Dog day

Got a run in yesterday to make up for missing Thursday's. It was post dress shopping and dog shopping, so I had lots of exciting things to think about as I trundled round the 7.2 mile route up Easter Road, round Arthur's Seat and back. Didn't time it and took it easy as I had my long run today.

Re dresses - top secret stuff (mine too I as I want it to be a surprise for Al: I have actually shown him a picture but he will have forgotten instantly so that's ok) but lovely fabrics and designs to play with. Went with a colour recommended by Fi which is not what I would normally pick but I think will be really different and quite 1920s-like.

Re dogs - Al, Cal and I went to the Edinburgh Dogs' Home for a reccy. Just to ask how it worked and what sort of dog they might recommend. Of course we then fell for one particular pooch - a wee collie cross called Shadow. Much heartrending debate later we decided to go back and see him again today, but it turns out the home is closed on Sundays so Al will have to go alone tomorrow and make the Big Decision. He was lovely - he looks like Santa's Little Helper form the Simpsons, only more black - but it's a 10 year commitment so we have to get it right.

So yesterday's run was fine. Didn't time it. Felt nauseous after getting home, showering and going to Tesco's, which was annoying. Thought I'd figured out how to stop these blood sugar drops, but I suppose a salmon wrap for lunch was not sufficient fuel. Had a oatcake and felt better almost immediately.

Today, had a very successful long run despite not looking forward to it at all. Did 20 miles in 2 hours 58 mins 31. Average of just over 8 mins 55 per mile. Which means I did 20 miles today faster than I did 19 miles last week. I think this is because:

• I prepared better food-wise, with vast amounts of lasagna and bread the night before and no booze, and vast amounts of porridge and banana in the morning. No wonder the original Greek bloke who ran the marathon died at the end - he was probably trying to run on nothing but feta and olives. It takes oats for a job like this.
  
• There was zero wind - hurrah!
• It was a faster route, being flatter and almost all tarmac.

It was hot though. There were people sunbathing on Portobello beach in bikinis! Despite wearing sunscreen I have still gone pink on my chest and arms.

Ran out past Portobello to Musselburgh and then kept on down the coast on the John Muir Way to Port Seton/Cockenzie power plant, then came back. Although I'm happy with the run compared to last week, it's still not putting me anywhere near 3.45 league. Looks like I might have to settle for a sub four hour at best. But at least I only have one more long run (ie race) next week before the marathon. Then my life will once again be my own!

Can't wait to find out about Shadow tomorrow. Must stay calm and objective...but it's hard!

Mid week runs

In brief, 6 mile recovery run round Gartmorn dam on Monday. Once 3 miles clockwise in 27 minutes and once anti-clockwise in 26 - negative split!

Wednesday: 8 miles on the back road to Tilli and back along the railway track. This took 1 hour and something - I think 8 mins 20 secondsish. Slower than I would have liked as I was aiming for 7.2 mph and took exactly an hour to do 7 miles, with a push on the last mile. It is quite hilly at the start though I suppose.

Thursday: was supposed to go to the gym but didn't.

Today: went to the gym and did:

• Cross trainer 6 mins, level 12, staying above 10 mets.
• Treadmill, 9 x 0.5 miles at 8 mph, with 0.15 miles at 4mph in between. Yassos 7 and 8 at 1.5% incline, Yasso 9 at 1%.
  
• 1 x 0.25 miles at 8 mph, 1%.
• 12 x 2 on each of three grips for back machine, two grips for chest press, all at 20 kg.
• Treadmill 1 mile at 6.5 mph, 2% incline.

Quite pleased with this considered my knackered state - especially making all the Yassos without extra breaks of any kind. Will try and make up for Thursday with a hill run tomorrow.

Dresses and long run

Met Fiona and Hilary yesterday for dress hunting. Good job they're in season, arf arf.

Yes, I have had a glass of wine.

Anyhoo...Discovered lovely fabrics for Fi and then went and tried on lots of dresses myself, forcing the other two to wait outside changing rooms and occasionally do up zips. Fi made me try on an burnt orange-coloured dress, which wasn't a great fit but the colour actually worked, which was a revelation. I now have an idea of what I'm after, having espied something on a website with an interesting back: having no boobs, it makes sense to accentuate the other side.

