So today I've had a bizarre experience - I actually felt a *little bit excited* about doing the marathon! I think a combination of relief at completing 18 miles (wooooohooooooo) without too much trouble combined with a break in the torrential rain we've had all week and the niggling migraine I've had the last few days, but also watching the London marathon on TV. Seeing all the runners plodding through the streets for their various charities cheered on by the crowds, and the sheer relief and elation on their faces at crossing the finishing line actually made me feel a little bit excited that in 5 weeks time (yikes!) that's (hopefully... fingers crossed, touchwood etc etc) going to be me and my friends! Today was probably the first day I've actually felt a tiny bit confident and reassured that maybe it's possible to do it! Am also hoping that my legs are coming round to the idea too as my knee behaved itself the whole way round today - long may it continue!
I think it is almost definite that I will cry at the end - I'm not really a crying sort of person but I don't do tired very well and I can get quite overwhelmed by things like this! I'm pretty sure I'll soon get over this though when my other half will no doubt tell me I'm being a weirdo! He's also told me not to take too long to do the marathon as he'll have to wait around at the end - haha!
The sponsors keep on coming which is just fab - I think I have over £500 now already if I include the money my family have raised offline by putting the thumb screws on everyone they know - so exciting when I set out hoping to get £200-300, maybe I can push it even higher now if people keep on being so generous!!!
My next task is to sort out my outfit for the day - shorts / cropped leggings / full length running tights is one dilemma, but I also need to find a top and decorate it in some sort of Main project logo if possible! Plus I need to decide whether to stick with my trusty new socks or to go for the fetching knee high compression socks (in pink or black!)?!?!? decisions decisions!!!!
Nice of Ellie Goulding to drop by (via my earphones at the end of the run) to congratulate me on my furthest ever run (18.4 miles) and my longest ever duration of run (2hrs 50 mins!) - am hoping Paula Radcliffe might call in at the end of the marathon.
The impossible seems possible - believe!!!!!
Sunday 22 April 2012
Sunday 15 April 2012
Four seasons
Well that was erm.... interesting! Just been for a 12 mile run that pretty much involved every type of weather possible! I set off in light rain that quickly turned to heavy rain during the first mile (two men on bikes were even hiding under a tree for shelter and looking a little sheepish as I ran past!), then stopped and became rather blustery (saw the same two guys later trying not to fall off their bikes on an exposed part of the route they were sharing with me!), then it was boiling hot to the point I was thinking about what layers were removable, and then finally the last mile I got hail stoned - nice! Just spoke to my marathon partner Kat who tells me that she's just done a 15 mile run in baking sunshine - how does that happen that the north-west is nice weather?!?!? It's never been nice all the times I've visited but she even sent me photographic evidence!
Knee news is abit up and down this week - did 10 miles on Wednesday - hardly any pain at all - today it was fine for the first 4 miles or so then was almost unbearable by the end - damn!!!! Kat is having similar problems though which in a weird way reassures me (sorry Kat!) but it makes it seem more normal and therefore more manageable! Bizarre how my mind works I know but there you go!
On the charity front, I'd like to remind everyone who I'm raising money for and why it's so important to try and support them! The Main Project have recently rebranded with a swanky new website and some new services to support young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. The clubs and events they run for young people not only give parents a respite break but also help young people to develop their socialising skills and have opportunities to undertake activities that otherwise they would struggle to access. Check out their website / Facebook page etc and if you can spare a quid or two to support this fab charity then it would be much appreciated! You can sponsor me anytime 24/7 at http://www.justgiving.com/SarahWalkerMarathon
Thank you :D
Knee news is abit up and down this week - did 10 miles on Wednesday - hardly any pain at all - today it was fine for the first 4 miles or so then was almost unbearable by the end - damn!!!! Kat is having similar problems though which in a weird way reassures me (sorry Kat!) but it makes it seem more normal and therefore more manageable! Bizarre how my mind works I know but there you go!
On the charity front, I'd like to remind everyone who I'm raising money for and why it's so important to try and support them! The Main Project have recently rebranded with a swanky new website and some new services to support young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. The clubs and events they run for young people not only give parents a respite break but also help young people to develop their socialising skills and have opportunities to undertake activities that otherwise they would struggle to access. Check out their website / Facebook page etc and if you can spare a quid or two to support this fab charity then it would be much appreciated! You can sponsor me anytime 24/7 at http://www.justgiving.com/SarahWalkerMarathon
Thank you :D
Saturday 7 April 2012
Conspiracy theories
I'm starting to think that the powers that be are trying to tell me that this marathon is a bad idea! Having overcome most of what the fates have had to throw at me so far, I was massively disappointed for my long-lost acquaintance of hay fever to make a surprise reappearance this week after a 10 year absence! Cue lots of lethargy, blocked sinuses, headaches and puffy eyes - great!!
Since I last wrote, I managed to struggle through a 16 mile run last Sunday - it was frighteningly difficult considering it's still 10 miles short of what I will need to do on M-day itself! A particularly warm day didn't help the hay fever, plus then I managed to time my 2 mile home-leg on the beach with high tide so the sand was squishy underfoot - not good for my tired legs! My catastrophic thoughts of being swept out to sea from being unable to scramble up the sand dunes away from the sea because I was so tired kept me going - I didn't dare stop!!! I found that the last 4-5 miles were so hard going that I lost my usual politeness of getting out of the way of people. No chance passers-by - I can't possibly move to the left or right, or down a curb or onto the verge - anything like that would need more energy and upset my rhythm so you're going to have to get out of my way or else I'll run right over the top of you! It's not often that I feel like I don't want to stop - the temptation is always there to just stop and catch my breath or stretch out abit, but no chance this day. I knew if I stopped I would just have to lay down on that very spot and hope that someone found me before I died of starvation or cold! Slightly melodramatic as I did have my phone on me, so I could've just called someone but you get the idea! By the time I got home, Ste - who had ran the first 6 miles with me and was showered and fed by this point - stood and clapped my stagger into the garden. I must have looked rough because he even got me a glass of water! I also found out from this run that I don't think I can really stomach the carbohydrate energy drinks as I spent most of the last few miles trying not to throw up as a result of my experimentation! Bad times all round but hey ho at least the miles were done.
