101 Miles in January

Well the last time I updated my blog, I had a bit of a viral hangover, I'm still not 100%, but it doesn't appear to be affecting my running and the D33 looks achievable, less than 7 weeks away - swallows hard!!  I'm building up my mileage as per the 4 day training plan, I have a couple of times had to drop one of the shorter runs, but I meet with a personal trainer once a week and he puts me through my paces - no rest for the wicked!  It is quite hard trying to fit work into family life, parkrun and D33 training.  I've also signed up for the 5x50 challenge which starts at the end of March which comes at a good time as I won't be training for the D33.  The 5x50 will help me with another challenge that a group of us from Strathclyde parkrun are doing on 21st - 22nd June, The Scottish parkathon.  The plan is to run all of the Scottish parkrun courses over a 24 hour period on the weekend of the longest day.  All of the runs will be 'freedom' runs with the exception of one which will be the last one - our home run and this will be a live run.  It'll be interesting to see how we cope with the travelling across Scotland, the stop - starting, running through the night and the sleep deprivation.  At present there are 8 Scottish parkrun's, but a little bird tells me there will be another one starting very soon and I know there is a lot of chat about another Glasgow one in Tollcross - hopefully nobody sets one up in the Western Isles before our planned parkathon!!!  Lily has started joining Harvey and me on our runs, she's not harnessed up and she only runs a very short distance, she seems to be enjoying it, but I want to be careful not to push her, her bones are still developing and to use one of my aunties quotes, she is 'growing like a weed'.  Harvey and I ran 13 miles yesterday, he was less keen to join me in my 20 mile run today, we compromised and he ran 4 miles, the weather changed for the worse when we were out, rain became really heavy and the wind was so strong that at times it felt like someone was hanging onto my jacket and I could barely move forward. Fortunately I have a treadmill at home and that's where I retreated to.  Some will say, that I won't be able to do that on D day and they're right, but just now I have choice and  when race day comes I'll just have to get on with it.  Todays 20 miler took me to 101 miles for January. I don't think that I've ever ran that distance in January since I started running in May 2003, it would have been nearer to the 200 had I not been ill at the beginning of January, but hey ho, mustn't dwell on what might've been and I am delighted with my progress.  Big miles to be run in February in preparation for the D33, I hope the weather gets better, it'll make the training so much more pleasurable.  Now to deal with the achy muscles, where is that foam roller?

Coughs, Sneezes and Wheezes

The training plan format for this past week states that I have a 3 mile, 6 mile, 18 mile and 5 mile run to do.  Due to returning to work on the 3rd January, I rejigged the plan to enable me to run my long run with the back to back on the 1st and 2nd.  So on the 1st I toddled off to Strathclyde parkrun, ran a 5k and then added a further 2 miles to take me to 5 (if only I knew how I was to feel later on that day, I would've continued to take my run up to 18 miles, but hey ho, hindsight would be a wonderful thing).  Come early evening my throat was feeling a bit funny and I developed an irritating cough.
On the 2nd when I woke up after getting very little sleep, I knew that the 18 miler was doomed for the day, so not to be thwarted and in the belief that what ever bug I had, it would be gone by the weekend, I made a new plan which was to run parkrun on Saturday followed by an add on run of 15 miles, I'd then get up and run the 6 miles on Sunday.  Pressure off, time to get better - I don't do sick and haven't had anything like this for 2+ years, Iain's been a trooper, but he should know by now just to leave me when I'm like this! 
I slept so badly on Friday night that I didn't make Strathclyde parkrun, attempting any distance, I believe will delay my recovery, so here I am sitting on the sofa on Sunday morning, I've watched the sky turn a beautiful red colour as daylight comes in, I still feel rubbish, but I think it's a better rubbish than yesterday, Hopefully I'll pick up on the training plan for next week which is similar to the one that I've missed.   I think a nice gentle walk is what is needed today - a sign that I must be feeling better.

The Year Ahead

"Who would've thought" was a line my mother used when she was talking about something I'd done in 2011 - in her own little way it was a back handed compliment - she doesn't do compliments very well or very often and this one has made Iain and I laugh many times - I don't think that she realises to this day what she said, but I'll take it, as it means a lot to me and I don't know if there will ever be another one!!!
The year ahead is going to be a busy one, with races planned, a new baby is expected to make her entrance into the family in April making me a Nona for the first time, and as one of my other son's recently got engaged, who knows there may even be a wedding. So I thought, why not start writing a blog and keep a record of 'stuff'.
I've signed up to do my first Ultra Marathon along with my cousin Caron Mutch on 16th March, which also happens to be her 40th birthday on that day - I don't know which one of us is the craziest, answers on a postcard to ..... 
In 2011 I decided to hang up my marathon shoes after running, what for me, was the ultimate marathon - ING New York Marathon. I loved it, but I wanted to focus on shorter distances and improve my times.  Injury and other things got in the way in 2012 and I lost my way a wee bit and I needed to refocus and find something for me - well, as I'd hung up my marathon shoes, I'd have to find a different distance to run.  After my family, running is my passion and a great stress buster and I heard about the D33 Deesideway Ultra which is to take place early Spring 2013.  I put a wee message out on Facebook to see if anyone might show an interest and my lovely cousin Caron took the bait, the next thing we're out there training, Caron in and around Macduff and me in and around Bellshill, building up our miles for this race before entry opens on 1st January 2013 - are we crazy or what!! Probably a bit of both 'crazy' and 'what'!!
My reason for chosing this particular Ultra over any other is that I'm pretty hopeless regarding routes and directions, I get lost very easily and I can't read maps or a compass.  So this run was made for me, it is an out and back starting in the Duthie Park in Aberdeen before heading out along a track to Banchory - how difficult can that be!! Well stick with me and I'll keep you posted over the coming weeks, who would've thought.....