Of course I was due a fall .......

As I wrote about how well my training was going a few weeks ago and how much I was enjoying it I knew as I pressed send I was heading for a fall ....... the voice in my head was taunting me with it .......

So first the blisters .....

No problem I now have shares in Compeed plasters .......

Oh and new running shoes! Although I've only run in them once!

Apparently purple is the new pink!!!!

Then I struggled with my training  sessions, not helped by this continuous wet and windy weather .... horizontal rain and gale force winds really don't do it for me .......

No problem, there's always tomorrow ......

....... except of course there isn't when the day job and business get in the way .....

So I'm a bit behind.

'Well how far behind?' I hear you ask ...... errr
ummm sort of 2x interval training and a 5k run.

'So it's only Saturday surely you can fit two in (including Parkrun) before coach Steph sends the next training plan'

Ok, in theory no problem, but ........

I'll just rewind a bit though

Since my last blog post and the hill training involving angry chainsaw man I've managed a 5k run down the lane and back with the doggens which should have been easy peasey, unfortunately the whole way I felt like I was going to break down like an old nag!   Three days later a 6 mile session on the TT which should have involved a negative split but I just about managed to crawl around ........ my body seemed to be on a go slow! Not helped by the wind and horizontal rain or a dry/chesty cough that I've developed. (A contradiction I know)

On Wednesday it was windy but dry so when the OB asked my plans I announced that it was going to be an 8 miler from the Puffing Billy to the river bridge and back! I didn't mention that the tops of my legs ached and that really I wanted to stay at home, although he did say 'you're not looking forward to this'
'No I know it sounds silly but actually I'm getting nervous about it. I know I can do it but at the moment I feel like I'm going to break down like an old nag'

As I set off there was a shout of 'Hello Sarah' from the cycle hire place ....... so a lovely surprise and quick chat with Ali who was buying a bike there and off I went!

Of course I then wanted a wee ..... do you know I get so mad with this ......I always go (about 3 times before we leave the house) and still want to go at our destination. As you know this is the busy bit of the TT but in the end I nipped up some steps that lead to path alongside the river and had a squat! Relief ...

My legs ached, it was a struggle, the ache moved down my legs, more so in my left leg  ..... by mile 6 (bearing in mind I should be running faster than at the start)  I could hardly run. The worst pain ran down the front of my left leg and at the knee shot around the back and down it.

In the end I had to stop and tried stretching ......yay!
It worked ....  briefly

So it was stop, stretch, hobble, stop, stretch hobble to the end! I wasn't going to walk even if it killed me and despite the little voice in my head ' with your third wake-up call you may not be so lucky'

 Stubborn I know!

Then came the analysis ...... we decided I must be dehydrated ..... this conclusion was from the fact that I'd done three milk recordings back to back and so don't drink too much due to not being able to go to the loo (other than in with the cows or behind a hedge when noone is looking.

To make up for it I've now  been drinking gallons of water .........

The result?

Well apart from constantly having to wee, my legs don't ache so much but I still have a cough and this morning a sore throat and what felt like the beginnings of a cold .......

The thing is I don't suffer from colds!

OB - Old bloke
TT - Tarka Trail

Update ...... since the last post when the OB complained to DCC about angry chainsaw man, they completed their enquiries on 23rd December and apparently could find no record of contractors working on this part of the TT so closed the case! The OB has made a complaint about this so it's now going further up the line!

I have four blisters and a weak bladder this week!

Just as we were going to bed on Sunday night, this weeks training email arrived .......

Yes, I know I shouldn't be checking emails/social media/ the price of stuff in my Amazon shopping basket, let alone having my phone in the bedroom but unfortunately I can't help it.

At least I went to sleep knowing that there was hill training, a 9 miler and a 5k run in store.

Tuesday was a running day, but which session to do?

Normally I'd have gone for the 9 miler ....... but I had to collect something from Hatherleigh at 1pm and so time constraints ruled.

Hill training then on my favourite hill .....

......... of course I should have been champing at the bit,  but actually I really didn't want to do it ...... it was cold and windy and my va va voom had deserted me but .......

I got on with it!

About five minutes into my ten minute warm up I really needed a wee, but the trouble with the TT is there aren't any hedges to nip behind and all the gateway's were quagmires. Ok Sarah ..... think about something else, take your mind off it ..... and so into the 5 x 20 strides...... not my best effort as I didn't seem to be able to get out of first gear but don't dwell on it ..... get on with the hill reps!

After running hard uphill for 1 minutes and then trotting back to the start I decided that I'd just have to squat and hope for the best, however it was a bit breezy and I didn't really want wet legs so I ran hard up hill for 2 minutes and then went to drop my drawers ..... but a bloody lycra lout hovered into view. Oh bugger ...... just keep running .....

Once we'd exchanged plesantries and he was out of sight I did it ....... phew! What a relief! 

I'd be lying if I said I then ran better because actually I still couldn't seem to get out of first gear BUT ....... I did the hill training! One down two to go!

Now my plan for the 9 miler was to go to Petrockstowe and run to half a mile past Yarde and then back incorporating the long drawn out hill I hate. However the OB had to stay behind as the boiler was being serviced and the Puffing Billy to Bideford route is slightly more populated which I prefer when I'm on my own but infact in hindsight it worked against me!

The instructions were vary the pace so one mile hard, the next easy .....

I set off and would you believe almost immediately I needed a bloody wee ..... well absolutely no chance to squat on this highly populated bit of the TT so I just had to cross my legs!!! (Makes it difficult to run!)

I was also back to feeling like I couldn't get out of first gear again ... but the first mile was race pace so what do I know?

I wasn't going to show you the workout details but rather than bore you with a step by step narrative you can see for yourself that I didn't manage the race pace/easy thing...... one gear and one speed Sarah it seems!!!

Going into mile six the plantar facilities in my left foot decided to make itself known ......... 

It got short shrift ... I wasn't going to walk the four miles back. Luckily it got the message after a mile of niggling!

Then two miles from home I could feel the blister on my right foot rubbing, despite the Vaseline and padding......

All I could think was 'bollocks, bollocks, bollocks .........  

I don't want any set backs!'

The result was I ran 9 miles and gained four blisters, one of which burst.

So no Parkrun for me yesterday,  which was going to be the 5k session.

The question  ' is it socks, shoes or trench foot?' and 'how many miles have your shoes done?'

Now back in January when we all signed up to the Bideford 10k Coach Steph mentioned that our running shoes should be changed every 300-500 miles. I felt smug because of course I'd only just got mine and the OB worked out that I'd need to change them in September and of course not taking into account that they'd be redundant for 3 months whilst I was ill.

Initially I've put it down to socks but after Belinda's prompt I got the calculator out and went through my runs 

The answer is 387 miles.

Looks like a trip to HTP Sport is on the cards for new running shoes!