Pipers, a puddle and photos!!

Well, the excitement of the day is over - the camaraderie in the muster groups, the anticipation of walking up to the start line and waiting for the off, the drummers and pipers and others on the route and finally turning into Mosspark Boulevard towards the finish line!

My day had ups and downs - I LOVED the atmosphere, there is nothing like this race!  Part of it I think is the all women thing, the idea of 10,000 women getting together to do the run, each with their own goal - amazing!  It really brings out the best in people, the runners of course, but think about how many volunteers there were.  There are the official ones - the marshalls and so on, but how many people did you see with water stations set up in front of their houses, or giving out jelly beans, or just standing in the rain at the roadside cheering?  It is brilliant!
My back held up well - hopefully I can now just go on from here and get fully back to normal.
My hill training paid off well - the 7-8 K hill in Pollok Park was only hard, not totally knackering!

The not so great bits - well like everyone else - running into that wind was hard, I was cold and wet. (Big temperature contrast with my holiday in the sun)  Didn't realise how wet though till I sat down afterwards, thought the chair must have a puddle but when I got up and looked, I realised it was actually me!  Eeoow - but funny at the same time ;-)    I was kinda tired as well, hadn't fully got over the trip back from our hols.  My time was 1:00:43 - I was a bit disappointed - so I will just have to do better in the Paisley 10K at the end of August!

Worst of all though was the fact that I wasn't in a single Marathon Photos photo!!  Again! - hmmm, maybe a tutu next year??

Hope you all had a great day, that you have a great deal of pride in what you achieved, and that like me, you will be back to do it all again next year!!  Have a good year, train hard, stay safe

Lynn x

Good luck!

With race day almost upon us, we've done all the training we can do! Good luck to everyone tomorrow, we hope you all have a great day and achieve your goals - whether it's a PB or raising lots for charity - and remember, have fun!

Countdown on big sleeps!!

Back from the sun..........to the rain.  According to the forecast tomorrow looks not bad, and sadly Sunday looks not good  :-(    Hate the rain and wind, but nowt we can do about it, so just need to get on with it - this is Scotland, after all.

Did the two runs I needed to do while I was away, a 6 mile and a 3 mile.  They were quite hard - sweat/sun screen blinding you as you go is never good!!  Had some more treatment for my back today, so I'll be doing my last wee jog, just to turn my legs over a bit, on Saturday.

After that, just one more big sleep, and ta dah!!! it'll be the big day.

Hope you all have a brilliant time and achieve whatever you are hoping for!! 

Lynn x

Final Week!

Well its now only 2 days to go till the big day, it is just me or have the last few weeks flown by!?

Unfortunately I have had the worst possible week of training! I have been loaded with the cold and unable to do anything!

I now have not ran for 4 weeks due to my foot injury, however I have kept going to the gym when I can. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve managed a few gym sessions. Last Thursday I went to Glasgow Club Easterhouse and did 40mins on the bike then 30mins on the cross trainer. Friday night I had a weights session at Glasgow Club Whitehill.

Had a break on Saturday, then Sunday morning went to Glasgow Club Whitehill again and did some pool running. Was off on Monday for the bank holiday so went to Glasgow Club Easterhouse and had a great session of 30mins on the cross trainer, then did weights, and then 30mins on the bike. Was feeling really positive and full of good intentions of going to the gym a few nights during this week to keep my fitness up, plus my foot has been a lot better now so was sure I would be fine running on Sunday. Unfortunately though I’ve been floored with this cold!

I really want to take part in the 10k on Sunday, I do it every year and love being a part of such a special event. Hopefully I will be able to do it, even if I have to walk the course if I don’t have the energy to run!

Massive good luck to everyone taking part on Sunday – hope you all get the times you want and have fun!!

It's almost here!! And so is the rain!!!

Well its only a few days till the big day. Where did all the time go at the end? My training is officially done now and apart from teaching a spin class on Friday it's a few easy days and good eating in final preparation. Oh and a sports massage and lots of sleep! Training has been good. Ran 10 miles on Saturday and felt good. Raced on Sunday - a fast 5k at Barshaw Park in Paisley in 20:50 which isn't bad especially after a long run the day before. Monday I did 4 miles easy and Tuesday was spin and 5 miles of hills, finishing off with a speed session on Wed night and weights. Rest day today and Saturday and spin, as I said tomorrow (Friday) then it's the big day. I've done this event for as long as I can remember and have only missed it twice. Once when pregnant and once when i had a broken toe!! It's still my favourite race of the year. There's something about the "women" thing that feels great - us all running together with one goal - to get to the finish line!! Doubtful that I will get the pb I wanted (41mins) due to setbacks in a training and my mums broken leg, but I'll do my best and see if I can get close to 42/43 mins. Good luck to Gemma Rankin, my friend and club mate at Kilbarchan AAC. Gemma will be up there at the front - wish you all the best Gemma!! And also to fellow bloggers Lynn and Claire and all the others who took the time to do this. Finally, let's hope that the weather sorts itself out. Have a great run ladies and stay safe!! Lynne x

Penultimate week of training

With less than 2 weeks to go before the 10k, not only are we really excited about collecting our sponsor money and receiving our race packs (pink t-shirts!), but we’re also trying to push ourselves that little bit further in the last full week of training.

In our penultimate group training session we took a different route and set ourselves the challenge of finishing 6 miles. Whether it was due to the nice weather, the good banter or the new scenic route, 6 miles seemed to pass before we realised it!

Running as a team, we split into sub-groups but we all managed to cover the distance without too much of a gap widening between each group – the important thing was we all found a pace we were comfortable with.

Head of Team Craigholme, our Maths teacher, also gave us a lot of useful information about what to do on race day so we thought we’d share it with everyone — eat a proper breakfast; make sure you have safety pins ready for your race numbers and above all, do not to wear any brand new clothes/trainers on the day!

See you all in 9 days!

Here comes the sun ;-D

Well, as I hinted at the end of my last blog, I am heading off on holiday for a week.  We booked it on the spur of the moment a while back, but I got a fright when I went to put the dates in the calendar and realised how close I had come to being in Gran Canaria during the 10K!! - honestly, old age doesn't come alone!  We leave tomorrow morning, and get back on Thursday 10th.

I had another treatment on my back on Monday.  It has been quite achy since then so I didn't do the planned 3 mile run at the beginning of the week.  This morning I ran 10K on a fairly hilly route, a lovely bright sunny morning, the cycle track bits of it were green and pretty, great to run. It was hard going, but hills are always worthwhile - honest!!  Time was 59:51, not wonderful, but not a disaster.

While we are away I will definitely do another 10k and a 3 miler.  Depending on how I feel, I may also do an extra 3 mile run to make up for the one I missed, but I'll play that by ear.   That will leave just one gentle jog on the Friday, after I get back.  Then its the big day for us all!!!

Enjoy this last push,  this is what all the cold, wet runs have been all about, to get you to the point where you can tackle the actual race fit enough to be able to enjoy the day in the way you choose!!  Doesn't matter if you run, walk/jog or stroll, its brilliant to see so many women there on the day.  So be inspired!!

Week 15/16

Two weeks to go now till the Woman’s 10k, and unfortunately it’s been over two weeks since I last went out a run! Feeling very frustrated! As I reported in my previous blog, I somehow managed to injure the top of my foot. I had an x-ray on it last week and got told there were no immediate signs of damage, a full report is getting sent to my doctor so just keeping my fingers (and toes!) crossed there is no stress fracture!

Didn’t do much exercise last week as tried to rest my foot as much as possible. I had gone to spin class as Glasgow Club Easterhouse on the Monday night, but my foot was hurting when standing up on the bike so had to do the whole class sitting down on the bike! It was rather uncomfortable!

Have tried to do more exercise this week to keep my fitness levels up. Also, I was getting extremely restless from not getting out running! Went to the gym at Glasgow Club Whitehill on Tuesday night for a quick 30mins blast on the bike, and on Wednesday night did my tae bo dvd.

Saturday morning I went to Glasgow Club Whitehill again, this time did 20mins on the bike, then went into the swimming pool. Hubby had found me a floatation belt which allows you to run in the water – which is supposed to be a great way to aid recovery from injury! Think I did about half an hour of pool running, and I have to say I was pretty exhausted by the end!

Sunday I went to Glasgow Club Easterhouse to use the gym there, did 30mins on the cross trainer and then 15mins on the bike!

My foot is definitely feeling much better now, so hopefully it is healing. I will give the running a miss again this week and them maybe attempt a wee jog next weekend and see how it goes!  After all those times in the past I’ve moaned about having to go out a run, I really can’t believe how much I am missing it now!

I have definitely ruled out any hope of getting a decent time in the Woman’s 10k, but hopefully I will still be able to take part. I have done this race for the past few years and love being a part of the event. It’s always a special day with an amazing atmosphere so I hope I don’t have to miss out!

Coffin Dodger

Yes just 2 weeks to the big day and its been an interesting jouney which got off to a great start Jan/Feb (good times, PB etc), turned into a disaster in march (got really run down and my mum broke her leg) and slowly recovered in April (got back into training and put in some reasonable training sessions), but how that will all translate on race day is anyone's guess.

