'Tis the season

A work free week is indeed divine. Training for the Bramley 10 continues. I am trying not to be alarmed by the thought of hills, I am not good on hills, but I get through them and pick my pace up again when they are over.

I ran 8 miles this morning but am now very tired. It took me 1:26 with just two stops, one to fiddle with ipod and one to wait for traffic. Thinking 1:45 race time is realistic. I will take the training up close to 10m in the next 3 weeks, then taper down before the big day in just over 6 weeks. Fingers crossed the weather is tolerable!

I plan to rest for the remainder of the week, am volunteering at Parkrun on NYE and will do it on New Years day.

Maura.

Random observations of a runner

So having done 10k at the end of October,  and eased back my distances a bit since then, I now have to bring them back up for the Bramley 10m in February. The training target will be 2 laps of VW lake, about 9 miles, a couple of weeks before the race then some tapering until the big day.

Today I did an hour, covering 5.5 miles which is really not a great pace, but I did have a couple of traffic light stops! This route was a short stretch of the A30, then around Virginia Water Lake with an extended bit around the Polo field/Wick Road

I had my music on, but even that can be a bit boring, so I like to people watch. On a  sunny day like today, there were plenty to watch.

Firstly - the dog walkers. These come in 3 types. The full-makeup-and-hair walking the 'fragile' coat-wearing dog on a lead.  Small dogs these, so beware the tripping danger. Usually on tight leads so not a huge issue. Then there are the stuff-and-nonsense waxed jacket types, always with large energetic dogs who are in and out of bushes, in and out of the lake and generally making the most of the terrain. Beware the post-swim shake as that water can go a long way.  And if I show any hesitation when the dog approaches, I am told in no uncertain terms that if he thinks I am afraid he will jump on me. I can never work out how that is supposed to help as it just makes me more nervous which will increase the chances of contact! Lastly, we have the family dogs being taken for a walk because otherwise they will be unbearable. They mostly ignore me :) but not each other.

Then we have the runners. Runners fall into two categories, the friendly who say hello, and the unfriendly who don't.  Many of the friendly ones I see regularly which increases the friendliness. I have yet to fathom the unfriendly ones but some are 'serious runners' (ahem) who wouldn't lower themselves to acknowledge a middle-aged plodder like me, and others look like they are in too much pain to smile.

Finally we have the walker/exercisers. These are usually groups of women post school run. Big issue with these groups is that they hog the path completely meaning anyone else overtaking or approaching from the opposite direction has to leave the path to pass them. C'mon ladies, if there are 4 of you and one of me surely it is not too much to ask you to give way a little so I don't end up in the bushes!

Right, must crack on with Christmas cards, Christmas shopping and other boring stuff.

Be careful what you wish for.

For a few weeks now I have been building up my running times and thinking I am almost ready for a 10k. I have been chicken about applying. Then a facebook post offering a berth at the Fleet 10k due to illness and the knowledge that I would know someone else doing it was enough, and I jumped in, my first ever 10k and at barely 3 days notice.

Well, what can I say? It was a resounding success. Great weather - dry, warm but not hot. Great course, 2 loops with no hideous hills. Lots of on street support from the locals.  And my time of 1:04.59 was very pleasing even if the timing people logged it under the 5k results instead of the 10k. Believe me, I did 10k.
Downloading my garmin trace afterwards, it was equalling pleasing to see how even my pace was throughout the whole race.

Roll on the next one!

Maura.

Another PB

Another PB yesterday at Parkrun. Yes, there are advantages to being slow, there is much more room for improvement. I have done 10 runs at Frimley Lodge and recorded PBs at 5 of them shaving 4 minutes off my time. Life is good.

Heaven, I'm in Heaven ....

Thanks to the generosity of my lovely family and friends, an England Athletics coupon and a small personal contribution I am now the proud owner of some new running 'stuff'. New shoes - new purple shoes (Brooks Adrenaline gts 11), a new adidas top with a pocket for my door key and a goretex windproof jacket to be precise.  I am all set gear wise.  My garmin forerunner has been test driven around Virginia Water Lake and my ipod armband is just the ticket. Oh and an annual subscription to runners world. I am feeling very loved. Thank you everyone.

Back to training

So chuffed was I with my 55:42 in the Windsor 8k last Saturday that I went out and ran the same distance again this morning. Good job too as it is turning very warm here now!

I am still toying with doing the Shock Absorber 10k in Richmond on 22/10, just a bit chicken.

Only 6 days now to wait for my Garmin. The children laughed when I said I was planning to go for a long leisurely run on the morning of my birthday. Well why not! Can't Parkrun this Saturday as we have another wedding so I will just plod on with my training and get back there on 8th. Hopefully if I train for a 10k,  5k will start to feel easier and I can do it quicker.

Maura.

Post race rest

Today I am basking in the glory of yesterday's 8k in Windsor. It was such a straightforward experience, living as we do just 15 minutes from the race venue. They were all geared up to cope with the bigger crowds running today's half, so everything ran smoothly on the day.  S and I got there just before 11:30, sat sipping a little water and then we were off (well I was off, S was watching/holding bags). Uphill to start, I surprised myself by passing a lot of people who weren't coping so well with that. The end was in reverse, so tired though I was, the downhill stretch to the line was joyous and my chip time was 55:42. That my friends is a pb as it is my first ever 8k.

Ready to Race

Countdown to Windsor 8k on Saturday. In preparation, I ran 8k yesterday, it seemed a logical thing to do. It has also left me wondering what is the longest race that you would prepare for by running that distance? Clearly a marathon runner is not going to do a marathon 5 days before a marathon but an 8k-er can.
Answers on a postcard please.

So that only leaves me to dwell on the weather. I would like it to be dry and between 11 and 13 degrees.
A little drizzle tolerable too, but no downpour and no searing heat. It's a lottery.

And when I finish, I will probably go straight home and sign up for a 10k. Well why wouldn't I?

A very neglected blog...

Not much point blogging if you forget to post for 2 years!

So a whistle stop tour of all you need to know:

I went back to running in the spring of 2010 using the excellent c25k program to train for Race for Life in June. I let things slide a bit after that, gained a ton of weight over the winter then last February I 'woke up', joined Weightwatchers and started running again. I am in great shape for my upcoming big birthday, 20lbs lighter and a whole lot fitter.

The blog will catalogue my running woes, as well as anything else I feel the need to ramble on about!

Right now I am gearing up for the Windsor 8k on 24th September and am registered for the BUPA 10k in London next May. I am a regular at Frimley Lodge Park Run where I strive to achieve a personal best every week with mixed success.