Week 17

So, the plan for this week was to recover!  I had Monday off of work and I managed to haul myself down to Virgin Active to sit in the spa pool until I was as wrinkly as a prune.  I was seriously sore until Wednesday anyway but I managed to go spinning on Wednesday morning which helped.  I was raring to go by the weekend and got a PB at parkrun on Saturday.  I wasn't going to run on Sunday but as next week is a bit of a challenge (a funeral on Wednesday and Danni's 18th birthday on Thursday) I went for a 10 mile run with Deirdre.  It was a beautiful, sunny day so I took some photos.

This heron was sitting as still as a statue on the grass near to the tunnel leading up to the Terrace Gardens in Richmond.

This beauty was chilling by the polo field.

It took until Sunday, but I've managed to talk Deirdre into running the Brighton Marathon next year - another Spring challenge!!

Saturday: 3.1 miles
Sunday: 10 miles
Total miles this week: 13.1 miles

Total marathon miles: 379.05
1 x spinning, 5 miles cycled - not bad considering!

The morning after the day before.....

Well I ache this morning but I’m pretty happy.  I’m going to start at the beginning....... which was waking up at 5.30am, getting into my kit and forcing my muesli down.  Paul (Deirdre’s husband) gave us and his brother Ian a lift to the station, where we met Stacey and Oliver, and we got the train to Waterloo.  We walked over to Waterloo East and got the train to Blackheath.  From there we walked to the start.  We got there at about 8.45-ish and we queued for the loo (twice), put our bags on the lorries and lined up in our start pen.  We were in pen 9 – the back!  I probably shouldn't, but I have to tell you that Deirdre tried out the female urinals.  She regretted not trying the she-pee the last time and was determined to.  I didn't!  I didn't want to start the race with a wet leg or worse a soggy shoe but she did it and ticked it off of her bucket list (brave lady) and no, she didn't have a soggy shoe or wet leg!

It took us about 15 minutes to cross the start line but it was amazing from the start.  There were loads of people, bands, music and runners.  It was hot, hot, hot from the word go.  Some parts along the route got a little bit quiet – like between 8 and 10 miles and the going got a bit tough.  It was a nice relief seeing Deirdre’s sisters and their family at about 11.5 miles and it was a great feeling crossing Tower Bridge.  It was even better after half way as we got into a bit of shade going into docklands and it clouded over a bit.  That was a good job as I was totally overheating. 

One of the rubbish lasting effects of my clots is that they permanently damaged my lungs.  The receptors in my lungs were damaged and so although I can breathe and there is air in my lungs the receptors don’t tell my brain that.  My brain thinks I need more air which leads to something that feels a bit like a panic attack.  This gets worse when I’m hot.  I have learnt to control it but it isn’t very nice and it hurts because I get chest pains at the same time.  I felt like this between about miles 9 and 13 so I can’t tell you what a relief it was when we hit a bit of shade.  I walked through every shower and fireman’s hose to cool down.  They were so cold they took my breath away for real!

We saw Deirdre’s kids and their friends at about 14 miles.  In some places around the 14 mile mark there the crowds were so packed that it was hard to get through.  There were lots of people walking and sometimes it was like hitting a wall and we struggled to get through.   Around Docklands we saw Simon and Deborah, Nikki and then Maggie, Allyson and Deirdre’s work colleagues.  The children in Deirdre's class had made a banner with messages from every single one writen on their hand prints!  The drums under the underpass (I’m not sure where we were) gave me goose bumps!  We saw Lyndsey then Deirdre’s kids again at about 20 and then Maggie and Allyson again, my family and Graham at 21 and 22 and Sharon.  We saw the lovely Carol on the Embankment (with her bad back) who nearly made us cry!  Both of our watches has gone wrong by Docklands so I have no idea on how far we actually ran – which was loads more than 26.2 due to the weaving around the walls of walkers. 

The last 4 miles were really tough but we just kept run/walking and although we didn’t make the pace we’d hoped for it didn’t really matter, we finished!  (And we were quicker than Amy Childs by 3 minutes!!) Stacey finished in 5.21.  This is probably the nearest I will ever get to being a rock star as hundreds of people shouted my name which was totally AMAZING!

