Kent coastal half marathon, 5th September

With its scenic coastal route – the course is an out and back from just outside Margate to Broadstairs – and billed as “mildly undulating”, this race seemed like a good option for my first half marathon. I got a lift down on the morning and met up with a group of runners from the club.

The first few miles were quite enjoyable as we took in some beautiful coastal scenery but after four or five miles, the seemingly constant undulations, hot sun and strong winds began to take their toll. An incline of several miles took us to the half way point where we turned around and started the real hard work.

I think it would be fair to say that we all found the second half much tougher! Although we took a slightly different route for a mile or so of the way back, which provided us with some relief from the coastal winds, the stretch through a residential area was rather tedious. The last few miles were really tough – mile 12 in particular seemed to go on forever - and I cursed myself for not eating a more substantial breakfast as I fought the urge to walk the last few inclines.

Eventually, the end appeared along with a goody bag stuffed with some unusual looking non-branded snacks and drinks, and while waiting for Claire and Matt to finish the full marathon we had chance to enjoy some sunshine, compare blisters and chafing etc., and reflect on how pleased we were not to be doing the full. I was quite pleased with my time for my first half and on a trickier course than I’d expected (although being told to be back in two hours if I wanted a lift back to London was a bit of a motivator!). And it was excellent to discover that we had got the prize for the 1st ladies team while one of our number also picked up a delightful “silver” plate for being 2nd SW.

There was lots of support en-route from the very encouraging marshals, supporters and the many locals out enjoying the sunshine. The Morris dancers running the full marathon were a bit of a novelty – they stopped halfway round for a dance - but I felt pretty sorry for anyone unfortunate to be running anywhere near them. The only slight issue of contention was the possible inaccuracy of the course distance - we all measured it as 13.25 miles and that extra 0.15 mile was most unwelcome!

An enjoyable experience for my first half and, according to some guides, a 1:50 half woul put me on track for a 4hr marathon - here's hoping!

Things not to do before/during/after a long run

1- Drink cocktails the night before, even if they are 2 for 1. Happy Hour on Friday night doesn't make for happy running on Saturday morning. Although, after a few miles of running my hangover had gone so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all ...
2- Store your jelly babies in your sports bra. Seemed like a good idea at the time (maybe due to point 1) as I haven't got around to getting a running belt but by 5 miles in, they were starting to get sticky. I thought I might get a few weird looks when I pulled a sweet out of my bra to munch on but no one seemed to notice/care - I guess that SE London for you!
3- Sit on your butt for the next two days and forget your daily stretching. Having decided to use the bank holiday to catch up with some thesis writing meant I moved very little for two days. Still feeling a little sore and stiff now.

Still 18 mile run out of the way and I don't seem to have done any serious damage. Bit of an 'easier' week this week, in terms of mileage at least: club race on Thurs (3ish miles) and (my first ever) half marathon on Sun :-)

13 - unlucky for some?

With my next trip to the physio scheduled for tomorrow, I'm reminded of what he said at my last visit: that I was ok after doing 9 miles but if I'd done 12 or 13 it would have been a different story. This was very similar to what the physio leading an injury prevention workshop at SMUC said the week before - that people are ok until they get to 13 miles then they start getting injured.

I wonder why this is. Does something happen to the body after 13 miles of running? Is this some kind of 'natural limit' for most people? Or is getting to a long run of 13 miles an indicator of the weekly mileage reaching some threshold where people are overtraining relative to the strength and conditioning of their muscles (and body more generally)?

I felt pretty bad by the end of my recent 13 mile run. By 11 miles everything hurt, I was tired and getting miserable. Luckily the next week's long run dropped down to 10 miles providing a welcome rest for my legs before building up to 14 and then 15 miles. By comparison, I felt much better at the end of these runs, maybe because I tried different trainer/orthotic combinations. Or maybe my legs are getting stronger? Last weekend, I was lucky enough to have some company for the last 9 miles, which definitely helped :-)

At least I'm getting up to distances where I can justify munching a few jelly babies towards the end (yummy!). 17 miles this weekend ...