For added entertainment and to add a new source of worry - the niggle I have been feeling in my knee has gotten much worse. From my descriptions over the phone to my best mate/marathon partner/personal physio, it seems that I have aggravated my ITB which is the strip of muscle down the outside of my knee. So now every time I run for longer than 2-3 miles it hurts. A lot. And then I stop running and it's fine. Erm - what the hell?!?!? Looking on the internet for more info on this (as you do with all medical conditions for reliable advice - lol!) I came across an article about the 5 most common running injuries. Turns out I have 4 of the 5 at the moment to a greater or lesser degree - only one more and I've got the whole set!
I've struggled through three shorter runs this week in order to prepare for a longer one yesterday. The training plan I've been following said I needed to do 15-18 miles but I was anxious after the pain I've been in on shorter runs this week. To cut a long story short (and I'm sure you're sick of my moaning by now!) I managed 14 miles before I had to admit defeat as my leg was about to give way in a most un-ladylike manner in the streets of saltburn! I'd ran 6-7 miles to redcar (somehow ending up in the starting area of a 10k road race en route!) before being joined by my faithful running partners Ste and Joe for the return leg back to Saltburn. My knee was fine for the first 2 miles but then ached for the rest to the point that by the end my hip, back and ankle were all feeling like they were in cramp - nice! It was so frustrating as my blisters were all fine (vaseline = magic!), I had plenty of energy and didn't feel hungry (porridge for breakfast is the way forward & jelly babies en route to keep me powered up!) and the weather was perfect for running (cool, gentle breeze and the odd bit of drizzle), but my knee just wouldn't comply any longer so I had to give. Very, very annoying and abit worrying with the run only just over 7 weeks away! All the advice for ITB problems is to reduce your mileage or take time off running all together - neither of which I can do so I'm just going to have to plod on and hope for the best! The foam roller Ste got me for my birthday is definitely going to come in handy now!!! Pass the deep heat and the ibuprofen please!
Since I last wrote, I managed to struggle through a 16 mile run last Sunday - it was frighteningly difficult considering it's still 10 miles short of what I will need to do on M-day itself! A particularly warm day didn't help the hay fever, plus then I managed to time my 2 mile home-leg on the beach with high tide so the sand was squishy underfoot - not good for my tired legs! My catastrophic thoughts of being swept out to sea from being unable to scramble up the sand dunes away from the sea because I was so tired kept me going - I didn't dare stop!!! I found that the last 4-5 miles were so hard going that I lost my usual politeness of getting out of the way of people. No chance passers-by - I can't possibly move to the left or right, or down a curb or onto the verge - anything like that would need more energy and upset my rhythm so you're going to have to get out of my way or else I'll run right over the top of you! It's not often that I feel like I don't want to stop - the temptation is always there to just stop and catch my breath or stretch out abit, but no chance this day. I knew if I stopped I would just have to lay down on that very spot and hope that someone found me before I died of starvation or cold! Slightly melodramatic as I did have my phone on me, so I could've just called someone but you get the idea! By the time I got home, Ste - who had ran the first 6 miles with me and was showered and fed by this point - stood and clapped my stagger into the garden. I must have looked rough because he even got me a glass of water! I also found out from this run that I don't think I can really stomach the carbohydrate energy drinks as I spent most of the last few miles trying not to throw up as a result of my experimentation! Bad times all round but hey ho at least the miles were done.
For added entertainment and to add a new source of worry - the niggle I have been feeling in my knee has gotten much worse. From my descriptions over the phone to my best mate/marathon partner/personal physio, it seems that I have aggravated my ITB which is the strip of muscle down the outside of my knee. So now every time I run for longer than 2-3 miles it hurts. A lot. And then I stop running and it's fine. Erm - what the hell?!?!? Looking on the internet for more info on this (as you do with all medical conditions for reliable advice - lol!) I came across an article about the 5 most common running injuries. Turns out I have 4 of the 5 at the moment to a greater or lesser degree - only one more and I've got the whole set!
I've struggled through three shorter runs this week in order to prepare for a longer one yesterday. The training plan I've been following said I needed to do 15-18 miles but I was anxious after the pain I've been in on shorter runs this week. To cut a long story short (and I'm sure you're sick of my moaning by now!) I managed 14 miles before I had to admit defeat as my leg was about to give way in a most un-ladylike manner in the streets of saltburn! I'd ran 6-7 miles to redcar (somehow ending up in the starting area of a 10k road race en route!) before being joined by my faithful running partners Ste and Joe for the return leg back to Saltburn. My knee was fine for the first 2 miles but then ached for the rest to the point that by the end my hip, back and ankle were all feeling like they were in cramp - nice! It was so frustrating as my blisters were all fine (vaseline = magic!), I had plenty of energy and didn't feel hungry (porridge for breakfast is the way forward & jelly babies en route to keep me powered up!) and the weather was perfect for running (cool, gentle breeze and the odd bit of drizzle), but my knee just wouldn't comply any longer so I had to give. Very, very annoying and abit worrying with the run only just over 7 weeks away! All the advice for ITB problems is to reduce your mileage or take time off running all together - neither of which I can do so I'm just going to have to plod on and hope for the best! The foam roller Ste got me for my birthday is definitely going to come in handy now!!! Pass the deep heat and the ibuprofen please!
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