Every cloud

As followers of my blog will know, I’ve been struggling with a leg problem when running of late. Despite my determination to carry on regardless and ‘work though it’, things were just not getting any better. A cracking 7 miler, with just a little niggle, reinvigorated my enthusiasm and hope for continuing with training and thought I was back on track (I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I think you can guess where this is heading!)  but alas it was not to be. Several abandoned training runs only made things worse and a week of complete rest (and flat shoes.....oh dear, so not me!) didn’t help. Even a walk resulted in a bag of frozen peas being slapped my entire leg when I got home! So, it is with regret that I have decided not to take part in the Reading Half Marathon.  The decision made even more galling with the arrival of my run number and timing chip which will swiftly be returned to the lovely organisers. I’m starting to think that after completing two Great North Runs, an aborted attempt at the London Marathon, countless 5k & 10ks that I am not really made for running. So, I am taking a break from jogging/running for the time being but will be back; it’s something I enjoy which makes the enforced rest a bit of a bugger but there are other things I can do to help keep fit. And I’ll be visiting a sports therapist before donning the running shoes once again.

One of the positives is that I was only doing this for ‘fun’ and my withdrawal is not letting anyone else down, other than myself. No charities are losing out on much needed fund raising which is a huge relief. There is one other positive too though; now that I am not running, it means that I can join t’other two members of The Tandem Trio cheer on Cancer Research UK’s runners who are indeed fit & well enough to run the Reading Half Marathon! It has often been said that ‘enthusiasm, energy, gusto, passion and eagerness’ are not traits in which the Trio are lacking in so I hope the runners are prepared for a little bit of whooping and cheering along the course......because that’s what they are going to get!!

So, if you’re taking part in the Reading Half, whether for Cancer Research UK or not, let me know; we’ll look out for you and help you on your way!

And just because I am not running for the next few weeks, doesn’t mean no blog; oh no, I’ve still got tonnes of ramblings, stuff & gubbins to share with you all, and a little more time to do so.....you lucky people! Every cloud and all that ;o)

Adopting guerrilla tactics......

Running hasn’t been going so well lately and I have been forced to rest for just over a week due to my tight shin-splint-esque -calf pain. It’s an odd feeling when you know you should be putting in some miles but actually you can’t as you’ll only end up worse off in the long (or short) run.

The positive has been that I’ve been able to spend a little bit of time on the not running malarkey, although work has been slightly full on, so I really do mean a ‘little bit of time’.

I volunteered for my first parkrun at Abingdon on 18^th Feb and it was a great experience; really rewarding even though all I had to do was stand there with a high vis on and direct people! That said I hope that the runners benefitted from my cheering & clapping them on their way around the course. But one thing that I really liked was that people were thanking me for volunteering as they were running – how lovely! Now, I would like to thank people when I am running parkrun but if it’s a choice between breathing & actually speaking, I am sorry but the breath has to be taken!! Hopefully, my nod & smile is noted as gratitude, as it is sincerely meant. I’ll definitely be volunteering again and can’t wait to get back running parkrun again.

I mentioned a few posts ago about a little challenge my two besties – Sam & Lucy - and I have set ourselves; a skydive with the Red Devils (THE Red Devils, huzzah!) to raise funds & awareness for Cancer Research UK(CRUK). It’s been all systems go on this front since we signed up to take part and we have been meeting & planning, meeting & planning and meeting & planning to discuss how we are going to raise as much money as possible for this great event & cause. We’ve named our team (The Tandem Trio), had a meeting with the fundraising team at CRUK (thank you Rachel), had a mini photo shoot (FYI, my lip-gloss looked far better in the flesh than in the pic, the pitfalls of modelling, haha!), set up the fundraising page (www.justgiving.com/TheTandemTrio), put up the Facebook page and have set about contacting local companies for sponsorship and/or raffle prize donations for our forthcoming fundraising night (if you can support in any way, please let me know!) so the word is definitely being spread. However, we felt that it wasn’t enough to just share the news locally. No, we would take our good cause spreading further afield....to the big smoke, London! Admittedly, it did coincide with a pre-planned girls day out to see the Cecil Beaton exhibition at the V&A, which is well worth a visit, but us girls are multi-taskers dontcha know!

