#Janathon day 17, not gonna let it slip away now

This week my training plan was to do Parkrun to create a benchmark of where my running is at, then again every 6 weeks, do it again to measure progress. The weather had different plans. As forcast last night it rained loads on frozen ground and this morning that froze. The parkrun organisers made the decision to cancel for safety reasons. I thought they would. The dog walk this morning was a bit tricky in places.

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/fountainsabbey/  is great, it's 5km like all the others, but it is in the grounds of a World Heritage site. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fountains-abbey/ The 2 lap course takes you around the Abbey twice and the beautiful water gardens. Afterwards lots of runners meet at the visitor centre for coffee.  So it is a shame that the weather caused it to be cancelled today. I think I might do it next week. (Weather permitting)

I still had a timed 5 km to do, so this afternoon I set off for Studley Royal, with the intention of running to the church as a warm up, then running home as the timed 5 km.  I set off and everything was going to plan, well for the first mile anyway, as I headed off road onto the public footpath every step was hard, sticky, slippy mud and puddles made going forwards difficult. I stated to formulates new plan, run up to the church as the original plan, then run down the drive to the cattle grid, then back to the church and back down to the cattle grid, that should be about 5 km. 

as I was running up to the church the first time, the cars coming towards me had their lights on and I realised how much the light was fading. The deer were by the road and cars were stopping to look, I had to run around the cars. I got to the gate by the church and waited for my heartrate to drop a bit before running as hard as I could the mile down to the cattle grid before turning and heading back up the deer started crossing and I worried they d stampede but the split whilst I ran past and I heard the rest of them crossing behind me, multiple hooves pattering on the tarmac. 

I pushed hard to the gate before running hard back down, the deer were now all across the road, it was getting dark and I was racing the light. I reached the cattle grid and my watch hadn't buzzed to mark 5 km so I turned and ran 100 m or so up the drive and back, it didn't buzz so I thought it wasn't working and set off over the cattle grids towards home, then it buzzed. I then walked a bit, it was properly dark now, I was glad I had a fantastic head torch, in a drawer at home, but because there was little or no light pollution my night vision was quite good. I set off down the muddy footpath through the fields and was surprised that I was still managing to run at a reasonable pace except where it was really slippery, it was sleeting now, but I was soon back at the road and heading for town and the lights. 

Running in the dark off road works as good training for Equinox24 in September.

I'm really happy to have run my 5km in under 30 minutes, it's the best that I have run since my back went in November. 

17 runs, streaked.

#Janathon day 16, over half way

Gosh this month is going fast, can't believe it's Friday again. Friday is 'rest' day, so I got my run in early to ensure 24 hr of not running swimming or biking. Can't do that with walking, I walk all the time, it's my mode of transport. Often when I am walking somewhere, I race people. They don't know they're in a race but I spot people ahead and challenge myself to catch and overtake them just by speedwalking.

This afternoon was another session with Libby for a not her sports massage to work out the knots in my left hand side caused by the sciatica. She has given me more stretches to try whilst I await my physio appointment. 

So now I'm all done for the day. Exercise done, work done, sports massage done, Jog, Log and Blog done. Feet up now before a busy weekend.

#Janathon day 15,

Today I say the "This girl can" video. It's great, well I like it anyway. It is a Sport England  video  to encourage more women to exercise. I have posted a link to the full advert if you haven't seen it yet, on my Paintedrunner FB page.  https://www.facebook.com/paintedrunnerIUPO?ref=aymt_homepage_panel Here is the behind the scenes http://youtu.be/5OeQjEGM12M .

I like the way it shows real women in sport, not slim, leggy youngsters.

As most of you know, I was 40 when I took up running and as a pear shaped, 5 ft 10 in 12 and a half stone athlete, I am aware that I do not look like a stereotypical athlete but look at what I have achieved over the past 9 years and continue to achieve. 

When I was younger I would have been more self conscious of my Lycra clad cellulite, but I just accept it now, I must admit, the first time I went out in public in my tri suit was a bit nerve wracking. But the best thing I wear is my smile. I love what I do and hope I inspire a few people too.

So I think this ad campaign is great.

Any how, today I gave walked and been to running club training, I jogged down, the weather was horrific, rain and gales, but glad I went, I soon warmed up. Then I jogged home. So my runstreak continues too.

