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it's from one of my son's fav tv progs - big bear in the blue house - i guess i look more like the giant bear in real life - but somehow the mouse appeals more!
(and someone might recognise me online if i put the bear up)
Pocahontas - Hope the 12K goes well today and glad you like pic ;0)
BTW - the gadget was justified to Mr Poca in that he could use it too.....thing is, he has now taken it over and has forgotten it was my toy!!!
We spent the morning at Aldenham Country Park. They have a section laid out like Winnie the Pooh Woods (100 acre woods) with doors on the tree's etc and DD loves running up to knock on the doors to see if anyones home. It's a great walk, seemed much easier than last year when I wasn't as fit! hehe
Dookie (our dog) jumped into the lake to chase the ducks, the first time he's voluntarily swum.
Then picnic, playpark, bit more of a walk and home.
Now, there's roast lamb for dinner, and am proud to say only one small easter egg for me
Was planning a run before dinner, but tummy has decided I should stay home (if u know what I mean.. could be totm on way, seems to affect me like that). My depo is due soon, and things go topsy turvey for a bit. I'm stopping them this time though.. future planning of little feet.
Anyway.. long post, sorry!
Lady M, tutter ur mouse if very cute! DD has a soft toy version.
we had family round in the morning, then a nice quiet afternoon.
Boiled and decorated eggs with my little un. Couldn't believe it when eventually the shell was so battered, my little girl just ate the egg inside. I was soooooo proud of her, tried very hard to make sure she isn't a fussy eater.
Went out and did my 2miles this afternoon. Have upped my run walk a tiny bit more today. Walk 1 min/run 3 (was previously 2 1/2) so am a bit chuffed. Also was a first going out in the daytime, but i thought "well what the hell!"
My neice, who's 14, came over a wee while ago and said she wanted to go out for a run tomorrow. She's quite overweight like me and i think i've inspired her a bit. So we're off out again in a minute to run walk a minute each time. See how far/long we can manage. This, in addition to my normal session is very good fitness i think!!!!
extra brownie points for me
We did my normal 2 mile course but claire walked 45 secs rather than a minute. I just did a freestyle 2 miles. Running ahead and then wawlking and waiting for my niece. Not a challengin run or anything but i'd already had one today, so this was juat a bonus session.
(and the dog got his walk!!!)
you keep going
well done Marion - a bonus session ! you'll probably find the pounds drop off this week.
jammie and all - i shall stay as tutter the mouse then for the time being. perhaps i will acquire that nickname as people "tut" as i arrive last in my first race - the prize ceremony is 2hrs after the start, and i am having visions of collapsing in a heap having just arrived back as they are giving the winners medals out.
at mu current pace, a 10k would take me about 1h40 on a good day or 2hrs on a bad one
only 21days to go and i am so incredibly slow i am worried
half of me thinks i should pull out of race as it's way too early and i will just make a fool of myself and/or get injured by trying to push myself too hard too early
half of me thinks i can't do so now having told friends and family
i think the problem is that my knees and ankles are too weak to support my existing weight - so i have to stop too often to let them rest - not out of breath but pains in joints - however this is meaning i end up walking most of the way
anyone got any views on whether i should pull out of my 10k?
the farthest i have run so far is 5.7k and that is at a pace which would give 1h56 for a 10k
i wonder how much i can achieve in 3 weeks??
i posted a week ago with same concerns and talked myself round, but since then training was disrupted by trip abroad, so now am even more worried
also, is it better to focus on speed or distance at this stage ??
i feel it's pointless entering a flat 10k race if i am going to be slower than 90mins(a fit guy can WALK it in that time)
so i have an idea to do more but shorter sessions (30mins instead of an hour) and try and up the pace a little but not worry about the distance for the next week or so
My normal gut instinct would be, 'Go girl, enter the 10k!', but you sound like your in tune with your bod, and if you say it hurts, i believe you.
Have you thought about starting your racing career with one of the 'Race For Life?' series. Theses are a series of women only 5k'ers across the country. There loads in kent. Build up to the 10k, pick a nice one in Kent in early autumn (Maidstone is good). Romp your first 10k in style!
