Asics training starts now...!!

Hi Cat.....Dont feel alone!!!!!.....we can give loads of useful and useless advice!!!!!......

18 Miles is a long way to go on your own.....do you have company??? really helps chatting the miles away!!!......Im sure if you hunt down Ady at the Surry Spitfire he will look after you.....!!....good luck!!!!....

Hey Mel, how has your week been? Looking forward to the race next weekend? Will be great to all meet up again - can't wait

Week 8…..

Monday – Rest day or cross train…….Can you class a 13 hour shift as rest???.....so certainly no rest or cross train……just lots of running around with my hair on fire for 13 hours!!!......

Tuesday - 4 mile jog

A little mooch to the sea front…..lovely to go and say hello to the sea!!!!...Then onto my BUPA fitness assessment!!!.....ooooo slightly nervous about this, didn’t know what to expect!!!....why was it going to take an expert to tell me my bum is too big!!.??......

Well I shouldn’t have been worried….they were lovely, and it was so INTERESTING!!!!.....wow…..came away feeling fab…..its official…my bum apparently isn’t too big…..! I think that was the only information I absorbed….after all that was the most important bit!!!.....

I now have it in writing, that I am fit enough to run the marathon and I have no get out clause!!!!!......

Actual - 4 miles            time- 38.51              Pace - 9.58

Wednesday - 5 miles fast ( 1 mile easy, 3 miles fast, 1 mile easy )

Managed to incorporate a speed session into my running club night!!.....was lovely thank you for the company!!!....

Actual - 5 miles      Total time - 44.30

Lap 1 - 9.50

Lap 2 - 8.50

Lap 3 - 8.45

Lap 4 - 8.30

Lap 5 - 9.55

Thursday - Rest – Stretching – And Maddy’s birthday…HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDY!!!.......

Friday - Hills steady

Manic frantic rush straight from work to join the hill reps with the running club…..its the usual running past restaurants watching all the lovely people eating pizza and drinking beer…..they seriously must hate early Friday evening with 20 runners doing loops past them!!....not the most relaxing evening meals out!!!......

Actual - 5 miles           Time - 45.50            Pace - 9.10

Saturday - Rest ???....13 hour shift!!

Sunday - 15 miles comfortable

It was raining so hard…… and I didn’t realize how cold!!!...I went out without my gloves….BIG mistake!!!!!.....yikes…..!!

Comfortable pace with my sister and the very lovely Gemma…..Kept to pavements and a flat surface, not many hills in Paris so the roads it is!!!......played around with gels and found they are working well!!!....Could have kept on running…..had loads of energy and felt great…..!!......apart from the super cold hands!!!.....I really enjoyed my hot bath afterwards!!!!..... 

Actual - 15.6 flat route       Time - 2.42          Average pace - 10.22

A great week.....as usual I have LOVED it!!!!!......Bring on week 9!!!!!

Hey there lovely Steve!!!!....how you doing??? Really looking forward to Saturday.....even if I am a lot slower than you lot!!...but I guess it means I get cheered in at the end!!!!....You better wait for me before you start on the cake and coffee....( dont tell Ruth...!!) ........x

Hope your week has been as good as mine!!!....Im sure it has!!!.....

Hey Mel, sounds like you have a great week! Whenever I feel a bit jaded, I just need to read a couple of your posts - your enthusiasm is so infectious!

Glad the BUPA assessment went well - it really is an interesting experience, isn't it? And glad to hear you are happy with your bum size now haha.

Next weekend is going to be great fun, really looking forward to it. I'll be saying exactly the same to RRR and Ady as they'll be flying off waaaay faster than I am capable of! Hopefully there'll be at least a little bit of cake left by time us two finish!

Hi Mel

I do most of my runs on my own with just my ipod for company.  I can't join a club to run in the evenings because I have children, my husband works away from home all week, and I couldn't justify paying a babysitter.   At least I can do my runs during daytime, I don't think I could motivate myself to go out late at night like so many people on these forums do. 

I have picked up lots of really good advice from the Asics 5 already.   Like - Long Slow Runs really do need to be slow, or they take too much out of me to let me train properly for days afterwards.   And - why running shoes have that little extra hole (since learning how to tie my laces they have been much more comfortable). 

Not sure that I will be anywhere near Ady at the Surrey Spitfire - his times are frighteningly quick!  I'll aim for a steady 9 mins/mile and see how it goes.

Good luck at Race Your Pace, fingers crossed you come in under 2 hours.  Won't that feel fab!

Hi Cat,

Yep! You've just summed up the biggest thing I've learned since starting this whole process... slow runs are slow for a reason! I think I just thought if I went out and pushed it harder through those runs that, naturally, I'd be doing myself more good than taking it easy... apparently not!

Good luck at the Spitfire - sounds like a fun race! Let us know how you get on

melaniejayne wrote (see)

Oh my goodness....So many lovely words of encouragement!!!!.....Not been on the forum at all this week as been super busy with work.....!! 'Note to self' ....to be more active on the 'chatting to you guys" front!!!

