Race day is tomorrow.
I've made it though the last eight weeks without getting a cold, or getting injured. I've completed my training programme, and I've enjoyed it. I've got my running kit and fuelling sorted out. I've planned how to get to the start line, and packed my post-race bag. After 10 hours sleep last night, I've spent today resting, not getting dehydrated and stretching. Later on I'll load up my ipod with podcasts and eat my last two, carefully planned post-race meals.
Today's been more about mental strength than any other day in the last 8 weeks.
Change in the Weather: The last week has been sunny and hot, which is extremely rare in Edinburgh. As I run before 7am, I'm not accustomed to running in warm weather - in fact, this week was the first time this year I've run without a jacket! Where I live, by the coast, sunny days are usually preceeded by a good few hours of haar before the sunshine kicks in, so early runs are invariably cool, even in summer.
Today: When I woke up at 7am today the sun was beaming through the house. I went from asleep to hysterical in about five minutes flat. I couldn't think about anything else all morning - how the hell was I going to cope with running in those conditions? I was panicking. When I got some time to myself I did my best to distract myself (recollecting my most amazing night at Club Bellydance on Thursday night!) and trying to surround myself with postive thoughts instead of panic.
The Bright Side: The forecast for tomorrow is for early fog, and the temperatures are not as warm as today, only 16 degrees. Most of the marathon course is coastal so there should be a nice breeze (in different weather I'd be more worried about the wind!) There's going to be loads of water stations, and I'll take my running bottle with me too. I've run in heat before - last year's Haddington Half Marathon was practically mediterranean, and I survived that (although it wasn't a pretty sight!) And I bet lots of locals living along the marathon route will be spraying us with their garden hoses - they did that last year and it wasn't even all that hot!!
My goals: I want No Negative Thoughts to creep in, and I want to Stay Positive throughout. I was hoping to finish in 4 hours 30minutes but if the weather makes me slower, so be it. I'll aim for 9m45s/mile. I want to keep running the whole race and I want to finish strong. I'm going to be thinking of how good I'll feel when I cross that finish line, and how amazing it'll be to meet the other Leith Primary School runners in The Parlour later on, having completed my first marathon. I'll be thinking of pizza later, and fish, chips and icecream with my daughter (which we've promised ourselves as a post-marathon treat for weeks!)
The Pep Talk: I have what it takes to run this marathon. I have trained and prepared for this marathon. I will give this race all I have, and leave it all out there on the course - no point in taking anything home with me. It will be hard, but I've done things that are hard before, and succeeded.
Bring it on!!
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Taperama
Two weeks till the Marathon, and the taper's kicking in. Tuesday was 4 miles, today's was 6, and tomorrow's is 3 miles. Three miles? Is that worth getting out of bed for?!
It is harder than I thought. I need to practice tapering!
Yesterday I supplemented my run with 19 lengths (not quite a kilometer, bah!!) of the Commonwealth Pool while daughter was in her swimming lesson. Today I ran another 2.5miles in the gym at Meadowbank while daughter was in the gym class (I had new trainers to try out and Run4it will give me a new pair if they don't work out, as long as I only use them on a treadmill.)
Otherwise this week I've been really fatigued - with rehearsals every weekend in addition to my marathon training I've been working my body really hard. Three early nights in a row and I feel much more human.
The visit to the gym at Meadowbank was really good. I don't like gyms much - the last time I went to a gym was the last time I had new trainers! Running on a treadmill takes a bit of getting used to - the first miles felt tedious but I got used to it.
After my run (trainers felt okay but my left wee toe got a bit tingly after two miles - need to examine my lacing options!) I had a wee shot on the PowerPlate. Ryan the Gym Guy was really helpful and I was really impressed. As well as showing my how it worked, he gently but *extremely* effectively tweaked my posture (well, he does teach pilates too) to make sure I was working properly. He went on to show me improved technique for a hip flexor stretch, which was reveleatory!! So, all in all, well worth the £3.50 for the visit to the gym.
Tomorrow... three miles... and maybe just a wee teeny bit of hooping after??
It is harder than I thought. I need to practice tapering!
Yesterday I supplemented my run with 19 lengths (not quite a kilometer, bah!!) of the Commonwealth Pool while daughter was in her swimming lesson. Today I ran another 2.5miles in the gym at Meadowbank while daughter was in the gym class (I had new trainers to try out and Run4it will give me a new pair if they don't work out, as long as I only use them on a treadmill.)
