Category: Running

Planning my return….

/ Iona / 4 Comments

It has been a very difficult start to the year for me running wise. From the very beginning of January I was dragging my legs and huffing and puffing about like a steam train, hating every minute of my running and hating myself for hating it! Mid March I got round to going for a blood test and found out I was quite anemic and was prescribed a course of iron tablets for the next wee while. After I was given my results (my ferritin level being 2!) I asked my GP, half knowing the answer and half hoping these tablets would work miracles in a matter of days, if I’d be able to run the Alloa half the following weekend. He stared at me with a furrowed brow as he tried to figure out if I was joking or not! But of course in a round about way I was told not to be so silly and just get back to training first – gently!

Another reason I had really been looking forward to running it was even though it’d be my 3rd time running the route it would have been the first time since I’d joined the club. And wow, were the WCH out in force for this race!!

This lot were awesome. I was jealous but I got to cycle to various points and cheer them on!
This lot were awesome. I was jealous but I got to cycle to various points and cheer them on!

So, the race I had been looking forward to for a whole year was out. Our local half, the one in which I smashed my p.b by 5 minutes in last year and what was to be my first ‘A’ race of the year turned into my second ever DNS, but for the first time through not being able to run and having to stand on the sidelines and watch everyone else get hyped up for and run so well in! In my mind, and many others, a DNS (did not start) is ten times worse than a DNF (did not finish) or even a DLF (dead last finish) but this time the situation was outwith my control. Racing was physically not possible and my legs would definitely not thank me for even trying. I had to get over it and realise I was being silly – there were plenty more races and many more years of racing to get through. I’m only 30, so that’s pretty young for a runner and I can only plan to get better in the future.

I wasn’t ruling the day out though, so I took my bike and cycled the course to cheer them on and take pictures at various points. I lost count of the amount of p.b’s or course p.b’s set that day – every single runner did so amazingly well! Not the easiest course when they stick in Menstrie Brae (a hill lasting half a mile or so) at 10 miles into the race. At the end of the day we all regrouped and went for an Indian meal and few drinks at a local restaurant – I know I didn’t run, but who said I couldn’t celebrate everyone else’s success! Jemma also ran amazingly well coming in about 20 seconds outside her p.b. She’s now joined the Wee County Harriers until her and my little brother go traveling later this year, so look out for more orange and navy in that direction!!

I am two weeks into my course of iron tablets and I noticed a difference after a week. I was sleeping better, feeling better when I woke up in the morning and I wasn’t out of breath after the simplest of tasks or passing out on the couch as soon as I got in from work. Yes my job is very demanding and I’m always on the go, but getting home at 6:30pm and needing a nap by 7:30pm was very out of character for me! After a few weeks of avoiding training I decided to make my return to a hill reps session and I couldn’t have felt better or enjoyed it more! My mile splits are right back down and running up hills no longer makes me feel like every last molecule of oxygen is being sucked out of my lungs or that my quads are being hit with a hammer. I know it’ll take a bit longer, but I feel almost normal again!

What a difference some iron tablets have made! I know I have been screaming it from the hill tops, but I can’t advise it more – if you start to feel low for no apparent reason, your quads feel like your worst enemies and you suddenly feel out of breath like you should if you smoke 40 a day, then get your iron levels checked. I could have plodded on for months had my physio not told me that she had felt this way and that iron tablets made her bounce back within weeks!

I may have had to pull out of my first 2 favourite races of the year but I’m bouncing back and I’m ready to to take on the next one with gusto. Before that I will be helping out at the Highland Fling at the end of April and cheering on my club mates that are brave enough to race that distance. I’ll hopefully be joining them next year, but we’ll see how this goes first.

My running colours leave little to the imagination!
My running colours leave little to the imagination!
I'll be back. It's a slow return, but I'll get there...
I’ll be back. It’s a slow return, but I’ll get there…

Happy New Year!!!

/ Iona / 1 Comment

I hope you all had a good one. Ours was quiet and homely – just the way I’ve always preferred them.

