3 personal bests in 1 week!

This week has been entered into the marathonmorris book of records...

So I'm off the injury bench.. I took a total of 5 days off running ( I know I said I wouldn't run for 2 weeks but we are talking about me here) anyway where was I... 5 days off running then started again doing the usual 10.30 minute miles nothing out the ordinary. Then on Tuesday night I did some research into the Torremolinos half marathon and discovered not only do they have a rather tight cut off finish time of 2 hours 30 minutes there are individual cut off points along the route like this..... Maximum Timings will be shown at set points. Competitors will be permitted to continue up to a maximum of time of: km.5: 35´,km.10: 1 Hr 10´, km.15: 1h 45’ km.20: 2h 20’ Finish. 2h 30’. Failure to make these limits will result in the participant’s being disqualified. Fanbloodytastic I thought I'm really close to the 10k cut off with a pb of 1 hour 3 minutes on a good day.. Run for Fun friends rallied around and told me I can do it, I just need to focus on the times maybe it's more motivation for me to get a pb.

Well they must have been right as Wednesday evening I set a new 5k pb of 27 minutes 35 seconds! Split times of 9.24 / 9.14 and my last mile with a sprint finish of 8.35!!! Wowsers. Excellent but I'll sometimes get a 'fast flukey day'. Thursday came along and I decided to see if I could run 4 miles at around 9.40 min mile pace which will see me through to a pb for a half marathon.... with split times of 8.55 /8.40 / 8.47 and final mile again a sprint finish of 8.37 min miles I had set ANOTHER 5k pb of 26 minutes 55 seconds and was running a little too comfortably at 8 minute mile pace??


What the feck is going on?!? 

Friday was a rest day although I didn't feel as though I needed a rest, if anything I wanted to keep running as I was worried this fast streak may not last... Saturday it was thundering so I decided to run on the treadmill... right lets really see what's what Morris! I set the heating up to 18 degrees to acclimatise myself to running in the heat with laptop on, a box set at the ready I set out to run 8 miles. I set the treadmill up at a constant pace of 9.04 minute miles..could I really maintain this for 8 miles? with the heating on?   Well the answer is yes and I even adjusted the incline between 1 & 2% percent throughout to mimic outdoor running and sped up at some points running at 7mph.

I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes .... just to put that into context my average 10k (6.1 miles) is 1 hour 10 minutes, I ran a whole extra 2 miles over that. With this run in the bag I had got yet another pb my 10k pb went from 1 hour 3 minutes to 54 minutes 59 seconds. I seem to be peaking at just the right time and I'm over the moon though im trying to fathom out what's going on?

I've come up with a few ideas 1/ I've been doing core work every day since the 2nd Jan. 2/ I keep telling myself when I'm running 8 - 9 minute miles that I'm actually running slow, almost tricking my mind. 3/ I've just simply been lazy the last two years and not really pushed myself but I actually don't feel like im pushing myself running this speed. 

Tonight's run should really have been a recovery run after yesterdays fast 8 miles and the week in general just being ridiculous speed wise but off I went and couldn't run slow, I did 3 miles with splits of 9.01 /  9.03  and sprint finish again of 8.40...... I think I've come up with idea number 4.. maybe my garmin has broke!!!

Either way if I can keep this up I'm going to bloody win the Torremolinos half marathon and possibly get a podium finish and make it into the Spanish papers.

Sarah Marafun wins Torremolinos Half Marathon

Megs Miles and The Ghost Runner

So after 5 days of rest, well resting my leg and no running at least I decided to have a go at a little running yesterday. Two reasons.. one my physio said he is again happy for me to continue doing some running as he isn't a fan of total rest, that makes two of us and two because I wanted to dedicate yesterdays miles to Meg. Meg is a lady who was out for her morning run when she was hit by a drunk driver, she lost her life leaving her family including three children behind. Megs Miles is all about runners uniting and dedicating a mile run in her memory and to raise awareness of drink driving.

