Running with a coach week 2

So second week is done and it's still going well, most importantly I'm enjoying my running. 

This week I have run 37.68 miles bringing my January total to 137.44 and still a few days to go! 

This week there has been a tempo run which went well wasn't quite on target pace but was still running much faster than I normally do at 6am, an evening trail run, a recovery run and my first back to back long runs, I'll come back to those in a minute. Also been to 2 boot camps so all in all a good training week. My appetite has increased no end and anyone with any sense will not leave food laying around if it's edible and unattended I will eat it!!!

So back to back long runs... I decided to explore some of The Essex Way so staring at White Notley I head off for the first one on Saturday morning, well there was lots of mud and felt like I never got into a rhythm where I was running consistently for any distance! spent a lot of miles stressing about how slow I was progressing, I was enjoying the countryside but legs were heavy and when I finished 13.55 miles averaging 4.5 miles an hour I was worried!! On the plus side my new trail shoes are great. A message to Lindley and later a chat and the reassurance that I'm doing ok and that was a perfectly acceptable pace for the conditions and would be target pace for completing St. Peter's Way in 10 hours and I set off on Sundays run in a more positive frame of mind.

Thoroughly enjoyed Sundays run on The Essex Way going in the opposite direction, averaged 4.7 miles an hour, not much quicker, but it felt so much better, proving that a lot of this running stuff is mental! I enjoyed the scenery had a chat with an alpaca, splashed through the mud like a child and had a good time!

So again thanks to Lindley for the support and encouragement, thanks to Ian for understanding my unsocial running behaviour this weekend, going to have to get you to learn to love the mud ha ha!! 

Have a good week all and happy running xx 

First week with a coach

Just a quick blog today...

This week I have completed week one of my new training plan and it has gone really well. Early days I know but already have a little spark of confidence in my abilities that was missing before. 

Last weekend I ran a section of The Chiltern Way with Lindley and learnt lots about looking after myself and some insights into how my body might react to running over 100 miles.

An early morning trail run in the dark on Wednesday morning was great fun. Yesterday was another long one, I ran a section of St Peters Way, what can I say mud, mud and more mud, it felt painfully slow but enjoyed it and didn't get lost, following the route description was simple, running up hill through freshly ploughed, muddy fields wasn't!! 

So ran a touch under 40 miles last week, almost at 100 for the month but more importantly I'm enjoying it, having fun and feeling optimistic about this years running.

Have a great week and to all my running friends enjoy yourselves xxx 

Half way through yesterday's run!! 

'Challenge 2014'

Well 2014 has arrived, this years challenges been set...

'Challenge 2014' as I have imaginatively called it is going to be great, tough but seemed a perfectly reasonable challenge to set myself... And then you tell people your plans to which the response is usually 'why?'  or 'are you mad?' This is expected from non runners, but is slightly unsettling from other runners!

So what is 'Challenge 2014' well quite simply, taking part and finishing all four of challenge Running's ultra marathons.

March - St Peters Way 45miles

July - Saffron Trail 70 miles (overnight!)

August - The Chiltern Way 125 miles

October - Stort 30 30 miles

So there it is, there will be other events along the way but this is the big 4, I will be raising money for Moorfields eye charity as my son is a regular patient at Moorfields eye hospital.

For the first time in my 12 years of running I now have a coach, Lindley Chambers, who is going to help me achieve this crazy challenge, and he has to take some of the blame as they are his races!! 

I'm excited about this years running and know as always I will have the support of my family, (Dad I know you'll be with me and as ever you are my inspiration for taking on these challenges, miss you) my friends, the Nutters and The Commando Runners and all my non running friends.

I am going to try and blog regularly about the training, the events, the highs and lows!!

So happy new year to you all and make it a good one.