Now I'm trying to find a running club that has training sessions I can actually get to. This is proving tricky so I think I might have to join several and mix and match.
Monday, 7 July 2014
Even better
...and even better I was 3rd in my category of the Vet40s!
Now I'm trying to find a running club that has training sessions I can actually get to. This is proving tricky so I think I might have to join several and mix and match.
I have definitely got the racing bug now!
Now I'm trying to find a running club that has training sessions I can actually get to. This is proving tricky so I think I might have to join several and mix and match.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Race!
When: 5th July 10am
Where: Willen Lake, Milton Keynes,
What: Women's Running 10k Race
At last I competed in a race! At the ripe old age of 40-something I not only took part in my first race but came 11th! Around 300 women finished the race and I came 11th in a sub 50 minute time. 49:23 to be precise. Not my best time, but not bad since I had to overcome the most dreadful nerves.
Here's my race journey, as best as I can remember it.
Before the start the pace makers made themselves known. I started to approach the sub50 team but then had second thoughts as very few women went with them, and the few who did were proper club runners after serious times. Sheepishly I sidled back to the sub55 group but eventually decided to run between the two and see what happened. Not long after the start I was comfortably running with the sub 50 group and really enjoying running with company. After almost 5k I decided to pick up the pace a bit as I felt very comfortable and as though I wasn't quite running at my usual speed. Fiona the pace maker was encouraging about that so off I went. After that it got a bit lonely as I was around 500m behind the leaders (I think the winner came in at just over 40 minutes) and no one else went off with me so it was especially great to see my 2 girlies and Rosie cheering me on at the 5k mark.
Just over half way a well-meaning spectator let me know I was in 11th place and at that point my nerves went crazy. A tight, sickening feeling in my stomach and legs like jelly. It was simply my mind doubting all my training and saying 'This can't be right- you're not really any good at sport. Someone's made a mistake and you're not actually going to keep this up'. All I can say is the next 6km were hell. It was such a struggle to keep going and all I could do was focus on keeping moving- running faster or anything like that was just not going to happen. There were a couple of slightly slippy bits too which I had to take extra care over as I knew a fall would mean a trip to hospital for a spine x-ray.
Painfully, I hung on counting down each marker then panicking that I wouldn't see the finish line and would just keep going for another lap! After what seemed an eternity there was the finish line not too far off! The time on the clock reproached me for being off my training pace but the adrenaline kicked in then and I sprinted for the finish.
Over the line I just cried and cried. A mixture of elation, relief, adrenaline and frustration that I hadn't run faster. Once I'd pulled myself together I found Fiona who had been one of the sub 50 pacemakers. She had been so encouraging it was important to me to say thank you. She was great and said that I am a natural runner and handled the race really well.
Where: Willen Lake, Milton Keynes,
What: Women's Running 10k Race
At last I competed in a race! At the ripe old age of 40-something I not only took part in my first race but came 11th! Around 300 women finished the race and I came 11th in a sub 50 minute time. 49:23 to be precise. Not my best time, but not bad since I had to overcome the most dreadful nerves.
Here's my race journey, as best as I can remember it.
Before the start the pace makers made themselves known. I started to approach the sub50 team but then had second thoughts as very few women went with them, and the few who did were proper club runners after serious times. Sheepishly I sidled back to the sub55 group but eventually decided to run between the two and see what happened. Not long after the start I was comfortably running with the sub 50 group and really enjoying running with company. After almost 5k I decided to pick up the pace a bit as I felt very comfortable and as though I wasn't quite running at my usual speed. Fiona the pace maker was encouraging about that so off I went. After that it got a bit lonely as I was around 500m behind the leaders (I think the winner came in at just over 40 minutes) and no one else went off with me so it was especially great to see my 2 girlies and Rosie cheering me on at the 5k mark.
Half way, I think
Just over half way a well-meaning spectator let me know I was in 11th place and at that point my nerves went crazy. A tight, sickening feeling in my stomach and legs like jelly. It was simply my mind doubting all my training and saying 'This can't be right- you're not really any good at sport. Someone's made a mistake and you're not actually going to keep this up'. All I can say is the next 6km were hell. It was such a struggle to keep going and all I could do was focus on keeping moving- running faster or anything like that was just not going to happen. There were a couple of slightly slippy bits too which I had to take extra care over as I knew a fall would mean a trip to hospital for a spine x-ray.
Painfully, I hung on counting down each marker then panicking that I wouldn't see the finish line and would just keep going for another lap! After what seemed an eternity there was the finish line not too far off! The time on the clock reproached me for being off my training pace but the adrenaline kicked in then and I sprinted for the finish.
Over the finish line!
Over the line I just cried and cried. A mixture of elation, relief, adrenaline and frustration that I hadn't run faster. Once I'd pulled myself together I found Fiona who had been one of the sub 50 pacemakers. She had been so encouraging it was important to me to say thank you. She was great and said that I am a natural runner and handled the race really well.
