There has been plenty written about the post-race slump; it is a major downer and if not checked, it can linger and drag down everything in its path. Having only trained for one “mega race”, I tend to think of it as something resembling Gollum that sits on your shoulder/lurks behind you and questions every decision that you make. Should you really be thinking about running when your legs feel shot? Should you really be considering that yoga class when your hamstrings feel three inches long? Planning another marathon this year? Are you CRAZY? And so on…..and so on…..
Whilst I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t continue training after a race – whether that’s a 5k or a marathon – it is sensible to take a bit of time to work out your next goal. I wanted to run the marathon to put my body to the ultimate test (I’m ignoring the more extreme “ultra” variety of events right now) and to see how I’d cope by myself through some fairly dark times – both in the race and through training. And it all came out fine – I’m happy with my result, but now I want to go that little bit faster….and as I’ve previously said, I know I could have trained harder, and my next goal is to follow a “proper” 18 week training plan, mix it up a bit and see what happens *shakes hands with Mr Hal Higdon* so I signed up for Dublin, and in the meantime, signed up to whole host of other events to keep me training without killing the run-lust.
I worked out my training schedule pre-Barcelona and aimed to give myself a fortnight off. I planned a fairly packed weekly plan comprising of swimming, running, cycling and yoga – heavy on the swimming and running, light on the cycling, with a weekly yoga class to keep the muscles working. I was supposed to start last week but after RDC West on Monday, I just felt f-l-a-t and HUGELY tired. I have been feeing that bone-aching tiredness that I KNOW is mainly caused because of lack of sleep and panics. Lack of sleep because I am no longer as tired as I was because the training has (obviously) eased off and panics that I’m not training hard enough. *hello vicious circle*
I have never done a triathlon before. I have never done an open water swim before. Both of these are coming up within the next six weeks. Instead of buckling down to train and feeling fresh and invigorated after the marathon, I have spent the last fortnight feeling guilty that I’m not training, and, at the time, feeling shattered. Joy. I planned early morning swims to realise that I really wasn’t sure how long everything would take and whether I’d be late for work, and planned runs and then pulling up when my legs just. weren’t. ready. I lamented the fact that the events were drawing near and I wouldn’t be ready and I’d drown/fall off my bike/fall over and forget how to run….*falls onto the floor in an hysterical heap*.
And then I got a grip….
So what have I learnt? GIVE YOURSELF TIME. Running a marathon – or any race where you’ve been dedicated to putting in the hours for week beforehand – takes more out of you than you realised, or would like to admit, and resting for a few weeks before launching into another round of training (especially for a “new” sport) takes time. Rest isn’t the enemy, it allows your body to recover so you can fight another day, so stop feeling guilty about snoozing instead of leaping out of bed at 6am and realise that those times will come again – you WILL run another race and follow another training plan – but doing so when you feel less than average will cause you injury and put a stop to everything.
So enjoy the rest and allow your body to use the time to get ready for the next round. Rest easy and train hard: no one said this would be a walk in the park…..
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Support...
Something that I have found continually interesting whilst training for various events in the past ten years (running and rowing) is that along with being experts before the race, so many people seem to consider themselves marathon/running experts after someone has finished a race....
I’m not sure whether this is due to their own jealousy, the fact that they wish they had entered a race, or whether they just think that they’re better than the person who has just raced and they need to remind them of this fact, but slating another person’s performance, especially after a huge achievement like a marathon is NOT COOL. It is not cool to belittle someone's achievements AT ANY TIME, but it is especially not cool to do so after they have trained for months to put their bodies through something that not many people do.
I am surrounded by friends who seem able to pop out 3.30 marathons after just a couple of weeks of thinking about running (a curse from spending so much time with immense rowers and athletes at university and beyond….) but this doesn’t mean that they look down on others’ achievements – quite the opposite – we ALL work towards goals and when we reach them, it is because we dedicated our time and effort, we sacrificed things, and we took difficult decisions to make sure we reached our goals. V dedicated time and trained hard to get round the course on Sunday so commenting that “oh, you were on course for a much better time to begin with, you’ll just have to try harder next time!” when the most you did on Sunday was prop yourself up to watch the race on TV is not acceptable. And means that I’d like to punch you in the throat.
