Tuesday 31 January 2012

New Feet

Ok, so not quite new feet, but new orthotics for my trainers.  I have mixed feelings.  I'm glad that it may sort the pain in my toes (although that hasn't affected the running so far, more the classes like Body Combat) however i'm a little peeved as the old orthotics i paid £40 for, which of course was after i'd paid £60 for the appointment!

I do wish the NHS would work faster sometimes, in fact if the original NHS physios had done their job properly in the first place, i could have saved a fortune! Anyway rant over back to training.

Even though the sun started to shine while i was with the podiatrist it was still very chilly and i'd left the house dressed for the gym, so i certainly wasn't going outside in 3/4 capris & a short sleeve t-shirt.  So at the gym i picked a treadmill right next to the window to at least try and make me feel like i was outside.... yeh i know, but it's worth a try!  I plugged in a goal on 3 miles & then increased the speed, initially settling at a pace of 8.45 min/mile.  It felt like really hard work but then i was running faster than i would outdoors.  That's one reason i do like the treadmill for short distances, i can push the pace and try and increase my speed.  I'm sure that i read somewhere that short runs should be faster & long runs should be taken at a steadier pace.  After all long runs are all about endurance.  I tried really hard not check how much further i had to go or how much longer it was going to take because i just think it make it seem to go on even longer!  That's certainly a benefit to running outside, the distance & time seems to past so much quicker!

So i made the 3 miles, reasonably pain free - i stocked up on blister plasters when i popped into town after & i think i need to invest in some new socks.  Tomorrow is supposed to be 6 miles.  I'm not sure.  Maybe if i find the right route.  For example get the bus into town & run home.  That way i have to get home on foot! Trouble with living in a village is that there are no pavements between the local town & the villages which means running on busy roads.  I've seen plenty of people running on it & hopefully in my fluorescent yellow i should be visible enough. It will be an afternoon run as i am out early tomorrow & won't be back until lunch time, so perhaps i'll find another route over lunch.  It is quite nice running near the gym as i can have a good stretch after using the power plate & in the warm.

I did discover something new today whilst stretching - i can almost do the splits! I shall try and get photographic evidence of that for amusement.  Just another situation where i wished i had a smart phone.

Weather

As its snowing/sleeting (in that pathetic English way) i think i'll leave today's three miles until i'm in town later & pop to the gym.

I'm not generally a fair weather runner, however last year i trained in the snow (ok so -5 is a touch colder than it is right now) and i think managed to give myself mild hypothermia. I had blue lips, was shivering even after being in the warm for 30 minutes stood under the hand drier at the gym and scared by gym friends a little too. So given my previous Flu issues over christmas i'd rather not risk even a cold right now.  

And anyway 3 miles on the 'dreadmill' is manageable bearable but i'm not going that way until the afternoon so i think i will warm myself up with a bit of stretching/yoga/pilates before lunch.  

Sunday 29 January 2012

76 Days to go!

Things are really getting up and running now - literally too!

All the registration with My Donate is complete, i have a fundraising page & have raised £86.20 already in 4 days. I have paper forms printed & handed out with more to be posted out to family too.

After the flu before christmas & its lasting effects i finally feel like i have life again.  I'd actually consider paying to get a flu jab, even if just from Tescos, just so i don't end up missing a month of exercise again! The rest of the house got it after me but they both had flu jabs in November and neither suffered the after effects that i did.  Anyway i feel alive again, have managed a full week of exercise including 2 runs.

I have time to make up on the training but I need to make sure i don't push it too hard too fast.  The last thing i need now is an injury! So i started with the scheduled 3 mile on Thursday, which felt hard after 2.4 miles but i kept pushing until the end & completed the full 3 miles. I guess i haven't lost all of my fitness if i can pull out 3 miles having not run for a few weeks.

Then yesterday was supposed to be a 12 mile long run - hmmm.... well i knew that was out of the question so i thought i'd aim for half of that. But after 3 miles the debate in my head started about taking a walk break.  I find if i let the debate go on in my mind, the longer i think about it, the longer i keep running for. However i could feel blisters starting to rub under the arches of my feet.  The orthotics have certainly improved (dare i say cured?) the shin splints issue of last year however i do find they rub blisters in my running shoes.  I think i might just need to loosen the laces, or maybe try and find some anti blister socks.  Anyhow at 4.8 miles i decided enough was enough.  My Quads were killing (possibly not helped by Body Pump the night before), my hips felt very tight and i knew if the blisters formed properly it would make running for the rest of the week much harder.  So i stopped running, changed to a power walk  as i was less than a mile from home by then, so i wasn't going to call for a lift from there! No blisters but very sore patches that i will have to watch & possibly get the gel plasters on just to protect while i continue with short runs & cross training.

Its my final Legs, Bums & Tums class tomorrow night before i stop until after the race.  Afterall Mondays are timetabled to be a rest day & if i am going to catch up the mileage i am going to need to take the rest days properly - I think the flu has turned me sensible too!

I will make posts more interesting with pictures and other things but right now its almost 11pm and i need to take my legs to bed.  No RDA tomorrow, i have a week off this monday but i have plenty of fundraising & publicity jobs to do to keep me busy.