I've opened a little shop with nuMonday to sell some of the things I've been making, particularly over the last year or so.
It's mostly jewellery at the moment, with a focus on beads, cords and gemstones. I'll be adding some other bits and pieces too as time goes on.
You can find me here at my Crafting a Lifetime shop. Please come and have a browse x
Friday, 23 November 2018
Thursday, 30 April 2015
You've got to be joking ... a waiting list .... for a spiralizer???
When I went in to my local cookery shop last week to buy whatever gadget it was I needed to try out the new courgetti "fad", I thought the shop assistant was joking when the she told me that they had sold out and I'd have to join the waiting list.
The last time I joined a waiting list to buy something was in 1995! It was for Chanel's Rouge Noir super-vampy nail varnish which hit the big time when Uma Thurman's character wore it in Pulp Fiction. Oh how times have changed.
After putting on nearly 2 stone since running the Berlin Marathon last year, I'm so ready to expand my very basic and mostly unhealthy culinary repertoire, that I duly handed over my details and agreed that I would be willing to settle for a green one, rather than holding out for a black one, which are as rare as gold dust apparently!
The shop called me on Tuesday, but I'd kind of gotten over the fad excitement by then, so didn't race down to the shop to collect it. Instead, I picked it up when I was passing today, and with a nagging feeling that it would end up being a complete waste of money.
I'd actually googled spiralizers earlier in the day and seen pretty mixed reviews. What I read didn't leave me overly excited, to be honest. The small hand held gadget that I'd bought was only scoring a 3/5 and not doing very well on the ease of use scales.
Thankfully, I was rather pleasantly surprised and found it extremely easy to use. Within 5 minutes I had a good sized bowl of green courgette spaghetti. Hurrah!
To go with it, I heated some bran oil in a non-stick pan and added shallots, diced pancetta, mushrooms and sliced garlic. I fried it all on a medium heat until the mushrooms and onions were nice and soft and then added a knob of butter. Once that had melted, I tipped it all in with the courgetti and topped with a bit of grated parmesan.
Wow! Amazingly delicious ....
... and almost just like eating a bowl of spaghetti ....
... but much much better ...
... unbelievably satisfying but without feeling like a sack of potatoes afterwards ...
I really can't believe how impressed I am with the whole thing.
I know it doesn't look like much, but I'm not much of a photographer. This was one seriously gorgeous plate of food.
Can't wait to try out some other sauce ideas in readiness for my first crop of home-grown courgettes!
The last time I joined a waiting list to buy something was in 1995! It was for Chanel's Rouge Noir super-vampy nail varnish which hit the big time when Uma Thurman's character wore it in Pulp Fiction. Oh how times have changed.
After putting on nearly 2 stone since running the Berlin Marathon last year, I'm so ready to expand my very basic and mostly unhealthy culinary repertoire, that I duly handed over my details and agreed that I would be willing to settle for a green one, rather than holding out for a black one, which are as rare as gold dust apparently!
The shop called me on Tuesday, but I'd kind of gotten over the fad excitement by then, so didn't race down to the shop to collect it. Instead, I picked it up when I was passing today, and with a nagging feeling that it would end up being a complete waste of money.
I'd actually googled spiralizers earlier in the day and seen pretty mixed reviews. What I read didn't leave me overly excited, to be honest. The small hand held gadget that I'd bought was only scoring a 3/5 and not doing very well on the ease of use scales.
Thankfully, I was rather pleasantly surprised and found it extremely easy to use. Within 5 minutes I had a good sized bowl of green courgette spaghetti. Hurrah!
To go with it, I heated some bran oil in a non-stick pan and added shallots, diced pancetta, mushrooms and sliced garlic. I fried it all on a medium heat until the mushrooms and onions were nice and soft and then added a knob of butter. Once that had melted, I tipped it all in with the courgetti and topped with a bit of grated parmesan.
Wow! Amazingly delicious ....
... and almost just like eating a bowl of spaghetti ....
... but much much better ...
... unbelievably satisfying but without feeling like a sack of potatoes afterwards ...
I really can't believe how impressed I am with the whole thing.
I know it doesn't look like much, but I'm not much of a photographer. This was one seriously gorgeous plate of food.
 |
| Seriously delicious courgetti! |
Can't wait to try out some other sauce ideas in readiness for my first crop of home-grown courgettes!
Monday, 13 April 2015
Burn 50 calories an hour just by standing
It's spring and I'm back to my home-made standing desk by the kitchen door, looking out onto the walled patio garden.
The research shows that we burn an extra 50 calories standing compared with sitting, so if I stand for 3 hours per day, I could burn off an extra 750 calories a week.
Not only that, it will apparently help keep blood sugar levels steady, so I should feel a bit more steadily energetic and a bit less sleepy mid-afternoon.
I've already clocked up 3 hours standing today, maybe that's another reason I've been getting more done!
The research shows that we burn an extra 50 calories standing compared with sitting, so if I stand for 3 hours per day, I could burn off an extra 750 calories a week.
Not only that, it will apparently help keep blood sugar levels steady, so I should feel a bit more steadily energetic and a bit less sleepy mid-afternoon.
I've already clocked up 3 hours standing today, maybe that's another reason I've been getting more done!
Getting more done, 10 minutes at a time
In my post last week "From anxious overwhelm to optimistic excitement in 10 minute blasts" I came up with an experiment to get things done without getting stressy by just doing 10 minutes at a time.
I'd managed to train for and complete a marathon by running just 3 minutes at a time, so it seemed entirely possible that it would work for my day job and home admin too.
I'd managed to train for and complete a marathon by running just 3 minutes at a time, so it seemed entirely possible that it would work for my day job and home admin too.
This morning, in an article on Fast Company, they covered this very subject in "Why Saying This Four -Letter Word Can Transform Your Productivity".
How timely!
So, from now on, I will not only be working in 10 minute bursts, I will also be shouting "Done" every time I complete something on my list.
This sounds like a sure-fire way to activate my brain's reward system to get a buzz from doing something real, instead of something pretend.
I've had 10 "Done"s so far today and some of those things even took longer than 10 minutes.
What a start to the week.
Thursday, 9 April 2015
From anxious overwhelm to optimistic excitement in 10 minute blasts
Someone just told me that it's up to me to choose how I face the day.
I've got into the habit of starting off with an air of "anxious overwhelm". I'm not entirely sure why. It's a feeling I seem to have been living with for a long time. Every now and again, I get a real burst of positivity and enthusiasm which can last for a couple of weeks, but I haven't been near one of those blasts for a couple of months.
In the case of today, I've fallen into my usual trap and most want to crawl back under the duvet.
My habitual response to this is to give up quickly on the day that doesn't start well. In my head, the bad start condemns the rest of the day to the scrapheap. I quickly let myself off the hook of what I need to be doing and find a distraction to immerse myself in. I've failed at my work day before I've even started. What is going on?
Why should a day that start out with fear and dread? And then just because it started that way, does it really have to continue in that vein? What if I tried something to break the cycle? What if, rather than effectively doing nothing, I did just 10 minutes of something potentially revenue-generating from my work list? Just a 10 minute task. In fact, I bet I can break much of my to do list down into 10 minute tasks.
This might be the work equivalent of my run / walk marathon approach. For the 26.2 miles of the Berlin marathon, I only ran for only 3 minutes at a time. It was a neat little mind trick that kept me focused, injury-free and most importantly in a state of pure joy for the 5 hours or so it took me to complete the course.
So the experiment for today is to do a selection of 10 minute tasks from my list.
And the experiment for tomorrow is to choose to face the day with optimism and enthusiasm.
What an adventure into the unknown that could be!
I've got into the habit of starting off with an air of "anxious overwhelm". I'm not entirely sure why. It's a feeling I seem to have been living with for a long time. Every now and again, I get a real burst of positivity and enthusiasm which can last for a couple of weeks, but I haven't been near one of those blasts for a couple of months.
In the case of today, I've fallen into my usual trap and most want to crawl back under the duvet.
My habitual response to this is to give up quickly on the day that doesn't start well. In my head, the bad start condemns the rest of the day to the scrapheap. I quickly let myself off the hook of what I need to be doing and find a distraction to immerse myself in. I've failed at my work day before I've even started. What is going on?
Why should a day that start out with fear and dread? And then just because it started that way, does it really have to continue in that vein? What if I tried something to break the cycle? What if, rather than effectively doing nothing, I did just 10 minutes of something potentially revenue-generating from my work list? Just a 10 minute task. In fact, I bet I can break much of my to do list down into 10 minute tasks.