Throughout the week I had been keeping myself sane doing lots of core work up to 45 minutes per night of various routines including planks, crunches and sit ups with a good 10-15 minutes of weights for my arms thrown in for good measure. I had also ordered some KT tape which I had previously used back in 2012 for a short while but never really bothered with it until now. My pink tape arrived and I am now a pro at self taping my hamstring and front of my thigh. Having worn this since Friday morning yesterday I woke up with no pain in my leg at all so decided to try a 3 mile run. I should have been taking it steady but went out at 10 minute miles and mile two was 9.33 minutes. Pain in my leg was prominent straight away then it gradually moved down to just above my knee then after 1 mile it disappeared completely... exactly what it always does. The real test is the following few hours and next morning when I can't walk properly.

I'm pleased to say even after two showers and that run my KT has stayed in place for three days now and I woke up this morning pain free and able to walk properly which was a good sign. I'm going to run again today I thought to myself... noooooooo you may scream!

Yes I am running and yes I have ran! In fact what spurred me on more was finishing my current running book The Ghost Runner a book about a man called John Tarrant who in the 1960's was banned from amateur running as he was honest enough to declare that he had won £17 previously from amateur boxing even though he was never on the books and spent more than £17 on the bus fares to the fights he was in. He was banned from ever running for a club or in races in the UK or abroad for the rest of his life... all this man wanted was a number, he was never allowed so arrived at races disguised in coat and hat then leapt out at the last minute at the start often being chased down by race officials but he quite often won and held a number of world records when his ban in the UK was lifted. What inspired me about this man was all he wanted was a number something we probably take for granted now, I have a scrapbook full of numbers from previous races. He also made me think about running today as between 1969 and 1971 he ran up to 150 miles per week! and took part in many 100 mile ultra marathons and 24 hour endurance events with stomach cancer.. although he didn't know it at the time. In his final race he did know he had cancer as only a few months before he had his stomach removed and a replacement made from part of his bowel...

I'm sorry but if that guy can run an ultra marathon with stomach cancer or no stomach at all I'm sure I can manage with my gammy hammy!

So I did, I've just ran 4 miles at my half marathon target pace, yes my leg hurt most of the way around but i'm not going to dwell on it as I'm walking properly now and it's rest day tomorrow.

Today I am just grateful I can run as I still have my life and I'm allowed a number.

Injury, Frustration and worry

The only thing I can really say in this blog is that I will not be running... for at least two weeks.. maybe for three.

After Sundays long run of 12 miles I awoke yesterday with a very bad pain in my hamstring and now also the front of my right thigh to the extent I am limping. Not good news in fact it's utter crap! Just how I feel right now.

With Torremolinos around the corner I have had to make the difficult desicion to not run until possibly two days before the race to 'test' my leg out but certainly no proper running until race day where I must sign a disclaimer to say I'm fit to run. Easy you say, you've got the miles in your legs you've ran over 12 half marathons before whats the problem.. the problem is me worrying about the tight time limit of the race which I'd be close to on a good day let alone after three weeks off and with the possibility of still having an injury. I know I could have three weeks off, run my hardest in Torremolinos get a good time, finish then be out of action for a further three weeks or longer.. this i'm willing to take though i'm also frustrated that I will be missing at least three weeks out of my marathon training but I will run a marathon from sheer determination and stubborness alone the fitness just makes the whole experience more fun.

My life from now on will consist of wearing a leg support which seemed to ease the limping last night, foam rollering every day no matter how painful and doing numerous stretches to try to resolve the problem that is ruining my running life! Still it will give me a chance to focus on weight sessions for the upper body and core work so I'll have that 6 pack bikini body I wanted after all.

I will also be replacing my long sunday runs with a short bike ride to keep my fitness up and swimming to help my breathing. The whole thing is just a big worry.

End Of Week 3 Marathon Training

So it's the end of week 3 marathon training and my heads all over the place..

Week 1 I ran 32.53 miles,this total mileage should have been lower if it wasn't for the Sunrise to Sunset race.
Week 2 I ran 24.42 miles every run was done as it should be on the day it should have been with the exception of one run.
Week 3 ...went out the window I ran 23.74 miles which is the total I had to run but due to seeing friends and family and actually having a social life outside of running I had to shift runs around to different days which has thrown my body out of sync on the running front.

