Pink Tape » marathon

13.1 is the lucky number

familoo — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:42:25 +0000

I did it! I am now struggling to walk or even more more than my fingertips, but I did manage my half marathon today in just over 2 1/2 hrs, and i would have done it quicker if I wasn’t busy having a mini-asthma attack every time I felt a bit emotional (which was every five minutes after about 10 miles) (I don’t suffer from asthma, but hey it was a day of firsts). I’ve raised £550 plus gift aid for Women’s Aid, but if you want to help me top up that balance you know what you gotta do: www.justgiving.com/lucyreed

PS: Although I have been referred to as Lucy ‘Elizabeth’ Reed (which I’m not) I can now see my official results on the marathon website – I came in number 8907 of about 15,000 at 2h34m49s. YAY!!!

getting down to single digits

familoo — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:53:20 +0000

Only 3 clear days (as we lawyers like to phrase it) until race day. AND although I have not reached the target weight of 9st (which would give me a beautifully healthy BMI any GP would commend me on) I did do a little skip this morning when the scales was able to count my weight to the nearest half pound because I have made it into single digits (admittedly only by 1/2 lb to 9st13.5lb). Well, I would have skipped if I had more than 2 hours sleep last night.

My race number and information has arrived in the post and H is now enlisted to running me ‘sports bath’ and giving me ‘sports massage’ and I have been studying the route to look for psychological waypoints en route that I can use to spur myself on when I get to the point of near collapse.

ALL I NEED TO DO NOW IS RAISE A LITTLE MORE MONEY. PLEASE GO TO MY JUSTGIVING PAGE IF YOU CAN SPARE A FEW POUNDS FOR WOMEN’S AID.

round old haunts

familoo — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:55:39 +0000

ran a few laps around black park on sat, I think about 10.5 miles but its difficult to tell as the paths are obscured by trees on google maps. pulled something in my leg but its seems fine 72 hours on. it might not be as far as I’d wanted to run before the big day but I’m pleased to have run a big chunk of the final distance independently of my brother.

so that’s my training done. apart from spending the next week eating pasta. now waiting for my race pack to arrive….can’t believe its almost race day.

raindrops keep falling on my trainers

familoo — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:04:32 +0000

Whilst sitting waiting to be called into court this morning in a gloomy conference room at Gloucester County Court today my solicitor and i heard an icecream van outside, jingling its tune. it was playing the tune to ‘raindrops keep falling on my head’. Had the infamous Dr Foster attended there today he would have risked going deeper than his middle ‘cos we have had SOME RAIN today. On my way home from Bristol everything was flooded and my fastest wiper blades were not fast enough.

All of which is a preamble to my pathetic whine about why I didn’t go running today – too flipping wet. MUST MUST MUST go soon though because its now only just over a week to go and I need to rest for the last few days….

LEGS ELEVEN

familoo — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:55:15 +0000

Yes I hit the wall at the weekend. I made a sorry sight on the treadmill in our hotel in Winchester, red as a beetroot and having to stop every km for a break. I managed 10k which I was rather disappointed to learn is only 6 miles. But that was the day after a wedding and a fried breakfast. And I don’t think treadmills are an easy place to cover a long distance.

But YESTERDAY I wowed myself. 11 Miles. I forgot to change into my sportsbra and ended up with backache and I had stomach cramps much of the way round (disagreeable sandwich at lunch) and had to stop for an emergency loo break at a garage at 10 miles but I still did it. Sorry for the details but I’m so proud I did it at all let alone when I wasn’t feeling on top form.

However, following that major physical exertion and after being woken every 3 hours by the baby (I KNOW he can go 8 hours but has decided not to) today I have felt utterly pathetic ALL day. Just about recovering now.

Now all I have to do is prep two hearings for tomorrow before bed…

past the half way mark…

familoo — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:18:36 +0000

after last weeks 7.3 miles I had a very busy week at work and took quite a while to feel fully recovered enough to attempt any further. I managed one three mile run in the week which was really tough. and on friday night when I was due to run at 8pm, instead me and the baby went to bed at 8 and slept through till 6. That’s the first time he’s slept through (repeated last night) and today I went for a run and felt MUCH better – made 8.5 miles, and although I walked the last mile or so I ran 2 45 min stints with only one 2 min walking break in the middle, and I completed the 7.5 miles quicker than last week. Considering how little training I’ve done this week I’m pleased.

7 mile itch

familoo — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:54:10 +0000

Ran 5 miles on Fri and 7.3 miles today. I am now icing my aching knees…Took just under 1 1/2 hrs and I am cream crackered. Got completely soaked at the start and ran most of the route blind with my glasses on top of my head relying on my brother to spot traffic, but half way around it cleared up and the sun came out and we passed some beautiful views. Plus today we covered more than half of the total race distance and I managed to run for a full 40 mins before pausing for a walk, and overall its the longest stint of exercise I’ve done - so I’m pretty buoyed up. I’ve also (finally) lost a couple of pounds – unbelievably I’ve only lost four pounds since I started training and half of that has been simply a result of going back to work.

I now have five weeks (yikes) to train myself up to 13 miles – I’ve had to abandon my training plan because work keeps messing it up, but if I aim to add a mile a week I’ll be on 11 miles by the weekend before the race and hopefully 13.1 miles should be manageable on the day.

almost half way there…almost half dead….

familoo — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:00:03 +0000

Went for a 4 1/2 mile run on Sat with my brother – the furthest yet. The Boxing Day run as its known round here is pretty much flat or downhill apart from one monster of a hill (Holly Lane) in the middle. In the event I made it around the whole thing with only 2 stops on Holly Lane AND we added some extra laps onto the end and made it to 6 MILES!!! WOW. Wasn’t expecting that. But I am still feeling the after effects, and I have been tackling the stairs like a lopsided giraffe. And the knee on my clutch leg was making an interesting popping noise every time I changed gear this morning. However, another busy week ahead so I may slip back a little. We plan to do a 5 mile run to Yatton on Saturday, stopping for a drink and a breather at the pub with the family and then, if we are up to it, do the 5 miles back. We’ll see….

a marathon week

familoo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:12:03 +0000

Well, this has been (is) my first week back at work properly and I must say combining full day court hearings with breast pumps at lunch and marathon training in the evening is proving tricky. Haven’t had time to run in the evenings so far, but managed almost 4 miles this evening. The plus points: made 26 1/4 mins without a walking break (YES the quarter minute MATTERS) and made it to a total of 45 mins with only 2 x 2 minute walking breaks. That is a major improvement on where I have been and considering I’m only making it out every 3 or 4 days at present I’m pleased. But I AM worried I won’t make it to target i.e. 13.1 miles by mid September…

Because my hours are so unpredictable at work my running partner (my brother) is having to run without me and he is streaks ahead of me in the fitness stakes. I need to try and pick up the pace so I don’t hold him back too much. And soon we will have to have ‘the talk’ about whether or not he will wait for me when I conk out half way round on the big day…..

Not that I suppose its going to persuade any of you to get your purse out, but it would be a lot easier to remember why the hell I’m doing this if you’d all actually go and sponsor me instead of just PROMISING to do it ;-)

jogging along

familoo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:47:56 +0000

well, a trial in London put paid to any training this week…On my return I managed a pathetic 2 1/2 miles but yesterday managed to make it to 4 miles (albeit with a LOT of stopping). It’s progress but not as much as I’d like. Too knackered today to do much, maybe a swim later…