Thank you Sam for increasing my paces!!!....I'm sure I will have fun playing around with them!!....Little worried now about under 2 hours for Dorney Lakes....!!!....But hey...I can only do my best!!!!............I just looked at your pace guidelines!!!!....yikes!!!!.....

Hi Ruth.....Yes I will take some time out and plan my dietary requirements for Saturday.....!!....Today's run I used high 5 energy gel after an hour, then at 1.30 a gu gel x2 caffeine, then at 2 hours another high 5 energy gel.....The run was 2.42 so didn't feel I needed another gel so close to the end. I felt good and didn't seem to be having any problems and was full of energy, could have kept on going but I know Sam would have given me one of her looks!!!!........The high 5 gels arnt too bad...!!!.......Ive tried the shot blocks and I struggle to breath when I eat them and run!!.....will have another play with them maybe on a shorter run when breathing not quite so important!!!!...........!!!

Hi Sarah....dont seem to have any niggles.....the knee seems to have sorted its self out......Rolling frequently!!!!.....

Morning Mel

Can I suggest you just stick to the high Five and GU and run with these as you appear to be doing fine on these. I  do not wish to over complicate things for you. If there is a problem with these gels at the half next weekend then we can discuss different plan but otherwise stick to above?

I am not going to suggest you carb load for next weekend as feel using the gels more frequently in the race is going to be more important for you. Although I would  suggest that 2 nights before  race  (Friday & Saturday) you have a high carb supper such as decent size bowl of cereal (can be porridge but other choices of cereal also would be suitable or 2 thick slices of toast and jam/honey or banana) and eat as normal the rest of the day (do not cut down on pasta/rice etc at dinner just because you will be having a large supper before bed).  

Hi Mel, I just loving reading your posts I always do so with a smile on my face too just thinking about your smile and love for running. Keep up the fab work and good luck at the weekend.

Hi Mel, hope your week is going OK. Cold out there today, so good that you've got a continuous run to do, rather than intervals. The goal is to build up to and then sustain tempo pace for the middle miles. Enjoy  

Im loving the fact Iv been given permission by Ruth to eat more over the next two nights......thank goodness as Iv just bought a big Tiger loaf!!!!....Ummmm.....Good job you said about sticking to the high 5 and Gu as i have just bought boxes of both!!!...

Thank you Sarah....!!! I think with Sam's new race paces Ill need the good luck!!...!...I am a little worried about sustaining a faster pace for 2 hours, but I believe in Sam.... so if she thinks I can do it....then I can!!!!.....

Hi Sam.....Really enjoyed tonight's session!!!.....I ran past all the running club doing lamp post speed intervals, but I think I was having far more fun!!!!......

Hi Cat.....Pesky children....they do get in the way!!!!...........I forgot about the extra little hole on running shoes....I think i need to pick Steve's brains at the weekend to show me how to lace my shoes!!....

Oh and Steve, for the record...I never said I was 'happy' with my bum size.....just that the BUPA lady didn't officially confirm it was too big!!!.....( have you ever known a woman to be happy with the size of her bottom????.......)

Really looking forward to catching up with you on Saturday....Sarah and I are staying in the local travel lodge, so if you get there too early and need somewhere warm to crash  for a bit then just shout........!....Really looking forward to meeting Jack......Hooooorahhhhhh for Mrs Ady being the official babysitter....!!!!!

DS2...Hey there.....I missed your post further back!!!....sorry!!!.....thank you for your kind words of encouragemt.....yes your right Martin would have been very proud.....! I could hear him the whole way round with his verbal stick of abuse!!.....'come on Williams'.....'stop being a sissy'.....'just take the one in the blue shirt....now the guy in the black'.....'of course you can', 'what do you mean your tired....if you can talk then you can run faster'......Thank goodness for the peace now when I run, at least I can switch him off if I want to.....!!!!

melaniejayne wrote (see)

Imloving the fact Iv been given permission by Ruth to eat more over the next two nights......thank goodness as Iv just bought a big Tiger loaf!!!!....Ummmm.....Good job you said about sticking to the high 5 and Gu as i have just bought boxes of both!!!...

Thank you Sarah....!!! I think with Sam's new race paces Ill need the good luck!!...!...I am a little worried about sustaining a faster pace for 2 hours, but I believe in Sam.... so if she thinks I can do it....then I can!!!!.....

Hi Sam.....Really enjoyed tonight's session!!!.....I ran past all the running club doing lamp post speed intervals, but I think I was having far more fun!!!!......

Tiger loaf - perfect for some extra carbs!

Have a really fun weekend!

Good luck at your race this weekend Mel!!

 Yippeeeee......I love running in the sun!!!!!!!!

 Especially with meg ( my daughter!!) trying to catch sheep of course!!!!.....