The Apprentice

You're fired!

End of the summer season at OutFit, the weekly bootcamp I've been going to at Roundhay Park since the end of July, and we were faced with the 'Summer Challenge'. This is designed to test various areas of fitness at the end of each season and afterwards we are assigned a 'Chaos Rating' indicating our level of fitness.

Ten weeks of classes, a fair bit of running and nine pounds lost, I thought I would do okay...

I do need to set the scene for this event. I'd been at work all day, the rain was pouring down and it was one of those days when it never really seemed to get light. So, after the usual 'do we really have to go to this?' conversation with James we headed down to Roundhay Park. The rain stopped, leaving only mud...

The challenge consisted of...

Core – Plank
Balance – Stalk
Agility – Side jumps
Strength – Farmers walk
Endurance – Crab walking (don't ask...)
Power – Bag throws

And all in the dark. I actually fell over at one point by slipping on a power bag doing the agility challenge.

Madness?

In everyway possible.

But I drove home endorphins flowing feeling pretty pleased with how I had done.

My ranking? 'Apprentice', the results email told me the next day. Only one better than 'Rookie' the lowest possible category.

Oh, and did I mention I am also a London Marathon reject?

Happy days...

Fast Twitching

So, I've read that runners either have fast twitch muscles or slow ones and even though I suppose I can now call myself an endurance runner, I know I have a small amount of 'slow twitch'. Sprinting has always seemed a much easier option for me - perhaps because it's over quicker?

Apparently, the slow twitch muscles contract slowly but keep going for a long time, whereas the fast twitch ones contract quickly but rapidly get tired. This was confirmed by a trip to the Perform Centre in Rossendale yesterday, on week two of the Running Efficiency, Posture and Control course I am doing via Bradford Athletics Network. We spent about an hour and a half learning about and being tested on the strength and control in our muscles, and in our legs in particular.

After warming up and going through a variety of dynamic stretches, we were introduced to the Smart Speed Reactive Training System, which basically assesses how high you can jump, hop and sprint (and manoeuvre round corners!). We firstly had to take it in turns to see how high we could jump with a broom handle on our shoulders so just using our legs for momentum. We then repeated the exercise using just one leg. It was interesting but not really surprising (I'm left-handed) to learn how much weaker I am on my right leg than my left. The point of this, I think, was two-fold. Firstly, to demonstrate how much more momentum using your arms to propel yourself gives you, and secondly, to demonstrate where weaknesses lie so strength work can be used to address this.

Tomorrow night is the speed session at Horsfall Stadium where we've been told we'll be progressing interval sessions (learning theory and practice), discussing training diaries/logs: recording and monitoring; confirming warm up routines and completing an interval running session.

Makes me wonder whether all this fast twitching stuff is going to make me want to slow twitch. For now, I think I just really need to schedule in a lie down...

Simple Maths

About 4k into the Horsforth 10k this morning, I decided I was going to call this blog entry 'might as well have eaten all the cakes'. I decided to try to run the race by 'feel' rather than by my watch so after starting my stopwatch when setting off I forced myself not to look again. For one who constantly checks my watch in an almost obsessive way when racing, it was a pretty hard thing to do.

At this point, I didn't 'feel' great.

It was my first race since shedding half a stone after the horror that was Pudsey 10k at the end of July, and I was hoping to feel a lot speedier. I'd also been concentrating more on circuit type running (there's probably a technical term for this) - intervals, hills and strength work -  and hadn't run more than 4-5 miles in over a month. I was a bit worried that this wouldn't pay off in a race.

However! It seems the success in running equation is this:

Lose a bit of weight + some quality training = 10k personal best!

Yes, despite not feeling vastly speedier, although I haven't seen the official results yet, my watch said 55.05 as I crossed the finish line which is over a minute off my previous 10k PB at Apperley Bridge Canter last May. Hooray!

It's wonderful when running leaves you with a big smile on your face..

Why Run?

I'm often asked why I run. What's the point? What keeps me going? Why do it?

The common assumption, usually from female friends, is that running is the key to major weight loss and I must admit that my original motivation to run was exactly that. I was working hard, completely unable to motivate myself to go to the gym and the weight was creeping on.

Oh, and did I mention that I love food?

Running, I decided was the answer. Surely it would mean as long as I ran regularly, I could eat whatever I want.

Eighteen months on and training for a marathon, I realised this simply wasn't true. In fact, I seemed to be putting on weight. How could this be? An article in the newspaper entitled 'Why exercise won't make you thin', confirmed my suspicions that horror of horrors, exercise alone simply doesn't cut it.

