A personal best

Just wanted to make a note of the run I did today as it was my first run in double figures. Not much of an acheivement for most but a big one for me having never fealt like a runner.
Joe my son had promised to take me on this run for some time. Its a run he did with my brother and really enjoyed it. The route takes you through Chatsworth grounds and the scenery is second to none. Theres a great mix of terrain and hills so you really do get a great workout. The first section of the run feels like its mainly up hill so it took its toll on my legs early doors. Decending down into the village of Beeley though was a welcome relief and gave me enough recovery time to carry on. The route past Chatsworth House is long strait and flat and all on grass and rund along the side of the river. I ant imagine a nicer setting and that in itself boosts you on. The final leg is up hill again but you know the cars at the end !! Really enjoyed my first ever 10.15 mile run in 1 hour 57.

First ever triathlon

I completed my first ever triathlon, Esendex last minute tri in Southwell Notts, on Sunday 18th Sept and loved it ! It was a sprint distance so 400m swim 10 mile bike and 5k run.
I was worried about the swim mostly, although it was in a swimming pool I didnt think my front crawl was efficient enough to do comfortably over 16 lengths and decided to do all of it in breast stroke. My time was 10.36 mins which included the run out of the pool to the bike. Not the fastest swim ever but I was more or less as fast as the front crawlers swimming with me.
Transition 1 was a bit of a struggle . I had ordered a tri suit but it hadnt arrived in time to wear for the race so I had to wear a normal swimming costume. This meant I had to pull on Lycra cycling shorts and a top onto my wet skin. I got a bit stuck and it wasted time (will be better with my new tri suit next time) My time in T1 was 2.29
I was looking forward to the bike although I realised how much I had neglected my training. The route was quite hilly and road surface was bumpy too. My legs were really feeling it and I just couldnt go fast enough ! still I was soon at the finish and only the run to go, my strongest leg ! Bike time was 38.48
Transition 2 ran very smoothly as I only had to change shoes. Time for T2 was 50 secs so happy with that
Run was fine but the big hill you have to do twice was a bit of a grueller. Time for run was 26.22
Overall happy to finish with a time of 1.19 346th overall and 9th out of 30 in my age cat.I now have a time to beat !!
I was glad to finish this event as I had trained hard for the one earlier in the year and had to pull out due to injury.

Ryedale Rumble

The Ryedale Rumble cyclo sportive 49 miles 2011

This was a brilliant event. My husband, son and their work colleague also entered so it was a good team effort ! They also gained around £200 of sponsorship for help the hero's, the nominated charity for the event.
Weather was kind to us thank goodness, it wasnt looking good as the day before were really bad storms and torrential rain. We drove some of the course in the car and were worried about the state of some of the lanes. Full of pot holes which were now full of rain water and very narrow. There were some scary looking descents to which we werent looking forward to on wet road. However we woke up to scattered clouds and no rain. It was a bit windy but you cant have it all !
The event starts in the grounds of Ampleforth college. It was a staggered start. Rumble 3 the 49 mile one could start any time between 9am and 10am so we set off as close to 9am as poss. The route starts immediately on an up hill....the sign of things to come I wondered ? Still once I'd got going All nerves left me and I really started to enjoy the route, its just so scenic up there. Many of the road were very quiet, in fact other than one main road stretch we hardly saw any traffic. I knew there was a killer climb that we would reach around the 2o mile mark and as you approach you can see the "mountain" appearing. Its vast and very steep. Its called Blakey Bank and it rises from a village called Church houses. I managed to get half way up then my back wheel skidded in some gravel and I lost all momentum and stopped , I had no choice but to get off. It was so steep I wasnt able to get back on ! I walked a little bit up the hill and there was a slightly more level patch so managed to get back on and finish the cycle upwards. Almost all cyclists walked up the hill at some point so I didnt feel too bad ! I knew a long wide road section was coming which was mainly downhill and the feedstop was at the bottom. I was looking forward to this bit ! However the wind was so strong it was a total battle to ride along ! The wind battered me from the side and great gusts took my breath away ! Finally arrived at the very welcome feedstop which was well stocked with home made cakes , sandwiches and chocolate. After filling my face I set off again. Many more hills followed but the worst was over. The end of the route was tough too though as for the last 2 miles its uphill, right to the finish line back at the college !
Overall I did really well, I finished in 4.01 and got a silver for it. I came 3rd out of all women entered for that distance so really happy. If I do it again I will speed up the feedstop bit (got carried away with the lovely grub !) Lee finished just behind me and my son Joe missed a gold by only 4 mins...he finished in 3.24 !

