Fiona: This Week

Hope everyones gearing themselves up- only a few weeks to go!

This week I ran a 6 miler on monday. It was quite toasty here in Ggow so afterwards I looked a lot like this: 

Gosh, my boyfriend is a lucky man. Do you like my neon extreme Grangemouth finishers tee shirt?

On Tuesday I did some extreme abs work from the Runners World Olympic Abs page. OUCH. 

On Wednesday I headed for the gym and made my peace with the dreaded cross trainer. I used to use the X-C in 10 minute bursts on a casual gym day. Then when I caught the running bug, X-Cs now felt boring, you just go on and on and on. But on Wed I ended up doing 30 minutes.Actually felt pretty good.

Now, if I could just bring myself to love the treadmill...

Thursday was another speedy 6 miler crammed into a study day:

Friday I took a rest (was dead stiff) and Saturday I ran for the athletics team in the 3K and 400m relay. Was a great laugh- ended up doing the  3K in 14.39 which is a 7.51 mile pace and I don't yet know my 400m time. I was so nervous before because track/athletics runners are a lot more serious and I had never run at a track event. Sarah and I, however, devised a mantra. That mantra was, 'We are distance runners. For us this is a TRAINING RUN.'. It really helped. To be honest I was really glad to be part of Glasgow Uni at that point because we were the ONLY team who cheered on anyone in any team. A lot of teams seemed to lack the camaderie you see in cross country.

There was a massive headwind on the 300m corner of each lap but my race seemed really well paced to me and the spectators told me the form was spot on. Overall GUAC came 2nd and could hold their heads high another day. Also I had fun! And I reckon I'd like to try a little more sprinting- I wore Sarah's track spikes for the 400m and I really liked running in them.

Fiona: Week 9

Another no training week :( I hate my dissertation.

Only one run on Tuesday- a six miler beside the Clydeside:

It passes the BBC (beebs) building, the Armadillo and the Science Centre, making it very scenic at night. I thought I'd link some pictures, since I've been letting everyone down by training so appallingly!

The BBC from http://www.edwud.com/.

Clydeside bridge from http://admin2.clikpic.com/billycurrie/.

I'm glad they've revamped it though- it used to be a dodger's paradise and not safely run-able. Now its totally cool, though I still wouldn't necessarily recommend that anyone runs alone late at night ANYWHERE in the world. I'll be sad when it gets light at night again though.

Glasgow Science Centre, from http://bencraven.org.uk.

It felt great after the readjustment to actually moving my legs. I wasn't sore at all the next day. Hopefully this huge hiatus will improve my running when i come back next week?

Fiona McG

Fiona: Week 7

Monday I did notttttthing. Sweet old nothing.

Tuesday I did sprint reps. 1.5 miles warm up with 400mx8, then 0.5 back to the gym.

Wednesday us girls once again proved we are hardcore, as only girls showed up to train. We did the town route, a sweet 6.5 miles. I hadn't eaten enough or drunk enough during the day so I felt a bit sicko but that's my own silly fault :-D

Thursday I couldn't make training. Because 4th Year Uni sucks. Not that I didn't expect it to. So I went to the gym and sauntered about. This is my problem with the gym, unless forced I do very little. I basically did some arm work and 10 min X-Trainer... Lightweight! However, I woke Friday and was glad I only did that. Cause' my shins are sore again. So on Friday I did no cardio at all.

If I can (in my novice state) give you one bit of advice, I give you this: Listen to your body. If it hurts (like beyond a decent workout pain) and especially if it CONTINUES to hurt out-with tough workouts, listen. My shins and ankles are the weakest parts of my legs, easily. My calves are almost never sore, my thighs are steel (well... slightly mushy steel...), but my shins and ankles need a bit o' TLC.

Saturday was a blasttttt: 7 members of the team headed out to do Conic Hill Race, organised by the brilliant Chris Upson. It was tough- the elevation is really sharp and some sections are literally unrunable, but the descent is gorgeous. Especially a section where rise a little again, on a perfect springy grassy hill and suddenly the whole Loch is spread beneath you. Utterly magical.

From left: Bryan, Me, Neah, Julie, Ciaran and Steve

Cause' its held at Balmaha and limited to 70 people there are ample facilities, no queues for registration, and as always I can't help but think hill runners are so incredibly friendly!

Of our team our girl Neah was 3rd! She won lovely lovely booze (the other thing hill runners definitely get right- the prizes!).

Neah, wine and hound

One of our male team was also top ten. After the race, we took the opportunity of being at Loch Lomond to ice in a novel way...

Neah and I

It was FREEZING.

Hope everyone's training is going well! Remember to eat well, don't try and do tooooo much, run a few times a week and you'll be golden on the day. We're all in it together on 9th May!

Fiona McG

Fiona: Week 6

Still having massi trouble getting rid of these blisters- the only thing that saves them from more wear and tear is Compeed blister plasters but a) at this rate im shelling out more a week on these bad boys than food and b) they stick to you long after the run is over, necessitating ripping a healing layer of skin off upon removal... Eew.

That said, impressive levels of training this week: yoga at lunch and then 6 miles on Monday, during which it poured, hailed, snowed and I refused point blank to give in. Instead the few team members who had showed to training started puddle jumping, singing, and trying to really confuse miserable passers-by with our cheery, cheery grins. After that, did some quick arm work for my ball dress on Saturday.

Tuesday was classic intervals- 500ms at 3.5 mins overall allowance. This means that if you're a slow bee like me you get a 1.5 min recovery (cause all of my 500ms were 1 min 57 seconds to 2 mins 6 seconds long). Did five of these and also ran 1.5 miles warm up and 1.5 miles warm down. Thats 4.5 miles overall! Also yoga-ed it up in this lunch break and did some arm/tum 'vanity' work.

