Month: Aug 2018

Someone better let the folk know at Leeds-Bradford airport. I love these bloody dogs :’)

I have to confess, I wrote a lot of this already on Strava in the description of my run! That’s a bit odd I guess, but I’ve always been a bit of a maverick 😀 So I’m in a funny mood as you can probably tell. One of those up episodes. I went on a run in the dark through the woods and along the river mersey. I really like it. I was with the dogs (in my mind) and we were having fun.  😀

https://www.strava.com/activities/1788493845

Something to be said for gallows humour. I was running with them tonight and we were talking about this while rounding up werewolves in the woods. Blair witch wouldn’t come out to play this time, nor the thing on the ice. Saw a lot of tapetum lucidium though, rabbits and even a fox. So its getting dark early, needing a headlight at this time! At least it isn’t cold. I cant deal with it well anymore.

I probably used some of tomorrows 3k time trial energy tonight but you know I used to drink over 15 pints some nights no problem all my drinking achievements are in the past, so I enjoyed the run tonight better than that. 590 days since my last drink.

I have started to listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast, the ones about world war one, they are horrifying and interesting at the same time.

 

 

 

Race report from the Sale Sizzler

Was having mini panics about getting there all day and ended up missing meeting the group from Cafe Diagnosis as was a bit too stressed (ridiculous I know), but the race started at 19:30 so had plenty of time and walked there from mine which took about an hour. I walk everywhere though so that was a good warm up listening to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast, a new one for me. I just want to thank everyone for their lovely posts on facebook as well after the last update. I found it very encouraging (and head swelling!) and it helped me along at the race, even just getting to the race!

This race was a really surprising one, since the marathon training/injury I have been in and out of injury and building my base mileage up. Around 3 months ago I was getting under 22 minutes in the 5k. Then 2 weeks ago I went to parkrun and ran as long as I could at 20minute pace (15kph) and got only halfway before needing to slow down, ending with 20:44. My 5k PB is 20:34 and by now is almost 11 months old! I was hoping to just beat that, maybe by 10 seconds.  But at the race I got to halfway, felt fine, got to 3k, felt fine so started to push a bit harder, at 4k I had stomach cramp and was feeling tired but still have felt worse at 4k before. I also remembered all the lovely posts on facebook and imagined having Marlon, Blue and Pharaoh running with me and kept going. Towards the end I thought I had another 400m to run, but it turned out to be only 100m so with disbelief sprinted towards the finish line. The time on the clock said 20:08 as I was approaching the finish line, I knew I was close to sub 20:00 and certainly PB.

We were chatting after the race when Matt told me they send a text with the results, I looked at my phone and was so happy with 20:00, I somehow managed to knock 34 seconds of my PB and 44 seconds off my recent best. A 20 minute 5k is something I wasn’t sure would be possible at the start of my running so I feel like its a dream come true. There’s the awkwardness of it not being a sub-20 but I really don’t care, now I get to celebrate hitting 20 minutes, whilst also celebrating getting sub 20 in the future.

I remember running at the gym earlier last year and struggling to get under 30 minutes (10kph) and the little celebration I did when hitting it then and now I can run for 20 minutes at 15kph, outside! So happy about that.

Really enjoyed my first Sale Sizzler, this was the fourth and final one this year and I will definitely try and make them all from now on, that will be next year however. The conditions were also great for running yesterday whereas I believe the first 3 were sizzlers indeed! In the end I would have been happy whatever time I got, most people who aren’t at the front of a race only race themselves, and a lot of the time I don’t even do that, just enjoy the run. It is nice to see some progress however after putting in all the effort doing intervals, so I am really happy to know everything is working.

 

Hope everyone is OK and I love you all!

 

Official Results: https://sale-harriers.niftyentries.com/Results/Sale-Sizzler-4-2018/2117/1

Strava (forgot HR monitor so ignore that stuff): https://www.strava.com/activities/1776875665

Signed up to a clinical trial and was going in today for the appointment. It’s a long way there and was supposed to be payed but the PI told me she wanted to see notes from the mental health team to make sure I am “stable”. In the end I have travelled for about 4 hours and had no sleep and got £2.40 for transport.. So wasn’t worth it at all I actually lost money. Wish they had just told me over the phone.

Lots of people tend to stare at me and sometimes just laugh at me and it is really bothering me. I am really tired of it.

