Getting Around

Although my running routine has seriously suffered lately, (I promise I have a good reason) I've just been featured on a running blog! Mindy over at Road Runner Girl has just featured me as one of her spotlighted runners on the blog. Since I can be as shamelessly self-promoting as I want on my own blog, why not head on over and take a gander at my interview for Mindy? Hopefully, you'll have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Back in the Swing of Things

I've been trying to get my running back on track recently after taking a break in the wake of the half marathon. I'd like to think that I've been doing a fairly decent job. I'm building back up to my average weekly distance, my pace hasn't really suffered, and I'm finding a decent sense of motivation again.

The past week has been better than I thought.

I'd love for my next goal to be another competitive half marathon...perhaps a full marathon before 2015. That would feel pretty awesome. Of course, speaking of running marathons it feels wrong to stay silent and pretend I didn't see the news about Boston. All of the shocking stories and invasive news reports and horrifying pictures say far more about that tragedy than I could ever want to say. But so too does the outpouring of love, goodwill, and support from decent human beings the world over...not just runners or Bostonians.

But running a marathon. That would feel amazing. Personally, I wish I could say I felt in good enough shape to do that distance just for fun. The insanely fit and inspiring Kim over at A Day With KT went and made an awesome attempt to run 43 miles on her last birthday: one mile for every year of her life! This birthday would put me at the marathon distance mark. How much do I want to say I did that...just for fun!? I may work back up to just over 13.1 and then slog through it for the sheer vanity of bragging rights. Nope; not above that in the least.

So what are my running goals for the rest of the year?
-Run the Grim Challenge again. That's been so much fun the last two times I did it that I can't imagine not trying to run the course a third time.

-Find another 5k or 10k to run in the meantime. Just a nice lighthearted race, even if I don't find another convenient half marathon. I really like racing...it's a sport that agrees with me.

-Try to get in on a good running club. That's the goal I didn't meet back in February. I really do want to try out what it's like to run as part of a club; just to see if it's for me.

Fleet Half Marathon: The Walking Running Dead

I know I've been woefully late in posting my recap of the half marathon we ran back on Sunday. Honestly, it's just taken me ages to remember to edit this post and get it up...it's been written since Monday when I meant to put it up! Anyway, this is a long one since it's my first race postmortem. I'm still figuring out which details I want most to touch on.

The Night Before:

The Husband and I checked directions for parking online as well as reading through the race packet to see what the schedule for the day would be like. While we did the grocery shopping, I texted the friends who would be watching Ethan just to finalise our arrangements.

After watching The Walking Dead all day, we put on an episode of The Office to watch over a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. E decided he wasn't so keen on the whole thing and refused to eat unless bribed or otherwise talked into it. Just before going to bed, I fished out the safety pins, race bibs, timing chips, and iPods and set them all on the desk in the living room. After that, I got out the clothes I wanted to wear and set them in a pile in the room so that everything would be easy to find.

The Big Day:

I woke up just before 7:00. The Husband brought me 2 pieces of toast with Nutella for breakfast. This was the first thing I was worried about for the day: I still wasn't quite sure how my fueling routine would go, and nothing would make the day worse than having to stop and ruin my time for a 5-minute potty break on the route. I forget whether I had milk or herbal tea with my toast (my throat had been swollen and sore for a few days), but I did try not to drink too much before we left.

We got ourselves dressed, then got E ready, and packed his bag to take to Tom and Kerri's place. We'd initially planned on bringing them and both of the kids along to run around the start and finish lines, and maybe to stand in the crowds and cheer us on. Of course, when we saw the grey and rainy day it was shaping up to be, we figured it was best for everyone to stay home if they could.

We got phones and iPods ready for the wet weather, and I snagged one of the gels that needed finishing and put it in the pocket of my running tights. The Husband and I both tied a set of keys to the drawstrings of our trousers as well. We planned to bring his old backpack to hold any after-race clothing or extra odds and ends, but we wanted to avoid putting too much important or valuable stuff in there if we could. The runners' tent was supervised, but still, it was better safe than sorry.

By 8:30 we were out the door and dropping E off with our friends. He quite happily let me leave once we put on an episode of Sarah & Duck. Then, we were off to Fleet to go get ready to run. By this point, we'd fielded plenty of supportive texts from the family and were feeling pretty good about the prospect of the race.

The weather had been drizzling a bit all morning, and it was still okay as we parked the car and walked the mile or so to Calthorpe Park where the start was. Once we got to the park, though, that was a different story. The rain picked up and the runners' tent quickly crowded to bursting with people trying to stay as dry and warm as they could. Then, the sleet started. Getting hit in the face with tiny bits of ice isn't how you want to start any activity, let alone running 13.1 miles outside.

I had a bag of salted crisps and we made one last 'just-to-be-sure' stop in the porta-johns before making our way to the starting line. There may or may not have been lots of sullen complaining going on with regards to the rubbish weather. But then the start came, and we were running in a huge crowd of people (and I was checking out everyone's running shoes), and the spectators were cheering, and people were coming out of their houses to watch us all run by, and the mood improved quite a bit.

In the end, the Husband ran with his backpack on. What with the cold and the rain and the sleet, we couldn't face stripping off our hoodies and things before the start of the running, so we kept the bag with us to be able to shed layers as we ran and warmed up.

The first mile felt a bit longer than I'd expected, but not in a tiring way. I started taking blurry pictures on my phone and chatted on and off with the Husband about the niceness of the route and the crowds. We high-fived a lot of little kids along the way. By the end of the first 5 miles, I was feeling really good and settling into my stride.

At 6 miles, I finally put in my headphones. Technically, they suggested in the strongest language possible that iPods and headphones were NOT a good idea and were dangerous, and they really preferred that you not bring them along. As we observed at the start line, no one was really listening to that. Plus, by the 6-mile mark, we were out on country roads, and so you could still easily keep the volume at a manageable level to hear instructions or hold conversations without straining to make out your music. It was nice and quiet as we ran on roads through the fields and farms, and even on a rainy day, the scenery was quaint and relaxing.