Joe, me and Lee sporting out Ryedale Rumble T's !

York 10k 2011

Jane Tomlinson York 10k 2011

I ran this event last year and loved it so much I did it again only this time roping Lee in too. Over 6ooo people ran and what a cracking day weather wise it was too. The route is superb, its almost totally flat and winds through the city centre along the river bank and past the minster whilst the bells chime. You cant really get much better than that !
Had a bit of a mare at the start as I was busting for the loo. The queue was enormous....

.....so I never got there and had to start the race busting ! After 3 miles I saw a sign to some loos and nipped of...I wasnt the only one so had to wait a min or so but I didnt care. That was such a releif and I felt great then, I knew I'd blown my chance of a PB tho so just did what I could.

Finished with a time of 56.16 not good really as last year did it in 51.42 but I guess the pit stop really didnt help !

Great event , would deffo do it again.

Deep tissue massage

After struggling along with this wretched hip flexor injury for almost 9 weeks, I decided to take the plunge and go to see a sports physio.
I didnt have one recommended to me, I just did a google search and went for the first local one that came up. The lady,Jane Watts,company name optimum, was home based and only a couple of miles away so thought I'd go for it. Her price list said it would be £35 for an hour or £20 for half, (good value if it works I thought).
I was slightly nervous having never been to one before but I needn't have been. Jane was very friendly and easy to talk to. She chatted to me first about my injury and the associated pain. I then got onto the massage bed (set up in the front room) and she went straight to the hip. Within a minute she had located the exact point of pain. I nearly went through the roof it was so sore but she worked it and worked it, it felt good even though it hurt ! She explained that the strained ligament had scar tissue in it, it felt like grittiness to her. She had to manipulate it to encourage it to disperse. My doctors advice was to rest and stretch but Jane explained that if I had continued to rest it, the scar tissue would have calcified and may have lead to tendonitis. Therapy at this point would have been harder as it would have been more difficult to manipulate.I had been good with the stretching though thank goodness.Jane also gave me a few more stretching exercises to do and recommended I do them daily. She also recommended I use a heat pad as often as possible.
I can honestly say that after only one 1 hour visit I have been pain free at the point where the injury was. I was generally sore in that area as a result of the massage but after 2 days of rest and some good stretching I had a go at a run. I decided to do a 2 miler on my treadmill. I felt that it would give me a bit of support not being as hard as trail or road. It went well, no pain during and more importantly no pain or soreness afterwards. I am hoping I may now be on the road to recovery !!
Next steps: I am going to try to get back into my 3 runs a week pattern increasing mileage very slowly and see how I go. I will probably mix treadmill in too but i get so bored on them I cant see it lasting for long.I have also ordered a foam roller and intend to incorporate that into my stretching exercises. Jane said I may not need a second visit but I will definitely go back and see her if I do !!
I can reccommend Optimum, Jane was superb !

Cheshire Cat 2011

Race complete and hip held out thank goodness !
The route itself was a really good introduction to cyclo sportives. This being my first I didnt really know what to expect. I was surprised by the size of the queue of bikes waiting to start. The event was supposed to get the first riders off by 8.30 am but they seemed very delayed. Lots of hanging around wasnt good in the cold but we were off soon enough.


Em, Lee, Rob and Joe
Waiting patiently at the start !!

I had chosen the 45 mile route so was pleased to see the bright pink signage was good.I quite envied the people veering off to the medium and hard routes as they get to challenge themselves on "Mow Cop" a very steep incline that you get a medal for if you go up without putting a foot down.



Below:Mow Cop

However It was early on in the ride and was still feeling strong so doubt I would have felt that way had I chosen to go the longer route ! Only thing I missed along the way was the feed station. I saw a sign to say feed station 1km then never saw it.If only they had put up a final sign to say feedstop here with a large arrow ! Many riders decided not to stop so was misleading to follow them really but never mind. Decided just to keep going and have my own stop at the side of the road should I need it. I had packed a few energy bars and had a sports drink in my bottle so all I really needed was a wee ! (Had to hold it till the end as couldnt find anywhere suitable to stop)The route wasnt too difficult, any hills were over quickly. Very scenic mostly country lanes so really enjoyable. Got tough about 5 miles from the finish due to road closures. Traffic was awful and bikes were weaving in and out of traffic queues. This part felt quite dangerous and was glad to get through it. I felt a last boost of energy kick in knowing the end was in sight and then I saw it...the finish !!

