Why ‘ready’ is relative

As I write this, I’m on the train to London ready to take on the London Marathon on Sunday. Over the last few weeks, the one question I’ve been asked more than any is “Are you ready?” And it’s set me thinking, what is ready, and how do we measure it?

As a marketeer, a big part of my job is measuring, tracking and analysing things. As a runner, it’s quite easy to get obsessed with stats. As a bit of a control freak, I like plans and I like to have a good idea of how things are going to turn out.

But this weekend I’m tying to put as much of that at the back of my mind as possible and just enjoy the day.

It’s my second attempt at the London Marathon and, despite how hard and horrible my first stab at it was, it remains one of my favourite days ever. Although I was a much less experienced runner then, I’ve since done heaps of races and the atmosphere has never come close to it – even the world famous Great North Run hasn’t felt as special as that day did.

Just having a place is something to be extremely thankful for, and I’m so grateful to Childhood First, the fantastic charity me and Des are supporting at the moment for giving us the opportunity – even if things haven’t turned out as planned for Des (but that’s a story for another day).

I’m so excited for all of it, the whole experience. From heading over to the Expo this afternoon, to taking in a new parkrun and a nice day with friends tomorrow, to the main event on Sunday. I’m going to embrace every second of it because I know how lucky I am to be taking part.

So on to the technical stuff then. The training.

When I set about this marathon plan, I was in the happy haze of absolutely smashing the Manchester last year, and running London with Des a month after our wedding seemed like a marvellous idea. Everything slotted into place nicely and I was very excited to put to rest the demons from my struggle last time I did London.

Since then a lot has happened.

2022 so far has been an amazing year for so many reasons. Unfortunately, all these reasons have stacked up to mean that training has had to take a bit of a back seat and upping my mileage didn’t really happen at all until the middle of August. My base mileage stayed frequent and consistent but I just didn’t have whole Sunday mornings to dedicate to running a long way, and my work schedule didn’t allow the mid-week miles which bumped up my weekly average so nicely last year.

So, when the middle of August rolled around, it was time to start putting in some hard work. Since then, I’ve tackled a tough solo 15 mile run from Trent Bridge to Rainworth along with three half marathon events and various double digit mile runs with the DOdaily coaching group. Essentially, I’ve done everything I can to cram marathon training into around seven weeks – during which time I also got married!

It's not gone too badly to be honest. My most recent half marathon, the Robin Hood last weekend, went far better than the previous two and I finished in the respectable time of 2:15 which I was both pleased and slightly surprised with – it was the perfect confidence booster needed the week before London.

Of course I’ve had to re-adjust my expectations quite significantly – the time I initially had as a target is now nowhere near the time I’ve got in my head for Sunday. But that’s fine, I don’t mind too much, because if I beat myself up about it, I know it’s going to get into my head too much and it will affect my experience which I really don’t want to let it do.

Back to that question then “Are you ready?”

Some might say I’m not. In fact I know there are people around me saying that. But every marathon is different and this one isn’t going to be about smashing a PB or chasing a time down. I’m doing the London Marathon on Sunday and I’m going to absolutely savour my opportunity to run one of the best marathons in the world, every step of the way.

And for that, I’m perfectly ready!

 

Carsington Half Marathon

Absolutely didn't want to run this half marathon today. My head wasn't in it at all, I'm shattered and stressed. But I spent yesteday evening being frustratingly sober watching my friends have a belting time so that I'd be in a fit state, so when the alarm went off this morning I though I may as well give it a go.

The course was a 5ish mile out and back before a full loop of the stunning Carsington Water. I did the out with no drama,  but my head went during the back. This led to some of my standard cry-running, and I told myself I was going to throw the towel in when I saw Des and Dawn back in the race village before going on for the next bit.

But when I got there I never saw them, so instead of having a full cry I had a good word with myself! Physically, I was having a decent run, I just needed to sort my head out!

So I reminded myself that I'm a bloody stubborn mare and I won't give other people the satisfaction of seeing me bottle it five weeks ahead of London.

After I passed through the race village, the stunning reservoir opened up in front of me and I knew I could do this, I just needed to stay in the moment and enjoy it.

The rest of the route was undulating and challenging, but on I went. I walked if I felt I needed to and I exchanged some nice words of encouragement with fellow runners on the route.

Before long, I was back on the familiar paths I'd ran during that first section of the route which meant I knew the finish wasn't too far away.

