Week Twenty One – Spooktacular News!

This week the foot has continued to improve and I am appreciating every little milestone and counting down the days till I can get out and run again. I can put my foot flat on the floor, curl my toes, jump, hop and walk without a limp. I think if I was being chased by a zombie I could probably run too but I know it’s too soon to try so I will stay in tonight just in case!

We celebrated Toby’s birthday this week with a spectacularly chocolately birthday cake and a surprise trip to Centre Parcs. There’s currently a spooky witch and a devil sitting at the front door of our villa waiting for trick or treaters. I think they have eaten more treats than they have given out, as have I so I am well on my way to that double chin!

Bring on next week – hopefully I can report a successful gentle jog!!

Amanda

Week Twenty - Appreciating what you have

This week is all about appreciating what you have instead of dwelling on what you don't (in my case two fully functional unbroken feet)! So this week I am thankful for the following:

The amazing Zero 2 Hero friendships that have formed so far, so many of you have checked in on me this week with offers of food, alcohol and non-running related shenanigans and ensured I haven't turned into a rocking recluse.

My beautiful children who ask me every morning, "is your foot better now mummy?" and continually remind me that I look funny limping on the school run!

Campbell Noon - I wouldn't think it was possible to be thankful for someone able to inflict such great pain in a such a short amount of time but Campbell has kept me from despair and given me hope that everything will be ok.

The Gym - Despite being in the middle of massive renovations and being somewhat lacking in my favourite Sauna and Jacuzzi facilities it's doing a great job of making sure I don't wallow and develop that double chin!

and this bloke .....  (not sure who he is, I picked him up in a bar!). This weekend I should have been running the Great South Run but instead I am enjoying a naughty weekend away from the girls with a few cheeky drinks!

Amanda

Week Nineteen - Tissue Time!

This week is a bit of a sorry tale of woe as a slightly niggly sore foot from XC on Saturday evolved into someone stealing my fairly normal looking foot and replacing it with one that even an elephant would consider swollen.

On reflection the ten mile run along the towpath with the pain in my foot gradually increasing was probably a fairly good indicator that I should stop but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

A quick "Dr Google" analysis left me feeling mortified so I booked in to see Campbell Noon who confirmed yes, either a stress fracture or tendon damage to the top of the foot.

As the week has progressed the swelling has subsided and range of motion has increased so I am feeling hopefully. I have been following Campbell's instructions to the letter with ice and self-massage 3-4 times a day.

I am hoping to try a run early next week to test the waters as the Great South Run looms next weekend however only time will tell whether I will be waiting on the start line!

Luckily I have some fantastic support around me providing tea, cake, sympathy and all the peanut butter goodies in the world, I would be lost without you Zero's.

Amanda

Week Eighteen - RunTime FunTime!

Skipping straight to the end of the week which saw the first of the Chiltern League Cross Country races and stepping out of the car was a little like going back in time, suddenly I was 10 again and remembering everything I hated about the sport! Luckily these initial few moments bore the only resemblance to my youth and a fun filled slightly soggy afternoon was had by all. Dare I say I am almost looking forward to the next one especially if Tweedle is treating me to M&S Sarnie's every time (this is not the kind of student diet I remember)!!

Earlier in the week also marked my longest run to date managing to break the 10 mile marker with a quick costume change in a bush and not a drop of beer sick in sight.

It has been great this week to see lots of other Zero's, at the Sunday Run and Stuart's paced 10K session. Obviously a fantastic pattern is emerging, we meet, we run, we find the nearest pub! Long may this continue and hopefully we can get a good crowd for the Beer Festival next week. Who's in?

Amanda

Week Seventeen - Celebrations and Disappointment!

Picture the scene ..... it's Sunday morning, a time for relaxing on the sofa, drinking tea and pondering what time it becomes socially unacceptable to still be in your dressing gown however there appears to be a war taking place, something concerning who ate the last apricot wheats and whether Tiny Pop or CBeebies should be on the TV. The only escape these days seems to be to slip on the new XC trainers and head along the canal for five miles. Luckily by the time the small people arrive to collect me they are more interested in the pound coin they have managed to con Grandad out of and the tiny bit of chocolate they've half inched from the side of his coffee cup!

I decided to brave the Tuesday morning club run again this week. Although it was still tough there was a lot less head down shuffling than the last time and I managed to cover 7.5 miles at 9.12 pace. I love daytime running especially since I pretty much have no idea where we are for 95% of the run. It's like a magical mystery tour of Milton Keynes and then I suddenly catch a glimpse of the back end of Gulliver's Land and send up a little prayer of thanks knowing I have made it to the end!

