The last few weeks have seen the intensity of my training head up an notch and my long runs have now headed in to double figures - a milestone I was more than happy to have made it to!
I've also been lucky enough to be able to go to a couple of marathon related events, the first of which was an evening hosted by the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home for all those running for the charity. On Thursday I headed up to Tring to meet the 18 others who have undertaken this ridiculous challenge. It was really lovely to meet everyone else and hearing their reasons for running for this amazing charity only serves as reminder as to why we are all putting ourselves through this; although there may be 19 emotional wrecks running that course in 11 weeks time!
And yesterday I went to 'Meet the Experts' - a day of talks put on by the London Marathon organisers to give first time charity marathon runners all the information we need on the course, where our spectators can hang out, injuries, nutrition and hydration and then got a presentation from Liz Yelling, a UK Olympic Marathon runner, whose pace is about double the speed I manage to plod along at!! By the end of the day my brain was fairly numb with all the information and the realisation that I've only got 76 days to go!
Today saw me join the Gade Valley Harriers to complete my first run in public and with other people. And by other people, that would be those who actually spend a frosty Sunday morning running around hilly Hemel Hempstead for fun! To say I was nervous would be an understatement and hanging around at the back of the pack listening to people talking about their pace times only served to make me paranoid that I would be about a week behind everyone and keep all the volunteer marshalls standing in the freezing cold for way longer than they are used to! For those that went to Hemel School, it was pretty much the (not so) fun run route with an added 2 miles so it felt most strange not to have a very homemade note excusing myself because I had a sore toe or something equally serious!
Thankfully I made it all the way round and was lucky enough to be able to head straight back to Mum's for a HUGE plate of Sunday roast and a snooze on the sofa - the best after race wind down!
I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far, it really is amazing how generous you all are. And now on to the begging part ...
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AliceHarveylondonmarathon
xxx
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Sunday, 9 January 2011
107 miles and counting
So it's official, running has now taken over my life. Well, maybe not so much the running, but the thinking about it, the time spent arguing in my head trying to make myself go out running and then there’s the time spent worrying about what the hell I have agreed to do! Seriously, apart from the odd thought of Justin Timberlake and chocolate, there isn’t much room for anything else!
Thanks to my complete square-ness (resulting in all runs being logged on an iPhone app!) I have realised that I have now passed the 100 mile mark and after completing a nine mile run yesterday, I have now run a total of 107 miles. Having thought that seemed like quite a lot, it was only when I worked out that in total I will be doing 505 miles that it really has dawned on me that this is quite some undertaking!!
I was pretty sure by now that I would have lost at least two stone and have a washboard stomach, but alas, that has not transpired just quite yet! That being said, I am starting to enjoy it more and more, and although at times it is more the finishing I enjoy, with each week seeing me pass a new personal record, it is already feeling like quite an achievement!
To add to the nervousness, I have entered some actual training runs and races as practice – I mean, really, what kind of a way is that to spend a Sunday morning?! So if anyone is near Hemel on 30th Jan and fancies a 12 mile canter let me know and there’ll be more dates to follow soon.
And should any of you want to part with some hard earned pennies (although maybe January isn’t the best month to ask!) here is my sponsorship page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AliceHarveylondonmarathon
Anyhow, I hope you are all surviving the January blues. Just think of the sight of me running along the canal in Paddington, unsurprisingly completely lost, to cheer yourselves up!
Thanks to my complete square-ness (resulting in all runs being logged on an iPhone app!) I have realised that I have now passed the 100 mile mark and after completing a nine mile run yesterday, I have now run a total of 107 miles. Having thought that seemed like quite a lot, it was only when I worked out that in total I will be doing 505 miles that it really has dawned on me that this is quite some undertaking!!
I was pretty sure by now that I would have lost at least two stone and have a washboard stomach, but alas, that has not transpired just quite yet! That being said, I am starting to enjoy it more and more, and although at times it is more the finishing I enjoy, with each week seeing me pass a new personal record, it is already feeling like quite an achievement!
To add to the nervousness, I have entered some actual training runs and races as practice – I mean, really, what kind of a way is that to spend a Sunday morning?! So if anyone is near Hemel on 30th Jan and fancies a 12 mile canter let me know and there’ll be more dates to follow soon.
And should any of you want to part with some hard earned pennies (although maybe January isn’t the best month to ask!) here is my sponsorship page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AliceHarveylondonmarathon
Anyhow, I hope you are all surviving the January blues. Just think of the sight of me running along the canal in Paddington, unsurprisingly completely lost, to cheer yourselves up!
Sunday, 2 January 2011
104 days to go and I'm a little bit scared!!!
So as we start 2011, I thought I'd start a blog in an attempt to keep everyone up to date with my training efforts and as a record of what I am attempting to put myself through in the next 104 days! It all seems a lot more real now we have started the year that I will be doing the marathon. Up until now it has just been 'something I will be doing next year' but now it's this year and it's much more daunting!
I am just finishing week 8 of training which means that I am more than a third of the way through my training schedule. So far, touch wood, everything has gone to plan and I have completed all the runs I had planned, reaching a (massive, for me!) 7 miles on Christams Eve!! January seems to see everything go up a notch and I will be training 5 times a week, with mileage steadily increasing culminating in my longest run of 20 miles in March.
This week has been pretty tough as my legs are utterly surprised at what I am doing to them and are much more used to me having abandoned any well intentioned plan after only a few weeks, so to say my body is slightly confused is an understatement! While my running style might not be anywhere near professional, with my new Christmas gifts of all running related paraphernalia and my fancy new trainers (purchased after a somewhat embarrassing experience of being filmed on a treadmill), I at least look more like the part and am now a vision of lycra puffing and panting around North West London!
So as I attempt to motivate myself to get off the sofa and go and do a 'short' 5 mile run today, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you, my friends and family, who are putting up with me and as I know I become even more dull banging on about this running malarkey, you are my encouragement and motivation, and wish you all a very Happy 2011, hoping that it brings you all health, happiness, laughter and good times.
And finally, a 'shout out' to the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, the work they do, the support they are giving their team of runners and just a thought as to what my Dad would think of this ridiculous idea I had some time last year!!!
xxx
I am just finishing week 8 of training which means that I am more than a third of the way through my training schedule. So far, touch wood, everything has gone to plan and I have completed all the runs I had planned, reaching a (massive, for me!) 7 miles on Christams Eve!! January seems to see everything go up a notch and I will be training 5 times a week, with mileage steadily increasing culminating in my longest run of 20 miles in March.
This week has been pretty tough as my legs are utterly surprised at what I am doing to them and are much more used to me having abandoned any well intentioned plan after only a few weeks, so to say my body is slightly confused is an understatement! While my running style might not be anywhere near professional, with my new Christmas gifts of all running related paraphernalia and my fancy new trainers (purchased after a somewhat embarrassing experience of being filmed on a treadmill), I at least look more like the part and am now a vision of lycra puffing and panting around North West London!
So as I attempt to motivate myself to get off the sofa and go and do a 'short' 5 mile run today, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you, my friends and family, who are putting up with me and as I know I become even more dull banging on about this running malarkey, you are my encouragement and motivation, and wish you all a very Happy 2011, hoping that it brings you all health, happiness, laughter and good times.
And finally, a 'shout out' to the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, the work they do, the support they are giving their team of runners and just a thought as to what my Dad would think of this ridiculous idea I had some time last year!!!
xxx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)