The paths were getting busy by now, littered with people out enjoying the bank holiday. While this meant extra care was needed, it provided and additional boost with everyone cheering us on and wishing us well.

When the race village finally came into view, I felt so relieved!! Before I set out, I reckoned I had about a 2:30 in me today...and I was bang on!! 

So even with a wobble and a very nearly DNF, I need to remember that I know myself, I know my abilities and I'm far too bloody stubborn to not achieve what I'm capable of!!

Kay Knowles has had a very up and down  relation ship with running, I get to start a completely new story next week when Kay Oldham enters the room. Let's see what she can do!!

My completely normal, wonderful Saturday run

It's very rare I feel the need to write much, if anything at all, about a 5km run. Especially one as unremarkable as the one I've just done.

For so many reasons it was a very ordinary run, perhaps as standard as can be for me. It's a route I've done more than any other at pretty much spot on my average cruising pace.

But, until less than 10 minutes before I stepped out of the door, I had absolutely no intention of running today. And for me, a completely spontaneous run is a very rare thing!

It's been quite a high effort, high mileage week already and we've had some terrible weather to contend with. So I treated myself to a lazy morning and stayed in bed instead of heading out to parkrun today, before getting myself firmly settled on the sofa for lots of trashy telly. No plans to run at all, especially once the rain started again and I started my second Netflix series of the day.

By mid-afternoon I was feeling a bit irritable and bored when I noticed it had stop raining outside. A thought crossed my mind: "I could just put my trainers on and go around the river". 

Before I could change my mind, I quickly got my running gear on, had a couple of pumps of my inhaler and set off. 

I generally run between four and six times a week, so I'm well versed in how the endorphins make me feel good. But this afternoon's run felt even better than normal, I felt really really free! 

Since the lockdowns have lifted and we've slowly but surely slid back into our normal lives, my routine has become very much focused around a time table of work and various non-work related activities which take place on certain days at certain times, leaving little space for spontaneity.

I'm not complaining at all, I love the way my life is and I'm a huge creature of habit anyway, but I really didn't realise how much my mind and body needed that completely unplanned, low maintance run this afternoon. 

I can honestly say I loved every step, and anyone who runs will know how rarely that happens! It's made me so excited for the lighter mornings and evenings to come, so there's more opportunity to use my perfect doorstep 5km when I find myself with a spare half an hour. 

So I guess what I'm trying to say, what's made me feel the need to write a post in my constantly neglected blog, is that it's not always the events, or the epic mileage or the PB busting runs that remind me why I love my sport of choice. Sometimes it's the ones on paper should be quite dull and boring, that make me fall in love with it all over again on a grey Saturday afternoon! 

Marathon three, week one

If you Google 'marathon training plan' you'll get thousands of results for every level of runner. Some might promise to get you ready for the distance in just 12 weeks, others you'll need to commit 16 or even 20 weeks to getting yourself prepared. 

But if the two marathons I've done so far have taught me anything, it's that if you really want to get the most from it, you need to look at it as a year-long project. 

I'm absolutely not saying that I'll be doing 20 mile training runs every week between now and October. I'm sure that would be counter productive if anything. 

Based on last year, I'll be loosely chunking my plan down as follows:

January-May - putting the sprints, hills and non-event half marathons in. These built up confidence last year by chipping away at PBs and showing good pace progress while keeping my body and my mind comfortable with running for a couple of hours at a time at least once a month

June-September - building in the distance. I guess this is the 'traditional' marathon training phase. The long slogs on a Sunday morning which feel amazing when they're done but take a lot of physical and mental effort to get there. There'll be a few half marathon races in this phase too, to check progress under event conditions. 

October-December - completing the marathon, then recovering. Recovery isn't about stopping, quite the opposite!! This bit is about enjoying running for the sheer hell of it and making the most of the fitness I've built all year.  

It helps massively having a lot of the technical side planned out for me by the DOdaily coaching programme, so I don't need to think about what I'm doing week on week, I just need to turn up and trust Des to get it as right as he did last year!

So what did week one look like? 

In short, it was hard work!! After doing absolutely no running between Christmas and new year (the only week of the year my mileage was zero!) It was straight back to it with both feet all in! After a benchmark time trial on Sunday 2nd, the proper training started with a jolt at 6am on Tuesday with four freezing cold laps attacking Musters Road then topping up the miles with another chilly run with the City Slickers in the evening. 