Training towards a marathon is not easy – it’s not impossible, but it’s not easy – and this should be respected, both by those running and by those watching from the sidelines. I am continually fascinated by the two typical responses to news that someone is running a marathon:
1) from someone who has run/is running: “that’s AMAZING – you will have the best time”
2) from someone who has not run/trained towards an event: “why would you do that? What time are you aiming for?”
I’m not saying that the running community is the best – there is still a lot of change that could be made (asking me what my marathon time is when I turn up at your shop to buy a pair of shorts is also not cool) – but perhaps we can make a change by being more supportive to one another and then others might follow?
I’m not sure whether this is due to their own jealousy, the fact that they wish they had entered a race, or whether they just think that they’re better than the person who has just raced and they need to remind them of this fact, but slating another person’s performance, especially after a huge achievement like a marathon is NOT COOL. It is not cool to belittle someone's achievements AT ANY TIME, but it is especially not cool to do so after they have trained for months to put their bodies through something that not many people do.
I am surrounded by friends who seem able to pop out 3.30 marathons after just a couple of weeks of thinking about running (a curse from spending so much time with immense rowers and athletes at university and beyond….) but this doesn’t mean that they look down on others’ achievements – quite the opposite – we ALL work towards goals and when we reach them, it is because we dedicated our time and effort, we sacrificed things, and we took difficult decisions to make sure we reached our goals. V dedicated time and trained hard to get round the course on Sunday so commenting that “oh, you were on course for a much better time to begin with, you’ll just have to try harder next time!” when the most you did on Sunday was prop yourself up to watch the race on TV is not acceptable. And means that I’d like to punch you in the throat.
Training towards a marathon is not easy – it’s not impossible, but it’s not easy – and this should be respected, both by those running and by those watching from the sidelines. I am continually fascinated by the two typical responses to news that someone is running a marathon:
1) from someone who has run/is running: “that’s AMAZING – you will have the best time”
2) from someone who has not run/trained towards an event: “why would you do that? What time are you aiming for?”
I’m not saying that the running community is the best – there is still a lot of change that could be made (asking me what my marathon time is when I turn up at your shop to buy a pair of shorts is also not cool) – but perhaps we can make a change by being more supportive to one another and then others might follow?
#VLM
I haven’t really been doing much training recently due to my legs generally feeling like they might fall apart, so I thought I’d write about last weekend and reflect on what is definitely one of the most well known and biggest dates in the running calendar.
Having lived in London for six years and entered the ballot for the London Marathon four times, I have never been chosen and had never been to watch until last year. Up until then, I had entered with the vague thought that I would like to run a marathon some day, but that the odds were probably against me and as no one else around me really did that type of thing other than my fiendish 3:14 marathon champion friend, I’d just leave it up to fate. Then V was offered the charity place through her work and, to use a quote I enjoy spouting often: “this shit just got real”. She had a training programme, money to raise, amazing training day opportunities, and a half marathon to get done before the race itself. She did all of this with aplomb – you can read about it all in her archives – and I decided to give myself the gift of training and do the Silverstone Half with her on my 28th birthday. We rocked the race – trotted around in a running-hero time of 2.45 and both managed not to punch anyone in the neck who responded with an amused “wow, you could have walked it quicker”. Actually, we couldn’t have walked it quicker because, you know, we RAN around the course. And, for the record, I’d be REALLY keen to know your time for the race if we’re having a competition…..oh wait, you didn’t do it? How about you pipe it then….
*ahem*
So, I did the half, and then V powered off to conquer London. Watching was immense, she trotted around the course like a hero, and afterwards we ate ribs to celebrate. Having watched it all, I decided I DEFINITELY wanted a piece of the action so I entered the ballot again. Now I could have asked for a charity place but my views on asking for donations to enable me to enter a race are potentially controversial so it wasn’t something I wanted to do. V entered the ballot too and on the day the results were announced, she called to shriek that she’d been sent her info pack and mine must be at home. I raced back to find….the fleece of rejection *cry face*. It wasn’t my time, but the marathon spark that was ignited when I decided that I REALLY wanted to run London remained, so I decided to enter the Barcelona with my husband and a couple of friends. I’ve already discussed why I wanted to run a marathon, but finishing one before my thirtieth birthday was a huge aim, plus I wanted the “I CAN DO ANYTHING” glow that I’d seen on so many people after my first London marathon outing.