Our dedication to spreading the message is boundless......and almost got us into a little bit of trouble in the V&A but we were committed to letting people know what we are doing and how they can support us – especially as Sam is petrified of heights and doesn't like flying (do you want to tell her or shall I?!) This guerrilla marketing attack was thirsty work so we obviously rewarded ourselves with a beverage or two :o)

Whether the guerrilla marketing has paid off remains to be seen but all I know is that people’s generosity never fails to amaze me – less than one week since actively promoting our jump, we have reached a whopping £551 in sponsorship, which is 27% of our target. People truly are incredibly generous and we are all extremely grateful for your support so far.

The Tandem Trio Truly Thank You!!

Ice Ice Baby

Now I could be referring to many a different subject with a heading such as this……

The British love of talking about the weather; very on trend right now with the cold spell of weather across the country, particularly in the South where I can confirm it is freezing! The incessant referral on the news and social networks about the impending inches of snow that would greet us were a little unfounded as there was only as few centimetres (where I am) earlier this week and it soon disappeared with the rise in temperature – a balmy 0 degrees.  Positively tropical. It’s now just the ice to watch out for as the temperatures are set to reach as low as -12, brrrrr! By the way, is it just me who is a little bored of seeing images of everyone's iPhone weather forecasts/pictures of dashboards?!

Of course, I could be referring to the world famous mega smash hit tune by legendary singer that is Robert Van Winkle aka Vanilla Ice. Admittedly if my name was RvW then I would definitely consider a more catchy name to get into the charts. And donning some seriously offensive shell suit attire with some rather dangerous dance moves. C'mon, we've all tried them a la running man. Oh, just me then?......oh right..........

Alas, sadly the weather nor Vanilla Ice are the reason for the blog but the need for ICE (Ice, Compression, Elevation) when I returned from a very disappointing run on Friday lunchtime. I will use the term 'run' loosely here as it was more of a pathetic trot with a finale of a slow limp home. The shame of walking home all kitted out, looking the part yet limp-walking; a bit like Cinderella, all dressed up and nowhere to go! I suffered the same pains last year when training for the Virgin London Marathon (refer to previous blogs for the disappointing outcome) but thought I had seen the last of them. They are like shin splints but on the sides of my calves instead (calf splints?). Lots of searching on line through forums & Twitter and they sound like shin splints so I am treating them as such and taking the advice given. Although resting so close to a half marathon doesn't feel remotely good in anyway but I know that it will be worth it in the long run (sorry!). So, my beloved frozen peas are making an appearance every day for 10-15 minutes and ice baths after a jog/run are back on the menu too (fashion & beverage advice courtesy of Laraine Wyn-Jones - thanks!). 

So, even if the weather warms up a touch, it will still be fairly frosty in my world for the next few weeks......ice ice baby! 

parkrun followed by crossed fingers & touching wood

In my last post I mentioned that I would be taking part in my first ever parkrun at Abingdon and was a little nervous about it. Well, I need not have been it was fab! I printed off my barcode and set out my clothes to wear the night before and headed off for an early night. Wow, how my Friday nights have changed.....no vino for a start and a slightly carb-biased dinner. All tucked up in bed before the 10pm news; I know, rock & roll, I am not! 

I hadn't given much thought to the pre-run fuelling aka breakfast! Due to not being a morning person, I tend to run in the evenings so wasn't really sure what to have. A slice of wholemeal with marmite and a slurp of coffee was all I had to hand so that had to do! I set off in the car way too early so hung around in the car for a bit, as the other runners did too, clinging onto the last bit of warmth in the car before the start. A welcoming bunch awaited me and I got chatting to a local runner who I soon realised was the person I had been emailing about joining the local running club on their social runs, small world indeed! The course volunteers were great and greeted the newbies with a round of applause; a great welcome. And before I knew it, we were off. A lovely route along the Thames then into the Meadows and around past the Thames again and then the home straight. See, it all sounds soooo easy but I didn't find it easy. Partly I think because I am used to running on road and I was quite nervous about going over on my ankle/tripping down a rabbit hole/falling in the Thames, and partly to being unfit. I did 'fast walk' twice but was spurred on by the other runners and as long as I could see the lady in the A.A.C running vest, I was doing OK. The run wouldn't break any world records but I was pleased to get round and get the ball rolling on my future parkrun events and goals. I came 85th out of 91 runners and my time was 35:43 and I was OVER THE MOON! I really, genuinely don't care about the position but I was very pleased with my time and I am determined to improve on it week on week. parkrun has a new fan and I was buoyed even more the following week when I came in at 35:03 (with thanks to Lee Harris for keeping me running when I wanted to stop!!). Week three was out for me due to cold - the virus, not the weather! - but this weekend I am looking forward to seeing if I can match or beat my time - and try not to stop. Fingers crossed. 

