It's been a long time.....

....... well, the virus lingered and I became disillusioned with ever running again.

Ok, so that may seem dramatic  ......
but having three months out with shingles last summer and then taking an equal amount of time to get my fitness back, to only  be ill again two months later and unable to run really pissed me off.

I know, I know, in the grand scheme of things it's nothing really and of course some of my fellow runners have injuries or had operations that have curtailed their running so they are in the same boat too but ........

Anyway this is just to let you know if you were wondering, I am running again and it has taken until this week to get my fitness back to how it was the week before Christmas.

So in other news, I'm planning to run the Bideford 10k again on 15th May but have decided not to blog about my training again so as

a) Not to bore you

And

b) Not to tempt fate ........ as it seems as soon as I crow about how well my training is going I come down to earth with a crashing fall and illness and if it's not going well its just plain depressing.

Anyway the plan is to run the race (that I haven't even entered yet) in an hour and knock one minute 20 seconds off last year's time .....

I'll let you know .......

A year ago today ........

Sooooooooo, a year ago today I pulled my ancient trainers out from under the stairs, hoovered the spiders and cobwebs off them, put them on and then tried running down the lane with the dogs, running to a tree and then walking to get my breath and then running to a  bush and so on ........... I quite enjoyed it and so went out the following week a few times and increased the running bit .......

If you'd told me then that a year on I'd be training for the Bideford 10K I'd have had you admitted to the asylum ....... me? in lycra? run in a race? Noooooooooo ......... you're joking!!!!

Well, as you read this in the asylum I'll update you on this weeks training!

On Tuesday despite the previous days cycling I was still hobbling around ( like a hobbling around person) so just pottered around the garden doing vegetable gardening type things!

I was still dot and carry one on Wednesday and was seriously pissed off of Shebbear ......... I needed to run but ........... Well just but! I have no idea whether I'm buggering myself up forever by continuing to run or whether it's the thing to do.
Anyway after cheesemaking we had to deliver to The Commodore at Instow.

Instow is the half way point of the Bideford 10k and around two and half miles of the return race is on the Tarka Trail so the OBOAB suggested that he drop me off and I run back to East the Water on the Tarka Trail.

So after taking the obligatory photo I set off .........

Having never set foot on here before and only by doing  a rough calculation driving alongside it on the way I was sort of running blind but assumed it was just under three miles. Not that it mattered as yet again I couldn't get out of first gear, not helped by my very stiff calf. The knee was well strapped so only dared to be slightly niggly. Anyway I ended up in the old station (complete with train) but forgot to take a photo as was trying to find my way out ...... I now know I'd run too far for the exit. However it was 2.78 miles and my split pace was 10.14 min/mile.

Now for some reason I wanted to beat myself up about the time but actually after giving myself a good talking to and getting the calculator out I'm pretty consistent with my timings especially as I'm hobbling!!! (I have also reminded myself that this time last year I was  running 3 min/mile slower. ........ Yes I know, I know, you don't need to put your two penny worth in either.........

Once I stopped running my calf seized up and I  was back to hobbling ...... not a good look going past the queue of commuters in their cars as I made my way back to the OBOAB in the car park. Once home I literally hopped across the yard my calf was so stiff.

Yesterday was a date that has been in the diary for some weeks.

Really?

What's that then? I hear you ask.

A trip to Bideford with Coach Steph and the Bradworthy running group to familiarise ourselves with the start and finish of the Bideford 10K.

How was the knee and calf I hear you ask?

The knee, still strapped hardly niggled but the calf was really stiff.

So we had a lovely trot out to the Tarka Trail which included one of the two hills.........

Well it was nothing to worry about ........ compared to the hills we all have to endure during our training it was easy!!

Once on the Tarka Trail the beasting started after a gentle jog and a few exercises which showed I'm completely uncoordinated we did sprints!!

Sprinting 300 metres at 75% seemed a breeze initially but clearly I was doing 90% instead so when Coach Steph upped the ante to 90% I was wrecked.

My knee held up but every time we stopped my calf seized, so it was an incentive to keep going!!.

We then trotted back and did some warming down exercises, one of which helped my calf enormously. So much so that when I got home I could actually walk, as it wasn't so stiff.

Today my knee has felt almost normal and initially my calf was its usual stiff self  but then, almost by magic after lunch I stood up from the table and realised that I was walking around pain free!

Long may it last .............



