The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the countryside is waking up and everything is growing. What a perfect day for a run!
Well, perfect if you ignore the raging hay fever, the huge tractors, trailers, and tractors-with-trailers storming along the tiny lanes meaning I have to leap into the hedge or get squashed. Also the hordes of cyclists. They must have heard my husband who, on leaving for work this morning, glanced at the sky and said enviously “lovely day for a bike ride. Sigh.”
Despite the annoyance of my quiet lanes being turned into veritable motorways, I did love the chap on a bike who dinged his bell as he came up behind me “just in case you didn’t hear me”. Very thoughtful, if more cyclists did this it would save me from any more near misses with silent cyclists. I also loved the old lady on a very new bike who was riding nearly as slowly as I was running. As she finally managed to overtake me we had time for a lovely chat.
After such a stop-start run, I couldn’t resist stopping to take a duckling photo.
However I quickly got up and carried on running when I turned round and see these two advancing…
I set off for an easy 3 miles the other morning. The only question was how to make sure I really did take it easy. Well of course, the technological way to ensure you run ‘easy’ is to use a heart rate monitor. Simple, yes? Well, it is if you actually remember to wear your heart rate monitor.
The non-technological way is to run ‘by feel’. This simply entails running so that it feels easy. If you have a running partner you can chat as you plod along, but as I usually run alone this would just be strange. I also tend to forget I’m meant to be going slowly as I get so wrapped up in my thoughts.
So, I’ve developed a new way to “run easy”. It does take some specialist equipment, and can only be undertaken at this time of year, but it really works. I give you, exhibit A.
I picked a handful of luscious blackberries on the homeward bound section of my run. Being greedy I filled my hand, and this meant I had to run very carefully (i.e. slowly) to avoid dropping any. Perfect!
Sorry for that ear worm, but it had to be done! The final day of Juneathon. 30 days of exercise, blogging, excuses, and occasional creative definitions of exercise. (I still think getting into, and out of, compression socks really should count as exercise).
After resting my tired ’10k PB’ legs on Friday and Saturday I decided it was only right to get out and run today to celebrate the last day of Juneathon. A lovely slow 3 miles around my usual 3 mile loop proved to me the wisdom of not running either of the previous two days. Wow my legs were stiff. My calf muscles I knew would be stiff, however I wasn’t expecting my thighs to feel as tight as they did.
Anyway, enough moaning. Juneathon is done, I just need to have a think over the month and then I’ll do a blog post summing it up. Not tomorrow though -I expect I’ll be doing some form of exercise, but I’ll enjoy not *having* to blog!
After yesterday’s unexpectedly long run, I was a little worried my legs wouldn’t be speaking to me. They certainly creaked a little as I crawled out of bed this morning. However a busy, packed day meant I had no time for procrastination so I got dressed and headed out.
Just 3 easy easy miles was planned, and feeling the heavy, muggy air as I stepped out I had no intention of deviating from that plan. My right shin had a little moan at one point which is always a tad worrying, so I had a little chat to my legs and all was well.
I have learnt the careful art of leg-whispering from my mentor, the pro-cyclist and legend Jens Voigt. Please do view his instructional video below:-
A day that starts with going back to bed is never going to be a great one, unless you’d planned a lazy ‘slump’ day and have nothing else to do. I was really tired but couldn’t get back to sleep so gave up, and got up again.
Then I decided I’d better get my Juneathon done for the day so I climbed into my running gear. Then I thought maybe I’d feel better if I took my ipod. Them I realised it was probably out of charge as I’ve not used it for so long. Then I realised that actually I haven’t done a long run for … ooh quite some time.
Finally stopped pfaffing about and got out there. 10 miles done, all of them horrible, and I truly hated every step. None of this “once you get out you’ll enjoy it” nonsense here! Ah well, its done, and it was the longest run I’ve done since Brighton Marathon back in April, so I guess it was long overdue.
Gone
Oh – the best bit of this run? The hot chocolate, and toast with peanut butter with extra salt crystals sprinkled on it, that I had when I go t back home. I would have taken a photo, but I was too slow and it went.
Out for a longer, easy run today. After Sunday’s race and yesterday’s tight calves I figured I’d just go slow, keep my heart rate down, and enjoy the plod. Great plan, but half way round I realised my legs were feeling tired and heavy, I was thirsty (having not taken a drink with me), and it was really muggy.
Sensibly I cut off one last loop of my run and headed for home. 6.75 miles in 1:14 which included time taking some photos.
Photos, you say? Well if you insist. There’s the one of the most pampered sheep in the world showing why she’s been quite so fat. Yes she does live in a front garden, and I have seen her stood on the doorstep leaning on the door before now.
Pampered sheep
Then there’s the really pretty flowers growing in the verge
Flowery Verge
And lastly, am I the only person who manages to have a sweat mark on their chest in such a random place?
