New shoes

I ran in the evening again. I don't like evening runs particularly, but I did it and it's another run under my belt. I was away last night, so an early morning run was out of the question. My new shoes had arrived to work, so I picked them up yesterday and had them to look forward to inaugurating today.

Ta da! That's them. My new Hoka Cliftons. They are different. The sole was seriously springy. It was like running on thick foam. They were very light despite how chunky they are. They are reviewed on a running site that I use as a long distance shoe and suitable for light over pronators. So they should work for me. I just wonder what sort of support they offer.

I ran five miles this evening and my time was a little better than previous attempts. It still bugs me that despite having run a lot more than five miles on many occasions, five miles is still hard for me. My knees feel better after the run than they did before it. Interesting.

Last two runs

I'm off work this week, but I'm feeling smug because I got up early and ran yesterday regardless of that. I did five miles. It was tough enough,  given that I've run more than five miles on many occasions now. My knees have been tired and sore, particularly the right one. I wondered about getting up early and running again this morning. I ended up having a lie in. And much enjoyed it was too. But it was in my head all day tgat I owed myself eight miles. I could have run tomorrow and Wednesday instead, but in the end I went out at five o'clock instead. I just wanted to get it done. While I wasn't so keen on running in the evening traffic, I still ran well and my pace was better than it normally is in the morning. 

I got an email to say that a parcel had been delivered to work. I'm pretty sure that it's my new Hoka running shoes, so I'm going to collect them when I'm in Belfast tomorrow. I'm thinking that the Brooks I bought recently are not giving me enough support for the high mileage runs, and that's possibly why my right knee is getting sore. Hoka are supposed to be really good for long distances. Fingers crossed.

The Usual Friday Anticipation

I wonder, if I wasn't worried about my boredom and the need to pooh half way through my long run, if I would still have this Long Run Eve feeling of nerves? I was considering a different route this week to what I did last week, just to be a bit closer to home, and thus a loo. I ended up doing my eight miler, then turning back and doing it in reverse. It was a bit shy of the sixteen miles, so I tacked a bit on the end. It worked okay, but I hate having to find an extra kilometer or two near the end of a run.

As it turned out, I didn't need the loo at all. I managed to "squeeze the cheese" before I left, and that tided me over. The run took three hours, thirty-three minutes. That's five minutes faster than last week. Not much, in the scheme of things, but an improvement nonetheless. I have to admit though, it was not easy going. I was really pissed off for the first few miles. I just couldn't get my head round the distance that I had to go. I was just getting on to the ring road, only three kilometers in, and I couldn't envisage going twenty-three more. It actually really got me down. I felt quite emotional. I was really thinking of giving up, and what that would mean to me. As much as the start of the run wasn't fun, and I so wanted to go straight home (and for some reason, I was quite close to tears. No idea why.) The thought of giving up on this particular challenge does not sit well with me! I was peeved, I suppose, because I know in advance just how long the run is going to take me, and it's a bit depressing. Regardless, I just kept plodding along. A book I read recently misquoted Dory from Finding Nemo, "Just keep running, just keep running..." and that's what I did. Something that helped me was realizing that after today, I only had three long runs left, a sixteen miler and two eighteen milers. Then the next long run will be MD itself!

One way or another, I did it. I finished. I listened to Jane Eyre on audio book (got through ten chapters of it!) and felt relatively okay by the end of it. By mile ten, a sort of contentment set in. Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say I hit a runner's high. So far, it's a mythical thing to me. I've no experience of it. I wonder if I will ever run into it. Seems unlikely to me at this point in time. But sure, you never know.

It was a lot lighter this morning than before. I ran nearly the whole thing in full daylight. This will be even more the case from next week. So I am no longer running under cover of darkness. I  hate running in daylight, I'm too fat to look like a proper runner that anyone could take seriously. But I just have to get used to it. It's certainly going to be the case on MD.

And now, long run complete, I can enjoy my week off. The run was hanging over my head till now.