88 days 'til Dublin ... Eek!

For some reason, 88 days sounds much scarier than 3 months - I'm not sure why! I'm on the 4th week of my training plan: 3 'quality' runs and 2 days cross training per week. The last couple of weeks' running has gone well but finding it hard to fit everything in this week with various leaving dos going on for the big boss at work.

One thing I have learnt is not to go rock climbing the day before a 13 mile run! My arms only recovered yesterday and I'm not sure that my legs have yet ...

On the plus side, I received an email from Guy's & St Thomas' Charity yesterday officially confirming my place with them in the 2011 London Marathon. Yay! Although, I'm not sure that I'll still be enthusiastic about it when I'm dragging my ass home after the Dublin marathon in three months time??

Hot & hilly races and new trainers!

A couple of Sundays ago, I took part in my first 10k race of the year. Billed as a "fun run" and being conveniently located close to my mum's house, I thought it might be a fun thing to do whilst visiting my mum for the weekend. Luckily, I went online to check out the route a few days before and discovered comments from previous years along the lines of "very challenging" and "killer hills"! I tried to comfort myself with the knowledge that many of my runs are on hilly routes and perhaps the locals in flat East Anglia just weren't used to hills.

The race started at 11am - on the hottest day of the year so far! - on the village green with a real fete atmosphere. After a loop round the village and a brief stint on a busy road, the rest of the race was on quiet country lanes, footpaths and through farmland. Unfortunately, there was little shade and many of the hills were across open farmland with baked ruts and broken roots underfoot. What a relief it was to come back into the village and the see the finish line up ahead! For some reason, I was very surprised to see my mum waiting for me just before the finish, camera at the ready ... I think the heat had got to my brain by that point! I did enjoy the race and was very pleased to find out a couple of days that later that I was 20th woman (out of over 100, and 127/450 overall) although disappointed that I wasn't 8th as my mum had thought.

I was spurred on by the race to do an 8 mile club run a few days later followed by a 5k club race the next day, totally forgetting that I'd not run the previous week. My poor achilles really were knacked by this point and with my physio on holiday for two weeks, I decided to buy yet another pair of trainers and take it easy for a while. I went out for a couple of runs the next week but couldn't tell if the new trainers helped as my achilles were still sore from the previous week so rested completely for a few more days. Then my dad arrived from the US bearing even better trainers ... I cautiously went out in them this morning thinking about doing around 6 miles but felt really good so ended up doing a 9 mile run instead :-)

Is there anybody out there ...?

The buzzword in academia at the moment - according to the rather uninspiring careers event I went to last week - is public engagement. So far, this blog has had over 400 hits but very few comments. If you'd like to leave a comment - be it advice, your experience, or something completely random thoughts - please do!! I'd love to hear from you :-)

Oh, the drama!

Turns out my lovely new trainers have caused me to develop 'bilateral achilles tendinopathy', which translates as pain at the bottom of both my calves. My physio seemed rather exasperated at how I'd managed to develop another problem since my last visit (in addition to getting hit by a bus last week and having my arm bandaged from an unrelated incident!). I'm reluctant to buy another new pair and am hoping that with a bit of self-massage, they might settle down ...

On a more positive note, my hamstring problem is getting better and I've been given a more fun exercise to get my glutes working - walking upstairs two at a time, very slowly. Seeing as I live in a ground floor flat this means doing the exercise at work so I'm preparing myself to get some odd looks from colleagues over the coming weeks!

I wonder if some people really are just more injury prone? If I didn't love running so much - and wasn't raising money for GSTT charity - I think I might have opted for the easy option and given up. But I haven't so I'll keep plodding on :-)

Back on track

Technically, I suppose the title should actually be "on track" since this was my first ever track session! After being in the running club for six months, I finally plucked up the courage to try out the Friday track session at Dulwich College track. Imagine my horror when I got to the track to find hurdles set up! Fortunately, they were from a previous session otherwise I might have cried!