This might be the work equivalent of my run / walk marathon approach. For the 26.2 miles of the Berlin marathon, I only ran for only 3 minutes at a time. It was a neat little mind trick that kept me focused, injury-free and most importantly in a state of pure joy for the 5 hours or so it took me to complete the course.
So the experiment for today is to do a selection of 10 minute tasks from my list.
And the experiment for tomorrow is to choose to face the day with optimism and enthusiasm.
What an adventure into the unknown that could be!
Failure to launch
And here we go again.
Am trying to bribe myself to get some tricky work done by buying cake and coffee and sitting in Nero's rather than in my home office. This is one of my more common avoidance tactics.
The cake and the coffee aren't helping my marathon training or my waistline either. Last summer's clothes are already feeling a bit tight around my middle and my 30 day plank challenge is considerably more challenging with the extra weight I'm carrying.
.... 40 minute chat interlude with student sitting next to me writing his thesis .... that's not helped either! I was trying to lull myself into work by writing about how difficult I was finding it to get started. Now I find that I've lost my train of thought for this post too. Must be time to hold my breath and batter my cuticles.
But, I've made a commitment not to do that anymore. Gosh I really do make hard work of my life. And there goes the inner critic, passing judgement again. Things are what they are - neither good nor bad.
I know, I'll update my to do list.
.... which has just left me feeling a bit sick and searching out a cuticle to attack ....
Talk about going round in circles.
A full two hours after sitting down to start work. The panic is rising and cheeks are flushed.
Another failure to launch day.
Am trying to bribe myself to get some tricky work done by buying cake and coffee and sitting in Nero's rather than in my home office. This is one of my more common avoidance tactics.
The cake and the coffee aren't helping my marathon training or my waistline either. Last summer's clothes are already feeling a bit tight around my middle and my 30 day plank challenge is considerably more challenging with the extra weight I'm carrying.
.... 40 minute chat interlude with student sitting next to me writing his thesis .... that's not helped either! I was trying to lull myself into work by writing about how difficult I was finding it to get started. Now I find that I've lost my train of thought for this post too. Must be time to hold my breath and batter my cuticles.
But, I've made a commitment not to do that anymore. Gosh I really do make hard work of my life. And there goes the inner critic, passing judgement again. Things are what they are - neither good nor bad.
I know, I'll update my to do list.
.... which has just left me feeling a bit sick and searching out a cuticle to attack ....
Talk about going round in circles.
A full two hours after sitting down to start work. The panic is rising and cheeks are flushed.
Another failure to launch day.
Wednesday, 8 April 2015
Panic, picking and world record marathoning
Do you ever find yourself holding your breath in a subconscious effort to stop time because you believe you have so much to do you can't see a way of getting it all done and you've got no idea where to start?
At some point during the day, I will find myself frozen like a rabbit in the headlights of my to do list. I notice I'm in that place when I realise that I've stopped breathing.
My automatic strategy for creating release is to pick at the cuticles on my thumbs. It makes me feel like I am doing something. "If I can just remove that stray bit of skin, I'll have completed a major task and will be making real progress on my day.Pat yourself on the back. Job well-done."
Really. That's how it feels.
Of course, there's no item on my daily to do list that says anything about completing a manicure with my teeth.
I hate to think how many hours of my life I have spent on this destructive habit. I hate to think how much more I might have achieved if I'd used that time more productively.
Like so many of us living with this kind of habit, whether it's skin picking, nail-biting or hair pulling, I experience a deep sense of shame about both the activity itself and its physical results. It makes me look damaged and feel damaged on many levels.
I've been doing it my whole life. When I hit 30 I tried hypnotherapy which actually did stop me from destroying my fingers; but it didn't work on my thumbs for some reason.
Anyway, I'm really tired of it now. So, I am formally committing to knocking it on the head once and for all. I've found this website on skin-picking which is a great source of information and techniques.
It looks like I've got a shed load of brain rewiring to do. That should tie in very neatly with my training for the Amsterdam marathon in October this year.
If I put the same time into training as I do into picking, I'll be on for a world record time!
Watch this space x
At some point during the day, I will find myself frozen like a rabbit in the headlights of my to do list. I notice I'm in that place when I realise that I've stopped breathing.
My automatic strategy for creating release is to pick at the cuticles on my thumbs. It makes me feel like I am doing something. "If I can just remove that stray bit of skin, I'll have completed a major task and will be making real progress on my day.Pat yourself on the back. Job well-done."
Really. That's how it feels.
Of course, there's no item on my daily to do list that says anything about completing a manicure with my teeth.
I hate to think how many hours of my life I have spent on this destructive habit. I hate to think how much more I might have achieved if I'd used that time more productively.
Like so many of us living with this kind of habit, whether it's skin picking, nail-biting or hair pulling, I experience a deep sense of shame about both the activity itself and its physical results. It makes me look damaged and feel damaged on many levels.
I've been doing it my whole life. When I hit 30 I tried hypnotherapy which actually did stop me from destroying my fingers; but it didn't work on my thumbs for some reason.
Anyway, I'm really tired of it now. So, I am formally committing to knocking it on the head once and for all. I've found this website on skin-picking which is a great source of information and techniques.
It looks like I've got a shed load of brain rewiring to do. That should tie in very neatly with my training for the Amsterdam marathon in October this year.
If I put the same time into training as I do into picking, I'll be on for a world record time!
Watch this space x
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
I don't think anyone thought I'd actually do it ....
When I announced at New Year 2013 that I was giving up smoking as the first step in training for the Berlin Marathon my family smiled kindly and said "well done - you go for it, love".
But I don't think they thought I would actually do it.
For the first 7 days in January, I allowed myself to eat and drink whatever I wanted and in whatever quantities I wanted. I'd been a smoker for 29 years and not smoking was leaving a huge void that somehow needed filling.
Then I remembered the last time I gave up smoking.
In the space of 2 years, I gained 3 stone. In the four years after that another 2. Clearly, there were other factors in play too, but still. I had managed to lose a little of that by taking up smoking again, but in January this year, I was still approaching 14 stone. There was no way I could afford to gain even a stone.
So on January 10th, I launched the second stage of my Marathon training plan. I gave up drinking and I gave up cake. And sugar generally. And crisps. And whatever other rubbish was playing too big a part in my diet.
When friends asked how my training was going and I said "great, I've given up cake", they thought I was nuts, told me well done, and talked amongst themselves about how I was never going to be able to run a Marathon.
But what did they know?
Without fags, without sugar, without booze, I had a powerhouse of energy coming alive inside me.
Enough to power 10km brisk countryside walks. Probably enough to run, but I was too scared to run.
Scared of not being able to do it, scared of what I'd look like, scared of hurting myself. Scared.
But I stayed off the fags, lost a stone and kept my drinking to a minimum. By March, I really had no option but to start running. Thank goodness for the Couch 2 5km app.
The groundsmen at the football pitch opposite my house got quickly used to the sight of me plodding my ass round and round in circles. And I got used to feeling like an idiot.
I knew deep down I was going to make it in Berlin. I had such a clear picture of myself smiling in elation crossing the finishing line. I had made a sponsorship commitment to Save the Children and to those that had sponsored me.
There was no way I was going to fail.
In the end, it took me 5 hours and 58 minutes. I smiled the whole way, apart from the last 2 km.
So now I'm going to have to do it all again, to live that vision of smiling across the line.
This time, I'm going to Amsterdam.
But I don't think they thought I would actually do it.
For the first 7 days in January, I allowed myself to eat and drink whatever I wanted and in whatever quantities I wanted. I'd been a smoker for 29 years and not smoking was leaving a huge void that somehow needed filling.
Then I remembered the last time I gave up smoking.
In the space of 2 years, I gained 3 stone. In the four years after that another 2. Clearly, there were other factors in play too, but still. I had managed to lose a little of that by taking up smoking again, but in January this year, I was still approaching 14 stone. There was no way I could afford to gain even a stone.
So on January 10th, I launched the second stage of my Marathon training plan. I gave up drinking and I gave up cake. And sugar generally. And crisps. And whatever other rubbish was playing too big a part in my diet.
When friends asked how my training was going and I said "great, I've given up cake", they thought I was nuts, told me well done, and talked amongst themselves about how I was never going to be able to run a Marathon.
But what did they know?
Without fags, without sugar, without booze, I had a powerhouse of energy coming alive inside me.
Enough to power 10km brisk countryside walks. Probably enough to run, but I was too scared to run.
Scared of not being able to do it, scared of what I'd look like, scared of hurting myself. Scared.