I took a bit of water on board at every water station and popped a bit of energy gel just before. This meant taking on a little bit of fuel just over every half hour. It seemed to serve me in good stead, because I never felt fatigued until near the very end of the race. Luckily, there were some kids on the sidelines with Gummi Bears, which was a nice pick-me-up.

By mile 10, things started feeling as if they were slowing down again. I was keeping pace, but by this point my knees were getting quite achy, and I was having twinges of discomfort along my hips and the outside of my thighs. It was nothing too bad, but I was getting focused on it. My music was doing me good, though, and I had the Husband right there to talk to and check in on. His shin had been giving him trouble after helping his brother pace a half the weekend before, and by this point in the race it was barking. We'd made it this far, though and were determined to keep going with no walking breaks.

This is also the point in a long run where I tend to hit The Zone. I don't care about any pain or who's with me or where I am and how fast the scenery is going by. I don't even really pay attention to anything I've got on the iPod: I just hit this hypnotic rhythm of feeling my body move. It isn't even necessarily about the pace of my stride, just the overall sense of movement and how I could keep repeating it for ages. Of course, by the time mile 12 is coming up, this is wearing off and I'm getting tired and scowling. I'm suddenly frustrated with everything, but I'm determined to see this thing out to the end and to do it well. Then, I start feeling sorry for myself in all of my discomfort, but I keep running because the finish line is nearly in sight.

Just before the last 200 metres, there had been a hill. The Husband rushed down it, but I couldn't with my knees hurting me like they were. At the bottom of the hill, though, as we re-entered the park, he turned around and held out his hand to me. We would end the race hand-in-hand and push each other across the finish line.

It felt so good to be done that I could hardly make myself keep moving to get past the inflatable gate and turn in my timing chip! We hobbled back to the car looking like zombies from The Walking Dead. Honestly, that was the hardest mile I ever walked. But we finally made it to the car, picked up E, got ourselves some much deserved McDonald's for lunch, and settled down to eat, lounge, and have hot hot baths for the rest of the day.

via, NewsOK

The Morning After:

I've been feeling slightly less sore. Not sure how my right flank is doing, but my knees aren't quite as stiff and achy. The arches of my feet, though, are a different story. I need to find some way to really rest them. Maybe a good foot rub to help the soreness, or just a long soak in a hot tub of water again.

The sense of accomplishment at running my first half marathon has also finally settled in. Being so cold and sore and tired at the end of the race, it took a while to really look back and enjoy the experience. Sort of like when you get past how tiring and painful labour was and decide you want another baby.

(Several Mornings After...)
After about 2 days, everything was back to normal. I could walk like a normal human being, my quads and knees and ankles weren't aching, and I had a healthy sense of having accomplished something by running 13.1 miles in the freezing rain. I could even pat myself on the back for having run the whole course without any walking breaks: a first for me over that sort of distance.

Run to Race Day: Week Three

So these posts have become a bit all over the place lately. But then, so has the rest of my life. It's been crazy busy for us over the past week or so: the car, E's teething, work, church, half marathon training, family things, keeping up with friends, and the usual business of keeping the house tidy. That said, this past week of running hasn't been half bad. As far as frequency is concerned, I did pretty well...though I definitely need to scale myself back for this last week before Sunday. I need to keep my knees from feeling like wobbly jelly after every run.

My 5 by the 5th run went okay. As I recall, I was feeling a bit under-the-weather between a headache and what, for some reason, felt like a Herculean effort to maintain my usual pacing. I kept it under a 10-minute mile, but that took some doing.

This run was actually pretty great. It was another Baby Swap run. The weather was gorgeous, I had some good music, and I ran a fun stretch of trail. Granted, this isn't the most tranquil or picturesque part of the Blackwater Valley Path, but considering how much time I spend doing road running through the town and the neighbourhood, even a little trail time is a nice change.

Can you tell who forgot to take a picture on her run? This lady right here. This 3-miler was slower since I was pushing the buggy. Again, what seemed to characterise a lot of my runs lately has been the increase in my perceived effort. Not sure what that's all about, but hopefully some R&R and a bit of gentle cross-training this week ought to make things easier for Sunday.

This was another Baby Swap run and it was a manifestly bad idea. See that 15-minute pace at the end? It crept up the whole second half of my run because I'd made an error in fueling. I ate just a bit too soon before my run. That combined with whatever else meant that I was ridiculously sick afterwards. You know it's bad when you have to walk it out for the last 1/3 of a mile on such a relatively short distance. Oops.

Oh yeah: another bad idea? Pushing way too hard in the first half of a run without taking enough breaks. This is what I get for trying to run with my brother-in-law when he's training to sustain an 8-minute mile over a half marathon. That 7:58 pace in the first mile is far faster than my fastest pace over just a single mile; let alone anything in the 5 to 6-mile range. You can see why I slowed down so much in miles 4 and 5 just to recuperate. But in the end, it wasn't all bad, and at least the Fartlek-like speed work pushing my pace in the first half made that 9:15 pace over the last mile feel pretty easy by comparison.

So, I don't expect to do much running at all this week. I'll try to get in lots of walking, do some (meager) strength training, and perhaps squeeze in two 3-milers with E in his jogging buggy. Anything more than that is likely to do me more harm than good at this stage. Of course, the biggest quandry for me will still be trying to fine-tune my fueling strategy for the race. 13.1 miles is a long time and I'd like to strike the right balance of eating and drinking enough at the right times so I'm not ruining my timing by having to take bathroom breaks.

The goal for this first half marathon? Try to keep my time close to 2 hours. If I can stay under 2:10:00, that'll make me a happy gal.

Here's hoping it all goes to plan!

5 By the 5th: March

So here we are again, for the third time: my run for the 5 by the 5th virtual race series. (Do remember to hop on over to Mommy Run Fast if you're interested!) I've been enjoying this as an additional excuse to get myself out the door some days. Every now and then, I just need the extra oomph to really motivate myself.

