sign up for the 10k in May, although the thought was daunting as I had never ran any grat distance before, I knew this would be the ideal challenge for me. I started training two weeks ago, on the treadmill at the gym.

The first time I walked for 3 minutes, ran for 3 minutes, over 38 minutes (I thought I was going to pass out at the end of each run), but I kept at it and within a few days, I felt confident enough to increase my times. So now I'm walking 4 minutes and running 6 minutes over 60 a minute period! :0O...

Two weeks ago I entered this race with a sense of trepidation, however, I now feel confident that I'll be able to at least finish the 10k, and I'll be delighted if I manage to do that under 60 minutes (I'm even starting to believe that is a possibility!).....

It's pure mental, so it is

In my first blog I was talking about my fear of not being able to complete the Women's 10k. Certainly when I chickened out last year it was the fear of not being able to physically make it to the finish line, but almost a year on I'm now discovering that the mental challenge is just as difficult to conquer as the physical one. In fact you could say that once your body is in shape enough to run for an hour or thereabouts (I fall into the 'thereabouts' camp), you've kinda got a 10k licked (I'm not saying my body is in that shape yet though!).

Then I hit the treadmill tonight and despite running 7.5k and 6k in my last two sessions of this week, I only managed a paltry 3k tonight! And for the past few hours since getting home I have beaten myself black and blue (metaphorically) about such a rubbish performance. I mean, what a waste of energy is that though! It would have been much easier to not have given up at 3k and tried to run for just another couple of kilometres than to spend all evening brooding about it.

So, I guess I need to give myself a mental kick up the bum and a) don't give up so easily when things aren't going my way (eg I hated the music on my ipod tonight, I hated where the treadmill was in the gym) and b) don't waste so much energy going over and over what went wrong, when I can't go back in time and change it anyway! Rome wasn't built in a day and the next few months of training are certainly not all going to be wine and roses.....The wine and box of Roses will come on the evening of 9th May!

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PS I didn't know whether to post this tonight cos I thought it was all a bit negative and feeling sorry for myself but talking to my friend after the gym she said she likes it when she reads about other people's not-so-good experiences of training. Not cos she revels in their pain, but cos she says at least you know you're not the only person who feels like that! So this is for you N :-)

What have I done......?!

I don't know what's scarier right now....the thought of completing my first ever Women's 10k or committing to writing this blog from now till the 9th of May!

No longer can I kid myself about my training schedule, healthy diet regime, target finishing time - if I blog it, I'll have to do it. But then, even telling people that you are running the Women's 10k doesn't necessarily guarantee the medal, t-shirt, and goody bag, come race day. If only you could get all that for just talking about it (so that's where I was going wrong for the past 10 years....) but to my dismay you actually have to follow through and run the blinking thing.

See, I had a bit of a bad experience last year. Even though my best friend and I started training early (before New Year and resolution fever) and joined one of the Glasgow Running Network's Beginners 10k courses, I managed to bottle it before May arrived and on the day of the Women's 10k I was nowhere to be seen when my friends were lining up to face the challenge. I was absolutely gutted but had convinced myself that I just wouldn't manage it (if only I had believed all those people who told me it was perfectly okay to walk/jog or even walk the entire thing). However, a month later I completed my first official race, a nice friendly and not at all scary 5k, and proudly displayed my Race For Life medal on my desk at work. I then ran the Great Scottish Run 10k in September with a time of 1:15 (who cares about the time, I actually finished it, much to my disbelief!).

So even though I can now say that I have run a 10k, and got the medal to prove it (I do love a medal!), I still have the spectre of the Women's 10k haunting me from last year. Plus, the race t-shirt is really cool!

I'm really looking forward to writing all about my training experiences in the coming months, and hope people feel inspired to leave comments about their experiences, especially any girls who are as feart as me!

Time to Start...

Firstly a little introduction - my name is Julie and I am a hard working Mum, Wife and Nurse. I work long shifts (12 hour shifts) and use my running as a way to de-stress.

OK, so the panic has started. With just a few months to go till the big day, I really need to start running again. The same thing happens each year, I build up to a good level before Christmas and struggle to get started again! I used the snow as an excuse over the last couple of weeks, but intend to get back to it this week - I even treated myself to a new pair of trainers :D

I run with JogScotland Airdrie, who are brilliant. Always such a great laugh and the leaders are great at getting us to run up all those hills! Due to work, I can only commit to once a week, so go to the gym also.

Last year was my first ever 10K (1:11), now I know what to expect I am hoping to do a little better this year.

The target this week is to get back out on the streets.

Good luck to everyone!

Fitness Testing!!

Hello there and congratulations to everyone that has signed up so far, I can't wait!