So yesterday’s Abs workout felt like a bit of a cop-out for Juneathon, but as I got out of bed and stretched this morning my stomach muscles were begging to disagree. Back to running today – an easy run (rather than my usual Friday long run) as I’m hoping to race on Sunday. Its a 5 mile race which I’ve never done before (so I’m guaranteed a PB – yay!), and is very local to me, so local I was considering cycling there. I ran most of the route today as a recce (although I know the roads round here very well) so I’d know where the hill flattened out (I always think of it as going on and on – what a pessimist!)
So why aren’t I definitely doing it? Well Mr B&T got to the calendar before me and is already cycling in a 175KM Audax ride on Sunday. Then daughter wants to go to a sleepover on Saturday night, and will need picking up on Sunday morning. All do-able so far, but it hinges on daughter being ready to be collected at about 9.30am, after a “sleep” over, and then walking home from the race start (only about 2 1/2 miles).
Knowing how great my daughter is at getting up and out in the morning, and her keenness on any type of exercise, I can only cross my fingers that I make it to the start line on Sunday, on time!
In happier news, my shoes survived the washing machine after Wednesday’s mudbath and are now clean and sparkly again. Top tip for getting shoes clean? Put in washing machine, add a bit of every type of washing powder / pre clean treatment / magic ‘whitening’ crystals you can find, and cross your fingers! Clean running shoes
I felt really tired this morning, a combination of 4 consecutive days at the allotment, hard intervals yesterday plus a bad nights sleep last night. I didn’t feel like running, but I thought of Juneathon, sighed, and planned an easy run. I guess that’s the trouble with beauty of a challenge like Juneathon – it gets you off your backside when you’d otherwise slack off for the day.
To make my run more interesting I decided to head out and do a new ring of Geocaches that recently appeared close to home. Just an overgrown bridleway to struggle down and then a lovely 2 mile ring of treasure seeking. What could possibly go wrong?
As a precaution against nettles I wore my running capris rather than my shorts*, strapped on my water bottle, applied sun cream, made sure I had old socks on in case it was muddy, printed off a little map to help with navigation, and off I set. I felt like I was orienteering!
Thick, oozy mud
The overgrown bridleway was okay, a few scratches and stings but not too bad. I found the lovely footpath leading to the first geocache, and quickly found the cache. I signed the log, re-hid the box, and retraced my steps. I checked the directions on my phone, checked my little map, looked around me, but couldn’t see a footpath sign anywhere. I set off along the track which looked most likely, but soon came across one of those huge muddy puddles which completely fill the track with no chance of easing my way around the edge. “Well, it did say it was a bit muddy!” I brightly told myself, and started tip toeing into the mud. Over the (new) shoes, ah well, bit of mud never hurt anyone. Up to the ankles – ewwwww – its very green mud and there are lots of cows round here. Mid shin – there’s lots of flies here as well – best keep my mouth shut. Slip – upto knees – I think I’m about to lose a trainer!!! I made it to the other side, but realised that nothing here looked like it should on the map, or the directions, and no one else had mentioned knee high mud. So I did what any right minded wuss would do, and turned around and waded my way back through.
I hear its very good for the skin
Having come so far and got so muddy it was a shame to head back home already, so I decided to try and complete the ring in reverse order. I headed past the cache I’d just done and carried on along this promising track. Then the nettles started. Knee high, thigh high, waist high, by the time they reached chest high I’d had enough. I turned round and headed out of there.
I made it home by a circular route so I could still get a few miles in (I did), and so hopefully the mud would have dried a little by the time I got home (it did). Looking at my Garmin route and the Geocaching website I can now see which path I should have taken (it wasn’t the muddy one so good job I turned around).
So 3.65 miles, in 58:35 minutes (mile 2 took over 27 minutes – that’s mud wading for you!) Still have to tackle the trainers, and if anyone knows anything to stop the awful itch of nettle sting which is currently crawling up both legs and arms I’d be eternally grateful.
* Running capris offer zero protection against nettle stings – just ask my knees and thighs
Having run all of my marathon training in long tights through the long cold winter, typically race day is currently forecast to be somewhat warmer. So the tights will have to go – but to be replaced by what? I have my lovely (albeit somewhat embarrassing) knee high socks to consider. This morning, having finally shaken off the cold that’s been stopping me from breathing for the last few days, I got ready for my first run in 5 days. Over my trusty compression socks I pulled on my lightweight capri length trousers. Oh dear – even my husband, who is used to my strange running outfits, sniggered at the sight. Think knickerbockers with tights underneath and you’ll get the picture.
There was nothing for it, it would have to be the shorts.
I also bravely wore my race day t-shirt but I also popped my faithful jacket over the top. After 5 slow, easy, glorious miles my legs were attractively pink but not too cold, and my top half was actually feeling too warm. All looking good for Sunday!