The last 2 weeks has been good training wise.  I've not managed to get back to my club for the Monday night fartlek session which is really good due to caring for my mum, but I have tried to emulate it myself at other times of the week.  I've put in a weekly track session throughout April - 400's, 800's, 1200's and finally 1600s which also really help with speed and I've got my long run up to 10 miles again (probably my least favourite run of the week).  I've also got in 2 hill sessions and some decent treadmill running but if I'm being honest I'm not near where i need to be for a PB of under 41:38 which is my previous best time.  Anyway, you never know what can happen on the day but if I can get near last year's time of 43:05 I'll be pleased considering all that has happened.  That should hopefully keep me in the first 100 home, although with more club runners taking part this year, I might go down the rankings a bit.

As I might have said before, I've been running now for about 25 years (I'm 45 now) and in that time I've had a few strange things happen to me.  Once I ran through a remembrance day service.  Was running roung a route I do in Renfrew and turned a corner only to be in the middle of a 2 minute silence.  That wasn't a good experience, and last week I had another not so good encounter while running on a wet day in Paisley.  On running along a busy road and nearing the end of my run, I wasn' paying too much attention when I was suddenly aware of a man walking backwards with a long black coat on.  In the heat of the moment and realising I had to pull up real fast it was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to watch where he was going only to realise a split second later that he was guiding a coffin out of a church.  I stopped 2 steps off the coffin and the poor people carrying it.  What a fright - for them and me!   What do you do in such circumstances except bow your head and start walking backwards very slowly. 

On a slightly lighter note and staying on the subject of running incidents, once I was running along Glasgow Road in Paisley when a man stepped out a fish and chip shop eating a fish supper. We collided at great speed and his chips went up in the air and came down on top of us both.  He wasn't happy. 

One good thing to come of the last 2 weeks is a great performance by my friend Gemma Rankin at the London Marathon.  Gemma finished the gruelling 26 mile course in an amazing 2-43, taking 6 mins off her previous time and coming 3rd in the masses race.  Amazing!!  Hopefully Gemma will run in the Glasgow 10K in a few weeks and she will be up there at the front so look out for her!!  A rising star I would say!

So, last hard week of training before I start a gradual taper next week.  Have a slight sore throat tonight and my son has a cold so I think I might be getting it - damn!  Will try to get in a good week however and take it easier next week.  Have an appointment with Lynn, the other lady that writes a blog on this site.  Lynn is a brilliant sports therapist and works wonders on my legs to keep my going when training hard.  I'm looking forward to that! 

So good luck to everyone with final training, get out there and have a good week.  It will be worth it on the day!!  Have fun girls!

Some statistics

So here we are, two weeks till the big day!!  Exciting!

I was browsing the 10k website the other day and realised for the first time that the results are broken down by age category (I know, where have I been?!)  Anyway, I had a look at 2010, which was the last time I ran, and discovered that I was 58th home of the 451 in my age group, so I'm looking forward to comparing that with how things go this year. This should have been my last year in that category, but I also noticed that the age range has been changed from 55-59 to 56-60, so I've got an extra year as a vet before I qualify as elderly ;-) !!

I am very pleased to report I have managed to successfully negotiate the Beer Festival......and to let you know that there were some delicious beers!  Wednesday night was fun with friends, I didn't train, other than yoga, on Thursday, and on Friday night Nick and I went to our usual kettlebells class.  As it happened we won a watch, as our instructor didn't have us do any techniques which specifically focussed on the legs.  Our upper bodies were extremely tired on Saturday, but since I wasn't working, we went to the Pollok Park parkrun.  It was a beautiful morning, cold but sunny - just perfect - and the turnout reflected that.  There were 439 runners, the second biggest field ever - amazing!  The big number meant a fair bit of congestion at the start of the run, but despite that I was totally chuffed to record another PB for the course, 29:46.  The first runner home did it in a stunning 17:07, just 6 seconds short of the course record!

Of course we spent the afternoon sitting on the Town Hall floor, just Nick and I this time, a couple of lazy hours sampling good beers, then a delicious veggie paella in La Mesa on the way home - lovely!

One week's training and one week's taper to go. I accidentally stuck a week's holiday in the middle of that......mind you, that means some warm weather training!

Eventful days!

The 25th annual Paisley Beer Festival is on this week from Wednesday to Saturday - making this a tricky week!  I dont drink a huge amount, but I do like to try out maybe 3 or 4 different real ales, - all just half pints, mind you!! - alcohol does dehydrate you, though, and there is always the possibility of a beer disagreeing with you.   I'll be there on Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon so I definitely dont want to be running on Thursday and probably not Sunday either, two of my regular days.   I have kettlebell class on Friday as usual, making running on Saturday morning hard - I have found as I get older that it takes much longer to recover :-p

I was feeling quite good after Sunday's 4.5 miles, so I decided to do my first 6 mile run on Monday. Hubby came out with me, and as we were running down a long slope, he commented on how much he enjoys running downhill.  Me, on the other hand, a couple of years ago I fell when running - not good, pelvis out of alignment etc - so I tend to be a wee bit wary running downhill, it brings thoughts of that fall back.  I was talking about this when, yep, you guessed it, I tripped on an uneven paving stone and swallow dived!!  Must have got distracted from my customary sweep of the ground ahead. :-(  Luckily this time there was no damage apart from stinging hands and a knee, and of course the embarrassment of being sprawled on the pavement of a busy road, so I was able to carry on.  In fact the run was pretty good!  It was a wee bit short of the planned distance at 5.57 miles, but I did it in 52:31 mins.  That works out at about 9:25 minute miles, so the improvement in my speed is continuing! 

There is of course a moral to that story - well two actually. First, DONT take you eyes off the road ahead - d'oh!!  Second is that that story will never be repeated again unless my bottom is firmly plonked on my sofa at the time!

Cant tell you how jiggered I was on Tuesday though, it was hard work getting to work!!  Not surprisingly, my planned kettlebell swings didn't happen. 

So we get to Wednesday morning, and this time a full 6 miles.  It was a horrible run, a cold strong wind, which as ever swirls round and constantly meets you head on!  My hamstring was a bit tight again and my back started to ache in the last mile or two. The only blessing was that the rain stayed off till the last half mile!  Time wise it wasn't too bad, all things considered, an average 9:42 per mile. 

Off to work shortly and when I finish at 8pm, we'll be heading to the Town Hall to do some beer sampling!! 

Happier days!

Well, after the 'totally rubbish' week, happily things have been looking up a bit!  

I had another osteopath treatment on Monday, and didn't train at all that day.  On Tuesday I did a light kettlebell session - I was still feeling achy so I really didn't want to push my luck by running, but the basic kettlebell swing is a good functional exercise, great for core strength.   By Wednesday I thought it was time to head out and went for a 5K jog.  I didn't try to push it at all, so I was pleased that I did the route in a wee bit under 30 mins. 

I took Thursday and Saturday off, and ran on Friday and Sunday.  This week's runs should have been 6 miles, but having written last week off, I decided to stick to 4.5 miles.  The training plan said speed intervals, but again I didn't think my back would cope with that, so I just did  ordinary runs.  Both of them were fairly hilly, so there was a challenge there, but I just ran at what felt a comfortable speed.  The first route was 4.3 miles in 42 minutes, and the second was 4.58miles in 43:21.  My back was achy after both runs, but not too bad.  I was pleased, especially with Sunday's which averaged around 9:30 minute miles.  I decided not to go to kettlebell class on Friday evening - a quit while you're ahead type of decision!!!

So my come back week has been pretty successful I think.  I now need to balance up what the training plan says and what I think my body can do.....so my revised intention is to run the plan's distances, ie 1 x 3 miles and 2 x 6 miles, each of the next two weeks, but not to attempt to achieve the plan's guideline speeds.  I might need to reassess that, but we'll see how it goes.  I have another treatment session in a week's time, so fingers crossed that will keep me on the straight and narrow!

Hope you all watched the London marathon - inspirational!  In particular two Scots - Freya Murray finishing in 2 hours 28 min, and Paisley's Gemma Rankin in an outstanding PB of 2 hours 43 mins.

Speak to you soon x

It's getting close now!

We had a good training session last night and, with only a few weeks to go, we are all feeling more confident and our fitness has improved dramatically. We completed one of our longest routes with a few killer hills to get us ready for the big day. Although by the end of our run we were  quite tired, we will be able to complete the full 10k and with all the hard work we have put in we definitely deserve it!

We only have 2 more training sessions to go but we are really pleased with the huge turnout we have had at all of our training nights since August. Lots of our pupils are going to take part whether it is running or walking the 10k and, with some extra parent participants, Team Craigholme is raring to go! Can't wait for the 13th to raise lots of money for this year’s school charity Cash4Kids. 

Week 14

Disaster has struck! With 4 weeks to go to the 10k, and having been doing the best running I’ve ever managed, I’ve somehow managed to injure my foot!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I had a fantastic start to the week by running a new pb for my 10k. Took a break on Tuesday, then Wednesday I did my tae bo dvd fitness dvd.

Thursday night I decided to go out and go some hill sprints. I had been feeling a wee twinge in my foot since going hill walking a couple of weeks ago, but it hadn’t caused me any problems when running so I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. Managed to do 4 hill sprints on Thursday but then my foot really started to ache and I barely managed to jog back to the house! Since then have been feeling it painful when walking so will need to give running a miss for a week or so at least and will get it checked out – fingers crossed its nothing too serious!