But I stayed off the fags, lost a stone and kept my drinking to a minimum. By March, I really had no option but to start running. Thank goodness for the Couch 2 5km app.
The groundsmen at the football pitch opposite my house got quickly used to the sight of me plodding my ass round and round in circles. And I got used to feeling like an idiot.
I knew deep down I was going to make it in Berlin. I had such a clear picture of myself smiling in elation crossing the finishing line. I had made a sponsorship commitment to Save the Children and to those that had sponsored me.
There was no way I was going to fail.
In the end, it took me 5 hours and 58 minutes. I smiled the whole way, apart from the last 2 km.
So now I'm going to have to do it all again, to live that vision of smiling across the line.
This time, I'm going to Amsterdam.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
10 days to Berlin Marathon and I'm finally back on the horse
Ever since I finished my longest run ever on 24th August, things have gone a bit wrong.
With only 5 weeks to go to the Berlin Marathon, my son's father moved his international girlfriend from overseas into his home, giving me only 2 days notice and throwing arranged access and therefore training schedules into disarray.
As if it's not tricky enough to fit in long runs, cross-training, short runs, bringing up a child, working to pay the bills, looking after a home, etc etc.
She is apparently a very delicate flower and was therefore to be protected from me at all costs. I on the other hand was threatened with court and forced into agreeing for my 2.5 year old son to be entrusted into the care of someone I had never met. Naturally, his father claimed that our son would only be in his care, but I can't see that that would be practicable.
The overall emotional distress from the situation itself was compounded by being bullied into accepting a course of action that I wholeheartedly believe is wrong. It totally took the wind out of my sails. I could barely put one foot in front of the other, never mind put on my trainers and run.
And even if I had, the pain in the top of my foot caused by my new trainers was adding to the urge to eat cake rather than run. And a pain in my groin/inner thigh seemed to be getting worse.
After 2 awful weeks of wallowing and with only 3 weeks to go to the marathon, I pulled myself together (just a little) and resolved to get myself onto the treadmill at least. On the way to the gym, I called in to my local running shop and indulged in a bit of retail therapy ... another pair of new trainers.
What is it with running shops and their obsession with "correcting" what mild over-pronation with shoes that feel like concrete blocks??? I'm convinced that there must be a better way ie learning better running form. I'm sure some of these stability shoes actually create more problems than they solve - at least, that has been my experience.
Please, Saucony UK - can you hurry up and bring your wide fit shoes to the UK? That's what I need - the wide-fit Saucony Guide 7. If you have a high instep or any other type of problem on the top of your foot, I seriously recommend trying Saucony shoes. All these other shoes I've been sold, barely cover the top of my foot. The tongue's aren't wide enough to provide protection from lacing. All the Saucony shoes I've tried feel wonderfully soft across the top. It's like wearing slippers really. But they're just not wide enough.
At this late stage, I've had to make a decision between getting a big blister on my big toe joint or inflamed tendons across the top of my foot. I've chosen the blister. Some Compeed will help a bit and I'm going to try out putting one on the inside of the shoe over the stitched area that causes the problem. Hopefully that will do the job. I've worked out some rather nifty lacing that keeps things really comfortable across the top of my foot and allows me to tie them at the outer side rather than in the middle. I just need to make the decision on socks - single skin or double skin ??? not sure yet.
I think I'm there with the new Guide 7s. And they are by far the most pretty of my recent shoe purchases, which is a smile-inducing bonus. So that's the shoes sorted.
![]()
.JPG)
And I finally found a bright royal blue running top that makes me think of dad.
I've worked a few things out in my head that bring me back into control of my personal life. Work is moving along fine. The last long slow run that was scheduled for last week didn't happen, which is a bit worrying, but I'm not going to let it get me down anymore.
On Monday, I headed out for a relaxed 10km over quite hilly terrain. I did the same route today. Both runs went quite well and I'm thinking that the flatness of Berlin will make the first 10km feel a lot easier. I know that once I've cracked the first 10km, I'll be well settled and in the zone. I'm hoping I'm alert enough to recognise a few of the sights I've worked so hard to pick out along the way.
With a bit of prodding and poking, I've got my donations up to £950, which is just £50 short of my £1,000 target - woohoo! It definitely helps that I've never done anything like this before. Friends, family and work colleagues have all been so generous.
So finally, with 10 days to go, things feel like they are coming together again. I've got a couple of 10km runs to do, a long long walk, and a few swims. I've got an appointment with my physio and one with my hairdresser. I've indulged in a bit of retail therapy, so my non-running Berlin wardrobe is sorted. The support team is booked on flights and in hotels. The post-race drinking meet-up has been organised ... assuming I can still stand.
All I need to do now, is run the 42 and a bit km from the Brandenburg Gate to the Brandenburg Gate.
Oh how tempting to take the short cut!
With only 5 weeks to go to the Berlin Marathon, my son's father moved his international girlfriend from overseas into his home, giving me only 2 days notice and throwing arranged access and therefore training schedules into disarray.
As if it's not tricky enough to fit in long runs, cross-training, short runs, bringing up a child, working to pay the bills, looking after a home, etc etc.
She is apparently a very delicate flower and was therefore to be protected from me at all costs. I on the other hand was threatened with court and forced into agreeing for my 2.5 year old son to be entrusted into the care of someone I had never met. Naturally, his father claimed that our son would only be in his care, but I can't see that that would be practicable.
The overall emotional distress from the situation itself was compounded by being bullied into accepting a course of action that I wholeheartedly believe is wrong. It totally took the wind out of my sails. I could barely put one foot in front of the other, never mind put on my trainers and run.
And even if I had, the pain in the top of my foot caused by my new trainers was adding to the urge to eat cake rather than run. And a pain in my groin/inner thigh seemed to be getting worse.
After 2 awful weeks of wallowing and with only 3 weeks to go to the marathon, I pulled myself together (just a little) and resolved to get myself onto the treadmill at least. On the way to the gym, I called in to my local running shop and indulged in a bit of retail therapy ... another pair of new trainers.
What is it with running shops and their obsession with "correcting" what mild over-pronation with shoes that feel like concrete blocks??? I'm convinced that there must be a better way ie learning better running form. I'm sure some of these stability shoes actually create more problems than they solve - at least, that has been my experience.
Please, Saucony UK - can you hurry up and bring your wide fit shoes to the UK? That's what I need - the wide-fit Saucony Guide 7. If you have a high instep or any other type of problem on the top of your foot, I seriously recommend trying Saucony shoes. All these other shoes I've been sold, barely cover the top of my foot. The tongue's aren't wide enough to provide protection from lacing. All the Saucony shoes I've tried feel wonderfully soft across the top. It's like wearing slippers really. But they're just not wide enough.
At this late stage, I've had to make a decision between getting a big blister on my big toe joint or inflamed tendons across the top of my foot. I've chosen the blister. Some Compeed will help a bit and I'm going to try out putting one on the inside of the shoe over the stitched area that causes the problem. Hopefully that will do the job. I've worked out some rather nifty lacing that keeps things really comfortable across the top of my foot and allows me to tie them at the outer side rather than in the middle. I just need to make the decision on socks - single skin or double skin ??? not sure yet.
I think I'm there with the new Guide 7s. And they are by far the most pretty of my recent shoe purchases, which is a smile-inducing bonus. So that's the shoes sorted.
And I finally found a bright royal blue running top that makes me think of dad.
I've worked a few things out in my head that bring me back into control of my personal life. Work is moving along fine. The last long slow run that was scheduled for last week didn't happen, which is a bit worrying, but I'm not going to let it get me down anymore.
On Monday, I headed out for a relaxed 10km over quite hilly terrain. I did the same route today. Both runs went quite well and I'm thinking that the flatness of Berlin will make the first 10km feel a lot easier. I know that once I've cracked the first 10km, I'll be well settled and in the zone. I'm hoping I'm alert enough to recognise a few of the sights I've worked so hard to pick out along the way.
With a bit of prodding and poking, I've got my donations up to £950, which is just £50 short of my £1,000 target - woohoo! It definitely helps that I've never done anything like this before. Friends, family and work colleagues have all been so generous.
So finally, with 10 days to go, things feel like they are coming together again. I've got a couple of 10km runs to do, a long long walk, and a few swims. I've got an appointment with my physio and one with my hairdresser. I've indulged in a bit of retail therapy, so my non-running Berlin wardrobe is sorted. The support team is booked on flights and in hotels. The post-race drinking meet-up has been organised ... assuming I can still stand.
All I need to do now, is run the 42 and a bit km from the Brandenburg Gate to the Brandenburg Gate.