So I was out but V was in. We arranged training programmes again (always followed with a rather liberal pinch of salt…) and organised a half to practice. We also headed along to the first Run Dem Crew West who I’ve already mentioned that I LOVE *running family*. I headed off to Barcelona, and V conquered London last weekend. And CONQUER is the right word. She blasted through the course and whipped 24 minutes from her previous PB. She powpowpowed her way through mile after mile and was essentially a hero. She never took it too seriously, but always gave her training the respect it deserved, without allowing it to completely take over her life. She puts the experience into much better words than I can muster, but she truly rocked it and was a total inspiration for how I’m going to tackle Dublin, which we’re running together – whoooooop – hopefully with some guys along the way too. Here’s to the next race!
Having lived in London for six years and entered the ballot for the London Marathon four times, I have never been chosen and had never been to watch until last year. Up until then, I had entered with the vague thought that I would like to run a marathon some day, but that the odds were probably against me and as no one else around me really did that type of thing other than my fiendish 3:14 marathon champion friend, I’d just leave it up to fate. Then V was offered the charity place through her work and, to use a quote I enjoy spouting often: “this shit just got real”. She had a training programme, money to raise, amazing training day opportunities, and a half marathon to get done before the race itself. She did all of this with aplomb – you can read about it all in her archives – and I decided to give myself the gift of training and do the Silverstone Half with her on my 28th birthday. We rocked the race – trotted around in a running-hero time of 2.45 and both managed not to punch anyone in the neck who responded with an amused “wow, you could have walked it quicker”. Actually, we couldn’t have walked it quicker because, you know, we RAN around the course. And, for the record, I’d be REALLY keen to know your time for the race if we’re having a competition…..oh wait, you didn’t do it? How about you pipe it then….
*ahem*
So, I did the half, and then V powered off to conquer London. Watching was immense, she trotted around the course like a hero, and afterwards we ate ribs to celebrate. Having watched it all, I decided I DEFINITELY wanted a piece of the action so I entered the ballot again. Now I could have asked for a charity place but my views on asking for donations to enable me to enter a race are potentially controversial so it wasn’t something I wanted to do. V entered the ballot too and on the day the results were announced, she called to shriek that she’d been sent her info pack and mine must be at home. I raced back to find….the fleece of rejection *cry face*. It wasn’t my time, but the marathon spark that was ignited when I decided that I REALLY wanted to run London remained, so I decided to enter the Barcelona with my husband and a couple of friends. I’ve already discussed why I wanted to run a marathon, but finishing one before my thirtieth birthday was a huge aim, plus I wanted the “I CAN DO ANYTHING” glow that I’d seen on so many people after my first London marathon outing.
So I was out but V was in. We arranged training programmes again (always followed with a rather liberal pinch of salt…) and organised a half to practice. We also headed along to the first Run Dem Crew West who I’ve already mentioned that I LOVE *running family*. I headed off to Barcelona, and V conquered London last weekend. And CONQUER is the right word. She blasted through the course and whipped 24 minutes from her previous PB. She powpowpowed her way through mile after mile and was essentially a hero. She never took it too seriously, but always gave her training the respect it deserved, without allowing it to completely take over her life. She puts the experience into much better words than I can muster, but she truly rocked it and was a total inspiration for how I’m going to tackle Dublin, which we’re running together – whoooooop – hopefully with some guys along the way too. Here’s to the next race!
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Race report
The awesome Bangs has featured my race report from Barcelona on Spikes and Heels - go have a read for more informaiton on why you should enter the race next year, and check out the rest of the blog for general running and fitness badass-ness...