Otherwise this week I've been really fatigued - with rehearsals every weekend in addition to my marathon training I've been working my body really hard. Three early nights in a row and I feel much more human.
The visit to the gym at Meadowbank was really good. I don't like gyms much - the last time I went to a gym was the last time I had new trainers! Running on a treadmill takes a bit of getting used to - the first miles felt tedious but I got used to it.
After my run (trainers felt okay but my left wee toe got a bit tingly after two miles - need to examine my lacing options!) I had a wee shot on the PowerPlate. Ryan the Gym Guy was really helpful and I was really impressed. As well as showing my how it worked, he gently but *extremely* effectively tweaked my posture (well, he does teach pilates too) to make sure I was working properly. He went on to show me improved technique for a hip flexor stretch, which was reveleatory!! So, all in all, well worth the £3.50 for the visit to the gym.
Tomorrow... three miles... and maybe just a wee teeny bit of hooping after??
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Here begins the taper
On Saturday I did my 20 mile run - the longest of my marathon training, three weeks before the race.
I was a bit nervous and was very grumpy with my children the evening before! I sorted my playlist (podcasts - Kermode & Mayo, Marathon Training Academy, The Food Programme, Simon Mayo); got my fuels ready (one SIS gel as soon as I got out of bed at 0530, the one each 35-45 minutes during the run, and a protein bar for as soon as I got home); planned my route (heading East or West along the coastal roads depending on the wind direction!); then I set my alarm clock and settled down for an early night (9pm). I was a bit too excited to sleep, but nothing ever keeps me awake for long!
I like the wind to be against me on the way out, and giving me a helpful push as I head home. So on this occassion I headed west - noodling around the newbuild housing developments at Leith and Granton as I headed for Barnton, Cramond, and back along the coastal roads and paths. The weather was dry and bright, and it was daylight by the time I went out - lovely
But it was utterly brilliant. Awesome. I don't know if it's endorphins released by the effort, or being really chuffed at my achievement, but afterwards, colours were brighter, people were friendlier, smells were smellier - every sense I had was heightened!
And tastes were tastier... I can be sure of this because my bacon & fried egg roll was really, really delicious!! And the protein bar was really, really unpleasant!
So now I start to wind down my distances - which is apparently its own set of challenges and my family should watch out for even more grumping from me!
I was a bit nervous and was very grumpy with my children the evening before! I sorted my playlist (podcasts - Kermode & Mayo, Marathon Training Academy, The Food Programme, Simon Mayo); got my fuels ready (one SIS gel as soon as I got out of bed at 0530, the one each 35-45 minutes during the run, and a protein bar for as soon as I got home); planned my route (heading East or West along the coastal roads depending on the wind direction!); then I set my alarm clock and settled down for an early night (9pm). I was a bit too excited to sleep, but nothing ever keeps me awake for long!
I like the wind to be against me on the way out, and giving me a helpful push as I head home. So on this occassion I headed west - noodling around the newbuild housing developments at Leith and Granton as I headed for Barnton, Cramond, and back along the coastal roads and paths. The weather was dry and bright, and it was daylight by the time I went out - lovely
But it was utterly brilliant. Awesome. I don't know if it's endorphins released by the effort, or being really chuffed at my achievement, but afterwards, colours were brighter, people were friendlier, smells were smellier - every sense I had was heightened!
And tastes were tastier... I can be sure of this because my bacon & fried egg roll was really, really delicious!! And the protein bar was really, really unpleasant!
So now I start to wind down my distances - which is apparently its own set of challenges and my family should watch out for even more grumping from me!
Talent vs Hard Work
I heard a brilliant episode of FourThought on Radio 4 tonight. Matthew Syed is a former table tennis champion who was spending 15 minutes of airtime talking about the tensions between talent and hard work, and which of these is the key to success.
Syed argued that anybody who is any good at anything has practiced that activity for thousands of hours. Even Mozart, as a young boy, had spent thousands of hours working on his piano playing, and his progress had not always been astronomical - he progressed at a normal pace, but spent so long working hard at it that he became the child prodigy he was.
London's black cab drivers have a massive knowledge of the capital's roads and how to get around them. In fact the relevant part of their brain is larger than it is in non-cab drivers! But they weren't born that way - they developed their brains through hard work and practice.