The University of Glasgow Sport & Recreation Service are giving me some training support and so the first thing is a fitness test tomorrow morning @9.30am.

It all seemed quite a good idea and now I have to say that I am a bit nervous... and that was before I was told that I had to fast from 10pm tonight!

It is going to involve a 'continual ramp test that will continue until I physically can't continue anymore'! Happy days.

At the end of it though - I will be able to compare against other runners, including top Kenyan athletes so that will give me something to aim for!

Will let you know the results - well I might but it maybe depends what they are... the things we do!

Training update

Hello again,

Its been a while but here goes:
I dusted off the trainers on Friday evening , met up with three of the girls and went for a short sharp jog 2 miles steady avoiding the ice patches .
Everybody seems fine to be back out running blowing away the cobwebs and already the conversation piece is the Womens 10K.....Thanks to the recent advertising in the Evening Times and the Cardboard cutouts springing up in the Glasgow club premises , we are all well aware that the countdown has begun..
Saturday morning we repeated the 2 miles, worked a little harder though and the ice patches are all but gone a little reassurance that the runners weather will soon be here , i love the cold crispy spring mornings for running / cant wait.
Monday morning 10am/ BODY ATTACK Now i know i am back in training for the run , body attack is not for the faint hearted but if you feel like getting fit fast/ this may be the way to go and can i just add that Lorraine may be the (scariest) Best fitness instructor on the circuit if she cant make you work hard no one can !!

Right....lets get going!

Hi!! Well I'm also new to blogging so I will try my best to keep this interesting and full of tips for the readers! I have been running for just over a year and took part in my first ever Women's 10K last May which I thoroughly enjoyed. The atmosphere and the feeling when you had finished was amazing, I would highly recommend it to anyone....especially those who are still a bit unsure to sign up for it.

Signing up for it now gives you the incentive to get out there on those cold winter nights and that's how I feel my running has improved. With the snow and ice playing havoc with my running I'm so excited to get back into it once again. My time last year at the Women's 10K was 01:05:19, and my time for the Great Scottish Run was 00:59:47 so I'm aiming for a new personal best - I hope you're joining me!!

Running is such a popular activity and there's so much of it going on...whether you go out on your own, with friends or with a club - you're bound to feel the benefit of it quickly. I joined a running club towards the end of last year and it has improved my running and my training schedule - which I will be keeping you all up to date about!

I last went for a run on Saturday which was a 7K run (roughly around 4.3 miles). It felt good to get back out and I'll build up my mileage over the next few weeks. I'm off to netball tonight - I like to vary my exercise routine!!

Good luck with your training, speak soon!

Emily x

Beginner....well sort of

Although I'm not entirely new to running, this is the first year I've ever signed myself up do a race despite vowing to do it every year! I think the Women's 10k is a good race to start with because so many women with different abilities take part so I know I'm in good company with all the other first timers. I'm aiming for around 1 hour, so I really do need to work hard.

I signed up in October and glad I did it so early because after the festive break I feel really lethargic and knowing I've signed up to run the race means that I have to get out there and start running (...next week!)! I did start my training in October/November and worked up to around 5k, so I was half way there!!! But I reckon the reset button has well and truly been pressed and I'll be back to puffing and panting after just 5 minutes. I won't let it stop me I'm determined to do this in a decent time so I will push myself and I've found it doesn't take long to build up the stamina.

I also have a another incentive to get out and start training, my sister has also signed up to do the Women's 10k and reckons she'll manage a better time than me so the sibling rivalry will definately kick in!

Time to start training...

I’m Angie McQueen, one of the four Faces of the Race and already it’s been quite an exciting January. We attended the Women’s 10K press launch last week which was freezing but a great experience. I felt nervous just before I arrived but I was soon in the swing of things posing on top of the bus along with the other girls and seeing my picture in the paper was quite something! My trainings going well, in fact I’ve just done the ‘school run’ – literally! I seem to run everywhere at the moment. I’m keeping to my routine of doing 5K every morning, something I never thought I would be able to do. I usually keep to the same route, from Gourock Pool to the Western Ferry but occasionally I do a little extra and I’ve considering investing in a good pedometer to find out the exact distance that I’m covering, I’ve a feeling it may be a bit more than 5K which I’m really pleased with. Still got a lot more work to do though to build up to the 10K but I’m feeling more confident as time goes on.

Another thing on my ‘to do’ list is to get in touch with Alzheimer Scotland and find out how I go about arranging my sponsorship! I’m hoping the fact that I’m a Face of the Race this year will boost the funds that I raise, I’d like to raise as much as possible for them as the support my mother has received has been incredible!

All the best with your own training and I’ll be in touch soon with another update.

Angie.