A Sunny Run!

Despite enjoying a Chinese Takeaway and a few wines last night I felt quite enthusiastic about going for a run this morning.  It was a bright sunny morning and a lot milder at 5C compared with yesterdays chilly 1C!

This morning I set off to do a 5.5 mile "progressive" run.  
This is where after a 1/2 mile warm up I am supposed to slowly get faster! 

This run highlighted that I really need to work on my pacing!

However, in my defense I don't understand how you can successfully progressively get faster when you live in an area full of hills!  It's obvious that I am going slow down going up the hill and speed up coming down!

I set off and tried to do the 1/2 mile warm up slowly before concentrating on my pace.

Mile 1 I did at a 9.10 minute mile pace
Mile 2 at a 8.24 minute pace mile which I realised was way too fast when I was supposed to be concentrating on progression so tried to slow it down for mile 3 which was 8.47, mile 4 was way too slow at 9.12 and finally for mile 5 I tried to speed up slightly and managed a 8.31 minute mile pace. Altogether I ran 5.5 miles at an average 8.54 minute mile pace.

So as I said I'm slightly useless when it comes to pacing myself!

Something else to concentrate on!

I will to try and improve the next time the plan states a "progressive" run and perhaps select my route more carefully!

This Morning's Swimming Pool!

Yesterday after work at 3.45pm we all went for "a drink" to start the Weekend off!  The weekend definitely started with a bang when one drink turned into several and we ended up going home at 8.30pm legless!  I'm blaming the lack of food!

Anyhow I had already arranged to meet a friend at 10am this morning to swim in Lake Windermere, and I didn't think a hangover was a good enough excuse to cancel!

It was a fantastic morning, rather chilly and there was snow on the fells but the sun was shining!  

For the first time since May I decided the time had come to dig out my wetsuit gloves and socks!  I didn't want my fingers and toes dropping off!


My friend who I swim with goes in in just his trunks - mad man that he is!

After all the torrential rain and floods the jetty was still underwater, which made it a little more tricky getting in and out!

I was amazed that I didn't get thet "OMG" feeling I usually get as my wetsuit fills with ice cold water!  It's probably due to the fact the air temperature was so cold my body was already in shock!

Despite it being a beautiful morning the lake has a habit of being choppy whenever I get in and today was no exception!  My goggles were also not playing nicely either and kept leaking and sliding!  I realised when I got home what the problem was!  I had committed a silly school girl error and had used face cream this morning!  Obviously the oil in it was making my goggles slip slide all over my face!  Lesson learned!

We didn't stay in long or swim very far as my body is still acclimatising to the extreme water temperatures!

When we did emerge from the lake there was a group of 4 people watching us, they came and spoke to us.  Apparently they were film makers from America here for the Kendal Mountain Festival with Swimmer Sean Conway and they asked to take a photo of us!  Lord only knows where that will end up!

Anyhow by the time we had finished talking to them I was feeling slightly chilly and was pleased to get my clothes back on and a drink my flask of Hot Chocolate!  

There is a little bit of an uphill walk to get from the lake to the car park which is quite good for getting the circulation going and warming the body up slightly!

My toes were the only part of me that were suffering - the tingling pain as they warmed up was not very pleasant!

I have no idea how far we swam as my Garmin obviously didn't appreciate the shock of the cold and went doolally! According to it we were in the water 13 minutes and swam 9.29 miles!  I can guarantee you I did NOT swim that distance - it was more like 250 metres!

The jetty under the water!

The walk up from the lake to the car park!

A Dry One!

For the first time in what seems like a very long time I managed to enjoy a dry run this evening!

I had spent the day at a Conference in Huddersfield, where I sat all day which is very different to my usual sort of day when I barely stop!

I had also enjoyed a rather large 2 course meal at lunch time, Coffee with biscuits this morning finished off with Coffee and Cake this afternoon so I was feeling rather stuffed too!

By the time I arrived home at 6pm I was itching to get out and stretch my legs! 

The plan said a 3 mile slow run.  I didn't mind the 3 mile part but I needed to expand some energy so I went a little faster than the 10:47 minute mile pace suggested!

