for all new runners .....

Thanks for the kind words Ecky but I know I've been over indulging this week.  Indian on Friday, meal out (plus loads of vino) on Thursday, packets of sweets during the week at my desk and a reduced running schedule because of meetings have all taken their toll.  10 miles today though - 1,166 calories but not fast enough for the 2.5 hour limit on Stevenage HM next week oh dear!

Trigger I have had a few weeks like that,Im back to it now though just got all my good food in no biccies cakes or white bread in sight,even got some seeds and museli. Im sure you will be fine next week,I would love to do that time for a HM thats def my goal.

Hi everyone still no running for me yet,boxercise tomoz then club on Tues,I cant wait to get going again,I just hope all this good food helps.

I'm sure you'll be find for your HM trigger. The adrenaline will push you that little bit extra and you'll be find timewise. 2.5 hours is quite a tight limit though isn't it? I'm quite suprised at that! As Ecky says, don't worry about the 2lbs either. We all have our off weeks. It'll come off again soon enough Well done on your 10 miler

Foodwise, I take an oatcake & a spoon of cottage cheese in a tub to work, which I eat at around 10am to keep munchies away. Then I have a box of carrot sticks at about 3pm and it keeps me away from the chocolate. Will power is still involved though. I find organic carrots much tastier than normal ones btw. Lostkat top tip there

Didn't get around to a LSR today because I've been stripping one of the walls in our lounge ready for my OH to knock off the plaster (it all needs to come off to about shoulder height). Anyway, later on the guilt got the better of me and I decided that I MUST go for a run today so I went out and did just over 7 miles just before it got dark. I actually jogged the last bit in pitch black because there are no street lights and I didn't think it'd get dark that quickly. Oh well Very pleased with my ave pace which was 8:41. Even better, my ave pace over the first mile was 7:25. Where the HELL did that come from? Dead chuffed

I also made a break through at running club on Friday and actually managed to keep up with the faster group. We were doing hillwork and I started out with the slow group. However, by the second hill I just needed to pick up the pace so they told me to go and catch up the faster group... which I managed to do (just about). They were running pretty slowly between the hills, so that's how I managed it. Still felt good though

The bad thing is that my back is giving me quite a lot of pain at the moment. I can just about run through it, but it's been lingering on for a few weeks now. I might book an appointment with the chiro if it doesn't sort itself out. Expense I could do without to be honest, especially as I've just ordered myself a pair of trail shoes because the club ladies captain is bullying me into some XC races. Last time I ran proper cross country (as in the WHOLE route offroad) was at school and I bleddy hated it! hehe

Anyway, will shut up now. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend xxx

Hello all.

I did 2 runs over the weekend. 3.3 miles on Friday and 4.3 miles on Sunday, which is my longest run this year.

Struggling with my weight though - did have an indulgent weekend, with friends over for tea and plenty of drink and then lots of hangover food on Saturday - according to our new fancy-dan scales I've put on 4 lbs this week - that seems loads, and I've run around 15 miles this week (again, the most I've done all year!)

Went to the Outlaws for dinner last night, so missed my scheduled run (will try and make it up tonight) - my mother in law was insistant on me having 2nds and gave me huge portions - feeling like a right porker!

LostKat & Trigger sounds like your running is going well. Ecky sounds like your being good with your food - I need to be better!

well FT I started off good but the wine crept back in last night,I havtn been able to run either as ankle still bit sore,I realy should get it looked at,Im off to club tonight and have started the day with museliIm sure a lot of my trouble is because I am still overweight. Prob is you cant be rude when you are offered extras at the outlaws.You gota have fun now and again

I was well chuffed to recieve an email from a lady I went to school with,she is the wife of Comedy dave and is a TV presenter,she has a column in a magazine in the Wakefield Express and mentioned me and my fundraising mission in it,she realy bigged me up which realy made my eyes leak. If you go to the link http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk amd look on the E magazines section its the second page of What Women Want.