Oh how tempting to take the short cut!
Thursday, 11 September 2014
2014 Berlin Marathon Route Sights
It's taken a bit longer than I thought to pull together a route map for the 2014 Berlin Marathon complete with landmarks, but it's almost finished.
It's here on my 2014 Berlin Marathon Pinterest board.
I'll be adding to it a bit more over the next two weeks when I get time and I need to finish the last couple of kms - I hope that's not the story of my race!
I'm only a second time visitor to Berlin, so I'm bound to have missed some interesting stuff. If you've got some landmarks to add, I'd be really pleased to hear from you.
Happy racing!
It's here on my 2014 Berlin Marathon Pinterest board.
I'll be adding to it a bit more over the next two weeks when I get time and I need to finish the last couple of kms - I hope that's not the story of my race!
I'm only a second time visitor to Berlin, so I'm bound to have missed some interesting stuff. If you've got some landmarks to add, I'd be really pleased to hear from you.
Happy racing!
Thursday, 4 September 2014
A million pairs of running shoes and not a pair to wear
Today I bought my third pair of new running shoes in 5 weeks.
I loved the pair of Saucony Guide 6 that I started out with, but as I upped the mileage, I started to get blisters on the big toe joint. I've got really wide feet which apparently aren't particularly well-catered for by Saucony. I'm also a bit of an overpronator and the chap in the running shop told me that the extra movement of the foot can cause the big toe joint to rub more on the spot where the insole meets the side of the shoe. Sounds feasible, but what do I know?
One of the reasons I really loved Guide 6 was that it was really comfortable on the top of my foot. I've got a high arch and instep and a lot of weird sensitivity following the birth of my son nearly 3 years ago. The top of that shoe just felt like a duvet on the top of my foot. The tongue is wide and not too fat and just seems to fit perfectly. And I'm gutted, because I can't seem to find the same comfort in any other shoe.
I really had to change them. I'd had them for 7 months and I needed to get a new pair worn in properly before the Berlin Marathon. When I went to get a new pair, I did the whole gait analysis thing and we tried some shoes with a bit more stability. I ended up with a pair of New Balance which had loads of toe room, but not very much room on the top of the foot. They were really comfortable on the sole, but I should have backed off when there was hardly any lace left to tie. The tongue wasn't wide enough to protect the top of my foot from the top lace holes.
I didn't really like them from the start, so the last time I was in London, I made an impulse buy in London when someone showed me the Saucony Triumph ... why did I buy them? Because they didn't have the stitching on the toe box that I thought had been causing my blisters. But that wasn't what had been causing my blisters. And so even though the top of the shoe was once more lovely and comfortable, my over-pronating foot was rolling around in them like nobody's business and those nasty blisters were back with a vengeance.
The New Balance have seen me through some long runs recently. I've adapted the lacing on the right foot to take the pressure off the top of my foot. Which of course then meant my heel was wobbling about all over the place. By the time I took my shoe off at 30km, I had a blister the size of a tomato. That was 2 weeks ago and it's still healing. And the top of my foot was getting more and more sensitive.
So today, I went out and got the third pair of new trainers in 5 weeks. And I really don't know if I'm convinced. This is a high stability Asics Gel 11. Apparently it's fab for wide-footed over-pronators ... but no-one's said anything about sensitive top of footers .... I'm wearing them in as we speak. And they feel really hot. I hate having hot feet. And they feel rather heavy too. I gave them a few minutes run on the treadmill after I'd bought them and somehow I'm now sounding really heavy-footed. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty chunky, so I'm never going to sound like grasshopper when I land, but somehow there seemed to be more of a thud.
I've always been barefoot during the day as much as I possibly can be no matter what the weather and I'm worried that such a high stability shoe is going to somehow cripple my feet. I'd much prefer to work on fixing the over-pronation through exercise and then try out the barefoot running shoes. My foot naturally seems to want to go for a mid-foot strike, but these Asics seem to be pushing me back on my heel.
Hopefully I'll get used to them quickly, but just in case, I think I might try out a pair of Saucony Guide 7. If I order them from the US, I think I might even be able to get a wide fit! That could be my dream shoe.
Who knew finding the right shoe would be quite such expensive hard work?!?!?!
I loved the pair of Saucony Guide 6 that I started out with, but as I upped the mileage, I started to get blisters on the big toe joint. I've got really wide feet which apparently aren't particularly well-catered for by Saucony. I'm also a bit of an overpronator and the chap in the running shop told me that the extra movement of the foot can cause the big toe joint to rub more on the spot where the insole meets the side of the shoe. Sounds feasible, but what do I know?
One of the reasons I really loved Guide 6 was that it was really comfortable on the top of my foot. I've got a high arch and instep and a lot of weird sensitivity following the birth of my son nearly 3 years ago. The top of that shoe just felt like a duvet on the top of my foot. The tongue is wide and not too fat and just seems to fit perfectly. And I'm gutted, because I can't seem to find the same comfort in any other shoe.
I really had to change them. I'd had them for 7 months and I needed to get a new pair worn in properly before the Berlin Marathon. When I went to get a new pair, I did the whole gait analysis thing and we tried some shoes with a bit more stability. I ended up with a pair of New Balance which had loads of toe room, but not very much room on the top of the foot. They were really comfortable on the sole, but I should have backed off when there was hardly any lace left to tie. The tongue wasn't wide enough to protect the top of my foot from the top lace holes.
I didn't really like them from the start, so the last time I was in London, I made an impulse buy in London when someone showed me the Saucony Triumph ... why did I buy them? Because they didn't have the stitching on the toe box that I thought had been causing my blisters. But that wasn't what had been causing my blisters. And so even though the top of the shoe was once more lovely and comfortable, my over-pronating foot was rolling around in them like nobody's business and those nasty blisters were back with a vengeance.
The New Balance have seen me through some long runs recently. I've adapted the lacing on the right foot to take the pressure off the top of my foot. Which of course then meant my heel was wobbling about all over the place. By the time I took my shoe off at 30km, I had a blister the size of a tomato. That was 2 weeks ago and it's still healing. And the top of my foot was getting more and more sensitive.
So today, I went out and got the third pair of new trainers in 5 weeks. And I really don't know if I'm convinced. This is a high stability Asics Gel 11. Apparently it's fab for wide-footed over-pronators ... but no-one's said anything about sensitive top of footers .... I'm wearing them in as we speak. And they feel really hot. I hate having hot feet. And they feel rather heavy too. I gave them a few minutes run on the treadmill after I'd bought them and somehow I'm now sounding really heavy-footed. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty chunky, so I'm never going to sound like grasshopper when I land, but somehow there seemed to be more of a thud.
I've always been barefoot during the day as much as I possibly can be no matter what the weather and I'm worried that such a high stability shoe is going to somehow cripple my feet. I'd much prefer to work on fixing the over-pronation through exercise and then try out the barefoot running shoes. My foot naturally seems to want to go for a mid-foot strike, but these Asics seem to be pushing me back on my heel.
Hopefully I'll get used to them quickly, but just in case, I think I might try out a pair of Saucony Guide 7. If I order them from the US, I think I might even be able to get a wide fit! That could be my dream shoe.
Who knew finding the right shoe would be quite such expensive hard work?!?!?!
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Horror week of non-training
Last Sunday, I was elated.
I'd run 30km - further than I've ever been on foot before; and I wasn't even particularly sore.
I felt great.
Right up until 9.21pm on Tuesday, when I got a text from my son's father to say that his Russian girlfriend was arriving two days later and would be moving in with him. I've been expecting it of course (we've been separated for over 18mths), but I didn't expect to have just two days notice.
I'm not bothered about him moving on and not jealous about them being together. I wish him well and hope they are happy. But it is complicated when there is a child involved.
William's father thinks I should trust his judgement and release my 2.5 year old son into the care of someone I don't know for weekend visits. I have a lot of well-founded reasons for being concerned about his judgement.
I don't want to go into the details here. Let's just say that we fundamentally disagree on when and how children should be introduced to new partners.
I had my last 5 weeks of training mapped out to the day. I was so pleased with myself for getting this far without needing time off for injuries. I didn't see this coming, although I probably should have. Suddenly, everything was thrown up in the air. It looked like my weekend long runs would be history and potentially I would have to pull out of the event because I would need to be here to look after my son.
Things really did look bleak for a while.
Thankfully, I did not smoke a cigarette. Phew!
But I did no runs last week.
I drank more wine than I'm used to, now that my body's a temple!?!?!
I ate cake, chocolate, biscuits .... anything sweet that I could get my hands on.