I actually enjoyed the session - a pyramid of 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m. Luckily - especially with the intense heat - the coach went easy on the slower of us and so we stayed at 300m. My brain appears not to engaging my butt still as my hamstrings were pretty sore afterwards.

I'm also enjoying my fab new trainers - well worth the trip to Victoria where the lovely staff did video gait analysis and brought out pair after pair of trainers until they found the perfect fit.

It's official: I have a "lazy butt"!

I wonder if anyone ever goes to a sports physio and gets good feedback on the state of their body?! It seems that new trainers, some manipulation on my back, and daily exercises have started to make a difference to my respective arch, back, and hip-hitching problems. However, my physio has discovered the possible root of my hamstring and hip problems - I have a "lazy butt"! Yes, it seems that my brain is failing to engage my glutes when walking/running leading to an overload on my hamstrings/hips (especially on the right side). The scientist in me demanded to know why isn't my brain doing this? Has my brain had a falling out with my butt that I'm unaware of?! I'm content with the idea of my muscles not doing what they should but not with my brain failing to work properly!

Poor posture seems to be part of the problem. More exercises are the solution including practising walking using my glutes; I now feel like I'm mincing up and down the corridors at work. Hopefully it doesn't look as strange it as feels :-)

Brace yourself: this is going to hurt ...

And it did! I had my first appointment with my new physio last Wednesday and it was well worth the extra money. After a very thorough assessment, it turns out that:
1- I have a collapsed arch in my right foot and use my toes muscles to lift my foot, which is why my shins are sore and I have a "mashed shin" (his words!)
2 - I have a "back like an ironing board" (again not my words!) causing me to run with my pelvis forward and bum sticking out (like a duck, apparently) so that instead of using my glutes, I overload my hamstrings
3- The hip muscle in my right thigh doesn't work properly so my hip pops in and out of the socket and I overuse the muscle on the outer thigh (which is causing the pain in my leg)
4- My feeling of running lopsided is caused by me leaning to one side and "hip hitching" when I lift my left leg.
5- My trainers are completely wrong for my feet (damn Decathlon "gait analysis"!)

The good news? "None of this is life-threatening". Well, I could have worked that one out myself!
The solution: manipulation on my back (still aching from that bone-cracking!), sports massage on my hip (v painful), various stretches and exercises to do at home (to replace the ones given by my first physio), and some new trainers. Oh, and it helped that the physio was rather attractive :-)

2nd karaoke night photos!

We had our second karaoke night yesterday at Lucky Voice. Unfortunately, Dr G and Su-Bo had to drop out at the last minute. A good time was had by all (hopefully!) and particular highlights for me were the renditions of The Bloodhound Gang's 'The Ballad of Chasey Lain' and Justin Timberlake's 'SexyBack'! The only lowlight was having to admit that I was the one who put Justin Bieber on...

Benjamin treating us to some Barry White. Or was it the Bloodhound Gang?!

Gemma carefully considering her song choice ...

Or was she?!

355 days to go!

Yesterday was the day of the London Marathon, which I should have been running if it weren't for an pesky injury. It was also the first time that I've been to watch the whole race and after racing around (not literally) to see the start and then various points along the way (Greenwich, Westferry, Embankment), I was exhausted!

It was great to go and see where I'll be lining up next year and get some good practical advice on the course from JT. What a difference between the happy and excited runners at Greenwich (6 miles) and the tired and sore runners along the Embankment (24-25 miles)! I kind of wish that I'd only seen Greenwich and then I could fool myself that it was smiles and laughter for the whole 26.2 miles ...

