Half Marathon Plan: Happy New Year!! 💥💥💥

Tomato & Lentil Soup à la roseabi:

A couple of potatoes, diced

An onion, diced

A couple of carrots: diced

Crushed garlic, to taste

A good lug of tomato puree

A cup of red lentils (EDITED!)

Vegetable stock cube

Salt and pepper

Dried herbs

Spices to taste (optional) - I'm a fool for cumin, and I'm keen on chilli at the moment...

Olive oil

Water

Big saucepan

Fry onions until soft and translucent. Add the herbs, potatoes, and carrots and cook for 10 mins or so. Add the garlic and spices (if using), and salt, stir for a couple of minutes. Add lentils, stock, tomato puree, and enough water to cover and cook the lentils. Bring to the boil and then reduce to simmer, covered, until everything is cooked, maybe half an hour. Season to taste with pepper, and more salt if required.

poor you roseabi hope you feel better soon I have a gammon joint needs cooking Its going to end up as Pea and Ham soup which is one of my favorites Hip still playing me up but soldering on I think if it doesn't come right by end of this week will have to look at a change of plan I'm so hoping it doesn't come to that as I'm trying to do the half on behalf of a local charity and have already got some sponsors on board

Get well soon Abi, winter lurgies are the pits 😟

Thank you for the soup recipe too, I’m always on the lookout for soul food at this time of year and that looks just the ticket!

I have a question about the plan, I am just about to start cycle 6 and noticed the long run has been replaced with a 5k race, just wondering what the rationale was behind that? Would it be reasonable to replace the 5k race with a 15k gentle jog?

Hope you shake that cold very soon once you start feeding it good veggies! I avoided a nasty one from my youngest son before Christmas, but now OH has one (which he makes sound nasty!) so I'm in hiding from that one - I feel my luck may run out soon.

I'm half way thru cycle 5 of the plan. Absolutely enjoying it and really pleased to be feeling the benefits too (as evidenced by a good time - for me - at last week's Parkrun, just sub 30 mins, without pushing hard, with reduced fatigue and lower heart rate). I've only just started increasing the runs beyond the distance I was already at before starting the plan, and I've been running with an additional 2k each time (after my garmin wobble in C1); but I liked that I went back a bit in distance because I was adding in all the cross stuff. Just now I feel ready for the increase and hopefully my next long one will be 20K which will bring the final distance so close. I feel incredibly positive

The only fly in the ointment, is that my right quad is really playing up, and the last couple of runs have made it more sore. I have the same issue in both legs, it comes and goes - alternating between the two legs. I'm just hoping it's not going to stop me carrying on. If I can get it through the next two and a half weeks, then it will get a two week rest while we're away. If not, I will have to get a bit creative with the plan! Meanwhile, roller, roller, roller .... and onward! Good luck everyone

I hope you feel better soon, there is so much going round at the moment!!

Hope you feel better soon roseabi - and Happy New Year! ❤️❤️❤️🥂🍾😊

After neck issues, then a tummy bug, and not being allowed to use one wrist much after a steroid injection, I was so pleased to make my 18k run this morning. A week earlier than my original version of the plan - but, hey, I’m going for an adaptable freestyle version! 😂😂😂

Your HM plan has given me key pointers to aim for when I can. Cycling long runs back to 10k every few weeks, and seeing strength and cross training as part of the process seem important - though I’m ironically doing less strength and gym work than normal at the moment due to the wrist! (I’m instead seeing past training as something that should have helped, giving me a better feeling of confidence of success!)

I think for me, having only been running since April 2018, I may have found starting from 10k, and then achieving a HM 21.1k by March would have involved ramping the distances up too quickly later on in the main programme. But having started at 15k, I may well be doing the full distance by the end of January anyway. (So plenty of time to practice before my May HM!)

I’m not sure if it’s partly psychological, but increasing long runs by just 1k per week, and cycling back to 10k long runs each 3-4 weeks, seems like the perfect formula for me personally. I can argue with myself that I’m only adding an extra 1k, but I think an extra 2k might have had my brain rebelling! (But I am someone who likes lots of practice at new distances. I can’t imagine ever wanting to race a distance I’d not run several times before!) Not sure if that helps with your plan thoughts or not, as we’re all different. 🤔❤️

I did suddenly start sneezing and streaming after finishing today’s 18k - so I’m keeping my fingers crossed at the moment. I like to think I’m still at the “fighting it off” phase, and haven’t gone down with anything properly yet! 🤞🤞🤞 I keep planning to make carrot and coriander soup, so if I get around to it and find a good recipe then I’ll share it later! 😋❤️

Yummy Soup!!! Love lentil soup !!! Thanks You..

I am a bit behind with the longer runs.. the Bronchitis set me back!!! but have got the short in and some quickies and exercises are going well!