I have to admit, this month's run wasn't fantastic. But then, I've had enough good runs lately to sort of let this one slide. I'd gone out during one of the Exercise Baby-Swap days I have with my friend Kerri, and the day itself was a bit dismal-looking. Though the weather was just cool enough to feel good. I just managed to do the 5 miles, but my pace wasn't my best. I'd been putting up with a migraine on and off for most of the day and was just generally struggling to find my running groove.

On the bright side, the route that I now know can do me a good 5 miles from my Baby-Swap starting point takes me through the nice parts of our old neighbourhood, through a bit of woodland pathway, and past the local airport. Oh! And that airport might prove to be a way of getting to see one of my friends from university! Yup; my friend Anne apparently gets to come to the airport here in Farnborough for her job every now and then, so I could have the chance to hang out with someone who knew me before I was married! (And wow, it feels really strange to realise just how few people I see from before that time...)

Well, today starts a new week, so hopefully, I'll get in another couple of good 5-milers. After all, the Fleet Half Marathon is now only 2 weeks away. Eek! I'm a bit nervous, but mostly I feel good about the whole thing. No matter what else happens, I know I can cross the finish line in a respectable amount of time. That said, I'd love to finish in 2:00:00 or less. That would be amazing.

Run to Race Day: Week Two

So I'm basically behind on everything this week after that sick day we all took on Monday. That said, I've kept myself busy and fairly productive yesterday, and today is looking to be much the same...starting with touching up the paint in our bay window. In case you haven't ever had the pleasure of noticing, ground floor flats are damp, and that's meant keeping on top of the cleaning in a big way to prevent any mold growing. Gross; I know. Anyway, there's no mold, but there is a bit of residual staining of the paint in the corners of the bay window, so since I can't seem to bleach it away (and trust me: I've tried. A lot.) I've decided just to paint over it. Some of the paint in here needed freshening up anyway. But enough about the house (for now); let's talk about running!

Again: I'm just not getting around to that whole 'run every day' malarkey that I initially said I was going to do. But I did meet one of my goals: to run the distance of the half marathon before the end of February! Now that we're into March, it's about time to start tapering, so I won't do the full 13.1 until the day of the race, but at least I know I can! The next goal I need to tackle? Getting out with the Hart Road Runners some time this month. I just need to pick a day and commit to it.

Forgot to take a picture on last Wednesday's run, so I've reused one from the day before. Not the best distance I've ever done, but that brookside path by our house is always good if I'm feeling lazy but still need to get in a quick circuit.

I have to say: this is my proudest running moment yet: proving that I can keep a sub-10:00 pace on over 13 miles. As ever, it took me about the first 2-3 miles to really settle in and find my pace, but once I did, it was pretty much smooth sailing. I really got into the zone around mile 11: I didn't care about what I was running past, what was on my iPod...nothing. I was just hypnotically into the rhythm of my feet striking the ground and I felt like I could keep going all day. Of course, to balance that out, by the end of mile 13 I was thinking, 'Why am I doing this to myself? I'm bored.' But the overall feeling was one of being awesome.

This was a day Kerri and I were meant to switch off with the babies again. But it was also our sick day. I just about made this pitiful little run without making myself feel any worse. Basically, I just wanted to stretch my legs after our practise half so that I didn't stiffen up too much when I eased back into normal training. My knees have felt a bit loose ever since, though.

This was a good day. For the exercise baby-swap, I ran the mile to Kerri's place, then did a 5-mile circuit when she watched the kids. The Husband had run to work that day, so upon finishing the playdate, I took E in the jogger and we cut through the centre of town to meet the Husband and run with him on the way home. 9.5 miles all in...I felt pretty good about myself.

Today is now yucky and grey and raining, but hopefully, the rain will lay off long enough for me to breeze through that 5-mile route again. I liked it. It takes me right by the airport, which I don't usually see, so the change of scenery is fun.

All in all, I'm still feeling good for this half marathon. Can't wait to get to race day!
#RunToRaceDay (on Instagram @TealApple)

Run to Race Day: Week One

Well, my first week of earnest training for the half marathon next month was both good and meh. I didn't manage to run every day, but I did get in five decent runs over four days. Here's what things have been looking like:

Last Wednesday's run was a good one. The Husband came home from work for an extended lunch break, and I got in 6 miles through the nice wooded paths and back. I even got to do a few speed intervals to try and improve my overall pacing...especially when I'm tired.

Thursday was Valentine's Day, and that run was courtesy of our lovely friends Tom and Kerri. After taking the kids out to see some baby animals, I dropped everyone else off and got myself on a quick 2-miler around the neighbourhood before taking Tom & Kerri out for the evening and watching the kids.

Saturday involved getting around to running the better part of 10 miles with the Husband. It was coming up on E's nap time and so, after sitting quietly in his jogger for the first half of our run, we let him nap his way through the second 5 miles. We just repeated and reversed a 5-mile loop through the northern end of town for this run. It worked pretty well, actually. And with a strategic break at the house to grab a water and energy gel, it was the easiest this distance has felt.

Kerri likes to swim and I like to run. So while we're not going to be working out together any time soon, we realised that we can help each other to get more exercise during the week when the dads are at work. Yesterday, I dropped E off and went for a 4-mile run, then came back to watch the kids while Kerri got in a a swim. Thanks to altered lane times at the leisure centre for half term, the second half of that plan didn't work out, but we'll be making another attempt today.

So while I may not have met the goal that I set this past week, I have increased my mileage to an acceptable range for my training. Let's see how this week goes...I'm already feeling pretty good!

Run to Race Day

I know the running front has been quiet for quite some time now on the blog. Mea culpa. Lately, my only excuse is that the weather has been absolutely rubbish. Cold and wet in the worst possible way, and that hasn't tempted me to get outside and hit the pavement. Not to mention that my few abortive attempts to run early in the morning have been scuppered by A) my not being a morning person, and B) E having several less-than-restful nights.

