losing and gaining your running mojo

At last. Its been a while since I last blogged and feel I have been slacking.  This week seemed a good time to do one. Mainly as its been a funny one, running-wise.

finally last week I did what I have been meaning to do for about a year - go to the physio and get my ankle looked at. Following my last half-marathon in April 2012, I had acute tendonitis which pretty much scuppered my training for the rest of the year. It was only this year's Janathon where I re-entered the running fray. Its been ok but there have been on-going issues with my ankle from a little niggling pain and full-on knife-stabby kind of pain. So, of to the physio I went. Came out thankful I had not been told never to run again (couldn't even think of that) but still not in the most cheery of moods. Turns out I have shin splints and generallly the tendons in my foot don't like all the pavement-plodding I've been doing.

The main piece of advice was: get off road. Now that's fine in principle, I have been wanting to get into trail running for ages. However, I live in Edinburgh - right smack in the centre.  There are obviously parks etc. (hell - I live right beside Holyrood park) but they are not that big and the shitty weather that Scotland sufferes from about a good 75% of the time means soggy grass and lots of mud.  Also, while shortish runs wouldn't be a problem, anything over about 8 miles and you really can't avoid pavements and concrete.

Without really realising it, this news depressed me and I didn't really do much running this week at all, even the thought of it made me a bit teary. I had lost my mojo. It's happened before, and will probably again. All I could think of was 'damn, my training plan says 6 miles today and I just cannot face it'...and then felt guilty, which in turn led to a glass of wine to cheer me up. Not good.

Thankfully I had a long weekend planned. I was working on Saturday down in the deepest, darkest Dumfriesshire and decided to take myself away to the lake district after. My parents have a wee cottage just south of Penrith, and just on the cusp of the national park The weather was appalling but the forecast was sunny for Sunday.

My plan was to go to Keswick and run along Derwent water, and see how I went. Nothing really set in stone. I figured I could just come back the way I came if things didn't feel good. After a bit of wrong turns and meandering around the town looking for the actual lake. Things were looking very promising - dirt tracks rather than concrete paths, and the views were amazing with the snowy mountains in the distance. As you can see from the photos it was a bit mad weather-wise but still beautiful.

a sunny spell - about 3 miles in

Near the top of the lake, at Keswick



A detour to the Lodore falls

I was actually amazed at myself - I had no ipod an no water - I figured I would probably turn back at 5 miles but finding myself at the opposite end at 6.2 miles, I just decided to do the full circle - as long as I got a drink on my return I would be fine and I was really enjoying my run and the miles were just slipping past. Just as I set off again - I saw a blizzard coming in, and started regretting my decision. But thankfully, there was a section of woodland which was a bit of a buffer and eventually the blizzard passed over. By now I was feeling fully back in the game. I was starting to feel tired and sore by 10 miles and managed to get a bit lost again, adding about another mile onto the total.

View obliterated by a blizzard! F-ing freezing too!

So thanks to a change of scenery (and great scenery at that) and some encouragement from my good twitter-friends, I re-found my running mojo...until the next crisis. I also wanted to mention that I've been reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall - I'm sure a huge percentage of running people will have heard of/already read this. It is a brilliant book and one that I'm sure will help me in any future mojo-losing incidents. I plan to do a post specifically on this book as I found it really inspiring.



Stats -
distance: 13 miles
time: 2 hours 19 mins (plus about 25 mins of stopping to look at stuff)

Day 31!!!! It all depends on...

...how you count the Janathon mileage.

At the beginning of the week I noticed I had an average of 4.6miles to run a day to make that all important 100 Janathon miles...Thought I could probably do that - then I got a cold. So here I was, last day of the challenge with 8.8 miles to run. It was raining, hard, outside and there was no WAY I was running practically 9miles on the treadmill! I would have died of boredom or exhaustion. Thanks  @runningman856 for the encouragement - pretty sure I would have only done the absolute minimum.

Was going to just do as much as I could - thinking 5km as it is usually as far I can be bothered on the treadmill but with a little bit of self-mental bullying and a pretty awesome running playlist on my iPod (highlights for speedy intervals - Lust for Life, Iggy Pop and System of a Down's Chop Suey) I found myself going further.

Now back to the issue of counting of mileage - Technically I have actually done a total of 102 miles for Janathon as I did a 1.2mile walk and a 4mile cycle. However I only did 96.8 actual running. So depending on how you look at it I have either just missed my 100 running target or I have achieved my Janathon 100 exercise mile target...For the sake of my ego I am taking the grand total figure :) 

Also...a note to the 2 girls on the bikes in the gym - if you are wearing a polo-neck UNDER another top, you are NOT working out - you shouldn't even be allowed into the gym!!! I was wearing a vest and sweating buckets!! Just saying...

Anyway - congratulations to everyone who have undertaken Janathon, no matter what you have done - walked, ran, planked...and even if you have...whisper it...had a Janathon fail...it is a challenge and there is always next year - or indeed Juneathon!!

Thanks to eveyone who has read and commented on my blog and for all the twitter banter - it is what makes Janathon a pleasure to endure :) Now all I have is a half marathon to train for, not to mention the Tough Mudder!!