#Janathon day 14 Workout Wednesday

Today started with a slip slide run, the pavements had frozen overnight and a flurry of snow had laid on top of it, so today's runstreak mile was pretty slow, but I did run a mile in tough conditions. 

I went home, had breakfast and did a few chores, in the meantime the outside temperature had risen and it had started to snow. So an hour later Jed's Dogjog was easier going than the runstreak mile. Most the ice had gone and the fresh snow was easy to jog on. Jed just wanted to stay out and play in it. 

After work it was dog walk and swim and Watt bikes. The swim was tough as the pool was busy. I was quite tired by the time I got to the cycle studio. I was given my session, 4 lots of 8 minute efforts with 2 minute recovery. The target was 185 watts or more. Gosh that's a tough one, on Monday I struggled to stay over 184 watts on the 3x9 minute efforts. The first effort was 186 av, then I managed a 192 av, then I fought hard to achieve 2 lots of 190 watts average. I was well chuffed. I didn't think I could do that.

Tomorrow is lie in day as Running club training tomorrow evening will tick the runstreak box.

#Janathon day 13, all 4 - 1 and 1- 4 all

No! Not a musket in sight . All 4 runs in 1 run tonight.

Tuesday means lie-in, no need to get up and run a mile before breakfast as it's running club day.  No need to dog jog, just a nice (chilly) walk with Jed, then walking to and from work and another walk with Jed. Ah! Nice  and sedate, until 5pm.

I jogged the half a mile to the Rugby club to warm my legs and heart up a bit. Glad I did, it was really cold, breezy and sleety. Very wintery. Next was the fartlek session with the junior runners, I was soon warm chasing them round the streets. I couldn't manage the fartlek, my sciatic bum didn't agree with the changes of pace, so I just ran steady. I had a good cooldown and stretch with the youngsters. Nearly another 3 miles complete.

Next was the adult run, I ran with my usual group and decided I would take it how it comes. The group was large, 24 and soon spread out along the street, I was near the front for the first 3 regroups, but soon worked my way to the back. There were a few snow flurries at one point.  At each regroup I thought, "I'm not too far behind I'll carry on' I did the whole route today. At the end I really was at the back after getting stuck at the traffic lights but Andy stuck with me. I feel better after completing the session, I was tested than last week and although I had a few aches and the sciatica was like an electrical storm in my buttock, it was still better than last week's 4.2 miles. 6.7 more miles completed, who whoo! I stretched off and had a chat before a slow jog the half mile home and more stretching.

On the way home the skies were bright and starry and the pavements were glinting with frost. 

Runstreak day 13 is well and truly completed 4.5 miles walked and 10.68 miles run. 

#Janathon day 12, It's just another manic Monday

Thanks to The Bangles for today's title, I'm sure I've used it before, I've certainly thought it many a Monday.
so here I am at the end of a manic day, eating my tea at nine o'clock at night whist I write this.
I started the day with a mile to keep my runstreak going and was shocked that the wind had got up and it was raining too, iI felt battered when I got in for my breakfast. I ate my banana anfd yogurt and drank my coiffee before taking Jed out, I decided to jog with him since I had my phys kit on and maybe I wouldnt be out in that yucky weather so long.
Jed had other ideas, he didnt care if the weather was rotton, he wanted to stop and sniff all the time. We got home, I dried and fed him, then made the packed lunches before a bath and walk to work.
I was at work till five pm tonight at a meeting. this meant I couldnt be in the pool at five for an hours swim with a lane in. I thought I'd probably give swimming a miss today. I walked home and took Jed for his walk I thought that maybe I would swim, I only needed half an hour for a warm up then two lots of eighteen lengths, and if i took my cycling kit i could go straight from the baths to watt biking, as I do on a Wednesday.

So I went to the pool, I was quite quiet really, I felt a bit self conscious as I dirupped the breast strokers with my front crawl. I wove between them for an 8 length warm up, waited a minute then set off on my first set of eighteen lengths of constant sighting and weaving. them done, i faffed aroung in the shallows waiting for five minutes to pass then set off again. i dont know where i lost count but I ended up doing twenty lengths instead, but at a similar pace as the first eighteen. That'l do.
Then was time to get dry and fight into my sports bra with a damp body, nightmare. Finally dressed in my bike kit I walked to Ripon Cycling Studio where after a warm up I did 3 lots of nine minutes with a recovery of two and a half minutes keeping the watts at over 184. It was tough but I managed it.
Phew it was now nearly eight pm and time to walk home, stretch, upload the data and have a bath, eat tea and blog.