LK your running is amazing well done,I will never be that quick as according to my running book,at my age runners start to slow down,I havnt got any quicker yet.lol

Hi everyone else hope you all had a good weekend

Fat  TEAGUE sounds like you have my relatives i always want to run and they come at the same time

wantin me to run after them...i can train on my own but my wife always wants me to runa after her famiy//

FT don't be too hard on yourself.  Went out for a run this morning (half term so I have the luxury of daylight runs this week) and it felt like I was flogging a dead horse.  Plantar f..... playing up now - just waiting to get through Stevenage HM and I'll go and see physio to see if there's anything I can do but would imagine mainly rest.

Hope everyone is well - lovely day out there - shame forecast for Sunday is for rain.  Anyone else running this weekend?

Hi Guys, hope all is well.

Well done on your Sunday run FT. Sorry you didn't feel so great yesterday though, we all have our off days. Try not to be too hard on yourself about the weight gain - it might just be water retention due to muscle repair because of those miles or something

Ecky, brilliant news about the lady you went to school with Every bit of publicity helps!!

Hope you're prepared for the HM trigger, will keep my fingers crossed for nice weather on Sunday. I have 2 races this weekend. A 5 miler cross country in the dark on Friday  for Halloweeeeen. It's called the Skeleton run. We're doing it because it sounds like a laugh I also have the Shepshed 7 on Sunday, which is a local race through the grounds of a private stately home. Meant to be very nice. I was almost persuaded into taking part in a cross country relay on Saturday, but my back is still playing up and I don't want to damage myself even further.

LK, wow, two races in a weekend, hardcore!  Hope the halloweeeen one didn't put the willies up you!!  Good luck for Sunday.  Been watching your logmyruns on FB, OMG your pace is fantastic!  Glad your OH is home, but he must have fell on his head if he's up for decorating!

Trigger, sorry to hear about the feet, when is Stevenage?  2.5h limit is tight!  Many entrants?  As for the 2lb, disapointing but you'll loose it again, life just gets in the way sometimes.

FT, we all have bad ones from time to time?  If you feel like your mojo is lost & you're not training for any event, perhaps take a small break & do something else?  Run with friends if you don't, etc?  Mix it up a bit?  As for the weight, don't be too hard on yourself, draw a line under it and look forward to the week ahead?

Ecky, sorry to hear your feet arn't right, but great news about the fund raising publicity.

Alb, great to hear you got a VLM place!  At least one of us did, well done!  As for speed, don't worry about it cos your focusing on building endurance.  I've got a friend at work who's done it a few times, he entered as many local HMs as he could find as more interesting training runs than your usual routes.  Some very local ones, he ran home from to get over 13.1 miles.

Kwala, happy birthday for the other saturday.  I like your 2 rules, but am not sure if your idea of streaking and mine are the same?!

As for me, once again (been here before) sorry for neglecting you all.  After the GNR and VLM rejection, plus working so much, trips away, weight angst (can't get back to target), etc, I've had a running downer with nothing to focus on, no plan on the fridge, etc.

But now I'm back!! (from outer space!  oops).  With no VLM place, felt that I didn't just want to keep knocking out HMs, but wanted someting different.  So, have entered the England Kilomathon in March.  A different distance (26.2km, 16.23mi) and a nice little step up from HM.  Is local too.  Going to do the Sleaford Half 3 weeks before it as a training run as it's also local.  Plan up on fridge.  First entry is 6 miles tomorrow.  Fat club on monday to assess the damage. Time to get back on the running / weigh track!.

Take care all!

Burnie, I'm doing the Kilomathon!!! We'll have to have a mini FANR meet up beforehand I thought it was a nice step up from a HM. I'm really sorry to hear you've been suffering with the running blues recently, but very glad to hear that that plan is back on the fridge where it should be. Hope your 6 miles goes well tomorrow and that fat club isn't too harrowing on Monday. Don't think I could go to one of those clubs... I'd end up in tears every week

Last night's race was brilliant. There were 3 of us girls doing it together (another advantage of running club - nutter friends!) and we loved it. Pace was rubbish, but the race wasn't about time or speed. It was about plodding around Beacon Hill in the pitch black together with lots of people in fancy dress and having a jolly old time. We started together and kept together throughout, so it was nice to chat all the way round. BLOODY steep hills though!! We got a medal for finishing and a toffee apple, which we munched whilst drinking a superb hot chocolate. Fantastic!! We'll be doing it again next year

Ta LK.  Yes, meeting up at the Kilomathon would be good.  Are you getting bus tickets (end to start or start to end?) or do you have someone dropping you at the start and collecting you from the end?  Am not sure what we're doing.