Speaking of which, I may just be back on track with the Reading Half Marathon training now that my cold has almost fully departed. Fingers crossed again! My legs, calves in particular, have been tight this week and I only managed half of my planned distance but at least I was out pounding the streets. Another slight negative on the week is that despite fingers crossed, I didn't get into the Great North Run but having run it twice before, I'll keep trying for third time lucky (lots of superstition in this entry - Steve Wonder would be loving it!) So I am considering the Great South Run & the British Heart Foundation 10k or Half in October; I need a goal to work towards otherwise my enthusiasm and focus rapidly departs me!

Oh, and the touching wood relates to a little challenge that I have signed up to with my two besties - Sam & Lucy; on the 7th June I will be jumping out of an airplane, strapped (blooming securely, I hope!) to a Red Devil to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Touch wood, fingers crossed etc etc that we a) raise the money needed for this great cause, b) are allocated a rather lovely attractive Red Devil each c) have parachutes that work and d) have a bloody great big glass of chilled champers waiting for us when we safely land!!!! 

So, fingers crossed that the snow holds off to allow me to get to and complete parkrun; that my tight legs loosen up for my Reading Half training to stay on track and that we can start to raise awareness & funds for our tandem jump. Watch this space!

Recommended blogs: 

The lovely ladies from Women's Running UK Project 262

Lazy Girl Running - and lazy she is not!

Phew! There you are!!

Well, how things have changed since my last post almost 9 months ago! I say changed but nothing too outstanding has happened really - Royal Weddings, Birthdays, fun nights out, a lot of work, Christmas etc etc - but a good few months have passed and, I am not proud to say, that it has taken me a long time to finally get around to a) get back on track with writing a blog and b) getting back to running. Sadly, since my aborted marathon attempt in April of last year, I had barely donned my running shoes more than maybe half a dozen times. I think I might have left my running mojo at the St John's Ambulance tent at the 8 mile mark (although I did come away with a lovely & shiny foil blanket!) There was just a mental block about actually getting out of the door and putting one foot in front of the other with some velocity, admittedly albeit a minor amount. My focus had gone and I needed something to give me a goal; apparently, trying to get and stay fit and lose a few pounds was not sufficient enough to focus the brain. Or to bring about any amount of drive or determination. All this compounded by the fact that I have always stated that I am "never any good at running but I just enjoy it" - by the way, what does constitute being 'good' at running? Is there a perfect stride? Perfect breathing technique? Optimum speed? Posture? Shoes? iPod track? Please don't feel obliged to answer, it was purely rhetorical and has just made me realise that I don't have to be 'good' at it as long as I am not damaging myself. Right, now that's out of the way, back to a little update on me! - So, in order to get my focus back I signed up to run the Reading Half Marathon on 1st April 2012. Dear Lord. 

With the dawn of the New Year of 2012, came the dawning realisation that I have a Half Marathon to train for so prepared a training plan. However, my body had other plans and succumbed to the glorious flu virus and put me back two weeks. I was actually quite surprised to find that I was genuinely a bit narked to have my plans put back but I did manage to bottle my enthusiasm to crack open when the cold had departed. 

