This year started off with a promise. I promised myself that I would see a running coach to try to work out why I was so slow. In February I drove up the motorway and met up with Ian for the first time. I was nervous and excited. What would I do if he thought I was rubbish? What if I couldn’t change? Running with him was a revelation. A revelation in what I could achieve. With him I ran 8 minute something miles (I was more of an 11/12 minute miler at this point) off road in the beautiful Peak District.  

Then I returned home and in my next run promptly forgot everything and injured my hip! I really struggled to change my technique and over analysed everything. At one time I remember describing my running style as of that of a lob sided elephant!  
 
I soldiered on though and we went off to the alps for 12 weeks. I had some great runs out there. Stunning views, gorgeous weather and awesome trails. I raced a 10k in Chamonix in July and finished in 1:09 which I was quite pleased with as there was a big walking section in it due to the trail and the sheer amount of racers.  
 

 
Back in the UK, Ian came down to see me to check on my technique and go for a run. He, again, opened my eyes to what I could achieve. I ran faster and smoother than I had ever done before. The following weekend I raced the Blacks North Face Singletrack Trail 10k race. I loved that race but know I can do better – I want to do that race again and beat my time (1:04).  
 
Ian’s teachings began to gel after this race. I just seemed to get ‘it’ without really knowing what ‘it’ was. My speed increased, my recovery times improved and I began overtaking people on my local runs. This was new to me and I liked it!  
 
In November I ran the Dirt Half Marathon, an off-road half that I really wanted to try my new technique on. I only ran with a wrist watch and had a rough idea of running 10 minute miles which I knew I could do fairly comfortably. I really enjoyed the race until mile 11 when my quads just got really tired and by the time I finished the race I was wrecked. So wrecked I couldn’t do any stretching back at the car and hobbled downstairs for several days afterwards. I finished in 2:13 and am chuffed with this because I know I can do better. If my legs hadn’t given up 2 miles before the end who knows what time I could have got?  
 
Last week I ran the British Heart Foundation Santa Jog in a Santa suit. I loved it, I felt strong and fit and invincible. Amazingly I was the first lady Santa over the line at 8k and I’ll take that as a win!  
 

 
What a way to end my running year. I feel I’ve come far but I also feel I’ve got lots more to come. Bring on 2012 that’s all I can say!

This gorgeous girls back comes in black with blue trim, with a handy fleece lined goggle pocket & insulated water bottle holder.

• Only 140 calories per slice but keeps you full for ages
• Contains virtually no fat
• All natural, no wrappers, no chemicals
• Much cheaper than shop bought bars
• Tastes yummy
• Freezes well
• 1 loaf makes 10 generous slices

Hmmmm

Check out my recipe with a full nutritional breakdown.  When I say ‘my’, I really mean my mum’s or anyone else’s that has baked this traditional tea loaf since the 2nd world war!

Nervously awaiting the start.

We dragged ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 8am – 8am on a Saturday just shouldn’t be allowed!  My kit was ready, jelly beans packed, number pinned on and all I had to decide was whether to wear a cap, sunglasses or a buff.  The cap won the battle as it was foggy but the sun had potential.  I had a big bowl of home made muesli (recipe here) followed by a strong cup of coffee to get me buzzing.  After the inevitable faffing we were off.  The drive to Leighton Buzzard was short and there was no traffic so we arrived in plenty of time for the 10am start.  Parking was a bit of a problem though and we ended up driving over some grass and parking in a school playground – no idea if we were supposed to park there but we just followed everyone else.  There should really have been someone to help direct the parking as it was chaotic.  I picked up my timing chip and sent text messages to my 2 twitter buddies I was due to meet up with.

We sat in the car waiting for the start when everyone suddenly started walking to a small gate in a hedge and squeezing through.  On the other side was a big field and this was the start.  I lined up in the 2 to 2:30 hour finish group and eagerly waited for the start gun/horn/bell/whistle.  There was no obvious start but we all started moving forward and the race was on.  I had decided not to start too quickly this time as I always make that mistake and resolutely stuck to my 10kph pace letting other runners pass.  Some of these looked as if they were on their last legs in the first mile, they were totally out of breath, coughing and pounding the path with every last ounce of energy they had left – I have no idea how they made it to the end if indeed they did manage to finish.  We did a loop of a water park and then hit the long towpath alongside the Grand Union Canal.  There were a lot of elbows along this narrow trail!

