I ain't doing it - I refuse!

It's that time of year guys!
New years resolutions! Any of you guys have em?
I try not to because if I want to do something then I should be doing it year round and not need a new year as a reason to get my arse in gear - BUT - I have plenty of them this year.
Don't want to list them though just in case I fail, which would suggest I intend to fail wouldn't it? In which case why bother having them, I'll only beat myself up when I don't manage them.
I have NO New years resolutions - phew, feeling relieved already :)

The end is nigh

8 days since my last post - 8 days! It's not that I'm bored of posting - honest, it's just that I haven't done anything worth blogging about while I've been laid up with this back problem.
However, signs are good that I can resume exercise at the end of this week so I am going for a steady run with hubby on Saturday and all being well I will go for another one on sunday - I cannot tell you how excited I am at the prospect!
PLUS if the running goes well I am hoping to start a new round of Insanity on Monday - I say "hoping" because if I feel stiff in the back after running I will put Insanity off for a further week, there's no point me pushing things too far and ending up in this same predicament again.
My diet has been neither good nor bad, I've had too many treats but in the same token I haven't reverted back to fatty foods for meals, I've really gotten the hang of fat free cooking and eating Salmon, chicken & Turkey etc as opposed to burgers and chips. While I haven't weighed myself yet I know some damage has been done so I will weigh myself the day I start Insanity.

Oh dear!

One whole week and no change in my back - a whole week!!!!
The Black dog is sleeping soundly in his kennel though so at least depression is one thing I have under control just now - surprisingly!
Hubby has me on bed rest, honestly it's like being in prison. I'm allowed down for regular walking to stretch my legs and get some fresh air but that's it - I can't go out in the car, I can't potter in the garden and I can't do housework (that's the worst thing ever for me).
Hubby came back from running errands yesterday with a big bag full of magazines (gardening ones too - yay!) and books followed by an even bigger bag of goodies. I don't know what mortified me more, the sight of tins of quality street, chocolate Oranges, midget Gems, cookies etc or the realisation that this is at least a months supply of treats and that's how long I'm stuck here.
Guess I won't even bother doing a final weigh in for Dietbet then! Though hubby did make sure he mixed the sweets up with plenty of fruit too.
My pinterest page is looking very healthy though due to all this spare time I have - though I think I maybe need to stop looking just for now because I have at least 40 projects on my to do list. As well as all the xmas cards, wreaths etc I want to get done I have a whole heap of pallet wood to work with (oh yes, I am a crafter on a huuuuuge scale) though I suspect making this Adirondack chair out of pallet wood may actually be what contributed to this disc problem.
The offending object which has now been painted 'Summer Damson' colour.

Yup I suspect all the cutting, sanding and building of this little beauty is what caused my current condition - shame as I have 3 more to make.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

OK so the 'Black Dog' is no longer snarling and gnashing at me with all the ferocity of a rabid animal, in fact I would say that although he's not sleeping in his kennel he IS at least laying in it - albeit it with very watchful eyes just biding his time and looking fr the slightest crack in my mood that will enable him to have his fun again.
My main tool in the fight against the 'Black Dog' is music, as I've said before the 'Black Dog' hates music because while I'm listening to it he can't get my attention with his snapping and snarling and the novelty soon wears off for him. Follow that with positive thought (which is very hard to do sometimes) and I begin to lift my mood and gain control back.

Mr SG's back is all healed which is brilliant however today I have managed to damage mine again - not so brilliant!
I've had a stiff back for a few days but when I was pulling pallets apart today I got this sudden intense feeling of pain in my spine. I came indoors and took some painkillers but nothing is touching it so I'm now hoping and praying that I haven't popped a disc again like I did in July.
Needless to say I can't run which is really annoying and I had intended to begin Insanity in a weeks time because now winter is here I know I won't get to run more than two maybe three times a week.

Hello darkness my old friend!

Crikey, has it really been 6 days since I last blogged on here?
I still haven't run and the longer I leave it the less appealing it is becoming. The main problem has been that the nights are getting darker and it's the only time Mr SG can run cos he works all day but the real problem now is that he has damaged his back so can't run anyway. I keep saying I'll get out on my own but I never do.
The Black dog (depression) has been content in his kennel for months it seems but gradually over the past week or so he's gone from warning growls to snapping at my heels - hence the post title. I'm now seriously struggling to get him to back down and for a while I didn't want to, the darkness was so familiar - how destructive is that!
I know the steps I have to take to shut him up and exercise is one of them, it's just so bloody difficult when all I want to do is hide in a corner and listen to the silence.

I'm going to stop this moany, whinging, sad post right now and in future I will run with the concept that if I have nothing nice to say then I'll say nothing at all............I'll just play it out in little stick men images instead lol.

Anyway just bear with me while I sort this guy out

Fartlek, Tempo & Intervals

I'm just about recovered from Sundays 10k but why it's taken me 5 days I'll never know! My foot was better after just a couple of days but then the calf pain started followed by some random backside pain - probably from sitting on it too much.
Hopefully running will begin again tomorrow and surprisingly I'm looking forward to it - I actually WANT to run, how bizarre is that, it's certainly never been something I've wanted to do rather something I know I've needed to do.
Analysing it I can see it's the thrill of sundays race that has got me feeling like this, yes, it was a naff finish but I felt great for most of it and I cannot explain how bloody fantastic it felt to be overtaking people time after time - last time I did that run I could barely catch up with the walkers when I was running my fastest.
Anyway like I said I'm really looking forward to running but I have decided we need to get some more information on the best way to train - simply going out there and running is not cutting it for me now because a) I want to be able to sprint the finish and b) I don't want to feel dead at the end of it.
So with that in mind I took to the tinterweb to see what information I could find that would help me to improve my running times and leave me with enough energy to sprint the finish.
While I would love to say that I am now enlightened and have a firm plan in place it would be a complete lie to even suggest it!
Seriously have you guys ever checked the web for this kind of info? How on earth are you supposed to filter the good advice from the psychotic advice? And why do so many training plans for novice/intermediate 10k runners involve running 6 days a week? Sod that malarky - 6 days a week?

