Training for Virgin London Marathon 2019, from 10K

Life got in the way of training, and blogging this week, a family birthday, building kitchen units, baking cakes, some family problems blah blah. Not really an excuse, but when your mind isn't in it, it isn't in it and no matter how much you say to yourself that others have it tougher and they are fitting in their training, it still doesn't motivate you. So, I will say no more on the last few days and jump straight to today, plan says a steady run for 1hr 20mins, but, I had signed up for the Canterbury 10 miler, and, even at my peak, I couldn't complete 10 miles in that time. I decided to run it as slow as possible, its quite a hilly course, well, there's 2 big hills, and a lot of undulations 😆 As it was a club champs race, there was a big turn out. the weather was perfect for personal best times and loads of people smashed their previous times. I started my run with Lesley but had asked her, on the way there, not to run with me today as it just ruins he...

What do you do on long run day when you can't run? Elliptical machine!! I have a hate/love/hate relationship with this machine now. I am ever so grateful to have it, don't get me wrong, but as I spend more time on it I have several trains of thought, firstly, I hate it, its so basic, not enough variation on it, wish I had one with an incline, and more data, you can never have enough data! It might make using it less boring. I love it also, as its keeps my running muscles going whilst protecting my calf. I also hate that it makes my quads burn, and my hamstrings when going backwards. I love that the burn means I am getting a better workout and stronger legs. I hate that it faces a wall and theres not much to look at. I love it because it works a my arms, back, chest, core, glutes alongside my legs. When training consistently on the same machine, technique is important, but so is variation, not only does it relieve the boredom, but it also stops your training reaching a plat...

Saturday comes around so quickly, thankfully, I do love Park Run day Since I am carrying this injury still, and am still trying to ease back into park run, and after having to walk from mile 3.4, I decided not to try it this week, I just can not afford any set backs now until after the marathon. With all this in mind I decided to volunteer this week and doubled up as 3rd corner marshal and photographer, double points! I love volunteering at Great Lines and try to be as upbeat, and encouraging as possible, there's nothing like a few positive remarks whilst running to give me a boost, so I hope my, sometimes sarcastic comments help someone at least. In reality, they are probably thinking "shut up" like you do when you are 10 miles into a half marathon and someone says "not far now!!" After park run, our running club was hosting a C25K programme, now called 'Park bench to park run'. Its week 3, Warm up, walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes (x 6 repeats...

My plan says today is a rest day, physio says, no rest days, a rest day is an opportunity to work on strength!!! so, non run days are leg work out days. Run days are for core. Here is what I did today 11 heel dips/raises on the step (half of what I normally do!!!) legs felt so tired today 25 hamstring curls with weights on my ankles 25 calf resistance stretches 25 clams with resistance band 12 lunge jumps 12 forward lunges 30 sumo squats 15 donkey kicks on each leg (with ankle weights) 15 side lunges STREEEEEEETCHES!!! calves, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, glutes and another one i do not know the name of  😉 seriously thinking about getting a weights bench

I found this pic after my workout, but I sure hope the claims are correct Today my plan say to run 10 minutes at an easy pace, 20 at threshold pace then cool down with  another 10 minutes easy. Sounds simple right? Well, I can assure you, it is not on an elliptical machine. The first 10 minutes are ok, quads burn a little but its ok. Heart rate is at 120, excellent, right where i need it to be, I think. Then comes threshold, which is around 160-170 heart rate for me. OMG, my quads are screaming, I actually feel like im going at the speed of a hamster in its wheel, glance at my heart rate, on my Apple watch, 138!!! WTH, that can't be right, I'm sweating like im in a sauna, my quads feel like that might catch fire, my arms are going like the clappers. I know this because I can hear my bingo wings slapping around like the beat to a techno song (ex fat girl to not so fat girl problems ;) ) and still my heart rate isn't going too high. Now, luckily for me, my elliptical...

Rest day, yay. When all the pressures of training, or, in my case, worrying about injuries and if they are getting better, worse or staying the same. Rest day, however, does not mean you can stop thinking about the marathon, or the training, or the fundraising, or even your diet plan for the next gazillion days. Studying books, recipes, online pages, figuring out if the calorie intake is less than the required nutrition you body is going to crave, especially as the miles start ramping up.  My legs, or in particular, my calf is still sore and tight, though not as tight as it was. It seems two days off from running/eliptical is enough. I am still walked my mileage, my watch didn't seem this was important enough to save and pitched a fit on me when I tried to retrieve the data. However, I did enjoy my rest day, and those recipes had to be found and worked out, as did the revision of my training plan. Plus, I am a housewife and mother, so a rest day isn't quite lay...

I went to Park Run today, full of optimism. Today was our CC (club champs) first event, a 5K at our local Saturday morning at the great Lines. Although it was CC I had no intention of going for a PB, I knew my calf was not up to it, so a slow plod with Lesley and Bentley was on the cards We set off at a very slow pace, our course is 2 laps, starting off running around the football pitch, followed immediately by and uphill (locally, and joking called "The Alps''), then on to the rest of the course, which is somewhat kinder. The first lap was going OK, I can tell my fitness has dropped off, breathing seems hard and laboured and I developed a stitch, but pushed on through it, I knew it would go eventually if I concentrated on my breathing. Second lap, as we reached the top of the hill I felt my calf tighten again 😢 I am so frustrated and gutted, in a dilemma, do I go physio again? or keep rolling it, and hope for the best. I think I am going to have to sto...