Friday night had a weights session at Glasgow Club Whitehill, then rested on Saturday to avoid causing any more damage to my foot. Sunday I was really itching to get out so went to Glasgow Club Easterhouse and managed to do a good hour of cardio, with 30 mins on the crosstrainer and 30 mins on the bike. That didn’t hurt my foot so at least I know I can still do exercise to keep my fitness levels up even if I can’t get out running!

Hopefully will be able to report better news next week!

A totally rubbish week :-(

Hmmm - not the title I'd imagined for a blog about this week's training as I've been really enthused about only having 5 weeks to go.

Last Sunday my hamstring had been a bit tight, so I didn't push that day's run, not injured though, so not really a concern.  I started the week with a good kettlebell workout on Monday, day off on Tuesday then on Wednesday I set out to do my first intervals run of the week.  Unfortunately my back started playing up again and I gave up quite quickly.  That was when the significance of the tight hamstring dawned on me - with my problem they are connected.  Great.

I had some treatment on Thursday, and the osteopath said that Friday's kettlebell class would be OK so that was good, I was just a bit cautious about what weight I was using and avoided a specific couple of techniques.  Didn't do anything on Saturday.

Today (Sunday), beautiful sunny day, I decided to do a fairly short run, no speed.  I did an out and back along the Cycle Track because it is relatively flat with a good surface, just over 2.5 miles altogether. I struggled a bit, though my back didn't seem too bad.

I have another treatment session tomorrow, so fingers crossed.  Training wise I've just written this week off.  All being well I'll do this week's sessions next week, then move onto the last two weeks of training followed by the taper week - here's hoping!!

Nearly there!! :-)

Its getting exciting now, training wise we're at the business end with 4 weeks full training left, then a taper week......how cool is that?  4 weeks of hard work of course, but that is what brings rewards.  I know I'm never going to be a 'good' runner, but since the end of last year I've got back from injury, and with more focussed training sessions over the last couple of months my speed and stamina have improved to the point that there is a decent chance of me equalling my previous best time (58:21) which I achieved in the Women's 10K in 2010. 

Road running is great because it is about your own goals, it doesn't matter what anyone else can do.  I'm hugely inspired by the talent of elite runners, and I also know how hard they work, but on race day my run is about me!   So we all need to buckle down for the last wee while, it will definitely be worth it on 13th May!!

Week 13

Something strange seems to have happened to be over the last couple of weeks – I suddenly am running faster than I’ve ever managed before!!

Had a slow start to the week, a combination of working late, meeting friends, and strange snow, meant that I didn’t manage to get out running until Thursday. Having ran my previous 5k in just under 27mins I wanted to try for another good time. However I was still amazed to run a 5k in my second best ever time (and best for a couple of years!) of 26m 24s! That was an average speed of 11.4kph, and my mile splits were 8m 36s / 8m 25s / 8m 28s!

To prove it wasn’t a fluke, I went out on Saturday for another 5k run, and pretty much equalled Thursday by doing it in 26m 26s. A part of me was disappointed that I didn’t run it quicker, but then I do tend to find I run better at night. My mile times again were fairly consistent – 8, 27s / 8m 33s / 8m 35s.

Had another rest on Sunday (too many Easter eggs to get through!) then on Monday morning I went out for a 10k run, my first for a while. Full of motivation after my 5k times over the last week, I was feeling positive for a good time. And I am very happy to report that I managed a new PB!! Ran it in 55m 30s (ave 10.8kph), that’s a minute faster than my previous PB, which I achieved at the Woman’s 10k 3 years ago! I was really struggling with the last kilometre and had to slow it right down to be able to make it to 10k, so I know I have it in me to run faster. My mile times were 8m 43s / 8m 40s / 8m 52s / 9m 3s / 9m 4s / 9m 9s so it’s clear to see that I ran the first half much faster, but my last few miles were still at a good pace!

I now feel more positive than ever that I will soon be able to run 10k in under 55mins. Hopefully I can keep going the way I have been lately and reach my goal! I am now hoping for a 5k in under 26mins as well, got to have something to aim for!!

Its been a while.......

Well it has been a while.  And a lot has happened. Last time I wrote I was struggling a bit with my training - times were poor, I felt really tired and things weren't going well at all.  Well just when I thought things were at a bit of a low, something even worse happened.  My mum, aged 83, had an accident.  While trying to get on a Train at Glasgow Central she somehow or other managed to end up falling down between the train and the platform, resulting in a broken leg, torn ligaments in her knee and a haematoma on the front of her leg (like a big blood bruise deep in the tissue).  So for the last 5 weeks I have been on visiting duty!  As an only daughter there is only me and no relatives nearby.  So between working, teaching classes, hospital visiting and trying to keep a 14 year old in check there hasn't been a lot of time for running.

However, I did eventually visit the Doctor about the tiredness just over 4 weeks ago. Doc was great, very sympathetic and took blood to test for a number of things - anaemia, thyroid and diabetes.  Felt quite relieved and was sure one of those things would show up, could be treated and I could move on.  However tests showed nothing apart from low neucrophils which are a type of white blood cell.  So have to be re-tested next week to see if they have returned to normal.  Seems a bit weird as low white blood cells would seem to indicate you would pick up all sorts of germs and colds, while I've got through the whole winter cold free - it just doesn''t seem to add up.

So, about 5 weeks ago, as a result of the tiredness and fatigue and mum's accident I decided to cut out all major training sessions and just run for "fun" for a few weeks. Just slow 3 mile runs, no garmin for timing and no serious sessions - no track, no fartlek and no long run.  After 2 weeks I started to feel better again and a couple of weeks ago I decided to go and run the Sport Relief Mile.  Its not an event I would normally do as its more of a fun run but it seemed like a nice, safe, non competitive run to get me going again.  Did the "mile" 6 times in a great wee loop round the city centre and finished in 40:40 which was quite a surprise.

The next week I introduced some 10K runs and last weekend I took part in the Glasgow Jogging Network 5K at Bellahouston Park and was delighted to win the race in about 21 and a half minutes.  Had the pleasure of the company of a colleague Paul from Glasgow Life for a lot of the course.  Paul ran a blinder and got himself a new PB finishing in front of me. Got lovely flowers, vouchers for Good2run (new trainers!!!!) and a free entry for the Great Scottish Run!   That was a lovely boost and again not an overly competitive race - really nice sometimes to go back to these races rather than the blood, sweat and tears of the much more competitive club races.

Encouraged by these 2 performances and conscious that I'm in a race against time to be ready for the Women's 10K, I've stepped up my training in the last week, doing a couple of speed sessions, one at the track with our Coach Derek Parker (who is very encouraging), one hill session and a long run today which was hard with the wind and the rain.  Not ideal either having raced yesterday but its about "windows" to run just now so had to go for it.  Its 10 miles "in the bag" anyway - thank goodness. 

Yesterday I took part in another race - the 6K "Round the Loch" at Strathclyde Country Park.  25:51 - not bad, but not great. About 4.19 km pace and I need to be at 4.06 so a bit of work to do, but at least I'm running.  But, on the positve side, my friend and fellow club runner Gemma Rankin won the 10 mile race in under 58 mins and is the new Scottish 10 mile champion!!! Gemma now goes on to run in the London marthon in just under 2 weeks and is looking at a time of around 2.45!  For those of you that run on the treadmill that's running at about 16kph for nearly 3 hours!!!  Now that's running!!!!

I promise to be a more regular blogger from here on in.  Hope you are all preparing well - keep it up!   We have just 5 weeks to go!!

Steppin' up

Been meaning to say that I got a pair of Glasgow 2014 laces - won them for sporting my trainers at work on Commonwealth Day back in March.  They are fun - bright red, hoping to work up the nerve to actually put them in my trainers soon!        

So, as I said last time I had two 4.5 mile sessions to add to my hill run this week, both to be 'fast runs'.  I did the first on Friday - 4.7 miles around Paisley on a route with a fair few ups and downs, in 44 minutes.  Delighted with that as the average time per mile was 9:22 - another improvement. If I could keep that speed up for the 10K it would be a new PB for me.  Jiggered afterwards though, increasing distance as well as speed is hard. Phew!!

I did the second one this morning, with some Easter egg before, and some more after - yummy!!  My legs were still a bit tired from Friday's run, so my hubby suggested doing an out and back run along the Cycle Track, going towards Johnstone. It is reasonably flat, so a bit less challenging.  In total I did 4.6 miles, and the time was 45 mins.  The run out wasn't too bad timewise but on the way back I felt one of my hamstrings tightening.  I stopped to stretch which did help for a while but I needed to be a bit cautious. It isn't injured, think it was just a result of being tired before I ran.....and of course as training gets towards its peak, tired legs are a regular feature!!   Still under 10 minute miles though, and I'd have struggled to achieve anything close to that a few weeks ago, so its OK.

Finishing writing now and my mind is drifting towards chocolate and wine................bye!

Feeling better

Thankfully I was feeling better on Monday morning, my immune system plus echinaceae and Vit C doing their job and only one session missed from the training plan! Always the best idea to take a short break if you're not well, it can save weeks of poor health and equally poor training.  Slight throat niggle only now, earache gone, so glad because it was the worst part of it all.   Did a kettlebell workout.