And here we are in 2014! I kick started the year with a club run up Dumyat – a fairy small (418 metres high) but pretty hard going hill, on the 2nd of January. I met a few club mates and ran the 5 miles from Alloa down to Logie Kirk in Blairlogie, where we were meeting the rest of the club. My run down started off very uncomfortably and I struggled to keep up with the others but I put it down to lack of sleep and a bit too much Christmas pudding. I would shake it off quickly enough…. wouldn’t I? After meeting up with the others we started our ascent up to the summit, some running the whole way like the mountain goats they are, others taking their time and running bits, walking others. The path starts off on a very, very steep hill up through a forest and straight away I was exhausted. This wasn’t like me and I was starting to get a bit concerned! I made it up and we posed for some photos on the very windy summit before starting the heart stopping descent back down to the car park. I think nearly everyone had a least a little slip, some much worse than others as we found ourselves running down a river back to the bottom of the hill!

Summit of Dumyat. Windy and cold and a perfect way to start 2014!
Summit of Dumyat. Windy and cold and a perfect way to start 2014!
Picking things out of my sock after a rather muddy slide down the hill. All part of the experience!
Picking things out of my sock after a rather muddy slide down the hill. All part of the experience!

A few days after my Dumyat hill run I went out for a run on my own to try and get the miles back up again. I’d tried to participate in the Marcothon but half way through December I got the cold and was far too shattered to carry on. I got back to my running about a week later but I was still running really slowly and my mileage was really low. At the time I put it down to just being really tired as it was the end of term, I was really busy running courses and I hadn’t really given my body time to recover at all post Ultra. I thought all of these factors had lead to my body just refusing to do very much so I didn’t think much more about it and thought I would get better as the weeks went on.

The next few days passed and I was still overly, uncharacteristically tired. I knew something wasn’t right and I was trying to think what I had done differently and that’s when I realised it must be the tablets I had been taking for an infection in my toenails. Sorry if talk of feet grosses anyone out, but I feel this is quite an important thing to bring up, especially as none of the side effects were explained to me by my GP. For the past month or so I’ve been taking Terbinafine tablets and when I went to the doctors to pick up my prescription I was in and out in 2 minutes, him telling me this would be the best option as the medication would be in my system (as opposed to a paint you apply to your nails daily) and would get to work a lot quicker than any other option. When I look back at my Garmin splits for December I can see exactly where I started to slow down and it just happened to be a week or so after I started taking the tablets. I looked up the side effects on line and the first things that cropped up were “chronic fatigue” and “breathlessness” – exactly how I’d been feeling when I was running and I had also noticed I was finding it harder to get up in the mornings, but again I just put it down to being the end of term and my body having just had enough! I couldn’t believe my Doctor hadn’t told me about any of these side effects and the more I looked into it the angrier I got. People in my running club had also had the same problem but they had been warned of the side effects (liver damage and change in taste also being common ones) and had all opted for the paint.

Terbinafine. I'm sure not everyone will suffer the same side effects I did, but just to warn anyone who might take it - it feels like you're running in glue!
Terbinafine. I’m sure not everyone will suffer the same side effects I did, but just to warn anyone who might take it – it feels like you’re running in glue!

At least I knew why I was running so terribly after having such a successful year, but I was so annoyed and disheartened that all my training had basically been taken away and I was starting from scratch.

Last weekend I joined the club for another hill run in the Ochils. I’d stopped taking the tablets but I knew it would still be in system for the next few weeks, so I thought I’d go along and do what I could. It was amazing and tough and absolutely freezing, but one of the most enjoyable runs I’ve done in a long time. I’m so lucky to have all these routes on my doorstep, I just have to become good friends with hill running and not see it as a chore!

Karen and I running in the snow up the Ochils. Of course I'm wearing shorts, what else?!
Karen and I running in the snow up the Ochils. Of course I’m wearing shorts, what else?!
Half way up our first steep climb. There were many, many more!
Half way up our first steep climb. There were many, many more!

 

My first race of the year is just over a month away (the Devilla 15k) and I’m hoping to be back in tip top condition for it. I did my first long(ish) run of the year today, a mere 12.5 miles, but we managed to keep our pace to around 8:30 minute miles which considering how I’ve been feeling the past few weeks was a big push. I’m following the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 training plan in advance of my next marathon, which will be at Lochaber in April, and so far so good. I’ll see how the long miles feel next weekend and then I’ll know for sure if it was the tablets that made me feel like that or not. I can’t think of anything else it could have been though!