Post race interview with the fab Fiona
So it seems that at my advanced age I am good at sport and could even make something of myself as a runner! To get better will mean putting up with some tough training so I'm going to join a club even though I can't commit to a club's weekly schedule. Tough training a couple of times every other week is better than not at all and I think it will help me mentally too.
The best things I have taken from the race:
*I am proud of my achievement
*I can do sport
*I don't hate my body nearly so much- there were really athletic women who do triathlons and run competitively a lot and they have wobbly bits and cellulite too and they are beautiful.
* I WANT TO RACE AGAIN!
And I will definitely be doing this race again next year.
Race reports should be up here soon: http://wr10k.co.uk/21014-races/willen-lake-milton-keynes/
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Back again!
It's been a very long time since I've been here. Nothing wildly exciting has happened. I'm still running when health and fitness allow and got up to a sub 50 minute 10km. Right now the lurgy has struck again which, coupled with really messed up hamstrings, means I haven't run for a week now. I've no idea how my hamstrings went wrong- I am so careful about stretching and these days also have a good foam roller routine I use at least once a week.
Work is fine too. And I'm hopeful of being able to stay put at least until next April, albeit doing a different job. I dipped a toe in the world of secondary education- and truly it was terrifying!- so I am quite happy to stay with KS2 for now. It's crunch time as SATs loom very large and near. We've done all we can to make sure the children are all ready and it's just up to them now...
There hasn't been much knitting going on but various bits and pieces of sewing, especially felt things. My camera has more or less died so no photos, but I've made several bird mobiles, more felt brooches and bits and bobs like that, and I have also stitched a few baby toys for a friend. O, and of course the usual costumes for things at school.
Best news of all: my baby bro got married last month!
Work is fine too. And I'm hopeful of being able to stay put at least until next April, albeit doing a different job. I dipped a toe in the world of secondary education- and truly it was terrifying!- so I am quite happy to stay with KS2 for now. It's crunch time as SATs loom very large and near. We've done all we can to make sure the children are all ready and it's just up to them now...
There hasn't been much knitting going on but various bits and pieces of sewing, especially felt things. My camera has more or less died so no photos, but I've made several bird mobiles, more felt brooches and bits and bobs like that, and I have also stitched a few baby toys for a friend. O, and of course the usual costumes for things at school.
Best news of all: my baby bro got married last month!
(No, I didn't make the cake- I can't do lovely decorating like that!)
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Making things
Well I still haven't made myself anything but I did eventually get around to finishing up the Monster Moggy (another pattern from 'Knitted Cats and Kittens' by the fabulous Sue Stratford- www.theknittinghut.co.uk ). Here he is:
He's a bit bigger than I expected- about 20cm tall- so he's turned into a kind of household familiar and guards the front door. I'm on the way to finishing up another of Sue's cat patterns, a crazy stripey creature and great for helping to get through a stash. I think I'll be making quite a few in a variety of colourways so watch this space...
The last week or so I've also turned my hand to a spot of jewellery making. Fabric brooches to be exact. They've been a lot of fun to make and are another stashbusting project as you can use up all those bits of felt, old t-shirts and random buttons and beads. Here are a few:
He's a bit bigger than I expected- about 20cm tall- so he's turned into a kind of household familiar and guards the front door. I'm on the way to finishing up another of Sue's cat patterns, a crazy stripey creature and great for helping to get through a stash. I think I'll be making quite a few in a variety of colourways so watch this space...
The last week or so I've also turned my hand to a spot of jewellery making. Fabric brooches to be exact. They've been a lot of fun to make and are another stashbusting project as you can use up all those bits of felt, old t-shirts and random buttons and beads. Here are a few:
So much still to do but it's almost the end of the summer holidays. Next weekend I will treat myself to a last session of sewing before life gets too hectic and the table has a permanent covering of the kids' homework and resources for my work.
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Been a Long Time
At last! Blogspot will let me post something! To be absolutely truthful, I've only had problems trying to write and post something this week; before then life has just got in the way.
I got very busy leading up to the end of term and also went through another (lengthy) bout of insomnia but it didn't stop me running. Now I am almost at the end of my get fit again training and although I didn't quite make it to running 10 miles I can do 7 miles in an hour which is pretty good going consdering the state I was in 6 months ago. So it would seem that I am a stronger, faster runner than before. After the coming week running will take a back seat while I focus on strength and flexibility for a couple of months. Then, well, I have a challenge in mind...