I was really pleased with my time too 3.08 only 8 mins of a silver (next year !) I came 16th out of 111 women and 139th overall out of 491 finishers.Not bad at all for my first attempt. My Husband and Sister in law had also competed at this distance and we all crossed the line within a minute of each other which was lovely.
Kilo to go, the event organisers had laid on pasta for lunch and tea or coffee which was complementary and very welcome. You then had to queue for your goodie bag and certificate. Free massages were also on offer for a charitable donation.
My son had entered the 67 miler and my brother the 100 so we waited for them to finish. Couldnt believe how the queues had built up. There were a lot of riders finishing at the same time who couldnt get over the timing mats. This was really frustrating for them. They also had another hour long queue to get in to collect their mow cop medals and certificates. Many people skipped this and went home. Shame they didnt just post these out.
We were thrilled to see Joe come over the line, it was also his first sportive and he completed the 67 mile route in 4.54 an excellent time. Next over the line was my brother who had done the 100 mile route. He got a silver and his time was an amazing 6.00 Well on form for "le Marmotte" that hes competing in this summer !
All in all I loved it and definitely plan to do it again next year.

Me and Lee looking very pleased with ourselves !

Cheshire cat 27/03/11

Race day tomorrow and after resting my injured hip completely for a week I have decided to take part. Just been out on a 3 mile test run and it felt ok. Odd twinge but nothing that made me feel I was making it worse.
So a bit of bike prep to do, cycling gear to get ready and check list to do so nothing major like Lees bike helmet gets forgotten. Will update after race completed ! wish me luck :-)

Hip flexor injury

Feeling rather fed up with a hip flexor injury I got whilst doing some speedwork during a training run.
Heres what I have found out.

I think the muscle I have strained is the illiacus, the red one on the diagram.
Im a little stuck as to what to do to help this injury. Advise as always is rest which is sensible I know. But I have quite a few events booked this year and want to ensure I am fit for these.I am so frustrated that I cant run so plan to try a swim today to keep my fitness up. The first event is this Sunday. My first cycling sportive, the Cheshire cat. Its a 45 miler and I was very much looking forward to it. I havent tried my bike this week but will give it a shot a day or so before the race to see how it feels. Any twinges at all and i'm gonna be out i'm afraid. I will have to let this one heal properly or I could put myself out for months. I had this injury before a few years ago in the other hip, I got it doing a 6 mile run on a tread mill and have pretty much avoided them since. It took ages to heal and I dont want this one too !
I have been given stretching exercises to do and have been advised to use ice on it every 2 hours for 20 mins.Apparently if you are flexible(which I am) you are more prone to this injury and sprinting ie,a sprint finish in a race,is what's likely to cause it.
Although I have followed all advice I havent seen an improvement yet :-(

Dronfield 10k 2011

This event means a lot to me as its the first I ever entered and its become something of a family tradition! Husband, brother, sister in law, son. Fun run for my granddaughter too !

The race itself is quite a hard one. It has a long steady hill in it which you have to do twice. It also starts on quite a steep hill so feels tough from the off. However with Dronfield being my hometown its on familiar turf which helps. The event has grown and grown in popularity and was an early sell out this year.
Unfortunately I picked up a slight hip flexor strain the Tues before the race. I managed a 6 mile training run on the Thurs before which left my hip sore. Hoping for the best I was worried on race day as my hip was still sore. Deep down I knew I shouldn't run but this was "the race" It means a lot, I had to run. My hip didnt hurt at all whilst racing, I gave it my all being helped along with my pace by my sister in law Em who is a faster and more experienced runner than me. It was great to have a pace setter and this definitely pushed my pace.
I was thrilled to bits to get a course PB and an all time PB at 51.01 !! I'm still smiling ! I was placed 11th out of 55 in my category too.
The downside is now a very sore and injured hip flexor, Having been to the doctors It was confirmed that its the iliacus hip flexor. RICE needed and thats all I can do really. I have everything crossed for a speedy recovery as I have my first sportive this sat the Cheshire Cat, a 45 miler.
Big well done to my Husband Lee who also got a PB and to my brother and Sis who also got course PB's...oh and cant forget the fun run which my daughter did and her boyfriend Tim who carried my granddaughter Maddie on his shoulders for 2 miles (and has the bruises to prove)