From what I can deduce from the masses of info I have found my weekly run needs to incorporate 1 Fartlek run (can't say that out loud without giggling - it's the 5 year old in me), a tempo session and a long run. All very nice but what the heck is Fartlek and/or tempo? Mr SG and I have done the odd speed session so is that different to Fartlek or tempo?

Ask coach Jenny, that's what I'll do! And here is how she explains the difference

"Fartlek Workouts are not only fun to say out loud, but they're fun to run. Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play," and that is exactly what it’s all about. Unlike tempo and interval work, fartlek is unstructured and alternates moderate-to-hard efforts with easy throughout. After a warmup, you play with speed by running at faster efforts for short periods of time (to that tree, to the sign) followed by easy-effort running to recover. It’s fun in a group setting as you can alternate the leader and mix up the pace and time. And in doing so, you reap the mental benefits of being pushed by your buddies through an unpredictable workout. The goal is to keep it free-flowing so you’re untethered to the watch or a plan, and to run at harder efforts but not a specific pace.
Bennies = Stress-free workout that improves mind-body awareness, mental strength, and stamina.
Tempo Workouts are like an Oreo cookie, with the warmup and cooldown as the cookie, and a run at an effort at or slightly above your anaerobic threshold (the place where your body shifts to using more glycogen for energy) as the filling. This is the effort level just outside your comfort zone—you can hear your breathing, but you're not gasping for air. If you can talk easily, you’re not in the tempo zone, and if you can’t talk at all, you’re above the zone. It should be at an effort somewhere in the middle, so you can talk in broken words. Pace is not an effective means for running a tempo workout, as there are many variables that can affect pace including heat, wind, fatigue, and terrain. Learn how to find your threshold and run a tempo workout that is spot on every time here.
Bennies = Increased lactate threshold to run faster at easier effort levels. Improves focus, race simulation, and mental strength.
Interval Workouts are short, intense efforts followed by equal or slightly longer recovery time. For example, after a warmup, run two minutes at a hard effort, followed by two to three minutes of easy jogging or walking to catch your breath. Unlike tempo workouts, you’re running above your red line and at an effort where you are reaching hard for air and counting the seconds until you can stop—a controlled fast effort followed by a truly easy jog. The secret is in the recovery as patience and discipline while you’re running easy allows you to run the next interval strong and finish the entire workout fatigued but not completely spent. Just like rest, your body adapts and gets stronger in the recovery mode.
Bennies = Improved running form and economy, endurance, mind-body coordination, motivation, and fat-burning."

Enlightened? No me neither!
There are also so many 10k running programs out there that it's hard to know which one will work best for you and I guess that just comes down to trial and effort.

I found this Harvey Walden program that looks pretty good on the face of it because it seems he only has you running 3 times a week. I would prefer 4 times a week maximum so it wouldn't be difficult to add a days run to this program.

Another 3 times a week 10k training programme can be found over at 'Lazy Runner' blog.

I also found information via an article written by Patti & Warren Finke titled "SLOW DOWN! and run your best 10k ever!" based on endurance and explains how to use your heart rate to get peak performance. Don't let the term "peak performance" make you think that the article is only relevant to serious runners though, it looks like basic information that can help any runner and or walker take the guesswork out of improving overall performance. I'm definitely going to use this information to finally get the hang of my watches HRM that I've never used.

As for a 10k programme though, I'm certainly going to work one out that suits myself and what I hope to achieve. My next 10k is not until next April/May so for the next few weeks I will simply concentrate of mileage rather than Fartlek or Tempo etc etc. by the time I need to have a schedule in place for next year I'll hopefully have gotten my head round alot of this.

Baxters River Ness 10k in the bag!

Sundays 10k race has got to be my favourite so far!
The day was set to be warm weather wise (which it was) but most importantly for me there wasn't even a hint of a breeze anywhere - perfect!
The day started early - 4am for Wayne, 5am for me and 6am for the rest of the household (My mum, Leanne, Owen, Stacey & John) due to having a 2 hour drive to the start of the race at Inverness. Because we had so many coming to support us we had to take 2 vehicles which meant I had to be a driver and this was the part I really wasn't looking forward to - for one I'm Narcoleptic and although I take meds and no longer have sudden sleep attacks past experiences pre diagnosis are always in the back of my mind and also because the car has decided to develop a fault which can stop the flow of fuel to the engine if it's driven wrong i.e by Wayne. Luckily it didn't have any problems with my driving - phew!
Once we'd dropped the support off in Ness town Wayne, Leanne and myself took one vehicle to the start line.
The atmosphere from the minute we arrived was absolutely second to none, with over 3000 10k runners a huge effort had been made to keep everyone jolly and motivated - mind you I think the sun did a good job of that too.
I wasn't going to bother using my GPS for this 10k because it's well marked but I thought I'd have a go at keeping an eye on my pace time with it so that we could make our 'suggested time' (1hr 15mins). As it turned out I didn't record the first 1k accurately because I hadn't paused the watch while we were waiting to start so it shows the first 1k as taking 32mins.
The start was an incline so Wayne kept me very slow for that but we soon picked up the pace on the flat and I have to say I was loving it. I've worked out why I couldn't run fast for long and so have adapted my running style (basically picking my knees up instead of running like scissors) and I found myself overtaking so many people, which is always good for the ego and motivation.
For the first 6k I really was flying and actually really enjoying it.
As the first water station approached at 6k I was kind of desperate for some fluid and nearly choked while taking it so Wayne suggested that at the next one he should grab the water and would get a bottle with a squirty spout rather than one with just a bottle top.
About 7k  I started to get jelly legs and to lose some of my momentum, it was getting hard to continue at my current pace but I was determined to keep going. The jelly legs didn't get worse but it was hard to run with them and then I started to feel sick and so so tired. Wayne kept me going to the next water station and I tried to eat a couple of Jelly beans but found I just couldn't chew, run and breathe at the same time so had to give up with that idea.
With just 2k left to go the route turns up the side of the River Ness and you can see and hear the finish line, however this was my Achilles heel last time I did this race because you have to run up one side of the river away from the finish line, cross a bridge and run back down and again I struggled with it - I really wanted to stop and give up.
Leanne had gone off at her own pace at about the 6k mark, she'd suffered a stitch from trying to keep to my slower pace and needed to run it out so by the time I hit the bridge to go to the finish Leanne would already have crossed it.
Somehow Wayne managed to keep me going, I didn't walk once, I didn't stop once, I just put my head down dug in and thought of the soup and roll at the end.
I have never been so glad to cross a finish line!
My official chip time was 1hr 11mins 46 secs, a personal best and shaving a good 5 mins off the Turbine 10k a couple of weeks ago.
Leannes official time was 1hr 4mins, another personal best and shaving 11 mins off her official Turbine 10k time.
Wayne had the same time as me which I feel bad about because I know he could do a 40min 10k at his pace.


