Category Archives: Running

Valentines 10K

Since having my bike fall on black ice I have been unable to do much running, so training for my half marathon has not gone as planned.

I have kept my legs turning with an occasional couple of miles and Parkrun but then I decided if I had any chance of running the valentines 10k and half marathon I needed to give my back a proper rest and hope my legs would just remember how to run.

I also booked in for some treatment with Jane at Free your Body Therapy.

The first test for my back came on the 18th of February when in perfect weather conditions, I met up with my Norwich running friends for the Valentines 10k, we decided to run together take it steady and have a chatty enjoyable run and that is just what we did.

I was happy with the results, my time was 1.05 and my back just ached slightly.

We then went and enjoyed a Delicious Sunday lunch at The Marlingford Bell where many other exciting adventures were discussed.

Apart from Parkrun, I have now had another 2 weeks rest and a few more treatments from Jane, tomorrow she is taping me up and I hope I will be able to get around the Cambridge Half Marathon…..  legs, back and weather allowing !!!

Hello 2018

For the past few years I have ended the year by doing the Ely 10k a run I really enjoy but this year I decided to have a change and start the year with a run, the Wymondham 10k

After a late night seeing the New Year in, I was up early with Geoff so we could get over to Wymondham to meet up with my running friends. It was great to see everyone but I was certainly not feeling my best after overindulging the night before. My legs didn’t seem to want to work either, 5 hours sleep obviously is not enough.

The 10k felt really hard especially with the few nice hills on the route but I did it, then enjoyed catching up with my friends over a lovely lunch where there was much fun and laughs.

So 2018 started well with a nice bit of bling but would I do it again, maybe not!

Unfortunately a few days later on a TTT ride, after hitting some black ice which was totally unexpected, I came off my bike along with 4 others. Luckily none of us was badly hurt and we all managed to cycle home.

Since then I have been suffering from a very stiff and achy lower back, so no running or biking but hopefully I shall soon be feeling 100% fit again as I have many exciting things planned including ……

Valentines 10k, Cambridge Half, LDWA Daffodil Dawdle, Biking in Mallorca, GEAR 10k and Nottingham 10k.

and I need to get training !!!

Goodbye 2017

Lambfair Green Puddle Ride

Lambfair Green Puddle Ride

Its been a disappointing December for bike mileage due to the bad weather and Icy conditions but today to end the year perfectly we clocked up a good 70 miles on the bike, many of the roads were flooded after the heavy rain but luckily no ice today.

Although that has been the only disappointment this year, everything else has gone to plan and I have enjoyed many happy adventures with my friends and Geoff.

The highlights had to be The Lap Of Anglia and cycling from my house to Edinburgh with Geoff,as well as running two fab half marathons.

2018 is promising to be just as exciting with many events already booked up, in fact, my diary seems busy right up until August which is rather exciting.

2017 finished with a ride so 2018 must start with a Run, the Wymondham 10k with friends the object now is not to drink too much tonight !!!!!

A busy few months

While Geoff has been away touring around South Korea and Japan, I have been filling my time doing the things I love….. running, biking and walking.

First It was the LDWA Daffodil Dawdle, Gina and I have walked the Daffodil Dawdle before from Kirtling, in unforgettable conditions which included a lot of Mud, Rain and Snow, last year we gave it a miss opting to do the Flowers of Suffolk later in the year instead where Jo and Jayne joined us too. We enjoyed that walk so much that we decided to risk the Daffodil Dawdle again.This year it was from Stradbroke and luckily we were blessed with a lovely sunny day and a beautiful route. Many people run or run/walk these events and we were inspired by these people and have decided that a challenge for next year will be to run/walk the 18 miles

Easter and a 4-day break for me, I usually hate Bank Holidays when Geoff is away but thanks to Parkrun and SWNC I had a fab Easter break, filled with running biking and fun.

My Next adventure was a 200km Audax, something I have wanted to do for a while, so when the opportunity came up to join a couple of friends I jumped at the chance. It was an awesome day, starting from Seething, riding on lovely country lanes and roads, the route took us out to the Maglia Rosso cafe near Bury St Edmunds then we headed to the coast via Framingham, Saxmundham and Southwold before returning back to Seething. The miles just seemed to fly by and I returned home eager to book another 200km Audax with Geoff.

Amazingly my next big event was running Parkrun number 100, not such a big achievement when many have run 200 but for me it was huge as I was the person that was never going to do Parkrun, why would I want to set my alarm clock on a Saturday I told everyone but it took just one Parkrun and I was hooked, now I cannot imagine a weekend without a Parkrun

 

Then to top it all off there was the 10k GEAR run, I have done this run many times but had to miss it last year due to injury, so it was nice to be back running a home event with many lovely friends and Ladybirds. This year it was being run by the Asda foundation and as a runner, I can say it was very well organised with a great medal, T-shirt and goodie bag. There was also the most amazing amount of support around the route, which provided a magic atmosphere.Due to not running for 10 days and doing 250 plus miles on my bike I didn’t expect to run a good time, but my legs had other ideas, a great time of 56.53 missing out on a P/B by 10 seconds !! After the run we all went to the pub, enjoying food, drink and of course lots of chatting and it really did feel like I just about knew everyone.

