Marathon Update

So my last run was on Saturday 29th September which was 7 weeks ago. I've been out injured since then and haven't ran at all. Which is really stressing me out as it's only 6 months until I do the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon. As my leg wasn't getting any better I finally gave in and went to see a physio on Friday. Jo and Rich see her so I knew she was going to be good.

Good news is it's nothing serious. The pain is just over use injury. A lot of running and training with a lack of rest in between. She found where the pain was and just massaged the hell out of my leg. My leg is currently very bruised and sore still but she told me I should be fine in about 4 days and should be able to run. If not I need to go back to see her. So I'm hoping I can get back running next weekend. She said it's something really minor and if I went as soon as I got the pain she would've been able to fix me up and I wouldn't be out for this long. I just thought if I left it, it would be fine but clearly not.

I'm so glad it's nothing serious though especially when I went and finally bought a pair of stability running trainers the day before I went to see her. I went to the Real Buzz a couple of months ago and found out I needed stability trainers. I tried these New Balance trainers on but they were £120 which I thought was really expensive and didn't want to pay that much for them and because I was injured it was throwing salt into the wound of having trainers I wouldn't be able to wear so I didn't get them. 

I seen them on sportsshoes.com here for £70 so went into the Real Buzz just to try them on again to see if they were right for me before I bought them online. I asked if they priced match other stores as they were selling them full price still but said no. I tried them on and one of the other staff members rang the manager and managed to let me price match and sold them to me for £70 which I was so happy with as online I would've had to pay for delivery. I can't wait to finally be able to run again and get this marathon training up and running as I've definitely got all the gear now but have I got an idea we'll find out soon!

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September Runs

Marathon training update! Run 29 it's going alright - not running as much as I'm wanting but I am getting my weekly run in. The plan is to do at least 2 short and 1 long run a week but I've only been doing 1 long run. I'm getting the miles in I guess that's all that matters really. 

Did an unexpectedly extra long run on Tuesday night with Jonny. I did say I wanted to do between 8 -10 miles (13 - 16km) we ended up doing 11.6 miles (18.7km). We ran from the gym then ran to meet up with Angie and basically ran everywhere...

Couldn't even tell you where we went as we basically just went down every side road in a circle! We did go to Court Hey Park and a I managed to do all the monkey bars which I'm quite proud of. Weight training is paying off - I'd ran about 5/6 miles at this point as well. We got back just before it started to absolutely pour down with gale force winds. I'm dreading having to run in the rain again.

It was a good run but I did start to feel my knees as we were running back to the gym. My legs were tired the day after and I'm in dying need of a pair of decent trainers. My Nike Pegasus are not cutting it but stability trainers are so expensive but I guess I'm gonna have to invest in a pair if I'm gonna do this marathon!

The week before I met up with Jonny and Ness and did 6.2 miles

6 miles

3 miles

Sarah's not ran in about 3 weeks cos she's got shin splints. She needs to invest in some new trainers too! Come on Sarah we need to go on runs again your marathon training is none existent - you didn't like the heat.. That's sadly well and truly gone now! We find out next month if we've got a place in the London marathon too!

Currently shopping around for a pair of stability trainers but it's hard to find a decent pair cheap they're all at least £120 which is a bit steep but I guess they're gonna be an investment as I'll definitely run over 120 miles training for this marathon!

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Game Over

Unfortunately it's game over for the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon 2018. I am absolutely gutted and annoyed that I can't do it this year. It's killing me just trying to write this post. It's not what I should or wanted to be posting - I should be posting it's 1 week till the big day and I'm nearly ready but it's the complete opposite not what I wanted. 

I just haven't recovered from that injury I picked up after the Half Marathon back at the end of March. 7 weeks just isn't long enough sadly. Like we knew it was going to be hard but didn't realise it was going to be this hard. We had a plan set out and I was ready to do it. Mentally preparing myself to push myself to keep going but physically my body is just telling me no you can't. It's killing me even more knowing Jo and Jonny are still going to do it but I won't be there with them. Jo is a machine how she has kept going and managed to not pick up any injuries where as Jonny has been running with shin splints. 

Hopefully this isn't the end and I do recover from this and I'll be able to do it next year. Jo will be my coach making sure I do, do it in a decent time I have no excuse now! Even if I did manage to recover after taking 3 weeks off it would still be hard for me as I've only managed to clock 8 runs which is no where near enough. Furthest I ran was 17 miles - that's still 9 miles on the day is far. At least when I do it next year I'll have clocked a lot more miles and be so much more prepared for it.

The photo was from my last run on Thursday evening where we did 5.6 miles/9 km which was really hard. I pushed to get myself around but decided there was no way I'd be able to push anymore on the day with this injury. I was hoping between then and today I'd get better as today was the last day to sign up but sadly it hasn't so I have to admit defeat. 

I will still be there next Sunday even though it'll kill me knowing I'm not running it. I'll be there to support Jo and Jonny - they've trained so hard for this and will smash it I just wish I was doing it with them. Until next year it's still left unticked on the bucket list...

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5 weeks

So today's 19 mile run didn't quite go to plan.. We started at Jo and Rich's and ran down to the prom the same route we took last week but was gonna go a bit further then back which would've made up the miles. We had Rich on the bike being our water boy supplying us with water.