Mum you are a star as always providing bacon butties afterwards...good post race grub ! Thank you xx

Clumber Park Duathlon

Its race day tomorrow and I must say I'm feeling quite nervous. I was really excited as both me and my husband have entered this event but as he has come down with a stinker of a cold its looking highly likely I will be competing without him. I know you race as an individual but with this being our first duathlon it would have been lovely to do it together. There seems so much to think about all of a sudden...what kit to take for cycling, running,food,drink, bike and the kit, sunglasses or not..which lenses...and on and on it goes..not to mention paperwork and ID...Oh I hope I don't forget anything ! ( which we did...a very important item...Lees helmet ! good job our son was able to jump out of bed and bring it to us !! Thanks Joe x)

Physically I have prepared well for this event and I am not at all worried about my fitness or anything...its just the fear of the unknown.
I will update this tomorrow after (hopefully) a successful and enjoyable event. Wish me luck :-)

Follow up

As you may have gathered from our smiley faces...we finished our first duathlon...together...Woohoo. Lee was still quite poorly so shouldnt have really but he took it steady and seemed ok.

The event itself was great, well apart from the weather. It was freezing cold and raining. Couldnt wait to get started but the sprint competitors were the last wave to go which meant alot of hanging around with no shelter. Registration was on the day of the event only and had to be done by 8.15am, bikes had to be racked by 8.45am. Our set off time wasnt until 9.35(and was also delayed) so by the time we got going we were shivering !! Still off we went.

5K RUN 1

The first run seemed alot further than 5k, maybe because of the cold. The run had a few sharp uphill sections, short but sharp but the run back seemed mainly downhill. As I reached the first finish line I was thrilled to hear cheers from friends, Tracey and Marcus who had arrived to support us and take photos ! Thanks very much to them :-)

12M BIKE

My first taste of transition ! I was all fingers and thumbs, my kit was wet and it seemed to take me ages to get going. But finally I was off, short run through the mud to the road then off along a beautiful tree lined route which started in the park then out onto fairly quiet and well marshaled roads. Course was quite undulating but nothing to really make me struggle. I was amazed at the speed of some of the bikes wizzing past me (and that was going at my fastest ever pace of 26MPH) I was still pleased with myself though and just cycled on in admiration of others.
Bike seemed over all too quickly though I did feel my calf's wanting to cramp up, I'd not had that feeling before. However they didnt and soon I was crossing the bike finish line, I unclipped and set off to run back into the transition area. My legs didnt feel like they belonged to me..a strange sensation I must say...how on earth could I now set off to run again ?

2.5k RUN 2

Decided to leave my cycling kit on to run in as it was only 2.5k I just swapped my bike helmet for a hat and stuck my trainers then off I gingerly set willing my muscles to realise what I was asking of them. Things started to click back into place and back onto the same route as the first run only turning around sooner. I wasnt trying to push pace at this point, I just wanted to comfortably finish, and thats what I did to more applause from friends and crowd.
That was it..Id done it..my first duathlon.

My thoughts then turned to Lee(not the first time he'd crossed my mind) I'd caught sight of him setting off on his run as I was coming back in so I knew he wasnt too far behind. I enjoyed being able to cheer him over the line and even Axel (Tracey and Marcus' dog joined in !)

Would I do another ?...without question !

Sock guy, cosy toes

Bought these in a desperate search for something to keep my feet warm. In conjunction with my super expensive seal skinz socks they were fantastic.They are quite thin which worried me a bit as I thought they just couldn't be warm. They fit easily over my shoe and over the cleat. They come in one size only and are made of neoprene. Cheapest I found them online and in stock was £12.99 from chain reaction cycles..delivered free too. Just came back from a cold bike ride (with lots of chilly wind factor) and I came home with cosy feet...YAY...:-) so happy.

