Reaping the rewards

Well, since my last blog, things have been somewhat up and down! 


A reward was offered for the return of my 'running mojo' following a disastrous attempt at a 16 miler, when my temperamental legs gave up the ghost at 3.5 miles resulting in a long, cold walk home followed by a week of (frustrating) rest.  The impact that something like an enforced break has on you is really hard, a lot harder than I thought it would be, especially psychologically and emotionally. Actually, scrap the enforced break part of the training, the whole training has been tough mentally, emotionally and physically. But the positive is when you think about how far you have come and look around you at all of the family, friends and total strangers who are supporting you through this whole epic challenge - be it with sponsorships, pledges, motivation, emotional support or all of the afore mentioned - and there is a glimmer of positivity and self belief that you can, and will, do this. A bit deep early on in the blog there people, sorry about that!


On a lighter note, the 'week of rest' seems to have helped and I managed to complete my last big run before the tapering weeks. 20 miles was the target and 20 miles we did, huzzah!The weather started off being in our favour with being a bit over cast and not too warm.....but the sun came out and I think it was the only time I have ever wished that it would go away! It was energy zapping and made us consume more of our water than expected. Again the generosity of complete strangers was amazing as we cheekily asked for a top up at the racehorse stables in Ginge and also from a couple doing some gardening in Upton! It certainly wasn't in the quickest of times but bearing in mind the niggles that Sam & I share between us...dodgy knees, tight leg muscles, a lot of fatigue and the odd bit of nerve damage to the toes...I think that 5 hours is blooming brilliant and it felt sooooo great to know that we can do it! And knowing that all the hard work we have put in, even on the 'off' days, has been worth it.  With the arrival of the final instructions for the big day, it is all becoming very real indeed........but in the words of a certain Mr Obama "Yes we can!"

The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster ride and a half of a crisis of confidence, followed by feelings of inadequacies & many scenarios of negative 'what ifs' but that's normal, right? (someone please say yes!) There have been many conversations between me, myself and I about positivity and visualising me running the course and the feeling I will have when (you see, when not if, It's working!!) I cross that finishing line and the immense sense of achievement and pride I will be rewarded with. 


And should I falter once more with any crisis of confidence I will think of all the people who we will be helping with our mammoth amount of money we have raised over the past few weeks and months. We have smashed our original target of £4,000 and could well hit the £5,000 mark. If you would like to support us, please visit our webpage at our Team Jones Justgiving page any amount you can offer will be gratefully received. 

So, with the reward offered for the return of my running mojo withdrawn, I can focus on the rewards ahead......knowing that completing the 26.2 mile world famous marathon route on Sunday April 17th will give me a huge sense of pride (and relief!) and by getting across that finishing line the money we have raised will help support people and their families living with cancer. In the words of Napolean Hill my mantra will be "Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit"


Only 2 weeks to go *gulp*......


www.maggiescentres.org
www.twitter.com/chiltondiva
www.justgiving.com/teamjones2011

How mental are you?

I'm not being derogatory to anyone reading this, just alluding to the importance of being mentally ready for the mammoth task ahead and the training runs leading up to the big day itself. It goes back to my previous blog about 'Whatever it takes' (feel free to read it, I think it's quite good) to get you around be it the superstition element of your routine or actual true benefit of carrying out those 'rituals', for want of a better phrase. The mental state of mind has just as much to do with it as putting in the miles themselves. How often have you not been in the right frame of mind to do any task and failed because you're not quite feeling it, or you just can't get into the rhythm? How much of it is due to mental attitude of how you are approaching the task ahead? A hell of a lot. Now, obviously I'm not qualified as a psychoanalyst or in psychology so this is purely based on me but I definitely notice the different when I'm 'in the zone' and can have a much better run when I'm mentally ready for it. How do you get ready for it? At this stage in the training, you know what you have to do so need to strike the balance between knowing that you have to get the miles in versus any personal goals you might have set in terms of timings versus feeling good at the end of the run whilst ensuring that you remain uninjured. The phrase 'spinning plates' springs to mind. But the tolls of daily life sometimes allow little time for the transition from being in work mode to strapping on the shoes, plugging in the iPod and getting the miles under the belt, so it can be a struggle to switch your frame of mind. I know that I struggle with this and if anyone has any tips on how to mentally get prepared for the long training runs, the Silverstone Half and the Virgin London Marathon then please let me know, it could really help!