Shoulders still sore from Monday's kettlebells - think I overdid the upper body techniques!!  Also have a cold sore now :-(   Set out on the four loops of hills on cold, sunny Wednesday morning. (Back to full length tights!)  I had a wee blip on the last steep hill when Nick almost literally dragged me on, but otherwise I ran it all.  I was really pleased with a further improvement in my time - 29:31.  Still find the hills very hard, but I feel as if I recover more quickly when I get to the top than I did just a few weeks ago.

My other two runs this week are the move up to 4.5 miles, both of which are scheduled to be 'outwith my comfort zone'.  I'm caught between looking forward to progressing with the training plan, and being a bit nervous about quite a big jump in distance because they are listed as fast runs, and its a few weeks since I last did any more than 3 miles.  Ah well, fingers crossed, best foot forward etc!

School stops but training continues

It’s hard to believe that we were struggling with training in the sun last week, and now we're dealing with snow! Thankfully, we managed to get a run in before it got too cold last night.

Even though it’s Easter break and lots of people are away or studying, we’re very conscious that the 10k is only 6 weeks away so we really need to keep up the training.

Last night we ran a route that was a 1 mile loop and managed to keep going round it 4 and a half times – we couldn’t quite finish that fifth loop! Our time for this was just under 40 mins, and we were happy with that. Mentally, it was tough to run the same loop so often. But we’re getting our distance up gradually and that’s the important thing. If we can do 4.5 miles, a 10k should be within our reach – surely?!  

Week 12

Really can’t believe it’s now April –the last few weeks have flown by! I always feel once we hit April that the Woman’s 10k comes around so quickly as well!

Had a bit of a quieter week of training than normal. After the hill walking last Sunday the muscles were really sore on Monday, particularly my calves from walking downhill for so long! Decided to cancel Spin and have a long soak in the bath instead!

Went out for a run on Tuesday night, and genuinely thought I would struggle as the calves were still aching. However surprised myself (and Hubby!) by doing a 5k in my fastest time for ages in 27 mins 11secs! Ave speed was 11.0kph with my mile splits 8m 41s / 8m 52s / 8m 48s. I felt great after it as well!

Was out Wednesday night so no exercise and then was working late Thursday night. Once I got home I had the great idea to do 100 press ups again, as I had done this a few weeks ago! Did 4 sets of 20 then 2 sets of 10, was losing some form by the end but still managed to do them so was pretty pleased! However my stomach muscles were feeling it the next couple of days!

Friday night I was out again, then on Saturday went to Glasgow Club Haghill for a weights session.

Sunday was the Glasgow Running Network 5k. Hubby made me go through a proper warm up routine for once, so had a jog around Bellahouston Park, then did some dynamic stretching, then a jog back along the final km of the race and then some sprints. I have to say it made such a different as I crossed the finish line in a time of 26 mins 58secs! I couldn’t believe it to be honest, was so happy I was celebrating as if I’d won it!! My mile times were 8m 50s / 9m 11s / 8m 38s. The second mile was up a hill so I started wondering how fast I could have gone had it being a completely flat route! It was a great day all round and the organisation was fantastic so thanks to everyone involved! Hope everyone who took part was as happy as me by the end!

Cycle Track and Pollok Park

So this week I got my speed intervals up to 1K, as required on my training plan.  This was the last week of  the 3 x 3 mile runs, and involved a nice wee change of scene!

I took Monday off, then on Tuesday evening I was back on the Cycle Track, running between the Paisley 10K's 7K and 8K markers.  Nick joined me, the weather was wonderful, short sleeved lightweight top, capris, sunglasses - that part of it was brilliant!  I suppose the next thing to say is that 1K intervals are a LOT harder (and harder on my back) than 700s......and that probably means I dont need to say much else!  I did 3 runs, first and last took 5:30, and the middle one was almost 6 mins.  I had 2- 3 minutes slow jog recovery inbetween them.  With the runs to and from home, altogether a wee bit over 3 miles.

Surprisingly, although my back was quite achy, I recovered not too badly from Tuesday night, so I did a kettlebell session in the garden sunshine on Wednesday afternoon which I really enjoyed - I love training outdoors.  I definitely needed a day off on Thursday, though!  I took Friday off as well.

Saturday was another beautiful morning and Nick & I headed off to Pollok Park for the parkrun.  For those of you who dont know about it, it is a weekly, free, timed 5K run, Info at the following link.  http://www.parkrun.org.uk/glasgow/    It is a really pretty setting, if a tad 'undulating'  I was hoping that the focus on 3 mile runs over the last few weeks would have improved my parkrun performance.............and it did!! Yay!  My time was a PB -  a modest 11 seconds over my previous best, but for me the biggest thing was that I managed to run up all the hills for the first time ever! The route is tough, I believe it has the reputation of being the hardest parkrun in the UK, so I am really chuffed!

Out of the blue, I woke up this morning with a sore throat and earache, so no run today - should have been intervals, but it will be hot drinks instead.  Not prone to illness - fingers crossed it doesn't last, and I'll be back soon to report on the step up to 4.5 miles!

The rest of the week.

Thursday was an absolutely beautiful day.  Hills are never much fun, they are a serious toil........but everything is just so good when the sun's out, isn't it!  I did the same loop as last week, twice one way up the long, slow climb then reversed and twice up the shorter sharp incline, though mind you the sharp incline doesn't completely flatten at the top, so the period of effort is longer than it first appears. :-p    Its 4 x 1K loop, with the run there and back, its a total of 5K.

I pushed myself a bit harder this week, rather than just being content to get round.  I was disappointed that I had to walk a bit at the end of the first long climb, though I managed to run it all on the second loop. In the other direction I was OK on the first steep climb, but needed a walk break on the second.  The big consolation when I got back home, though, was to discover that I had actually taken 48 seconds off my previous time, getting round in 29:54.  Didn't feel quite so bad knowing there was a reason for struggling a bit.

Kettlebell class on Friday night was hard as usual, including a lot of squats and a lot of snatches.  Of course what that meant was that on Sunday morning I went out still quite tired, it definitely takes longer to recover at my age unfortunately.  Plus I'm going to blame the clocks going forward!  I decided to continue working up to my training plan's 1K intervals by doing 700m effort with 300m jog recovery, again on the Cycle Track.   I did 4 x 700m intervals, 3 took around 4 minutes, which was pretty much what I expected, but one, the third, was a rogue 4:20!!  I certainly felt particularly heavy legged for that one, but no idea why that one more than the others. These totalled 4k (2.5 miles) plus the run there and back - altogether 3.5 miles.

Sunday was such a beautiful day to run, and I definitely regretted my long sleeve top! The cycle track was busy with dog walkers, cyclists, parents and children, you would never believe you are so close to busy roads.  I like the friendliness of other exercisers too, its nice when people nod and say hello.

All in this has been a good week, three runs, all requiring effort, and my back is feeling good.  I think the patient build up from injury has paid off.  Next week I'll be having a wee change on the hills front, I'm off work on Saturday so I'm planning to do the Pollok Park parkrun.  It definitely qualifies as a hill session!!

Speak to you soon x

A run in the sun?

The beautiful sunshine and high temperatures are most unexpected in Glasgow at this time of year, and whilst it’s great to get outdoors, it does not make our 10k training any easier!

A few members of Team Craigholme decided to run on Sunday around the south side. In our previous training sessions we have been managing about 4 miles quite comfortably, but with the sun beating down on us, we were struggling after just 2 miles. Finally, after 3 miles of feeling very hot and bothered, we decided to call it a day and headed for a well-deserved ice cream for an alternate cool-down!

We’re heading out again tomorrow, in the late afternoon, so hopefully it will be a bit cooler then. For the first time ever, we’re hoping the weather won’t be quite this nice on 13 May.

Week 11

Just 7 weeks to go now till the Woman’s 10k and I feel as if March has flown by! I always like it when the clocks go forward though as it makes it easier to go out running at night, especially if I’m working late!

Had another varied week of training! Monday night was spin class as usual. Tuesday I did a 6k run. My time was rather slow at 35m 27s, ave speed 10.2kph, but I did run 4 hills as part of my route therefore not too disappointed!

Had various things on this week so wasn’t able to get back out running again until Saturday morning. Did a 7k run, in 40m 18s, ave speed 10.4kph. It was a glorious day for it but didn’t realise it would be quite so hot so ended up regretting wearing a base layer under my t-shirt! My mile splits were 9m15s, 9m12s, 9m23s and 9m29s, so pretty stable! After that I went to the gym at Glasgow Club Whitehill, since I had missed out on my usual Friday night weights session. After that workout I definitely deserved the pizza we had after it!

As it was such a great day on Sunday, the hubby and I decided to go hill walking up Ben Lomond! The legs were getting extremely weary by time we reached the top after almost 3 hours, but it was absolutely worth it for the stunning views! After a half hour break for lunch we trekked back down, which took quite a bit longer than I thought it would!

If you fancy including some hill walking in your training then Glasgow Life runs its own Walking Programme which has a whole range of walks suitable for everyone. Visit www.glasgowlife.org.uk/walking for more information.

Doing the Running Network 5k Fun Run at Bellahouston Park this Sunday. It’s always an enjoyable race and fun atmosphere so I recommend it to anyone not yet signed up! Here’s the link:

www.runglasgow.org/GRN/annual-5k-fun-run.php

I feel the need.....the need for speed!!

Hope you all recognised Tom Cruise's quote from Top Gun!!!