I only had my analogue wrist watch for company on this race as I sold my Garmin 305 recently and didn’t want to keep getting out my iPhone to check my pace.  I wasn’t too bothered though as I knew what 10kph felt like and knew if I could keep that up that I’d finish in a reasonable time.  The race was a mixture of tow path, country lanes and dirt tracks, trails in Stockgrove Country Park with a cow pasture thrown in too.  It certainly was varied and I heard a moaning minnie behind me complaining that it was hard to find a rhythm with such variety – but that’s the point isn’t it – much more interesting than running round and round the Silverstone circuit for example.

I loved the trails in Stockgrove Country Park.  I was still feeling strong and light on my feet.  These trails were muddy, rooty, covered in leaves and hilly – great fun!  I did some overtaking here and realised that I was going to finish in a reasonable time.  After the fun in the park we came out onto the cow pasture and I overtook a few more people struggling on the muddy steps and bridges.  I seemed to overtake or pull away from loads of people on the downhills too – thanks to coach Ian’s advice to just ‘let go’.  We popped back out onto the tow path again but at mile 11 I started to feel it.  It seems to take forever to reach mile 12 on the tow path and my legs were tiring quickly.  I did reach mile 12 eventually and then it was just a lap of the water park to go.  I could see the finish line on the opposite side of the canal but in a cruel, wicked twist of race organisers humour the water park lap went uphill and nearly killed me!  I eventually stumbled, shuffled, hobbled over the line in 2:13.

On my lonesome in the hell between miles 11 & 12

Mr R was there to greet me and best of all, I didn’t feel sick and wasn’t crying – always a good end to a race!  I’ve spent every minute since then eating and my quads have decided they’re having the day off today and will not be walking downstairs for love nor money!!  I was a good race overall with a personal best by 39 minutes and I did another during the race at the 10k mark in 54/55 minutes too.

Things I learnt;

• I don’t like jelly beans
• I must drink more than 2 sips
• I didn’t need my running pack
• I don’t need GPS on every run
• Elbows hurt
• Mr R rocks!

I would have liked to have finished stronger though and will be working on that for the next half marathon which will be in the Alps and will be quite punishing I bet!  Next race is a 12k race dressed as Santa in 2 weeks time – that will definitely be a personal best as I have never run a 12k race before – ho ho ho!!

Testing the head torch at the lake

Every year as soon as the clocks change I swap my weekday runs to indoor aerobics workouts.  This year I really want to keep my hard earning milage up so that I don’t have to start over again in spring.  So I had a look on the internet and bought myself a basic head torch for £35 from Amazon. You can spends £100s on head torches but I only wanted a cheap one so I could see if I got on with running at night.  It turned up in the tiniest box you ever saw last Tuesday morning.  I popped the batteries and immediately blinded myself for about an hour!  Please don’t switch on your brand new head torch whilst looking directly at it.  I walked around the flat in it and found it to be really bright but how would it handle on the trails?

I tried it on a drizzly Thursday evening.  The start of my run is through some leafy single track out to a wider trail and I wasn’t sure if my head torch would be up to the job.  I switched it on, set it to half brightness and half width and set off.  It lit the trail splendidly and I was able to run off road at full speed.  Mr R rode alongside only using the light from my head torch.  I found it lit up the drizzle and my breath but nothing too distracting – although blowing my nose with a white tissue was a bit bright!

My chosen head torch is the LED Lenser H7.  You can change the light to be wider or more focused and it can be brighter.  It fits securely on my head but stays in place better when wearing a hat or buff.  Not sure how long the batteries will last but I’m chuffed with it right now.  The dark makes boring, repetitive routes interesting and navigation challenging.  I find that running outside in the dark lifts my spirits almost as much as running in the sunshine and it is often the best part of my weekday!

Obviously running at night has some different challenges:

• If you’re going off road it’s a good idea to angle the head torch down a bit so you can see the trail in front of you and avoid any trip hazards.
• Make sure you have a running buddy with you as everyone you meet looks like a dodgy, menacing murderer!
• If you’re running alongside a road – turn your light off as you will confuse and blind the tin box drivers.
• Know which route you are taking and don’t try any new stuff.

One tip though, don’t look directly at oncoming pedestrians or Mr R riding alongside – they don’t like it!