All of which just made me feel worse and worse.
I discussed the matter endlessly with friends, professionals, relatives. By Friday afternoon, I really was in a desperate hole. Really not the kind of hole I want to feel myself in again.
And then suddenly, just before bedtime, the final answer came to me and it was like a weight lifted and I could finally get up off the floor, and shake off the virtual kicking I'd been taking for years.
I spent yesterday settling into my new ideas and got up this morning ready for my first run in a week. I only did 8kms, but it was a really really good 8km. Not fast or anything, but strong and confident, and deeply pleasurable.
There's no more wine and no more chocolate in the house. Mum has volunteered to stay and look after my son rather than coming to watch me in Berlin. I'll move work around a bit so that I do my long runs mid week. I'll get a bit of extra help in from friends and family at the weekends in particular.
I will do the best I can for my son. I have lots of options. I won't be backed into a corner and forced into a course of action I am deeply uncomfortable with. I will set and hold boundaries and keep control over my life.
Everything's going to be fine.
I'd run 30km - further than I've ever been on foot before; and I wasn't even particularly sore.
I felt great.
Right up until 9.21pm on Tuesday, when I got a text from my son's father to say that his Russian girlfriend was arriving two days later and would be moving in with him. I've been expecting it of course (we've been separated for over 18mths), but I didn't expect to have just two days notice.
I'm not bothered about him moving on and not jealous about them being together. I wish him well and hope they are happy. But it is complicated when there is a child involved.
William's father thinks I should trust his judgement and release my 2.5 year old son into the care of someone I don't know for weekend visits. I have a lot of well-founded reasons for being concerned about his judgement.
I don't want to go into the details here. Let's just say that we fundamentally disagree on when and how children should be introduced to new partners.
I had my last 5 weeks of training mapped out to the day. I was so pleased with myself for getting this far without needing time off for injuries. I didn't see this coming, although I probably should have. Suddenly, everything was thrown up in the air. It looked like my weekend long runs would be history and potentially I would have to pull out of the event because I would need to be here to look after my son.
Things really did look bleak for a while.
Thankfully, I did not smoke a cigarette. Phew!
But I did no runs last week.
I drank more wine than I'm used to, now that my body's a temple!?!?!
I ate cake, chocolate, biscuits .... anything sweet that I could get my hands on.
All of which just made me feel worse and worse.
I discussed the matter endlessly with friends, professionals, relatives. By Friday afternoon, I really was in a desperate hole. Really not the kind of hole I want to feel myself in again.
And then suddenly, just before bedtime, the final answer came to me and it was like a weight lifted and I could finally get up off the floor, and shake off the virtual kicking I'd been taking for years.
I spent yesterday settling into my new ideas and got up this morning ready for my first run in a week. I only did 8kms, but it was a really really good 8km. Not fast or anything, but strong and confident, and deeply pleasurable.
There's no more wine and no more chocolate in the house. Mum has volunteered to stay and look after my son rather than coming to watch me in Berlin. I'll move work around a bit so that I do my long runs mid week. I'll get a bit of extra help in from friends and family at the weekends in particular.
I will do the best I can for my son. I have lots of options. I won't be backed into a corner and forced into a course of action I am deeply uncomfortable with. I will set and hold boundaries and keep control over my life.
Everything's going to be fine.
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Reclaiming my body, reclaiming myself
It occurred to me the other day when I was on my long slow run that for the first time since being in my early teens I actually felt like my body was my own again.
Running and training for the Berlin Marathon was putting me back in control of my physical being, in a way that I remember being as a kid. The freedom of tearing around on a bike or on roller-skates or in the swimming pool or on a ski slope used to give me such euphoric pleasure.
Boys, cigarettes, cake and wine (in that order I think) were my undoing. From that point at around 13 until last weekend, I had really lost myself. On many levels I'd given myself away. Lost myself in throwaway moments of no long term value to anyone.
Life's pretty tricky at the moment, but running's helping me through it.
And if I can regain that blissful physical freedom I remember from my pre-teen years, I think I may well fly.
Running and training for the Berlin Marathon was putting me back in control of my physical being, in a way that I remember being as a kid. The freedom of tearing around on a bike or on roller-skates or in the swimming pool or on a ski slope used to give me such euphoric pleasure.
Boys, cigarettes, cake and wine (in that order I think) were my undoing. From that point at around 13 until last weekend, I had really lost myself. On many levels I'd given myself away. Lost myself in throwaway moments of no long term value to anyone.
Life's pretty tricky at the moment, but running's helping me through it.
And if I can regain that blissful physical freedom I remember from my pre-teen years, I think I may well fly.
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
The poor woman's mid-life crisis? Endurance sports!
Eight months ago, I couldn't run for a bus.
Two days ago, I ran a 30km (18.5mile) training run in preparation for the 2014 Berlin Marathon, which takes place on 28th September in less than 5 weeks.
Along the way I've ....
Two days ago, I ran a 30km (18.5mile) training run in preparation for the 2014 Berlin Marathon, which takes place on 28th September in less than 5 weeks.
Along the way I've ....
- Stopped smoking
- Cut back dramatically on the wine
- And the cake
- Lost 20lbs
- Fixed my post baby body
- Repaired an old back injury (tipsy topple down the stairs of a double decker bus)
- Made new friends
- Built self-esteem and a greater sense of possibility and accomplishment
- Gained the strength and energy to be an active and involved 43 year old mum to a very active and energetic 2 year old
I'm still 20lbs overweight and my running pace is slow slow slow. I don't look pretty when I run, but I sure look happy and I get to the finish line in my own good time.
One of the reasons I've got this far, I am sure, is that I have always included walk breaks in my runs. From the beginning, I used the couch to 5km iphone app to get me going. At the start, running for 30 seconds felt like climbing a mountain.
When the app pushed forward to running all the way, I stopped using it. Put simply, I needed those walk breaks and I quickly settled in to running 8 minutes and walking 2 minutes. It felt comfortable and I was convinced that it would only be a matter of time before I could ditch my walk breaks altogether.
Then I discovered Jeff Galloway's book "Marathon: You Can Do It". Based on my pace, Jeff was telling me that I should be running 3 minutes and walking 1 minute - what a result. He was also telling me that it was a perfectly fine strategy for completing a marathon. Being a bit of a geek, I ran the numbers on a spreadsheet and sure enough, those 1 minute walk breaks would make very little difference to my overall time.
What a result!
And that's what I've been doing ever since. All the way to 30km. Whoop whoop!!
So much of this running stuff really is in your head, it turns out, and Jeff lays out strategies for that too. Of course, something else may work better for you. We are all so different physiologically and mentally. But my point is, that if a really overweight and really quite sad person like me as I was can do it, then it has to be achievable for so many other folks too.
The one thing that has supported me all along the way (apart from family and friends of course) has been an underlying belief that I could do this. One of the foundations for that belief was laid by supporting other people at endurance events. Seeing the participants of all ages, shapes an sizes finishing events that sometimes lasted 15 hours, really gave me the sense that with committed training I could complete a marathon.
Once I had decided that I was going to run the Berlin Marathon in 2014, I had to act. I gave up smoking just like that after 30 years. It turns out, that I had just needed to find something that I wanted to do more than smoke. And something that I wanted to do more than drink buckets of wine. And something that I wanted to do more than eat cake for breakfast. And at the beginning, taking control of those things felt really easy compared with the prospect of running 26.2 miles.
Squeezing in the training has been tricky at times. I'm a single mum and self-employed full time in the headhunting sector, so there's not a lot of free time in my days. But it has so been worth it and I hope that one day I'll be running races with my son. Hopefully, I'll be a little bit quicker by then, but I actually think I'll get more of a buzz out of running further. Every time I run further than I've run before, it just blows my mind and my recent half marathon at Kimbolton Castle was one of the best days of my life so far.
Or maybe I'll swim the channel.
As someone said to me recently ... "ah yes endurance sports ... the poor man's mid-life crisis".
That may well be so, but I feel better, stronger and more alive than I've felt for 30 years, and I'm planning on feeling even better next year.
Monday, 25 August 2014
Longest distance ever covered on foot ...
by me, that is ... not globally in the history of the planet or anything!
I went out yesterday for my long slow run with a goal of 17miles and actually did 18.5miles or 30km for all the metrics out there.
I wasn't sure how it was going to go as my longest run to date had been the half marathon that I did last week. To be honest, I really wasn't looking forward to it. Part of me was suddenly worried that I might not have what it takes to really go the distance. Maybe completing a half marathon was enough for me?