Ok, so this is the week when the speed interval training starts.  Feeling quite enthused about it, because of Sunday's fast run.  I found it very hard, but my average speed per mile improved by about 1/2 a minute on what its been of late, to 9:33.  That gives a 10K finish time under an hour, still a bit short of my  PB - but going in the right direction, so fingers crossed.

The run distances this week are still just 3 miles each, but I was a bit nervous of diving straight into the plan's suggested 1K intervals because of my recovering back injury. I kept my Monday kettlebell session light and decided to be a bit cautious on this first session, which I did on Tuesday, and go for 400 metre intervals with a 400m recovery jog. 

What that meant in reality was running back and forwards along a measured length of Cycle Track.  I did 4 intervals, my times for these were pretty consistent at 2:02 - 2:05. In total that was 3.2K (about 2miles), and the jog from home and back brought the total up to 3 miles.   The plan says that during the recovery jog it doesn't matter how slow you go, but you shouldn't give in to the temptation to walk.  That was a tall order at the end of the last 400, but the thought of my improving stamina kept me going!!

Still to come, hills on Thursday, kettlebells on Friday and more intervals on Sunday, I'll let you know how they go.

Week 10

I had a fairly varied week of training last week. It didn’t get off to a good start as I had to cancel spin on Monday night. Managed to go out for a run on Tuesday night, and did my 4 hills route which woke the legs up!

Took Wednesday night off then went out another run on Thursday night. I decided to try something slightly different with my training – actually running faster! Only did two miles but did it in a time of 17m 29s, ave speed 11kph. If I could keep that pace up it would be a sub-55min 10k! First mile was 8m 50s and second 8m 29s. What I need to do now is keep running at that pace for longer!

Friday night went to Glasgow Club Whitehill for a weights session. On Saturday I went out another run. This time we did a mile and a half warm up, then a training session of a hill run followed by 2 x 400 metre sprints, three times (with 60 seconds recovery between each set). I was definitely feeling it by the end!

Didn’t make it for my usual run on Sunday as went paint balling instead! I think that was actually quite a workout and was certainly more painful!!!! I have the bruises to prove it!

Ups and downs!

Not all plain sailing this week.  I think I maybe didn't listen to my body quite soon enough on Sunday last week, as I started this week with a bit of a sore back.  A bit worrying given that I've only been back to up 3 runs for the last two weeks.  Didn't train at all on Monday, had a sports massage on Tuesday and didn't do anything then either.

By Wednesday my back was definitely improving so I reckoned it was safe to go out.  This week's sessions are all 3 miles, one is a jog and two are 'fast' runs.  A big weakness for me is hills, so I'm planning that the 3 mile jog each week is actually going to be a hill session, and that was what I did on Wednesday.  Near where I live there is a 1K loop, with a sharp hill on one side and a long incline on the other, so I did it twice in each direction.  With the run there and back it is about 5K. Today's time was 30min 42 sec - fingers crossed that I'll take a bit off that next week.

Had a day off on Thursday, my back was still a bit niggly so I thought it was best to give it another rest.  On Friday it was cold and wet all day - not a valid reason for not running, but one which won the day I have to admit.   I didn't go to my regular Friday night kettlebell class either, though I did have a valid excuse for that - my choir concert was on Sunday and the last rehearsal session was on Friday night so I couldn't afford to miss it. 

Saturday was so lovely that I planned to run after work, but I was pretty tired when I got home, so another day off - this time with a valid reason!!

Sunday was Mother's day as you all know, so I was brought breakfast in bed - a great start to the day :)   And another gorgeous day to run.  This time the capris came out of the drawer, and I set out on my first 'fast' run.   The plan gives guideline speeds per mile, but the blurb with it says that if you cant achieve the suggested speed you should simply make sure that you are running 'outwith your comfort zone'. 

Nick came out with me, and encouraged me round a 3 mile loop which definitely felt outwith my comfort zone!  We included quite a bit on the Cycle Track which was pretty busy with dog walkers and cyclists - nice to see!   And did Nick do a good job!  My average speed per mile was 9min 33sec, which I am really pleased with.  It is also at the fast end of the guideline speed for the run - I hadn't expected to achieve that. 

My choir concert at night also went really well - so an iffy week finished on an all round high!!

Week 9

I definitely think I jinxed it last week by saying Spring had arrived, as the snow made a very unwelcome return on Wednesday, and my running tights were back out!

Managed a fairly varied week of training this week. Started off Monday night as usual with Spin. Tuesday night went out a run. The weather was dreadful, heavy rain and very windy, so I blame the conditions for my slow 5k time of 29m 38s! I also ran up three hills during the run which didn’t help either! My mile splits were 9m 41s, 9m 41s and 9m 17s. So constantly slow for the first two and was flying by the final mile, but I think that was more to do with the strong tail wind than ability!!

Had Wednesday and Thursday off, then went to Glasgow Club Easterhouse on Friday night. On the spur of the moment we decided to go to a Spin class which was just starting! After that went into the gym and used the free weights. (Kettle bell swings must be surely be classed as a form of torture!)

Saturday morning Hubby decided that I was going to do some proper interval training for a change! After a mile warm up followed by some dynamic stretching, we did 10 x 400m sprints with a one minute rest period in between each rep. I think it has to be one of the most challenging work outs I’ve ever done! My combined time for the 4k covered was 19m 33s, which is so much faster than I could ever do it normally, but has made me wonder if I could push myself more when out running. My fastest rep was 1m 46s (ave 13.5kpm) and slowest 2m 0s (ave speed 11.9kpm), the rest being somewhere in between! It was a fantastic workout and I definitely think I do need to do more of it.

Went out my usual Sunday run and managed to do 10k, but it was a real struggle. Maybe it was a result of the training on Saturday, or I was just having an off day, but I had no speed at all in my legs! Somehow managed to push myself to 5k on the basis I’d have to run the same distance to get back! My time however was a disappointing 1hr 2m 16s, ave speed 9.6kpm. The main benefit that I can take from it is that even though I was struggling and wanting to give up, I was able to push myself to do the distance. My mile splits were 9m 36s, 10m 23s, 10m 32s, 10m 2s, 9m 53s and 9m 44s, so at least I did improve over the second half of the run!

Have just realised that this blog is week 9 of my training, and there are 9 weeks to go till the 10k! Half way point reached! I feel my training has been going well so far but definitely need to work on my speed!

Nearly had a facial!!

The first week on my 10 week 10K training plan is called a preconditioning week and the 3 sessions are two jogs and one 'comfortable' run, one x 3 and two x 5 miles.  Because I'm just at the tail end of injury rehab and this was only my second week doing 3 runs, I decided to do a 3, a 4 and a 5, to make the increase more gradual.

Did the first one, the 3 miler, on Monday afternoon which was a lovely day, so it was a nice wee run, a loop out from the gym, including a couple of circuits of the Fountain Gardens here in Paisley.  I've never been in them before - quite pretty.  Met up with Nick, my hubby, and joined in with the last while of a kettlebell session he'd been doing while I was out.  Result? -  tired legs on Tuesday!  My older son's birthday was also on Monday, so some very good birthday cake and wine was the order of the evening.  He is now 35, which begs two questions - how did that happen? and when did I get this old??  Hmmm.....

On Wednesday morning I did the 4 mile session and included a couple of hills.  The first one was pretty steep and quite near home. I wasn't really into my stride/breathing at that point, so it was a bit of a struggle.  I got up it without walking, but really didn't help myself by trying to take my jacket off en route (d'oh!) - it got stuck on my watch strap and I ended up having to put it back on before I got to the top!  Dont know what I was thinking - wont be trying that again!!   Was pleased, though, that I didn't have to walk on the hills, just goes to show that getting back to regular training makes a difference.  Also had a lucky escape, because a couple of minutes after I got home there was a hailstorm, so I was spared a major facial exfoliation!

Then I set out on the 5 mile comfortable run on Sunday morning, this one didn't feel so good, legs pretty tired and back achy, so in best 'listen to your body' mode, I called it a day at 4.5miles.  Again time was around 10 minute miles.  Its been a few weeks since I last did 5 miles, and its still 9 weeks till the 10K, so I'm not worried about it - plenty of time.
 
Week 2 sees the start of faster running and doing speed intervals, so bring it on!!

Week 8

Well I think its official, Spring is here! The proof of this is that I have finally ditched the running tights and gone out in my shorts! This is definitely my favourite time of year for running, when the sun is shining but it’s not too hot outside!

My week started off with Spin class at Glasgow Club Easterhouse. Class was as enjoyable and challenging as always! I do think with Spin classes that it never gets easier, as you just turn the resistance up more on the bike!
Tuesday I did my Tase Boe Abs & Glutes dvd in the house. Wednesday and Thursday had the night off!
Friday night went to Glasgow Club Whitehill and had a weights session. I really like the new gym there. It’s fantastic size and a good range of free weights and kettle bells as well at the usual machines!

Saturday I took part in the Combat Stress 5k at Glasgow Green. It was a great day and I was fairly happy with my time of 28mins 28sec (ave speed 10.6kpm). The main thing however that I took from the day was the fact that so many kids took part! They honestly looked like they were having a great time and didn’t care at all how long it took them. Most of them sprinted off way too fast at the start and so came to a stop after a few hundred metres, however they just seemed to have so much fun, and I have to admit it made me jealous to watch as I was plodding alone at my steady pace! There were girls skipping with their arms linked together, groups of boys running and laughing, and the best of all was when a girl stopped to walk and her two friends ran back for her. Really made me think about how running should be a fun hobby and I shouldn’t get so hung up on mile splits etc! Saying that, my mile splits were 8m54s, 9m24s, 9m06s, so I was pretty pleased with that!