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Plans
So the marathon has been run - what now? I have been pondering my next event for the past few days - I was really keen to get something in the diary to avoid the post-marathon training slump, and to keep up the momentum that I've enjoyed in the run up to Barcelona. So....I've signed up for the following:
- a 2.1k open water swim in June
- a half marathon in July
- a weekend of sport - open water swimming, cycling and sand running - in Cornwall in September
- the Dublin marathon in October
Barcelona marathon photo tour
Barcelona marathon, one photo at a time. All photos are random and I just snapped away when I fancied it. Apologies for lack of info on each shot but I don't completely remember where every one was taken...
Pre-race inspiration at the Olympic stadium: where gold medals were earned
Terrifying opening ceremony costumes
Pre-race preparation
GAME FACE: the start of the marathon
Started...
Barcelona FC stadium
Follow the blue painted line...
17k inspiration...
Bleak times at 20-30k...
Arc de running nearing the finish (note blazing blue sky and suspicious lack of other runners...)
The final (uphill) stetch
**REWARD TIME**
Pre-race inspiration at the Olympic stadium: where gold medals were earned
Terrifying opening ceremony costumes
Pre-race preparation
GAME FACE: the start of the marathon
Started...
Barcelona FC stadium
Follow the blue painted line...
17k inspiration...
Bleak times at 20-30k...
Arc de running nearing the finish (note blazing blue sky and suspicious lack of other runners...)
The final (uphill) stetch
**REWARD TIME**
Pre-race essentials
Before leaving for Barcelona, there was much panicking about what I needed to pack and, more importantly, what I would be able to eat as someone who is wheat intolerant*. So I decided to bring all of my own food and then I wouldn't need to worry about trying to get something the night before the race and freaking out that my pre-race fuel would be an apple. This is what I decided was necessary:
All of this was great, but having decided to have rice pudding on the morning of the race, I then decided against a tin opener. Obviously there wasn't one in the house, so after narrowly avoiding slicing my hand open, I settled for pitta and peanut butter with jam. *sulk face*
All of this was great, but having decided to have rice pudding on the morning of the race, I then decided against a tin opener. Obviously there wasn't one in the house, so after narrowly avoiding slicing my hand open, I settled for pitta and peanut butter with jam. *sulk face*
**Barcelona BOOM TIME**
I wrote this post two days after the marathon but never got around to posting it...
I SURVIVED!
I’m not really sure how to write about the marathon so close to finishing – although following the advice of Vic, I am writing about it whilst I still remember it – so I thought I’d just go through the days leading up to it and then the course itself….
We got to Barcelona on Friday morning. EARLY Friday morning – our cab picked us up and took us to Heathrow for 4am. Last minute packing (I had been packing since Tuesday but there was still stuff to do) meant that I didn’t get into bed until 12.30am so three hours sleep was all there was on offer. I didn’t let it worry me but a little snooze on the plane was all I got, so coffee was the order of the day. Once we got into the city, we headed straight for the expo, which was already quite busy at 11.30am. The expo was great; having only been to the London one last year with Vic when she was running, I think this one was easily as good, if not better. The systems in place to pick up numbers, t-shirts and chips were faultless, and the registration area was simple and really clear to check. And the numbers had our names on the front *WIN*. I had been told by numerous sources that having your name on your top was the best motivation, but I never managed to sort mine out, so this definitely solved that problem. We picked everything up and had some food; well I had a coffee and snuck some wheat-free pitta breads out of my bag to snack on…we hung around the expo for a while, I bought a cap (GOD SEND) and then we headed up the hill to have a look at the Olympic Stadium.
The stadium was….like any other stadium…..but did have some great additions from the Olympics, and I must admit that it was fairly awe-inspiring to see the track where Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell won gold the day before I ran the marathon. After that we headed to the Olympic museum, which was also great, and a really good pre-race outing to get in the zone…. We couldn’t get into our apartment until P and M turned up on a later flight but as the weather was so good, once we’d finished in the museum we just sat in the late afternoon sunshine and read, which was l-o-v-e-l-y….