That said, this morning's training run of 11 miles (the first 10.5 miles without stopping, get me!!) was good; hard going but good. So how I can mentally get in the right place for this, after a week of rest, and get round so far without stopping is beyond me but I would like to replicate it at every run here on in, so I'll be thinking about how I prepared for this morning and repeating at every available chance......but maybe eating Quorn sausages, beans  & eggs and being tucked up in bed at 9.30am on a Saturday night is not the best for one's diet & social life!! It's all a 360 - what worked last time, what did I eat/drink the night before/morning of the run, what tunes were on the Pod, which route was it.....once again back to 'Whatever it takes' and mental prep. And focus. It's easy to see how training for such a big event can take over a huge part of your life, there's a lot more to it that putting one foot in front of the other with a bit of velocity. It's all a bit mental, to be honest.

Speaking of taking over a huge part of your life....there's the fundraising side of it too! We're doing really well so far with our online donations - if you'd like to support us, visit our Team Jones Just Giving web page - and we have sold out of our Maggie's Fundraising Evening tickets which we hope will give a welcome boost to our total and get us well on the way to exceeding our £4,000 target. Brilliant. Just Brilliant

The weeks are flying by and this time in 6 weeks it will all be over and I will no doubt be doing a 'Saturday night' i.e. tucked up in bed by 9.30pm - but it will have all been worth it. I hope. No, I know it will because as I said, it's all a bit mental :o)

Whatever it takes.....

Well, training has been a bit non-existent this week due to a niggling potential injury following last weekend’s planned 12 mile training run which actually turned into 10.5miles. Tuesday’s 6 miler was aborted after 2.5miles resulting in a slow cold walk home. Still, I’m resting this week until this Sunday’s 12 miler and with new trainers arriving tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll be good to go and get back on track with the miles. Up until now, it’s been going well and I have been feeling good after every run, with recovery time reducing and the endorphins kicking in. Last Thursday was the first run without any music at all following the unfortunate demise of my iPod but I managed it. I wasn’t sure if I could cope with a 12 miles ‘sans music’ so dug out the brick-like first generation of the iPod shuffle....maybe that’s where the injury came from; too much extra weight onboard! It’s funny how we get used to, and attached to, certain items, ways and superstitions; can’t run without music, can’t run without that water bottle, can’t run unless I wear a cap, can’t run unless I’m on the right side of my running mate (you know who you are!), only one song can spur you on to the end, got to have an energy tablet/bar at x miles, can run better in this t-shirt etc, etc.  I’m also convinced that the much debated ice baths help too although it’s a mental struggle to get into the water in the first place but I feel much better afterwards. (I would recommend if you’re brave enough!) So how much of it is psychological and how much of these things really matter, really make a difference? If I’m honest, as long as it gets me through and round which ever course I am running, then I will keep on wearing the t-shirt, taking the energy tablet at the x miles, listening to the best running song and making sure my running mate is on the right side of me!

It’s just over a week to go until our Team JonesBig Weekend; Saturday 5^th March being our fundraising evening followed by the Silverstone Half Marathon on Sunday 6^th March. We’ve sold out on our fundraising night and have some great raffle prizes so we should raise a good bit of money on the night too. Maggies have been great with their support and the hall will be well kitted out on the evening to make it look as spectacular as possible. We’re all hopeful for a big night and that everyone has a fantastic time and we’re making sure we do all we can to make it happen! So, if you’re coming along and reading this, you’re in for a cracking night; if you’re not lucky enough to be coming then you’ll just have to check back here in a week’s time to hear all about it!

If you want to support us in our quest, you can sponsor us at www.justgiving.com/teamjones2011 

A lot of firsts....

Well it's my first foray into blogging and I never thought I would get to do this, I mean, who wants to read what I'm doing in my life? The answer being that I'll just have to wait and see!

One of the reasons for the blog is to keep everyone updated on the progress of the training for my first ever London Marathon (VLM). Yes. Me, running a marathon. I know, it's a little hard for me to get my head around it too but I've had my bluff called (so to speak) and am doing it in 9 weeks time. Oh lordy, I've just realised its in 9 weeks time, eek! I'm running for Maggie's cancer caring centres http://www.maggiescentres.org/ and have a target of £4k to raise for them, along with two friends who are running the VLM and their husbands who are running the Edinburgh marathon. Don't be misled, none of us are athletes - or claim to be - so it's hard. Very hard. But we're doing it and will get round the course. So expect a few more updates as the weeks go by on how we're getting on.

As a sign off, I have to figure out how to get my iPod to work again after it becoming water logged during last night's 6 mile training run in the pouring rain. At least I know I'm not a fair weather runner. Every cloud and all that jazz.