Sunday morning I went out for another long plod, and did 10k in 59m 13s, ave speed 10.1kpm. It was a lovely day for it and trying to take what I’d learned from Saturday, I tried not to bother too much about my speed and just enjoy it. My mile splits were 9m39s, 9m 28s, 9m 29s, 9m 36s, 9m 54s and then 9m 14s, I clearly had left a fair bit in reserve for my final mile! I am really encouraged by the fact that this year so far I have ran a few runs over 6miles, plus three 10k runs, two of which are under the hour. Getting cautiously optimistic that if I can keep it up I may be able to break the 55min barrier for the 10k for the first time!!

The body achieved!!

Managed to do my planned three runs last week with no ill effects, so I'm a happy bunny!  Two were around 20 minutes and the third almost 30, all were round about 10 minute miles.  Yesterday I thought about breaking my capris out of storage when I saw the clear blue sky.  Was glad I didn't though, cos that wee gap between the bottom of my tights and the top of my sock certainly felt the nip!!  But wasn't it just a beautiful day for running?  : -)

I've decided on a training plan as well, -  I'm going to use My Asics. I've included the link below in case you want to have a look at how it works.  I've chosen a 3 runs per week option. It's geared for people who have a GPS watch, which I dont, so I'll need to adapt how I do the interval sessions, but otherwise its all good!    It is a bit different from the usual, staying at 3 miles per run for the first three weeks, but working on improving at that distance before moving up to 4.5 miles.  It'll be fun to try a different approach - also hoping that focussing on 3 miles for 3 weeks, might do something for my parkrun performance!!  I have a Saturday off work at the end of the month, so I'll find  out then!!

http://my.asics.co.uk/my/plan/new

Really looking forward to being ready for the Women's 10K, it's such an inspirational day, seeing the elite runners, the main mass of women, the wheelchair athletes and the walkers - it doesn't matter which group you belong to, it is a challenge for all of us.

Speak to you soon x

This came to me on Facebook, wanted to share it with y'all today!

To plan or not to plan?

Well,  on Sunday it was 11 weeks till the Women's 10K.......which brings me to the point when I need to decide what I'm doing about a training plan. 

If you've read my previous blogs you'll know that I've been getting over an injury, and recently have been doing 2 runs and 1 brisk walk in the week. This week I'll be doing 3 runs for the first time since last August, so its a big week!  First one was today, just over 20 minutes, planning on the other two being much the same - not taking any risks, no attempt at speed, just easy runs, with good warm up, cool down and stretch.  So this is the transition week to a proper build up for the race.

Come Sunday, 10weeks to go, its time to get serious!!  I'm not a fast runner, my best time for the 10k was 2010's Women's 10K - 58mins 21 sec using a 10 week training plan, (I was thrilled!!!)  but that's the beauty of running, you dont need to judge yourself against anyone else.  You can have a personal goal, and it doesn't matter whether that is to knock a wee bit off a previous time, as I hope to do, or simply to get round the course, maybe without any walk breaks.  My best for a 5k was 27+ minutes, done in a Race for Life on Glasgow Green.  That was around 15 years ago, and its never going to happen again!! My efforts in the Pollok Park parkrun are testament to that, sadly!

So back to plans.  I like to have a plan, it gives you a structure to your training, gradually increasing distance and difficulty.  The  saying that if a session is written down you are more likely to do it is a definite truism.  A plan will help to make sure you are at your fittest at the right time, and I think it also helps to minimise the risk of injury because sticking to the steady increases in a plan is a lot safer than suddenly taking a notion to double your distance because you feel good about a nice sunny day!!  My hubby is less keen - he prefers to run when he's in the mood, sometimes he pre plans, other times he 'sees where his legs take him'.  He also reckons that I'd have a lot less angst about missing a session, even for a valid reason, if it wasn't on a plan in the first place!  So I guess its a matter of choice.

This year I'm tossing up between a couple of different plans I've found online. It can be difficult finding one which allows for only running 3 times a week, but that is my maximum as I like to do other things as well, and as an older runner I need to make sure I have enough rest days.  I'll let you know what one I plump for.......and how my transition to 3 runs goes.

Speak to you soon!

Week 6/7

Week 6/7

Combing two weeks into one blog as wasn’t able to write one last week!

Had a fairly quiet week of exercise on week 6. It started off well enough with a spin class on Monday night. Had Tuesday night off, and then on Wednesday did some hill runs. Had Thursday night off again! Friday had a weights session, and then on Saturday did a 5k run. Managed it in my best time yet of the year at 28mins 17sec, average speed 10.6kph, so was pretty happy with that!

Sunday was the first one for a while that I wasn’t able to get out running, Hubby had the great idea that he would try doing 100 press ups, in 10 sets of 10 with a short break between each set. After watching him do his 100, I decided to do the same! I surprised myself by managing to do it all but was definitely feeling it in my arms and stomach muscles the next day! Not as much as Hubby was feeling it though, as he decided to join me in my set, meaning he did 200 in total!!

Managed to get a lot more running in on week 7. Started it off with Monday night spin class again, then had Tuesday off. Wednesday managed a run with a few hills thrown in. I covered about 6k but didn’t take the GPS watch. I am usually so obsessed with time and speed that sometimes is nice to go out a run without worrying about average speed! Went out another run on Thursday night, this time I did time myself and did 5k in exactly 29mins (ave speed 10.3kpm). I was a bit disappointed as it was a lot slower than my last 5k, but it was a very windy night and I went up a couple of hills, so blaming that for slowing me down!

Had Friday night off, then Saturday managed a 6.5k run, in 37mins 35sec (average speed 10.4kph.) It was another windy day, as shown in my mile splits of 9m24s/9m21s/9m27s/9.03s. I felt I was flying on the final mile back to the car then realised I had a massive tail wind!

Sunday I did another 10k run, I have to admit I was struggling a bit with pace to begin with and so was slower than my 10k the other week (doing it in 1hour 20secs, ave speed 9.9kph.) However my mile splits were 9m16s/10m07s/10m14s/9m33s/9m31s/9m41s, so I was happy I managed to pick the pace up over the second half of my run. Usually I run positive splits, start off strongly and then slow down towards the end, so it’s a bit of a change for me that my last two runs had me improving by the end!

This Saturday I have my first organised 5k of the year, the Combat Stress 5k around Glasgow Green. I’ve done this one for the last 2 years and find it an enjoyable race. It’s always got a great atmosphere and a good route, plus it’s for a great cause!

The morning after....

Now as that title would lead you to believe, you'll be expecting me to say I've just been out for a wild night on the town.  Far from it although I have similar lethargic feelings and a lot of sore bits.  Which leads me to my subject for today - the long run.  Yesterday, as part of my training for a forthcoming half marathon in Alloa I ran 15.5 miles.  (the 0.5 was a mistake).  I have now come to the sad conclusion that I am now in the category of "overtrained" and am paying the price.  Its not just this one run that has led me to this conclusion, its a serious of things that have started to happen over the last 2-3 weeks - slight injuries, never feeling refreshed when I waken up in the morning, wakening earlier than normal, struggling to finish workouts and feeling really thirsty at night time.  And the cause - training too much with limited or no proper rest days.

Yesterday's long run - which I did complete - was a real struggle.  It should have felt hard but with the amount of training I've done it should have been much easier than it did,

The route itself was flat and fast - from Paisley out to Braehead - round Ikea and back (not actually stopping to shop in Ikea I hasten to add, just running round it!).  Going out was better than back where I battled the wind for the last 6 miles.  It was early Saturday morning - dry and reasonably bright so not the worst of days for a run (apart from the wind).  I had decided to start using Gels again - something which until last year I wouldn't have done.  They are probably pretty essential to get quick fixes of energy, although some people prefer good old jelly babies or jelly beans.  It takes a bit of getting used to - trying to suck the gel out the sachet and run and its thick and sticky which makes you thirsty too, but for about the next 5 miles you do feel that you have got some energy back.  I took mine at 6.5 miles and I'd say it got me round to 12 miles before I felt empty again.  Next time I do this distance (won't be for a long time), I'll take 2.

The reason for the 15 plus mile run yesterday was to build my confidence in running a half marathon.  I am first and foremost (and always will be) a 10K runner. Lovely manageable distance where you can challenge time, avoid inury and run often.  But, I do like a challenge and the Half is that for me.  It is also good for my endurance (or ability to "suffer") and so I'm doing it as a way to improve my 10K time and hit my 41 mins this year, hopefully at the Women's 10K in May.  As you will know the Half Marathon is just over 13 miles, so by running 15 ish miles my body (and mind) should find the 13 easier in 3 weeks time (3 weeks is seen by our coach as the ideal amount of time out for a last long run before a race).  So for anyone training for the 10K for the first time, try if you can, and do an 8 miler about a month-3 weeks before the big day and it will make you feel better on the day!