Pace matters not a jot at this stage in the game LoK (banish all thoughts of speed from your mind for the time being!), it's about time on your feet and taking things very slowly.
Child -> Runner evolution!
Crawl -> Crawl/Walk -> Walk -> Walk/Jog -> Jog -> Run.
Savvy?
Keep up with the hour sessions, and try to monitor progress over months not weeks.
Running has provided me with my own redemption. I first started running (and to be completey honest, exercsising at all) about 4 years ago after doing no exercise for the previous 10 years. My first exercise session was 10 lengths of the local swimming pool, I almost fainted with exhasution in the changing rooms. I threw up everywhere! I was 4 stone overwieght (which is worse than it sounds when your 5'7") and smoked 20+ a day.
These days? I can do a sub 50min 10k any day of the week and twice on wednesday!
And so can you LoK! But it won't happen overnight.
Hope you find this useful!
i really dont know how best to advise you on the 10k question LoK. 10k seems like such a huge distance to me, i'm definately not contemplating anything so huge for a long time.
Is this pain in your joints prior to running? or just once you get into the run? Would cod liver oil help? i don't know how immediate the effects would be but maybe by 3 weeks time you would feel a difference.
What about covering the distance by just walking some time in the next week or so, that might get the 10k out of the way psychologically and then you can focus on making the speed/pace up. They say if you walk for 2, run for 5 you will cover 5k in 35-40 mins so why not run walk it at those kind of times. 10k would be about 1hr 20-30 mins which seems reasonable?
what kind of run is it you're doing....? Serious club runners or fun run? i imagine it will be a mixed group of people as most of these things are, really you would have to be really really rubbish and have done no groundwork to come in last. And let's face it, whaether or not you think you are ready for it, you have done a helluva lot of preparation, much more than a lot of people will have done.
You will finish the race, no doubt about it. Are you running alone, or with some other like minded/similarly able person?
that could make a difference.
Also are you training alone. I go out on my own most of the time, but once aweek a friend comes over, she's a bit ahead of me so when i go out with her i always mange a bit more and that's when i often step my schedule up a gear.
gosh what a long post, i'm sorry!
So i spent from 4am til 6am (get up time) perched on the edge of her bed, half asleep, worrying about sleping in, worrying about not getting back to sleep, worrying about falling out of bed. Joy of parenting eh?
Does anyone know if theres anywhere on the website to follow the story of the 3 runners fro the beginnning?
here is a copy of the email....
kerry,
we have started a new thread in the unofficial forum running club thingy.
And we want you to come in periodically and inspire us with your greatness.
Please pop in occaisionally while you can. Lets face it the rate you're going you might not qualify as a big girl for too long.
Good luck for sunday, will be watching out for you. (dumb thing to say i know when there are 1000's and 1000's of people running but i will be rooting for you!)
Marion
x
If you go for it I know it sounds really obvious but run your own race. Sounds so much easier than it is trust me! Start at the back and just bear in mind that the vast majority of the others at the back will get round in about 60-65 mins, so it doesn't matter if they go off faster than you. My biggest problem is trying to keepup with everyone else! Once I loose sight of the main body of runners I seem to tune in with my bodys pace and run better, but it is so easy to get past the threshold and into that painful legs-stitch etc stage by running to fast early on. Also don't worry what anyone else is doing just run-walk from the start. Wish we didn't live at opposite ends of the country (me Yorkshire!) or I'd come down and keep you company.
Good luck whatever you decide!
I am aiming for 5k's only this year.
Marion well done on mailing Kerry, perhaps she'll share her dietry tips with us eh!
I ran this morning, well not sure 'ran' is the right word, but only managed 1.5 miles again. Dunno whats up these days, am struggling to get out of the door since school holidays started, runs have halved in distance and my pace dropped from a slow 13-14 min mile to now a 16 min mile.
Thank goodness school returns next week! Back to aerobics, and get into a regular running regime I hope.