Then back to Musters Road on Thursday, this time for five reps!! This was a bonus session for me because usually I'm at Brownies, although it didn't feel like much of a bonus as the time!

parkrun on Saturday was a very muddy affair! If you know Colwick parkrun, you'll know it's famous for the winter mud and yesteday it was in full glory!! Being quite clumsy, I'm always fairly tentative in any potentially slippery conditions, so I used it as a recovery run and had a lovely chat with my friend on the way round. Which is probably for the best because this morning's training session was a gruelling 5x1km interval sprint session which really hurt! 

All in all I've ran just under 26 miles which I'm pleased with, supplemented by around 10 miles of walking thanks to dog-sitting a hyperactive terrier pup. 

I definitely feel like I've started as I mean to go on...if the weather could just warm up a bit I'd be living my best marathon training life!!

Post time trial, it's fair to say we all worked hard!!

Me and Des at parkrun, look out for his vlog on it!!
 

We go again!! What I learned from 2021 and what I'm planning for 2022.

2021 was easily my best year for running since I started back in 2015.

Not because I smashed the Manchester Marathon.

Not because I did more miles than ever before.

Not because I checked off new PBs across every distance.

Not even because, after over a year of being unable to, I revelled in the joy of returning to mass events.

2021 was my best year for running because I can honestly say I enjoyed every single step. Even the ones that hurt or the ones I wasn't sure I could complete. And after years of my love hate relationship with running, this breakthrough has been really something special. 

Obviously it's not a coincidence. When you push yourself consistently, you see changes and get results so it becomes a bit of an addictive cycle which takes hold. Then on the runs which aren't your best, it's easier to keep your head in the right place, knowing that all the miles add up and make a difference in the end, you just need to keep shuffling on. 

Before last year, a bad run for me could have easily put me off for a week or two. The more I didn't run or just scraped together a mile or two, the more reluctant I became to go again. Almost a polar opposite trajectory! 

So how did I do happen? 

The three points I've narrowed it down to weren't something I sat on January 1st last year and said I'd base my year around, it just kind of happened. That being said, they're heavily influenced by the principles of the DOdaily coaching programme!

1. Accountability 

Make a plan, tell people about it and you'll find it much easier to stick to it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with targets and resolutions, you'll definitely need them if you want to see progress.

For me, I'm terrible for having vague things I'd like to achieve, so I've found that being specific about what I want to do and how I'll go about it really helps. Then tell anyone who'll listen all about it!

2. Consistency 

Parts of this overlap a bit with accountability. Being led by the DOrunning group schedule and DOdaily coaching  timetable means I'm automatically committed and accountable to running on Tuesday (twice!), Wednesday, Thursday (when I'm not at Brownies) and Sundays. Add in a parkrun on a Saturday and that's the week's runs sorted! 

I think this is where the biggest improvements have come from. I do all the sessions because I like to be an ambassador for the group (back to that accountability). By doing all of them and not bailing out part way through like I regularly used to,  naturally my mileage has increased and my fitness with it.

3. Measure, record and reflect 

This is where you really need to find what works for you. It can be as brief or detailed as you like, but it has to be done. 

I do this in a couple of ways. There's the apps for stats, numbers and facts: strava, garmin connect and myfitnesspal. Then there's the more descriptive methods, such as writing blog posts, keeping a daily diary and writing down monthly targets. The facts let me look over what's happening and the rest helps me to think about the what's working and what isn't, along with the wider mental health as well as physical progress.

What are my plans for 2022?

The over-arching running goal for the year is to run a sub 4:30 at the London Marathon in October. The race takes place four weeks after our wedding so that's two huge milestones that I'll want to be feeling my absolute best for, so the motivation to keep the mileage up and food and drink on track should be easy to find!

In the process of this, I'd like to achieve 5km and 10km PBs too, along with running the getting comfortable at the sub 2 half marathon - this is something I know I need to build my confidence for that big 26.2 goal! 

Aside from running, we've got a massive fundraising target between us for our London Marathon places. We're running in support of Childhood First and we'll be sharing more about this in the next week or two. 

With so much to look forward to, it's no wonder I'm going into 2022 with such a positive mindset! Let's see how it goes!!

 

Reading Half Marathon

 The plan for the Reading Half Marathon had been to do the Manchester Marathon then spend a month working really hard to absolutely go for it and get a great time. Obviously when I made this plan, I forgot just how much doing a marathon takes from you mentally and physically – and how much celebrating I had scheduled in throughout October!