Lovely setting alongside River Ness. Wayne looks as though he's walking at this point lol.

Desperately looking for the finish line.

Leanne has alot more energy left in the bag than me at the end and looks as though she could go again - apparently she was determined not to let anyone overtake her at this point and sprinted to the finish - she makes it look so easy!

So glad to be done! The lady behind the Baxters barrier on the right is my mum and the guy near her is Owen - Leannes boyfriend!
Ignore the clock time, it goes off the minute the first person goes over the start hump. Our chips attached to our race numbers gives us our actual time.

I had nothing left in the tank at the end of this race - something I am definitely going to work on. By the 9k mark I was struggling just to lift my legs and once I got over the finish line I was knackered to the point of not knowing where I was or who all these people were, I was really confused and just had to hold onto Wayne until it passed. I think it scared the living daylights out of my poor mum because she says I didn't recognise anyone and was wondering why I put myself through it.
Recovery was quick though and we filtered through to get our medal and goody bag, meet our family and then get the free soup and roll Leanne and I had so looked forward to.

Goody bags were especially good at this 10k

As we headed round for the soup and roll Wayne realised that he'd lost our tickets during the run but when we saw the queue to the tent we figured we'd leave it anyway - it was seriously long.
There was alot of entertainment at the finish line but Wayne and I had to get the shuttle back to the start line to pick up the car so we arranged to meet everyone else back in town and then we'd go for something to eat.
My feet felt fine during the race, I had one numb foot toward the end but nothing else so I was surprised when I went to get off the shuttle bus to find that my right foot felt broken, it was seriously painful to walk, not cramp like the last time but the bone hurt.
I sucked it up and limped along though, met the guys in the town and thankfully McDonalds was full so we didn't have to eat there, instead we went out of town to Pizza hut where we could make full use of the free salad and pasta bar alongside a few slices of Meat Feast pizza - bliss!
I was concerned I'd be too tired to make the 2 hour journey home but I made it easy.
The next day my foot was real bad and the bone on the outside felt really tender, I'm not sure what I did but it feels much better today so maybe it was just the impact of running.

We'll definitely be entering this race again next year, the atmosphere was brilliant and the support of locals round the entire course is brilliant too.
Looking at my GPS data I can see that we kept our pace way under 7mins per km and km 4-5 when I felt especially good we managed in 5mins 55 as was kms 7-8, the last km was the longest at 8mins but I would expect that with how I was feeling.

I'm not sure what those sudden spikes are because I didn't stop once or slow down to any great extent, maybe the GPS lost signal during those points.

Baxters Loch Ness 10k

I haven't run at all this week!
It wasn't a conscious effort not too nor was there a medical reason for it I've simply been caught up with other things in life and the times we would normally run of an evening are now dark. If we lived in a town that was lit with street lights darkness wouldn't be an issue but here outside the village all the roads and lanes are dark and unlit so if I wasn't scared of the dark I still wouldn't be running at night for safety reasons.
We're going to have to work out how to get around this because I don't want to stop running after Sundays 10k.
Despite the lack of running I'm still looking forward to the Baxters Loch Ness 10k. I ran this race 2 years ago and I fear I am remembering it through rose tinted glasses because I'm not actually sure that I enjoyed the race half as what I am convincing myself I did, but nevertheless I am looking forward to it.

My only slight issue with this route is that the start comes out on a long incline and as I've stated many times before those are the starts I struggle with.
I remember the rest of the race being along tree lined roads and lanes and the finish being along the river Ness. I also remember very well how much I hated the last mile or so - I had run the entire race and was really pleased with myself, as we approached the finish I could hear the commentators and see people running for the finish. I was just wondering where we cross over the river to the finish and then realised we had to run up the road way away from the finish, cross the bridge and come back down. If there are 2 things that will ruin a race for me it's hill/incline starts and then any kind of out and back - I'm a negative person and that last out and back cheesed me off so much I walked. I only walked for about 20 steps but it ruined the run for me and I'm determined it won't happen to me again this time.
This race was also the first time I sprinted the finish and then nearly threw up! I crossed the finish line at a good clip because family were there to cheer me on but as soon as I stopped my legs went to jelly, I almost collapsed and I thought I was going to throw up. Worse than that though was that I remember looking around wondering where it was safe to collapse or throw up but it was just a sea of faces all round me - I was either throwing up on people behind the line or on the finish line in front of everyone.
Luckily the feeling passed within a minute or two but I'm doing what I can to ensure that doesn't happen to me again. My breakfast will probably be Porridge and I'm taking Bananas and Flapjacks because we have a 2 hour drive just to get to the race and then an hour or so waiting.

Right that's me off to pack our bags, get a decent dinner in us and then get a decent nights sleep before an early morning start to Inverness in a car that has decided now is a convenient time to develop a fault - awesome!

GPS watches

Earlier this year I looked into upgrading my running watch, this wouldn't exactly be difficult because the only watches I had was 2 that I got free with a 'Running World' subscription and one that I bought of Ebay with a heart monitor for £10.
The first 2 watches ( a male version and a female version - long story) were basic running watches that told me nothing more than how long I had been running for and included a stopwatch - very basic.
The second one was beyond useless - it wasn't a GPS (none of them were) and the heart rate monitor was terrible and never seemed to keep it's connection. The calorie counter had to be reset every 30 mins so that proved pretty pointless too, it's not easy to run and fiddle with a watch at the same time.