So I am now underway with the training and enjoying it, so far, and long may it continue! I have sought and taken inspiration from the ladies taking part in the 26.2 Project from Womens Running Magazine, and fellow runners on Twitter. Although, I have a long way to go to reach their levels of fitness but it is great to feed off the enthusiasm and training tips! I am taking part in my first Park Run in Abingdon tomorrow morning; I am a little nervous about as I have not run with a club type thing before but I am assured that they are all lovely and its for all levels of ability (thank goodness for that!) and I am kinda looking forward to it. Although not as much as I am looking forward to my reward of a slice (or two) of cheesecake one of my besties has promised to provide for the girl's night in tomorrow night.......!

Now, where did I leave my self-control and diet discipline?? :o)

Mixed emotions

Fret not followers, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth, just been a little tied up with a few things over the past few weeks/months! Where has the time gone since my last post on April 2nd? April 2nd, that is shocking really. Lax you may say, and I don't blame you for thinking so. 

Well, many of you will know that the Virgin London Marathon took place on Sunday April 17th, with the female contingent of Team Jones - Sam, Suzie & I - donning our running shoes and name-embellished Maggie's running vests to do our bit. The two weeks leading up to the big day was a little odd with the newly introduced world of 'tapering' coming into play. It certainly doesn't feel natural to be resting so much 10 days before running a marathon but the training plan text is gospel and must be obeyed and obeyed it was. We said our farewells to our family & friends on Saturday morning and headed straight to Excel to register and collect our run numbers, timing tags and final bits of information. It was a loooooong journey, there and back, and we tried to take the advice of friends & tweeters who have previously run to rest up as much as possible and do our best to stay off our feet all day. Easier said than done when you've got to traipse from Paddington to Excel but we did our best. On checking into the hotel, we all took to reading our final bits & pieces and confirming final plans for the morning before heading off for a final carb-loaded meal and a natter to help settle the little butterflies. Admittedly, it wasn't the best night's sleep we could've had, due to a drunken domestic a few doors away, but we were all up & about and good to go on time. At the train station, we had to go our separate ways, Suzie & I on one train and Sam on the other; this was due to ballot & charity runners starting at different points. Not the nicest of feelings when you are all part of a team and knowing you wouldn't be starting this mammoth task together. However, we had agreed to meet up at mile three so not too long to wait. Before we knew it , we were lining up at the start. The size of the crowds of runners was unbelievable and some of the costumes were mind blowing; huge respect to the guy running with a washing machine on his back raising money for The Parachute Regiment Afghanistan Trust (Pete Digby I think his name was). 

As you will have seen, the weather was exceptionally warm for a marathon and it certainly added an extra element to the course & the challenge ahead! The crowds en route were fantastically supportive and seeing the ‘Maggie’s Mafia’ supporters aka nearly 20 family members & friends at mile 6 was a welcome sight indeed. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from the marathon at mile eight due to exhaustion, which wasn't an easy decision to make as you can image. Despite Sam's best efforts of encouragement, support & tough love (!) nothing was working, my running mojo had deserted me at my time of need; I seemed to have had my 'off day' on the only day that truly mattered, and I was devastated not to have made it. Devastated, disappointed and upset. Suzie and Sam battled on through the tough conditions though and with the support of the Maggie’s Mafia again at miles 13, 23 and 25.5 they made it across the line in less than 7 hours – which is a fantastic achievement. The conditions were incredibly rare in terms of weather and many, many people suffered in one way or another. But Sam & Suzie got around and I am really proud of them both for crossing that line.  

It took me a week or so to put my withdrawal from the run into perspective but I know that I definitely made the right decision as if I had tried to continue, something more serious could have happened. I would like to thank the staff of St Johns for their support (foil blanket & tissues.....boy, did I blub!!), the doctors on the sweeper bus and all my family and friends for their incredible support and kind words. Sadly, they think that they will never hear the words 'London Marathon' again but I will be back, as it will not beat me, so roll on October when I find out if I have been lucky enough in the Ballot for 2012!! 

Just after the London marathon, our Team Jones fundraising total stood at £5167, which is incredible! Particularly as our original target was £4,000; people's generosity has completed astounded us all. 

So, with two out of the three of us finishing the course, it was all down to the boys to get around Edinburgh on Sunday 22nd May. Find out in my next post how they got on!

If you would still like to show your support for the fantastic cause that is Maggie's cancer caring centres, then you can do so my visiting our webpage: www.justgiving.com/teamjones2011 

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