Anyway, we got parked up and wandered over to the 10k registration tent (there was also a 5k race starting 15 minutes earlier) and picked up my goodie bag, timing chip and race number.  Mr R attached the chip to my shoe as a recent sudden departure from my mountain bike meant I had a sore back and couldn’t bend over.  Number attached and goodie bag ransacked I was ready.  There was no group warm up or people dressed up as rhinos, just a rather serious bunch of runners and a safety briefing which I didn’t hear a word of thanks to a rather loud family on the sidelines.  Anyway, how difficult could it be – this wasn’t the Alps!

We set off on the dot of 10:30 and cruised down a gentle slope for a couple of kilometres.  A nice warm up but I probably should have gone out a bit quicker.  Down we descended to the lowest trail of the loop and my legs were feeling great although my breathing was getting away from me a bit.  The lower trail was undulating with a gate and lots of singletrack which made overtaking quite interesting.  There were a few dubious moves but then again this was a race.  Between 4 and 5k came the hill – it was short but steep with large steps to get up.  Nothing like the Alps but still made me walk to conserve my lungs for later in the race.  After stopping at an water station for a gulp or 2, I found myself running next to a rather lovely chap who told me he ran in the World Mountain Running Championships 35 years ago and was currently running with a broken kneecap!  I paced myself with him for some time until 2 runners split us with a harsh overtaking move  and I lost his footsteps to follow.  Running through the woods was fun with downed trees making interesting natural obstacles and then it was only 2k to the end.  Up a quite country lane and we emerged onto the home straight.

I came over the line and the announcer said my name (I love that!).  Bottle of water and my timing chip removed I was finished.  I felt sick (again) but forced down some water and a slice of tea loaf that I’d baked yesterday and felt much better.  I don’t know how to stop feeling sick when I push hard so any advice will be gratefully received!  The goodie bag contained this rather nice technical tee shirt plus a buff that I have no idea how to wear and look good in (all the ways I tried I looked like a 70s rocker!).

Since getting home I’ve managed to eat everything in the cupboard, drink litres of peppermint tea and have a nap.  Not bad for a Sunday!

I’ve read some inspiring running books lately so I thought I’d share my favourite 3.

• ‘Born to Run’ by Christoper McDougall.  A little obvious this one but it is truly inspiring whether you subscribe to the barefoot running school of thought or not.  It’s a lovely mix of travel, adventure and running.  Well written and the only book I’ve finished and then read again immediately from cover to cover.
• ‘Ultra Marathon Man’ by Dean Karnazes.  Regardless of what you think of Dean you’ve got to applaud the man’s achievements.  This book covers his humble beginnings right through to the Badwater and Western States races.  An easy to read and quickly devoured book.
• ‘How to Run’ by Paula Radcliffe.  I’m cheating here a little as I only got this book yesterday and haven’t finished it.  It’s a coffee table book with loads of illustrations and beautiful looking rather than the word heavy paperbacks of the other 2 books in my list.  It covers everything from goal setting, choosing the right shoes to how to become a successful marathoner.

So, if you’ve lost your running mojo, pop along to your local bookstore and get inspired!

I joined twitter a couple of years ago but I didn’t really ‘get it’.  I couldn’t understand why people would be interested in my day to day life – I mean I wasn’t even interested in it at the time!  But now, 200+ followers later, I have found a lovely group of people who encourage me, motivate me and cry with me through good times and bad and isn’t that the real definition of a friend?

I started off by using search sites like tweepsearch(sadly now no longer running) to find people on twitter who liked the same things as I did.  I searched for runners and followed a few, read their conversations with other runners and followed them too.  I tentatively joined in the conversations and gradually became more relaxed and now tweet like I would talk to a group of friends.  You have to be careful though as a quick search on your name in google will bring up some random tweets and your twitter feed is open to anyone to look at unless you make it private.  Twitter have caught up now and have their own ‘Who to follow’ tab to enable to find like minded tweeps.  Then came iPhone/iPad apps and other websites that link to your twitter feed.  If I post the details of a run on Daily Mile  it will automatically post to my twitter account because I have linked the accounts.

Then I moved to France and kept in contact with my new friends, posting great runs and pictures to make them green with envy, finding out whether to pop blisters or leave them and getting help identifying trees.  I met my running coach through twitter and am doing a half marathon in November with a lovely lady from ‘up north’ – both of these people would be strangers to me before twitter came along.  I chat with people from India, USA, Canada, France, Japan!

So I say to people who ask ‘what’s the point’ or ‘I don’t have time’ that it’s another way of meeting new people from all over the world and chatting about anything and everything.  That surely is worth my time.