Hope u all had a good weekend!
thanks GT - yes i agree hardest part will be not running at the start - will probably be too embarassed to walk/run at the early stage till out of sight of main group..
Marion - big big thanks - what you said is really helpful: i am a big fan of supplements - taking echinacea to fend off colds (seems to work) and general vitamins (seems to work) but i am not taking anything for my joints ! Whereas clearly this is a weak area for me so i am going to start taking something like c l oil - you are right i am sure and it can't do any harm!!
likewise walking the distance to know i have done it once is a great idea - so there is no pyschological barrier then
timewise - Walk 2Run 5 is not doable for me at mo - sorry !
company - well i don't run with anyone else, and am not sure if it will help or hinder. my instinct is that i prefer to run alone most of the time, but in the final stages of the race , it would be great to have company. I am going to try and get some supporters staged strategically towards the end of it.
anyway all really good points
and Marion - toddlers restless nights - yeh , totally sympathise with that one !
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?sp=&v=1&uan=1249
i was so inspired by Kerry that i tracked down kerry's coach and he agreed to coach me by email for 10 weeks - that ran out a few weeks ago.
it wasn't entirely what i'd hoped for but it got me started on the right track so i am thankful for that
i would have given up if i hadn't had the help and encouragement of this forum - and that was free, and from ordinary mortals!!
there's a moral in there somewhere..
i bumped my run walk up to walk 1 min, run 3 minutes yesterday.
If you fancy it we can try and train along the same lines and see if we can get to run 4 mins in the next couple of weeks.
I only take 1 minute walk breaks but some info states you should increase your walks a bit when you lengthen your runs.
Maybe walk 1:15/ run 3:15 next time we go out and report back here..........
does that seem do-able to you?
we can try but at the mo i would be happy even with a 1 - 1 run walk !!
feel like i am stuck or going backwards with this system
i don't know my exact timings as using the watch to monitor it totally threw me off
- tried it for the first time the other day with the watch and found it annoying if i am ready to stop after 45secs say and then thing bleeps etc at 60secs .likewise wanting to start again before the next full minute
found myself fiddling with the watch the whole time and that slowed me down and spoiled the run really
i've always found it easier to just count numbers in my head as a go - but they are not reliably equal to the seconds!! (80/90 = 1min i think) But that way i can stop and start when my body is telling me it doesn't hurt anymore
in the last few weeks i was just running walking without noting the times until the end of the run , when i had an accurate readout of my total time/speed from the SDM
- so i do know my final run time and distance properly at least
i realise lately that i am not run/walking in a consistent pattern though - i think i just run till i need to stop and walk till i feel i can run - as it's all dictated by my whether i am getting pains in my joints
not sure if i am being "lazy" by not using the watch to dictate when i run /walk or just being sensible
i was shocked at how hard it felt to run/walk the other day when i used the watch
maybe just tired that day
am thinking of doing some cross training for a few days to take the pressure of the joints - ex bike /swimming etc
will definitely post on my next run what happened but reluctant to go back to the watch method unless people think i am being too easy on myself
the other thing is - i usually start with 5 mins at least of brisk walking to warm up - i find i need that - but i guess that slows my overall average time.
in the race i will warm up before hand so that won't count into my time and hopefully i can start the walk run from the gun.
will post timings when i next run
and thanks for the offer of encouragement mutual training!
I also take cod liver oil, garlic, calcium, multivit and mineral tabs.
The extra weight doesn't help my right knee or ankles either but improving - so you go for it and just think how proud all of us BIG GIRLS will beof you when you finish (at whatever time) :0)
Good Call. How do you get to moscow? ... By going to moscow.
Top Tips for the day
1. (as i learned) Avoid the cavalry charge at the beginning of the race. This is a classic killer. Start with a walk, don't resist the temptation to kick away(chances are that you'll have to do this when crossing the start line anyhow.). This pay dividends at the mid point.
2. (as i learned) You don't think you will now, but you will try and beat other runners. This is white line fever, avoid.