So I got to the start line not really knowing what my body was going to do or what to expect. Nerves kicked in a bit and I had to really give myself a talking to the remind me that I more than had the miles in my legs to get through a half, I just needed to do my best to enjoy it and not panic.

Despite being a week into November, the weather was really pleasant with blue skies and bright sunshine which added to the great atmosphere in the race village. After a bit of a walk to get to the starting area, it was time to start the penned in shuffle towards the start line, before finally getting going not too long before 11am.

For the first mile I cranked the pace up a bit because I didn’t want to settle too early if I could help it, so there was a lot of ducking and diving in-between other runners to find space to run. This gradually got a bit easier as the crowd of runners thinned to a steady flow and everyone started to nicely find their own rhythm ready for the long road ahead.

I felt quite comfortable as I moved into the second mile, enjoying taking in the sights and sound of completely unfamiliar streets. What I hadn’t been expecting was a really sharp steep incline approaching the 5km mark – all I’d heard was that Reading was a nice flat route! I’m pleased to say I dug deep and kept running though, determined to do the best I could.

Despite the route flattening out again after that hill, it didn’t seem to get any easier and I was starting to feel a lot more tired than I should do just a few miles in. I willed myself to keep going and enjoy the crowds as I turned off the main road and through the university campus, but it was taking a lot of willing!

I soon realised I was going to have to put some tactics in place to keep my head in it and not have a terrible race, as I still had well over an hour’s worth of running to do. So, as I reached the 10km mark I decided to slow to a walk, take on a gel and some water and just give myself a bit of a rest. Then just when I needed it, I started to hear the echos of a drumming band in the distance which helped me to pick the pace up again.

The next section was really quite nice, running through the streets of Reading town centre taking in some picturesque buildings and enjoying the spectators who’d came out to line the street and cheer us on. The miles started to tick by again, even with some more tough and quite unwelcome steep and unexpected inclines again.

Getting toward the three-quarters-of-the-way point I was still feeling positive but starting to flag again so I went for the same walk, gel, water approach which had given me a boost last time and carried on. Coupled with a few bits of downhill for a change, I found the energy I needed to enjoy the next mile – fuelled also by some great songs shuffling through my Spotify playlist.

The majority of the rest of the race was don a very long dual carriageway back towards the stadium for the finish. This bit could have potentially been quite boring but the November sun shone down and everyone was in great spirits as we marched on, enjoying the sight of the stadium growing closer while traffic on the opposite side of the road honked their horns in support. Plus it was nice and flat!

Before too long, the patch took a turn into the carpark round another corner and finally into the football ground for the big stadium finish! In my view, the last few hundred metres were the best of the race and definitely what made it different to any others that I’ve done – the feeling of running into the football ground and around the pitch watched by hundreds of spectators was amazing!

All in all I came in at just over 2:14 which I was alright with, I’d have liked to have shaved a few minutes off that ideally, but my preparation hadn’t been ideal and the course was more challenging than I expected. Another one ticked off, but it’s not an event I’m desperate to do again.

 

 

 

Manchester Marathon

Here it is then, the event I’ve worked all year to prepare for!

Signing up to a marathon in Manchester in October is always going to be a bit of a gamble with the weather, but waking up to bright blue skies on Sunday morning took away any dread of grey skies and rain clouds, it was delightful!

That didn’t stop the nerves of course! They’d been building steadily over the last few days, but to be honest they were building in a good “I’m determined to go out and do myself proud” way, rather than a “flipping heck what have I signed up for I don’t think I can do this” way.

Making our way to the start line, the race day buzz was easy to feel. It was an interesting dynamic because we had to make our way through crowds of half marathon finishers while we still had our challenge ahead of us.

We reached the gates of Old Trafford Cricket Ground and it was time for the runners and spectators to go our separate ways. I did well and just about managed to hold back tears as I said goodbye to Des. Suddenly everything seemed very real and it was almost time to run a marathon!

The set-up at the cricket ground was great – no need for horrible portaloos which was very welcome! We walked round to the starting pen and waited patiently for a little bit, after waiting all morning – the new wave system meant we weren’t due to cross the line until 12!

Before too long the starting gun went and my nerves melted away as I channelled everything I had into the task in hand, completing the 26.2 miles which lay ahead.

