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!