Also, my right hip flexors have been a bit uncomfortable for a little while now. It's fine on the treadmill, but once I'm outside on more uneven surfaces, a niggling discomfort starts and it gets a bit tiring to run with. It kicked in a 2km on the half marathon because it was so hilly I think.
I had a really good and restful day on Saturday, drinking loads of water and eating little and often, so as to get that glycogen crammed into my little muscles. Bedtime was earlyish at 11pm and my sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted. The alarm went off at 7am and after a tiny dose and a quick shower, I threw on my kit despite the background doubts and headed downstairs for my pre long run breakfast routine, which went something like this:
7.30am 2 max potency Rhodiola Rosea with a pint of water
8am coffee and bagel with almond butter and a little grind of salt
8.30am a Barocca in a pint of water with 2 desert spoons of chia seeds, + supplements of turmeric, lysine and arginine (who knows whether these things work, but they're part of my routine now)
9am finally head off after multiple loo breaks and a bit of procrastination
Last week I tried out Huma and SIS gels. This week I tried out PowerBar (the packaging really puts me off, but they are the ones available on the day, so it would seem sensible to try them out) and Vooma Energy gels. I took three of those water bottles which have the hand hold bit. I can comfortably slot two of them on my bumbag and carry the third. Spot the amateur!! I must look a right sight, but they give me comfort and a sense of control, and I'm not aware of them while I'm running. I also have the lemon and lime electrolyte tablets dissolved in them, which I find to be refreshing and again somehow comforting. The other thing that I tried out was the Sport Beans.
Once I'd arrived, got parked up, set off my ipod and assembled my mass of running paraphernalia, I was ready for the off. I don't usually use my ipod for running except on the previous long runs I've done on the treadmill. On those occasions, I've opted for listening to books as I find that I can tune in and tune out when I feel like it. That's not always great for following a storyline, but I find music quite intrusive when I'm running. For this run it seemed appropriate to continue with Anna Funder's Stasiland.
Sure enough, the old hip flexors started bothering me right from the outset. It doesn't hurt enough to stop .. just a nagging niggle. And it's definitely better on the flat and worse on the cambered part of a pavement or road. I've got a physio session tomorrow which will hopefully help to sort it out because it will be really boring running with that in Berlin. Although, as the course is so flat, I'm hoping that the niggle will keep its head down.
I've still got some trainer issues, which is frustrating. My New Balance don't have a wide enough tongue for my high instep and if I do them up too tightly I get discomfort in my shins and my toes go numb! I used to like my Saucony until they started giving me blisters. Then I thought I had found the answer with some Saucony without the toe box stitching, but it turns out that wasn't causing the blisters in my first pair. Aaarggghhhh sooo frustrating. During the half marathon I picked up a new blister on my heal with the NBs. Foolishly, I thought that was a one off, but it wasn't and came back again with a vengeance during yesterday's run.
To be honest, I'm really impressed that I didn't give up yesterday with the hip / thigh pain and then the blisters, but after a while I didn't really notice them too much. It was such a beautiful day and I was getting a real kick from completing those 4.5km laps. I think that's a good distance to work with for me as a marker, so I'll be plotting out landmarks to spot at 4km intervals I think. Hopefully, Berlin will oblige me with something noteworthy to look out for at such specific intervals.
Pace-wise, I was going slow slow slow as directed by the Jeff Galloway method. That meant run 3 mins walk 1 min run 3 mins walk 1 min .... and on and on and on. I was doing 8min/km to 8.5min/km and got to 30km in just over 4 hours, putting me on target to finish in under 6 hours. That must just sound so horribly long to an experienced runner!
In terms of fuel and hydration, I had a bag of sports beans during the first hour with 500ml of water with an electrolyte tablet. I then topped that bottle up at a water fountain and had a loo break - I do hope there are portaloos on the route in Berlin! At an hour and a half, I had my first PowerBar gel (strawberry and banana - yuck), another at 2hrs, a third at 2hrs 30. Then I switched to Vooma at 3hours and another at 3hours 30. I made sure that I drank to thirst, but also drank more with the gels.
My verdict? I loved the zingy taste of the sports beans - I'm definitely taking some of those for the first hour of the Berlin Marathon and also some for the last hour. The flavour is so intense that I think that hit could be useful towards the end. The PowerBar gels (although disgusting tasting and with horrid packaging) seem to have the best affect on me. I did seem to notice a little rush of power to my legs and a sense of well-being restored. They are also quite small, so I can get a lot of them in my bumbag, and they open easily. I wasn't aware of how important that last point was until it came to trying to open the Vooma gels. With the first one, I could only get the top torn partially off and ended up wearing half of it down my shirt; with the second, I could hardly get the top off at all and ended up biting a hole in it. The whole wasn't quite big enough though and in the process of trying to squeeze the contents out, it ended up slipping out of my hand ... flipping useless! So, I definitely won't be using them. Also, it says you need 285ml of water with each one, which seems like quite a lot considering I like to sip as I go.
So, that's a yes for Sport Beans and a yes for PowerBar. No adverse stomach effects noted, and both seem to provide some physical and mental kick. Hurrah!
The four hours slipped by rather gently. Mentally, I actually felt great, which meant I could push through the leg pain and blister discomfort. Each lap was another great achievement and going past the half marathon distance was amazing. From that point on, every step was a step closer to my Berlin target. At 25km, I decided I had at least one more lap in the tank, so I went for it and finished up at 30km. I think I could have gone round again, but my objective through all of this has been to complete this marathon without hurting myself. So, I'm saving that extra lap for my next and last long run in two weeks time.
After a 5 minute cool down walk and a good 15 mins of stretching, I headed back to the car for a bottle of yucky protein heavy chocolate milkshake and a banana and some raisins. I'm not sure I could have managed anything else straight away, although I made up for it later with the biggest meal I think I've ever eaten!
Over the next two weeks before my next and possibly last long run before Berlin, I'll be doing a load of stretching, yoga, squats, sports massage and 10km short runs. My legs feel pretty good today. I'm sure that living in a town house with a tonne of stairs is actually helping somehow, but let's see how I feel tomorrow.
I went out yesterday for my long slow run with a goal of 17miles and actually did 18.5miles or 30km for all the metrics out there.
I wasn't sure how it was going to go as my longest run to date had been the half marathon that I did last week. To be honest, I really wasn't looking forward to it. Part of me was suddenly worried that I might not have what it takes to really go the distance. Maybe completing a half marathon was enough for me?
Also, my right hip flexors have been a bit uncomfortable for a little while now. It's fine on the treadmill, but once I'm outside on more uneven surfaces, a niggling discomfort starts and it gets a bit tiring to run with. It kicked in a 2km on the half marathon because it was so hilly I think.
I had a really good and restful day on Saturday, drinking loads of water and eating little and often, so as to get that glycogen crammed into my little muscles. Bedtime was earlyish at 11pm and my sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted. The alarm went off at 7am and after a tiny dose and a quick shower, I threw on my kit despite the background doubts and headed downstairs for my pre long run breakfast routine, which went something like this:
7.30am 2 max potency Rhodiola Rosea with a pint of water
8am coffee and bagel with almond butter and a little grind of salt
8.30am a Barocca in a pint of water with 2 desert spoons of chia seeds, + supplements of turmeric, lysine and arginine (who knows whether these things work, but they're part of my routine now)
9am finally head off after multiple loo breaks and a bit of procrastination
Last week I tried out Huma and SIS gels. This week I tried out PowerBar (the packaging really puts me off, but they are the ones available on the day, so it would seem sensible to try them out) and Vooma Energy gels. I took three of those water bottles which have the hand hold bit. I can comfortably slot two of them on my bumbag and carry the third. Spot the amateur!! I must look a right sight, but they give me comfort and a sense of control, and I'm not aware of them while I'm running. I also have the lemon and lime electrolyte tablets dissolved in them, which I find to be refreshing and again somehow comforting. The other thing that I tried out was the Sport Beans.
Once I'd arrived, got parked up, set off my ipod and assembled my mass of running paraphernalia, I was ready for the off. I don't usually use my ipod for running except on the previous long runs I've done on the treadmill. On those occasions, I've opted for listening to books as I find that I can tune in and tune out when I feel like it. That's not always great for following a storyline, but I find music quite intrusive when I'm running. For this run it seemed appropriate to continue with Anna Funder's Stasiland.
Sure enough, the old hip flexors started bothering me right from the outset. It doesn't hurt enough to stop .. just a nagging niggle. And it's definitely better on the flat and worse on the cambered part of a pavement or road. I've got a physio session tomorrow which will hopefully help to sort it out because it will be really boring running with that in Berlin. Although, as the course is so flat, I'm hoping that the niggle will keep its head down.