If you managed to see on Facebook or RunKeeper, I did get my PR on an under-2-mile distance the other week. I was at the library with E, my friend Kerri, and her little girl Snowy. Between one thing and another, I missed a text from another friend asking if I could pick his daughter up from school. This wasn't a problem in and of itself, but there was a problem: by the time I realised I was being asked a favour, I had 15 minutes to get back home, pick up the car, and drive to this school.

Take it for what it's worth...I don't think it's the most accurate summary I've ever seen.

Kerri, thankfully, offered to watch E while I sprinted home - at what was apparently a 7:09 minute mile - to hop in the car and pick up this little girl from school. Let me tell you: I don't recommend doing sprint/walk combos over any distance in heavy winter boots. My shins were killing me for days afterwards.

Now, in the meantime, I've realised just how disturbingly close the Fleet Half Marathon is getting. I need to get my arse in gear for this thing if I don't want to cross the finish line feeling ashamed that I had the chance to do better and didn't. So here's the deal:

1 mile, every day, until the race. No exceptions.
I will run the distance before the end of February.
I will commit and plan to run at least once with the Hart Road Runners, like I mentioned before.

And again, to keep myself accountable, I'll Instagram each run with the hashtag #runtoraceday. And for those of you not on Instagram (follow me @tealapple), and just for the sake of keeping track, I'll round up each week's pics and post them here with a little run down, just like I did during the Holiday Running Streak.

Wish me luck people! The way my motivation has suffered in this rubbishy winter weather, I need it.

I need to be able to wear this with pride!
via, Oiselle

5 by the 5th: February Run

So this is (technically) my second month of the 5 by the 5th challenge. I say 'technically' because I only counted that 10-miler the Husband and I did New Year's Day after the fact.

This was a good run: after a somewhat underwhelming week as far as half marathon training is concerned (it was a hectic week as far as the whole rest of my life was concerned) it felt great to get out and away for 46 minutes and just pound some pavement. And - unusually for me - I did it all without my iPod. I do like to have my tunes when I run, but it did feel nice to unplug. I got to do a bit more dedicated musing than I might with the constant prospect of being interrupted mid-thought by the need to air-drum or air-guitar along with a good song. Oh yeah: I totally run like that. So there's your embarrassing confession for this post: sometimes, when I run, I'm the crazy lady air-drumming to One Direction as I lope down the sidewalks. (Or air-guitaring to The Eagles, though that happens less often than the One Direction song...)

So those are my splits. Aren't they pretty? I still feel like such a novice runner that I'm constantly impressed when I see how relatively consistent my pacing looks as I review my runs. Not to mention that I keep getting that little glow of pride when I tell the husband what RunKeeper said my average pace was. When I hear my phone telling me that number at the end of a run, I'm always marginally surprised: I keep assuming that I'm slower than my stats actually show. Hey! At least it means I'm improving.

Speaking of improving, I have a goal. Just the other day I got inspired to find out if there are any local running groups and managed to source the Hart Road Runners. They look fun and have what appears to be a pretty regular and welcoming schedule. My plan is to make it out to one of their group runs before the month of February is entirely over. I know the Husband and I run together some nights in the week, but it'll be nice to run with another set of people, possibly make some new friends, and most importantly: be able to run with another grown-up without needing the jogger! I love E, but he really does have to be in the mood for a run with no screaming lately.

Anybody else channeling their inner Atalanta lately? (Well, only in the footracing sense...not so much in the virgin priestess of Artemis sense.) Oh, and if you, too, want to join in the motivating fun of the 5 by the 5th virtual races, all the pertinent deets are over on the blog Mommy Run Fast. I highly recommend checking it out.

Being Productive

Today is a day of doing things. We're cooking dinner for some friends (and making extra for ourselves to eat in the week), baking cupcakes and making up Cornish pasties to take to Newbury for a family get-together tomorrow, tidying the house, exercising, grocery shopping, and watching The Mask of Zorro in the background of it all.

If they were all blue, they could be Breaking Bad cupcakes...

The cupcakes are the recipe I used last time for the red, white, & blue cake that I took to the ward Munch-n-Mingle all those months ago. The frosting, as per usual, is the creamy cream cheese stuff (both recipes are on my Pinterest page). Don't get me wrong, I love this stuff because it's just tart enough to be nice. Most frosting is too sweet for my taste. But I still think I ought to learn another fun frosting or two just to switch things up a bit.

Oh yeah...and by exercise, I mean that I did basically a 9-mile run today. Considering that I haven't run more than 4 miles at once since New Year's, that feels like a bit of a big deal. Especially since I managed to keep under my 10:00min/mi benchmark pace overall. If it hadn't been for slightly tired legs and the encroaching feeling of being asthmatic I probably would have hit my 9:30min/mi over the distance...but with all those caveats, it doesn't really mean anything. At least I haven't gotten much worse, and I'm still on track to aim for just over 9:00min/mi on the Fleet Half in March.

frozen layer on top of the canal today

Now that there's been another purge of extraneous junk, it's time to get to work on Cornish pasties for tomorrow and sit down to curry and the rest of Mask of Zorro before heading over for a games night with a few other couples we know. I have to confess: I'm not as much of a board games person as I once was...and I was never much of one to begin with (though I dominated at Monopoly and Clue). That said, I can still browse through the last few chapters of Happier At Home and contribute to the conversation if I find that I'm really not up for much.

My stomach seems to be punishing me for having the audacity to run 9 miles earlier. I think it needs to lie down on the couch and watch Antonio Banderas caper around in spurs and a black eye mask...

Halfsies, Part 11: Finding a Schedule

As of the week previous, I've tried to stick to a decent running schedule to start getting in better shape for the half marathon. I figure that I need something besides just my running challenges (currently looking forward to the next month of 5 by the 5th) to really get me ready. Here's what my weeks are probably going to look like, given the pattern I've just (mostly) set:

Monday: 2 miles (pacing)
Tuesday: 3 miles (jogger/resistance)
Wednesday: 4-6 miles (intermediate distance)
Thursday: 3 miles (jogger resistance)
Friday: REST (or cross training/abs)
Saturday: 9+ miles (distance)
Sunday: REST

At a minimum, that's 22 miles per week. Provided I can actually get out on Wednesday mornings and Saturday afternoons - even in the cold - to haul myself along.

