Gastro...

I'm not sure how the word gastro pub can ever bring about pleasant images of fine food... After my last 4 days I don't think I'd ever want to eat anywhere that says gastro pub fine food again..

I started the week feeling quite good having just had a down week, so I was ready to forge ahead for another 70 mile week, but come Wednesday that was all to suddenly change. I'd gone to work as normal and sometime during the day had developed a dull headache, but thought nothing of it, as this can sometimes happen when you're working hard.  However, on the way home in the car I said to JB I'm feeling a little chilled, but he said you'll be fine, just dress up warm for the run then we'll go out for something to eat or in other words "just get on with it".  Now, going out for something to eat normally cheers me up, so I got changed for the run with the thought of nice food and drink as a reward in my mind.  The run we planned was supposed to be 10 miles.  I couldn't believe how cold I was feeling as soon as I left the warm confines of the house.  I felt shocking and just shivered the whole slow plodding 3 miles that the run had eventually become. 

Okay, I thought it's just  a bit of a chill so have a shower and go out for some nice grub, forget the word gastro for now.  In the shower I couldn't stop shivering, even with hot water.  This couldn't be right I thought.  I must be coming down with the flu...Might as well go out for the meal then if I'm going to be ill and off my food.  I didn't enjoy my food and picked at it feeling quite nauseous, but a glass of red wine seemed to go down okay.

Thursday I went to work as normal and planned to run for a hour early evening.  I knew I wasn't right as the dull headache and chills continued at work and by the end of the day I'd developed abdominal pain.  Couldn't wait to leave work for the comfort of my home loo - say no more...  Although if you were to run with me on a long Sunday run I might give more details lol.  What is it with runners that on long runs one's bowel movements become part of normal conversation?

Needless to say no run happened Thursday and by Friday the gastro problem was full blown, no details to follow here either, but I'm sure the imagination can conjure up a picture, hence why the word gastro attached to fine food just will never ever do it for me again!

I've heard the words pain is temporary pride is forever on many occasions, but Saturday at parkrun the pain on warming up was not going to be temporary and there was no pride in wanting to dive in the nearest bush, so the decision to stand and watch JB run overthrew that silly saying.

So then it's Sunday and still this gasto issue continued.  Getting rather fed up with the sight of the toilet and smell of air freshener I yearned for the fresh air of the TPT. So the determined me once again put on running kit and trainers and set off with JB for a few miles, 3 to be precise.  What a silly decision as I clutched my... I bet you think I'm going to say butt cheeks... hahaha no I clutch my stomach as the gripes take hold.  Oh well 3 miles done and another trip to the toilet before curling up in agony was probably not worth the pain, but this is me and I'm not one for giving in easily.  Although, I'm admitting defeat now and just want the pain to disappear and allow me to feel myself again.  Let's hope this time next week I'll be blogging something less bogging related.

Total mileage this week 27.2

Will I ever get used to these harsh northern winters...?

I've lived in West and South Yorkshire for 9 years now and every winter John will hear me say the same thing, "it's so cold up here, it was never this cold in Dorset I hardly ever had to wear gloves...".  But it is so cold up here!  I was brought up in the biting winters of South Wales, but I got soft when I moved in my late teens to balmy Dorset, well in my opinion compared to Wales and Yorkshire it is balmy!

Anyhow, this week has been a challenge to run with the icy conditions.  I enjoy running in virgin snow, which is wonderfully soft and invigorating, but as soon as other humans and their dogs and their bikes and their sleighs have trampled over it the surface becomes a runner's enemy.  Then add in the dark, as it's the only time you get to run in the working week and the wind, sleet and hail that lashes your already freezing face the challenge to put your trainers on and head out the door is most definitely increased!  A non runner reading this will be thinking this running malarkey sounds so awful...It's not, honest!

I tried hard all week to overcome the weather barriers as I remembered my renewed enthusiasm in the Christmas holidays and I can proudly say it mostly worked, until Thursday when the tiredness of work and the conditions put paid to my running streak that I'd inadvertently started on December 21st.  Oh well I didn't quite make the whole month without a rest day, but I have increased the training significantly in the last month going from 25-30 miles to 61, 71, 70 and as this week was an intentional cutback week of 50 miles I felt okay with myself for having that rest day.