Originally I wanted a Garmin - the latest model - and would still love it but I just cannot warrant the cost. It's funny but if Mr SG wanted something like that I would insist he have it regardless of the cost - I just don't like spending over £300 on myself so I had pretty much settled on buying a second hand one off EBay and was watching a couple of 305's in the hope of bagging a good deal.
It was while I was waiting for the auctions to end that I did some research on the watches and subsequently discovered a whole mine of information that kind of got me concerned about what I was buying.
One issue I found with the Garmins is that the ones I would need (heart rate monitor etc) weren't waterproof (except the new expensive models) - some had basic waterproofing but I'd read reviews that claimed it wasn't sufficient. I'm not sure why the waterproofing was an issue for me at that point because I only run and I had no intentions of going near water, but it was the first chink in the Garmin armour for me.
The next issue I found affects all GPS watches as far as I can tell and not just the Garmin. The batteries to these watches are not your average tiny battery you pick up from a local supermarket, they're big beefy batteries that have to be soldered.
I did some Youtube research on replacing the batteries but it put me off attempting it myself and from what I reviewed online it can be real expensive to have them replaced by Garmin - which you should do if you want to keep a warranty or insurance valid.
With this in mind I had to make the choice between buying a brand new Garmin at a brand new price (second hand ones would have unknown battery life left)  or looking at other brands - I chose the latter.

The watch I eventually settled on is a Bryton Sport cardio 35

Not my image.

It had all the features I needed such as Pace, Time, GPS, Calories, Heart rate monitor (at no extra cost) and was waterproof to 50mtrs. It also had functions specific to Biking and Running and I actually preferred the look of it to the Garmin 305 - less bulk on the wrist.

Not my image.

Not my image.

I paid around £60 for the whole kit and caboodle.
It's very easy to use the watch once you're familiar with the buttons and has been very accurate on all my runs and bike rides.
The few downsides:
* It can be a long process to set it up before each run. I have to wait for it to pick up satellites which can take a fair few minutes here in the Highlands.
* You can only see the data for one function at a time while running. Basically you choose what that function is before you run and then if you need to see other data you have to scroll while running. I think the Garmin show all data on the face - simpler and preferable.
* If it loses satellite (which it has done on 3 occasions) it doesn't always pick it back up and as there's no warning to let you know there's no signal being received so you generally don't know about it unless you clock watch every few minutes. This could actually be more of a problem of area rather than the watch though.
* Bryton has its own dedicated website for downloading data but the site isn't as interactive as Garmin sites and is pretty basic.
* Bryton watches aren't supported by many other independent interactive sites or apps so you're quite limited in that respect.

I love my Bryton sport 35 - I really do BUT although I'm not a gadget gal generally, I am when it comes to getting the best out of something that I use regular and with that in mind I would still love to get my hands on the Garmin Forerunner 910xt.

Weigh day - eek!

I got up this morning and completely forgot I was supposed to weigh myself, once I realised my mistake I almost - almost - convinced myself that it would wait until tomorrow morning but for once that 'good' voice was the loudest and was telling me that I was just making excuses, I hadn't had a cup of tea or even cereal by this point so I couldn't even use that as an excuse.
So I put my on my big girls pants (had to do that a lot lately), headed back upstairs, stripped off and jumped on the scales. At first I couldn't look down at the number, I kinda knew I'd put weight on cos of all the bingeing I've done over the past month or so and when I was finally brave enough to look  I was kind of squinting out of one eye as if that would some how effect the numbers at my feet.
I've never actually posted my weight on my blog because I'm worried that people I know may read it and it's a scary thought that they'll know my actual weight in numbers but I know that by keeping it a secret I'm not really facing it 100%. So with that in mind I'm going to post my weekly weight along with any losses or gains and hope that my family will be respectful enough not to mention it.
So as of today 23/09/2013 I weigh 205lbs. Yes it makes me obese (though I don't feel it) and obviously that's a serious health issue but I really never thought of myself as in that category - I run regular, I'm active all day most days, I build things outside and I even completed 'Insanity' when I was 14lbs heavier than I am now. Yes my current weight makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable but 'obese'?
Anyway whatever the health recommendations are regarding weight and what is healthy the amazing thing with todays weigh in is that although I've binged for a month or so I weigh exactly the same as I did when I last weighed myself a month ago - no way did I think that was possible.

The first image is me at my heaviest when I did my first 'Dietbet' challenge, the second image is me at my current weight and 15lbs lighter (scuse the dodgy hair).

I decided today that I needed to join another 'Dietbet' challenge to help keep me focused and motivated so I joined 'The Jillian Michaels Dietbet' and paid my $30 (£19) stake. There are alot of players in this challenge (currently 5406) but the pot money reflects this (currently $162,180) and everyone who manages their 4% weightloss in 28 days will get a share of that.
I had a minor panic after joining when I realised I'd need to weigh myself again so that I could take the necessary pictures of my weight and my secret word - I was worried my first weigh in was going to be completely wrong and I'd have put 15lbs back on in the space of an hour. But nope, my weight was exactly the same - I was super chuffed.

We haven't been out for a run for 2 days now, things keep getting in the way but I've been active all day outside dismantling pallets so at least I burned a few calories that way.
Tomorrow we should be heading out for an easy run though I suspect Mr SG will turn it into a speed run as he has a tendency to do.
We're only going to get a maximum of 3 more runs in before Sundays 10k because I don't want to run for 2 days before the race, I find I run better after a couple of days off.

Weigh in? What weigh in!

I can't remember the last time I weighed myself - there, I admitted it!
It would have been some time at the end of my last 'Dietbet' challenge so I guess I could find out the date if I really wanted to. But I don't!
I know I've probably put back on some of the weight I previously lost and I'm dreading finding out how much but I know I have to face it so that I can get back on track.
Over the last 3 weeks or so I've eaten way too much chocolate and sweets, it's a cycle I've only just realised I get into - I lose weight and cut out the bad stuff and then something happens and before I know it a couple of weeks have passed and I have to face what I've done.
The strange thing is my meals stay healthy, I don't go back to the fatty, fried foods or chips etc that I used to eat a year or so ago, I eat healthy salmon, chicken,veggies etc, but I guess I just get the taste of chocolate and it's all down hill from there.
I'm annoyed with myself right now because although I only lost 21lbs I swore I would never put those pounds back on but chocolate brings on a zombie state whereby I don't even think about the damage I'm doing, it's almost like my brain has this switch that turns off that thought process while I'm eating it.

