Very British weather for a run on Jubilee day

I'm a Royalist at heart, and today was the day of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee pageant down the River Thames - 1000 boats of all shapes and sizes.  I love the idea of having a pageant as part of the celebrations as it's such an historic way of royalty marking significant events.  Although the weather just about held early on when the rowing boats came through, it soon deteriorated, the heavens opened, and by the time the larger boats were coming past, everyone was drenched - a typical British summer ;) Indeed, it was a very British event throughout, and so no-one seemed too perturbed by the turn in the weather and they all carried on regardless.

The highlight for me was the finale when the barge carrying the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra arrived at Tower Bridge - they performed traditional, Last Night of the Proms songs like Land of Hope & Glory, Rule Britannia and the national anthem in front of the Queen's barge and it was amazing.  The BBC clip is here, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18316899 where you can also see that the poor choir on top of the barge got ABSOLUTELY drenched - it was the height of British eccentricity and stoicism that they carried on.

Anyway, I was meant to get up early this morning to go for my run, when the weather was calm and dry, but I didn't...I laid in bed for an extra hour and a half and by the time I dragged myself out, it was too late to go for a run.  Inevitably, by the time we'd had lunch and watched the pageant, the rain pouring over London was also pouring over Billericay - I knew I needed to run but the weather was diabolical and I wasn't convinced about heading out into the storm.  However, I was definitely inspired by that choir on the barge...if they could stand in the cold, the wind and the rain for 3 hours and then sing so fantastically, I could certainly get out and get a few miles in!

I ended up with 10 miles on the Garmin for the third day of Juneathon, and despite the stormy weather, strangely enjoyed myself on my run - it went well :)

Leaving the beaten track

Juneathon - day 2

Hurray, it's the weekend!! :) Had a pretty chilled day, and was determined to be more cheerful than I was yesterday. To that end, after doing a few chores around the house, I headed out for a run.  I fully expected it to be raining by the time I made it out, but the weather was kind to me and despite it being a bit chilly, it was as lovely as always to be out in the countryside, and I'm very pleased to report that my leg held up, albeit with a few twinges.

I did something today that I never do on my runs - I was following a route that I run all the time, but spotted a footpath sign leading to a grassy track off the road through a kissing gate, and rather than just ignoring it like I usually do, I left the road, and headed off down the footpath.  I was rewarded with a run through woodland, and then into some open park land which was all beautiful.  I ended up running 10.3 miles, and really enjoyed it.  I'll definitely head back into the park again, and try to leave the beaten track a bit more often!

Day one of Juneathon...again

I had really high hopes of Juneathon this year.  Unlike previous attempts, I was determined that this year, June would be a month-long runstreak, but it hasn't started out too well.

Yesterday I went for a 90 minute sports massage, which turned into a bit more of a physio session, to try and sort out my leg which gave me so much pain on Tuesday's run. It was pretty intense, and at times very painful (as I'd expected) but undoubtedly very beneficial - the only negative was that unfortunately I was told to consider resting my leg some more, and not running until Wednesday next week!! Wednesday?!

That would mean having had a whole 7 days off! Not only would that be a dire start to Juneathon, but, more importantly, I really don't think I can afford to be out of training for that long with my 30 miler in just five weeks. Initially, I considered ignoring the advice entirely and running today, but I still had some pain in my leg this morning so decided that it would probably be more sensible to have another rest day, which I've done.

The only exercise I did manage today is walking the mile to and from the train station and home, and from the station to the office and back.  I don't feel it really counts for Juneathon but as I've not be sat on the sofa all day (and I had a particularly horrible day at work) I'm not going to beat myself up about it, and am planning to run tomorrow instead - the first day of the Diamond Jubilee extended bank holiday weekend., and the first day of my Juneathon runstreak success [hopefully]

New shoes! A step towards barefoot running

Actually, they're not that new any more, but they still make me smile like new shoes do ;)

At the beginning of May, I was lucky enough to be sent a pair of trainers to review from Merrell's new range of "barefoot" shoes (apologies for the contradiction of that term!).  I received the Barefoot Run Bare Access Arcs which are essentially transitional shoes for someone (like me) new to the barefoot party, still needing a bit of cushioning.

Just out of the box

 I've been thinking about getting some barefoot shoes for ages , but haven't taken the plunge since trying on some Newtons and finding them pretty uncomfortable, so was excited to see what these shoes were like.