Final Stats!

distance: 5.6miles
time: 53mins 31 secs

Janathon totals:
Miles run: 96.2
miles cycled: 4
miles walked: 1.2

GRAND TOTAL: 102

Day 30: Ill and grumpy...but still running

Well I'm still ill...and the cold is getting worse. To make matters worse its one of those ones where your tastebuds go funny and you can't taste anything. I HATE IT - I love my food so it is torture not being able to enjoy it.

My colleagues didn't let me miss running club though, and even made me attempt a tempo run. Can't really call it a real one as the 'tempo' bit was rather difficult as there was a massively steep hill to go up so there was no way of keeping a consistent pace. But I managed to sort of keep up and avoided collapsing in a coughing, sneezing, nose-blowing heap! In fact I felt better out running than I did sitting at my desk.

Looking at my totals the likelihood of me hitting my hoped for 100miles has pretty much disappeared. I doubt very much that I'll be doing 8.8 miles tomorrow. Rather pissed off about it but at least I've managed to get out. However I have to say I'm very much looking forward to a rest day on Friday!!

Well...one day to go people - hope everyone has enjoyed the torture challenge that is Janathon :)

Stats!
distance: 3.2miles
time: 31mins 31secs
tissues used today: a massive pile!

Day 29: almost...but not quite

I almost managed a Janathon fail...almost. After a very bad night's sleep in a boiling hot hotel room in Stranraer and with the cold lurgy descendinig upon me, my alarm clock went off at 6:40am - I had literally been asleep for the first time in hours for longer than 10 minutes. I felt pretty awful and on looking out the window, it was still pitch black. I went back to bed and internal debating went on in my head over the pros and cons of trying to get up and go running.  It went on for a while...

My will-power won, the grey murky day and my fuzzed head lost (with help of some much needed caffine).  I actually think my run did me good. It certainly un-blocked my nose! Not a particularly interesting run. I can't say I would recommend Stranraer - it seems more of a place to escape from (its main feature being the ferry port to Ireland).  It is rather bleak, especially in the nasty weather that seems to engulf it the majority of the time.  I ran along the coastline for a while and then back. I did a surprisingly zippy 3.4miles.

I spent most of the remainder of the day freezing my arse off and getting severely rain on, on a tour of a the town's new waste water treatment work (surprisingly interesting though the least glamorous way I can think of spending a few hours).

I really hope standing in the freezing rain for a few hours doesn't make my cold worse...Still cannot believe I can't get through 1 frigging month without being ill!!!

Stats!
distance: 3.4miles
time: 31mins
colds had by me already this year: 1

Day 28: I refuse to be ill!!

I had 4 colds, whooping cough and pleurisy the last 2 months of 2012 and i really though i would get a brrak ftom illness this year...however today i have been sneezing and my nose if feeling weird and i generally feel a bit bleeah (my own medical diagnosis). This did not stop me though! I still managed to get out for my run. Was actually before i started to feel not good and perhaps the freezing wind worstened matters.

Done a 3.1 loop around my work. it was hard and i really didn't enjoy it.

Reaally hoping the cold doesn't develop as I kind of had my heart set on trying to get to 100miles by the end which means an average of 4.6miles a day...fingers crossed!!

Stats!
Distance: 3.1 miles
time: 33mins

day 27: sporting disappointment and triumph

Ahhh the tennis. Its tough watching it. I could never watch football cause I think its a very boring way to spend an hour and a half...I need more regular goal/point scoring to keep me interested. Yet I will watch 3 hours of good tennis....except when Scotland's Britain's biggest hope in tennis for a long time does sooo well then it all starts going down hill...I made it till Andy lost the 3rd set (and even then I was only watching it intermittently) and I just couldn't take it anymore so I got my stuff together and went for a run.

I should have been following my half-marathon training plan for week in now but due to Janathon and other commitments I have just been doing what I can. But I thought today I could at least try and do something resembling a long run and actually managed my longest run of the whole of Janathon - YAY! so at least one sporting triumph for Scotland today :)

Had no idea what route to do so I just thought I would go out and see where my feet carried me...and they seemed to want to go a for a rather random and wiggly journey through the posh areas of Edinburgh - started off in the Grange, then around Merchiston (where J K Rowling lives/lived...not sure if she's still there) then back along the Union Canal and back to the car.

First few miles were slow and hard-going but managed an overall average pace of 9:36mph so very pleased with that :)

A few fellow Janathon-ers have managed to reach there 100mile mark (well done!!) I had a look at my totals I am 19miles away from that. Would be great to get there but I very much doubt I will manage 4.7 miles every day for the rest of the week, especially as I am away for work :(

Stats!
distance: 5.6miles
time: 53mins 50secs

Day 26: best laid schemes

In honour of the fact is was Burns night last night (no I didn't eat any haggis) the theme of the post is being brought to you via the well know Rabbie quote:
"The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley."

My schemes for today most definitely 'gang agley'. Once again, social shenanigans meant that I drank too much and got to bed at stupid o'clock so today the last thing I wanted to do was go for my intended decent run (the weather was also mocking me by being lovely and sunny). I had also intended to go shopping. This activity was displaced with more laying around in bed waiting until I felt human enough to do a quick jaunt through Holyrood park (rather than around it which may have killed me)

Felt ok for the first mile then really slowed down as my body went 'ggggaaa what are you doing to me!!'

I promise to be back on the wagon for the last week (wow that actually went fast!) of Janathon

Stats!
distance: 2.5 miles
time 25mins 25secs
best laid schemes gang agley-ing: all of them