Here’s to happy running in 2014…. 😀

 

 

 

2013 – The year I did ALL the running…

/ Iona / 4 Comments

And so another year draws to a close. For me it really has been the year of running so far. I hadn’t really thought about it until I started to think of ideas for this blog and then it dawned on me that this year I have:
– Smashed my half marathon time by 5 minutes
– Taken nearly 2 minutes off my 10k time
– Completed my first marathon
– Completed my first ultra marathon
– Finally got round to joining a running club
– Clocked up nearly 1150 miles in a year
– Met some of the most amazing and inspirational new friends

The list goes on and on. But if I listed everything there wouldn’t really be much point in the rest of this blog post!

I started the month with high hopes of completing my first Marcothon. All was going really well for the first 2 weeks with me managing to fit in lunchtime runs here and there, taking the dog out at the crack of dawn and even slipping in my daily 3 miles at 11pm after a trip to the cinema. But sods law had it that as soon as my last lesson had finished on the last day of term, I started burning up and was struck down with the dreaded winter lurgy. So that was me out of the game. I even attempted to get back into it after 2 days of bed rest, but my body quite firmly refused and I had to hang up my trainers for the next week. Once I felt better I got back out there, and I have clocked up my daily miles every day since, but I’ll need to wait until next year to give it another go. It’s a tough challenge and even though it’s only 3 miles (or 25 minutes of running, whichever comes first), it really takes its toll on your body. Some days I’ve really struggled and it has felt like such a chore to run the minimum of 3 miles, even though just a bit over a month ago I ran 33 miles! I think my body is trying to tell me it has clocked up enough miles for the year….

Marcothon aside, it has been a pretty quiet December. Term ended, Christmas came and went and now we’re a few days away from 2014. When I think back over the past 12 months, it amazes me to think how fast the year has passed. I’m looking at the race calender for next year and can’t believe entries are open for the 2014 version already. But what a year of running it was. One of the best things I could have done for my running happened this year – I finally joined a running club and what a difference it has made to both my running, my fitness and also my motivation. My new friends have both inspired and pushed me towards my goals and I don’t think you could find a nicer and more driven bunch of people, who not only want to improve their performances but want to push you along on the way as well. A few of my friends have now accompanied the WCH on our weekend adventures and they’ve all said the same thing – what a fantastic wee club!

I’ve already started entering some of my planned races for 2014 and so far my goals are as follows:

  •   A 45min 10k.  – Very achievable if I focus on my speed work and bring my distances back down. Hopefully by the summer I’ll achieve this one.
  • A 1 hour 45 minute half marathon. Also (possibly!) very achievable. This comes down to more mental rather than physical work. I know I can do it, I’m just scared of burning out so I pull back too early in the race. Hopefully achievable at the Alloa half in March which is where I knocked 5 minutes off my time this year.
  • To start going to Park runs on Saturdays. Now that I’m not working on Saturday mornings! I feel this will really benefit my speed work.
  • Run a sub 4 marathon. My ‘A’ goal for the year. If I can do this I will feel invincible. For a while.
  • Become a stronger Ultra runner. I’m hoping to run both the Clyde Stride and Glen Ogle this year as well and sweeping for the Highland Fling. Hopefully running all races very comfortably and not getting injured!
  • Get stronger. I get gym classes for free. I really have no excuse for not trying everything!!

My first race of 2014 will be the Devilla 15k  at the end of February. This is also the first event of my club Grand Prix which I have high hopes to make my mark in next year. Got to be positive!!

So that leaves me just to round-up this years races and events. It’s been an awesome year of training and racing and I go into 2014 with high hopes and big plans.