It's been a strange summer. I have hugely enjoyed the hot unlike many of my fellow countrymen. My heat-induced euphoria has been tempered by the fact that the garden has of course wilted and it's not been easy to get things to grow well. Salads have bolted, the heat came a bit late for the beetroot, and the broad beans were disappointing. But the basil that survived slugs is flourishing and we've had some fantastic homemade pesto. I'm not holding out much hope for the tomatoes though. I think the hot and dry weather came a bit late for them- but you never know. It's always fun planting seeds and seeing what happens.
Knitting, like blogging, has also taken a back seat over the last couple of months. But I have got a bit of sewing done and come up with some lovely things for my girlies. A couple of t-shirt dress projects and a fab skirt inspired by a photo seen on hideousdreadfulstinky.com
I think it's time I made myself something now!
I got very busy leading up to the end of term and also went through another (lengthy) bout of insomnia but it didn't stop me running. Now I am almost at the end of my get fit again training and although I didn't quite make it to running 10 miles I can do 7 miles in an hour which is pretty good going consdering the state I was in 6 months ago. So it would seem that I am a stronger, faster runner than before. After the coming week running will take a back seat while I focus on strength and flexibility for a couple of months. Then, well, I have a challenge in mind...
It's been a strange summer. I have hugely enjoyed the hot unlike many of my fellow countrymen. My heat-induced euphoria has been tempered by the fact that the garden has of course wilted and it's not been easy to get things to grow well. Salads have bolted, the heat came a bit late for the beetroot, and the broad beans were disappointing. But the basil that survived slugs is flourishing and we've had some fantastic homemade pesto. I'm not holding out much hope for the tomatoes though. I think the hot and dry weather came a bit late for them- but you never know. It's always fun planting seeds and seeing what happens.
Knitting, like blogging, has also taken a back seat over the last couple of months. But I have got a bit of sewing done and come up with some lovely things for my girlies. A couple of t-shirt dress projects and a fab skirt inspired by a photo seen on hideousdreadfulstinky.com
T shirt dress for youngest
8 panelled skirt inspired by hideousdreadfulstinky
A-line dress made free-hand. It's a bit untidy but youngest loves it!
I think it's time I made myself something now!
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Steady progress
I'm trundling along with training. Visits to the gym have lapsed a bit and I'm only making it there once a week to do some resistance training and once a week for interval sessions on the treadmill. Outside it's been mostly warm and humid and often breezy so road running has been hard work. Still, on Monday I did my longest steady run yet- covering 5.5 miles in 45 minutes! Perhaps I pushed myself a little too much as I've been a bit sore and achy since. It's strange though, that although I'm the same weight as this time last year I feel heavy when I run. Maybe that's down to doing light weights once a week- although I don't bulk up resistance training does make me feel bigger. I'm reluctant to stop all resistance work though since I have to keep my future health in mind: the thought of being a feeble old lady with multiple spinal fractures is a sobering one so I'd better keep my musculature strong so as to place less stress on the bones.
What else? Nothing. Life is a treadmill of work, running/training, kids, housework and neglected knitting projects. O, and trying to keep a bit of yoga going too. I need some fun...
What else? Nothing. Life is a treadmill of work, running/training, kids, housework and neglected knitting projects. O, and trying to keep a bit of yoga going too. I need some fun...
Monday, 17 June 2013
17 June
It's been a while since my last post- I've just been too busy. Trying to take regaining my fitness seriously means the afternoons are a crazy rush of training, school run, sometimes work, all the usual domestic and kids stuff. Days have been too long: 14 hours of non-stopness is usual at the moment. Yoga, sewing and nearly all knitting have disappeared from my life as I just can't do everything and those are things I need to do when not exhausted.
I did my longest non-stop run today since all the injuries and illness started last September. 4.6 miles in 40 minutes! I'm acutely aware of the lack of muscle tone compared to how I was 9 months ago, but I seem to be a stronger runner even if a little flabby. It's not easy sticking to the letter of my training plan- I always want to push myself that bit further- but I know I really must do things by the book if I'm to stay injury free.
In between all the franticness I had to make a wedding present for a friend. It was a labour of love, sweat and tears but worth it in the end:
Isn't she beautiful? Thanks again to the wonderful Sue Stratford- the pattern is from her Knitted Meerkats book http://www.theknittinghut.co.uk/knitted-meerkats-book-169-c.asp
I did my longest non-stop run today since all the injuries and illness started last September. 4.6 miles in 40 minutes! I'm acutely aware of the lack of muscle tone compared to how I was 9 months ago, but I seem to be a stronger runner even if a little flabby. It's not easy sticking to the letter of my training plan- I always want to push myself that bit further- but I know I really must do things by the book if I'm to stay injury free.
In between all the franticness I had to make a wedding present for a friend. It was a labour of love, sweat and tears but worth it in the end:
Isn't she beautiful? Thanks again to the wonderful Sue Stratford- the pattern is from her Knitted Meerkats book http://www.theknittinghut.co.uk/knitted-meerkats-book-169-c.asp
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