Countdown and Marathon Preparations

Gillian

What a crazy and exciting week. It started with a race strategy meeting using Skype to talk to my son in Australia, Hazel’s running husband and my other half Terry. They have given themselves roles and responsibilities during the race and intend to criss-cross London in order to be there for us. I am hopefully amongst other things going to be greeted at mile twenty by a flask of tea. I bet Paula Radcliffe wishes she had thought of that 🙂 What a support crew. I am over whelmed. I love you all.

We also fitted in a four mile mid week run and a five mile run on Saturday between people viewing Hazel and the running husband’s house. This basically meant running round all week like headless chickens clearing out all evidence of sweaty runners,wet laundry and anything baby related, cardboard box dens and toilet roll tubes all thrown into a basket and dumped on my lounge floor every time we went for a run incase the estate agent brought prospective buyers round. It also meant an anxious week waiting to hear if their offer on a new home had been accepted.
As if the forthcoming marathon wasn’t enough to be nervous about, a nerve wracking week buying and selling a house and the baby who broke a piece off his front tooth all added to the mix. “All part of life’s rich tapestry” I could hear my mother saying. Unsurprisingly by the end of the week Hazel came down with worrying flu symptoms and a sore throat which miraculously only lasted for forty eight hours.

After sluggish mid week runs I was surprised when Hazel suggested that we could fit in our Sunday eight mile run before we went to church. Our final Sunday run before the big event. This square on the calendar looked a long way off a year ago. I can’t believe the big day is only one week away.
Hazel didn’t look too well when we set off but as we ran along by the side of the river towards Maidenhead in gorgeous sunshine, we both picked up the pace and had our fastest run to date, managing to run under ten minute miling all the way. No time to stretch. I only had just enough time to shower and make it to church by the skin of my teeth ably assisted by my son in law who dropped me off in the car. I quietly sat in a pew at the back of the church with a bag of frozen peas on my kneecap for most of the service with a big grin on my face. This was my most comfortable and best run for many months. Happy, happy day 🙂

Motivation

Hazel

This week should have been horrific if our previous post-20 week was anything to go by. However, the gods of running are finally smiling on us. We reduced the Tuesday 7 to somewhere between 4 and 5, and ran without a watch. My aim was just to turn our legs over and prove that we felt better. I know what happens to heroes in Greek tragedy who show signs of hubris. It’s not worth the running equivalent of murdering your father and putting your own eyes out just to say that we managed 7 miles the day after a tough 20. So it was a nice no pressure run. We both ran in relative silence (aside from commands of course) and eventually I cracked and said ‘you know, I don’t want to jinx us, but I feel a lot better than I did after the last 20’. Gillian burst out laughing and said ‘I had literally just opened my mouth to say the very same thing!’ Buoyed by this positive revelation we cautiously cruised through the rest of the week, clocking up a respectable 33 miles for the week.

Sunday’s run was a 13, immediately following a 7 on Saturday. Gillian suffered somewhat, but soldiered on despite some knee niggles. Now that I look back, however, I’m not sure that the encouragement she received at mile 11 was quite what she needed. It ran along the lines of ‘look, if your pain is increasing we need to stop the run immediately, but if this is just will-power failing, the last thing I want to see on my final long run is your grimace. Look positive or I’ll assume you’re injured and we’ll have to stop’. Yes, probably not the sympathetic motivation she needed. Well, she looked brilliant by mile 13, so she’s either a very good faker, or the discomfort in her knee settled.

Next week definitely looks like a taper. 5, 4, 5, 8. This is the time to cut our miles, stay injury free and start banking sleep and confidence. The week after that we start eating for England. ‘Taper’ holds a lot of connotations. Personally I find it really exciting, especially since I love an excuse to eat everything in sight. I think Gillian is dreading it though, since it means she has only two weeks to go till the terrifying big day. She’s probably rocking somewhere or mainlining tea to try to calm down right now, but I am looking at a blank sheet of paper with the words ‘meal plan’ scrawled across the top. Good times.

Motivation: Gillian’s View

Gillian

Well I knew I would never be Paula Radcliffe but one can always dream. The creaking knees are giving me some gyp this week and at mile eleven on Sunday Hazel offered, rather churlishly I might add, to stop the run when apparently my face stopped smiling and turned into a grimace. Of all the things I thought I needed to worry about during my marathon attempt I hadn’t factored in my facial expression. Gosh Hazel is a tough training partner sometimes. I wasn’t even moaning. Nobody ever seemed to criticise Paula Radcliffe’s facial expression.

