Day 244: Preparing for another big one tomorrow

RUN: 4.3 miles

A gentle four miles from Guiseley to Rawdon and back this afternoon in preparation for another big weekend run tomorrow morning. All being well, I am aiming to go drive to Ilkley and run a route to Bolton Abbey and back. Hope the weather is on my side to make the 16 miles on the training plan.

Here's today's run

Day 243: Remembering what I'm running for

RUN: 1.1 miles

Thank goodness it's Friday. A rest day that I actually have an excuse for - it's on the training schedule.

Anyhow, I thought I'd give us all another little reminder of why I'm doing all this running.
I know I have put this up before, but it's worth another watch. This baby is just so cute and this Smile Train video shows just how lives - of parents and children - can be turned around with just a little help and hope.

Here's today's run

Day 242: Getting my running priorities in order

RUN: 1.1 miles

Tuesdays and Thursdays are generally six-mile days on the marathon training schedule, but I have to admit I'm struggling with these mid-length mid-week runs both time and energy-wise.

Today it was a bit of both that stood in my way. I think it's right to focus on the long weekend runs, to get up my maximum mileage and improve my stamina, and also to do the Wednesday run to work each week, although I would really like to be doing the six-milers too.

I only managed one of my six miles today... Here's today's run

Day 241: Stopping is NOT necessary on weekly work run

RUN: 7.4 miles

The achilles came good for me today and took me all the way into Bradford for my weekly run to work. It didn't even hurt too much, either. Result.

I'm still feeling unusually short of energy, but I managed a few little breakthroughs on today's run.
In past weeks, I have been convincing myself it is necessary to stop for a little nose-blow or clothing adjustment along the way, I managed to convince myself it was unnecessary to stop and just powered on through today, bringing my time down by a little bit.

Stopping is not necessary... must remember this.

Here's today's run

Day 240: Celebrity inspiration to raise my spirits

RUN: 1.0 miles

Another late one at work and I'm short of energy and enthusiasm. Working shifts is not conducive to a good training regime.

Eddie Izzard probably doesn't work shifts, but he did do 43 marathons in 52 days for Sport Relief in 2009. What a charitable lunatic. So I watched this video to remind myself I have got it very easy and it could be a lot worse. Here he is on his 22nd marathon in Scotland. In the rain.

In addition to the time restraints today, my achilles continues to give me grief, so just a small run tonight in the hope that it will be working tomorrow for my weekly eight(ish)-mile run to work.

Here's today's run

Day 239: Rethinking my eating habits on a late one

RUN: 1.1 miles

I've had a really busy day today, which meant tonight's run was quite a late one.

I have a bad habit of skipping lunch if I'm tight for time at work (which is every day, actually) so I come home ravenous a couple of days of the week, meaning I either have to run on empty or eat and then run on a full tummy. Clearly neither situation is ideal. I'm going to have to organise myself a bit better and take my lunch with me to work.

One problem is I end up snacking on junk - also far from ideal. So as well as needing to eat meals, I need to eat better meals.
There is plenty of advice online about what to eat when you're training - mostly involving fish and chicken. But there isn't much for vegetarians (like me) to go on that involves normal food (ie not tofu or similar veggie muck).
Anyway, I came across the Veggie Runners website run by a mother and daughter, who live in Leeds and like making playlists for running to... just like me!

In injury news... my achilles hurts.

Here's today's run

Day 238: Gel hell, towpath turnarounds and crane calamity on the canal

RUN: 12.2 miles

It's Sunday and time for a big run. There were 14 miles on the training plan today, so I planned a good route along the canal from Baildon to Saltaire to Apperley Bridge and back to Baildon.

It was a lovely cool, frosty (not icy) morning, which became a gorgeous sunny (but cool) day as I ran along. As usual, there were lots of other people out on the canal walking dogs, cycling and running.

This was my longest run so far and I was prepared with an energy gel to keep me going. Half way along I gave it a try, and it was... disgusting! I'm not usually a wuss, but I didn't even manage half. Throwing up on the towpath is not really the done thing on a Sunday morning, so I decided to stop trying to force down the gloopy orangey slime. Here is the offending article...

Maybe orange isn't the flavour for me

I was turned around twice along the towpath, with closures at Hirst Locks near Saltaire and at Apperley Bridge due to winter work on the canal. With a little bit of my 14-mile route cut off at each end, I had only done 12 and a quarter miles in the end, but I'm still quite pleased with that.

 

Having seen it in the paper, I was pleased to visit the 90-tonne crane in the water at Dobson Locks. It seems I wasn't the only one, since there were lots of people gathered round gawping at the huge upturned machine in the canal. It seems like it's going to be there for a while judging by this latest story.

Not something you see every day

Here's today's biggest run yet