The big race is in just 10 days

So, on Sunday 4th September, I'm running the Kent Coastal Marathon which is organised by the Thanet Road Runners. It'll be my 5th marathon (my 3rd 26.2 this year) and I'm really excited about it!  I think I am better trained for this one than I've been for the others, I'm lighter than I've been for years, and am really looking forward to seeing how I do, and how differently I perform having trained more than in the past.  I'm in the middle of my taper now, but not taking that as an excuse to slack off which I have done in the past. 

We're going on a mini-holiday tomorrow, to visit family, with a couple of days in Liverpool and then three days in beautiful Whitby, in Yorkshire.  I'll run 6 miles tomorrow morning before we leave, and then, for the first time ever on a holiday, I'm going to take my trainers with me...I want to get a 10 miler in on Sunday!  I'm looking forward to that - we'll be in Whitby on Sunday, so am planning to find myself a lovely coastal route for my run which will be part training, part exploring.  Just hope the people we're staying with don't mind me disappearing for a few hours!

The only thing that's really worrying me about the race though is my footwear and my feet.  I'm really not happy with my trainers and haven't been since I bought them - I carried on wearing my old ones for ages until they fell apart, and then foolishly just put up with the new ones not being that comfortable. I'd planned to buy some replacements, and specifically wanted to get a different pair in time to break them in before this marathon, but typically haven't managed it yet.

After last night's run though I've had some very strange pain under my big toe joint and really don't think I can put off getting some new trainers that fit me better although after reading this interesting article, about this type of pain in the big toe, which actually seems to be in my sesamoid bones shown in the picture, I think this particuarly problem might be to do with having worn 3 inch heels all day for the first time in ages earlier this week!  Anyway, I have 30 miles left to run before next Sunday, and although that's not ideal, it's just about time to get new shoes ready for the marathon and will hopefully be a psychological boost too, as I'll stop worrying about them.

So, my lunch break from work today will be trainer shopping :D Here's hoping I can find my perfect shoe that will help me run a PB race!

I'm a 10%'er

I started Weight Watchers 10 weeks ago (have a look here for my first post about it) on their ProPoints plan.  I promised I wouldn't make this a weight-loss blog, and I haven't...in fact, I think I've barely mentioned Weight Watchers since then.  However, indulge me today, because I'm very, very pleased with my progress after today's weigh-in.

Today, I reached my first major milestone.
I've lost 18lbs which equates to just over 10% of my starting bodyweight! 

I'm absolutely over the moon - despite all my years of relentless yo-yo dieting, and more recently, my marathon training, I have never been on such a successful plan that has worked for me so well.  I haven't felt deprived or hungry, I've eaten pretty much the food I want (although have made alcohol for special occasions only...it really is empty calories) and have just made intelligent choices, completely re-evaluated the amount I eat, and changed my portion sizes - it sounds horribly clichéd, but it's not about being on a diet, it's about changing my whole attitude and approach to food.  I've had a few bad days and blow outs, have eaten chocolate, birthday cake and doughnuts, and haven't stopped eating out in restaurants, but the way the programme is devised, that doesn't screw it up, and it's easy to make it all part of the week's food points - it's all about balance!

With all the running I do (over 70 miles over the last fortnight) it is so easy for me to overindulge, which is what I've always done in the past - taken the exercise as an excuse to eat what I want and to eat far too much of it.  With the Weight Watchers plan, you can personalise it so much that I have been able to eat exactly the right amount of food to keep me losing weight, but still able to fuel myself and feel satisfied.   I can't believe it's working so well! :D

Anyway, enough of my gushing...my next big milestone will be losing 25lbs, and after that, it will be reaching my goal weight!  Not sure how long it's going to take me,  but after being on the plan for 10 weeks, I know that I have the commitment and the tools to achieve this, and I know it's going to work.  I have never felt like this before, and it's absolutely amazing.  The only downside though is that practically none of my clothes fit anymore and I'm going to have to go shopping, and contrary to the norm...I'm one girl who hates shopping unless it's for trainers and lycra!

I may be socially inept but I still want to belong...

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my first visit to, and run with, my local running club, the Billericay Striders.  I said how wonderful it all was, and how I was definitely going to return, and I wanted to join the club.  It's three weeks later now, and I haven't been back.

I get home from work too late to ever be able to go out with them on a weekday training run, and it seems that I am too lazy to get up early enough to go out on a Sunday morning...although I know in my heart that this is not the real problem.  The real issue is that although I really enjoyed my run with the Striders, and the other members were really very welcoming, the prospect of going back and having to make small-talk with people I don't really know does fill me with dread.  I know it's the only way to make friends, you know, talking to people, but as bizarre as it may sound to a more sociable person, for me it is very stressful and I always find it difficult - I frequently avoid situations where I have to talk to "new people", in fact whenever I can think up an excuse!

So, I have ruled out going back to the Striders.  After 3 weeks, it has become too much of a big deal in my head, and as much as I want to, I know myself well enough to know that I'm not ready to go to a "real " running club on a regular basis...at least this year....

However, my Purple Patch membership has now expired, and I don't want to renew with them as I don't feel I've really had much benefit from being a member - there wasn't really any contact from them, and most of the races they put on are on the other side of the country.  So, I started doing a lot of research online about other virtual clubs, and what other options I had as someone who didn't necessarily want to regularly run with a group, but did want to belong to a club, so I could remain affiliated, and also have a sense of camaraderie with other runners at races. I still want to be part of a group, even if I can't quite be an active member.  In the end, I came up with joining the Sepentine Running Club who are based in central London.