While talent may be important, it is hard work that leads to success.
Also Syed discussed how, if the key component to success is talent, there would be no point in working hard. And talented people would always expect to rise to the top. Which would give us a lazy society, where nobody bothered to work subjects they weren't top of the class in.
Running Guru Jack Daniels makes similar points in his book Daniels' Running Formula. Assuming there can be no hard work without motivation, Daniels believes
"there are four kinds of distance runners:
1. Those who have inherent ability and the motivation to use that ability
2. Those who have the ability to do well but aren't motivated to use their ability
3. Those who lack much ability but have great motivation to achieve success
4. Those who lack ability and aren't motivated."
While Daniels states that it's the type-1 runners who are champions, he also helpfully says that it is type-3 runners who are "fun to coach and deserve your appreciation and attention."!
Daniels adds that opportunity and direction are key factors in achieving success in running.
Paul McKenna makes more similar points in Change Your Life in Seven Days. He talks about "neural pathways", and how learning new habits - like believing in your own success - is a matter of strenthening those pathways in your brain.
So, whether or not you are born with "talent" - you can still achieve ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO.
Syed argued that anybody who is any good at anything has practiced that activity for thousands of hours. Even Mozart, as a young boy, had spent thousands of hours working on his piano playing, and his progress had not always been astronomical - he progressed at a normal pace, but spent so long working hard at it that he became the child prodigy he was.
London's black cab drivers have a massive knowledge of the capital's roads and how to get around them. In fact the relevant part of their brain is larger than it is in non-cab drivers! But they weren't born that way - they developed their brains through hard work and practice.
While talent may be important, it is hard work that leads to success.
Also Syed discussed how, if the key component to success is talent, there would be no point in working hard. And talented people would always expect to rise to the top. Which would give us a lazy society, where nobody bothered to work subjects they weren't top of the class in.
Running Guru Jack Daniels makes similar points in his book Daniels' Running Formula. Assuming there can be no hard work without motivation, Daniels believes
"there are four kinds of distance runners:
1. Those who have inherent ability and the motivation to use that ability
2. Those who have the ability to do well but aren't motivated to use their ability
3. Those who lack much ability but have great motivation to achieve success
4. Those who lack ability and aren't motivated."
While Daniels states that it's the type-1 runners who are champions, he also helpfully says that it is type-3 runners who are "fun to coach and deserve your appreciation and attention."!
Daniels adds that opportunity and direction are key factors in achieving success in running.
Paul McKenna makes more similar points in Change Your Life in Seven Days. He talks about "neural pathways", and how learning new habits - like believing in your own success - is a matter of strenthening those pathways in your brain.
So, whether or not you are born with "talent" - you can still achieve ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO.
Monday, 30 April 2012
Reassuringly un-injured.
So it's day 1 (rest day) of my biggest marathon training week. 40 miles in 5 days. Bring it on!
I went to the osteopath today. I have a recurrent problem with the alignment of my pelvis, not really helped by my dancing and my tendancy towards hypermobility in my pelvis. I am lucky enough to see an amazing osteopath, Lynne Bennet, who knows my body really well and never fails to make things right when I'm feeling out of sorts.
For about a fortnight I'd been having minor backache, especially when dancing, and especially in rehearsals. Rehearsals are different to real dancing because there's so much hanging around - it's not continuous movement, it's waiting to have things explained, waiting to make decisions, walking through stage patterns, then perhaps a minute of dancing, then some more waiting. It means often having to dance on cooled muscles.
I haven't been in agony but things haven't been right so I was off to Napiers this morning. Lynne laughed when I said I was marathon training. She looked at my back and said that of course, I will finish the marathon because I'm so determined (how nice to be seen that way!) but that I might suffer for it afterwards. She treated me and called it 'damage limitation'. Hmm. But she did say that I don't have an injury - it's just that my 'body is treating the alignment of my spine *as if* it's an injury'. Oh.
So, no injuries, come on then!!
The down side is that she gave me quite a lot of treatment. I left feeling quite light-headed and the day went downhill from there. I became unable to stop eating (aaaargh) and just wanted to go to bed!
I forced myself to go to pilates class, because missing 3 weeks of pilates over the Easter holidays was, I think, one of the reasons my back has been playing up. Sadly there was a substitute teacher and the class was much more rushed and harsh than usual. After 10 minutes I suddenly felt like crying, and spent the next 50 minutes with tears running down my face! And even though I was having a terrible time, I'm so thron that I wouldn't leave a class I'd paid for, and snivelled till the end!
And it was a freezing, rainy day.
It's 9pm and I'm going to bed right now. I know I'll do a brilliant 5 miles in the morning, with my no injury. It's already been decided.
I went to the osteopath today. I have a recurrent problem with the alignment of my pelvis, not really helped by my dancing and my tendancy towards hypermobility in my pelvis. I am lucky enough to see an amazing osteopath, Lynne Bennet, who knows my body really well and never fails to make things right when I'm feeling out of sorts.
For about a fortnight I'd been having minor backache, especially when dancing, and especially in rehearsals. Rehearsals are different to real dancing because there's so much hanging around - it's not continuous movement, it's waiting to have things explained, waiting to make decisions, walking through stage patterns, then perhaps a minute of dancing, then some more waiting. It means often having to dance on cooled muscles.
I haven't been in agony but things haven't been right so I was off to Napiers this morning. Lynne laughed when I said I was marathon training. She looked at my back and said that of course, I will finish the marathon because I'm so determined (how nice to be seen that way!) but that I might suffer for it afterwards. She treated me and called it 'damage limitation'. Hmm. But she did say that I don't have an injury - it's just that my 'body is treating the alignment of my spine *as if* it's an injury'. Oh.
So, no injuries, come on then!!
The down side is that she gave me quite a lot of treatment. I left feeling quite light-headed and the day went downhill from there. I became unable to stop eating (aaaargh) and just wanted to go to bed!
I forced myself to go to pilates class, because missing 3 weeks of pilates over the Easter holidays was, I think, one of the reasons my back has been playing up. Sadly there was a substitute teacher and the class was much more rushed and harsh than usual. After 10 minutes I suddenly felt like crying, and spent the next 50 minutes with tears running down my face! And even though I was having a terrible time, I'm so thron that I wouldn't leave a class I'd paid for, and snivelled till the end!
And it was a freezing, rainy day.
It's 9pm and I'm going to bed right now. I know I'll do a brilliant 5 miles in the morning, with my no injury. It's already been decided.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
I'm going to College!!
I'm going to college in August!
I got offered a place on Jewel & Esk College's HNC course in Health, Fitness and Exercise. I've accepted it!
I'm really pleased and excited at the prospect, and I'm enjoying getting my head around the idea that life's going to be overhauled by the end of the year. My daughter will start school, I won't be needed as a full-time mummy any more, and I'll be going to college and studying. And working. And being a mummy.
I am really excited and looking forward to it. I have so many questions about college:
do they still use books?
do I need to wear fitness clothes every day?
will I be every bit as annoying as the mature students who were on my university course when I was 17?
will there be lots of colouring-in?
I'm so excited. Only four months! Wow!!
I got offered a place on Jewel & Esk College's HNC course in Health, Fitness and Exercise. I've accepted it!
I'm really pleased and excited at the prospect, and I'm enjoying getting my head around the idea that life's going to be overhauled by the end of the year. My daughter will start school, I won't be needed as a full-time mummy any more, and I'll be going to college and studying. And working. And being a mummy.
I am really excited and looking forward to it. I have so many questions about college:
do they still use books?
do I need to wear fitness clothes every day?
will I be every bit as annoying as the mature students who were on my university course when I was 17?
will there be lots of colouring-in?
I'm so excited. Only four months! Wow!!
Fuelled up on Jelly Babies
Today's running lesson: don't put jelly babies in your pocket on rainy days.
I read in Runner's World that some runners shun isotonic energy drinks and other advanced fuelling strategies in favour of good old jelly babies. I liked the sound of that, and got some jelly babies to keep in my pocket for big runs. The yellow ones were disgusting, but apart from that they were quite a nice distraction, along with my energy mix.
But today at 5am it was seriously rainy when I headed out for my 9 miles. I didn't sweat so much and didn't munch my sugary treats - and when I got home they'd turned to goo in my pocket. They were still discernably jelly babies. Just covered in an kind of sugary amniotic fluid.
And the yellow one was still disgusting.
