Week Twelve - It will end ......

"It will end" ... "It will end" was the chanting occurring in my head on Tuesday evening as myself and Connie scaled the second hill of the evening during the course of our 9 mile run. That's right folks nine whole miles, our longest run to date. There were cheesy fingers, numb toes, ab cramps and a very steep descent but these smiley happy (slightly damp) faces show it was all worth it!

Having started this week with the Sunday club run feeling decidedly mediocre (nothing to do with the route or company I might add) reaching this milestone on Tuesday was a welcome ray of sunshine even though I am still grumping about my lack of Garmin Fanfare - I swear if I don't get one in May after finishing the marathon I am writing to complain!

Having got two decent long runs in already at the start of the week plus a core session at the gym on Monday all that was left for the rest of the training week was a 3 miler and Saturdays parkrun.

Knowing in the back of my mind I was aiming for a PB on Saturday I didn't want to race my 3 mile run on Thursday so decided in advance I would try out some of Stuart's running techniques from last week's group session. With this is mind I headed out off road (less people to laugh and me kicking ass on the way round). It was an interesting run, felt surprisingly tough and left me wondering how I can do a nine mile one day and then feel terrible completing just three only days later.

Parkrun Saturday and lovely to see some of the other Z2H's even if Connie ditched me for a lay in. The course felt tough, really tough and I had literally no sprint finish in me however crossed the finish, glanced at the Garmin and elated to see 22:44 as my finish time. Official Parkrun time said 22:47 either way I am one happy lady!

Amanda

Week Eleven - Getting it Together!

This week has been a busy one with several highlights. Sunday started with a 6 mile jog along the canal to Stoke Bruerne. This has become one of my regular routes which I enjoy mainly as it is flat, not a loop and the smiling faces of my children are always waiting to great me at the other end!

Tuesday was Emily’s “number three birthday”, she loves the superhero outfit that Grandma brought for her along with her long awaited ‘pink and orange’ running shoes! She may be a bit little for junior parkrun but it won’t be long!

It was great to get together with some of the other Z2H’s for Stuart’s training session on Wednesday, there were lots of laughs and definitely some food for thought with regards to running technique.

Thursday was definitely NOT a highlight of my week and Connie will testify I was a massive grump! 7 miles and I felt every step of it! To say I wasn’t feeling the love would be an understatement but we got through it and moved on! (I moved on to the Cinema where I promptly fell asleep half way through a strange film about aliens and a talking dog!)

Trying to break the record for the most consecutive evenings I can spend with running partner Connie we headed up to the gym on Friday for some core. Did we do some core Connie? I’m not sure, but we certainly had a giggle, a (cold) swim and decided that it is not grammatically correct for something to have “glew in the dark”!

I finished the week with a hot sweaty parkrun and a birthday party for the little one! Happy Days!

Amanda

Week Ten - Moving on Up!

So this week we took training to a new level by trying out the 90 minute Sunday club run - what a treat! It amazes me how I can run for 90 minutes, cover over 8 miles and have absolutely no idea where I am for at least 80% of the time! It was lovely to be joined by some of the other Z2H's making the milestone all the more bearable, thanks Ladies!

Joining such a big group of more experienced runners is a great way to learn tips, tricks, do's and don'ts for longer runs. This week we have learnt the following:

- DO make sure your socks are on the right feet (R = Right, L = Left - it's basic stuff)

- DO check your trousers are on the correct way before heading out. Wearing them inside out is not a fashion statement and makes pocket access pretty tricky!

- DO remember to bring water for a long run. Even better charm the lovely tail biker so he carries it for you!

= DON'T assume eating an energy gel from a packet whilst running will be simple!

It's clear we have a lot more practicing to do but luckily there will be plenty more Sunday runs to iron out our inadequacies.

I realise I am not going to get away without mentioning my diet this week. Sunday morning started perfectly with porridge and banana but as the week went on  it definitely wasn't the overhaul I was aiming for and there was certainly at least one Nigella style evening fridge raid. This was however solely the fault of my lovely neighbour who left me the most amazing carrot cake in the world to get through and I accept no responsibility! It was an improvement on last week though so we are moving in the right direction.

This week was my partner in crime Tweedle Dee's Birthday with double celebrations as after a couple of duff run's it appears Connie got her running mojo back after a lovely 6+ mile run in the rain on Tuesday!