I really enjoyed this run and didn't worry about the pace until I stopped my Garmin. I was surprised to see that I had actually done a "progressive" run, where I got faster each mile.  Whenever I usually try to do this I fail!  I did the first mile at an average 9.13 minute mile pace, followed by mile 2 at 8.54 and mile 3 at 8.51. Not the equal increments you are supposed to do but progressive all the same! 

I had run 3.11 miles at an average 9.03 minute mile pace!

You can view my run here!

I'm feeling good!

After the recent torrential rain and floods we now have snow forecast for this weekend - that could make running tricky!

Swimming!

Tonight I went to Tri Club Swimming in the pool!

I'm not feeling very fit at the moment so was quite apprehensive about it, but once I got going I really enjoyed the session!

We swam 1600 metres including sprints and drills so feeling rather tired now!

I was supposed to be swimming in the lake tomorrow night but unfortunately the pier we swim from at Millerground is underwater, so we have cancelled.  Hopefully if the rain stops I might get in the lake over the weekend!

The Parkrun at Fell Foot was cancelled last week and is cancelled again this coming Saturday as that too is flooded!

I wish this rain would go and do one!

Fell Foot

Fell Foot!

I think my Mojo is back!

The last few months have been tough going and in amongst it all I seemed to have lost my running mojo!

On Sunday whilst I was "suffering" running a race I hadn't trained for I decided that I was no longer going put work before my life ... I was going claim my life back again and find the time and energy to RUN! 

Since my injury at the beginning of the Summer my love of running, enthusiasm and the ability to run whatever life threw at me has deserted me. My mojo seems to have been on strike! I have been running but not with consistency or of any quality, and definitely not with any enthusiasm! 

I have felt like I have been lacking in goals and a focus!

So on Sunday evening I sat down and decided what my goals for 2016 were going be!

I flirted with the idea of another marathon but have decided to put that one on hold for now!  

Instead I am going to focus on getting a faster Half Marathon, 10K and 5K time, and plan to do the HM and 10K courses where I have previously run a PB, with the intention of beating it! I would also like to beat my 1 Mile Open Water Swim time!

That means I am definitely running Liverpool Rock n Roll Half Marathon in May and The Windmill 10K in November, as well as swimming in The Great North Swim again in June - all now booked!

I will also try and find some "tester" races to allow me to see how close I am to achieving my goals in the target races!

I am feeling quite excited now and have even started on a training plan to improve my HM time!  

I do love a plan to follow! 

I know May is a long way off but it gives me plenty of time to slowly improve my fitness - with no excuses acceptable!

When I got back from work tonight it was raining and I was tired but I had the training plan staring at me stating I was to do 5.5 miles at a "jog".

Before I could change my mind I was togged out in my wet weather running gear and hitting the streets! 

My plan stated a "jog" was at a 10.45 minute mile pace, which seems very slow to me so I selected a hilly route to slow me down and it worked a treat!

I can't say I enjoyed it or that it was easy but I did it!

I ran 5.63 miles at a average 10.19 minute mile pace.

My second tick on my training plan! 

I think I might have got my mojo back!

Bring it on!

So Proud Of My Ladies!

Tonight at running club I decided to push them a little by throwing in a hill or 2!

Luckily the rain had stopped but it had turned very cold!

They did fantastically well running up the hills with only a little moaning and groaning!

However, we were on our last 10 minute run interval and I was so busy chatting to one of my ladies that I didn't hear my Garmin Beep to say the time was up, so I kept on running!  I even extended my planned run because I thought we hadn't done the full time.  It was only when I glanced at my watch and saw we had been running for over an hour that I realised my mistake! 

Whoops!

I apologised profusely and told them it was good to push themselves!

They ran the furthest they have run yet - 4.8 miles!

They have come on immensely since we started running 8 weeks ago!

I am very proud!

Kendal Survived the Floods!

Hundreds of people were evacuated last night as the Environment Agency thought the River Kent in Kendal was going to break its banks! It's good to be able to report IT DIDN'T although it did get very very close!

This meant that today I was able to compete in the Brampton to Carlisle 10 Mile Road Race. 

You can read how I got on here!