To try and distract myself and invent a new hobby I’ve been painting (ahem .. by numbers…) and learning to draw. Want to make a site logo for Sans Shoelaces and just find something constructive to do. Also I wrote up a short version of my story and submitted it to Like the Wind. Its about me finding myself, losing weight and giving up alcohol through running. Running at the minute is the only stable thing in my life.

I was also looking at applying for jobs, I just get so anxious, I’ve had it my whole life and don’t know why nobody did anything about it. I hated school because of it and work has always been clinging on on the border of panic attack. Last night just knowing I had this clinical trial appointment I was up till about 3:30 worrying about it and just kept waking up. But of course I am completely “stable”, for the record.

I was supposed to see my CPN (phsychiatric nurse) 2 weeks ago and it happens a lot where they just don’t show up. Or send me a text saying “are you still OK to see me at “X” time” where X is completely different to the time we agreed. So I just get to feeling that nobody gives a shit. I waited in all day as usual and haven’t heard anything, I got a private call but missed it and that might have been them, but that was a week later.

What should I do right now? Mindfulness, distractions, music, look at things in a different way. What do I want to do now? Tear everything up and dissapear. What will probably happen, something in between, driving people further away from me.

I have a run to do today which is good. I’m falling asleep and its 3:20PM as got no sleep and had nightmares all night. Usually as I am about to drop off I hear a screaming or cracking or gunshot right in my room which brings me back to full alert. I have no Idea how I stay in bed but its not exactly helpful in getting to sleep as you can imagine. Have got the Sale Sizzler tomorrow and looking forward to it, will be my first chip timed 5k and hope to get a PB, anxious about getting there, will probably not sleep tonight.

A few days ago I signed up for the sale sizzler 5k on Thursday this week (16/08/18)

https://sale-harriers.niftyentries.com/Sale-Sizzler-4-2018

Hoping for a 5k PB (<20:34) as this will be my first proper 5k race that isn’t parkrun. Also it’s chip timed!

Also soon going to start posting up my original C25K runs, all of them apart from the very first run have been recorded. I also wrote on a forum after a lot of the runs so we will see what was going through my mind.

 

Oh also, I want to improve this site at some point. Probably put a home page, or just something at the top, and the ability to navigate posts. And have been working on a logo type thingy.

The Couch to 5K bit

Have been feeling very low recently, it’s a good job I have running to help me escape from my mind. It’s a lot like doing a mindfulness exercise when you go for a run. I encourage everyone to do it, or start with Couch to 5K right now!

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/

And if you start couch to 5k and want support there is an awesome forum, you CAN do it! There are people starting it in their 70s and later in life who have never run before. Your only regret will be that you didnt try it sooner 🙂

https://healthunlocked.com/couchto5k

If you are thinking of doing it, join that forum and get all the encouragement in the world!

 

My Current Stuff Bit

I decided after the pre-marathon injury (shin splints for 5 weeks) to cut my mileage back. I am quite certain the injury was partly because I ramped up my weekly mileage too fast, along with overpronating and starting to land more and more forefoot. All of which put extra demands on the muscles and ligaments connecting to the shin.

My current objective is to improve my speed, whilst slowly increasing weekly mileage to about 40 miles per week. To do this I am doing interval training for 5k races (although I haven’t signed up for one) as well as strength and conditioning to improve my stability around the knees and make me even more injury proof as well as speeding me up.

I’m following the free base building plan by Sage Canaday and Sandi Nypaver, this is a 9 week plan to build up your base running safely to 40 miles per week. I say following it, but because I’m doing the 5k interval stuff as well as wanting to do Parkrun every Saturday and going to Didsbury runners on Monday, I am really just trying to hit the weekly mileage totals, as well as taking same number of rest days on the plan. So if I get injured, cant blame Sage 😀

Anyway I am currently on week 4 of that plan

My next races are :

Great North Run (HM) (May have to defer till next year)	09-09-2018
Manchester Half Marathon	14-10-2018
Bolton Abbey (HM)	11-11-2018

As you can see, they’re all HM, and I’m training for a 5k. Well I intend to increase my weekly long run to at least HM distance, and just be mindful on the day of each race that I haven’t trained properly, so just enjoy the run and not worry about time. Although I could change my mind, and do want to beet my Manchester Half time of 1:37:06!

I am pretty sure I can beat the Bolton Abbey time, all I have to do is A) Not get injured and have to go easy, B) Get stuck behind a 4 by 4 on the bridge to the finish line. C) they’ve sorted out the style problems, so in effect I am cheating this time 😛 . It’s a lovely course too so even if I don’t go faster, I spend more time admiring the scenery. Win win.