I came back full of inspirations and with some recommendations from other people from the running club about which physio to try for some more specialist running advice than my former physio could offer. I now have a year to raise the remaining £1300 towards my target and no excuse for reaching - if not exceeding - it! It's our second karaoke night today, which should kick off the next phase of my fundraising nicely :-)

What I didn't mention in my last post was that I'd been persuaded by JT to go to the first of the Assembly League fixtures the following day. I was easily swayed by the promise of a short and easy race, with "runners of all standards" and just a "little" hill at the beginning. Considering that my only previous race experience had been a 10K Race for Life last year - in which I'd finished near the front of the pack - having hundreds of serious club runners overtake me at the start of the race was a humbling experience! Nethertheless, as I hadn't run much for several runs, I was pleased with a time of under 24 mins (2.8 miles) and very happy not to be last at least :-)

After some discussion with JT, I'm thinking that the Dublin marathon in October might not be a good idea. My injury is getting better but I still have pain after a few miles and don't want to rush back into an intensive training schedule too soon. So the alternative is to wait until the London marathon next year and do a half marathon in the autumn. But which one?! There is a possibility that I'll be in Montreal for a conference justbefore the half-marathon there, which would be a great reason to extend my stay for some sightseeing and running. My other choice was the Royal Parks half marathon in London this October but apparently that's already sold out. There is the Run to the Beat half marathon at the end of September - quite a new and funky one by the look of it.

However, I'm aware of my recent run of paying to enter races that I'm then not able to take part in due to injury and think I may have previously blogged about tempting fate!

In da club

I went to running club last Wednesday for the first time in more than two months. I was pleased to manage a fair paced five mile run although my hamstring was up to its normal tricks by the end. Two hours later, my hip/hamstring had completely stiffened up but I had enjoyed catching up with my fellow runners, a refreshing drink and some cheesy bar snacks!

I'll continue with the stretching/strengthening and delay running again until my muscles have recovered. At least the evenings are lighter now that the clocks have gone forward so some post-work running is just waiting to be enjoyed :-)

Sports therapy goes hi-tech

I had my first experience of ultrasound yesterday. No, I'm not pregnant! My sports therapist suggested ultrasound therapy to break down some of the many adhesions (bits of scar tissue) at the top of my hamstring. Apparently, they can cause the muscle to remain contracted, which might explain why it feels tight still. Happily ultrasound is completely pain-free, unlike the 30min sports massage that came before it!

I'm quite happy at the moment as I managed a 25 min run/walk session this week so feel like I'm making some progress at last :-)

Mixed blessings

After attempting a very easy run last week and having to stop after just one mile, I had to face the fact that my injury hasn't healed and I probably won't be able to attempt running for another week or two. On Friday, I took the very difficult - and just a little emotional - decision to inform GSTT charity that I wouldn't be able to do the London marathon. I felt really sad writing the email and everytime I saw a runner over the weekend.

I got a lovely response from the charity on Monday, offering their sympathies and giving me the opportunity to have a charity place in next year's London marathon instead. I'm really excited that I'll have a place for next year, can roll my fundraising over, and won't be letting anyone down!

I'm still planning to do the Dublin marathon in October this year, with a plan to take it easy and just enjoy the experience. In any case, I think I'll need a break from my PhD by then, even if it is just for a long weekend :-)

I'm really itching to get back to running, especially with the current sunny and dry weather!

Trust me - I'm a sports therapist.

It was my second appointment with the sports therapist today. I had some more massage, which although not as painful as I'd feared, has left me with a cluster of bruises on my inner thigh!

Unfortunately, they couldn't give me any advice on training for the marathon other than to have a test run and build up slowly (they're more used to footballers and rugby players). I also lost some confidence in my therapist after she admitted that after having assured me my problem wasn't a bursitis during last week's appointment, she looked it up after I left and had a panic that she'd missed it and made it worse with a sports massage!