6am Thursday saw the start of a speedy 5 miler for me, getting back home in 42:25. This was my first faster run since hurting my Achilles. It's been a bit achy since but all in all feeling positive!

With Grandad helpfully occupying the girls with a trip to the ducks on Saturday morning I finished up my  training week with a core workout up at the gym.  Reading my training plan for the next few weeks is a little daunting seeing the mileage starting to increase however I am confident with the support of the club everything will be fine!

Amanda

Week Nine - We are what we eat

It was approximately 10 years ago (grey hair alert) that I graduated from University with a degree in Nutrition. That's ten years I have had (3650 days!!) to still not perfect a consistently good diet. Like most people I have peaks and troughs which can easily be categorised as follows:

1. Trying really hard to eat well and totally limit intake of 'bad' foods. Toby refers to this whilst rolling his eyes as "your nuts and berries thing" even though I am not sure nuts and berries feature it sums up periods when I am very focused on what I am and am not eating!

2. Really not paying any attention to what I eat, craving and satisfying the bad food cravings and eating far too much takeaway and processed rubbish.

3. The happy medium, my own version of mainly 'clean' eating with the occasional treat to keep me sane.

This week has most definitely been category two - takeaway and rubbish overload. I would like to blame this entirely on workload and stress levels, meals have certainly not been top priority but it's not really excusable. Since we moved out to Northamptonshire from Essex four years ago I have constantly apologised for the state of my house and told myself, friends old and new and family that "soon I will have more time", I am starting to realise this is never going to happen, the nature of our work and family life means one time consuming activity is constantly replaced with another. If I want something to happen I need to actually make changes and prioritise. So, as of next week Toby will be really please to know that operation EAT WELL is commencing. Never fear it's not nuts and berries time but there will not be a takeaway in sight!

In terms of training this week it's all been very mediocre. I haven't been in the gym much, I don't think lounging round the pool in the sunshine with the kids counts so I won't even try to pretend. I have stuck to my training plan mileage, roped Toby and our four legged friend Ted in for a swelteringly hot 10K on Sunday to start the week and followed up with two 5 milers, one with my Tweedle Dee Connie and one with only the company of my iPod. All three runs felt tough this week and although the Achilles isn't fixed it doesn't appear to be getting worse so I hoping for a lovely Sunday club run to start next week and get me in the mood for this healthy eating lark!

I finished off the week with a core session at home. You know you need a reality check when you find yourself working out in front of the TV with the kids in tow on a Saturday morning. A five and nearly three year old really aren't the best recipe for a decent workout however they nicely demonstrate the importance of foam rolling! ....... 

Amanda

Week Eight ..... Sink or Swim?

This week has been emotional and not very running focused! Up until now my enthusiasm levels have been sky high, running has been the most important factor and my weeks have been organised around which runs need to take place and when. Having eased back on the pace to allow my Achilles to hopefully repair fitted in perfectly with Toby’s summer annual leave. Yes, we knew we had a fair amount of work to do on the rental houses but we were hoping for a few days away by the sea with the kids.

Remember the noise that’s sounded when you got an incorrect answer on Family Fortunes followed by a big yellow cross? That’s what happened to our holiday plans this week when a mountain of work landed on both mine and Toby’s desks. Don’t get me wrong it’s all good but not quite the week we were expecting.

 

 

Having rested Sunday after the first milestone parkrun last Saturday Toby made his Redway Runners debut with me at the social run on Monday evening. It was great to see lots of other Z2H’s along the way. Needless to say I didn’t manage to keep up with him, hopefully he will give me chance too by coming again, we shall see!

In amongst the chaos of the week we have also welcomed three beautiful baby girls into the world. Twins for Toby’s friends Liam and Helena and the gorgeous Quinn, daughter of Ashleigh who continues to rock my world even though she insists on living so far away!

I have managed to squeeze in a couple of runs, three and five miles. The foot is still ropey but seems to be coping so I will be taking it easy for the next few weeks, surviving at work and you never know, maybe fitting in that trip to the sea before the summer holidays are over!

I am in this for the long haul so I guess I have to accept that sometimes work is going to get in the way. Stress not about the missed training and move on!

Amanda