It hasn't all been bad this week. On Wednesday I had a really good hour long sports massage from Lynn (who is also writing a blog for the women's 10k on this site).  My partner Keith had given me massage vouchers for Valentine's Day as its one of my favourite methods of relaxation.  Having said that however, Lynn has the ability to find bits that you didn't even know were sore and she found one in my glute and lots in my lower legs.  Ouch!  But with the help of her healing hands and her laser I felt great at the end and had the best sleep in ages!  Thanks Lynn! 

So back to where I started - overtraining - and my plan to get back on track.  Although I am loathed to do this, this week is going to have to be a real recovery week for me.  Just key run sessions but at a lighter intensity and no weights to try and let my body recover and get back on track.  If I don't I could burn out completely. 

Sounds good I hear you say, but the problem is that I love to run. I love to train and I miss it like mad when I can't do it.  So this is maybe just a warning sign and if I cut back for a week I might just bounce back and be back to my usual self in no time at all.  I really hope so.....

PS as a final thought, I read this week about a man who is 60 and is running 60 marathons in 60 weeks - if you google "60 in 60 at 60" you will find it.  Hats off to him - the very thought!

Looks like Spring!!

What a fab day for a run, bright, sunny and dry.  From indoors it seemed ideal, but it was really windy -  it should not be that much like hard work running DOWN a hill, lol.

Not a good run today, did my planned 2.9 miles but toiled and had walking intervals, lacking energy, regular Paisley inclines felt mountainous.........and as always on a windy day, it regularly changes direction to always be coming straight at you!!   I have a kettlebell class tonight, so hopefully my energy levels will have improved by then.
 
From previous experience every now and then you have a day like this, with no apparent explanation.  Makes you really fed up at the time but you need to just put it behind you, and it is amazing how you bounce back!

A day off tomorrow, then a longer run on Sunday.  Haven't looked ahead at the forecast but it will be brilliant if it stays like this, tho' preferably minus the wind - fingers crossed!

Road to the Women's 10K

This is my first ever blog, so by way of some background, I know Lynne McPhee, and also know Gemma, to whom she referred in her first blog, and can easily see why they could be mistaken for mother and daughter. My age just about qualifies me to be Lynne's mum, (don't want to think what that means re Gemma) but we'd never be mistaken - they are both tall, willowy blondes and I'm dark, short by comparison and tend to be muscle-y!

I have run very intermittently for a number of years, doing the Race for Life 5k from time to time, but around 4 years ago I started to wonder if I had the ability to do a 10k. I buckled down to some steady outdoor training, discovered that I enjoyed it and now I call myself a runner!

Last year, two unrelated but significant injuries kept me out of both the races I like to run in - the Women's and Paisley 10Ks, though I ran the Urbanathlon 7K obstacle course in Linn Park in between them. I started getting back to training in November, and have rehabbed through walk/jog intervals to running again but I'm still pretty flexible with what I do training wise, depending on how my back feels.

At the moment I have settled into a pattern of a short run of around 20-25mins and a brisk half hour walk midweek, with a longer run on a Sunday. I've increased the Sunday run by half a mile a week and have now reached 5miles. I cant tell you how good that felt! :-D    Still running very slowly, but that's ok for now. I've had lots of help from my husband who has come out on Sunday runs to encourage me, especially getting up hills, which abound in Paisley!

I include two kettlebell sessions in my week, I'm also building them back up to normal. Traditional Russian kettlebell training is excellent for core strength and stability as well as being good cardio wise, and more recently I have added a yoga class. There's plenty of rest/recovery days in there too - important for everyone, but especially as you get a bit older.

We were down in Cardiff visiting our son and his wife for the long weekend, so it was a light training week overall, and instead of a long run on Sunday we did the Cardiff parkrun. Its flat - a big change from Pollok Park! - alongside the River Taff, a nice run, and it was dry, thankfully.  Back to normal sessions this week, though, and hoping the rain goes off today!!  

My road to the Women's 10K started kinda bumpy, but in the last few weeks it has been smoothing out, so I reckon I'm on my way.   All going well I'll be increasing to 3 running days a week in March, to be ready for the big day!

A week of struggles.......

Training continues folks with some good sessions but its having a big impact on my energy levels and general well being.  Last Thursday's night at the track was particularly hard and after an intensive spin class on Friday, my long plod on Saturday was a bit of a struggle and not as enjoyable as it should be.  On the bright side I was joined by my partner Keith who is also a runner but just not quite as "into it"as I am.  It was great to have his company though.  He joined me at 4 miles and ran with me longer than he anticipated to keep me going on my last few miles  (did 11 in total).  Felt really beat after it and put it down to not enough recovery after the Thursday night track session.  Its a bit of a vicious circle.  Ideally I'd do an easier session on a Saturday and my long run on Sunday but as I'm out with the club for the hard fartlek session on a Monday, the long run on a Sunday isnt ideal either.  So this weekend for my long run I'm going back to using gels to give me some energy on the way round and see if that makes a difference.  One of the pitfalls of being older is I need longer to recover. The mind is willing but the body is struggling!!

Sunday was therefore a rest day from running and by Monday I was running well again.  Weather was good and we had a good group of runners.  The cycle track, although dark wasnt nearly as daunting as the week before and the run was quite enjoyable and a good session.  However returned home with a niggle in my ankle and have been nursing it all week.  Honestly if its not one thing its another!!

A highlight of the week as a night off on Tuesday for Valentines night, and a great meal out with Keith at the Amber Regent in Glasgow. One of the advantages of training hard is you can work it all off and eat what you like on nights like this - and of course have a few glasses of wine!  Yum!

Wednesday was a good day as I had taken annual leave and had the morning off.  I had decided to do a bit of a longer run again as this seems to be my biggest problem just now - the long slow plods.  So went out and ran 8.2 miles with my "niggling ankle".  Weather was really nice - sunny and there was actually some heat in the sun.  Had too many clothes on and had to de-layer as I went - never seem to get this right!  But at least it felt like spring.

Now for a moan.  What is it with people and runners.  Where I run ( in Paisley) people are far from accommodating to runners that they meet.  They walk 4 abreast on pavements and when they see you coming they just expect you to step off the pavement and onto the road.  Dog walkers are guilty of this too (don't get me started on dogs!)  I'm thinking that next time it happens I might just run straight through them.  Would that be bad???  There are good people too who go single file to let you pass but they are definitely in the minority.  Maybe it's just Paisley.

So tonight I'm back at the track. I think the session is 20 x 400 metres which will be fast and hard.  Just hoping my wee ankle holds out - might have to cut back a bit and do less.  Not good but better than being injured and out for months.

One other thing I did this week was enter some races - the Springburn 10K on the 10th March and the Alloa Half on the 18th.  Downslide of the Alloa Half is it means I need to do a 15 miler in the next few weeks. Can't wait for that......

Week 5

After taking it fairly easy last week, I pleased to say I had a much better week of training this week! Started on Monday night by making it along to Spin. Having had to miss it the previous two weeks it was good to get back on the bike again! Tuesday, for the first time this year, I managed to get out a run at night! I have to admit though it did take a bit of persuasion from Hubby to get me out the door! Did 4 hill runs in total. There’s a hill near us which is 500m long and although it’s not the steepest, it does get the heart pumping!

Had a night off on Wednesday, so come Thursday I was full of enthusiasm and made it out for another run after work! This time did a 5k, in a time of 28m 29s (ave speed 10.5kpm). I was really happy with this as it was a minute faster than I ran 5k in last Sunday. So hopefully I am managing to get some speed back into my running! I also did some weights in the house on Thursday night,

Had Friday night off also, and then on Saturday morning went out for more interval training with the Hubby. Did a mile and a half warm up and then a few hill sprints, this time the hill we used was just under 200m long but a lot steeper, so quite challenging but at least you know it will be over sooner!!

Finally on Sunday, I did a 10k run, and was very happy with my time of 59m 09s (ave speed 10.1kpm). Its by no means the fastest I’ve ever done it, but considering its only February I’m very happy to be able to do 10k in under an hour. Usually at this stage in the year I’m still struggling to make it to 5k! Think the extra miles I’ve been doing lately have definitely been helping!

Fog, Sweat and Mince and Potatoes!

Track session last night at Linwood with the Club.  Hard session.  5 x 1600 metres (4 times round the track).  The session is decided by our Coach, Derek Parker who is a very well respected coach in the running world and coaches some real talented athletes like Haley Haining and Claire Gibson. I'm lucky to have a little bit of his time and he has helped me immensely since joining the club last year. I'm one of his older runners (wouldn't really call myself an athlete like the others), but what's great is that despite Derek having top class runners to coach, he always has time for people like me who are just trying to achieve some personal goals and we get access to his wisdom to help improve our performance. That's the benefit of running with a club.

So, last night's session.  In a word - murder.  But again a step closer to my 41 minute goal.  Ran the session with another club runner Kat.  We run similar times and its good to share the pain.  Kat ran really well and gave me a good run for my money.  On the cooldown laps we venture out of the track and run round Linwood just for a change and that's when we talk about getting home and what we're all having for dinner. We're usually beat and tired after our run and thinking about dinner always puts a smile on our faces.  So last night we talked about corn beef hash, pasta and mince and potatoes! 

One of the really important things about training is trying to get your diet right as well and one thing I''m not great at is eating qucikly enough after I finish a run.  The first hour is really important to refuel and I don't always manage that. Derek has again been good for me in this respect introducing me to more isotonic drinks and gels etc which I really need to use more this year especially when I move up to half marathon.