Sports physio day, I actually look forward to tattoo day more than physio day, no really, they both leave you feeling fabulous, but tattoos are a little less painful. Going into this appt knowing I have an injury brings more trepidation than normal. I mean, I know the glutes are going to hurt, they hurt everyone when being massaged, but your therapist digging his thumbs into a sore spot is tantamount to torture, OK, thats a slight exaggeration, but it is a little painful to say the least. Its never as bad as I anticipate to be fair, and my ''injury'' turned out be a strain, the good news is it didn't re-tear, the bad news is its still not strong enough to push, not exactly what you want to hear on week 2 of your  training plan, but also not the worse news, so, silver linings and all that. I now have instructions for more strengthening, and stretching, so my cross training days of 15 minutes of exercises, has now turned into an hour or more working on my weaknes...

On the plan today was 10 min easy run, 20 mins steady run and 10 mins easy. My weak calf has been sore after the last couple of runs, so I did my long run Friday, and didn't run Saturday or Sunday, to give extra rest time. Since Monday night is my running clubs team run, I figured I could do that, ok, its about 50mins in total but figured i would do that extra 10 mins at an easy pace too. I set off from home, and met my friend Cathy a few roads away and we headed off to the meeting point. Less than a mile into the run, my left calf went really tight, pause Garmin, stop running, massage leg, nope, not working. Buggar, this is what happened at The Great South Run, only then I continued to run, thinking it was just cramp or something, and tore my calf. Lesson learned, I quickly made the decision to bail out of the run and walk back home. It felt better walking so we went the long way. Came home and foam rolled it, nothing, I now question if I do that correctly. Ive watched Yo...

We all know the importance of stretching and strengthening for running, but lets be honest, who actually does it? I know in the past, its something I have dipped in and out of, not really committed to it. I really want to be able to run this marathon the best I am capable of. I am not so much bothered about time, but I want to enjoy it, I want to be smiling my way round and most importantly,  I want to be able to walk the next day 😉 So after a 10 minute warm up on the elliptical to get my heart rate up and the blood flowing I started with resistance calf stretches, 20 on each leg, an exercise the physio gave me to re-strengthen my calves after tearing both last year. I followed them with heel raises and dips on the stairs. I still can't manage more than 2 on each leg so do those then continue doing both together for another 19 reps. Next came arms, 10 circles, 10 windmills, 10 wall push ups (so much easier than actual push ups) and finishing with 10 floor tricep d...

Today was a rest day, at least that was my intention. I messaged my local park run and volunteered. I was given the job of tail walker. Great, I'm thinking, a gentle walk to loosen up my stiff quads after yesterdays long run. At the start a guy comes up to me from Medway Sports and asks if we can do a quick interview about the volunteers role. Luckily, it as quick as I could hear the run briefing finishing up.  We all set off, and I am with a lady who's pregnant and thinking result, we will walk the whole thing. Our park run is 2 laps, and at the end of the first she drops out, I look for the next person at the back, can't even see them!!! I had no choice but to run to try to catch up, 800m plus and I spot the next runner, well, walker, quick sprint to catch him, by now, my toes are sore from wearing my boots, and, I wasn't wearing a sports bra 🙈 then the guy tells me he isn't taking part, but on his way home 😂 Another quick sprint to the next runner and we fin...

Long Run Day Since hubs is working on Sunday, and I will have no-one to watch our daughter, she's 19, but has uncontrolled epilepsy, and needs 24 hour supervision. My club does an unofficial run on a Friday, so it seemed like the ideal opportunity to get my miles in, although, it was only meant to be a 60 minute run, it ended up longer. I had to walk a whole hill and half another hill as my calf was fatigued and getting tired, that said, the run felt good on the whole. I tried Tailwind for the first time today, I really think it helped as I hadn't had time for breakfast, and am excited to try it over longer runs as I think I have found my fuel source. Gels don't agree with my tummy, and it means I can carry a lot less than originally planned. All that said, its early days and the gels were fine the first time I tried them so will have to wait and see, but the early signs are encouraging https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SallyCongram

Strength and core training, I have no real idea what I am doing, so, until I get better advice, I just put together a workout with some sort of structure. I downloaded a few ''30 day challenge'' apps to my phone and figured they were better than nothing.  Started with a 10 minute warm up on the elliptical machine Followed by resistance band clams, and heel to butt raises as advised by my physio to try and re-strengthen my calves after tearing them both, at different times Next came squats, day one of the app is easy enough ;) Then came abs, having had four kids and no exercise in years, well, decades actually, I find sit ups too much of a strain on my back, so I put my feet on the seat of a chair and shuffle my butt close to chair and do sit ups this way. Hopefully, in time, I will be able to do a proper sit-up.  Bum next, my physio told me I have lazy glutes, is it just me or does a sports massage on you glutes make you feel like cr...

I have gained a lot of weight since picking up so many injuries this year, I guess I hadn't really altered my diet to compensate for not running as much, or, in some cases, at all. My own fault, I guilt tripped myself every time I ate something I shouldn't, didn't stop me cramming it into my gob though, although it did put a bit of a downer on enjoying it, clearly not enough though 😂 It's the first day of the year, as happens every year, it feels weird to write, or in this case, type, 2019.  My actual plan started yesterday, first instruction, REST, result 😉 Today, was a 30 minutes ER (Easy Run). Like many I questioned, what is an easy run? I am assuming it means do not get out of breath, but we all know that first mile or so, the lungs tend to scream "WTF is going on". I guess easy run refers to how you feel after the panicked beginning, when everything settles down. I was listening to ''This is Going To Hurt'' on my audible...