Energy bar recipe

Made this yeasterday and its so great I just had to share. Can be used as a breakfast bar if you are on the go.

200g Butter

200g sugar
2tblsp honey

melt these in a pan

stir in 300g oats

2 cooking apples peeled and chopped
200g dates

cook these together until soft with a pinch of cinnamon

greese a tin and put a

layer of oats
layer of apple mix
layer of oats
or mix together and do in one layer
cook for 25 mins at 180 or until it looks golden

cool then chill and slice

makes about 12 decent sized bars

Seal skinz socks

Well I was highly recommended these sock by my local cycling shop. They were very expensive...£24 and that was the "on offer" price. I have to say having ridden in them now on about four rides, all in cold weather, they are not worth the money.

I would imagine their best asset is the fact that they are waterproof, the reviews i have read regarding this were excellent. I really wanted them for their windproof properties thinking they would keep my feet warm...they dont..my feet are still completely numb with cold when I get back off a ride. They are however very comfy and I will continue to wear them through winter.My next purchase to wear in conjunction with the seal skinz are sock guy cosy toes. They are a mit thats made of neoprene and fits over the toe on the outside of your shoe. Fits neatly over the cleat. For £12 thought they were worth a try...anything to keep my toes warmer. Nothing worse that getting off the bike in a race to then do a run...feels like you are running on blocks of wood. I will review the cosy toes once tried and tested !

Bridie run via cottage by lobraes at Garmin Connect - Details

Bridie run via cottage by lobraes at Garmin Connect - Details

First taste of my Garmin today and I must say I'm very impressed. Device found satellite very quickly. Apparently the first time it locates satellites is the slowest after that it looks in the same place, useful if you always start from the same place. Mapping seems very accurate, much better than endomondo which I have been using and much less time consuming the mapping the run once home on map my run.
The data you get is amazing, as you can see on the link above.
Looking forward to testing it out on my bike over the weekend.

My New Garmin forerunner 405cx

Its just been delivered !!!! =))))
I have fancied one of these for ages and really wanted one for my Birthday. My Birthday isnt actually until May but as I have a few events between now and then I decided to get one now !
I looked at all the different models. Some garmin look huge and having seen people wearing them some are huge ! I felt they would be a bit cumbersome on my wrist so I decided to go for the 405cx as it has more of a sports watch look.

It also does all the things I need it to and more.
I bought the bike holder too as the forerunner doubles up as a cycling tool giving speed and distance amongst other things.
Having charged the unit up, played about with the settings, watched garmin tutorials and paired the device...I'm ready to go !

Alcohol abstinence

In April 2010 I made a big decision to go T total. There were a couple of reasons for this...one being that I was drinking far to frequently, not necessarily drinking my self into a stupor but non the less a regular drinker having a drink of some sort most evenings. The other is that for years I have suffered from migraine with aura(visual disturbance). The morning I decided to stop drinking was a morning I awoke with a migraine which looked set to spoil an enjoyable camping weekend. That was it for me decision made.I knew I didn't have the personality to "do" moderate and knew the only way for me to succeed was to give up all together...so that's what I did.
I have always said my migraines were hormone related reinforced by the fact that during both my pregnancies I didn't get migraine ...but thinking about this now...whats the other thing you don't have whilst pregnant ?? made me think ! But still believing my migraines were hormone related and after reading as much information I could find I realised the complexity of the functions of the liver. One of the livers functions is controlling hormone levels, so with this in mind I felt that resting and improving the health of my liver would be a good thing for me to do. I have also read that dehydration is also a major cause...again something that can be improved by becoming a T totaller.
I am under no illusions that my migraines have totally disappeared, however since stopping drinking I havent had a single one...I was getting one a month ! So its been well worth doing for that reason alone. However being a T totaller has created issues of its own so my next post will cover that !
Its been nearly a year now and I haven't touched a drop and am no longer tempted to. I have adapted and it is now the norm for me. I feel mentally stronger and my running has improved as I get very little muscle fatigue. I also have much more energy, wake up feeling fab and its saves a load of money too. If I weighed up the pros and cons now, the pros would win hands down !

Alcohol free alternatives

I still like the actual taste of lager or ale and have tried many alcohol free alternatives. Ones you can drink in company, in a bar or at home with friends round. The following are in my opinion the best of the bunch so far

Bavaria
By far my favourite lager. They also do a wheat beer which is equally nice. Very inexpensive at £2.99 for 6 bottles/cans.