As a lot of running people will know (as well as those intoxicated enough to enter even though they don't run) this week was the VLM ballot results. I won't name names but there was certainly more than one person in the village this week chasing the poor post lady along her round waiting to see if they would BEE happy or sob into their Spiderman magazine with a family sized bar of chocolate. This year I wasn't even the later with only a 'no thanks' email to show. Although I am gutted it takes any decision making away and I couldn't be happier to be running my first ever marathon with my gorgeous Zero's.

Gym attendance this week has been abysmal (I'm so glad spell check exists)! Of course I have the standard excuses prepared ready:

The dog ate my trainers

The kids were sick in my hair

The wheels fell off the car

The gym was shut

In fact none of the above are true I have just been lazy and will be back in action next week.

I joined the Thursday social run for the first time this week bagging 6.2 miles with average 8.57 min/mile (they are a speedy lot!!) Great run and good company making running in the dark that little bit more bearable!

This week also sees me and Toby celebrate our ten year anniversary (collective ahhhhhhh if you will). I think he is starting to regret encouraging me to run as it's pretty much all I do these days but I reckon I have covered more miles since starting this journey than I have in the last ten years and hopefully he will be proud when I cross the finish line in May. He hasn't opened his present yet but I know he has massive concerns I have brought him running trainers! (I thought his n hers would be romantic?!?) .....

Amanda

Week Sixteen - No Running ..... Are you sure?

This week started on a high and surrounded by Paul's. Our 10K graduation run had arrived and thanks to my need to publicise my whole life on my blog these days, most people knew I was aiming for a sub 50. I had recruited a secret weapon earlier in the week in the form of 'Pacer Paul' who dragged (almost literally) me to victory in 48:08. I definitely owe him a beer along with my fellow zero Paul and his mentor Paul (see what I mean about the Paul's) for encouraging me along route!

Now 10K graduation over and mentor Tony says we have a week off. A week off, really?? No running?? I am not sure about this. I understand the theory and the need to let my body recover but the thought of not running actually terrifies me. I don't ever want to have that first run feeling again!

So, following Tony's instructions Tweedle suggests a gym class and books us in to "Core Stability".  If you score points for turning up we got those and my abs were definitely worked by way of giggling too much. There wasn't even a 'back of the class' to hide at as we all merrily sat in a circle with our 'big balls' and proceeded to determine how to embarrass ourselves for a solid 30 minutes. Will I go back - yes, will I be any better, I hope so!

The Tweedle duo headed back to the gym on Wednesday where Toby described us as "the noisiest people in here". Did we do a great workout? ... probably not but something's better than nothing!

Thursday saw the arrival of my new XC trail shoes. Having been talked into signing up for the league what better way to prepare than buying new kit! I think Toby has just about recovered from his heart attack at seeing the bank statements! I have no expectations for XC apart from the fact I am going to get wet and muddy but am looking forward to the challenge.

Finding it difficult to not run at all for a whole week me and Tweedle snuck out like naughty school children and joined Doug's intervals on Peace Pagoda hill. There was something eerie about being stood halfway up a hill in the dark and definitely highlighted the need for a head torch next week.

I managed to avoid running for the rest of the week and used the extra time to plan my training schedule for the next few weeks. I am now booked in to the Great South Run in October and the Dirt Half in November. Fitting all this in is becoming increasingly difficult as the mileage increases so I am hoping to be super organised. Woe be the one that tries to mess with my colour coded schedule!

Amanda

Week Fifteen - The show must go on!

This week has been fairly disastrous by all accounts. After a good run at the Willen 6 on Saturday I skipped my normal Sunday run and headed to the gym instead followed by the club run on Monday night. So far so good, pace felt faster than it really was but nothing to write home (or blog) about!

Needing to fit in a longer run I decided to try the Tuesday morning club run. With the exception of the company it was awful from start to finish. I definitely went out to fast and paid for it later. Still, 8 miles under my belt and lesson learnt (hopefully).

The rest of the week followed a general pattern of grumpiness, overtired children and mediocre workouts. On the bright side (wait for the pun) ..... I brought myself a head torch, now you will be able to see me coming and promptly run, walk, shuffle or drive in the opposite direction. As I am sure you will agree it looks much better modelled on Mr Grumpy than me but will soon be coming to a forehead near you.

Trying to lift my spirits I brought myself the latest Runners World to enjoy with a cuppa and a piece of cake (oh the irony). Therein was an article about motivation and mantra's for running with several examples one of which I have modified to use on Sunday for our 10k graduation run at Caldecotte.

Fit Fast Strong

It will either work and get me the sub 50 I really want or it won't and a suitably fitting alternative will be chanted on the drive home (I will leave you to figure it out!)

Amanda