Now Geoff is home for the summer and I have lots of exciting things planned for him !!!!!!

Cambridge Half Marathon

After being poorly and missing 3 weeks of my training I decided that my aim would be just to complete this run and enjoy it

On the morning of the run, the weather was damp and chilly and I was determined not to overdress so found myself in the starting pen in the rain huddling up to other runners to keep warm

The start went really well and 10 mins after the gun I was crossing the start line in the second wave of runners, not bad considering there were 8999 other runners, the rain had stopped too which was a bonus!

The first part of the route was through town with tons of support then out to Grantchester before returning back into town via Newnham and the “Backs” then just as you might be getting tired you arrive back into town where there are crowds of people to cheer you on.

It was a real boost to see Geoff and other friends along the route, I also took advantage of the gels provided at the water stations and I swear these made a difference as I never felt like I was tiring at all.

Due to starting in the rain I had decided not to run with my glasses on so was unable to read the information on my running watch, I cannot begin to tell you how amazed I was to find myself crossing the finish line in 2.09.25 with a huge big smile as not only had I ran better than I expected too but I had also managed my longed for P/B.

I really loved this event, it is so well organised , the weather was perfect for me,the bling is awesome and I got to tick off two of my 2017 goals, a half marathon and a P/B.

So what next ……well I have three 10km running events booked and a huge biking challenge to keep me going !!!!!

Ready or Not !!

Due to injury Its now  a year since i did my last running event, the Cambridge Half marathon, it was while running this that I tore my Achilles.

It took a while to heal, but with help and advice from a good Physio i did mend, ironically it was the week of my bike crash that i had the all clear to start running again.

I started back with 10 min runs, then 15 min and finally back to parkrun on 11th June 2016

Since then I have built back up slowly, deciding no events till this year, with that in mind I booked freethorpe 10 mile and the Cambridge half marathon for 2017

For some reason I have had trouble finding running shoes that I really feel comfortable in, I love my Hoka and my Adidas boost but neither are wide enough for runs over 6 miles,so I have mizuno wave for the extra width but i have not fallen in love with these shoes !!

All was going well un till I caught a virus in early January, I tried to fight it off for a few weeks but finally had to give into it when it turned into a nasty chest infection and a course of antibiotics was needed.

Not only did I have to pull out of the freethorpe 10 miler i lost 3 weeks of training too, I started back not 100% well but was determined not to miss my Half marathon.

Its a week to go now, so no more running, no alcohol, and a Berocca everyday then fingers crossed I will be rested and ready !!!!!!

Cambridge Half Marathon

Very annoyingly I returned from El Medano with a sore achilles so as it was so close to the Cambridge half I decided to rest until the event on Feb 28th.

Due to injury my friend Gina had already decided not to run but after much soul searching I decided to take a risk and run, so Gina decided to come along and cheer me on.

I was very nervous on the morning of the run,wondering if i was doing the right thing but thought if i just took it steady I should be ok. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere amazing.

IMG_3516Due to the huge amount of runners, around 7,000, the start was a slow one , which was not a bad thing. first part of the route took us through Town passing by many of the great city colleges, we then headed out to Grantchester which was more rural. Much to my surprise and delight I spotted people I knew in the crowds of spectators and this gave me a real boost.

There was Four water stations on this run each included a gel option too, so I decided to take a gel at each station and I think this worked really well for me as I never got the usual tired feeling at around the 9/10 mile mark.

By the time I was coming back into town I was happy and relaxed thinking i was going to get my P/B time, I heard Gina cheering me on and I thought I had cracked it but then at mile 11 disaster struck and i felt something “pop” in my lower leg, I stopped for a second thought bugger what shall I do now !! then decided that as i was so close to the finish I should just run/limp to the end.

My time was 2.19 not bad since I had to limp home, it was by far the best running event I have ever done,the bling was awesome, and I don’t regret running it at all.

After visiting the physio I found out I had actually torn my achilles and only now after 12 weeks can I start running again 🙂

Freethorpe 10 miler

Freethorpe 10 was my first event of 2016 and I was using it as a training run for the Cambridge half in February.

imageAs usual I was meeting up with my Norwich running friends which always makes these events great fun,this time Linda was marshalling and Jayne was able to join us too, Was also great to have Geoff along to support us and take photo’s.

The weather was cold and drizzly perfect for running not so nice for marshalling but at least the strong winds had died down.

Gina and I decided to run together, although she is usually a faster runner than me her knee had been playing up and she wanted to take it easy !

I am used to running these events now and don’t get as nervous as I used too although I was slightly worried about this one as I had not been feeling my best, so having Gina to run with was good for me.image

The route was more undulating than I am used too but I enjoyed the run and all the marshals did a great job of encouraging us along.

I ran better than I expected too finishing in 1.42 and loved the first bling of 2016.

After the run we enjoyed lunch at the Rampant horse just across the road from the village hall and then had fun trying to get our cars out the car park , a turnip field that had turned to mud after having 700 cars parked on it.