So, what is the point?

Well, I've grown to love the feeling of crossing the finish line, the elation of achieving goals, the routine and the focused, talented and amazing people I have met. Could I need another reason to run?

Talking Marathons

After saying 'never again', I'm starting to wonder about entering another Spring marathon. The miraculous thing about running a marathon seems to be selective memory as I can only remember the great things about it.

I actually entered the ballot for the London Marathon back in April and should hear whether I have been successful next month. At the time, I decided if I got through it was the universe's way of telling me I should run another one but if I didn't, well, I concluded that would be it for my marathon career.

But I'm getting itchy feet...

And a small part of me is asking would I be capable of running a faster time? What would it be like running such a long way in a different setting? Then the negative talk starts. What if I can't do it again? What if I run slower? Would I have anyone to train with? Could I really go through all that training again?

On my often lengthy journey to work, I religiously listen to the fabulously entertaining podcast, Marathon Talk, produced and hosted by Tom Williams and Martin Yelling. The mix of interviews, tips and anecdotes from 'normal' runners and elite athletes are truly inspiring and sometimes (only sometimes!), it makes me think well, if they can do this, why can't I?

So, my latest thinking has me trawling Runner's World for a new marathon and a new challenge for 2011.

That is, if there's bad news from London...

The Nights Draw In...

This is definitely the most challenging time of year for me in terms of running. The evenings are getting darker and the temperature's starting to dip and all I want to do when I get home from work is put the heating on, have a lovely tea and settle down on the sofa for the evening. I'm truly lazy at heart.

Nevertheless, Monday evening 7pm saw me racing down to Fitness First for running club (racing because I had spent the time up 6.55pm in battle with myself trying to find a good reason to go). The wind was howling. It was pretty cold and the scheduled run was up the dreaded Bank. Proud memories of managing four laps of the figure of eight up what must be the steepest hill in Bradford seemed far away, as I trundled round only managing two laps before scurrying home when darkness started to fall.

This is no good! I've run in much worse than this. I've even heard fellow runners comment that they prefer running when it's colder but, for me, there's no beating a long run on a lovely summer's evening.

So, what am I going to do to keep myself going?

Well, the answer to all ills...clothes! Time to get myself down to Sports Shoes and get kitted out in some lovely new stuff for winter...

Got to be an incentive.

Back to it!

Where's the time gone? Where have I been? I must admit I was a little shocked when I realised how much time had elapsed since I last blogged...

So what's been happening?

A holiday, a bit of bootcamp, a few runs and lots of planning.

I spent a much needed relaxing week chilling out in Turkey at the end of August. Took the decision to leave my trainers at home given the likelihood of me feeling like a run whilst there would be nil - the heat and my general lethargy (translate laziness) being the main reasons.

So the planning, I've discovered the excellent http://www.fetcheveryone.com/, which was recommended to me ages ago by Julie but I'd never followed it up. The website basically allows users to set up a profile, log training runs and race times. Users can also see other people's training and look up who else is entering the same races. There's also a good calender that logs miles run each month - slightly scary on my part, given that my September total is currently three from last Monday's 5k time trial at club!

Other planning, I've now registered for some coached courses via Airedale Athletics the umbrella organisation for lots of Bradford running clubs. I inadvertently registered for two after misunderstanding the application form (I thought I had to give one as a back-up choice). Anyway, I thought it wouldn't to me any harm to do two so for six weeks from the last week of September I'll be spending Tuesday nights learning about running efficiency and Thursday nights speed for endurance runners. I never did know when to stop...

Coming up this week, it's club on Monday night - hill running up the dreaded Eccleshill Bank, then bootcamp Wednesday, back on the torture rack with Penny Brook's sports massage on Thursday (feel a bit fraudulent about this given the lack of 'sport' in September), then club again on Friday. I'm also going to aim for a long run on Sunday as I have the Bridlington Half Marathon coming up next month and I'm worried that I haven't run more than about 5 miles in one go in the last few months.

Goals wise:

Still not there with weight loss though not far - 6lbs lost so a pound to go (and could probably do with a few more if I'm honest...)

Horsforth 10k at the end of September - here's hoping some of the speedwork I've done recently will pay off to reach my goal of under 56 mins

5k wise - still some way to go...I'm working on it but decided that Leeds parkrun could be a good PB target so I just need a free Saturday.

Three months to go...getting there!