I've still got some trainer issues, which is frustrating. My New Balance don't have a wide enough tongue for my high instep and if I do them up too tightly I get discomfort in my shins and my toes go numb! I used to like my Saucony until they started giving me blisters. Then I thought I had found the answer with some Saucony without the toe box stitching, but it turns out that wasn't causing the blisters in my first pair. Aaarggghhhh sooo frustrating. During the half marathon I picked up a new blister on my heal with the NBs. Foolishly, I thought that was a one off, but it wasn't and came back again with a vengeance during yesterday's run.
To be honest, I'm really impressed that I didn't give up yesterday with the hip / thigh pain and then the blisters, but after a while I didn't really notice them too much. It was such a beautiful day and I was getting a real kick from completing those 4.5km laps. I think that's a good distance to work with for me as a marker, so I'll be plotting out landmarks to spot at 4km intervals I think. Hopefully, Berlin will oblige me with something noteworthy to look out for at such specific intervals.
Pace-wise, I was going slow slow slow as directed by the Jeff Galloway method. That meant run 3 mins walk 1 min run 3 mins walk 1 min .... and on and on and on. I was doing 8min/km to 8.5min/km and got to 30km in just over 4 hours, putting me on target to finish in under 6 hours. That must just sound so horribly long to an experienced runner!
In terms of fuel and hydration, I had a bag of sports beans during the first hour with 500ml of water with an electrolyte tablet. I then topped that bottle up at a water fountain and had a loo break - I do hope there are portaloos on the route in Berlin! At an hour and a half, I had my first PowerBar gel (strawberry and banana - yuck), another at 2hrs, a third at 2hrs 30. Then I switched to Vooma at 3hours and another at 3hours 30. I made sure that I drank to thirst, but also drank more with the gels.
My verdict? I loved the zingy taste of the sports beans - I'm definitely taking some of those for the first hour of the Berlin Marathon and also some for the last hour. The flavour is so intense that I think that hit could be useful towards the end. The PowerBar gels (although disgusting tasting and with horrid packaging) seem to have the best affect on me. I did seem to notice a little rush of power to my legs and a sense of well-being restored. They are also quite small, so I can get a lot of them in my bumbag, and they open easily. I wasn't aware of how important that last point was until it came to trying to open the Vooma gels. With the first one, I could only get the top torn partially off and ended up wearing half of it down my shirt; with the second, I could hardly get the top off at all and ended up biting a hole in it. The whole wasn't quite big enough though and in the process of trying to squeeze the contents out, it ended up slipping out of my hand ... flipping useless! So, I definitely won't be using them. Also, it says you need 285ml of water with each one, which seems like quite a lot considering I like to sip as I go.
So, that's a yes for Sport Beans and a yes for PowerBar. No adverse stomach effects noted, and both seem to provide some physical and mental kick. Hurrah!
The four hours slipped by rather gently. Mentally, I actually felt great, which meant I could push through the leg pain and blister discomfort. Each lap was another great achievement and going past the half marathon distance was amazing. From that point on, every step was a step closer to my Berlin target. At 25km, I decided I had at least one more lap in the tank, so I went for it and finished up at 30km. I think I could have gone round again, but my objective through all of this has been to complete this marathon without hurting myself. So, I'm saving that extra lap for my next and last long run in two weeks time.
After a 5 minute cool down walk and a good 15 mins of stretching, I headed back to the car for a bottle of yucky protein heavy chocolate milkshake and a banana and some raisins. I'm not sure I could have managed anything else straight away, although I made up for it later with the biggest meal I think I've ever eaten!
Over the next two weeks before my next and possibly last long run before Berlin, I'll be doing a load of stretching, yoga, squats, sports massage and 10km short runs. My legs feel pretty good today. I'm sure that living in a town house with a tonne of stairs is actually helping somehow, but let's see how I feel tomorrow.
Saturday, 23 August 2014
Perfect day before a long run in training for 2014 Berlin Marathon
For what feels like the first time in my training, I have a perfectly free day the day before a scheduled long run.
Hurray!
William is off with his Dad, there are no family parties to attend, no friends visiting, no errands to run.
Bliss!
Tomorrow I'm going to run walk run a la Jeff Galloway 17 miles at a very very slow pace. So today, I've given myself permission to relax. Well, physically at least.
My half marathon race fuelling experiment seemed to work out last week, so I'm just going to tweak that for a longer distance. I'm also going to try out the PowerBar gels because those are the ones that will be available on the route in Berlin.
That doesn't really leave a lot to do today except read, write, listen, eat, drink and nap.
Although I actually lived in Munich in Southern Germany as a child from 1976 to 1980, I know remarkably little about the country's history. The little I do know was learned studying for a history 'O' Level that was completed before the Berlin wall came down! In any case, our syllabus covered from Bismarck until the conclusion of World War II ... so basically, I know a little bit about 80 years out of thousands of years. I'm hoping that if I know a bit more, some of the landmarks, road names, buildings, squares and monuments, will mean something when I spot them and add some much-needed color and life along the 42km route.
This morning, I've had a little look at the 300 years or so up until Bismarck. And it really is a little look! I'm no historian, but it's given me a bit of context. While I'm writing this, I'm listening to the audio of Anna Funder's book Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, which tells the first hand stories of East Germans living behind the wall at the mercy of the Stasi. There's a good summary and review in The Guardian.
While I'm indulging this new interest in all things Berlin historical, I'm stocking up on plenty of water and doing a few yoga poses to stretch out my legs, back, and whatever else I can. I'm eating a small comlex carb based snack every 90 mins or so and am looking forward to an uninterrupted afternoon nap at 2pm.
What a fabulous day!
Oh, and I haven't even changed out of my pyjamas!!
Hurray!
William is off with his Dad, there are no family parties to attend, no friends visiting, no errands to run.
Bliss!
Tomorrow I'm going to run walk run a la Jeff Galloway 17 miles at a very very slow pace. So today, I've given myself permission to relax. Well, physically at least.
My half marathon race fuelling experiment seemed to work out last week, so I'm just going to tweak that for a longer distance. I'm also going to try out the PowerBar gels because those are the ones that will be available on the route in Berlin.
That doesn't really leave a lot to do today except read, write, listen, eat, drink and nap.
Although I actually lived in Munich in Southern Germany as a child from 1976 to 1980, I know remarkably little about the country's history. The little I do know was learned studying for a history 'O' Level that was completed before the Berlin wall came down! In any case, our syllabus covered from Bismarck until the conclusion of World War II ... so basically, I know a little bit about 80 years out of thousands of years. I'm hoping that if I know a bit more, some of the landmarks, road names, buildings, squares and monuments, will mean something when I spot them and add some much-needed color and life along the 42km route.
This morning, I've had a little look at the 300 years or so up until Bismarck. And it really is a little look! I'm no historian, but it's given me a bit of context. While I'm writing this, I'm listening to the audio of Anna Funder's book Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, which tells the first hand stories of East Germans living behind the wall at the mercy of the Stasi. There's a good summary and review in The Guardian.
While I'm indulging this new interest in all things Berlin historical, I'm stocking up on plenty of water and doing a few yoga poses to stretch out my legs, back, and whatever else I can. I'm eating a small comlex carb based snack every 90 mins or so and am looking forward to an uninterrupted afternoon nap at 2pm.
What a fabulous day!
Oh, and I haven't even changed out of my pyjamas!!
Berlin ... a very quick history from the rise of Brandenburg to Otto von Bismarck
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the state of Brandenburg was a rising star among the loose federation of German states. Brandenburg was ruled by the house of Hohenzollern, which from 1657 also ruled Prussia. When Friedrich III, the head of the house of Hohenzollern, crowned himself King of Prussia as Friedrich I in 1701, all of the lands under his control became known as Prussia.
During the 18th century, Prussia became the greatest rival to the Habsburg Austria empire, which had been the major force among the disunited German states. In 1740, Friedrich II, also known as Frederick the Great,was crowned King of Prussia. Under his rule, Berlin became a major European city.
Throughout the 1700s there was deep rivalry between the two, until the rise of Napoleon finally pushed them onto the same side, but not until Napoleon had defeated Prussia and entered Berlin in 1806. The Seventh Coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom was the final stage of the Napoleonic wars and culminated in Napoleon's ultimate defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The wars of liberation against Napoleon had led to a growth of nationalism and democratic awareness, as well as a desire for unification. The March Revolution broke out in 1848 in protest against the traditional, autocratic political structure of Germany's independent states. The urban middle class wanted more liberal policies and the working classes sought radical improvements to their working and living conditions.