We met up with P and M and got into the apartment, which was small but perfectly formed, and we were warned about not getting raped or robbed by the girl who let us in. Good advice for life….after a bit of unpacking, we headed out for food and some calming pre-race drinks….back in bed by 10.30pm and I slept through until 11.30am….good race prep. We then spent Saturday eating the best burgers ever, spotting cute dogs and enjoying the sea front, before a huge pasta dinner and bed by 10.30pm…..
The alarm was due to go off at 6am but due to not knowing whether phones were going to automatically update themselves for daylight saving, we all ended up awake by about 5am….not ideal but not hugely detrimental. I couldn’t open my tin of rice pudding for breakfast so ended up eating one and a half pittas with peanut butter and jam. Everyone was actually fairly relaxed, which was great, despite it being the first marathon for three of us…and the first run for M in four months….but she’s a marathon veteran so everything was fine. We wandered to the start, had the obligatory portaloo visit, and then checked in our bags. One of the best things about the marathon was that the start and finish were in the same place, so we knew exactly where our bags would be when we finished – where we left them. It also made meeting up afterwards MUCH easier – having wandered around for an hour carrying Vic’s stuff in London, I knew how bad this could be…so we dropped our stuff, faffed about for a bit and then headed out. There was the usual last minute panic about the loo (again), and then we all separated to go to our relevant pens. I was aiming for the 4.30hr plus area – it didn’t get any “slower” than that, so I shuffled towards the back and waiting for everything to start moving. I randomly bumped into M in the melee, and then we were off!
I had downloaded the Hunger Games for the trip round, so I kicked this off and everything basically went to plan. I won’t go through a mile by mile account but highlights/low points were:
1) LOW POINT – the loo at 10k. I HAD to go and it was, undoubtedly, one of the most horrible things I have seen. I’m not squeamish but jeez, PLEASE get more toilets for next time…
2) HIGHIGHT – a band playing “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits at 19k. A huge family favourite and really spurred me on during one of the bleakest parts of the race.
3) HIGHLIGH – Sagrada Familia at 17k: just SO beautiful. Nearly missed it due to my cap giving me tunnel vision but managed to snap a photo.
4) LOW POINT – the double backs at about 20k and just before 30k. It is SOUL DESTROYING to see people who are much further on than you as you trudge past.
5) HIGHLIGHT – seeing M on both double backs and shrieking about how much we were looking forward to burgers and wine. Saved the soul just a little bit….
6) LOW POINT – everyone in the race was fairly fast and I was not, so there weren’t many runners around my time, and by the time I got to some of the stations, they were empty. The crowds had also lost interest by the time I came through and some people thought it was fine to just walk out in front of me. This was NOT FINE.
7) HIGHLIGH – running up to the finish with so many runners coming back down the other way with their medals. They ALL clapped and cheered, which felt really supportive and almost made me a bit teary to be part of a running family. But then I remembered I still had to finish….
8) LOW POINT – thinking that the first inflatable tunnel at the finish WAS the finish. I power ran up to it and then discovered I had a good 400m left. I nearly cried, but just turned up Paul Simon a bit louder and made it over.
9) HIGHLIGHT – FINISHING!
Then there was a massage, I found everyone, we ate patatas bravas and drank muchos sangria. It was a really great weekend and I’m so happy that Barcelona was my first marathon….first of many I think….
I SURVIVED!
I’m not really sure how to write about the marathon so close to finishing – although following the advice of Vic, I am writing about it whilst I still remember it – so I thought I’d just go through the days leading up to it and then the course itself….
We got to Barcelona on Friday morning. EARLY Friday morning – our cab picked us up and took us to Heathrow for 4am. Last minute packing (I had been packing since Tuesday but there was still stuff to do) meant that I didn’t get into bed until 12.30am so three hours sleep was all there was on offer. I didn’t let it worry me but a little snooze on the plane was all I got, so coffee was the order of the day. Once we got into the city, we headed straight for the expo, which was already quite busy at 11.30am. The expo was great; having only been to the London one last year with Vic when she was running, I think this one was easily as good, if not better. The systems in place to pick up numbers, t-shirts and chips were faultless, and the registration area was simple and really clear to check. And the numbers had our names on the front *WIN*. I had been told by numerous sources that having your name on your top was the best motivation, but I never managed to sort mine out, so this definitely solved that problem. We picked everything up and had some food; well I had a coffee and snuck some wheat-free pitta breads out of my bag to snack on…we hung around the expo for a while, I bought a cap (GOD SEND) and then we headed up the hill to have a look at the Olympic Stadium.