This was essentially my plan for the other week, though I did switch around Thursday and Friday since the Husband cycled to work on Thursday for a change. It feels like the right combination of distance, resistance, and speed work for me. Not to mention, a goodly amount of rest as well, which is just as important. I'll give little summaries of my progress from RunKeeper since the only person who follows me right now is my brother-in-law. (And being much faster than I am, he puts me to shame.)

I've always been told that distance runs are the really important ones when you're training for a half or full marathon, but for me, I think, the most important days will be whichever ones I use to do core exercises while E sleeps. My abs still have a gap that hasn't quite knitted together since being pregnant, and aside from always having been really persnickety about my abs, I'm sure that they're holding back my running as untoned as they are. So while my obvious task is to up my mileage so that my body (especially my knees and hips) can manage 13.1 miles in one go, I definitely need to pay far more attention to my midsection than I have been. My go-to move? Planks. Once I can do more than 30 seconds in one go, I'll feel like I'm achieving something.

This latest week has been rubbish for getting myself out and on runs. I managed 2 short 2-milers on Wednesday and meant to do something else today, but just didn't have the oomph for it after a long night with E. To be honest, you wouldn't want to brave the cold to run either if you'd spent the night sleeping in 2-hour shifts that were delineated by 45-minute periods of being kicked in the stomach and having the covers stolen by your 15-month-old son. I love my boy, I do, but his days of coming into Mummy and Daddy's bed are numbered until he stops sleep-wrestling me.

One thing this week has been good for, though, is my cross-training. I've been doing much better about squeezing in a few planks here and there during a day and trying to work on my balance and core strength. Those planks are at 35 seconds a piece, now, which makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere. Baby steps.

So, accountability time: my plan is to go for a 3 or 4-mile run tomorrow (likely with E in the jogger) and then - provided the paths aren't too iced over from the snow the BBC weather team has been promising us - do a proper 9 miles on Sunday. I'd do it Saturday, but the youngest brother-in-law has just returned from 2 years in France doing missionary work, so we'll be spending the day introducing him to his 'new' nephews. He hasn't met the boys yet! Personally, I'm excited to see how E takes to his Uncle Robin.

Anyway: 3 miles Friday, 9 miles Sunday. Hold me to it, people! Because in this freezing weather, I need a little extra motivation.

via, my Pinterest page

Another Running Challenge

I know that I'm already in the beginning stages of amping up my training for the half marathon in March, but having already completed one minor running goal (the #RWRunStreak I did from Thanksgiving to New Year's), I'd like to try another, just to keep myself motivated and add a focus to my running month-to-month.

This is something I found when in the midst of an internet daisy chain. (Internet Daisy Chain n. A period of time spent mindlessly surfing the web where one follows links through Google searches, Wikipedia, blogs, etc. with no specific end point in mind. These can start with serious intent, but quickly devolve into leap frogging from one interesting website/blog to another.) I've been looking for more running-related blogs just to add a new dimension to the things I read every day, as well as to find some additional motivation. That was when I managed to stumble across this post at Mommy Run Fast:

via, Mommy Run Fast

Basically, you commit to run either 5k or 5 miles by the 5th of every month, from January to June. If nothing else, it sets a good precedent for the rest of the month, but they're also giving away prizes!

Since I did that 10-miler with the Husband on New Year's Day, I've already managed my 5 by the 5th for January. Next month, though, I'll have to keep it going and be sure to post in the competition on Mommy Run Fast to see if I can snag myself some awesome swag. You know, in addition to feeling good about myself for keeping up with my running.

Right now, though, E is about to hop up from his nap, so it's time we kitted up and headed to the library for singing time! I may not be running today, but at least I can get in a decent walk with the jogger.

Holiday Running Streak: Week Six

So, as I mentioned earlier today, this officially ends my running streak. I'll confess, I didn't quite make it the way I wanted to. I've been starting to feel sick the past few days, so between fatigue and feeling a bit blergh yesterday, I didn't get a chance to run on New Years' Eve. That said, I think my 10.2-miler today makes up for it a bit. And in the end, I made it for essentially the whole of the 6 weeks of my challenge. Here's the last run-down:

Thursday: The day after Boxing Day was a huge family get-together for my mother-in-law's family. Just before everyone showed up I managed to nip out for a quick run. Got in an average pace of 8:46 min/mi, which was a PR for me on a single mile. Mileage: 1 mile.

Friday: We were heading up to Leeds this day. The Husband was standing as one half of the Best Men for his friend Carsten. (Carsten's brother Keith was the other BM...they also stood the duty jointly for the Husband at our wedding!) Also, my father-in-law was doing some of the photography, so we decided to make a showing as a family. I went up the steeper end of the hill and back before we packed up the car to go. Mileage: 1 mile.

Saturday: This was the day of the wedding and we were staying at a Premier Inn in a roadside business park in Leeds. Since I had to get up, run, shower, get dressed up, do hair & make-up, get E dressed, pack his nappy bag, and make sure to pack up the whole of our room so that Victoria, E, and I were ready to hop back into our own car at the end of the day, this was another short one. To be honest, I'd resigned myself quite happily that this stretch of my daily running would just be to keep things ticking over. Besides, there's only so far you can loop through a deserted business park at 7 in the morning. Mileage: 1 mile.

Sunday: I dragged myself out late in the day after sleeping until about noon. We'd driven back home late the night before, not getting in until about 1:30. I know I have a baby, and that means interrupted sleep is the norm, but I was riding the Struggle Bus that day. I couldn't keep my eyes open! I pushed myself to do slightly more than the minimum, though. Mileage: 1.79 miles.