Tomorrow is the day I face up to the damage and weigh myself. I was going to have a week of no chocolate before I weighed myself but that's just me not facing up to the damage I've done so I'm just going to suck it up and weigh myself in the morning - I may even be brave enough to finally put my weight up on this blog, I've never done this because I'm worried someone I know may see it lol.

While I weigh myself I am going to try to keep this picture in mind

This is not my image but I love what it means.

Body knows best.

Tonight was our first run since last Sundays 10k and I have to admit I wasn't really looking forward to it, in fact I would have gotten out of it if I thought Wayne would let me but he's quite disciplined when he needs to be so we headed to the wind farm.
Of all the places I like to run I think the wind farm is my favourite, it's relatively flat and is a circuit rather than an out and back - which I hate.
The entire run went pretty well, we started out slow - slower than most people would - but this enables me to pick up the pace after about 5 mins and maintain it - if I go out to quick then I'll be walking within minutes unable to breathe.
The best thing about todays run, which ended up being about 6.5k is that my breathing was totally under control all the way. I usually have to consciously control my breathing but today I decided to just see what came naturally and not control it  - it worked, it seems that if I relax and don't try to dictate it then my body naturally knows what to do - who knew!
I also decided to work out why I was getting calf pain after about 2k of every run. I know from photos that I seem to run stiff so when the calf pain began just after 2k I tried to bend more at the knee rather than running like a pair of scissors (if scissors ran of course, but you know what I mean). That worked too, there was instant relief in my calves and on top of that I noticed my speed picked up too and it wasn't until the end that I realised I hadn't got numb feet once during that run - first time ever!
The downside to the run was that my GPS watch lost satellite at 3.2k and didn't manage to pick it back up - I was slightly annoyed at that because I think this would have been my fastest pace to date plus I didn't stop once - Grrrrrrr, stupid watch!

Our Baxters Loch Ness 10k packs arrived today - always exciting to get things in the mail

See that little orange ticket, that's for my free soup and roll at the end of the run and as sad as it sounds it's the main thing me and Leanne are looking forward to.

Turbine 10k

Yesterday was the day of the Baillie windfarm 10k and when we woke in the morning I think I was the only one out of the 3 of us that was excited, or at least looking forward to it.
The weather forecasters had issued weather warnings for the area due to severe gale force winds and rain coming round from the North West - the run was in the North West!
I had everything planned and packed extra clothes for us all in case we got drenched, energy drinks, recovery drinks and every other contraption I thought we may in some way need.
The race was due to start at 10.30am and we arrived about 9.15am so that we could get our numbers within plenty of time - 37 for me, 38 for Leanne and 64 for Wayne. On the morning my daughters fiancee John decided to join in despite having done no training other than regular football, apparantly my FB comment that he had chickened out from the run enticed him to do it lol.
I was feeling fine about this run right up until the start but then my legs went to jelly and I started dreading it, then when I realised the start was up an incline I could have walked away there and then - I struggle with inclines at the start because I have to get my breathing/asthma under control before I do inclines or hills.

(Look at my running style compared to all the others - is this why I find running hard? My shoulders are hunched and my legs are always stiff looking).
By the time we'd hit the top of the incline Wayne and I had deliberately dropped right back so that I could breathe properly but I still went out too fast and struggled to get my breathing under control after that.
I hated this run from the very first section but when I saw the first hill (yes, the first of many) I think I gave up there and then, the hill was ridiculously steep and pretty much everyone was walking it, Wayne doesn't do walking though and he pushed me to run it. I couldn't run it so I walked it and this didn't go down well with Wayne, in fact this is where it all started to go wrong - Wayne thought he was doing the right thing by moaning at me not to walking and having a go if I did but it had the opposite effect on me, I was getting seriously cheesed off with him.
Leanne and John had gone on ahead and we only caught glimpses of them as we went round, I hated that!
This particular run included some running through Heather and over ditches and again Wayne expected me to run it but yet again I couldn't, I had to walk the Heather. Wayne pretty much had a go the entire time and said I should have been able to run it then at the end he agreed with everyone else and said that there was no way anyone could run those hills or the Heather!!! When I glared at him and asked why he yelled at me do run it then, he said he thought that if he hadn't then I would have given up and walked the entire way! I was fuming!!
With the finish line in sight I was encouraged to up the pace but I really had nothing left by this point, my legs were dead as a dodo and I couldn't find the reserves to get me up the incline finish. Both my daughters saw my struggles and joined me to get me past the finish line - Leanne pushed me lol.
I'm not sure what the official time will be but according to my GPS watch Wayne and I completed it in about 1hr 18mins, we'd hoped for a better time but the wind, rain and my attitude put paid to that. Leanne finished about 15 mins ahead of us and John about 20 mins ahead of us.

We passed Leanne and John during one point of the run and we both managed to state that we were never running again and weren't doing the Baxters run at the end of the month either - such was our lack of enjoyment of this race.

As usual we were pretty much over our grievances of this particular race 10 minutes after finishing, the atmosphere and support from the entire crowd was just brilliant and the medal, goody bag and Tshirt always goes a long way to soothing a bruised pride when I've had a naff run.
I don't think I would do the run again next year though, not unless they change the course so that we don't have to run over boggy Heather.

Speed work.

Last night Wayne and I headed out to the windfarm for our run, the sun was quite strong but thankfully there was a mild breeze that kept the midges at bay.
We decided to do a speed run, I'm not sure of the correct term for it but basically after a gentle warm up run we used the markers along the windfarm to pick up the pace a couple of times and then drop back to a casual run.
Neither of us being experts on this technique made it a bit of a hit and miss method though, I don't think Wayne gave me enough time to warm up at the easy run at the beginning - less than 1/2mile, and I hadn't really got my breathing where I needed it to be for any kind of speedwork and controlling my breathing is a must for me as I have asthma (though only induced by exercise, colds or hayfever).
The first time we hit a mark and he told me to pick up the pace a bit I managed that ok, then he told me to increase again at the next mark and to keep on his shoulder but you have to understand Wayne has such a long leg stride compared to my short stroppy stride that there was just no way I could get to his shoulder. At the next mark he then said we were to sprint to another marker. Well, as far as I was concerned I already was sprinting but I gave it a shot and had a go at lengthening my stride the way my daughter runs, this gave me a bit more bounce than I was used to and definitely helped me with the sprint. We continued doing this for about 3k and at one point Wayne asked if I wanted to stop for a minute (think my loud breathing worried him lol) but I'd stopped for a breather a bit back so felt I should continue.
At the 3k mark we turned round and headed back but I told Wayne I wasn't doing speedwork like that on the way back because there were some inclines and if I lose the control of my breathing on them then I'd panic and give up - instead we ran at a steady pace, not too slow but not a sprint either. We made no stops on the way back but the GPS shows some so I can only assume it was when we had to cross the cattle grids.