Last week I made the mistake of moving my long run of 11 miles from Sunday to Saturday; again to accommodate a social life ( having a social life and marathon training is rather hard unless all your friends and family are runners or you want to go to bed at midnight every night) , on the Sunday I only managed to run 1 mile of the intended 4 due to my hamstring yet again becoming a prominent problem in my running! I wasn't going to do this again as I know for sure that I will never ever skip a long run as this is the base I need for the marathons and ultras entered. The piddly 4 mile interval sessions I can go without but the long runs no way hosey!  With yesterdays tough interval session of 10 mins threshold pace with a 2 minute recovery repeated 3 times my mind had taken over today and I told myself I was too tired to run, my hamstring was tight and I began to feel rather low about my running. Was it wise to continue with my hamstring bad? It clearly hasn't cleared up properly since November when I was having physio and there is no way I am pulling out of London i'll limp to the end if I have to. There was also no chance of me taking months off to resolve the problem so after a quick moaning minnie post on run for fun I had a virtual running buddy Chris who would also be running 12 miles today. It's always better to think there is someone else out there running the same as you and tie up together online when you get back.  I'd got all my gear ready, part of the long runs is also trying out refueling during running. I had my camel bak with some electrolyte drink in it.. cherry I think. I had my new Shadow Pak a very slim waist pack that sits flat against your stomach without bouncing. This I filled with jelly babies BOGOF in tesco..nice!

The run was pretty much robotic same as last weeks long run, when you are running on your own for over two hours with nothing but cars zooming past and a dull grey sky all around it's hard not to switch off and just get the job done. I intended to do the Blackpole, Fernhill heath loop which would be 7 miles then the Tolladine and dreaded Ronkswood hill loop which I estimated to be around 5 miles, perfect. All was going well at marathon pace of 11 min to 11.27 min miles I was running bang on if not a little faster at times my hamstring after 4 miles either wasn't hurting anymore or I just chose to be stubborn and blatantly ignore it. It was cold, it was wet and it was boring, at mile 8 I dropped my only tissue in a puddle...bugger... oh well. I whizzed down Tolladine trying to make up some time as I knew I would slow down for the Ronkswood hill which was covered in dog shite and even some sick on the pavement... you gotta love the rough parts of Worcester. By mile 10.5 I was mulling over my pace as although i'm aiming for a 5 hour marathon in London (or I have Worcester as a backup plan pb) and trying to train myself to run slower to maintain a constant pace there was a little niggle going on in the back of my head.... Here's the deal..

what the inside of my head looked like!

Torremolinos is just over 2 weeks away, it is a half marathon with the first 6 miles flat then the final 7 miles a steady ongoing climb with a very very strict cut off time of two and half hours for road closures. They are more strict over there than here apparently. Two hours and 30 minutes... I should be thinking not a problem. My very first half marathon time was 2 hours 31! since then (missing out the beast and sunrise to sunset) I have always finished around the 2 hours 15 mark so why am I now worrying that I wont make the cut off for Torremolinos. The final mile of todays run was all about numbers.. now I'm rubbish at maths at the best of times with a calculator sat in front of me so why I decided that mile 11 of a 12 mile run was the best time to start working out split times based on todays run which was slower than I will be running in a half marathon anyway I do not know!! There were numbers floating around my head until I made it back to the front door exhausted both physically from the running and mentally from the sudden onset of panic that i'm going to fly all the way to Spain just to get a DNF! Either way the flights booked the hotels paid for and the race is entered so I will do what I do best... keep running!

Dirt Run new years day 10k

What better way to start the new year off and go towards my yearly target of 1000 miles than a little 10k? Only problem is this is a race I have done before back in July in 25 degree heat and I hated it, infact it was my most hated race ever just pipping Coombe Abbey Park half marathon. Why did I decide to run it again you may ask? Well I wanted to race new years day this was only 5 miles away and I suppose I wanted to lay the demons to rest as I intend to with another race this year.

I was very good last night I was in bed for 10pm and had no problems falling asleep then I was awoken at 12.01 am with the fireworks going off for new year so I sat up in bed opened the curtains watched for a few minutes then plonked back down into my pit. The best thing about a new years day race is the very sociable starting time of 11am, I woke at 8am and was now feeling nervous, this race was always going to be about fun and not actually a race as such just a training run (which I was down for 4.5 miles today on my training plan). Getting ready I realised I was pretty in purple, I had my purple thermal top on, I dug out my purple RFF vest, my socks have always been purple then I realised it was peeing it down! I mean literally the worst rain you could imagine and it was windy. So out came my..you guessed it.. yes purple waterproof jacket. I decided to wear my buff over my ears then slip my baseball cap on top to keep the rain off my face and keeping my ears warm. The only other problem was the jacket has no pockets and neither did my capris - yes I didn't make the same mistake of wearing the knickerless norah fall down nike tights!

