I will never ever learn to love spinning

It's been a bit of a week really, as you'd probably expect for the week before Christmas. Having both boys at home has been a bit of a shock, most notably to the food budget and the laundry pile, but lovely. Unfortunately I've done no running at all which I've found very frustrating but there are good reasons. I had resolved to cut back this week to help my foot, but thought I could cope with that as it was a "taper" week in my plan so I wouldn't miss too much and could get back this weekend. As it happens...

I missed Body Balance on Monday to go to Bath, and then on Tuesday I didn't run but instead took a gentle stroll into town to go to my blood doning appointment, which turned into a right drama. It was my 36th pint so you'd think by now I'd know the drill (although to be fair they do change it quite regularly). The procedure itself went smoothly, pint duly bagged up, plaster put on arm, get up to go and get my tea and biscuits. Now I blame the fact that all the running I've been doing has put extra oxygen in my blood making it all thin and super pulsing round (that's a scientific fact right?) so as I sat down at the table the needle hole in my arm opened and I bled all over the floor. I was promptly whisked off behind a screen and cleaned up, but then came over a bit woozy so had to lie down and get fussed over by the lovely donor carers, bringing me biscuits and squash. After 45 minutes they said I was ok to go but I had to call hubby to leave work and get me home. What a banana!

After that excitement I really didn't want to exercise so had Wednesday and Thursday off as well. And as my foot didn't seem any better I decided it was time to be more proactive about getting it fixed rather than just  hoping. I took myself off to my friendly physiotherapist, who diagnosed the root of my problems as a very tight muscle in my left calf which causes a lack of flexion in my foot so my running action is quite heavy, leading to the pain in the plantar fascia (are you following?). She proceeded to prove how tight my calf muscle is by prodding me very hard with her thumbs - double ouch! So it turns out I need to have some physio to try and loosen off the muscle and do some other exercises to get it sorted, and in the meantime I need to lay off impact exercise (ie running) for a while. No idea how long "a while" is, but hopefully it will only be a few weeks and I won't get too massively behind. I am also encouraged to keep up my fitness with non-impact exercise - which is where "I hate spinning!" comes in. I gave it a go on Friday and when the instructor said "If your legs aren't burning you're not working hard enough!", my bottom was so sore I couldn't even think about how my legs were feeling! But I accept that I am not doing it for the love of spinning, just to keep my heart and lungs and legs working enough so that when I am allowed to run again I'll be raring to go... So if I can't keep up with the super fit spinners, so what?!

Ouch!

I think I may be suffering my first setback. 

Saturday my plan said "10 minutes very easy jog". Seemed hardly worth bothering with, and I wasn't sure what, if anything, it would add to my progress, but I went out anyway and did 20 minutes around the block (after 10 minutes I'd barely got anywhere), and felt proud of myself for sticking to the plan, even though my shins were quite sore, due to it being a bit chilly I think. Then on Sunday I was supposed to do an hour for my long run. The last couple of weeks I have been doing an hour, but that included my warm up and cool down walking, so yesterday I didn't start my Runtastic measuring app until I'd walked briskly to the end of the road and began running. I ran for an hour (with two tiny walks - no more than 200 yards total and up "hills"; I am so rubbish at any form of slope...) and switched off the app before the walk at the end. Total run time 63 minutes, 5.76 miles - that's an average of less than 11 minutes per mile which I was so chuffed with! And I felt pretty good physically too.

By the afternoon though my foot was causing me all kinds of grief and by bedtime I could barely stand on it. I had done my stretches straight after the run like I was supposed to and I'd actually kept more active during the day too which I hoped might have kept it looser and less inclined to stiffen up, but unfortunately the pain in my heel was as bad as it's ever been and has not really improved much today so I am a bit despondent now. Today was a rest day anyway (went to Bath to pick up our son from Uni which has been a good thing), and I think I need to take a couple more days just to rest it - all the advice for dealing with plantar fasciitis is primarily "rest", as if that's practical when training for a marathon - and see how we go. I'm also going to give blood tomorrow so a couple of days off is probably not a bad idea on that score too. I'm not going to panic unduly yet as there is still plenty of time to go but it's not good if it can't stand up to 5 miles is it?

Friday 13th

I didn't want to tempt fate so I've had a rest day…

Actually, that's not entirely true - the bit about the rest day is true, but my plan said to have one anyway, regardless of the date. I never, ever thought I'd say this, but I actually miss running on my rest days. I know the rests are as important as the runs, but I still feel like I'm wasting a day. What is happening to me?!