Previously, I'd thought that I was ok with the thought that London might not happen for me and had even picked my second choice marathon for the autumn. But as another week's ticked by without training and there's less than seven weeks to go, everytime I see a runner (which is quite often at the moment!) I feel a pang of sadness about how much running I've missed out on and disappointment at the thought of not being able to run London.

I think it's time to consult someone with running expertise to get a more definitive answer and put an end to the "Will I? Won't I?" saga ...

Things you don't want to hear when having a sports massage to the groin:

"Hmm, the muscles are so tight I don't know what else I can do ... unless I use my elbow".

Eek! Yes, Tuesday was my appointment with the sports therapist for the pain in my butt, which has stopped my running for the last 10 days or so. After a very thorough examination, she concluded that as a result of me not rehabilitating my adductors after my earlier groin strain, the other muscles around my hip had started to overcompensate and were pulling on the bottom of the bone in my butt. The solution? Daily stretching and sports massage.

For anyone that hasn't had the pleasure of a sport massage -it is nothing like a regular massage! I regretted making a joke about someone who'd been given a wooden stick to bite down on during a sports massage from a rugby physio, especially when the therapist mentioned using her elbow!

So, no running for yet another week although I am allowed to swim. Unfortunately, I'm still eating the same amount as when I was training so may be carrying a few extra pounds by the time I start running again :-(

Let them eat cake

After two evenings of late night baking, and some minor dramas (muffin tray too big for the oven, a search for buttermilk), the bake sale took place on Friday and was a big success. Despite a lack of advertising outside of our building, we managed to sell almost everything and raised £150! I've been trying to watch what I eat as I've not been running this week so it was nice to have an excuse to eat three pieces of cake without feeling guilty :-)

Tempting fate

Luckily I don't believe in such things otherwise I would be kicking myself for my last post. I did, however, speak too soon. The pain in my butt returned on Monday to the point where I've decided to bite the bullet and see a physio. I managed to find a sports injury clinic attached to a uni (so very cheap) and have made an appointment for next week.

I'm getting a bit concerned now as there's only two months until the marathon and in a month's time I'll have to start reducing my training. Hopefully, the physio will be able to work some magic ...

And the new pain of the week is ...

A massive pain in the butt! After a lovely sunny 13 mile run along the Thames on Saturday, I developed a pain in the butt, just in time for my date that evening. Coupled with a tight calf muscle on the opposite side, I was left wadlling along in a duck-like fashion. Not quite the look I was going for!

Luckily, after a painful day on Sunday (where every muscle from the waist down hurt!) I'm almost back to normal. At least, as normal as I've been since starting marathon training :-)

Spinning last Thursday was loads of fun (maybe not for Dr G though!) and I can't wait to go back this week for some more manic pedalling to the sounds of cheesy garage. We've pencilled it in for the day of the bake sale so we'll be able to justify eating lots of cakes in the day :-0

Back in the running!

As of last Saturday, I am now running again. Yay! Saturday's run was short, slow and a little painful but on Monday I managed a very respectable 8 miles at the GSTT charity training night with only a slight ache! What a relief to be able to run again :-)

Tonight, I'm off to my first ever spinning class with Dr G. Quite looking forward to it although I'm expecting to be aching tomorrow!

Karaoke!

The charity karaoke night took place tonight and appeared to be a big success! We were graced with several guest appearances from our very own Su Bo - what more could you want?! Dr G and I were brave and made our karaoke debut - I think not being able to hear ourselves over the music and sound of everyone else singing along was a big help :-)

I may have engaged in some over-enthusiastic dancing, which didn't help my groin strain! Well worth it though. I'm hoping to go bigger and better for the next karaoke night - hopefully somewhere where we can sing the night away rather than being limited to 2 hours.

Groin strain? But I'm a laydeee!

Well, I might not be the most ladylike woman but getting a groin strain was completely unexpected. Like many people, I associated groin strains with rugby players or footballers - or other big-thighed sportmen! (Admittedly, my thighs might be on the large side but that's more fat than muscle :-( ). After an incident on the bus last week, I discovered it's not socially acceptable to tell a complete stranger that you have a groin strain(!) so I'm trying to keep my hobbling as discreet as possible.