I need to really get on the case now and build up the distance...Did my first 5K Park Run last Saturday to get used to running with people!!! Son in Law came and stayed with me for the whole thing... only 250 folk but I was fairly wound up before it even started.. all those folk in a small area!!!

But... once we got off.. although it was so strange... ( flat for a start) it was not too bad... I faffed about a lot and got a bit crushed at the start... but I did get round...and was not as slow as I feared... in fact only 3 minutes slower than my 5K happy pace...I was glad I did it.. and am going this week too...!

First thing - thanks for the soup recipe Roseabi, it looks great! I have sadly, now not run for exactly four 😮😫 weeks, having had flu, chest infection and much, much, coughing which resulted in strained intercostal muscles...VERY sore! I am at last on the mend and looking forward to the day I can get back out there and run again!!🏃🏽‍♀️ Not quite sure where I am with my Surrey HM plan though - last run was a lovely 8 mile run at the beginning of December. Until I get out there I have no idea how much fitness I have lost! So, the plan will be to get out there and see how things feel. If I'm not ready for the Half I had planned, I do have a little 'alternative' HM, a month later, so all is not lost!! At the moment though, having just got through such a horrible lurgy, my main goal is to just run for the love ❤️ and be grateful that I can again!!🏃🏽‍♀️ Happy New Year to everyone.🙂

Get well soon Abi

At university I started making a soup that has stayed with me right into my adult life: Bendy vegetable soup. You know those slightly sad looking wrinkly veg you find at the back of the fridge drawers? Nothing wrong with them, just a bit dehydrated? Those are the guys that get souped round here. If we're feeling really fancy it's Bendy Veg soup with potato croutons. It's not the only soup we make of course, when my veg box delivery is full of things I don't understand or can't identify we also have Misc. Leaf soup.

I love soup. 😋

Had to take a break from the plan due to pain in my foot just before Xmas. It feels better now so hoping to do a short run tomorrow or Friday; and - if all goes well - back to a long run on Sunday.

This means I will have to juggle the plan about a bit to take into account this break - but thats all part of the fun, right?!

Have been keeping up with my runs over the festive season - just short ones - but all the strength work and cross-training has gone out the window. Hope to get back on track with some strength exercises this evening, then looking forward to my next long run this Saturday - 15k! 🤗 Going to try a new route along a canal, a nice peaceful path over the Pett Levels (reclaimed salt marsh).

Started Veganuary yesterday so I will be getting lots of nice veggies in too. Have some butternut squash left over from Christmas so I might do some spicey butternut squash soup - basically chuck squash and any veg like carrots or sweet potatoes in a pot with water, garlic, ginger and any spices of your choice - I like to have a bit of cayenne or chilli 😈 You can fry onion, garlic & ginger first for extra yummyness. Then add some coconut milk, cook until everything is soft and blend until smooth. Sorry I'm not good on quantities but you can google butternut squash soup for similar recipes 😋

Happy New Year all HMers! And get well soon Abi, hope the veggies give that cold the boot!

Happy new year everyone 🥳 I have been keeping up with the plan. Think I missed one cross session last week 🤔 . I’m enjoying the longer runs but I’m running (ha, ha) out of ideas where to do them especially as they get longer. Living out in the sticks makes routes difficult. Not many foot paths near me. I know of a couple of trail type paths but would feel vulnerable running them alone. I will figure it out though 🤓 . Really enjoying the strength sessions, i’ve bought heavier dumbbells, 3kg 😁😂

It is a rest/ recovery run tomorrow. I aim to do a run with no alerts on my watch, just press start, run and see where I end up 😁 .

Well I appear to be injured - again!! ☹️

A calf strain or I think more specifically a Soleus strain.... running is definitely improving my knowledge of anatomy 😂

I've altered my technique in the last few weeks going from heel striking to being up on the balls of my feet. It was weird at first but was much less jarring on my knees so, I think??, a good thing.

Anyway, on my running club run last Friday my left leg really started to hurt. Luckily I had no running planned until New Year's Day parkrun and I thought it would be OK. It hurt at the start but then was OK and I ran round no problem. Unfortunately it hurt a lot when I stopped ☹️

It's nowhere near as bad as when I did my hamstring (I could barely walk then) but annoyingly it's still playing up.

Really annoyed as the hamstring injury was definitely caused by my own stupidity whereas I thought I'd been really careful not to increase my mileage too quickly and hadn't been running very fast even at parkrun.

Will see how it is on Saturday but it might have to be a parkwalk for me this week x

I'm a terrible swimmer! Can only do head above water breaststroke 😂

Going to walk 5k to meet my boyfriend from work later. I don't usually record walks on Strava but last time it made me feel better about not actually running.

I like a full 12 days of Christmas so I'm still in feast mode (tree and decorations all still up too) - dread to think what the scales might tell me come Monday! Need to find some high calorie burning low impact workouts 🤔😂