My leg is so sore but I kept pushing. Rich could tell which leg it was and said it was painful watching me run as I was so unbalanced relying on my right leg so much but pounding hard on the left. Once we got to the prom Jo was actually a good mile ahead I couldn't even see her so jumped on the bike and Rich caught up to her. I got to 7 miles and had to call it a day I couldn't carry on no more so swapped with Rich and rode the bike instead. Good job he can run and needs to train for the half! 

On the way back it absolutely poured down! Couldn't even tell if it was rain or hail it was so cold and windy cos we were along the prom we were hit with the salt water from the Mersey. You could taste the salt it was horrible, we couldn't see and was freezing with no waterproofs! It wasn't even suppose to rain which is why we did the run! felt like I was swimming in the sea! We ended up stopping at the The Britannia Inn Stonehouse by the festival gardens as we had to call it a day and called a black cab home!

Lovely soggy drowned rats in the back of the taxi. Jo clocked 11 miles which was alright considering. We went back to Jo and Rich's then went to Morrison's to get ice and got an ice bath in their's managed 10 minutes it was horrible! 

I've decided I'm not going to run for 2 weeks so marathon training is being postponed cos I'm doing more damage than good right now. It's really annoying and not ideal that I'm missing the 2 longest runs but I've got no choice as right now if it doesn't get better I can't do the marathon in 5 weeks. Next weekend when Jo does her long run I'm gonna cycle and be her water girl then the weekend after I'm in London. That gives me 2 weeks before the race so hopefully no training, having 2/3 ice baths a week, foam rolling, stretching, using deep heat cream and deep freeze gel will sort my leg out otherwise I'm gonna have to call it quits. Too much too soon unfortunately cos right now I think I can mentally do it but just physically can't which is killing me. 

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6 weeks

6 weeks till the big race! The closer it's getting the more I'm questioning why am I doing it and I'm better off doing the half again to beat my time! 

Did a 17 mile run yesterday and it was a killer! My legs are still so sore. The whole of my left leg just aches cos I ran just under 10 km on Saturday morning and I must be running weird to compensate for the pain around my shin/calf from the half 2 weeks ago! 

Me and Jo ran from ours down to Speke retail park then half way down the prom and ran back the way we came from. It was nice running along the prom as we didn't need to cross roads and I could run on the grass which eased the pain a bit as it took the pressure off pounding on the hard ground. My legs and trainers were so dirty and muddy though.

 We were so thirsty needed a drink so bad but we couldn't stop cos otherwise we just wouldn't have been able to go again. Every time we stopped to cross the road it just killed me off and if we had to get back on the kerb the smallest step felt like a giant leap! It was an alright run glad we did it.

Soggy run on Saturday morning in the pouring down heavy rain! We look like drowned rats! I wasn't even planning on running as I knew I was running 17 miles on Sunday but they were all going so I just tagged along. It was Angie's fault she wanted to go but when we got back she said she's never doing it again - before we went she was gonna tell me to grow a pair cos I didn't want to run in the rain! But now she knows how I feel cos it doesn't get any easier or better running in the rain! I had one of Rich's coats so did manage to stay dry but it was still horrible my clothes were stuck to me! I think we've all agreed to swerve running in the rain again.

Did 5.5 km on Tuesday evening with Jonny which was an awful run. We were both struggling. He did 17 miles with Jo in the morning so don't know how he managed to run again later on in the day.

I can safely say I've done a full marathon last week so can I have my medal now or do I need to do it in 1 go?? Jo is amazing and a machine though she did 17 miles on Tuesday morning with Jonny cos he missed last weekend and couldn't do this weekend then did 17 again with me yesterday morning! She's done 34 miles in the space of 5 days which is well more than a marathon! Her and Jonny both signed up on Thursday. I did fill it all out sweating in the process but decided to leave it till this week cos I can't bring myself to sign up yet even though I know I am doing it. Next weekend's run steps it up again to 19 miles.. Another 2 miles. We need to recruit someone to come with us on runs on a bike or something to give us supplies like water and jellies to keep us going cos there's no way we can do these long runs without a drink!

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Marathon

So it's officially happening.. I'm doing the Liverpool Rock and Roll Full Marathon in 7 weeks! Sunday 20th May 2018 I will be able to say I've done a half and a full marathon in the space of 5 months! 

I think we are mad but me, Jo and Jonny are doing it. It's going to be a very hard 7 weeks but I'm ready for it. I've been saying for years I've wanted to do it and now I've got people who are willing to do it with me I might as well just go for it!

Training began today I went for a 15 mile run with Jo. The weather was horrible it just didn't stop raining for a good 2 hours. We ran for about half an hour without rain. We just had to go for it though to get them miles in. We did start with Laura who ran 10 miles with us from the gym in Belle Vale all the way down to Speke retail park, Garston, Allerton then we dropped her off at the gym and we went down to Huyton then back to the gym. It was hard as my legs still haven't recovered from Sunday's run. We just took it really slow just to get the miles in and not for time. I struggled and could feel blisters forming on the bottom of my toes! My legs are going to be sore for the next 7 weeks now but no pain no gain! 

We've got a plan set out on how many miles we need to run each week up until race day with 22 miles being the max we're going to do! We'll be doing little 3 miles throughout the weeks as well to train with the others who are doing the half and to just get all the miles we can in! I probably won't be doing any other training now just running. 

I'm out tonight first time drinking in actual months so I don't know how well that is going to go! It's going to be the last bit of alcohol I'm drinking until after the full marathon now. Marathon training is on ! 

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