Hazel had promised me at the start of the week that this was the beginning of “the taper” and having looked this up in Runners World, I got the distinct impression after building up the miles over the past year that I was finally going to be able to wind down, put my feet up and eat lots of cake and not feel guilty for once in my life. I was so looking forward to this that I didn’t realise this still meant us clocking up thirty one miles this week. My knees were in shock and decided to revolt by mile eleven on Sunday. If it hadn’t been that I would have to walk the last two miles home, I would have told Hazel were to shove her training plan and taper. To be truthful, looking back, I think I might have reached “the wall” for the first time. Basically, I hadn’t had enough to eat before we set off. It was a strange feeling. I just wanted to lie down. After refuelling at mile ten I suddenly felt much better and was able to end the run in style.
In addition to this, our taper includes Hazel and the running husband deciding to prepare their house for sale this week, two weeks away from our marathon attempt! Consequently we have been charging around like headless chickens between the last three runs making their house look ready for photographs and possible viewings. I bet this was never part of Paula Radcliffe’s training and taper plan either. Onwards and upwards.
Never a dull moment or lack of a challenge in our family and truth be told I wouldn’t have it any other way. So get your act together knees, get on with those exercises and no more grimacing. Guilt free cake and fudge eating can wait until next week.

20 Miles!

Hazel

We did it! After three weeks of disruptions and worry, we got round 20miles, which will be the longest run in our training plan. And, I’m still being very cagey about this, we both felt really good. It is definitely the best 20miler I have ever done in terms of feel. Obviously the pace was a bit slower than my old pre-baby pace, but to be honest the huge difference in comfort meant I was incredibly pleased with our time. Rocking. I will let Gillian give you the blow by blow account and let the pictures do the talking. I have looked worse than that some days getting out of bed, so I’m pretty pleased with our post-20 appearance.

A Tough Week

Gillian

15th March. Managed to get out of my sick bed this morning having kept down my first solid food in forty eight hours. Still have a very unsettled stomach but managed to run a slow six miles along the river. Feel relieved but still concerned this is going to set me back more than I anticipated. My legs feel like jelly after the run.

17th March. My husband is away this week so no babysitter. Hazel once again valiantly strode around the Great Park with one hand on the buggy as we trotted out another five miles. I still haven’t quite recovered from my stomach bug but felt better than on Tuesday. Today I didn’t have to stop enroute for the loo – always a bonus wearing a fluorescent vest and attached to a guide and buggy.

19th March
We ran early this morning and chalked up another five miles around the Home Park and along the river through the Brocas. My whole body feels sluggish this week after the tummy bug but at least I am finally over it.

Anything she can do, I can do better….

Gillian

:Saturday:

I thought the extra effort of a race would make up for the lack of speed training this week so off we set for Upton Court Park Run. It was once again well organised by a thoroughly friendly bunch of people. I didn’t quite hit my P.B. but came in 38th position and forth lady. (I was also the oldest lady in the race). Now off I go home to carb load before my eighteen mile run tomorrow. I like this part of the training. Guilt free cake for once in my life.

:Sunday:

Well I am devastated. Not only have we missed a training run but the longest and most important run so far. I certainly will not be carb loading again in a hurry. During the early hours of the morning I started with a terrible stomach/sickness bug which has now lasted for over twentyfour hours. It was a bit like Hazel’s bug/food poisoning a week ago. I can’t believe if she felt anything like this, that she managed to get back into our running plan so soon. I feel terrible and as you can imagine, had I not been quite so keen on the carb loading, I suspect I would not have been quite so sick. I haven’t had a sickness bug for years. As I type this, all I can think is that we have missed an eighteen mile run. My marathon goal suddenly seems a long way away.

Speed Session!

Gillian

Sunday Run:After yesterdays run, I was relieved as we set off to have a little more spring in my step. The route was one of my favourites along the river to Runnymede. We chalked up another twelve miles and despite trying to slow down the pace, still managed a comfortable ten minutes per mile. My joints having felt so stiff yesterday, I was pleased that our final run in February went well.

Tuesday run: Well here we are in March already. I feel nervous now each time I put on my running shoes. Seven weeks to go. The nerves were well deserved for today though; now I know what Hazel had in store for me today. It was bucketing down with rain and windy as we set off. She was obviously trying to test me and included four ‘strides’ in our four mile run. This entailed a burst of increased speed which I had to maintain for two hundred metres during each mile.
I have vague recollections of strides and Fartleks from my running days with my sister-in-law Beverley and well meaning brother/coach Nick who were both excellent runners. Who was I kidding thinking I could keep up with my daughter? I couldn’t keep up with my sister-in-law thirty years ago!
The first stride was quite a shock to my system I can tell you. With another fifty metres still to go I thought I was going to die. It wasn’t the speed so much as telling my brain that my body had to keep going. I don’t remember my legs feeling like this thirty years ago. It wasn’t as if we were even sprinting. Added to that, Hazel was pushing the pram with one hand in driving rain and a strong wind and made it look effortless by my side. I felt really guilty. I must be able to do better than this. I decided I would give myself a fighting chance for the next stride and forget the weather, so I took off my waterproof jacket and fleece. I was freezing, but not having so many layers helped and my jacket wasn’t acting as a sail now. I still couldn’t quite believe that I was finding strides sooooooo difficult. By the time we were into our final stride my brain seemed to be in sync with my body thank goodness and pardon the pun, I was in my stride. Just when I was thinking my nightmare was over, Hazel cheerily said that we would be repeating this session once each week until the big day. God help me.