Okay so what has this week looked like?  Nothing too spectacular about my running, no fancy sessions or structured hard running yet, just all easy and steady miles to increase strength and aerobic base.  Build that mitochondria for a natural pace increase before adding in some specific sessions.  So Monday to Friday was mostly slow to steady miles around 8:30 - 9:00/mi.  Saying that the underfoot conditions wouldn't allow for much more!  Saturday parkrun is the only run I work a little harder if the legs allow.

This week we headed to Clumber parkrun as we know this event is always one you can run when conditions are testing elsewhere.  On warming up my legs felt heavy, probably from doing 8 miles the day before, I'm still not recovering from runs very quickly, but decided just to run to feel and if I felt like pushing then do so and if not then don't bother.  I set off a little faster than I normally would, but realised that I wouldn't be able to continue that pace, so eased off slightly to what felt comfortably hard and kept it that way for the whole run except I really pushed up the last little hill to see how the legs responded and I was surprised to feel a renewed strength I've not felt for a while, so that little hill gave me a small sign of progress.  The overall pace was 7:18 on MT, but very firm trail paths, so is worth around 40 seconds, which would've put that run around 21:30 on a flat tarmac course.  Still a way to go to secure a sub 20 5k again...

Sunday was to be the longest run John and I had done for many months, but the underfoot conditions in Penistone were still pretty bad and I really couldn't face 18 miles up and down the TPT this week, so we met Simon, who has been a loyal training partner for the last 11 years for me and about 20 years for John, and off we trotted down the TPT from Silkstone to the trails, woods and roads of Barnsley.  John is pretty good at making up routes that just seem to measure the exact distance, no Map My Run Apps needed for this man, he has his own inbuilt measuring system.  The route he chose measured just over 18 miles and my only complaint was Smithies Lane, oh what a hill! AND then he finished with the last mile on Cone Lane with yet another BIG hill and  with the snow lashing into my face - delightful!  Felt great after though, as the conditions weren't great and some of the route was treacherous, but we don't mind running slow to get the miles in and that's just what we did!  50.2 miles in the bag and target hit.  Now go away snow and ice I've had enough of this northern cold!

All Good Intentions

2018 rolled in and my enthusiasm and motivation was at a high, as high as it could be to make it my running year. The last time I made a blog post was just over a year ago and I think I was feeling quite optimistic then too.  It must be something to do with this time of year!  I had intentions of keeping my blog going, but I must have lost the enthusiasm to do so after the first post because the next time it came to my mind was when it popped up in my memories this morning. :-)   I'm going to try and keep this one going for as long as my enthusiasm lasts, which could be monthly or I could be sat here writing the same thing this time next year...

Although I've struggled to rebuild my fitness with all the set backs in the last few years, I still have running hopes and dreams and things I want to achieve. 2013 when I ran Ypres marathon, the last good attempt before all my problems began, I was still thinking if I could string together a few months of good training I could get close to 3 hours and definitely sub 3:15. Secretly, well it's not so secret to write it down and make it public...I still believe with the right amount of uninterrupted training and a bit of blubber loss I could still get close to sub 3:15 again, or is this now just a dream? Well, everyone has to dream and if it stays just a dream I'll always believe I could've got there!

The thing is I'm 54 this year and although I don't feel 54 , not that I know what it's supposed to feel like... I get nagging thoughts of you're too old to train hard now so stop thinking like a young runner, but I don't want to stop thinking like that, so I've decided to ignore that thing called age.

On that note nearly 4 weeks of the year have passed and let's just say the cold and dark of winter is testing my renewed 2018 enthusiasm and motivation already,  but I'm digging deep, with the support of my long suffering training partner husband as I have goals to meet...  The only way you'll know if I achieve those goals is to read my future blog posts, which could be monthly or as I said this time next year. See you soon... :-)