Now that is why Monday was manic for me today

#Janathon day 11. Watching MAMILs

No! Not those mammals

Or those

These MAMILs

After going out and battling the weather for hours yesterday, I was relieved on my one mile run that the wind had died down, but there were still strong gusts. So Billy and I did our bike training indoors. He found a video workout on You Tube. http://youtu.be/M45BSE6Qz3E . Billy used the rollers and I used the turbo, I'm not stable enough for the rollers, I fall off a lot. Billy is very good on them.

The session was one and a half hours of mixed efforts, all quite short with differing recovery periods.

I found it a tough session and as workouts go, it was probably the equivalent of the  three hour fifteen minutes steady ride that was on the plan, except I would have been out on my own not watching a peloton of MAMILs for an hour and a half.

Does that make me a MAWIL?

This afternoon I was supposed to go with friends to see another friend's dance show at the Sunderland Empire, unfortunately it has had to be cancelled due to structural damage to the building caused by the high winds. What a shame, for the building, the dancers , who have been practicing for months and for us who were looking forwards to it. 

In Sunderland, a statue on the roof of the Empire theatre toppled over and was left on its side hanging from its base 90ft (27m) from the ground.

The theatre has had to cancel performances while the statue remains insecure and surrounding streets are cordoned off.

#Janathon day 10 bright and breezy

Saturday should be a day for lay ins and after listening to the wind howling and whistling around the roof all night, a lay in is what I had, I didn't get up till 7 am then felt lazy for it. After a banana and a yogurt for brekkie, Billy and I set out to walk the dog. The wind was dreadful, it would stop us in our tracks as we turned corners. The training program is for 1 hour 20 minutes walking getting my heart rate up before a 2 hour 20 minute run keeping my heart rate down. So we decided to walk by the river. At Rustic Bridge there was a tree down and there were loads of branches all over and the rivers Laver and Skell were racing. We saw a couple of herons by the river bug not many other people or dogs.

Further along the Skell the water was really high, almost up to the path level by the confluence with the Ure. As we walked along the Ure, back towards home, we were really surprised at how high it wasand we had to climb on a wall under the bridge to be able to leave the field without having to go back the way we had come. 

The wind was not letting up, but when we got home and fed Jed, we set off for our run's, Billy went with Martin and I went on my own as I am much slower than them. I took a small water bottle and some dextrose with me. I went up to Studley to the deer park, 

Photo from a run in the summer

I seemed to be fighting the windy he whole way, I spent the nect hour and a half fighting the wind and slipping on the mud, at one point I suddenly found myself sat on my bum as I ran down a grassy slope with the wind pushing me along for a change.

By the time I set off home I was  tiring and my sciatica was niggling. I managed 10.32 miles in the 2 hr 20 min time scale, and continued on home. I actually ran 11.59 miles, I think if it hadn't been so windy I would have completed the whole run in the timescale. 

I am happy with today's run though it's the furthest I've run in weeks and I did both sessions running practically on empty, and there were 1700+ calories burned out running on this bright and breezy Saturday morning.

#Janathon day 9 rest day

So today is rest day, now, how to incorporate rest day with Janathon and run streaking. 

A gentle mile, well that was the plan but it's blowing a gale and it was hard work for half of the run and felt like someone had their hand in my back pushing the other half. I then jogged the dog walk.

So that's it, Janathon and runstreak covered by 7 am. That means it will probably be 24 hours beforI run again, therefore it is a rest day.

This afternoon I went for a half hour sports massage on my sciatic buttock and leg. These massages are doing loads of good so far, they complement the stretching and roller ing that I have been doing.

Still waiting for my "urgent" physio appointment. But in the meantime between Libby and I the worst of it is over (I hope)

#Janathon day 8 training day

Tonight was training at running club. Never know what it will be, and I like it like that. I jogged to club to warm up a bit. For the training session we ran about 3/4 mile steady then did some ploy metric stuff on the street corner, then it was a long effort, followed by a longer 10 min effort, then it was speed work. Blooming hard work and towards the end my sciatica was making itself known. So after stretching with the group I jogged home and stretched again. Very pleased with 5.62 miles.