A course PB

Well, it was another sunny run today !

Each time I finish a 10k I come away thinking that I must train harder for the next one and today was no exception.

The first part went quite well, I will look at the stats from my garmin when I get home but I think I was on target for a PB but I couldn't maintain the pace and that is down to training.

I found the last mile quite hard work which is where I met this chap. He was running in a mankini to raise money for a new church roof. He wasn't sure that the marshals would let him race so he kept shorts and t-shirt on until he was in the starting pen.....

Anyway, I finished in 54:16 according to my Garmin. Although this didn't beat my PB of 52:25 this is a course PB for me :)

My trainers and I.....

I'm off to London ! It does feel far too early to be stood on a station waiting for a train on a sunny bank holiday Monday morning.

At least it is sunny though and not pouring with rain.

This is the first race for these new, rather bright trainers. I'm not expecting miracles today, my legs still ache from the running I've done over the last few days but it is a lovely day for a run:)

I will hopefully be meeting up with a few friends, this is the first year that Ollie hasn't run this race with me, he is manning the Fire Engine today..

Anyway, see you at the finish line !

Hills, hills and more hills !

I suddenly realised I haven't update my blog for a couple of weeks... life has been a bit busy !

As well as my own running sorting out the running group takes a bit of time and this is also the busiest month of the year work wise and anyone who is self employed knows that when the work is there you take it !

Anyway, this week has been a week of accidental hill training. I didn't plan it, it just worked out that way !

I've been trying to fit running in to my life so that I don't upset everyone at home by being out running all the time and knackered when I'm not... so, on Monday Holly invited us over to her house for a BBQ..... Holly's house is about a 10 min drive away.... or a 5 mile run :) The only problem with the run is the massive great hill that you run up for the first 2.5 miles. This hill is over 650ft from sea level... and my house is only about 40ft above sea level.... Two miles takes you to about 270ft and then by 2.6 miles you are at over 650ft so you get the kind of hill I mean. I had also run this particular hill the previous Friday.... It was a lovely run though and great to be able to get out in shorts :)

Tuesday was my beginners group so I never actually run that far or that fast...

Thursday was the main SAC coached session... and it was hill training. So, off we all went and spent the evening running up and down a particularly nasty hill. Well, it is a lovely hill to sit on, have a picnic and admire the view but running up and down it in the wind and rain isn't the sort of thing that most sane people choose to do. But then I think I realised a long time ago that anyone that gets in to running isn't what the rest of the population would call sane !

That brings us to this evening..... and I had been planning a nice gentle FLAT 9 mile run down by the river. But then Millie looked at me. She started bouncing round the office despite a walk earlier with her doggy friend Daisy.... I have a long day at work tomorrow so I know she won't get a long walk.... so, instead of a gentle 9 miles I ended up doing "that" hill again as part of a 6 mile route that I know Millie enjoys. It was really windy running along the top of the Downs, but lovely and sunny.

I guess the river run will have to wait until next week.... and I'm planning on leaving the hills as something to be admired as a view at least until next Friday !

This and that....

Well, It has been nearly two weeks since the marathon. My legs have stopped aching and I'm missing the running !

I have still be running but I have kept the miles right down to give my body a chance to recover :)

I am now planning my next goals and the training that I will need to get there....

I am going to carry on running marathons, I know before the last one I said never again but I felt so much stronger this time round and I know I have it in me to improve on my time so I am going to carry on. I think I am lucky that I am able to run. Since the events at the Boston Marathon and the lad that died whilst running Brighton I realise how lucky I am that I am able to run. I may not always be able to.

Because I want to run faster I need to change my training a bit. I got thrown off track a bit last year, we all have things that crop up in our lives that knock us sideways sometimes but it is our own strength that means we can overcome them and carry on.

I have a couple of races booked in over the summer, just shorter 10k's, one on road and one off road and I hope that I will be able to improve my times for these.

The next races that I will be training for will be a 10 mile road run and a half marathon in the Autumn; again I would like to beat my PB for the half marathon.

Beginners Group

The beginners group that I have started with Steyning AC is going from strength to strength with new people joining each week. I must admit that I'm really enjoying running it !

I am booked of a First Aid for Run Leaders course in a few weeks time, hopefully something that I won't need to put in to practice....

I didn't realise how much planning and admin was involved in running the group initially, making sure I have up to date contact details, medical details, next of kin info etc to make sure that my insurance covers me...

In addition to that I need to do a risk assessment before each group session and keep a log of what we planned to do, what we actually did and any other relevant info.

I still love it though and I'm also learning so much more about human biology, physiology and running than I thought possible !

Brighton Marathon 2013

I'm still aching a bit while I type this.... but it was a great day !