Serpentine is a massive club, with over 2,000 members.  Although they started as a running club, they now cater for triathletes too, and have many different training sessions across the disciplines.  I always see members from Serpentine at the races I do (never saw another Purple Patch member from one month to the next) which would definitely make me feel more connected, and might even help me talk to other people at events.  Another bonus was that they have midweek runs twenty minutes away from my office, and particularly important for me, they have a fantastic internet presence, with a comprehensive website, online groups (which is a form of communication I can manage) and lots of email contact.  They also offer extras like discounts at London sports shops... they seem to be able to offer me much more than Purple Patch did, or Billericay Striders could, and I have the added option of going running with them after work or at weekends, if I ever decide I'm ready for it.

So, I've now joined them, and just waiting for my membership pack which will be arriving this week.  The next step will then be going along to one of their after work meets, just to pick up my kit, which I'll manage without worrying about it too much - I have a reason for being there, something specific to talk about, easy!  There's no pressure to go back, but I will be a bona fide member, so if I ever feel like it, I can go and run with them...one day...hopefully....maybe!

The Pride Run 10km race

Saturday morning saw me jumping on an early train into London, and heading to Victoria Park for the Pride 10km race, organised by London Frontrunners who are a London club for gay & lesbian runners.  The race, last year, had got fantastic reviews on the Runners World site, and I was excited to see what all the fuss was about - I wondered if it would be a bit of an extension of the Gay Pride festival....

My first impression of the event was that it all seemed really well organised - the most important thing for a race as that can really make or break the experience - and that Victoria Park is actually a surprisingly nice location for a run.  I'd been a bit nervous about running laps, as that has bored me in the past, but it worked out absolutely fine, especially as there was lots to look at with so many other people using the park.  It was blazing sunshine on Saturday morning too, which is always a concern, but there was so much tree cover, it was shady with dappled sunlight falling on the paths and pretty nice for a race.  So, I enjoyed it.  There was someone running with a rainbow flag, a few very camp guys running in fabulous kit, lots of people had rainbow ribbons and bands and the start/finish arches were made of rainbow balloons but there was nothing too outrageous: the whole atmosphere was just really friendly. 

I found myself racing other people again (although they were all entirely oblivious to me I'm sure) but enjoyed getting someone in my sights, and overtaking them, particularly as I really made an effort to beat a whole group in the last half a mile.  I didn't quite manage to beat all of them though...a guy in his 60s managed to keep ahead of me - it's always the way! lol

I was very pleased with my time on the run - finished in 55:49 which was a PB for me in a 10km, and averaged out at 9:00 min/mile.  Unfortunately though, when I got home and checked out my Garmin, I ran every mile faster than the last so it seems I'm really not pushing myself as much as I should do...if I'd ran the whole race at the same pace as my last mile (8:41) I'd have finished in 52:55!  I must start working harder....

Because of my "episode" on Sunday night, and subsequently taking Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday as rest days, I ran Thursday and Friday so didn't get a day off before the race.  I'm not sure if that made a big difference to the time I could have achieved, but either way it was a PB run, on a great course with an unusual medal (always important!) a decent goodie bag (a real rarity!) and I'll probably be back next year :)

Boys, look away now...this post's all about the bounce!

Timing is everything. I've been thinking I really need to get myself a new sports bra for a while, as my two seem to have started falling apart at the seams, and definitely aren't giving me the "support" I need. I know every time I run I'm doing more damage to myself, and accelerating the dreaded droop, so, when I was offered a Nike Pro Victory Compression Sports Bra to try out and review, I jumped at the chance.

It's a really well styled piece of kit, and I loved it on sight.  I've been meaning to get a racing back style bra for ages as they look so much better with the tops I prefer to wear (and reduces those awful strap tan lines!) and I sample I got was in a pretty blue, like the picture, which suited me just fine.  I got a "medium" size to try - I'm about a size 10 and thought that would be fine for me. I wasn't flowing over the sides or back of it, and when I first put it on, I was very pleased - if I was a few lbs lighter and a lot more toned, I might be persuaded to wear it as a top on it's own, as it definitely looks the part.  The only other point to note about the design is that it's cut very low under the arms, which is a big plus for me - makes it much more comfortable!

So, I headed out for a 6 miler on Thursday night to see whether it would be as functional as it was good-looking!  The bra definitely did what it said on the tin...absolutely excellent "bounce-reduction" (is that a real bra-related technical term or have I just made it up?!) and even on a couple of quick downhill sections I didn't notice any movement at all - usually, with my currently bras I have to fight the urge to run with my arms folded across my chest.  So thumbs up on that one, which is, of course, the most important element of a bra - does it actually give you the support you need!  It was also pretty effective at the whole wicking thing - unfortunately I do sweat a hell of a lot, but I stayed comfortable, and didn't get that dreaded cold back you sometimes end up with when running!

Unfortunately, the only draw back was that I think I could have done with a size bigger.  The whole compression element of the bra was great for the level of support it gave, but it seemed to really affect my lungs too, and I didn't feel that I could breathe properly!  I've never worn a compression bra before, and  although when I put the bra on it seemed to fit fine, I think I'd have had a much better time if I'd been running in a "large" size, so I think I might head over to the Nike store to try out one of those :)