marathonmummy

The observant reader will notice that I haven’t written anything for a week. That’s because I’m up to my eyes in Christmas. Nativity plays, presents, school parties, decorations, baking, pre-Christmas cleaning…I feel quite impressed that I got out on Tuesday with Katie for another run round the 3.7 mile route.

It was an interesting run – I was determined to make a bit more of an effort than the previous couple of times I’d done it. Katie is pretty good at finding the balance between telling me to move my arse and being sympathetic when I can’t breathe and want to lie on the floor and weep in a feeble manner. What’s good about training with someone else (besides the chance for a chat) is that things which aren’t apparent to you are glaringly obvious to someone else. So Katie pointed out that after every walking interval I’d start off at quite a fast pace, then die because I couldn’t sustain it. So we kept the pace much slower, and I managed to run for much longer periods of time. My recovery rate is loads faster too – I can feel my heart and breathing coming back to normal really quickly. I’m really hoping Santa is reading, because what I’d really like for Christmas is this…

With my very own Garmin, I’ll be able to see exactly what I’m doing when I run, plus it appeals to my inner nerd – downloadable graphs! Things to compare with other things! Heart rates and recovery rates! Technology heaven! Yay.

In other news, um, there isn’t any. The children broke up from school today at lunchtime and I have to fit in running around school holidays, Christmas, and the eleventybillion other things I have to do by next Friday. Treadmill tonight, Olympia Horse Show for a girly day out tomorrow with my big girl, who takes after her mother and loves horses, then if the snow stays off I’m heading back out again on Saturday. Anyone local fancy joining me?

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?

It’s a sweaty business, this running lark. Particularly in summer, in humid weather, in a house that’s been heating up all day just in time for me to run at 7.30 at night. Luckily I have my new running vest of attractiveness to help cool me down. It’s not a good look, but so far nothing running related has been a good look for me, apart from the trainers, maybe.

Lessons in treadmilling: must keep an eye on the time. Due to my advanced uselessness, I have hit the cool down button every time I’ve run, because trying to co-ordinate slowing down and dying of puffed-outness is too complicated for my tiny brain. Consequently I can’t remember how long I’ve run for, so my running totals are a bit wonky. I’ve been doing run a bit, walk a bit, run a bit, walk a longer bit, run a bit more. Runs are about 2-3 minutes long and at between 5 (the patented Moore shuffle) and 6 (neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeom!)mph. Walks are the same, and vary between 3 (I’m dying here, help me) and 4 (I’m so FAST) mph. Gradient is currently 0%, which will have to be altered to reflect reality. However I’m planning to hit the roads this week, too, at some point. I can’t spend all my time boinging up and down watching television, can I?