Glad your friday night run went well, sounds great fun.  Got some pics for FB?

Good luck with the Shepshed 7 today.  Hpoe the weather isn't too bad although it looks to be a bit grim! 

Managed to get my 6 miles done in light rain before it started pishing down here!  First one ticked off the new fridge plan!  Woot!

Have a good dry cosy sunday all (LK: have a good wet sunday).

hey guys hope you are all well ..........

was thinking  to do the kilomathon too .... ? but alas, its just a bit too far for me

I have started entering some 1/2's - doing the bath 1/2 and hopefully one in feb too, but there doesn't seem to be many local, so may have to travel a bit

hope everyone's running is going good ?

I am building base miles at the moment, and will be following a training plan from jan ... my long run is at 8.5 miles at the moment ..... will increase it gradually !

Hi Guys,I would love to do the Kilomathon too but will have to see,its a bit much dosh for me at the mo and will have to see how my ankle goes,it seems to be playing up more and more,I know I should go the docs but Im so  scared he will say I cant run anymore.

Glad to see you back Burnie,yeh Im well chuffed with the publicity,just need a bit more now,Im a bit of a dripping tap at the moment.

Lk you are amazing,your times are just amazing,in my dreams.

Hi everyone else,Im def having a nice dry Sun,I am going to try Boxercise tomoz and take it easy at running club,I still need to lose my weight tho and have to be careful that I dont start piling it on again.

Good to see you too Albs.

Burnie - I bought a bus ticket, but then persuaded my friend to do it, so we're going to park at either end. I'll much prefer a car journey than a bus journey at the end of a long slog like that!!

No pics for FB sadly - I forgot my camera. Really wish I'd taken it though, even if it was just for a pic of us eating our toffee apples and drinking hot chocolate at the end. Glad you got your first fridge tick today !!

Sounds like training is going well Albs. You'll be more than ready for some HM's next year!!

Ecky - I would seriously get yourself to the docs about your ankle if it's giving you that much jip. You'll only end up making it worse by ignoring it hun!!

The Shepshed 7 today wasn't my most enjoyable race, I have to say. It was hammering down until minutes before the start, so we had lots of mud and puddles, but it managed not to rain for the duration of the race, which was a relief given that the wind was so strong. At times through the race I really thought that it was just going to blow me off my feet and it really knocked my energy levels a lot. It didn't do my back much good either because I was constantly leaning to one side to try and stabilise myself against the howling wind. I wasn't as fast as my previous 5 mile or 10k races, but I still managed a reasonable time (1h1m24s, which is 09:45min miles) so I'm still pretty pleased. It just would have been so much easier without having to fight against the wind.

Well done to anyone who ran today.  Stevenage half in lashing rain was no fun at all and I seriously doubted my own sanity for actually starting in the first place.  Garmin wouldn't work - ipod gave up the ghost but I soldiered on.  Finished in 2.25 I think so inside the cut off time although that was clock time and not chip time - still waiting for that.

Good to see you back again Burnie!  I am a VLM reject too so have entered Brighton Marathon which is the first Brighton Marathon and takes place a week before London.  Also a chance of winning an entry into London via Xmas draw so it ain't over yet!

Putting a call into the physio tomorrow the pf is giving me hell so looks like I'm going to take at least this week out of running and will hit my cross trainer in the garage instead!

Take care all

Ecky - I run more than I'm injured - have a great physio who sorts me out and is not a "cash cow" so have no real reason to complain.  Take it easy and if you have a dodgy ankle get some advice - do you wear a support?