Quick update

OK so I'm moved in and fairly settled in the new place. It's the same and different but not in a bad way.

So everything at the moment is geared towards running 100K on 4th August, and I look forward to a little holiday whilst in Stockholm. I had a bit of a rest (it's a relative term) mileage wise after the Manchester Marathon because my HR readings showed I needed it, but I love being back on it with the really long runs.

So firstly, boot camp. I really really enjoy it, and lets face facts if it can get me up at 05.30 for 06.15 to be doing all sorts of crazy jumping around it must be good. I think it is a combination of the instructor (boot camp conjures up visions of a man in combat trousers yelling but that's not how it is), the fact that a growing number of my friends are doing it, the variety of sessions and the personal challenge - seeing the improvement from last session/week/month. I thought with all my running I was fit, but I'm finding the strength in my arms and core has really improved, so much so that my friend who does massage actually passed comment on the new state of my abs - e.g. solid, and I can feel a difference myself. I have an open mind on the high intensity exercise debate, but the fact is that over the 8 or so weeks my heart rate readings on the run are 10-15 bpm lower for a given pace than they used to be. This could be because I'm back in heavier training, lost a little weight or a combination of all those things, but the fact is I feel fitter, stronger and have much more energy.

I've been managing to get to a lot of parkruns which is good, I think in fact the day after the last blog I went to Wolverhampton, and pleasingly on this course it seems I can reasonably happily crank out a sub 25 min off of little specific training. Due to being away at weekends in various places I've made it to Newbury again, Leamington (even x4 in one day!) and Plym Valley to name a few. I always like Newbury and its great to have chats about running with the man I've sold my soul to. The week after that I paid my first visit to Leamington to catch up with friends and fell in love - the course is absolutely superb. I have run many a miserable (not really it's nice in the autumn sunshine, honest!) League XC at Leamington, but the parkrun course is leafy, interesting and has just the right combination of ups and downs. Whilst on holidays in Cornwall I decided to drive to Plym valley run near Plymouth, flanked by a 4 mile WU either side (I got to go past the peregrine falcon viewing point more than once) I felt surprisingly chipper during the race and it was a great route through paths and a wild flower meadow. Being the small world it is I bumped in to the lovely Rich Kennington there who has taken many photos of me gurning in various races, so that was a very good day indeed. It has been very handy to have all these lovely runs close by that fit in with my weekend plans. A few weekends ago I attended the Leamington "pink parkrun" even for Breast Cancer research, runners started off at approx 7am, so we basically did 3 parkruns before joining the main run at 9am. It was HOT even at 7am, but the course is quite shady in places and I had a great time. The Leamington Pink event ticked a number of boxes, one of which was the fairly important question of "how do I cope with laps of the same course" the answer is "OK" I did find myself focusing on laps rather than miles and the 4 parkruns just flew by really. This weekend I visited Wolverhampton again, but jogged it as part of my Saturday 20 miler. It is hard to keep your nerve and go slow whilst all around you are tearing off at 5 minute miling(!)

Hardcore Parkrunners at Leamington Pink Parkrun - 4 runs of fun!

As well as Parkruns I've done a fair few actual races. The midweek race series happens every year, #1 Hagley - I had a shocker. Too close to Manchester and I was NOT feeling it at all. Race #2 Redditch - I love this course, it is quite tough and bordering on 7.5 miles (that's a long 10K), it is off road, muddy with some leg sapping ups and downs. I decided to take it steady off of the start, still mindful of how awful I felt at race #1. I soon got going and felt pretty up for it, and had a good race really. Something struck me in the last few miles - I felt strong, upright, like I could breathe and if I crept up on anyone, or anyone came at me I could take them on. About 2 miles from the end I was aware that the marshals were clapping me, and then clapping a girl about 20 seconds behind. At this point the boosters came on and I managed to use "the fear" to drop her and have enough time to finish, walk back and chat with the crowd and have a cup of water before she came in. This was the county Multi Terrain championships, and being one of the few "old birds" to check the county box on the entry form I was 1st county eligible v35 back. Unfortunately for the purposes of medals they lump the FO and the F35 together, so rather than getting a Gold I got a Bronze as there were 2 FO's in front. No matter because one of them was my friend an team mate, and in combination with a Gold medal F55 we got a team Bronze. Nice! A week or so ago we had race #3 at Droitwich, which is a road 10K. Not my strength as I only run about 1 per year! I had wondered if Parkrun experience might help a bit, and I went in to the attitude that I would go out suitably hard and hang on for dear life as long as I could. This was a really fun race, and the devil in me made it my mission to "bother" people. The first 2 miles I stuck with my club mate who I am not usually with, until he got so fed up it made him put a spurt on and dissappear. There weren't that many over-takers, but when there were, I tried to put some effort in and take them on, which lead to me having a great little battle with a lady between 4-5 miles who seemed shocked when I went clattering kamikaze style down the hill ahead of her. She was always going to get me back, but hey. It made me have a better run, and I got a 30 second PB out of it so it's all good. I'm waiting for the official results but I think I got a Silver County medal and we got a team Bronze again as this one was the county road championships. I shall be taking a wheelbarrow to the presentations in August! More Mr T photos to follow!

In June I got two opportunities to wear a posh dress. At one of my running club awards ceremonies I totally unexpectedly got voted "runner of the year" and came away armed with a massive trophy to show for it. The thing that really touched me was that this was voted for my other members of the club, I do just tend to keep my head down, turn up and run and I certainly don't presume people are interested in me and what I'm doing so it was a surprise.

Also the same weekend I was lucky enough to become godmother to a lovely little chap, Ernie, something that I consider a real honour and privilege. Drove up to Haydock and had a lovely time, was a bit nervous that I would cock up saying the "I do's" in the right places at Church but it all went swimmingly and again it was a great opportunity to catch up with and make some new friends. Ernie, his brother and sister are all doing well, I kind of see them all as my godchildren really, and it is such fun and a total pleasure to spend time with them - oh and of course not forgetting their lovely parents!

Not actually Ernie, but never mind!

As mentioned in June I had a lovely holiday in Cornwall at my friends house. I did some cracking runs, some cracking toursity stuff, ate seafood, fudge and ice cream and generally had a relaxing time. Final trip to the lakes soon before she sells up and moves down permanently towards the end of the year. Really good to see my friend from Uni who lives down there, and in fact the whole gang in Oxford a week or so ago. It's been good to catch up. It's good when you don't see each other for long periods of time, but you sit and chat and nothing really changes.

So my actual 100KM training has consisted of what? Well a period of just ticking over to make sure I was completely rested and then a period of extremely high mileage in July. This has not been helped by the heatwave and I've tried to be sensible but the fact is if 4th Aug is a freak heatwave in Stockholm, at least all of the midday/mid-afternoon 30 degree heat runs I've done will have got me used to it. I've got all my flights / accommodation etc sorted, so I've just got to wait. I did think during this weekends 2 x 20 milers "I could go on at this pace for ever" which is quite frankly, exactly where I want to be. Don't care about forever in reality, but over 100K would do. Looking forward to the Thunder Run next weekend, and then it's time to chill out and get ready for the big one.