A year off and spinning around

I love Christmas and the fresh start the New Year brings.  So on New Year’s Day (2010) I laced up my trainers, zipped my jacket and headed out for a run in the beautiful, wintry Forest of Dean, full of motivation and planning the year ahead.  But alas, it was not meant to be.  A hidden icy patch (and possibly not paying enough attention) resulted in a slip, a twist and an injured knee.

Humph.  The pain was somewhat intermittent but enough to rule out running for the time being.  On a trip to London for my birthday the pain worsened so much that I was unable to walk until I managed to straighten and click my knee back into place on the train ride home. 

Off to the sports injury clinic.  Diagnosis – torn cartilage.  Treatment – rest and rehabilitation.  It’s one thing deciding not to or being too lazy to run, but being physically unable to run is quite different.  I felt frustrated and self pitiful.  Every time I though I was improving and attempted a jog my body soon reminded me it was too soon to the point where I was convinced it would never heal and I would have to hang up my trainers for good.

After months of rest (8 to be exact) I decided I would give cross-training a go and join my local gym.  Having been off-exercise for a while I got a bit over excited and signed straight up for a spinning class.  Wow.  Shock to the system doesn’t cover it!  My body didn’t know what had hit it!  But it was strangely enjoyable, even though I couldn’t walk properly afterwards, and more importantly it didn’t seem to hurt my knee, hurrah!

So I stuck with it, starting with the 30 minute class every week and gradually started using the cross trainer and completing short treadmill sessions.  After a few months I also started going to the 40 minute spinning class and happily went twice a week from then on.  Every single class was hard work.  But I started seeing improvements and that kept me going.  I wouldn’t say I enjoyed every second of spinning and I really did need to dig deep most of the time but I always loved it afterwards! 

By the end of the year I had grown in strength and confidence - my knee was pain free, I loved my spinning classes and I was gradually increasing my treadmill runs.

Bring on the New Year!

Keep calm and jog on Part 2 – Racing with the girls and 3,000 Santas….

In June 2009 a few friends and I decided to enter the Aberystwyth 5k Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research.  This was my first race and although I had been running regularly for the last 8 months, ‘training’ for a race hadn't ever really crossed my mind.  So we just went for it and luckily 5k (3.1 miles) was a nice introductory length that you could get away with no real training. 

Race for Life is a woman-only race with over 240 events taking place in towns and cities across the UK (for more information go to http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org).  Anyone who has been involved will be familiar with the overwhelming sense of comradely at these events.  Running along reading who other racers were running in aid (sometimes themselves) or memory of or reading about their story was awe-inspiring and it was clear that this race was about more than just winning or getting a PB.  Although some were faster than others, everyone went at their own pace, helped each other out and got through.  What a perfect introduction to the world of organised racing!

As with a lot of things (particularly netball matches), it was clear I was going to get pre-race nerves.  No matter how much I told myself it was just fun and for Charity and it was only my first race I still felt sick and dizzy.  My other half tried to take my mind off it as he walked me to the race start from where we lived round the corner by saying whenever he saw someone in a pink t-shirt things like “you can definitely take her on” or “she may give you a run for your money” – competitive much!  But it helped keep me smiling.

Dawny, Jane and Me Race for Life 2009

I met my friends at the start line and we let off some nervous energy during the warm up before embarking on our race.  I finished in just over 30 minutes with one short walk break which I was really chuffed with!  We collected our medals and hugged and laughed before going for a nice big lunch.  I then remember getting back to our flat, lying on the sofa and sleeping all afternoon! 

Santa's in unison!  

My next race was the 6k London Santa Run in Battersea Park that December.  Jane and I planned a weekend in London to go and see Phantom of the Opera along with a matinee performance of Wicked and decided we could fit in a 6k race as well lol!  By this time I had moved to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and although running in the Forest was amazing I had somewhat lost my mojo once the evenings got darker and after work runs became a no no.  But we went ahead with it, got the tube to Sloane Square, picked up our Santa suits and pinned on our race numbers.  

Jane and me Santa Run 2009

I wasn’t really fit enough to make it round in a half decent time but warming up and running around Battersea Park with ~3,000 other Santas was quite an experience!  Being overtaken by a Mrs Santa pushing a baby jogger was a bit shameful but kudos to her!  By the end everyone was just walking around the park nattering, dressed in now slightly sweaty Santa suits, as if it were the most normal thing in the world and I loved it!  We then hopped back on the tube, got changed in a Tesco loo and went off to watch Wicked before catching the train home (on which I also slept all the way!).

I was hooked and my motivation restored when a runner's nightmare occurred..... enter my first injury.....

To be continued.

Keep Calm and Jog On - Part 1 – My past relationship with running

Running for me has been somewhat of a sporadic pastime.  I’ve taken part in my share of sport over the years; however it’s pretty safe to say running in itself had never been particularly appealing nor my forte.

During our University years my friend Jane ran and seeing how much she enjoyed it I thought I’d give it a go.  I attempted a couple of sole early morning outings but these were few and far between, and frankly not very enjoyable!  Jane would often tell me about how she was swept up with the ‘running bug’ but I just couldn’t get in to it. 

The year after I graduated university, a colleague and I decided we’d give ‘jogging’ a go in an attempt to get fit and lose a few pounds.  Both starting off as complete beginners meant we were in the same boat and neither of us wanted to let the other down by missing scheduled runs.  I will always remember our first amble along the promenade in Aberystwyth (west Wales), panting and spluttering for breath 5 minutes in accompanied by the constant stream of thought - “I hate it, I hate it”.  Any excuse to stop for a rest, I’d take without hesitation!

But with a little help from my friends we continued and I gradually found my mind starting to wonder, planning my shopping list or putting together jobs for the week ahead.  I stopped thinking “I hate it, I hate it” and actually began enjoying myself.

Running began to become a regular occurrence in my weekly schedule and I quickly started seeing progress in the length of time I could ran between walking breaks.  I gradually lengthened my routes around town and began to notice the physical and emotional benefits running provided.  My body shape started to change and runs becoming a perfect opportunity to de-stress and clear my mind after a long day or pound out frustrations.  I remember thinking “I’ll just run to the next lamppost” then when I got there and found I was ok I’d think “ok, I’ll just run to the brick wall” and so on until I made it all the way around without stopping!  Happy days! 

I miss running in Aberystwyth.  In the dark evenings I felt safe and at ease making my way along the picturesque promenade, along paths to Llanbadarn Fawr or up Penparcau hill.  It was relaxing plodding along with no-one around and I started to settle into a nice routine.  It was then we decided to enter our first race…..

To be continued.

Hello and welcome to my running blog!

In this blog I hope to take you through my running journey so far and share some of my running experiences.  I plan to summarize my general thoughts and feelings as well as hints and tips I've picked up along the way.  

As a relatively new runner I'd also like to explore my running aspirations for the future and put in some goals, things to try and a wish list!  I'd also like to include training programmes I've found useful or would like to try when preparing for races and a diary of how I'm getting on!  I hope you enjoy!

Forest of Dean Trailblazer 10k May 2011