We then had a long lunch and talked about clothes 'for longer than we ever had before'. So overcome by our unusually girly chat* was I, that on popping in to Superdrug for contact lens solution I emerged with £20 of new make up.

Today I woke up, ate lots of toast, and went for a 19 mile run. Headed up the coast to Cramond, up the Almond to Cramond Brig and continued to the golf course on the way to Queensferry. Lovely day for it - to start with anyway. I'd left my cap in Dollar which meant, despite numerous hair clips, my hair kept getting in my face, which was annoying. The secondary purpose of my faithful headwear is to keep the my head warm (mostly) and the sun from my face (occasionally). Without it, I have definitely caught the sun. Just after I spent £6.99 on 'ivory 01' toned foundation - typical.

So, the first half was ok, though being 'off road' from Cramond onwards slowed me down, as did the steep step section, which I once swam round for the Rat Race. The last bit around the edge of the golf course saw the wind pick up and spray come right over the breakwater to soak me, which was refreshing. Then I turned around and was running into the wind. Not too bad through the trees and back to Cramond (hit the steps again at mile 13 and seriously considered taking a dip instead).

But back on the promenade from the roundabout on - Jesus! I've run that stretch plenty of times, sometimes in quite windy weather. There was a head wind for the half marathon at the same spot. But nothing like this. It didn't help that I was tired but it was like running uphill without the sense of achievement. It's hard to describe how debilitating a strong headwind can be. It saps your strength and your mental state: I felt like I was in one of those dreams where you have to be somewhere but your limbs are all heavy and you feel as though you're underwater and can't move.

I'd been on schedule for 2 hours 50 mins, but had to forget about the time and just get my head down and battle on. It was grim. Every so often the wind would die for ten seconds and my speed would lift, only to fall again at the next gust. So that was it all the way home. Managed a slight speed up for the last mile to finish in just under three hours, an average of 9.30 minute miles. Pathetic. If there's a wind like that on marathon day I'm doomed.

Am trying to be positive though. As well as the wind, had it all been on tarmac, I would probably have been quicker. But my right leg was showing some ITBS strain towards the end and is a bit sore now. That would probably have been worse if I'd been on roads the whole way. Was also a bit dehydrated despite drinking a whole bottle of lucozade on the way. Hmm. A lot will depend on the conditions on the day.

Half a mile from home a small child shouted that I was looking sexy with my something I didn't catch. What's that about? When I was eight I was scared of talking to adults I knew, let alone strangers, let alone shouting at them in the street. I briefly considered beating him to a bloody pulp but it seemed too much effort, plus I was pretty sure his comment had actually been a compliment. Probably a sarky one though, unless he was blind.

Got home, showered, ate two oatcakes, drank a litre water and slept for a hour. I'd been complaining to Al that surf is up and I don't have time to go. He said, 'Can't you go after running on Sunday?'. Aha. Ahahaha.

Nope. No, not really an option. I did manage to walk round the supermarket, but that was about the extent of it.

I've just had a dinner of Sainsbury's meatballs ('serves two') and potato croquettes ('serves two'). But then I didn't have lunch and had just used up 2,300 calories. Think I have some chocolate left somewhere...

*Yes, I am aware that talking about dresses is not exclusively the preserve of girls. There are gay men who are interested, too.

Better week's training

Much better this week. After spending most of the weekend asleep I felt recovered and started back up with a very slow 10km flat jog along the railway line to Tilli and back. Felt fine apart from hideous heartburn (the result of having started to eat again after a three day gap) and clouds of midges. Nice evening for it.

Tuesday I was supposed to do speedwork at the gym but forgot my trainers so came back to the cottage. Luckily as it turned out, since Fi and Ailsa dropped by to pick up Fi's bike and Ailsa got to see round the cottage (and use the loo). It was another nice evening so I headed along the back road to Tilli (the long way round with the farm hill at the beginning) and back along the railway track. Felt good to push a bit harder and I quite enjoyed the hills which are tough enough to feel a sense of achievement without being actually impossibly hard.


Had Wednesday off to see Cal's school musical, which was very professional. He had a lead role with a couple of songs and lots of costume changes. At one point he was up on stage and looking so much like Al that it was quite uncanny - knowing that Al would rather have red hot needles stuck in his eyes than ever get on stage again after his swing dance experience. Cal definitely takes after his mum in that respect!