After fairly awful weather with strong winds and rain the day before I was a bit nervous about the forecast. When we arrived at Preston Park it was overcast and raining a bit, gradually this stopped but it was still grey.

The first decision of the day was what to wear. This is something that I am quite indecisive over. I get very hot when I run but tend to feel quite cold for the rest of the time. When I get tired I also get cold... It can also be hard to decide what to wear when you know you are going to be out for 5 hours or more, the weather can change quite a bit in that time. Other things I don't like:

1. Running with clothing tied round me
2. Things that "bounce" when I run
3. Carrying more than I need, after all extra weight carried is extra energy used...

I wasn't sure what the wind strength would be on the seafront and if I would be cold in just my charity vest or if I should wear something underneath it. Looking round at the other runners never helps. You will always see people wearing far more or less than you would ever be comfortable with !

In the end I opted for just the charity vest and as it turned out it was the right decision. I do wish I had taken Amy's offer of suncream. When it has only just stopped raining and you are walking through mud to the start it is hard to believe that you will need it... but as it turned out we did and I'm just a bit pink today (the start of a summer tan ??)

Yesterday wasn't about getting a PB. For me it was about running with Holly and crossing the line together. If I'm honest it is far more fun running with someone, you keep each other going and it is someone to chat to on the way round.

I think I managed my water intake a bit better and only had two loo stops. On the first one the queues were so long I did pop in to a field so I apologise to anyone that might have been traumatised by the sight of my bum. The second time I did queue for the portaloos, fields are ok but the middle of a busy street is a step to far for me !

Before my next marathon I will be working on my drink intake, both amount and type, to try and make sure that I can get round without needing to stop. Last year I had to stop 5 times so this was a definite improvement. The advice of hydration has changed during this year. It has gone from making sure that you drink even if you aren't thirsty to drink according to thirst......

This was Holly's first marathon so crossing the line together was important to me. Holly has been asthmatic all her life and her asthma is classed as "chronic". There have been times when she was little and I was sleeping on a chair next to her hospital bed that I just wanted her well. I never thought I would see her grow up and train for and run a marathon so I see this as a massive achievement.

For me I felt far stronger running this marathon than I did last year. I felt as though I could have run faster, even in the last few miles, but I could see in Holly that she was giving it everything and really couldn't up the pace. I also remember how difficult I found the last few miles last year where just putting one foot in front of the other was a massive effort...

A marathon isn't just a race. It is a journey. You learn more about yourself along the way than you think possible. You learn how hard you can push yourself both mentally and physically. You learn that anything is possible if you want it enough.

Sweet dreams are made of these.... (or not in my case !)

I've always had very vivid and at some times quite nasty dreams and I have always wondered how these affect my sleep patterns...

After reading an article on sleep patterns on the BBC website I thought I would monitor my heart rate overnight to see what happens as I dream.

Last night was a fairly "normal" night dream wise for me with some very vivid dreams. It was also another morning when I wake up still feeling tired and not really that rested......

This is the heart rate data (you will need to click on the view details to see it).


I'm going to start using some relaxation techniques before I go to bed and see if it changes my sleeping heart rate pattern... My max heart rate is about 180 so I'm peaking at about half that just while I'm sleeping ! My minimum resting heart rate when I sit somewhere quiet on my own is 48....

I also don't know how accurate the calorie use is but to use 277 calories whilst sleeping isn't too bad :)

Not long now !

It really isn't long now until the Brighton Marathon and I'm staring to feel nervous.

It didn't help that my IT Band problems started to re-appear on my last 14 mile run. Not something that I need at the moment. So far I have done most of my training wearing Brooks Ravenna trainers. I bought them quite cheaply at Christmas at the same time as buying a pair of Brooks GTS 12's.....

Last year I did all my training and ran the whole year in the Brooks GTS 11's. Last year I had real problems with my IT Band, several physio sessions and it was "niggling" for the whole year.

Since Christmas and changing trainers it had gone away. that is until my last 2 long runs when I switched back to the GTS 12's that I had been keeping "fresh" for the marathon.

I'm not sure if this is coincidence but it isn't a chance I want to take so I will be running in the Brooks Ravennas, I think they still have enough life in them, but I have been taking it easy to let my knee stand a bit of a chance.

So, this week I have a todo list :

1. Make sure I stretch EVERY DAY - especially the stretches for my IT Band
2. Iron my name on to my charity shirt
3. Pack bag for Sunday - this year remembering recovery drink  & crisps.
4. Make sure I have some early nights
5. Eat sensibly.

So, I'm not sure if I will update this blog again before Sunday. Wish me luck !

If you want to track my progress on the day you can download the Brighton Marathon App for your iPhone and search for me (Lisa Beaney); you will then be able to see how I get on.

Here's hoping the wind drops and the temperature rises :)