The stadium was….like any other stadium…..but did have some great additions from the Olympics, and I must admit that it was fairly awe-inspiring to see the track where Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell won gold the day before I ran the marathon. After that we headed to the Olympic museum, which was also great, and a really good pre-race outing to get in the zone…. We couldn’t get into our apartment until P and M turned up on a later flight but as the weather was so good, once we’d finished in the museum we just sat in the late afternoon sunshine and read, which was l-o-v-e-l-y….
We met up with P and M and got into the apartment, which was small but perfectly formed, and we were warned about not getting raped or robbed by the girl who let us in. Good advice for life….after a bit of unpacking, we headed out for food and some calming pre-race drinks….back in bed by 10.30pm and I slept through until 11.30am….good race prep. We then spent Saturday eating the best burgers ever, spotting cute dogs and enjoying the sea front, before a huge pasta dinner and bed by 10.30pm…..
The alarm was due to go off at 6am but due to not knowing whether phones were going to automatically update themselves for daylight saving, we all ended up awake by about 5am….not ideal but not hugely detrimental. I couldn’t open my tin of rice pudding for breakfast so ended up eating one and a half pittas with peanut butter and jam. Everyone was actually fairly relaxed, which was great, despite it being the first marathon for three of us…and the first run for M in four months….but she’s a marathon veteran so everything was fine. We wandered to the start, had the obligatory portaloo visit, and then checked in our bags. One of the best things about the marathon was that the start and finish were in the same place, so we knew exactly where our bags would be when we finished – where we left them. It also made meeting up afterwards MUCH easier – having wandered around for an hour carrying Vic’s stuff in London, I knew how bad this could be…so we dropped our stuff, faffed about for a bit and then headed out. There was the usual last minute panic about the loo (again), and then we all separated to go to our relevant pens. I was aiming for the 4.30hr plus area – it didn’t get any “slower” than that, so I shuffled towards the back and waiting for everything to start moving. I randomly bumped into M in the melee, and then we were off!
I had downloaded the Hunger Games for the trip round, so I kicked this off and everything basically went to plan. I won’t go through a mile by mile account but highlights/low points were:
1) LOW POINT – the loo at 10k. I HAD to go and it was, undoubtedly, one of the most horrible things I have seen. I’m not squeamish but jeez, PLEASE get more toilets for next time…
2) HIGHIGHT – a band playing “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits at 19k. A huge family favourite and really spurred me on during one of the bleakest parts of the race.
3) HIGHLIGH – Sagrada Familia at 17k: just SO beautiful. Nearly missed it due to my cap giving me tunnel vision but managed to snap a photo.
4) LOW POINT – the double backs at about 20k and just before 30k. It is SOUL DESTROYING to see people who are much further on than you as you trudge past.
5) HIGHLIGHT – seeing M on both double backs and shrieking about how much we were looking forward to burgers and wine. Saved the soul just a little bit….
6) LOW POINT – everyone in the race was fairly fast and I was not, so there weren’t many runners around my time, and by the time I got to some of the stations, they were empty. The crowds had also lost interest by the time I came through and some people thought it was fine to just walk out in front of me. This was NOT FINE.
7) HIGHLIGH – running up to the finish with so many runners coming back down the other way with their medals. They ALL clapped and cheered, which felt really supportive and almost made me a bit teary to be part of a running family. But then I remembered I still had to finish….
8) LOW POINT – thinking that the first inflatable tunnel at the finish WAS the finish. I power ran up to it and then discovered I had a good 400m left. I nearly cried, but just turned up Paul Simon a bit louder and made it over.
9) HIGHLIGHT – FINISHING!
Then there was a massage, I found everyone, we ate patatas bravas and drank muchos sangria. It was a really great weekend and I’m so happy that Barcelona was my first marathon….first of many I think….
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