Monday/Tuesday: So much of me wishes I'd just dragged my butt outside before the rain kicked back in on Monday. But it was another sleep-til-noon day...the struggle bus and I were getting to be good friends. So were me and the migraine medicine. Anyway, after a late night (and, incidentally, another sleep-til-noon day today), I managed to get out with the Husband for our mythic beast of a run, setting my current PR for distance. Though thanks to the distance and some disgusting bog-like patches of mud along the way, our pace overall was only 10:27 min/mi. At least that gives me a starting point as we get ready to buckle down in earnest for our half marathon training! Mileage: 10.2 miles.

And now, my last set of Instagram pictures from the runs: (which may be my last set of Instagram pictures unless they change up those new TOS...)

Dude, I feel like a champ. I may have barely scraped by a lot of the time, but I did it. I put forth my level best to run every day for six weeks. If I can make it through that sort of commitment, I can definitely work myself up to this half marathon. It may be my first, but it certainly won't be my last!

Success!

Well, people, I have loads to catch you up on. A new laptop, Christmas, the trip up to Leeds for a friend's wedding, New Year's, and the other runs in the last week of my Holiday Running Streak. But for now, suffice to say that I managed to finish my streak on a high note.

That's right: my longest run yet. Just over 10 miles with the Husband along the canal and through town. I admit, my knees were starting to punish me by the end. It's been far too long since I've done more than maintain the minimum, so I wasn't really up to snuff for a run of this distance, but all things considered I wasn't doing too badly. My splits (the pace over successive miles) could have been better, but at least with 2.5 months to go until Fleet I'm looking in decent shape to push for just under a 10:00 mile pace over the whole course.

Meanwhile, I'm looking ahead to how I'm going to keep pushing through my running in the new year and I've got plenty of blog posts to update everyone with. Everything from watching E dancing at Christmas to homemade pasties to a return to the Mommy Mondays outfit posts.

But for now, let me revel on my awesomeness while I munch a BBQ chicken pasty...

Holiday Running Streak, Week 5

The fifth week is where things have started to get interesting. Most of this week has been spent running away from home seeing as how it's been Christmas and all. I've also started using a new app to keep track of my runs. Today was the first day for it: I can start the app on my phone, stick it in my pocket, and just set off as per normal. RunKeeper keeps track of my routes, tracks my average pace, logs the elevation along the way, and lets me set goals. Speaking of setting goals: we've officially signed up for the Fleet Half Marathon on 17 March! So the run streak will keep going and then, once the new year rolls around I'll be kicking up the training plan in earnest.

Anyway, on to the past week:

Thursday: It took me ages to get around to a run this day, so I just did a token mile through the neighbourhood. 7:45 in the evening isn't exactly prime running time when you've got a baby to put to sleep. Mileage: 1 mile.

Friday: Since I'd picked my sister up from the airport, I had free babysitting! (That wasn't the only reason I was glad she was with us) Anyway, having someone who was enthusiastic about playing with E meant I could do more than just a mile without having to bring the jogger along. Mileage: 2 miles.

Saturday: Another jaunt through the neighbourhood after lots of Christmas stocking stuffer shopping in the rain. Mileage: 1 mile.

Sunday: A quick mile after church done in earrings. I forgot to take them out, so between that and the make-up, it was probably the best-dressed mile I've ever done. Also, the new lululemon top has been working out great. Mileage: 1 mile.

Monday: The Husband had his first day off work for the Christmas holiday, and we had a few errands to run, so we ran into town and back. The healthy note to the day was a bit ruined, though when we made a few dozen Christmas cookies with the white chocolate we picked up. Of course, since I had company, I forgot to bring my phone along, so there were no pictures. Oops. Mileage: 2.5 miles.

Tuesday: Christmas! A quick mile once we got to the in-laws' house was all I felt like doing. My main goal for the next few days is just to keep things ticking over. Mileage: 1 mile.

Wednesday: This was the first day I started looking into using RunKeeper. The Husband and his next youngest brother went on a 6-miler together and showed me some of the data that my brother-in-law was able to track. I was sold. (Today's run was my first sub-9:00 mile!) Of course, it was also my second run in my new Brooks shoes. Brilliant! They're super comfy. Mileage: 1 mile.

Pics, or it didn't happen...

Tomorrow, we head up to Leeds for a wedding. This will get interesting.

Holiday Running Streak: Week 4

Dude! How has it been four weeks already? It's crazy to think I've gone out on a run every day now for 28 days straight. My how the time does fly. So let's get straight to it then, since I'm sure between this and the previous post, you'll all get a bit tired of me gabbing on about running before the day is through:

Thursday: did a quick breeze through the neighbourhood  just to tick the box. Nothing terribly impressive to report. Mileage: 1 mile.

Friday: Apparently, I was lame and forgot to take note of my mileage for the day. I know I wore my running shorts rather than my leggings since the leggings were in the wash. My estimate, though, is that it was another tick-the-box sort of day. Mileage: 1 mile (more than likely).

Saturday: This was the day of new running shoes (though I can't wear them until Christmas) and The Hobbit, both of which were awesome. In the spirit of getting back into some decent runs on the weekends, I yomped down to Southwood Woodland and back before we dropped E with our friends for the day. Mileage: 5 miles.

Sunday: In an effort to do a bit better, I made sure to get slightly more than the bare minimum in. Of course, I got outside during one of the few rainy patches and so I had to straighten my hair all over again in order to look presentable for the carol concert in Reading that evening. Le sigh...the sacrifices I make. Mileage: 2 miles.

Monday: Did a walk into the centre of town to the library, just to rack up a few more miles, but my run today was another one-and-done. Mileage: 1 mile.

Tuesday: This was another attempt to be good. Though, towards the end when I looped back through the neighbourhood, the smell of some awesome turkey and stuffing was seriously testing me! The smell of tasty warm food on a cold night, when you're running just before dinner is a trial to be endured! At least I know my efforts are paying off. On my last 1/2 mile, I was catcalled by a bunch of barely-pubescent tween boys who started rapping that old, "Shake dat ass/watch yo'self/shake dat ass/show me whachu workin' wit!" All I could think was that they were probably still in nappies when I was a tween dancing to that song. #nowifeelold. Mileage: 2.3 miles.