Now, unfortunately I'm very shallow, and the looks of a shoe are always important, so I was very pleased when I opened the box and got these out, especially as I didn't know which colour I was going to get.  They do look a bit unusual as they are very wide at the front (to allow your feet and toes to move in a natural way when you run) but I loved them straight away, still do, and have had a few comments about them from people which have all been positive! 

Anyway...before I go on, here's the official blurb about them from the Merrell website:

For distance runners and those new on the path to barefoot running, our Bare Access Arc 0mm drop running shoe gives you a barefoot feel, with added toe to heel cushioning. Still allowing your foot to land flat and follow its own natural motion, its cushioning protects from sustained impacts due to longer runs or a new barefoot training program.

UPPER / LINING 

• Barefoot strobel construction offers flexibility and comfort with Synthetic leather and mesh upper

• DWR-treated upper repels water and resists staining and Lycra® neoprene lining for padded comfort treated with Aegis® antimicrobial solution 

MIDSOLE / OUTSOLE
• 8mm M Bound™ allows for cushioned entry into Bareform™ movement
• 0mm ball to heel drop keeps you connected to your terrain
 • Natural flex outsole with 2.5mm lug depth allows for dynamic foot movement

Anyway, back to what I think ;) I was impressed with how immediately comfortable they were.  Although I run in traditional supportive shoes with a big heel drop, I spend a lot of my time in flip flops or flat ballet pumps, and so wearing a barefoot feel shoe wasn't a complete shock to my feet but wearing a fully enclosed shoe that had such a wide toe-box was a real revelation.  I have wide feet, and to put shoes on and not feel any constriction at all was brilliant. They're also cut low around the ankle and suit my feet really well.

I knew I wasn't going to run in the Merrells straight away and decided to just use them for walking around to start with, to allow my body to get used to them.  I definitely felt the difference - my feet and legs ached a bit after wearing them all day, but I'm pretty sure that's just because my muscles were working in a different way. 

They've now become my choice of every day trainer, and I'm an absolute convert to the barefoot style - even if I haven't yet moved away from the supportive trainers for running,  I can really recognise the benefit of spending time in a more naturally styled shoe.

The shoes at 4 weeks old
with my startling white reflective legs ;) 

The only negative I've found with my new Merrells is that although I'd ordered a size 8 (in normal shoes I'm a 7) they came up pretty short, and they're not quite long enough for me - my big toe just catches the inside end seam on the top of the shoe, and bizarrely, although I really like these shoes, I still haven't been for a run in them.  I've been telling myself that's because they're short and I'll end up hurting my toes but I think it's just because I've not been brave enough - with all the recent marathons I've had and the upcoming ultras, I've been worried in case I inadvertently did too much in the shoes and hurt my legs/feet, and jeopardised my training. 

However, I've become such a fan, that after my ultras are finished, and I've got a bit of window with my training schedule, I'm going to fork out for a pair in a bigger size, and actually try running....

Letting my body recover

A couple of days ago, the awesome Jerry Smallwood (who's running the 145mi GUCR this weekend and who knows what he's talking about) commented on my last blog post which I'd written about whether I was going to pull out of my next scheduled marathon - this is what he said:

• "I think that I can read between the lines and your heart is not fully into this one. It is a nice idea but you have done a lot in the past 2 months and I honestly think your body needs a rest. They say that a marathon will stay in the legs of a runner for at least 6 weeks after and event and you have done so terribly well of recent."

It seems that Jerry knew how my body would be coping with my 3 marathons in 6 weeks better than me.  Turns out he was entirely right and after last night's run, I definitely need some rest.  I was about 15 minutes into a lovely 6 mile run home from the train station, when my leg essentially disintegrated below me...lots of pain in my hamstring, glutes, calf and shin. After a bit of stretching and massaging my leg by the side of the road (which prompted lots of odd looks and a few beeps from passing cars) I ran on for a bit, but after a few minutes the pain and weakness throughout my leg came back.  I took to twitter to vent my frustration, and got lots of encouraging support back (as always, thank-you everyone!) but then jogged slowly home, having to stop often, so took some photos on the way with my phone, which unfortunately isn't advanced enough to capture just how beautiful the light was last night but I thought I'd share anyway.

The trip back home took forever, and although when I got there I changed into my compression tights, and spent a long time with a pack of frozen peas, waking up this morning I have a kind of dull permanent ache in my hamstring and glute. 

Needless to say I'll rest for the next couple of days, and try and get a sports massage tomorrow which will hopefully help, and, although I had already decided not to run it, this is the nail in the coffin for my participation in the Roadrunner Marathon on Monday.

A few other photos from last night: