I have been back and looked at my last post (September 2019) and wow so much has changed since. Obviously the fact we are all in lockdown is one thing that we are all dealing with. Then there is the fact that mass participation events, including running ones, are all on stop. London Marathon may or may not happen in October (personally I think not) 5 and 10Ks all being postponed and then often postponed or cancelled until next year. It seems likely that it will be 2021 before we see any large races again. In the meantime virtual is the way forward. Knee update Well we tried some more running in September and clearly it was too soon. Sorry for not updating the blog, but I was focused on improving knee strength and blog took a back seat. More physio was needed and then some weekly circuits type classes for knee strengthening. My measure of progress is how easily I can get up off the floor and how quickly I can come downstairs in the morning. Through the end of 2019 I continued to work and support other runners, at Cardiff 10K and Cardiff Half. Hosting at Poppy Run for the Royal British Legion. And in Movember hosting MoRun at Cardiff, Swansea, Birmingham and Nottingham, at Batman's house no less, Wollaton Park. As always these are my favourite races as the link to mens health both physical and mental is very close to me. Into 2020 and battling the storms we managed to attend the slightly delayed Llanelli Half, and The Winter Warmer runs. The weather took its toll on the St Days Day Run....and then the virus arrived! As someone who is close to the organisation of many races we were watching what was happening and we all hoped that things would be getting back to 'normal' as the year went on, but that looks unlikely now. Even if mass gatherings are allowed, who will come? People are wanting to do things but very cautious, and rightly so. Virtual There has been a number of virtual events, plus the 2.6 challenge, set up to allow people to use their time, in lockdown, productively. I wondered what I would be able to do. Please remember, even though I have been at more running events than I can even remember over the past 20 plus years, I have not actually completed a race of my own for more than 25 years....probably longer. My good friends at Fix Events (MoRun) launched a Miles for Mates, virtual race, Being physically active is great for your mental health, and now more than ever it is important to check in with your friends and family. We have all been dealing with Covid-19 in our own way, and nobody had the rules on how to deal with things. So for my challenge, I chose to do the 5K. I baselined with a steady walk 47.56 and today improved to 42.49. Let's see what we can achieve as the month goes on. Goals
You can be part of Movember Miles for Mates - HERE Or if you fancy just trying to get me below 40:00 come and 'run' with me.
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After an enforced break from running, and walking for that matter, I am back. The last time I added to my blog, the Doctor has told me it would be 2 weeks of rest before I could do anything. Well.... 2 weeks became 3 weeks and the 3 months, a lot of rest, a few pain killers, and an MRI scan later and here we are on the 26 September. It seems ironic to me now that yesterday, the 25 September was the day the physio said "OK i think we can start some short distance walking and mild jogging, but not too far too fast!" when it was the 25 June when the knee injury happened. A lot has happened in that time, and in some way not a lot. I'll leave politics out of it. I had the pleasure of being invited to Vintage for Victory, celebrated a big birthday, saw 4 musicals in 2 weeks, met Michael Ball, stood on the Greenwich meridian, attended Invncbl and then helped to deliver the most successful Cardiff 10K so far. It was incredible to see so many people taking to the streets of Cardiff and having a fantastic time. I knew I wouldn't be able to run, it is the one question as an event manager you get asked all the time....are you running. Well 'No' someone has to organise things!! However, it did mean I met up with some incredible runners and it was lovely to have Kerrie join us as a race starter. It was also incredible to be stood on the finish line to welcome her home. So what now? Tonight I pulled on my running shoes and stepped back onto the road. I took it slowly and didn't try to do too much. 2k in 20 minutes, I also took the 4 legged training partner with me, so I wouldn't go too fast. The big question now is.....how will the knee be in the morning? Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone So its not been the best of weeks, as I mentioned when I wrote last week, my knee wasn't feeling too great. Whats more the pain didn't happen when I was running, but when I stood up after writing my blog. The pain was sharp and mainly on the inside of my right knee. I did all the things I know to do, rest, ice, elevate. By Friday there was no improvement, then on Saturday I was really having difficulty walking. I was looking forward to seeing Paul Weller on Sunday evening and saw that it was not a seated gig. I knew I would need some support if I was standing for a few hours so went and got some help from the pharmacy and ended up with a knee brace. Following some friendly medical advice, on Monday I made an appointment to get the knee looked at. Swelling had gone down a bit but still sharp pain - just to remind me, every now and then. Today the doctor had a good look, manipulated my knee in a variety of directions and then announced - 'It looks like you have sheared your cartilage!' Ouch..... We talked about how it could have happened and how as you get older your cartilage becomes more brittle. The up shot of all of this is - 2 weeks of rest, definitely no running, to see if the pain improves and the swelling goes down. If no improvement then an MRI and maybe a knee washout..... So this clearly will put training back a bit. On a plus side I can recommend the Boots own brand knee brace. Very comfortable. Look what arrived today (thanks Ben), I'm thinking of getting this added to my training top. It has given me a bit of a boost today as I have been in pain since yesterday. Surprisingly the pain in my knee didn't happen when I was running, but I think it did happen when I stood up after writing my blog! I know the irony is not lost on me. Anyway it has put pay to me doing any more running for a few days, which judging by the weather forecast may not be a bad thing. Running in the dry weather is one thing but running in the heat. I know I can do a 5k without stopping which was my goal by the end of June, next main goal is to complete 10K. Once the knee is feeling better I will be looking for some training partners, I am looking at parkrun as an option but would also like to have some friends who just want a plod around the park to join me. I'll keep you posted on some dates. When my daughter was younger our house was full of the singing of Troy and Gabriella, I'm sure many of you can empathise. On todays run, however, it can safely be said that my Head was not in the Game! I think it was a combination of a number of things: - not running for 5 days - spending a lot of time on my legs over the weekend - stiff legs and sore knees - damp humid weather - thinking of others The weather today is damp and humid, which made it slippery underfoot. I was speaking to a former olympian over the weekend (get me) and he advised running on grass to save my knees. but I think wet grass wasn't the best of ideas, so I went back to the path. I decided to put on my lightweight running jacket but whilst this helped with the dampness it didn't help with the warmth - lesson learnt. I actually started off well, and as I entered the second kilometre I felt good....however at just after 2k everything started to get more difficult. Breathing was harder, legs were heavier, knees jarring. I decided to take the advice of Sam2.0 an reduced speed and returned to Jeffing. I needed to get around the course (plus by now I was nearly 2.5k from where I parked the car). Running what I could, and walking the rest got me through the next 2.5k and back to where I set off from. It was only then I checked my time and distance tracker, only to find I was nearly 2 minutes faster than my last run, where I didn't walk at all! Clearly I had set off at a faster pace...... Over the weekend I was at a number of events and had fun talking to people about my running journey. It still seems strange to be able to have an actual conversation with other runners and know exactly what I am talking about. It was lovely to meet some of the members of the South Wales Running Community in person. I love being part of their online group, and to be able to put a face to a name was fantastic. Let's hope the next run will be a bit easier, although I've seen the forecast and the word heatwave was mentioned..... Another 5K (without walking) done. Tonight I was joined by my speed coach, our Number 1 Daughter, as she prefers to be called, on my 5K run. She is definitely faster than me, but unlike the last time we ran together I didn't try to keep up. Turns out it was a good plan. Whilst she was 'Jeffing' with speedy runs and then walking, I was able to maintain a steady pace, catching her up and then being overtaken as she went back to a fast bit again. It did feel a bit like the Hare and the Tortoise. I was really pleased to be able to keep to my own pace and completed another 5K without the need to stop and walk. My time remained constant, it is much more about the distance. I am back on the look out for a running watch, I borrowed a Garmin from a friend but it didn't work that well for me. I think a more basic watch might be the way forward, but for now the research continues. I am however, very happy with my choice of Bone conduction headphones. As someone who organises races I am not a fan of headphones at events but when you are training seem like a great idea - remember to pick a suitable speed tune though. I have a few days off running as I have a busy weekend with events. I am looking forward to meeting some fellow runners at Swansea Half Marathon on Sunday. This year I can empathise with the runners, and soon I can aim for 13.1 miles. Since around 2010 I have been a supporter of Movember and inparticular MoRunning. Well it does seem appropriate that I would be connected with an event that has running in the title. I became more involved when the organising team were looking for a commentator for the Cardiff event. "Our fathers, partners, brothers and friends face a health crisis that isn’t being talked about. Men are dying too young. We can’t afford to stay silent." I have commentated for many years at Race for Life and know how great the ladies are at supporting each other, but for the men we are not so great at talking and supporting. I had my own issues around 10 years ago, and made a recovery. Then in 2018 I had a number of issues that on their own anyone can deal with but once you add them together became a much bigger problem. I know my trigger points and for some reason I missed them all. It could be the part of me that says 'I can do everything' or 'It will soon be better' but the point is it didn't get any better. I was lucky that at the last minute I realised I needed to take some action to get myself safe, and I did. I have said before how when I was ill I challenged myself to be well enough to host the MoRun, for Movember. I did and told my story in front of over 1000 people. For Movemeber there are 5 things to know, and do. 1. Spend time with people who make you feel good. 2. Talk, more. 3. Know the numbers. 4. Know thy nuts. Simple. 5. Move, more. Find out more about Movember - Here You can enter this years MoRun now and help celebrate 10 years of MoRunning. They are great fun events for everyone, and the more costumes the better. To take part in a MoRun near you - NOW I left the house this evening for my next 5K distance with one intention, to Run (well jog) as far as I could without stopping. No coaching staff tonight, so just me and my trusty headphones for the evening. I started off well, and chose a suitable playlist, nothing too fast and quite soon found I had competed 1K. Feeling good, and realising I was on the slightly down hill section I continued. I mentioned before I have certain bits of this course I have tried to complete, even setting myself my own little finish line. This soon was upon me and 2K had passed - still no walking. Sam2.0 had helped be deal mentally with the next part of the course, which in my head seems very long, but actually isn't that far. Plodding on, I was soon at 3K and still no walking. Now my head started to ask the question - Can you do 5K without needing to walk? I already knew that the 4th km had 'The Hill', well it's more of an incline but in my head its a hill. I have worked hard over the past few runs to make it up the 'hill' without stopping, and tonight in no time I was at the top, and 4K done. Still feeling good and not too tired the thought of the final km started to move me forward. My head telling me, that with every step forward we were closing in on the 5K. OK I may have been overtaken by other runner but I was on my own little journey. 5K without stopping was in my sights. Then, as if by magic it was done! Without any running buddies or coaches to help me...so I gave myself a little high five to celebrate. Technology however did let me down so I don't have a map or splits to show what I did, however 5K in 36.15 without stopping is what I know I did. Yeah Go Me! In a week where parts of the country appear to have had more than a months rain in 24 hours, and some people seem to be collecting wood to build a boat and animals (2 of each) to go on board with them, it seems strange that most of this week I have been speaking to people about Hydration. The question has been - How much water do you drink in a day? It seems there is a lot of information in general health about what to eat, how much to exercise, but very little about hydration. Now I appreciate that it can be different for an individual, and will also depend on how much exercise you do, and if you have any medical conditions....but then the amount you eat can also change due to personal factors. Guidelines of 6 to 8 glasses a day is talked about, most of the people I spoke to said around 2 litres a day, I know for me I am supposed to drink 3. This then got me thinking about what hydration do people have when running, and how do you get your hydration? I am finding that I am feeling thirsty whilst running, but I know the distance I am currently doing I should be able to do without the need to carry fluids. But as the distance increases what do people advise? On the 1st May 2019 I started my journey as a 'Marathon Runner in Training' and 1small-step was born. I always said I would build up slowly not pushing things too far, too fast, after all it has been more than 24 years since I did any running. But with a steady increase in distance and the support of many friends and family, and my coaching team, Mrs C, Lucy, Sam2.0 and Angel today I achieved the first of many mini goals. 26.2 miles is a huge distance and still a long way off, but 5K is now done. The next mini goal, by the end of June, is to keep going without walking any of the distance. This may be a little way off but for tonight 5K in 37:52 will do. I still managed to increase the amount of time I spent running, and by setting myself some little extra distance goals we were soon eating into the distance. I think it is as much about your head as your legs. Tonight I felt positive about the distance, the drizzle meant it was a bit slippy but also meant the pavement didn't have too many walkers to deal with. I am still on the look out for a 5K race a the end of June, at this rate I'll have to put one on just for me, other runners welcome. |
AuthorAfter 24 years of helping others to achieve their running goals - it is now my time. Archives
February 2022
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