The people of Berlin made their demands for democracy, unity and freedom of the press to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. He agreed hastily to quell the unrest that had led to battles between demonstrators, police and the Prussian army.
A Constituent National Assembly was elected in May 1848 and gathered as the all-German National Assembly in Frankfurt. The majority of the assembly were academics and liberals. Their mission was to find ways to unite the various German states into a single nation and to write a constitution, but they struggled to make any real decisions.
Although an elected Prussian National Assembly was established in May 1848, it was dissolved 6 months later when the King unilaterally imposed a monarchist Constitution as a way to undercut the democratic forces. Otto von Bismarck was elected to the very first Landtag under the new monarchical constitution.
Otto von Bismarck was a conservative Prussian statesman and in 1862 was appointed by King Wilhelm I as Minister President of Prussia. He was a dominant political force across Germany and Europe until 1890, skillfully engineering a series of wars against Denmark, Austria and France that united the German states into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership in 1871.
During this period, known as the Second Reich, industry boomed and the economy flourished, leading to a rise of workers' movements inspired by Karl Marx. In response, Bismarck established the world's first ever welfare state in an attempt to undermine the growing popularity of the socialist parties. He was committed to preserving peace in Europe and cementing unification. He remained as Chancellor until he was removed by the new King Wilhelm II in 1890.
During the 18th century, Prussia became the greatest rival to the Habsburg Austria empire, which had been the major force among the disunited German states. In 1740, Friedrich II, also known as Frederick the Great,was crowned King of Prussia. Under his rule, Berlin became a major European city.
Throughout the 1700s there was deep rivalry between the two, until the rise of Napoleon finally pushed them onto the same side, but not until Napoleon had defeated Prussia and entered Berlin in 1806. The Seventh Coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom was the final stage of the Napoleonic wars and culminated in Napoleon's ultimate defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The wars of liberation against Napoleon had led to a growth of nationalism and democratic awareness, as well as a desire for unification. The March Revolution broke out in 1848 in protest against the traditional, autocratic political structure of Germany's independent states. The urban middle class wanted more liberal policies and the working classes sought radical improvements to their working and living conditions.
The people of Berlin made their demands for democracy, unity and freedom of the press to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. He agreed hastily to quell the unrest that had led to battles between demonstrators, police and the Prussian army.
A Constituent National Assembly was elected in May 1848 and gathered as the all-German National Assembly in Frankfurt. The majority of the assembly were academics and liberals. Their mission was to find ways to unite the various German states into a single nation and to write a constitution, but they struggled to make any real decisions.
Although an elected Prussian National Assembly was established in May 1848, it was dissolved 6 months later when the King unilaterally imposed a monarchist Constitution as a way to undercut the democratic forces. Otto von Bismarck was elected to the very first Landtag under the new monarchical constitution.
Otto von Bismarck was a conservative Prussian statesman and in 1862 was appointed by King Wilhelm I as Minister President of Prussia. He was a dominant political force across Germany and Europe until 1890, skillfully engineering a series of wars against Denmark, Austria and France that united the German states into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership in 1871.
During this period, known as the Second Reich, industry boomed and the economy flourished, leading to a rise of workers' movements inspired by Karl Marx. In response, Bismarck established the world's first ever welfare state in an attempt to undermine the growing popularity of the socialist parties. He was committed to preserving peace in Europe and cementing unification. He remained as Chancellor until he was removed by the new King Wilhelm II in 1890.
Friday, 22 August 2014
Wimping out just a little
I need to do a long long run this Sunday in preparation for Berlin on 28th September. I had it all worked out ... the lovely Rutland Water is right on my doorstep and the pathway around it is supposed to be 17miles or 25 if you include the peninsula.
We took the kids there today to the new beach area at Sykes Lane. The weather was wonderfully typical for an English day on a beach .... a bit of sunshine, a lot of cloud, the odd chill wind and sudden drenching downpour. Of course that didn't stop us from paddling, building sandcastles, riding bikes, playing football, eating a sandy picnic and enjoying ice-creams.
But, I digress.
The point is, I had assumed that most of the pathway around the reservoir would be flat and I assumed that the mileage given for the circumference was accurate. It turns out that neither of those things is true.
I discovered exactly how hilly (for me) the route is because I drove around it today on the way back to give William a little more time to sleep before we got home. And now I've just plotted it out on MapMyRun I see that it is in fact only 15miles!!! What happened to the other 2 miles???
The other option is to include the peninsula which ups the mileage to 23miles. That's too far for this week, especially given the hills.
It's a bit of a shame because I was kind of looking forward to achieving that full loop, but I think I'll put it on the list for another day. This Sunday, I shall instead be looking after my knees and clocking up some very very flat kms doing 3m loops round a local pond.
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
The Story of Berlin Reading List
I've been to Berlin once before in 2012. I'll be going again in a few weeks and this time I'll be better informed!
I've written about my plan for picking out interesting landmarks or points of historical relevance along the 2014 Berlin Marathon route here. And I'd like to put those markers into proper context, so I've set myself a bit of a reading list. This is definitely not a definitive list. If I have time, I'll add to it.
For now, this is what I'm planning on reading:
I've written about my plan for picking out interesting landmarks or points of historical relevance along the 2014 Berlin Marathon route here. And I'd like to put those markers into proper context, so I've set myself a bit of a reading list. This is definitely not a definitive list. If I have time, I'll add to it.
For now, this is what I'm planning on reading:
- Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin by Alexandra Richie
- The Ghosts of Berlin: Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape by Brian Ladd
- Berlin: The Downfall 1945 by Antony Beevor
- Stasiland by Anna Funder
- Berlin at War by Roger Moorhouse
- Hitler's Children by Jillian Becker
- The Berlin Wall by Frederick Taylor
- Berlin: Imagine a City by Rory MacLean
That looks almost as ambitious as me running a marathon!
2014 Berlin Marathon Route Sights
When I told a serious runner recently that I planned to do a bit of research on the sights and history associated with the 2014 Berlin Marathon route, they thought I was nuts ... "you're not going to have any time for smelling roses and admiring architecture".
To be honest, given the pace I'm planning on run / walking at, I'll have plenty of time for sight-seeing. Whether I'll have the inclination or the ability to recall non-essential information is another matter though. I can't help thinking that being able to drag up something interesting about whichever part of the route I'm on will help pull me through. Moving from monument to building to street to square and not just from kilometer to kilometer.
In the coming weeks, I'll be reading up on the history of Berlin and trying to find interesting things to know or to spot along all 42km of the route including:
To be honest, given the pace I'm planning on run / walking at, I'll have plenty of time for sight-seeing. Whether I'll have the inclination or the ability to recall non-essential information is another matter though. I can't help thinking that being able to drag up something interesting about whichever part of the route I'm on will help pull me through. Moving from monument to building to street to square and not just from kilometer to kilometer.
In the coming weeks, I'll be reading up on the history of Berlin and trying to find interesting things to know or to spot along all 42km of the route including:
- Großer Tiergarten
- Straße des 17. Juni
- Berlin Victory Column
- Ernst Reuter
- Landwehr Canal
- Spree
- Moabit
- Reichstag Building
- Platz der Republik
- Reinhardstraße Bunker
- Torstraße
- Rosenthaler Platz
- Mollstraße
- OttoBraun Straße
- Karl Marx Allee
- Michaelbruecke
- Koepenicker Straße
- Heinrich Heine Straße
- Moritzplatz
- Oranienstraße
- Oranienplatz
- Kottbusser Tor
- Kottbusser Damm
- Hasenheide
- Suedstern
- Gneisenaustraße
- Yorckstraße
- Heinrich von Kleist Park
- Grunewaldstraße
- Martin Luther Straße
- Rudolph Wilde Park
- Rathaus Schoeneberg
- Hauptstraße Schoeneberg
- Rheinstraße
- Friedrich Wilhelm Platz
- Wiesbadener Straße
- Suedwestkorso
- Breitenbackplatz
- Hohenzollerndamm
- Fehrbelliner Platz
- Kurfuerstendamm
- Breitsheidplatz
- Tauentzienstraße
- Wittenbergplatz
- Nollendorfplatz
- Buelowstraße
- Potsdamer Straße
- Potsdamer Platz
- Leipziger Platz
- Leipziger Straße
- Jerusalemer Straße
- Hausvogteiplatz
- Behrenstraße
- Friedrichstraße
- Unter den Linden
- Brandenburg Gate
Suddenly, those 42kms look very long!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)