Speaking of speed, check my new Nike tee:

Sadly they weren't selling one that said 'moderately slow' ha ha! It does make me look badass though!

On Wednesday us girls showed the boys up- not one single male member of the club showed! So us six girls headed out and did a speeeeeedy 6.5 miles. I was sore after this, but weirdly after going out that night and dancing, I was fine the next day... Dancing as a recovery plan, anyone?

Thursday I couldn't make training, which was to be a tempo run, so I meant to run solo but then had job applications so did NADDA. Same for Friday- stupidly busy with applications.

Saturday I was up at 7 freakin AM to run with a friend. Just a short and breezy 3 miles (it was baltic!) and then after breakfast I went to the gym to an hourt long boxfit class. Sounds hardcore but I must be honest- it was mostly for arm vanity cause tonight is the GUSA ball! Which also means posting now, cause tomorrow I plan to be sleeping curled up with the BF. Zzzzzzz.

Fiona McG

Fiona: Week 4/BUCS

Last week i did a lot of running (Mon-Thursday), nothing hugely out of the ordinary apart from ENJOYING a tempo run on Tuesday, which is a rare thing indeed! It was very hard but I felt a huge huge sense of achievement when done.

The biggest thing this week was of course BUCS, which went really well. Our highest woman was Elspeth Curran, a truly amazing runner, who was 8th in a very competitive field. I was the second slowest GUHH girl but for me my time was alright!  The girls team was 8th overall. Our captain was lovely and said that he was so impressed at all runners. Personally I was seriously impressed at Neah and Stephen, who had great races, and at Luke for battling through seriously hurting his shoulder. He was almost in tears when he finished but He. Finished. and thats incredible.

The men's A Team: from left: Adam, Chris (El Captain), Mike, Dave, Kerrick and Shabir.

Its a tough course too- a lap that was a) over the distance stated and b) had a double loop hill, where you are required to race up, run down, then turn on your heel and go straight back up... That its a lap course can also be quite demoralising as the best runners lap you.

Women's race start

I may not be any good as a competitive runner, but events like that remind me of why I race. Everyone was cheering everyone on- by name or by institution if you didn't know each other. If you saw someone flagging you yelled 'Good effort!' or 'Not long now!' or simply 'Come on insertunihere!'. It also reminded me of why I love my club- No one yells 'try harder' or anything, just full on support. Whereas other clubs had members shouting advice... in a race I wouldn't want to hear that! Also the overall feeling of GUHH is that its amazing if you happen to be a gifted athlete, but if you're not all they require from you is that you love a run and banter.

Back Row: Julie, Stephen, Chris, Neal
Mid Row: Megan, Me, Neah, Bernadette
Front Row: Yulia, Cat, Sarah

Fiona McG

Fiona: Fuerteventura

Hi again guys,

Got back from sunny Fuerteventura on Monday night (or technically Tuesday morning!). I'm going to be wildly honest- outside an extremely unskilled game of tennis we did no working out at all. We did, however, have a total blast and made great pals in the sprint team! Actually, I tell a lie, two boys did a whopping 24km run one day.

This week so far I have done my strength training at the gym (oww, hello arms), ran a whopping 7.5 or 8 miles yesterday and today Im planning on super circuits at 5.15pm (this one is a tough class). Eating since I got home has been okay- a little too much chocolate perhaps but hey, thats WHY I run...

I should tell you why I did so much yesterday... It isnt that I'm a cool, dedicated athlete. Its that Julie and I got lost on a group run. I had a date so we ended up tempo running two miles, found the start of our usual 6 miler and raced around that too at a massive pace. And I was still late!

There are a lot of hard races upcoming for me- this weekend is the (aptly named) Devil's Burden Hill Relay - I'm running leg 2 as part of a mixed gender team. Its hilly to be sure. Then its only 2 weeks till British Uni Cross Country Champs in Birmingham- eep!

Fiona McG

Fiona: A Week in Training 1

After my crazy Body Workout class, i woke up on Monday to thighs so tight I couldn't descend a staircase. Consequently I was dreading the evening training with the club (GUHH)... Just goes to show how wrong you can be. It was chucking it down but the run was one of those rare ones where rain just makes it easier to breathe. I stayed bang middle of the pack with the boys for the 6 miles, which is faster than my usual pace while training, and finished the run in under an hour. Shame I then forgot my towel and had to drip dry in the gym showers!

Tuesday I was going to do a boxfit class to take the strain of my thighs (which are definitely feeling it). Got to say, I don't think having to sit it a library till 2am is great for your legs post-run. Ah the joys of being a student... I ended up going to sprint sessions instead (ouch but awesome), where coach told me he wants a 45min 10k this time, no excuses. Oh dear. Sprints covered 2.5miles (1 mile warm up, 200mx13 reps = just over1.5 miles).

Wednesday was an appalling run- only 4 club members showed, I was so so stiff and I kept getting frustrated cause I could talk completely normally (ie breathing was A OK) but not run any faster cause' my legs weren't up for it. We ended up doing 5 miles or just over. In the rain. And Thursday morning I was SORE. So I had a rest day.

I know I said I'd blog on Sundays, but I'm doing so early this week cause' I'm off to FUERTEVENTURA today with the athletics club (they call us Hares and Hounds the 'giraffes' ha ha, because we are all tall and skinny) to do some sprint training and, if I'm honest, to bask in the sun. I'm so excited for sun! And training, obv :-D.

Fiona McG