3. (as i learned) be prepared to be overtaken by people larger and older than you. Remember, This is not a relfection on you. When i did my first ½m it was an eight lap course of battersea park. Me and my buddy were lapped twice by an old dear with a profusion of white hair. It can be very easy at this point to think your not cut out for this lark. Worry not, that will be you one day.
Please, please post updates on your training as they happen. We won't want you slacking off (although you will need to taper pre-race.)
If the race is in kent, i'm perfectly happy to cheer you on.
Have you received your race number yet? You'll feel 2 foot taller when you get, a true magic moment.
Good luck to all of you in achieving your goals. As Pezza says, please do keep us updated.
Pezza, I am amazed at how much good advice you come up with. I would like to second every thing you've said in your last couple of posts.
Keep it up, everyone!
I'm sat in the house with 3 little kids running round making a hell of a din but who cares they're keeping out of my way. Little spud's in the middle of it all he's fully recovered after his bramble bashing.
I've been out for my run, don't know how far or the exact time as my watch strap broke (freeby from Runners World) but it was about the hour. I run in Sankey Valley park which has the canal running through it, it's my little oasis, well it's not so little as you can go to Liverpool one way or to St. Helens and beyond the other. It also saves me from having to go on any roads and there are lots of nice tracks.
Getting back to the watch, can anyone recommend a decent, inexpensive, ladies running watch?
I'm enjoying reading all your comments and great advice.
On the run / walk front, I used teh 'couch to 5k' plan on www.coolrunning.com it's fantastic, and seems a really good balance all the way thru.
And definately post ur progress.. I love reading it and believe me.. will be posting mine good or bad!
Am thinking about joining my local running club (GadeValleyHarriers), got an email back from them saying they have runners of my ability!
I also go to Slimming W. I've tried all the rest but love the choice of SW and the fact you can eat all that pasta, spuds (love the oven chips) and other filling nosh. I've not felt hungry and have had a steady weight loss since the begining of the year - so far 24lbs.
Running has trimmed up quite a few of the wobbly bits and my stamina has improved so much.
I need to do some cross training as I'm getting a few aches, I need to strengthen my quads and bum muscles as my hips and knees are not that strong. I think it has something to do with carrying a big bum and belly around for so long and the muscles and ligaments are now complaining that they're weak!! I'm trying some of the exercises from the site and the ones recommended from the other forum users.
Anyway I'm going on a bit now so will take Little Spud and the dog out for their walk.
- it's the whitstable 10k - are you kent based then?
and yeh it did feel great to get my race pack with number in it - but then sudden feeling of panic ..hence postings here!
chunks - good on you for getting out and running even with a house full of kids !
watch - i dunno i just use the one on SDM or HRM - i think argos do some good cheapos though.
purple - i will go and have a look at cool running - good luck with the training.
for info, i wasn't expecting further coaching input but i just had an email back from my coach's assistant ( coach tied up with marathon duties) - this is an excerpt of what he says in response to my queries about 10k
"...whilst I am sure you would love to 'beat' a target time for the 10km, the key thing is your commitment to doing the event. Whatever speed you go at, however 'slow' you feel you might be going, the fact that you go out , in front of friends and family, and 'just do it' is the key thing.....because having done it you will (a) have achieved something that all the spectators and non-runners have not and (b) you will then have something to benchmark against for the future....
So we certainly don't think it is 'pointless' to do the 10km if you are going to be slower than 1hr 30 mins. If it takes 2hr 30mins it does not really matter so long as you DO IT!"
So that's me for deffo unless i am actually injured to the point of real pain on running ..i'm taking the red pill ...
much respect due to anyone coming back from having had a kid - it's not so much the pregnancy as the looking after a baby /getting no sleep/ and looking after the other one at the same time
on the other hand you're a bit skinny for this thread ! pah size 12/14- sorry just jealous - we welcome all here (got my knuckles wrapped before about that!)
sounds like you've been heavy and light
though i reckon i matched your pregnant weight when i was preggas, and i'm only 5"1
(i guess that's nothing for me to show off about though!)
Good luck