Talking of which, in a moment of madness last night I committed to running a half marathon before the Women's 10K which I haven't done this early in the season before.  I usually run 10K's for the first half of the year and move onto halfs for the Great Scottish Run in September.  So, looks like I'm doing the Alloa Half in March which means a long run of 15 miles in about 3 weeks.  Can't wait.  Long plods are not my speciality but again, if it helps my 10K time, I'll do just about anything!

Anyway, back to food.  Last night's dinner which consisted of mince, potatoes and beans, shared with my partner Keith was a lovely end to the day!  And of course a few squares of my favourite chocolate and a cuppa.  I'm easily pleased!!!

The start of my 10K journey.......

Well here I am at the start of my Women's 10K journey for 2012.  I've been running the race for many, many years and only had 2 off that I can remember - one when I was pregnant with my son 14 years ago and once with a broken toe, so I'm pretty dedicated as a runner and I'm pretty dedicated to this race - partly because I work for Glasgow Life and have the privilege of working on such a brilliant event.  As a female distance runner this race is the absolute highlight of my year - I love standing on the start line with thousands and thousands of women.  I admire the elites who run faster than me and I admire the women who are out there for nearly 3 hours walking the course - its just a great place to be on a Sunday on May! I'm really proud of the way my colleagues organise the race and in my opinion its one of the best races around.

In terms of running I've been doing it for 22 years, but only just decided after many years of thinking about it, and at the grand old age of 44, to join a club.  I live in Paisley so joined my local club Kilbarchan and now have a proper coach and wow, has this changed how I run and how I perform.  Last year I was just starting our with the club when my 10k training started and i probably launched myself into it a bit more than I should have as a beginner and got injured a month before the race, so had to cycle to stay fit but did ok and ran the race in just over 42 mins.  But the training soon kicked in and i got a PB in the GSR last year of 1:34:25.

This year is different.  I've trained steadily over winter and my goal for this year is to break 41 mins by the Women's 10K in May.

A week of training for me is reasonably full. Long run Saturday (12 miles), Steady run (6 miles) and weights Sunday, Fartlek with the Club Monday (10 miles) night Spin class Tuesday morning.  Wed is a fast 5K and weight and Thursday is Track night (6-7 miles) at the Club.  Friday is another spin day and a bit easier so I'm ready to go again. Being a bit older I find this works for me - the spin classes really help me tick over without too much pounding.

So that's all the background - I promise it will get more interesting from here!

I've also got a good friend that is a brilliant runner.  She is called Gemma Rankin and is an up and coming star I think!  Look out for her.  People think I'm her mum which is understandable since she is 20 years younger than me.  We both run for Kilbarchan and on Sunday we set out for our first race of the year - the Renfrewshire Road Race Championships down in Greenock.  We had a great day albeit we werent too enthusiastic about the cold!  Gemma won the race in 28:30 which is amazing and I hit my target for 41 minute 10K pace by running 33.20 for 5 miles - I now know I can do this and with a little bit more training will get my 41 min time in Glasgow - what a big boost to my training!   Downside - I ran into a bin on the explanade (despite it being 15 feet wide and having all this space!) and cut and bruised my arm.  This isnt a one off - I seem to have a problem with bins and poles - even on training runs. I probably need an eye test but I'm resisting!

On Monday night I headed down to the club for our Fartlek session which is run on the cycle track from Elderslie to Bridge of Weir.  Oh what a night!    Despite having a head torch on and umpteen layers I was still frozen and couldn't see a thing!  It was pitch black and visibility was virtually zero - what a scary experience.  A guy also jumped out on us and boy did we run fast  I'd never do this session on my own but there are lots of us close together so there's safety in numbers!  Our session consisted of 2 mins on (1 min recovery), 1 min on (1 min recovery) and 1 min on (2 mins recovery) x seven times with a mile of warm up and cool down. Its a really challenging session but boy does it get results!  Went home satisfied but frozen - a shower has never felt so good!

Well that's probably enough for my first blog - I'll check in again later in the week to report on my track session at Linwood on Thursday night I eits 5 x 1600 metres. Can't wait for that!!!

Week 4

After last Sunday’s mammoth effort of a 10 mile run, I took it slightly easier this week to allow my body to recover! They say you should only increase your distance by 10% each week but I definitely didn’t stick to that rule last week, and judging by how I felt on Monday I can certainly see why they recommend that! I gave myself a couple of days off from exercise, then on Wednesday night did my Tae Bo dvd in the house, then had Thursday and Friday off also.

Saturday morning, as a change from going to my ususal gym Glasgow Club Easterhouse, I went to Glasgow Club Whitehill. It’s been refurbished recently and I have to say I am very impressed with it! The new gym is a great size and looks so modern and fresh. They also had a good range of free weights and kettle bells, this led me to trying out a variety of different exercises and I was definitely feeling that in my arms and back the next day! Its good to mix the routine up every so often!

As I said last week, I am happy now knowing that I can run 10 miles without stopping, so what I need to concentrate on now is getting my speed back up. I went out for a run on Sunday morning, trying to run at a faster pace knowing that I wouldn’t be going as far. Did 5k in 29m 26s, which is an average speed of 10.2kph. I have to admit it’s a couple of minutes slower than I want to be covering that distance in, but it’s a start at getting myself used to running at a faster pace.

Week 3

Another week over with, and nearly in February, though I think it will be a while yet before I can get the shorts back out!!

My week didn’t get off to a great start as I had to cancel my Monday night Spin class due to working late, and then I had plans for the Wednesday night, but I managed to do a Tae Bo fitness dvd on both Tuesday and Thursday night. Friday night made it along to Glasgow Club Easterhouse for a weights session!

Saturday I managed to get out for a run once the early morning frost had cleared! Did 4 hill sprints to waken the body up, there is a hill near me which is 500m long so it’s a good wee challenge and gets the heart rate up! After that I watched the experts at the athletics from Kelvinhall, good to see a Glasgow Club facility on the tv!

Sunday I went out for a long run again, getting quite used to this now! Ran 10 miles which I am amazed at as it’s by far the furthest I’ve ever ran! Did it in a time of 1hr 43m 20s, which I’m very happy with at this stage of my training. Now that I know I can cover that sort of distance, my aim for the next few weeks is going to be to start running the longer distances at a faster pace!

Week 2

Well that’s my second proper week of training done, and I’m pleased to say I managed to do a lot more than I did the previous week!

Started the week with spin class at Glasgow Club Easterhouse on Monday night. I’ve been going to this class for a while and find it really enjoyable, as well as being a good workout, it’s a good atmosphere and the instructor is great at keeping us motivated throughout the class!

Gave myself the night off on Tuesday, then did some free weights in the house on Wednesday night and then a Tae-Bo dvd on Thursday night.

On Friday night I got along to my local Glasgow Club, this time to do weights in the gym.

Having my Glasgow Club membership means I can attend any of the 24 Glasgow Club facilities around the city, or take part in any of 700 odd fitness classes each week.

Despite the terrible weather on Saturday morning, my hubby managed to persuade me to join him for some interval training. Did a couple of miles warm up jog and then some hill sprints until the hail stones came back on which led to a sprint back to the car park! But its training sessions like that which definitely make you feel most alive.

On Sunday I was able to do a long run again. I like to try and vary the exercise I do, but I am starting to really look forward to getting up on a Sunday morning and putting in a few miles! I managed to run for 8 miles, however thanks partly to the wind I was struggling for speed, and so completed it in a rather slow time of 1 hour 26 mins. However at this stage I am more than happy just to be able to run 8 miles without stopping so not too bothered about the time it takes me to do it in!

Week 1

Well its that time of year again when full of New Year enthusiasm I sign up for the Ignis Asset Management Woman’s 10k and the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run. However this year, for the first time, I have clicked the option for the half marathon in September rather than the 10k. Throughout the next few weeks and months I plan on updating you on my quest to run 13 miles for the first time, and in the process hope to improve on my 10k time!

As a bit of background, I have been running for a few years now and mainly do 10k’s, but have always struggled to get great times. My PB is 56mins 30sec but I did this back in 2009. I’ve always aimed to get under 55mins, so its time to overhaul my training and also add in the new challenge of a longer distance!

This weekend was my first proper running of the year, and I did a slow and challenging 5k (29min 28sec) on Saturday and then a slower and even more challenging 7 miles on Sunday (1hr 10mins), but at least I can take some benefit from being able to run 7 miles already! I have achy legs today, but my usual Monday night spin class at Glasgow Club Easterhouse should help with that!

Well they say the first couple of runs of the year are the hardest, so at least that’s them done and dusted and I can now look forward to getting some good mileage under my belt in the weeks and months to come!

2012 Women's 10k launch

We are gearing up for the 2012 Ignis Asset Management Women's 10k with our official media launch today in Glasgow. We will be revealing some famous faces taking on the 10k challenge and telling you all about the exciting new developments for this year's race.

You can find out more about what we have in store for 2012 at the race website but enhancements include:

- price freeze
- technical t-shirt upgrade option
- more route entertainment
- pace makers and much more

We are also launching our new advertising campaign - My 10k - which highlights how much we know our runners love the Women's 10k. You told us loud and clear that this is not just any 10k, this is 'My 10k' and you are proud to take part in Scotland's only all-female 10k event.

See you on the start line!