 

I was a bit premature yesterday when I posted my summary:

Tuesday: 4 miles
Saturday: 3.1 miles parkrun
Sunday: 26.2 miles
Total miles this week 33.3
Total marathon miles to date: 369.95

Only 4 weeks and 4 days until Edinburgh!!
 

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

Tomorrow is the BIG day!  This week started with the bombing of the Boston Marathon on Monday.  It was such a senseless, shocking and sickening thing to happen.  It made me think about all the people who are planning on watching me tomorrow.  My husband, kids and lots and lots of friends will be spread out around the route.  Their support really keeps you going and distracts you from whatever ache or pain you have.  Can you imagine the guilt a runner would feel if their child, partner or friend died, lost a limb or was injured because they’d come to watch them?  All these practical questions came into my head like how would you get your bag back?  Not really significant when people are injured and dying but how would you get your phone to let people know you were ok? How would you get home or back to your hotel?  It puts into proportion the closure of platforms 1-10 tomorrow at Waterloo station! If must have been horrific and will take a long time for people to recover.  I will be wearing my black ribbon tomorrow to remember those who were killed and injured.  My mum’s not too pleased with me for running.  I hadn’t actually told her (she worries about me because of my heart and lung thing) and then there was a bomb.... Well that was it!  I’m still doing it though, sorry mum!!!

I plan on running the whole way with Deirdre.  We’ve done all our training together and bar anything unforeseen we should finish together.  Stacy will be with us too.  This is Stacy’s first marathon and she is a bit worried as she’s had a problem with her knee.  I’m sure she’ll be able to stick with us, if not zoom off and leave us for dust.  We will run the first 6 miles and then run/walk 9 minutes run and 1 minute walk for 20.2 miles.  We probably won’t talk all the way but most of it!  This reminds me of something someone once said to me.  It was a few years ago and I can’t remember what race we were discussing but she asked me what time I was aiming for.  I said something like, “I don’t know, I’m running with so-and-so and we’ll just have a nice run”.  Her response to this has stayed with me to this day: “People like you only say that because you are embarrassed about how slow you are.”  I was pretty upset at the time but I confess, I am slow.  I am aiming to finish in between 5 hours 15 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes and I will be proud to finish!  I run because I like it, because I enjoy it and because it is fun.  I like to run at a comfortable chatting pace, I like to take in the crowd, the sights and be part of an occasion and lets face it, London is the biggest occasion! 

We had great fun at the Expo on Wednesday when we went to register and pick up our numbers.  I bought more kit (that I don't really need) and GU chomps (that I don't really like) and picked up maps for my supporters.  Deirdre loves the music!! This marathon malarky is so emotional!!

I’m just off to get my kit and my bag ready.  I have butterflies but I’m good nervous..... BRING IT ON!


Tuesday: 4 miles
Saturday: 3.1 miles parkrun
Total miles this week 7.1
Total marathon miles to date: 336.65

Week 15 - 1 week to go!!!!!

This was a busy week.  It was my mum's 70th birthday and my daughter was in the U18's National Hockey Final.  These limited my training!  The sun has finally come out and about time too!  It was the Brighton marathon on Sunday and Tanya did well to finish with an injury and a smile on her face.

Tuesday - Interval session
Thursday - 45 mins on treadmill
Saturday - 6.4 miles at marathon pace, including a parkrun

Total miles this week : Only 13.4

Total marathon miles:  329.55

(plus 15miles cycled, 2 x spins and 1 x pump)

Week 14 (only 2 weeks until London)

This week the sun has made an appearance!  This week is the start of the taper which means it is all down hill - yipee!!  We actually got to run in the park on Tuesday evening which made a really nice change.  Thursday it snowed (again) and I hadn't packed enough clothes so that wasn't fun.  Saturday we went to Old Deer Park for the first time for a special parkrun.  It was a bit lumpy bumpy and I was worried about twisting my ankle but it was a fun event.  Sunday was sunny and the six of us had a nice run along the river.

I discovered body balance this week.  I've been before but not for a while and this may be the answer to my pilates/yoga problem!  I'm giving it another go next week.

Tuesday: 5.6 mile group run in Richmond Park
Thursday: 5.85 miles at marathon pace
Saturday: Parkrun
Sunday: 10.6 mile LSR

Total miles: 25.15

Total marathon miles: 316.15

(plus 7.5miles cycling, 1 body balance, 1 pump, 1 spin)