May 2013 – Black and Tabby Runs

All the Gear (but No Idea)

This morning dawned bright and sunny, and I felt inspired for my “up to 1 hour’s MP Run”. So inspired, I decided it would be a good idea to test out my hydration backback and running cap, both from Decathalon, Duly ‘geared up’ off I set.

My run felt good. Whether it was because Wessex Water have finished digging up the village which means I no longer have to run the gauntlet of hard-hat-wearing-men-with-shovels every time I venture out, or because it was sunny, I don’t know., but it was good. My overall pace was more like a Tempo run than a MP run, and that includes the hills!

At around 5 miles I came upon a couple of other lady runners. They were running slightly slower than I was, so I decided it was better to overtake them than to run just behind them all the way back to the village. We had a quick chat as I passed, and then I ‘sped’ off in front of them. When I looked at my stats that’s my quickest mile, as I made sure they didn’t catch back up with me.

I made it back home, after a quick ‘duckling’ count at the village pond (21 and rising!) and delightedly stripped off the hydration backpack, the sparkly white cap and my Garmin. I uploaded my stats, had a drink and a stretch, and got ready for my shower.

At this point, I made the discovery that I’d been wearing my running top inside out the whole time. Doh! As they say, all the gear, no idea!

How to Win the London Marathon (at 400m)

Read on the most excellent blog, Lazy Girl Running, is a tale of a runner who has set himself a series of challenges in order to raise £12,000 for ‘Street Child’, a charity which looks after street kids in kids in Sierra Leone. His blog is Beer Belly Running, and is well worth a read.

The second of his challenges was to be leading the London Marathon at the 400m mark. Bearing in mind that elite athletes like Mo Farah will cover 400 in 71 seconds, and that Beer Belly Running wouldn’t be starting on the front row with the Elites, this was no mean feat!

Please jump to his blog and see if he managed to do it, and if you’re as impressed as I was, feel free to donate to his excellent charity as well, here uk.virginmoneygiving.com//davidhellard/

Thank you!

Back In The Swing Of Things

Finally I seem to have run a ‘proper’ week, with a short tempo run, an easy run, an MP run and finally a LSR. All felt good, even if I did have to force myself out of the door when it was pouring with rain.

On one of my favourite long run routes (the one with the bridge with the sad story that I told you here), I also realised I passed another secret door – but a secret door on a somewhat grander scale than I usually see! Regular readers will know how I love ‘secret’ doors – I seem to find them all over the place, in the most remote corners of the countryside. I think this one beats them all hands down though!

Bluebells and How to Trick yourself to Run

I was feeling very lazy, despite getting out for a couple of runs already this week. I wanted to go for a longer run, but was having trouble motivating myself. After the Postman brought the new pair of ‘Runderwear’ running pants I bought this week I knew I had to go. (More about the pants another time).

Once in my new pants and out the door I talked myself into taking a longer, more ‘interesting’ (i.e. off road and uphill) route by telling myself it would be full of bluebells and very photogenic.

As you can see, not too many bluebells were actually out. I had cheated myself!

However I had set off intending to do a 5 mile road run and ended up having run 7.5 miles including some off road, so I didn’t mind really.

Does anyone else ‘trick’ themselves to run further, or is it just me?!