Yesterday I got to the gym for speedwork - made myself go even though I went to Tesco's first and it would have been all too easy to turn the car for home instead. Not only did I manage to get myself through the door of the gym but also managed 9 whole Yassos - though I had to have a loo break after numbers 6 and 8. I also lowered the incline to 1.5% for numbers 7 and 8 and 1% for number 9, instead of my usual 2%.

Altogether, did:

• Cross trainer, 6 mins, staying above 10 mets
• Treadmill 9 x 0.5 miles at 8 mph with 0.15 mile breaks at 4 mph (plus a couple of brief extra breaks)
• 2 x 12 reps on each of 2 chest grips and 3 back grips, all at 20 kg
• Treadmill 0.5 miles at 7.2 mph (1% incline) and 0.5 miles at 6.5 mph (1% incline)

Fairly happy, though I would have liked to have managed the Yassos without extra breaks. Had to remind myself that when I started I could barely manage two in a row, so I have improved. But have I improved enough, is the question...

Today, drove back to Edinburgh and straight to Holyrood Park. Parked at the Palace car park and ran up the Radical Road the steep way - had to walk the very steepest bits, but for no more than two minutes, probably one minute. Then did one loop of Queen's Drive anti-clockwise and one clockwise and finished by running back up Radical Road the less steep way (no walking!). The whole thing took longer than I would have liked. It would have been great to have done it in an hour, but I think it was more like an hour and 10. Still, it definitely counts as the '1 hour hard hilly run' recommended on the official website for 'serious runners' at this stage. Not that I'm following that schedule - who the hell has time for six runs a week?

Long run scheduled for Sunday: should be 19 miles. I'm going to try and do some of the marathon route from Cramond out to Portobello. I have also booked myself a massage for a week on Sunday, which is a treat to look forward to. Though Fiona wants to practise her massage technique on me tomorrow, which is even better!

So I'm hopefully back on track but am going to have to work really hard for the next three weeks. I'll take the garmin on my long run and see if I can average somewhere around 8 minute 50 second miles.

Weighed myself tonight: 8 and a half stone, which is my official 'running weight'. I don't normally reach this weight till about three weeks before a marathon, when my mileage peaks. But then I was ill. And I have just eaten about three pounds of pizza and drunk a litre of water and juice, which should bring me up to par. I didn't take any water on my run so I'd probably sweated off about a pound of liquid too.

I have just discovered that if you mix half water with half apple juice (my regular tipple) but then add a few drops of lime juice it is really lovely and refreshing.

Another crap week's training...

It started out so well with an 8ish mile flat run on Monday to Tillicoultry and back - felt good and fast, though I wasn't able to measure it exactly as I'm still awaiting a new garmin charger. Followed up on Tuesday with a speed session at the gym:

• Cross trainer 6 mins, staying above 10 mets
• 8 and a half Yassos - felt not too hard, possibly because it is the week after my period, when training is easiest.
• 2 x 12 reps each of 3 back grips and 2 chest grips all at 20kg
• 1 mile at 6.5 mph

Then all went to shit. Went in to Edinburgh Wednesday night to catch up with Mo. We went to bodybalance, which was a nice stretch out (crowded class though). Mo told me she had just recovered from a nasty tummy bug, which she promptly infected me with. Either that or it was a dodgy sushi lunch pack from Tesco's.

So on Thursday I felt distinctly quesy driving home and was able to hold it together just long enough to deal with the heating engineer before retiring to bed with a bucket. Missed a beautiful evening for a run. Naturally, come daylight it appeared to have cleared up and I went to work, seeing as I had lots to do and it was the last day of a work experience student we've had in, who I had to assess. Got through the day, distracted myself briefly by hanging some curtains, and then collapsed in bed again for another vomitous night.

I'm now just about recovered, but have been walking about like a zombie all weekend and slept most of yesterday. No long run for me this weekend - I had to have a sit down after walking to the post office.

On a more cheerful note, met up with Fi and Hilary to discuss dresses and suchlike over a meal at an Italian fish restaurant that had a promisingly cosy atmosphere but disappointingly salty fish. It almost made up for it with stereotypically macho Italian waiters though. Good chat, and the girls were sympathetic about my plight. Felt slightly more human.