First high of the year - a good 5 minutes off my half marathon time in Alloa.
March – First high of the year – a good 5 minutes off my half marathon time in Alloa.
Next high - a minute and a bit off my 10k time. Woooo!
March – Next high – a minute and a bit off my 10k time. Woooo!
The beautiful bling of the Edinburgh rock 'n' roll half. Only good thing about this wet and windy race!
April – The beautiful bling of the Edinburgh rock ‘n’ roll half. Only good thing about this wet and windy race!
Meeting Rhona, Ali and Kate at the race the train event in Aviemore. Fabby people who I hope to run with again in the near future!
May – Meeting Rhona, Ali and Kate at the race the train event in Aviemore. Fabby people who I hope to run with again in the near future!
Running up and down mountains!
May – Running up and down mountains!
Black rock 5 - my first club event after meeting these awesome and inspiring people. Fantastic night!
June -Black rock 5 – my first club event after meeting these awesome and inspiring people. Fantastic night!
September - 2nd 10k pb of the year coming in at 48:17
September – 2nd 10k pb of the year coming in at 48:17
September - completing my first marathon with my friend Catriona and a couple of huge smiles!
September – completing my first marathon with my friend Catriona and a couple of huge smiles!
October - Neil McCover half marathon a week after Loch Ness, again with my awesome running club.
October – Neil McCover half marathon a week after Loch Ness, again with my awesome running club.
October - My first attempt at cross country in over 15 years. Fun but drenched!
October – My first attempt at cross country in over 15 years. Fun but drenched!
October - training in the rain with these dafties!
October – training in the rain with these dafties!
November - my first ultra marathon. Glen Ogle 33 in the POURING rain.
November – my first ultra marathon. Glen Ogle 33 in the POURING rain.
November - Glen Ogle 33 with a smile!
November – Glen Ogle 33 with a smile!
November - Last race of the year - the Hartley Cup relays.
November – Last race of the year – the Hartley Cup relays.
The reason I got faster this year!
The reason I got faster this year!

 

Here’s to getting faster and loving running in 2014.

1000 miles done – and then a slump.

/ Iona / 1 Comment

At some point last week I smashed through the 1000 miles for the year barrier. I don’t quite know when, as our laptop broke a few weeks ago and I hadn’t been able to upload my Garmin stats. I actually thought I was still a good 30 miles off it, but yesterday after the new laptop was unpacked and my Garmin was linked up again, I got the grand total to date – 1013 miles with 37 days of the year still to go. Hoorah!

Doesn't get more beautiful that this - but where has my running mojo gone?
Doesn’t get more beautiful that this – but where has my running mojo gone?

A few weeks ago, I took a trip North with Jemma, who is running her first Ultra (The Tigh Nam Bodach 50k) this Saturday. The race starts at the Loch Lyon Dam, follows a loop around the Loch before heading down through the hills, through some rivers (??!), back up the hill and back to the Dam. With the thought of beautiful scenery and free Merino wool socks from the sock station at the half way point – Jemma was persuaded. We went up one weekend to recce the second part of the course as she wasn’t quite sure what to expect underfoot. We got there after a good few hours of windy single track roads and Skye, my border collie, and I staggered out the back of the car to try and shake off our motion sickness. Once our legs were ready to go and we had eventually figured out which way to go (note: there is no phone reception up here and GPS struggled a bit!) and set off on the single track road for a few miles of ups and downs. Before long we were turning off the road and following a muddy path along the side of a mountain. The path was quite firm under foot for the first mile or so but it got wetter and muddier the further along we went. So after a few miles we decided to turn back as we’d got a fairly good idea of what the course consisted of. Plus it had taken us that long to get over, I was worried that it was going to get dark before we were off those horrible single track roads!

Jemma and Skye in the snowy hills. Beautiful yet cold!
Jemma and Skye in the snowy hills. Beautiful yet cold!
The worst cup of tea I have ever had. Who knows what had been lurking in my flask! :-/
The worst cup of tea I have ever had. Who knows what had been lurking in my flask! :-/

Good luck to everyone running the race this weekend. I’m sure it’ll be beautiful and an awesome experience. I, however, am still struggling to get out of my post Ultra slump and most of my November miles since the race have felt like a chore. I’ve still managed to get out quite a bit, and club training is always awesome but I just don’t seem to be enjoying my longer runs as much just now. I’m hoping it’s just the lack of sunlight and that I always seem to be running in the dark, or chasing the sunlight, but I feel like my running mojo has definitely gone into hiding for a while. However, I most certainly have the club to thank for helping me get all those miles in, making me want to run in the rain and enjoy it and being able to run for more miles without stopping that I ever thought possible! I guess it can only get better and next year is another year full of challenges.

