Race

The weekend got off to a flying start once I'd slogged through the inevitable rain and wind to Fife. There I collapsed into the welcoming embrace of Fi and Ailsa who gave me alcohol and assured me that I would not have to drive to the restaurant where we were celebrating Ailsa's birthday. Hurrah! It was a really nice meal. I do like Japanese. Though unfortunately I really like Thai too and was so torn between the two that I could barely make up my mind.

Having been getting up at 6 all week I couldn't lie in past 9 so got up and let out the guest dogs, who were making pathetic noises. They are lovely bouncy, silky spring spaniel/lab crosses, though Al proved amazingly allergic to them. Cocker spaniels are still best though - much more mellow. Spent the rest of the day doing almost nothing except playing board games, eating delicious roast lamb and cake and feeling vaguely guilty about not having done any washing up or helping with lunch. But mostly just feeling chilled, which was much needed.

Back home, Al fed me prawn curry and salad - surely the worst ever pre-race meal. He must be trying to sabotage me. And himself.

Thus the first race of the season took place yesterday when I joined Matt in a team duathlon. It was a mixed bag. Set off steep uphill and, wiping the sweat from my eyes, managed to dislodge a contact lens. I could feel that it hadn't fallen out, just slipped down in my eye, so I carried on, blinking madly until it popped back in to place after a couple of minutes. In the meantime, I'd pulled away from Al, though not from the rest of the pack. Having spectated at the previous duathlon in this series before Christmas I wasn't expecting much - although very friendly, the participants are mostly Triathlon Scotland regulars and thus scarily fit.

Half way up the hill, we plunged off in to the undergrowth and trees, following a fire break back down, across the track and into a muddy section of pasture. This was about half way. They don't measure the course by length but by the time it takes the leaders to complete: this was supposed to be a 20 minute run and 20 minute cycle, which I think meant the run was about 5km. Emerging from the field though, I slipped in the deep mud and went over on my ankle - exactly the same as when I pulled it before Christmas (though this time I wasn't drunk and simply walking down some steps). Ow! I was extremely annoyed at myself as it slowed me right down for a couple of minutes, while another girl passed me and kindly asked if I was ok.

Once out of the mud, though, and back on relatively firm track, the pain lessened. I risked a glance behind me and Al was only about 20m back, so I pushed on and was able to forget about it until a last section of rough path, where I favoured it rather, trying to land on my other foot on steep downhill bits. A final push up towards the changeover and I overtook the girl who had passed me earlier - she promptly fell in behind and used me as a wind shield! I thought I'd run off the ankle but as soon as I tagged Matt and stopped running it came back. I watched Matt set off on the bike section followed by Al, about 2 minutes behind. Then I wandered round asking the marshals if there was a first aid post (maybe) or any ice (no). So I went and got changed in the car, which was just as well as work had come up with yet another crisis for me to solve so I had to make some phone calls. 'Are you near a computer?' asked our emergency response guy. I didn't feel like explaining that I was covered in mud in a car park in a forest on a hill with a pulled ankle so I just said no.

Anyway, Matt came in having got a bit lost but looking happy. Al was just behind him, chuffed about having overtaken some folk on the steep downhill stretch where most had dismounted. You can read the official results on the really useless Glentress Duathlon Website. In short, Matt and I were the fourth mixed team out of...four. But less than 4 minutes behind the others! We came 52nd overall and Al 56th. My run was placed 74th in 32 mins 29 secs. I really enjoyed the route, the off roading, the hill (kind of) and even the mud. Was just a bit worried about my ankle but I've been taking ibuprofen and it seems much better today - just a bit sore when I point my toes.

Today was my first ever drive to or from work not in the rain! (Or snow). It was much nicer: no spray or reflections off headlights. Took further advantage of the dry to run down London Road to the end of Portobello beach and back, which is 6.4 miles. This took me exactly an hour. I would have liked a bit quicker as I felt I was pushing it more than usual and I was aiming for 10.4 kmph. I managed less than 10.3 kmph. But then, if I hadn't had to wait for a couple of traffic lights, and if I'd measured it more accurately on Run Finder, it was probably close enough.

Both Matt and Ailsa have got in to the Edinburgh marathon, so there will be loads of us taking part! Still at the enthusiastic stage at the moment. By March I'll be fed up with it all. Though the race definitely perked me up, so that tactic seems to be working. Worked out today that the Alloa half marathon is on Easter Sunday so I probably won't be around, which is a bugger. Would have been good to support an event local to work and to have another race in the schedule. But at the end of the day I'd rather see Al in the brief time he has back from the alps and I have off work. Stupid day to have a half marathon, anyway!

Last session of the year

To the gym at lunchtime again. Really glad I made myself go as I had a good session and felt most virtuous afterwards. Did:

• 1km on the cross trainer, level 10, staying above 10kmph
• 3 km on the treadmill, 10kmph, 2% incline
• 12 x 3 reps pull down at 30kg
• 12 x 3 reps chest press at 15kg
• 10 x 3 reps shoulder press at 15kg (it's official: the shoulder press is my nemesis. Ironic, considering that I am a broad-shouldered babe with a propensity when in a halter neck dress to look like an Olympic swimmer. A male Olympic swimmer)
• 15 mins on the bike, level 10, hill setting, staying above 80rpm

A delicious flapjack, courtesy of Colin who came round with Helen on Boxing Day, was my mid-morning snack and proved much more effective than last week's crisps. Pleased with the run. Shoulder press - well, I had to leave it till the last of my weights as someone else was on it, which probably didn't help. Bike: a higher setting than usual meant I really felt it in my legs. I like the hill setting which gradually increases the incline but gives you short breaks at a lower incline every few minutes to recover. Why, I wonder, does running make me sweaty and short of breath but not particularly make my legs hurt (except in the avoidance of penguin syndrome) while cycling makes my legs hurt without making me out of breath? Ah well. It must all be good for me somehow.

Forgot to report back on my ankle earlier: Graham pronounced it basically ok but with limited movement because...well, I think he mentioned the word 'capscule' a lot, or something like it. I got the impression it had stiffened up when sore and now had lost it's former range of movement. He bounced up and down on it while pressing it into the treatment room bed for a while (ow), after which it was much more manoeuvrable. So I have exercises to do to stretch it out, and at least I know that if it does hurt it's not doing any harm.

Now, I was browsing Runners World the other day and came across the concept of Yasso 800s. A bloke called Yasso (great name) came up with the idea that if you wanted to run a marathon in x hours and y minutes then you should train by running 800m reps at x minutes and y seconds. In my case, 3 minutes and 45 seconds. You start with a couple of reps and build up to 10. I'm thinking of trying it and would appreciate any tips. Also, I have worked out that this means I need to run the 800s at 12.85 kmph, but as my maths is dodgy, please tell me if I'm wrong.

Hm, have also just worked out that I need to run 8.5 minute miles the whole way to make my goal time. Seems...fast.

Regular readers (of which there are about two) may remember I listed a series of races that I wanted to take part in. The first couple are out the window due to the new job and my need to find somewhere to live near the new job. But I intend to sign up for all three half marathons next week. Call it a new year's resolution (even though I don't really believe in new resolutions: I think if you want to do something that badly you should just do it and not wait until new year. But it happens to be new year anyway, so there you go). And I've got the duathlon and hopefully at least one of the later 10ks as well. Starting to look forward to it!