Much better

After that thoroughly miserable post yesterday, "Oh woe is me. My knee is falling off. What will I do?!?!" I am chuffed to note that it's loads better today. Ibuprofen, extra K T tape and a good night's sleep all seem to have combined to work their magic. Smiley faces all round. So just gotta do more of the same (minus the pain killers) today, and all will hopefully be well for my run in the morning. I think I will take some tablets before running though, just in case.

Very sore right knee

My right knee niggled all through my run this morning. Normally, once warmed up, there's no pain till I stop. Today though, it hurt until I'd run 6km. Ironically, the left knee didn't hurt at all, and it was always the one that gave me trouble before all this marathon training. The pain eased for a kilometer, then I got the weirdest pain in my right thigh as I was running downhill. It was sharp and felt almost as if I'd hit a funny bone in my thigh. It happened a couple of times and, for the first time in my training, I had to walk for a minute or two to get rid of  it. It was so out of the blue that I nearly cried. Not from the pain, but from the possibility that it might stop me running. That was odd, given that I'd spent a fair proportion of the run talking myself  into continuing!

I started a timid run for the last kilometer, and got home okay. The problem now is that the back of my right knee is really sore. It's never felt like that before. So I'm worried about it. I took some ibuprofen and  looked up some other applications of  K T tape, which I've tried out. Now all I have to do is rest it tomorrow, and hope I can run sixteen miles on Saturday morning.

It's amazing that I even care that this could stop me running. I was just thinking this morning that I actually don't enjoy running at the moment. I feel as if I'm obliged to run. All the training mileage is making me feel fed up. Yet I don't like the idea that the choice would be taken out of my hands. Or do I? Imagine  I could get out of the marathon, and I'd no choice. Wouldn't that be great? No. I've nearly got to the end of week ten. Imagine wasting that. I'd always regret that. There's no point in denying that. I'd hate it. So here's hoping I can head this bad knee off at the pass.

A lot more perky today

I feel so much better for having had a good night's sleep. I went to bed by ten thirty, early for me, and was up at 6.30am, no run to do. That was great! So I'm not at all drained today. My knees were sore and my legs stiff in general after yesterday's run, but that's eased now too.

Nutritionally speaking though, I had a bad day yesterday. I ate every calorie I'd earned on the run and more. Even with the 200g of jelly sweets that I ate at work, I'd have come in under my allowance after a dinner of homemade chicken curry and brown basmati rice, but I got a tub of chocolate salted caramel ice cream and ate the whole darn thing. So I ended up about 1300 cals over for the day! Must do better :-) I'm still two stone lighter though, than I was at the start of the year, when I started the marathon training, with seven weeks to go. I can get a bit lighter yet. It all helps with the running. Mind you, apart from needing to pooh en route, I'm never going to have owt in common with Paula Radcliff.

I must be nuts

I'm so glad that I only have to do that four more times. Get up at 4.30 am, that is, to get my run done before work. It was eight miles this morning. It took an hour and three quarters. So up at 4.30, out the door before 4.45, back just before 6.30. All in time to have a shower, make a good brekkie (kale and bacon omelette) and get the train. Phew!

The run was okay initially, but I fatigued quite quickly and I am very tired now. I mean just drained of energy. Not enough carbs perhaps. As a solution, and perhaps not the best one, I got some jelly sweets in work. A big bowl of porridge and banana might have been a better option, but not the best thing to eat at my desk. It definitely perked me up a bit. Will there be a sugar crash now, I wonder?

Thinking about it though, I definitely didn't drink enough water yesterday, so I bet dehydration has something to do with it, especially as I don't bring anything to drink on the hoof, if the run is eight miles or less. I'll make an effort to do better today.

I'm going to cook some brown rice later as part of my campaign to increase my healthy carb intake. I will go back to the grain free, paleo lifestyle in seven weeks. Seven weeks!!! Bollocks, that's soon.