marathonmummy

This week, not today. But I had you going for a minute there, didn’t I?

Today: 3.7 miles

In public.

With running trousers on.

In the middle of the day.

Today was groundbreaking stuff. I ran with Paula, who is sneakily fitter than she lets on, due to her strange habit of using the time when her smallest one is at preschool with my smallest one to go and do Body Combat classes at the gym. I on the other hand prefer to relax in the nearest coffee shop and eat a bacon sandwich on the pretext of doing the Christmas shopping.  I can write this safe in the knowledge that Mr Marathonmummy never reads my blog, probably because he has to live with my incessant witterings on a daily basis, and has done for nearly 15 years.

Anyway, back to running. So up the hill we went, walking because we were warming up and not because the hill is hideous at all. Run run run, walk walk walk, run run run, walk walk walk. Onto the main road which has a footpath but also has lorries and things driving past at 60mph. Note to self: slightly short, loose fitting t-shirt + backdraft from lorries = bit of an eyeful for the following cars. I ended up having to jog along holding the hem of my top to avoid scaring the drivers. Run run, walkwalkwalkwalkwalkwalkchatchat, oops this isn’t marathon trainingrunrunrun, up a hill (vomit), down a hill (clever trick from P: lengthen stride slightly to avoid hideous jarring feeling, and it works), run run run. Passed whilst running by someone we know, so we have proof it really happened, then home for water, stretching, cups of tea and oh the absolute bliss of a hot bath in the middle of the day. Thank goodness for preschoolers who still have an afternoon nap.

Paula: Right, shall we run when we get to that post?

Me: Yes, good idea.

(post passes>

Paula: We’re still not running, have you noticed?

Me: But we’re thinking about running. That counts, doesn’t it?

So this week’s mileage is 13.6. Hooray for me, and for lovely running chums, and for all the moral support from people telling me they think I must be mad but well done.

7 mph is quite fast. I was like the roadrunner today, trying an experimental minute at speed. My legs were going round in circles and the kittens were standing by the side of the treadmill looking confused. As for the floorboards, they may never be the same again.

Anyway, my inner nerd is enjoying looking at my pulse and recovery rates (goes back to weekends spent acting as crew for endurance horses) and seeing I really am getting fitter, despite the fact that it’s soooo hard.

Today’s run: 30 minutes, 2 min run, 3 min fast walk, 4 min run, 5 min fast walk, 1 min faster run (6.5mph), 3 min fast walk, 1 min Roadrunner run (7mph!), 5 min fast walk, 1 min run, however many mins cool down to = 30 mins. I was feeling a bit despondent today about being utterly hopeless and never being fit enough to run a marathon, but you know what? I’m getting fitter, aren’t I?