I did have quite a big day yesterday though (relatively). Thursdays is Fitball class at the gym, which was tough and sweaty (and I have very sore glutes today) but my plan also said I should do 35-40 minutes' steady run. Well, no thank you… So what I did was swap my runs this week so I did Thursday's 40 minutes on Tuesday - using a route I have previously done on the Common, but I must be getting faster as I had to add a bit onto the end to fill up the time; go me! - and then after Fitball I took myself into the gym for Tuesday's shorter run, on the treadmill. Having the technology at my disposal then, and fully aware that  for my long runs and the thing itself I am going to have to resort to the run/walk technique, I programmed the machine so I ran at 5.5mph for 4 minutes, followed by a 1 minute walk at 3.5mph, repeated 6 times. Come the event it's not going to be nearly as prescriptive as that - more a case of "run for as long as you can, then walk as long as you want, then repeat".

Talking of the event, on Wednesday I went to the cinema with my friend ("The Butler" - don't bother…). We went to Aldershot as it's cheaper than Guildford and the parking's free in Morrison's car park, but the point of the story is that the trip meter in my car said that from home to Aldershot and back is about 25 miles. How on earth am I ever going to be able to get from home to Aldershot and back, plus a bit, on foot?!

Away from the Marathon, my boys are coming home from Uni this weekend for Christmas. Yay! I am not quite sure how marathon training fits in with Christmas festivities but I am sure I can rely on my family to support me and encourage me out of the house occasionally, or failing that, forcibly throw me out! At least all the exercise will mean I can stuff my face, yes?

Week 6 - a quarter of the way there!

I have read so many articles about how to prepare for a marathon, with so much advice it's hard to know what to concentrate on, but one thing I have decided to take on board is to mix things up a bit, and to ensure I do some core strength and stability work to try and prevent injury. Also, I pay for a gym membership and if I don't go to any classes that's a waste! So Mondays is Body Balance (sort of yoga/tai chi/pilates, very calming in theory) and Thursdays is Fit Ball (lots of resistance exercises with hand weights and a big ball - really hard work!). For now I have decided to stop Zumba, as I can't do 45 minutes running and Zumba on the same day, and the mileage has to take priority really. I'm getting the cardiac workout from running.

Friday was a beautiful day - if only it was always that lovely it would be so easy to keep motivated!

(I thought a  few photos would make the blog more interesting!) This is during my very pleasant 45 minute steady on Friday morning. And Friday afternoon I went for a yomp up Wix Hill with a friend and her lovely dog - she was so enthusiastic about my marathon adventure when I told her, which really helps. Saturday is rest day (yay!) and Sunday I did the reverse of last weekend's "long" run (down past the cemetery is so much easier than up past it!). I ran virtually the whole way, apart from a quick stop to take a picture down at the river:

5.5 miles, no faster than last week, but I felt really good afterwards, no huffing and puffing, no sore shins, no painful foot - until later in the day when I had a bit of a slump and felt pretty awful. Feeling like I have a mountain to climb and can't imagine how I'm going to get there. We put the Christmas decorations up though so the house is looking very festive, even if I have lead in my legs!

Between then and now

Having got myself a training programme, but still not entirely committed to the cause or believing I could actually do this, I have been following it after a fashion (never be a slave to your plan, listen to your body, that's what they say… My body says "ouch"!). Most days a week, either round the block or over onto the common, or even the treadmill in the gym to vary the conditions underfoot; starting with 20 minutes and building up gradually. Unfortunately I think I overdid things and built up too quickly, and after a couple of weeks I developed really sore shins, which continued to plague me so last week I decided to scale back from my original plan and downloaded a different Beginners' training schedule. This one seems easier to follow; where my previous plan suggested "Jog for 10 mins, run for 10 mins, jog for 10 mins, run for 10 mins, jog for 15 mins, run for 5 mins, jog for 20 mins" as my schedule for this Friday (how on earth are you supposed to remember all that when all you can concentrate on is just putting one foot in front of the other?!), my new one says "35 mins steady" and has more days off. Much more my level! (And it also has a rest day on Christmas Day; my previous plan would have had me doing an hour and 45 minutes running - as if!!)