I've noticed this graph shows less spikes than usual so I assume this means we kept a pretty even pace?
Judging by the time we're running at the moment and the fact that I felt as though I could continue another 4k at the end of this 6k I'm pretty sure we're going to be on time for the 1hr 15 min that we want to do the 10k run in on Sunday. The aim is then for me to improve the run time 2 weeks later at our next 10k.

Last night was my first time out in the new Mizuno trainers too. I have to say I didn't feel a tremendous new ability to run faster which I had secretly hoped I would BUT I didn't feel any pain either, I got no blisters AND one foot only began to go numb at about the 5k mark - usually they both go numb at about 2k and it makes running difficult.
I still think I would have been better purchasing a 6 or a 6.5 though rather than a 7 (I will remember Mizuno run true to size next time I purchase) but I don't feel the larger size hindered my running in any way and in fact the extra width was most welcome.

Mizuno Wave Inspire 7

After Thursdays disastrous run I was determined to get back in the groove on Fridays run. Leanne and I decided to head out without Wayne just to prove that we were capable of a decent run by ourselves and that it wasn't just Waynes presence that was making us run without stopping.
Seems it actually IS Waynes presence that keeps us going.
We started off well (as usual), we ran the forest track anti clockwise to reduce the hills and we were going great guns for the first 3 k, then I made an excuse to stop. Yes, I admit it, it was an excuse. I did have tight running shoes and I did need to loosen them a tad but to be honest I could have continued with them as they were. Once I had stopped I struggled to get going again and stopped within another 10 minutes - we pretty much walked from that point on and felt like crap because we knew we were going to have to explain ourselves to Wayne who's put all this effort in to help us get to this point.
I considered not telling him but I've never ever lied to Wayne and I don't intend to start over something so trivial, instead I threw myself on his mercy and claimed I just cannot run without him lol. Hey, don't judge - it worked!
Following our pathetic run Wayne suggested that maybe I should enter him for both the 10k's we're doing this month just to ensure we get round, he's now officially running the Baillie windfarm 10k on the 15th and the Baxters Loch Ness 10k on 29th.

I think we should maybe take a break from running the forest tracks because I think we're over doing the hills, the problem is it's such a nice place to run

That ground is pretty tough to run on as it's so slippy, hence why Leanne is walking lol.

The start! Fabulous scenery.

This is where the hills get hard.

Remember those new trainers I said I bought - the Mizuno Wave Inspire 7? They arrived!
They looked fabulous in the box and I really didn't want to disturb them from their packaging. This is the first pair of Mizuno trainers I've ever owned so I'm looking forward to trying them tonight but first impressions walking around in them is that they're very comfortable. They feel bigger than the Asics and the Saucony and I think I would have got away with a 6 or a 6.5 and not actually needed to size up as you do with the other two.
Due to them being stability shoes they feel slightly off centre when I walk in them so I'm intrigued to see how comfortable they're going to be to run in.
The only thing I don't particularly like is the Mizuno badge - for some reason it reminds me of Flash Gordons badge which then gives them a tacky kind of feel - just me I know.

Flash a .. ahhh! Still just me?

Weird heels, see how long before they start coming apart.

The mesh holes are bigger than Asics and Saucony but hopefully they won't be weaker.

Giving up is not an option....apparantly!

Last nights run was absolutely horrendous and to be honest I could quite easily have given up for good, in fact I threatened just that and if it hadn't been for my husband and his refusal to let me quit I would probably be hating myself right now and soothing my injured pride.

The run started off well enough, we chose to do the forest run again and this particular circuit is about 5.5km of loose trails and some stupidly steep hills, it was my first run in 3 days so we decided to do the circuit clockwise for a change - secretly I believed it to be an easier way round.
I managed to get my breathing under control quite easily from the start - I'm asthmatic so it's imperative I control it - and I was so pleased because we actually made it up a particular hill that I've never managed to do before without stopping.
After the hill the trail evens out with a few small declines but at about the 3k mark I started to get numb feet, I tried rolling my feet and lifting my legs a bit more but it wasn't really working, that's when I realised I had put the wrong trainers on, I should have put the Asics creed on but I was wearing Asics gel virage. I think once I realised the shoe mistake I kind of accepted that the run was going to be uncomfortable from thereon out but I did stop for a few seconds anyway to try to get some feeling back in my feet - big mistake!
I always always find it hard to start running again once I've stopped and once we did get going again I was so busy concentrating on rolling my feet to stop them going numb and to reduce the calf pain that I wasn't concentrating on breathing.
There comes a point toward the last part of this run where we are faced with 3 steep long hills and I've never been able to make it up them, in fact Leanne and I would usually walk them - I knew walking them wasn't going to be a possibility with Wayne though and so I really tried to dig deep, slow down and just mentally get myself up the first hill.
A little way up the hill we saw a couple running down it and for some stupid reason I increased my pace so I didn't look slow and I shut my breathing right down so I wasn't as noisy, by the time the couple had passed us I was on my last legs and then suddenly from nowhere I was gripped in sheer complete panic. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't get my breathing under control and I had terrible calf pain, on top of that I was about to throw up - I literally just stopped running!
By this time I was in a state. I was walking around to try to stop myself puking (phobic) and to try to ease the calf and foot pain but I seriously could not breathe and this awful sense of sadness and foreboding came over me - I really thought I may just die there in the forest.
Wayne was doing his best to calm me down but as far as I was concerned I was giving up, never running again, it was a stupid thing to be doing anyway and could I just walk back to the car, I was actually quite miffed that Wayne insisted I could make the hills. Honestly, I'm gasping for breathe, almost in tears and gagging and Wayne is insisting I can make it up the freakin hill. Just the thought of attempting the hills any further was making me panic all the more!
After a few minutes I weighed up the pros and cons - I either run up the damned hill as slow as necessary or I walk it and get lectured from Wayne the entire way up, plus I have to admit that once I'd calmed down I wanted to make the hill simply because Wayne had so much belief that I could.
And guess what............I made all the hills! Wayne was right, I could do it and I did. I didn't puke, the pain didn't kill me and as long as I slowed my pace right down I managed the rest of it without stopping.
If it hadn't been for Wayne I would not have managed that.