Otherwise, the running is great. My 18 miles on Saturday felt pretty good - no niggles, no problems, and man! did the bacon & egg roll I had afterwards taste GOOD!! I had an incentive to get home fast - I had to take my daughter to her ballet class - and I'd asked the kids to make their own breakfast while I was out and not to wake up daddy! There comes a time in every child's life when they have to pour their own Blueberry Wheats and peel their own satsuma - and for my cherubs, it was last Saturday at 7.30am. Anyway, I did 18 miles in 2 hours 50 minutes. Not that I was really counting.
Fuelling is preoccupying me at the moment. I always run on an empty stomach, but that's mainly because I run first thing in the morning - 0530 or 0600. The Marathon starts at 1000 and I really don't think I can make it till 1000 any day without any food! So I'm thinking I'll get up at 0600 to eat, that way I'll be empty by race time, just top up my glycogen levels with an energy gel before the race. But I won't get the chance to check the tactic before the race.
I'm indebted to the Marathon Training Academy for keeping me going these last few weeks and for all the information on fuelling, training and recovery. More on them later.
What's blowing my mind at the moment is how my perception of distance has changed. This morning I did 9 miles and didn't think twice about it - didn't worry that it might be hard, just went out and took it on like it was easy. And when you think something's easy, it does become a whole lot easier. Until a month ago, 10 miles was what I considered to be a challenging big run! But now 10 miles isn't a big deal. I'm amazed at how my attitude's changed. I guess I know now that I'm capable of more!
Last night I'd organised a training and/or recovery with the other Leith Primary Runners, who are all running legs of the Marathon Relay. I was the only one there... but as I don't want them to feel guilty or in any way put off, I've told them that it was a great evening (it was, I went home and kept warm!) and we need to meet up again soon (we do!) I know they're all training, and we're all busy - but at least they have to meet each other so they know who they're supposed to be handing their batons too!
I read in Runner's World that some runners shun isotonic energy drinks and other advanced fuelling strategies in favour of good old jelly babies. I liked the sound of that, and got some jelly babies to keep in my pocket for big runs. The yellow ones were disgusting, but apart from that they were quite a nice distraction, along with my energy mix.
But today at 5am it was seriously rainy when I headed out for my 9 miles. I didn't sweat so much and didn't munch my sugary treats - and when I got home they'd turned to goo in my pocket. They were still discernably jelly babies. Just covered in an kind of sugary amniotic fluid.
And the yellow one was still disgusting.
Otherwise, the running is great. My 18 miles on Saturday felt pretty good - no niggles, no problems, and man! did the bacon & egg roll I had afterwards taste GOOD!! I had an incentive to get home fast - I had to take my daughter to her ballet class - and I'd asked the kids to make their own breakfast while I was out and not to wake up daddy! There comes a time in every child's life when they have to pour their own Blueberry Wheats and peel their own satsuma - and for my cherubs, it was last Saturday at 7.30am. Anyway, I did 18 miles in 2 hours 50 minutes. Not that I was really counting.
Fuelling is preoccupying me at the moment. I always run on an empty stomach, but that's mainly because I run first thing in the morning - 0530 or 0600. The Marathon starts at 1000 and I really don't think I can make it till 1000 any day without any food! So I'm thinking I'll get up at 0600 to eat, that way I'll be empty by race time, just top up my glycogen levels with an energy gel before the race. But I won't get the chance to check the tactic before the race.
I'm indebted to the Marathon Training Academy for keeping me going these last few weeks and for all the information on fuelling, training and recovery. More on them later.
What's blowing my mind at the moment is how my perception of distance has changed. This morning I did 9 miles and didn't think twice about it - didn't worry that it might be hard, just went out and took it on like it was easy. And when you think something's easy, it does become a whole lot easier. Until a month ago, 10 miles was what I considered to be a challenging big run! But now 10 miles isn't a big deal. I'm amazed at how my attitude's changed. I guess I know now that I'm capable of more!
Last night I'd organised a training and/or recovery with the other Leith Primary Runners, who are all running legs of the Marathon Relay. I was the only one there... but as I don't want them to feel guilty or in any way put off, I've told them that it was a great evening (it was, I went home and kept warm!) and we need to meet up again soon (we do!) I know they're all training, and we're all busy - but at least they have to meet each other so they know who they're supposed to be handing their batons too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)