OBOAB = Old bloke on a bike

A troublesome stopwatch

For those of you who were concerned about Teddy's welfare after last weeks abuse, please let me assure you that he is fine!!!
See...........

Now on this weeks menu 

Hill session 

40 minute easy run

30 minute run

So easy peasey then!!

Well as usual if you look at the small print, no it's not!!

Monday was a running day, the doggens needed a trip out and as I've now put my foot down with the old bloke on a bike and stipulated that I need to concentrate on this training and if it means it involves strides, sprints, hills or specific times etc then they can't come ...... yup I've done a risk assessment and the result ...... they are a trip hazard. The rest of the risk assessment involves the old bloke on a bike, white van man and the I can't stop for you but just leap into the hedge out of my way because I'm in a hurry ****s. 

Oh yes those **** people ....... you may think I exaggerate but actually on our country lanes people don't have brakes they just career towards us,  bearing down expecting us and our dog's and old bloke on a bike to get out of the way ...... take it from me it's frightening. I have tried the running past the vehicle whilst OBOAB grabs the dogs but still the drivers seem to think I should be the one to climb into the hedge, of course they choose to ignore my gestipulations and swearing and just accelerate away!!! 

Anyway I digress ...... it was a 40 minute easy run in the rain with an entourage!! Nothing else to report! That is all!!

Now due to having a birthday last week and celebrating for a few days it means that the day job backed up and had to be done this week. 

So two 4 .30am starts with a rude awakening at 1.15 am on Tuesday by the stopwatch alarm. Yes one of my Birthday presents from OBOAB was a stopwatch and whistle (obviously for him to time me and get my attention!) Anyway this bloody stopwatch kept going off during the early evening apparently whilst I was at work. Neither of us thought anymore about it but clearly it has a mind of its own and decided to disturb us in the middle of the night.

 It is now in the car!!

 I also had a total of 16 hours in wellies over 36 hours which didn't bode well but I have to say the orthotics are really helping in the plantar fasciitis department!

I had to fit the hill session in on Wednesday in between cheeses ripening and renneting.......

Sooooooooo (sorry forgot to mention this is a long blog post!!!!)

Set off on a 10 minute warm up with the OBOAB got to a flat bit of lane and did 5 x 25 secs strides with 35 secs recovery backwards and forwards with him on the stopwatch and whistle ......... however on the second set of strides whilst I was dying (already)  there was no whistle or shout. Seems the OBOAB couldn't reset the bloody stopwatch. After I'd pressed the reset button very hard and had an attack of tourettes we resumed the strides!

To do the 5 x 2 min hill reps I had to run a bit further on to start.

Now I thought that all I'd hear was a whistle indicating my 2 minutes was up ....... Please, please tell me 2 minutes is up! ...... and yes for the first one I did. Fab! Great present........  trotted back down the hill, got the start command and did it again however no whistle, assumed the stopwatch was being troublesome, so ran to the holly bush and trotted back down the hill. Got the start command and did it again but also managed to shout 'I hate fucking hill training' the reply came back 'so do I' as the OBOAB pedalled past me. On the next one I really was regretting the cheese and onion crisps I'd had earlier and on the last one was ready to die. Whose idea was it to run up and down hills?  I then ran home ..... just over 10 minutes. 

Once home I asked OBOAB why he was grumpy ......as he had been since the I hate hills episode. 

Seems that as he tried to turn on his bike and look at the stopwatch he came out the side door!!! Bloody silly arse. Luckily no bones broken!!!

I was looking forward to Friday's training  10 mins warm up 10 mins race pace and 10 mins cool down because we were going to Tamar Lakes (home of Parkrun) to do this as its flat (well apart from the bastard hill at the end) me, the old bloke without his bike and the two collies. 

However ...... as usual nothing goes plan ...... and take it from me girls don't marry the Village Hall Chair or anyone who has those tendencies ...... due to their commitments you'll find that you won't be able to fit your training in!!!! 

I ran up the lane (a first) and slightly hilly as part of my warm up then ran like the clappers for 10 minutes back down to Libbear. The worst thing about this is my involuntary heavy breathing and gasping ........ apologies Sue and Mike if you were in your garden!!! 

And then I ran home slowly!

Split pace was 10.57

Oh well see for yourself...

One step forward and two steps back .......

So where were we?

Oh yes I was going to run in the orthotics .....

On Friday Chris had to take his truck for  it's MOT so I decided to do a 4 mile run a) To see how I got on with the orthotics b) because I'm a week behind the training plan and c) because the old bloke was out and so couldn't raise objections!!! Anyway I did it in 47minutes which included grabbing the dogs for a couple of vehicles to pass. So quite pleased.