My first cross county event in about 15 years in a torrential downpour. Why not!
My first cross county event in about 15 years in a torrential downpour. Why not!

So yeah… this bunch have a lot to answer for!!

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The Hartley Cup Relays 2013 – RACE REPORT

/ Iona / Leave a comment

The Hartley Cup is an event held annually by small(ish) running clubs around Scotland and is made up of relay teams of 5 or 6 people – either male, female or mixed teams. Each year a different club get the chance to host the event and this year it was the turn of the Forfar Road Runners.

It was an early start to the day as I had to drop Craig off at work for 5am (??!), but then got to retreat back to the warmth of my bed for another few hours before my hungry and whining dog woke me up again. The drive over to Forfar was beautiful. It was a rather frosty start to the day so plenty of layers were applied before I left the house and I thought what I had chosen to wear to run would be fine. After all, it was only 2x 1.3 mile loops I was doing. No time to get cold! Or so I thought…

I arrived in Forfar with plenty of time to spare and made my way to Strathmore Rugby Club to meet up with my running club buddies. We had a good 20 strong team for the event, consisting of three mixed teams and a ladies team. There was a bit of hanging about outside while final decisions on teams were made and I found myself on a team with the super, super speedy runners so the pressure was well and truly on. Between marathon/ultra training and swanning off to America for weeks, my speed work has been pretty non-existent since about May this year. I tried to keep a calm exterior, but underneath I felt like jelly – could I pull some fast out the bag for a couple of mile loops? Well, I’d try my hardest!

Go speedy runners...
Go speedy runners…

Just after 11am we all assembled on the rugby pitch as the first lot of runners lined up and before long they were off. I was running second for the team so I thought I couldn’t have long to get warmed up and over the start before speedy John whizzed back around. And I was right – just over 7 minutes later I heard some shout “Wee County!” as the race leaders of John and two other guys came bounding around the corner. At least we had got a good start, but there was no way I’d be able to maintain it! The route followed a dirt path along beside a river and then looped back onto itself before cutting off across the grass and back to the rugby pitch. Not long after I had set off, two guys hurtled past me and then coming up to the corner another one whizzed by. Not fair, I wish I had longer legs!! I was pushing really hard and I felt like I’d set off too fast. There was a cold wind chilling my lungs and chest and I found it hard to take a deep breath and fill them, but I pushed on and tried to lengthen my stride. Just as I came round the loop to head back again, a lady overtook me and I knew I wasn’t the first lady back anymore. And then another. Oh well… I really need to work on my speed next year! I handed over the baton to Graeme and went to collapse in our tent and recover for round 2…

Come on little legs...Go faster!!!!
Come on little legs…Go faster!!!!
Concentrating on not dropping that baton!!
Concentrating on not dropping that baton!!

Graeme went off like the wind and flew back in just over 8 minutes to pass the baton on to Eilidh. She also had a speedy lap of just over 9 minutes and then it was onto coach Gordon to finish the first leg with speed – which of course he did! Now we just had to do it all over again!

Round 2 was just as fast with John once again flying off and me anxiously watching the clock waiting for him to fly back round what felt like seconds later! The second lap wasn’t as bad (which means I could have gone faster) and I managed to overtake a few people this time round, which gave me the little boost I needed to dig deep and keep going strong. After passing the baton on for the second time I went to try and warm up by putting on as many layers as I could and then stood on the finish line to shout in all of our club teams.

Not impressed with that time...
Not impressed with that time…

Once all the teams had finished we went up to the club house for post race sandwiches, cakes and tea and coffee. All lovely and very appreciated. At the presentation we discovered our mixed team had placed 3rd over all, coming in just 2 and bit minutes behind second place and 5 minutes behind first place over all. Not bad!! The competitive side of me now wanting to do it again and go faster. Along with all my other goals for next year of course…

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Oh, and Karen made this chocolate Guinness cake. It was glorious!

I run for cake....
I run for cake….