Missed runs

Gillian

My mother in law, Hazel’s grandma, sadly died so this has been a difficult week to think about training. We travelled to Rotherham and Grimsby for five days visiting my daughter and new grandson of three weeks and also spent time with our large extended family on the day of the funeral. Hazel was the taxi driver throughout and coped brilliantly juggling her time between relatives and a very active eighteen month old son and new nephew. This driving about, short daylight hours, and lack of babysitters meant that we were unable to fit in even a short run.
On our return to Windsor on Friday night I suggested we could blow away the cobwebs and take part in the Upton Court Park Run the next morning. Since this was supposed to be our rest week anyway and we had now had five days off I was really disappointed with how stiff I felt. I ached all over for the full 5K. Since we hadn’t run all week we also decided that we would run it twice. “Who’s bright idea was that?” I thought, as we started the second lap. I hope I feel better than this tomorrow.
Whether it is an age thing or what, I certainly dare not have time off from training again. I felt as stiff as a board all the way round. Mind you, I didn’t do my exercises all week either which I am guessing didn’t help. That said, I was pleasantly surprised to be the ninth finisher out of a field of twentyfour ladies and second in my age group completing the 5K in 28.16 and 10K in under the hour. It was a cold morning and the run felt a lot slower than that. Fingers crossed for tomorrow’s long run.

Navigating Blind

Gillian

After my long run on Sunday, we ended up driving back to Grimsby to visit my auntie, then on to Rotherham so that I could support my daughter and new grandson for the week. My husband has been brilliant as the taxi driver; he had to go straight back to Windsor so that he could fly to his office in Austria on Monday.

Now what was I saying about the joy of winter training only two days ago? I can run in any weather but I hate strong wind. I awoke in Rotherham on Tuesday to gail force gusts of 75 miles an hour. Even though I was flying solo again, I did not dare not miss another run so planned a boring but safe route along a duel carriageway outside my daughter’s house. She must live on one of the steepest hills in Rotherham. You have no choice but to go steep up or down when you leave her street. I chose to run uphill first as the wind was behind me and I thought this would help. The good thing about this run was that I didn’t have to navigate kerbs and the footpath was hazard-free for the entire road. The only tricky part of the run was trying to cross one busy roundabout with five roads off it. Plea to drivers: please indicate around roundabouts. It is so helpful for pedestrians stranded on the islands wondering whether or not it is safe to make a dash for it! It is rare that I dare do this these days.
This run should have been a simple there and back 3 mile route. I honestly thought that I would be able to make out the street name I was looking for. Sadly I was wrong. On the plus side I ended up running for fifty minutes and covered 4.8 miles. The second half of the run although down hill all the way, was in one of the strongest head winds I have ever encountered! My ‘wind-proof’ fluorescent jacket acted as a sail, and I was lifted from the ground once and almost blown over a couple of times. Is this what is meant by cross training? Maybe I will consider a summer marathon next time. I can’t believe I just said that. “Next time”! I must be getting fitter.

All that fuss I have just made about courageously doing the extra mileage and I have just seen that I was supposed to be running 4 miles anyway. Not such an achievement. I had got it in my head it should have been 3. What a plonker!

Training Plan Fail

Gillian

Tuesday’s run was hilarious. Hazel decided to incorporate her trip to the dentist in Slough with our four mile run in order to hopefully gain an extra hour in her day. We intended to walk to Slough then run back. The journey took us longer than we thought and so Hazel had to leave me with the baby and sprint the final mile to avoid missing the appointment.
Earlier in the day she had struggled to find a suitable four mile route which she could navigate with the buggy. We had no choice than to run back along Eton high street which has many awkward kerbs and extra narrow footpaths. In addition to this the dentist is exactly three miles away so we had to run up the steep hill around Windsor Castle and along the busy shopping street to make up the extra mile. If only it had been our three mile run today we could have planned a much easier route. It was really sunny and the run proved quite a challenge. I can’t see nearly as well in bright  or intermittent sunlight and as a result I weave about a bit when I run. At one point, Hazel had to resort to tying the tether to the pram handle as she struggled guiding me with the pram over the cobbles. By the time we finished our run we were both exhausted.
Now you may be wondering what made this nominally horrid run hilarious. Well on our return we looked at the training plan on the kitchen wall and discovered that Hazel had read the wrong week and we only needed to run three miles after all. If only we had realised. Hazel literally laid on the floor for a while but after we both had a big piece of cake and a cup of tea we laughed our heads off. Not that I’m aiming high, but I bet this never happened to Paula Radcliffe.