Becks Blue Price average £3 for 6
Becks blue is a lager and is very refreshing especially when freezing cold..hits the spot on a hot summers day !!

Bernard ale 99p per bottle available in Tesco...havent found it elsewhere yet.

Lee loves a cider and these are his two favourites
Sainsburys £1.09 a bottle
This says low alcohol at 0.5% still less that a shandy bass.

Westons cider...£1.20 a bottle from Morrisons.
A very tasty cider..tastes just like the real thing !

Entering into the world of clip on shoes !

Well I decided I needed to invest in a pair of clip on shoes, my feet keep bouncing out of my toe clips and my feet are so cold in my trainers.Also I have just entered my first sportive...the Cheshire cat 45 miler. I'm sure this set up will be beneficial and enhance my training.
Went to JE James today and got the best customer service I have ever had. The guy knew everything there was to know and spent ages with me going through all my various options, which shoes fit which cleats and which pedals... and on and on it went...so much choice. I tried on a few shoes and finally plumped for a pair of Shimano RO85. There were more cleat options with this shoe, with the other types I was limited to a much more expensive pedal/cleat. The pedals I went for are shimano M520 SPD. They are actually listed as mountain bike pedals but are aparently used just as much by road cyclists. They are fairly light too at 380g a pair, you can pay up to 4 times as much to gain just 50g (not of too much importance to me at this stage) One thing I really liked is that you can clip onto either side of the pedal which I thought would be useful, theres also lots of tension ajustment !
I was telling the guy in the shop how much I suffered from cold feet...he said wait there...and scurried off to fetch me something. He brought me a pair of socks that he swore by ..they are called seal skinz,(www.sealskinz.com)windproof and waterproof socks that he said he wouldn't go out without. I must admit they were very expensive but to me worth every penny if they do the trick...I will let you know !!

Follow up......

Pleased to say I have just had a trial run and they were fab(not tried the socks yet) pedalling felt much better and clipping on and off wasn't nearly as scary as expected.

About me 2010

I have always hated to run declaring that I couldnt do it, which to be fair, I couldnt. However spurred on by my Brother who seems to get stronger all the time, not only with running but also cycling and swimming, I think I am at last improving. I have been running on and off for a few years and after entering a 10k in Dronfield 2009 and getting a time or 1.06 I finally decided I was indeed rubbish and needed to train harder.
I have been running more regularly including plenty of hill work. I intend to start a little speed training incorporated into my normal runs. It all seems to be paying off after just finishing reasonably well in a 10k race in Chatsworth. To keep be motivated I have now entered the York 10k in Aug and the Robin Hood in October. Watch this space !
My goal is to complete a 10k...any 10k... with a sub 50 time...I wont stop pushing until I acheive this.

Bolsover 10k 23rd Jan 2011

Well.... race done ! Really enjoyable event starting and finishing in Bolsover castle. The course description was "a flat route" not strictly true there were a few long inclines but nothing too tough ! I missed my PB with a time of 52.16 by only 36 seconds but considering the York route which I obtained it on was a flat route then I'm really pleased with my time. Lee did exceptionally well too as with no running prep he finished unscathed in 59.26.
All in all a good race ! Great T shirts at the end too as shown on image :-)


Next event is Clumber Park duathlon on March 5th...need to get out on my bike !

New Year...New goals

Had a good 2010 training wise. Enjoyed the 10k's I entered many of which I aim to do again this year.
Race calender for 2011 is as follows

Jan 23rd Bolsover 10k (completed 52.16)
March 5th Clumber park duathlon sprint.
March 20th Dronfield 10k(would LOVE a PB but no chance lol)
March 27th Cheshire cat sportive 45 miles
April 3rd Derby 10k
May 1st Southwell tri sprint (scared !!)
May 22nd Chatsworth 10k
July 31st York 10k
Oct 16th Robin hood 10k

Need to get some serious swimming in and more on the bike . If poss would love to do an easyish sportife...if not a couple more trips to Jens in Macclesfield or out and about in the peaks...fun fun fun !

Next big focus is my first duathlon in March followed by the tradition of Dronfield 10k.

Looking forward to my first triathlon in May and hoping Lee and Sis Em enter too.