I'm not sure why the graph shows more than 2 stops because I didn't stop at all after those first two, I can only assume I dropped my pace so much that it stopped registering - oops!

I must get my heart rate monitor synched to my running watch, I'd be most interested to see what is actually going on during these runs. I believe I recover very quickly at the end of the run, a minute or so walking around and I'm completely back to normal, which is bizarre when you think that my breathing is so hard when I'm running.

Choosing a running shoe

I haven't actually run for 4 days now! It hasn't been a deliberate aversion to it but life has just got in the way over the last few days. Tonight is the night though and I'm really looking forward to the 3 of us getting back up to the forest and tackling that track again (the wind is picking up as I say that).

I've been reading other running related blogs lately and am always interested to hear about what gear other people run in. My interest of late has been trainers in particular because I'm in need of a new pair, I came to this conclusion upon reading that trainers are only good for a certain length of time and should be replaced every few hundred miles or less. I was kind of taken aback at that statement because I had assumed that my running trainers would last until the rubber was removing itself from the bottom or until my toes were suddenly peeking through holes - though having taken a look through more knowledgeable eyes at my current trainers it would seem both scenarios are not that far away.
The problem with buying trainers here in Caithness is mainly one of distance -there is no decent running / sports department within a 2 hour drive of where we live and being a Narcoleptic the thought of that kind of journey freaks me out, which means I have to be content to purchase from the tinterweb. That of course holds it own problems not least of which being that I can't try the trainer on for fit and suitability and I can't get on one of those fandangled machines that tells you your running style and needs.
So what do we do?
Well in my instance I looked at various shops online and googled information about each trainer, the problem there was that I ended up looking at so many I got all discombobulated, couldn't remember what each one was and ended up so fed up that I gave up and decided my current trainers would suffice for a few more years on top of the 4 years I've already had them.
But then I had a cunning plan (said in Baldric tones), I decided to google information about my current trainers and replace them with new, that way I knew they were suitable for me - though when I first bought them I only got them cos they were cheap on EBay (I didn't know anything about running styles at that point).

My main running trainers are Asics Gel Virage2. These are my go to trainer for roads and/or tracks though I suspect they are not built for tracks as such, but they do give me the little bit of stability and support I need.

My second pair of trainers are Asics creed, again these offer me a little support and stability and seem to be a better trainer for forests and tracks as they feel a little more cushioned - though this could simply be because they're slightly newer.

I also have a pair of Saucony Pro Grid Jazz.  I initially bought a pair of Saucony Pro Grid something or other from EBay and although they were amazingly comfortable they were too small (this is where I learned to go up a size in running trainers) so I sold them on. I got the Pro Grid Jazz before I knew about running styles and found straight away that I could not run in them without leg pain. The Pro grid Jazz are a neutral shoe where my other 2 are stability shoes so this is how I learned my running style.

My daughter now runs in the Pro Grid Jazz so I guess she's a neutral runner.

Anyway, armed with my running style I went back onto EBay, searched running shoes in my size (7) and then just googled the running style of each one until I found a trainer I liked at a price I could afford (as little as possible basically).
I really wanted to stick to Asics but I settled on a pair of Mizuno (a brand I've never tried) Wave Inspire 7. This particular model is a couple of years old but it's a good stability shoe apparantly and I'm quite looking forward to trying them out.

Still love to run!

Well I'm still enjoying this running lark, in fact I've found a whole new enthusiasm for it and I have to say it's entirely thanks to Mr SG taking the time to get out there with us, encourage us and show us that we can actually do more than we think and that it's just our mindset that tells us we can't or that we need to stop and walk.
Last night was intended to be our first speed work session but the wind was so strong that we had to change our plans and head to a sheltered area for a regular run. As it turned out the forest wasn't actually as sheltered as we had thought it would be and we were fighting wind for pretty much all the run - I don't know what's worse, a head wind or blinkin cross winds. If I wasn't running head down and leaning forward because of the head wind I was being thrown to the side perilously close to huge ditches by the cross winds.
I'm quite pleased with the run though, I did stop a couple of times to catch my breath because the winds coupled with the steep hills had me struggling to breathe a bit despite having taken my inhaler but we ended up running a 5.45k circuit mainly uphill and on forest trails that were quite loose underfoot.

I know I was supposed to be recording my food intake but so far I haven't gotten around to it. The scales claim I have put on 2lb this week so I think I would definitely benefit from a food journal to see exactly where I'm going wrong - I just forget to do these things.
I am cooking from scratch now though, gone are the pies, chips, fry ups etc etc replaced with fish, chicken, veggies, pasta etc and I always have my favourite salad mixed and ready in the fridge.
This salad is so simple, it's just chopped cucumber, Tomato & Onion splashed with vinegar and black pepper and then left in the fridge - I sometimes add a fat free vinaigrette instead of regular vinegar.
What makes this particular batch so scrumptious though is that I grew it all myself!

I love running!

Last Sunday Mr SG aka Mr trainer man, decided that we needed to complete the full 10k that day just to see where we are with training. Leanne and I were pretty mortified at the thought of it especially as we'd had literally no notice and Mr trainer man had his work cut out to even get us and our humongous negative attitudes to the start.
The thing I really hate when running - other than hills - is having to run so far one way and then turn round and run back, I get so negative when I know how far I have left until the finish, I much prefer a circuit. But this 10k trial was an out and back and I really wasn't looking forward to it, in fact I had butterflies all the way there and pretty much felt sick at the thought of it.
We started out ok, in fact for the first half I felt fine, my GPS had lost signal so I had to reset it 1.5k in but it soon picked it back up, I even coped well with the hills.
The return journey was a different story though. I was well aware of how far we had to go to get to the car and the hills were bloody awful, in fact I could have thrown myself on the floor just to get out of them at one point. The good thing (I begrudgingly admit it's good) about Mr trainer man is that he takes none of my nonsense and our conversations usually go along the lines of :

(ME) "I'm gonna throw up"
(MTM) "You can still run while throwing up"

(ME) "I need to stop"
(MTM) "Do you? DO YOU REALLY?" (screaming in my ear)

(ME) "I can't breathe" (incidentally I DO have asthma)
(MTM) "Quit talking then"

(ME) "My legs hurt"
(MTM) "They're still attached to your body so keep running"

(ME) "My feet have gone numb"
(MTM) "Then you can't feel any pain can you so KEEP RUNNING!"