I also invested in some full length running tights to keep my shins warmer, and over the last week they have felt much less stressed, which is good. The foot is also holding up, and while I am out running it doesn't hurt at all - in fact it is at its most comfortable while I'm running. When I get home and stop though, it stiffens up despite all the stretching and still hurts like mad when I stand up, though I can usually walk it into submission after a few minutes. I don't know if it's going to cause me serious problems down the line when I get into really long runs but for now it's manageable. 

I know my overall fitness level is improving all the time, I no longer feel awful after 5 minutes and I can happily trot along for 45 minutes without having to walk. My recovery time is also much better. Where previously I'd be beetroot red and still out of breath and sweaty for hours after a run, now it's barely half an hour! I am concerned about my pace still, I do seem to have only one speed and at this rate it's going to take me well over five hours to complete - from here that seems an impossible task.

So, am I now convinced? Virtually! I am into week 6 of 24, and have managed a "long" run of 5.5 miles in an hour, so I am physically working towards it, even while my mind still lags a bit behind. I know if I don't do it I will regret it forever (hubby still thinks if I do do it I will regret it as he is frightened I will cause myself irreparable damage somehow - something that frightens me too I have to admit). I have begun to tell more people, all of whom seem very excited for me and think it's brilliant, and soon I will have reached a critical mass of people who know, so I'll not be able to back out. This blog is also part of the process, as is offering to run for Pancreatic Cancer UK which I have done this morning. I seem to have backed myself into a corner don't I? I need to embrace this and GO FOR IT!! (Small voice in head still saying "NOOOOO!")

What to do?!

We went away on holiday to celebrate hubby's 50th birthday, and boys being safely packed off to Uni - had a fantastic three weeks driving Route 66, but that's an entirely different story - and I tried not to think too much about running 26.2 miles with a dodgy foot. When we got home I (very sensibly) went to see my GP, who seemed quite pleased for me and thought I must be very excited by the prospect (even though I told her I was a panicking, terrified wreck) and she didn't say that I should under no circumstances even attempt such a reckless and foolhardy undertaking (which I think was what hubby hoped she'd say). She wasn't particularly helpful about the foot - still intermittently painful, not while using it for walking (which I had done an awful lot of on holiday) or exercise classes (which I had done none of…), but afterwards, once I'd sat down for a bit, it was very sore and hard to walk on. I think the gist of her advice was, take it carefully to start with and see how you go, and my physio friend said make sure to do loads of calf stretching and be careful, so I figured that's what I should do.

I downloaded a 24 week Beginners' Marathon Training Plan from the Virgin London Marathon website and worked out that I had exactly 24 weeks in which to work through it before the big day in April. It looked quite a scary programme, with only Saturdays off, and I was slightly alarmed to see that three or four weeks in I had to graduate from "jog" to "run". I only have one speed… But that was in the future so on Monday 28th October 2013 I began with 1.7 miles around the block, taking 18 1/2 minutes. It's going to be a long hard road.

Some background

For years I have watched the London Marathon and been moved to tears (I cry easily!) by people's courage and achievements, and thought "I'd love to have a go" but been too much of a coward to do anything seriously about it. In my thirties I applied two or three times for a place but didn't get one so kind of gave up. Then this year, realising that 2014 would be the last opportunity to do it before I turn 50, and prompted by a Facebook friend who is a very keen runner and was excitedly counting down to the ballot opening, I gave it another go - completed the ballot entry form, pinged off my entry fee (donating it so that when I didn't get in I'd at least get a nice waterproof jacket) and promptly forgot all about it.

Over the summer I did a bit of jogging as part of my vague trying to keep fit routine, and it was all going sporadically but ok until one evening in July, while waiting for son number one at Tae Kwon Do, I did a "run" along the Basingstoke Canal towpath in St John's (only about four miles and I walked half of it), it was a lovely evening and I felt pretty good. The following morning, however, I couldn't put any weight on my left foot and realised I'd suffered a sudden reoccurrence of the plantar fasciitis (Google it...) I'd previously had in my right foot but had managed to clear by dint of lots of calf stretching and squidgy shoe insoles. This felt much worse though, and so I told myself that running was not for me, I should accept my age and frailties and do more suitable exercises such as swimming and gentle walking and old lady aerobics.

Then, the week before we went on holiday at the end of September, and out of the blue (a: I had almost forgotten about it and b: had I even remembered, I thought the ballot was in October) a magazine landed on my doormat:

Eek!