Am rather disgruntled as was told by my GP today not to run or exercise for 2 weeks, not even swimming! I'll have to start watching what I eat otherwise I'll put on half a stone as well as losing all my fitness.

Running is good for the brain!

Ok, so the study may have used mice rather than humans, but lovely researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that running increased performance on a recognition memory task and also neurogenesis (generation of neurons). I was impressed by their ability to train mice to use touchscreens but got distracted by the thought of tiny iPhones for mice!

However, my recent memory problems did have me concerned that I may be developing ... what's that word again ... aphasia! Hopefully, it's nothing more than a healthy dose of health anxiety since this would be much less detrimental to thesis writing :-)

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/01/11/0911725107.full.pdf

Strength in numbers or folie a plusieurs?

Lots of group running this week: there was a training night at GSTT on Tuesday - a lovely 6ish mile scenic run along the Thames and back - and then a club run of 7 miles on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I was knackered after running the day before, had stomach cramps for the last six miles and then pulled a muscle during the last mile!

I then got talked into doing hill repeats on Saturday morning. It wasn't as horrendous as I'd feared although JT did go easy on me, letting me start further up the hill and have a head start. I came home feeling rather pleased with myself but expecting to feel the pain on Sunday. What I didn't expect was for both my shins to have swollen up before I went to bed. I had "cankles" that could give the grannies in the Post Office a run for their money!

I had debated missing the GSTT training afternoon but was lured by the temptation of a free leg massage. After going out on a slow 8 mile run, we were then told that the person doing the massage had back out - what a disappointment!

My plan to be brave and start going to the track sessions may have to be delayed for a week. Fingers crossed the trusty frozen peas will work their magic soon :-)

90 days until the marathon!

To spin or not to spin?

So, thanks to the massive mirror in the disabled toilet at work (still no idea why it needs to be so big), I have to accept the fact that marathon training alone is not going to give me a super toned physique. Sure, it burns hundreds of calories and has given me toned calves and quads but it doesn't do much for the rest of me. Possibly my current thinking of "Oh, I've been for a long/hard run so I can have a takeaway/extra bar of choc etc" is not helping either! I love Wii Fit as well but I'm not going to kid myself too much about that (although I do think rhythm boxing is doing something for my arms ...)

I've heard that spinning does great things for your thighs and butt but I've always been put off by the roar of the instructor that can be heard from the changing room at the gym - terrifying! Has anyone else tried spinning? And liked it?! Let me know ...

On a more positive note, my long run is now 12 miles and - big and - I haven't smoked a single cigarette for a month now. Very pleased with myself about that!

New Year, new ... ?

... training plan! Many thanks are due to the very helpful JT at my running club for providing me with a training plan for the marathon. After easing off training for a couple of weeks to allow my irritating calf problem time to calm down, the plan is just what I needed. Plus GSTT charity are holding a training afternoon this Sunday, including a leg massage amongst other things - probably what I need more than the plan, actually!

I was cheered on during my long run at the weekend by a few smiles from passers by and a double thumbs up and words of encouragement from a shabby looking man in Peckham! Unfortunately, there's a rumour of more snow in London this week - fingers cross it misses us.

It's also time to start putting my back into fundraising. The karaoke night was tentatively planned for the 15th Jan but as the venue hasn't confirmed the booking with only ten days to go, it might well be postponed for a few weeks. Planning my fundraising strategies has also led to some interesting discoveries of well-known current and former local residents: Kenneth Brannagh, Emma Thompson, Jeremy Bowen, the lovely Joanna Lumley, Michael Caine, Will Self, Rio Ferdinand, Basement Jaxx, and my favourite - Florence from Florence & The Machine - to name just a few!

16 weeks to go!