I am still not sure if I am justified in feeling sorry for myself at the moment, but I have been down: it feels as though neither of the two things I really wanted out of this year - a 3.45 marathon and a decent 30th birthday party - are going to be achieved. Just bad timing I suppose. It's not as if having a job or somewhere to live can really take second place to those. And most of my 'to do' list (currently standing at 39 items) no one else can do for me. Every time I finish one thing another appears: I arranged for my council tax to be taken directly from my pay, but when the bill arrived they hadn't taken off water and sewerage, even though we have a private water supply and septic, so now I have to call them again. And when I got a fridge freezer delivered the delivery guys broke a light so I had to organise an electrician, who didn't show up, so I had to organise him again...it's never ending.

I just want someone nice and reassuring (Super Nanny springs to mind) to come along and tell me it's okay, they'll sort it all out and all I have to do is go to work and concentrate on my running. Being a grown up sucks.

Catch up

Haven't been blogging because of lack of internet availability: no connection in the cottage and work does not view blogspot as a desirable web destination for its employees. So a quick catch up of training:

19 March
8 miles round Gartmorn dam in 70 minutes. Lovely route but got a bit lost and did further than I meant to, then had to sprint finish to get the car out before the gates locked.

22 March
In Ardfern for Easter with Al. Took Jake the black lab for a hill run and he acted as a sort of brake, adding the drag factor of five stones of bemused canine. Did 6.5 miles in 65 minutes up and down hills.

23 March
Long flat run down the peninsula and back: 15 miles in 2 hours 12 mins 30 secs. About 8 minute 50 second miles which was actually faster than I was aiming for.

25 March
Back at work, boo. Gym:

• 6 mins crtoss trainer
• 30 mins treadmill at 7 mph
• 2 x 12 reps on each of 2 grips chest press 20 kg
• 15 mins at 7 mph
• 2 x 12 reps on each of 3 grips back weights 20 kg
• 15 mins at 7mph

27 March
Lunchtime gym:

• 1 mile at 7 mph
• 32 mins hills at 6.5 mph (up to 6%)
• 1 mile at 7 mph

28 March
Lunchtime gym:

• 7.5 Yassos

29 March
Got up early for long run before Rachel's delightful and delicious birthday weekend. Did 16 miles (plus about a mile walk a the end as I misjudged my distance and went to far out). Took about 2 hours 30? Can't remember as I didn't write this one down. It was slower than I would have liked but hilly and I was trying to find a new route. Had a short but incredibly windy and rainy walk up one of the Falkland hills in the afternoon which ended with Rachel and I running down to stay warm - they say you're supposed to bathe your legs in ice cold water after a long run so hopefully that did the trick! Nice short recovery walk the next day too, when it was quite balmy. Great to see all the girls again. I wish there were two of me so I could see more of them and Al, who's weekends back always seem to coincide.

Last week was totally crap, training-wise. No excuse.

No, actually, lots of excuses. Too much on at work for lunchtime sessions and I took on a massive freelance proofreading job which has been taking all evening time not spent ferrying carloads of stuff. (My stuff seems to have expanded even more since the last move - or perhaps it's just because I can't be bothered to do more than 3 trips up and down in the lift.) I knew more work was a stupid idea, but the thought of it paying off my fridge freezer was too much to resist.

So I managed one measly hill run on Wednesday, or maybe it was Tuesday, up Dollar Glen. Very pretty. Got to the castle up the forest track and then ran down the road, running down for two grit bins and then back up for one so I got some more hills in. Probably nearly 5 miles altogether? Was sore the next day, which is unusual.

Productive and strangely relaxing weekend with Fi, taking a van to Ikea and spending up to my credit card limit on STUFF. Then she came out again yesterday to accompany me on bike for what was supposed to be a 17 mile run but was probably more like 16 again. Or maybe more, actually. I'll check on Map My Run. Anyway, we discovered where the mixed leisure route goes, which was very useful. I'm hoping to run to and from work a couple of times next week to up my mileage and make up for last week. And we'd definitely earned fish and chips at the Muckhart Inn.

Next week is to be spent running and assembling furniture. Both ultimately rewarding activities.