Wednesday: Today was another family run. E, of course, decided to nap through it...though he mysteriously passed out at 5pm. He's done that the past two days now, and I'm baffled as to why he suddenly feels so tired at such an inopportune time. If I want any sort of alone time at night, a 5pm nap needs to not happen. At least the run went well: no need to stop for a stitch...which hasn't happened running with his jogger in ages! Mileage: 3.14 miles.

And now, the usual Instagram roundup:

From here on in it gets a bit tricksy...

How do we make that work, Precious?
via, Wikipedia

Halfsies Training, Part 10: Get the Gear

Technically, at a basic level, running is one of the easiest sports you can pick up. You only really need some running shoes and comfortable clothes. But, when you're getting serious about it, training for multiple races and logging upwards of 10-15 miles over each week...maybe that's the time to invest in some gear to make your running more comfortable, less difficult, and more fun.

So let's start with the shoes. I think the biggest necessity when running is a good pair of shoes. Lots of running shoe stores tend to tell you that you'll need new running shoes every 500 miles or so. To some extent, this feels like a license to print money. But on the other hand, with each stride you take on a run you're pressing the equivalent of twice your body weight into the ground, so that's bound to wear on your shoes and your joints.

via, Brooks Running

These right here are some of my favourites: the Brooks Trance 11. When the Husband and I were in Kingston the other weekend seeing The Hobbit, these are the new shoes I picked up as my Christmas present. For someone as flat-footed as I am, they provide great support. When I took a turn on the treadmill over at Lanson Running I was impressed at how these felt. They really hugged my feet and gave me noticeably better cushioning than I'm getting out of Brooks Defyance 2s. (To give you a hint...Brooks are now on the Defyance 5...so my shoes are 3 years old.)

Next up? A good sports bra. Seriously, this is a must-have item for lady runners. It is a pet peeve of mine to see women out running in their regular 18-hour, thick strap, lacy, padded cup bras. That is not what those bras are for! And the good people of the sporting equipment industry have made many a stride in the field to provide you with enough support that you don't do yourself an injury swinging those bad boys around on a 5K.

via, Shock Absorber

Shock Absorber make some of the better sports bras I've worn, and they're great about having multiple varieties of bra tailored to the different bumps, impacts, and jostles of just about any sport you could try. This one, the Ultimate Run Bra, is meant - as the name suggests - specifically for running. It's designed for all of the up and down, side to side motion you get throughout a running stride. Nike also makes a good racerback that I've been wearing since May. If there's any piece of kit that is worth doing some research into yourself, a running bra is definitely that.

Now, especially when you're running in the extreme heat or cold, or are prone to warming up quickly, or you just get super sweaty (this girl right here!), my next suggestion is for some good moisture-wicking clothing. And it doesn't hurt if you can find cute things, either.

On the purely functional (and cost-effective) end of the spectrum, there's Karrimor. I snagged these leggings a few weeks ago and they wore wonderfully on the Grim and ever since. Even in all the freezing water and mud that the Grim track had to offer, these never felt baggy or heavy. The back pocket is pretty handy, too: I can stash my phone and keys in it without a problem. And just as a safety measure, I always have my phone with me on runs...I also make sure that the Husband knows I'm gone and about how far I'm planning to go so he can expect me back.

Run: Speed Shorts

Run: Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve

Lululemon has amazingly cute stuff for running. I only just found it today and had to share. Yes, it's a bit on the pricey side, but you can always ask for it as a gift, or make it a gift for yourself. And if all else fails, console yourself in the fact that, if you live in the UK, shipping is free...always. Oh yeah. Now that makes me smile. Cute stuff with free shipping? I know what I'm getting myself for this Christmas!

Other odds and ends it might be useful to have? Well, those doughnut water bottles are always a good bet. And I'm a personal fan of running with music, so I'd suggest either an iPod nano, or - if you're like me and already have a non-clip-on-able huge iPod (the old 60GB model) - an iPod armband. My current one is about 4 years old and has been dying a slow death for ages now...there's practically no velcro left on it.

Basically, anything that makes running more of something you want to do and enjoy while you're doing it is a good investment to me. If it helps you get off your butt and on the pavement: go for it! Whether it's something purely functional, or something a bit more fun: get your gear and go running!

The Holiday Running Streak, Week 3

So today wraps up the third week of my running streak, as so far I've been going strong with minimal problems. It's never been terribly difficult to fit a run in during the day; although, sometimes the key to that is turning errands into runs. As much as I could use the extra mileage from walking to do my errands in town and then adding a run on top of that, there are days where it just isn't feasible, and so I work with that.

Thursday: I had some papers for my residency application that I had to pick up from the Husband that day, so I agreed to head to the office around lunch time to grab the forms. The run was chilly and took us through Southwood, which is always a nice break from Suburban sidewalks on a run. Mileage: 6 miles.

Friday: After spending the morning between Sainsbury's, Reading, Maidenhead, and Reading, I took a break and spent the afternoon relaxing back at Tim & Rachel's house since she was kind enough to look after E while I did my Life in the UK test. After letting E nap on the ride home, I ran on my own once the Husband was back to watch him. Mileage: 1 mile.

Saturday: This was another day that felt like it needed more than the bare minimum doing, so I decided to do another circuit through the neighbourhood and along the brook. I felt bad when I first took off: E was outside "helping" his daddy wash the car, so when I started to run out of the car park and round the corner, he followed me! :-( The Husband said he kept going all the way to our roundabout on the main street, at which point he scooped him back up to keep washing the car. The little munchkin was determined to keep running until he found me! Mileage: 3.2 miles.

Sunday: Another nighttime run, and another short one. Since I was only going for a token run, I decided to make speed, rather than distance, the aim of this run and managed a 9:48 mile: my best time yet! Mileage: 1 mile.