As you can see there's no way MTM is going to let me walk and actually I've now given up trying to, there's just no point and his attitude is rubbing off on me, I am so much more confident in my abilities.
We ran that 10k in a time that we're hoping for on the day - 1hour and 15 minutes - well chuffed.
At the end of it I got severe cramp in my right foot and by the time we'd driven home my foot felt like it was broken I really couldn't move it or walk on it, it was so painful. It was pretty much ok the next day but I'd like to know what caused it.

Todays run was a quick 2 mile in the forest which included a hell of alot of hills, in fact I'd say 70% of it was hills. We stopped once at the halfway mark but only because the road wouldn't let us go any further (we'd intended to do a circuit) so we had to turn round and run back.
Leanne and I managed to run all the hills without stopping but one in particular was a real marker for us as we've never managed to do it without stopping. We did today :)

I never thought I'd say this but I actually enjoy running now.
Leanne is doing really well, she's often in front of me a fair way as she can't keep to my slower pace especially uphill but she's learning to run through her stitches and I think she's going to do a fabulous time on the day of the run..................with her gazelle like gait ........................and her effortless running.........................and controlled breathing. No, I'm not jealous! OK maybe a little but I'm so pleased for her too :)

Collywobbles

Our last run was Monday night and consisted of a 2 mile run followed by a 4 mile bike ride, it may not sound alot but let me tell you were running in a head wind and I have never struggled with 2 miles as much as I did that night.
As much as I love running the windfarm because it's quiet and there's no traffic, it's completely open land and so when the wind picks up it really picks up.
By the end of the 2 miles I could have cried, in fact I could have cried halfway round when I desperately wanted to stop but knew I'd hate myself for it if I did. No way did I want to get on the bikes after that torture but Mr SG got us going and motivated and I have to admit I much prefer cycling to running.

No actual stops but you can see where I slowed down completely because I wanted to give up. A measly 74 calories burned.

Yes, I did stop twice, but in my defence I stopped to help Leanne as she was really struggling with a couple of the inclines. Leanne finds running much easier than cycling whereas it's the other way round for me.
Still only burned 129 calories though.

I guess I should start journalling my eating habits here to stay accountable. I've not been good with the snacks of late and I think I'm actually going to lose this 'Dietbet' challenge - I'll be gutted if I do but unless I have lost 4lb tomorrow (no way) and 4lb next week then I'm not going to make it.
My actual meals have been healthy and I try to eat a healthy snack twice a day so that I can regulate my blood sugar as I seem to get the collywobbles mid day and crave something sugary until the shaking stops - I'm trying to avoid getting to that point.
But once I sit down at night all I want to do is eat chocolate and the thought of not having something to sit down to of an evening terrifies me. It's strange but I'm content all day if I know I have a bar of chocolate to eat at night, if I know I haven't got one on the other hand I stress and feel worried about it all day.
When I first started Dietbet I thought I had a handle on the sweet tooth because I controlled it quite easily - or so I thought. The sweet tooth hadn't gone away I'd just masked it and it was so easy to slip back into the habit again.
So as of today I'm going to log every morsel that I eat which means I'll probably have to start blogging at night as I'll most certainly have forgotten by the next day.

Cycling

Tonight we decided to go for a bike ride instead of running - Leanne has bought herself a brand new , bike and was eager to try it out.
I secretly hoped that maybe Mr SG would struggle a bit more with cycling than he does with running, sounds awful I know but there has to be something he's not good at and none of us had really biked seriously for years, I used to cycle alot as a kid and I also used to cycle to work and back every day (a good 7 miles each way) so I started out with what I now know to be an unrealistic view on how easy it would be.
Rather than being naff Mr SG tootled along at top speed, effortlessly sailing past Leanne and I - even up the hills despite his bike being stuck in 3rd gear.
Leanne and I were peddling madly in 1st or 2nd gear to get up the hills while Mr SG just bloody well glided along. I figured I would get my own back on the downhill slope, stuck my bike in 6th gear and peddled as fast as my legs would bloody well peddle - Mr SG sailed past me in his 3rd gear - bloody gutted or what.
Our first time out and we only managed 5k but we're looking forward to a mini run tomorrow night followed by 6k on the bike.

That high peak was me peddling like mad down a hill.

Calories 223 Kcal

Weight Loss 5.9 g

Carbohydrate 112 Kcal (50%)

Fat 112 Kcal (50%)

 

Wind farm running

Tonights run was at Camster wind farm again. We took a look at the map of it before we ran and figured we'd be doing a run down and turning back after a while, there was nothing that hinted on what kind of mileage it would be so we just relied on my Bryton sport to tell us.
Once we got running though we kind of just kept going, I have this mental hatred of running for a while then turning round and going back the same way - it does my head in, so I was actually ok with continuing all the way round despite not having a clue as to how far it would be.
It was a good 3.5k into the run before I stopped, my feet had gone numb and I just had to loosen the laces but Mr SG knew it was a mental thing too and literally forced me to get back up and run again. The conversation went something along the lines of
"I have to stop, my feet are numb"
"Well you won't feel any pain then will you, now get up and run"
I guess it did the trick, he got me up and got me going again. I did have a couple more stops with ridiculous excuses but Mr SG knows it's all in my head and not only did I continue to run but he even got me to sprint at the end.

The first spike drop looks like a stop but it was actually when we had to go through a cattle gate so doesn't count as a stop.

Leanne seemed to have an even better run, I tried to match her gait at one point but it was useless, she seems to run so effortless.
I'm still astounded that Mr SG can run without breaking a sweat and without a change in his breathing - the man isn't human!