The orthotics definitely helped.

Now I have read the training emails from Steph and the training reports from my fellow Biddy 10kers  and  added it all up and decided that I needed to run 6 miles.

Tuesday was a glorious day and so we decided that I'd run round Tamar Lakes  twice whilst Chris and the Collies walked round once.

So I ran two miles at a slow pace (actually not as slow as prescribed by Steph ...... although I thought I was) Then two miles at Parkrun pace where I imagined that I was keeping up with Sarah D and then two miles of a slow pace which actually still wasn't slow enough but the fifth mile seemed to go on for ever and I thought that the bird on my phone had rocked off to sleep.  BUT I did it!!! And did it in 1.09

When I looked at the training emails again to see what was next I realised that I'd read the wrong one and confused it with the previous one and actually should have run it at a slow pace to get round.

 I blame gmail entirely for not showing emails in order!

Note to self, print the emails in future to avoid confusion!

However I did it, enjoyed it and it was only towards the end that my foot started to hurt.

My feet and legs did ache afterwards but I guess that's old age for you!

Good news then?

Well no .......

I then decided on Thursday to do a hill session as per schedule........

I really should have taken notice that my foot hurt (this I think was from wearing my wellies for five hours doing the day job earlier) and didn't ease up  on my 10 minute warm up run but .........stubborn Sarah decided otherwise and so with the old bloke on a bike with a kitchen timer I tried to do five 20 second strides. I did them but my foot complained.

I know, I know I  should have stopped.

Next was 3 minute hill runs......

Now there had been a lot of bickering between us about which hill was suitable and basically none seemed to fit the bill. As it was my foot hurt so much that I just jogged home (with Chris timing hills on the kitchen timer for future reference) the result, there aren't any on my routes.

Ok, ok I've learnt my lesson ...... by running and continuing to run when my foot hurt means that I've been hobbling around like an old woman for a couple of days.

Today I'd planned to run round Tamar Lakes ...... just once as I had to miss Parkrun again yesterday, however it's raining cats and dogs and definitely isn't running weather, not even down the lane either. Probably a blessing in disguise as although my foot feels better another day of no running can only help the healing process I guess!!

I'm fundraising for Children's Hospice South West

When I shared my first post from this blog on Twitter and Facebook several friends asked if I was doing it for sponsorship. The immediate answer was 'No'.


Actually I hadn't even considered it.


However the Bideford 10k www.bidefordaac.co.uk/bideford-10k is raising funds for Childrens Hospice South West www.chsw.org.uk and guess what???


SO AM I!!!


I now have a huge bucket to collect cash in so when you pop by our stall www.shebbearcheese.co.uk whether you buy cheese or not you can chuck your money in! Thank you!


I have a sponsorship form so you can cough up in the old fashioned way. Thank you!


Covering all bases I have an online donating thingy www.virginmoneygiving.com/sarahstylespower
Thank you!


AND ...............


I have a running vest to wear on the day ( I will model it at some point but snow stopped play today)


P.S. Yes I know my photo is horizontal ...... bit of a technophobe thing going on!!!

Today I tried to run 10k

The plan is to run three times a week with a day off in between. So a Park run, a longer run and the other run with a running group if I can get to it otherwise it'll be my usual down the lane and back nearly 5k run!

Since I started running last year I've tried to run at least five times a week so this regime is going to be slightly alien to me to start with and of course I have broken the rules already! In theory as I'd Parkrun on Saturday, Sunday should have been a day off ......... fat chance .........I ran!

However I did have yesterday off and just went out on my bike.

Today I decided that I might as well go for it and see if I could run 10k. No point in fannying around! I'd use the woman on my phone to log the distance but try and ignore her when she broadcast my split pace times. Normally if I think she's lying we argue and she learns a few more swear words. That'll be competitive Sarah again then!!

So I set off with my 'trainer' and two 'pacers' well Chris on his bike and the two collies!

I deliberately kept my pace slow and was pleasantly surprised at the one mile mark to have done it in 11.29. It does help that the first mile and a half is down hill, on the downside it's all uphill on the way back!! At four and a half miles my right leg felt like it had come unscrewed and I was waiting for it to fall off, luckily it hung on for the rest of the run and seems ok now.

The result is I can run 10k without stopping albeit slowly and I now have a time to work on.

By the way 6.2 miles is 10k.