I eventually got myself sorted with my Y fumble arm pocket, in that went my waterproof phone cover and in that would be my car key. I was not carrying anything else around with me except two tissues it was simply too wet. All the way there I decided if this wasn't the first race of the year I would have stayed home in the warm, I must be mad! Pulling up at 10.30am I made my way to the registration tent to get my number. Unlike the last time I was there everyone was huddling inside a make shift circus tent type thing that sounded like it was going blow over any minute, there was one desk with two people behind and what looked to be 8 separate lines all merging in a circle in the middle... organized chaos sprang to mind. I eventually got my number, number 100 I quite liked having that number though I have no idea why. The junior race had started at 10.30 supposedly then the senior race at 11am.. by 11am the juniors still hadn't appeared near the finish line, the tent was still almost blowing away, it was cramped, wet, cold and miserable and it was doing my head in. I couldn't wait to get going just to have some space and quiet! At 11.15 am we were told to make our way to the start..all I could think about was the nightmare that was the woods when I last did this course the bit with the vertical climbs that you had to pull yourself up with ropes.  Just take it slow Sarah you are not racing you are simply doing.

We were off slipping and sliding everywhere, instantly I found my pacer I decided to stick with her to save me doing something stupid like breaking my leg. I'd managed to move my buff down the back of my neck which was brilliant as it kept the rain and cold out and I was rather snug the only problem the wind was posing was us all trying to stay upright as we were being blown sideways towards the lake at one point. The mud at first didn't bother me it wasn't that hard to run through just cold and wet my trainers soon filled up with the brown water but once it was done it was done I wasn't going to get any wetter than I was at that point as I was already soaked from head to toe... I was now fully in for the ride. I started talking to a lady called Rebecca who had not done the course before, I ended up chatting to a few people who hadn't done the course before and I felt like I couldn't lie to them when they asked if it was hilly.. I'd like to think I helped them by telling them about the woods as after all it was too late they had already started. As I got to the dreaded ropey woods I felt happy and confident, after all I knew what was to come and knew I just had to get on with it. This time I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I did slow right down as did everyone else as you simply couldn't run through the mud I think I added a quarter of a mile onto my garmin just by slipping sideways constantly rather than moving forwards. I'm not going to lie the woods were no easier this time around in fact they were physically harder the rope cut into my hand more as it was wet but mentally I had it covered. I was elated to get back out onto the fields again though.With a stile to tackle I was soon at the drinks station at 2.5 miles going well.

Although I wasn't racing (yeah right of course I was!) I did check my previous course time from July which was 6.25 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes so you basically know from that admission alone I was racing otherwise why would I care about time? Throughout the run I never looked at my time I just always looked at the distance. Miles 3 - 5 were not much to talk about I had taken over my pacer and was off on my own, there was more mud, more rain, rain coming down that hard a drop hit my lip and I half expected to taste blood. We ran past a really stinky field, it smelt like rotten meat eurgh it was vile the only good thing about that part was the field was full of christmas trees I presume growing for next year. I then noticed the course had changed, sneaky sneaky so now I no longer had my back up plan of knowing what was coming next. Suddenly at mile 5.5 I was faced with having to climb over a rather large fence, I don't do climbing. This took me a while to get over as it was high and slippy but I made a friend at this point though I didn't get her name she does triathlons so we were chatting away about that. She left me at 6 miles as were had again gone of the course I knew and was back in some muddy woods, I spent a lot of time tree hugging in this part and cut my hand when I made a bee line for what I thought was a tree branch that was in fact a massive thistle, still at least I was still on my feet and not on my bum!

Taking a quick look at my watch I knew I wasn't going to beat my previous time of 1 hour 13 but that's because they had changed the route, I finished the Dirt Run 10k ( 6.1 miles) at 6.40 miles with a time of 1 hour 22 minutes. Wahhoooo I had finished, god I was cold, god I was wet but it was well worth it just to say I bloody well did it in such awful conditions and I actually enjoyed Dirt Run!