I’ve been to Manchester a couple of times, but I wouldn’t say I know the area well at all so, despite studying the route map several times, I was heading somewhat into the unknown and wasn’t sure of what to expect throughout the course.

The first couple of miles were alright, a few twists and turns and some decent spectator support before heading into the city centre and running through the famous Deansgate at around five miles which was fantastic! The streets were lined, everyone clapped and cheered and loads of bits of entertainment spurred everyone on. This bit is a new addition to the route and I’m really glad it was included.

I was averaging just over 10 minute miles which was absolutely fine. I didn’t have a massive plan with pacing really, but I definitely didn’t want to be running any faster than that. I felt nice and comfortable so I carried on churning it out as we made our way back onto the dual carriageway and out of the city, passing Old Trafford football ground before spotting Des and Dawn which gave me a really nice boost!

Mile 8-11 were difficult. There wasn’t much crowd support and I started overthinking just how far I still had to go, wondering if it was going the be this quiet all the way, because I know how much the support from random strangers in the street helps to get me around.

Not far from half way, I fell into pace with some people I knew, so having a chat took my mind of these doubts until the crowds grew again – the people in the suburbs of Sale and Atrincham really tuned out to support and it was great!

Passing 13.1 miles in 2.15, I was really pleased. I knew my pace was going to slow during the second half but I’d set myself up well. I’ve never actually ran further than the half marathon mark without stopping to walk, so every mile I ran without stopping now seemed like a bit of a bonus for my overall finishing time.

There were some tricky parts in the next couple of miles. Definitely not hills by any means, but a few checky inclines which felt like trouble on my tired legs. I kept running though which I’m really proud of, until about the 17 mile marker when I decided to walk for a minute and let my legs have a little rest.

Previously in runs and events, walking for a bit would be the start of some horrible mind games and struggles. But I was comfortable knowing I was doing my absolute best and pushing myself, so I resolved to walk for a little bit every mile if I felt I needed it. I’d been out for over three hours now afterall!

I was hurting now and every step was feeling difficult, but I had a fire in me to keep going and do the best I could. The warm weather wasn’t particularly helpful but I’ve always loved a bit of autumn sunshine so I tried not to let it hinder me too much.

I passed through 20 miles in 3:33 which I was really pleased with. It’s often said that a marathon really starts at 20 miles, so I knew I still had a really tough challenge ahead of me. I did a quick video to send to the family chat group and gathered myself to keep pushing on.

At mile 21 one of the many bits of entertainment around the course was a choir who were singing one of my all time favourites, “your love keeps lifting me higher” and I burst into tears, overcome with the emotion of what I’d done and what was still to come. To be fair though, 21 miles before a cry was almost as much of an achievement for me as 17 miles without stopping to walk.

I completely forgot about it at the time, but the 22 mile mark would see me pass 1,000 miles for the year! Something which, when I set myself the target back in January, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do. I’m almost a bit disappointed I forgot to celebrate that moment, but I was clearly too in the zone to think about it!

The 23 mile marker felt like a massive milestone. ‘Just a parkrun to go’ and all that. I knew whatever happened now I was going to finish in a time I’d be proud of, I just had to keep pushing on to get it done.

The last bit seems like a bit of a blur looking back. I must have checked my watch every couple of metres and wondered why the distance didn’t seem to be changing. I made conversation with some fellow runners about how it really wasn’t funny anymore and how much we didn’t trust the crowds telling us “it’s just around the corner”…we’d heard that loads of times over the last few hours!

The exact boost I needed to get me over the line came just before the final bend onto the last couple of hundred meters, when I saw Des and everyone else from DOrunning shouting and cheering me on. I started crying at this point and didn’t stop! After a quick hug with Des I carried on, the crowds lining the streets building just as much as my tears – the noise was incredible.

As I crossed the finish line, there was no stopping the tears falling. I was so so so proud of myself and so happy and relieved to be done. I’d completed my second marathon in 04:40:27 – exactly the time I wanted and taking more than two hours off my time for London Marathon back in 2018.

Perhaps most importantly though, I knew I’d given it my absolute all. No doubts or feelings that I could have pushed more at any point – I had done my best and I’d done myself proud.

I’m already thinking about marathon number three now. I’d absolutely love it to be London 2022 because I’ve got a score to settle with that event – I know that just getting a place for it is half the battle but I’m going to throw everything I’ve got at getting one. But if it’s not London it will be a different one…watch this space!