Monday: I get hot when I run. Seriously. It doesn't matter how cold it is, after about half a mile, I'm pretty well warmed up. Witness Monday: with temperatures around the freezing point, I still had to strip off my fleece mid-run and go the last mile in my Nike racerback top. Sleeveless in December, FTW. Also: swans in the brook!? When did that brook become so classy? Mileage: 2 miles.

Tuesday: I probably could have fit in a different run to up my mileage for the day, but after taking a much needed nap with E rather than being productive, our trip to the library and back was my only chance to run other than the usual Southwood route to meet the Husband. As cold as it was when we ran home from the library, I opted out of the Family Run...I'd be warm enough, but with one tyre going flat in the cold and E in a grumpy mood, I didn't feel like fighting him to get bundled up enough to brave the sub-zero temps that evening. Mileage: 2.7 miles.

Wednesday: Today was another token distance. As soon as E was down for his nap, I put him in his new puffy jacket (Thanks, Tom & Kerri!), wrapped him in two thick blankets, and headed out the door. We went down the road to the bottle bank, then swung by the centre where he has baby group for one other errand.

And, as usual, #picsoritdidnthappen:

So far so good, really. This streak has never been taxing to keep up with, and at least in a small degree I'm either maintaining or improving on my usual weekly mileage. Not a bad thing for the off-season. Especially since the Fleet half marathon will be here far sooner than it seems. Here's to 13.1 miles in March!

The Holiday Running Streak, Week 2

Today's run finished Week Two of my attempt to keep up with the #RWRunStreak. I've really been enjoying myself so far. I have to admit, there are plenty of days where I scrape by with the bare minimum: and I'd like to fix that. But, the point is, I'm doing it. I've made it 14 days so far and run at least a mile on each and every one. Here's this week's run down:

Thursday: Another run in the dark to go meet the Husband on his way home. We kept good time and E enjoyed his usual Family Run Nap. Mileage: 3.14 miles.

Friday:  Since the Husband's bike was temporarily incapacitated, we decided to do another family run together that evening. We decided not to get too ambitious and kept it as brief as possible, doing the shortest route we tend to run together. Mileage: 3.14 miles.

Saturday: Grim Day! Though E was suffering through a fever, Saturday was when we ran the Grim Challenge. I dosed the little man up with Calpol, gave him a good nursing session before we headed out, and then he napped for the better part of two-and-a-half hours while the Husband and I ran the Grim course. My favourite obstacles? The mud and the log run. Brills. Mileage: 9 miles.

Sunday:  On the first Sunday of every month, it's now tradition to head over to the in-laws's and have a lovely roast dinner together. The problem? Between that and church, I totally forgot about my run until we got back home. The Husband was a great support and encouraged me to get out and at least do my token mile so as not to break the streak. It may have been nearly 10 o'clock at night, but I did it. Mileage: 1 mile.

Monday: Another nighttime run. We were having no luck with wheeled transport this week: just as soon as the Husband got his bike fixed, I found a puncture in the tyre of our jogger when we were about to head out for a run in the daylight. That plan scuppered, I waited to run until the Husband came home so I could pound out a quick mile without trying to push a lame jogging stroller. I also ran, for the second time, in my Converse All-Stars while waiting for my trainers to dry out post-Grim. Mileage: 1 mile.

Tuesday: Finally, back to normal! My trainers were dry enough to wear, the Husband had patched the puncture in our tyre, and E consented to be bundled into his snow trousers and coat for a quick run to drop a card in the post. Mileage: 1 mile.

Wednesday: Yeah, this has been the week to lay down on the job a bit: aside from the Grim I've pretty much done nothing but 1-milers. Though, we have a walk to the library later today, and with the Husband working in Winchester, I may head out for another run together in the evening to calm the screaming beast that is my son this week. At least this morning I managed to run, shower, type 2 blog posts, do some video editing, and (in about 3 minutes) watch some Downton Abbey all without waking my little monkey from his nap! Supermom, FTW. Mileage: 1+ miles. 

And of course since I have to be accountable day-to-day, not just on the weekly scale, here's this week's Instagram roundup. #picsoritdidnthappen

My goal with this streak for the next seven days? To run at least 2 miles each day, not just one. I might as well do it while it's still relatively easy. Come the beginning of Christmastide (you know, the legit 12 Days of Christmas), things will get much harder: especially with a family reunion and a wedding to attend in the middle of it all! Get ready to see me get really inventive with how I keep this running streak going.

A Few Good Things

Our time on the Grim: 1:49:45 (That's 12 minutes better than my previous time.)
Day showing on our Advent calendar: 03 (Little Santa is sitting on the dresser in the kitchen.)
Figures in my wooden Nativity set from Israel: 12 (3 Shepherds, 3 Magi, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, 1 ox, 1 cow, 1 sheep.)
Time last night when the Husband encouraged me not to break my running streak: 9:45pm (Rule #5: always have a great support system. I have the best support ever.)
Handmade baubles for the Christmas tree: 9 (several of which came from my classes for Relief Society the past few months)
New albums of Christmas music: 1 (Courtesy of my lovely brother-in-law, I now have the Lower Lights's Christmas album. Let the festivities begin!)

Even with the hassle of my permanent residency permit application staring me menacingly in the face this week, I'm feeling good about the world. My Christmas decorations are going up, I ran well in the Grim, I haven't broken my running streak yet, I have tasty oatmeal butterscotch cookies in the kitchen, and my weight is currently clocking in at 147 lbs! Life is good. Maybe, if I keep telling myself that, I can avoid the stress-induced aneurysm that is dealing with the UK Border Agency or their cunning partners - not to be outdone in incompetence and bureaucracy - Exchange Group. I know I've said I'm allergic to stupid...these people exude enough stupid to send a person into anaphylactic shock. Also, does anyone else see the irony in having to take a test for British residency - in lieu of an English language competency test - proctored by someone whose English skills are worse than mine? I know when Parliament is elected, I can tell you all 4 national saint's days, I listen to Radio 4, and I know the lyrics to Jerusalem. Surely that's all I really need?

Ah well. Time to put E to sleep and watch Downton Abbey on Netflix.