Hi lovely runny people. Sorry this is a bit late and tatty but I'm on a major garden clearance project without my laptop!!! I'll tidy it up once I'm home.
How's your week been? Do you have firm plans for the week ahead or are you able to wing it? I'm coming to the end of my half marathon plan and it is asking for several runs at goal half marathon pace. These are my least favourite. My brain tells me I can't run at that pace so, invariably, I don't! But if I give myself a very stiff talking to, I CAN do it. That constant battle with my head though ...
There's a fancy name for this self- limiting mindset - The Central Governor theory. There's many articles on the subject, here's just one of many marathonhandbook.com/the-ce...
Are you constantly battling your head? What's your demon? Pace? Distance? Getting out the door? Refraining from buying new kit? 😍
And how do you handle it? How do you beat the mind into submission and become the you that you want to be? I need some help this week!!! 🙏
Whatever you're up to, we hope you have a fabulous one. If you can, run happy, run safe but if you can't, may hope and patience be with you 😊
The Marathon Team
xxx
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Ha ha , retirement isn’t quite full retirement then Linda. 😃 I hope your weather is better than ours!
My firm plan this week was to get some good training in for a 10k race in April. But a last minute ski trip meant I didn’t do all the strength work I normally do for skiing and I’ve come back with a niggle in my knee, after a gentle fall. I thought nothing of running a 6k when I got back but this niggle is not going away and now I’m scared of turning a niggle into something worse by running. So rest and ice /heat has followed.
Thankfully my physio has had a cancellation so I’m going to see him tomorrow. I can deal with most things so long as I know what I’m dealing with.
I have no problem with buying new kit. 😂 I tried some running shoes in our local shop before going away but have just noticed the previous version is selling for half the price at a good online store, and stocks are available in a nicer colour, so have ordered them to try out first. 👟
The garden clearing isn't even work - it's mum duties!!!
Good luck with the physio - hopefully you will get the all clear to keep running for the 10K race. Those shoes sound like a great spot - hope you have a wonderful relationship together 😍
I don’t have a problem getting out the door but I do battle with my mind on long distance. I used to say that I was a wannabe long distance runner but now I’m saying that I’m a future marathon runner in training as I will run one 😍
I’ve made it to the taper on the HM plan. Just 24 miles with no long runs for week 17. It’s a good job as it is still so hot here.
Oh, how lovely. Beats our grey sky and rain! There's a lot of time on a long run for mind chatter isn't there, but nothing a future marathon runner can't handle I am sure 🥰
Enjoy these lighter weeks, cultivating fresh legs for the HM itself 😊
I’m finding runs hard going because of lost fitness 😤 I’ve gained weight too which isn’t helping It’s just a case of sticking at it and building back up again.
It’s warming up out there now which had to be a good thing. I was seriously overdressed on Monday 🥵😁
thanks IP 😘. He’s got to get well sharpish as he’s got a football getaway on the calendar 😁⚽️ We’ve booked a summer holiday too. Lots of running potential there. It was me who was off colour on holiday last year. Hoping for better luck this time 🏃♀️
oh I know! The new sights and sound increase our alertness 🙂
I’ve told OH I will run along the coastal path and meet him at a pub/cafe He can get there by bus or drive there. Our hotel is near a brewery apparently. As was the last one 🙄. He knows how to pick ‘em 🙂
Hi linda9389 , thanks for hosting, and happy gardening - professional or for fun?
Obviously I'm a plan-free zone and incapable of resisting "bargain" kit!
As for the battling demons, my own approach is essentially two-fold: 1, if I really want to do something I just get on with it. The St Jacques trail event was the perfect example - yes, I hated most of the training, but I knew I'd regret it ifI didn't take it seriously and consequently DNF. So no choice. Just do it.
2 is where it gets harder: ignoring the shoulds. Linked to your How do you beat the mind into submission and become the you that you want to be? I've concluded that I'm sick of constantly having to achieve and do more, in order to become supposedly a new "improved" version of me.
I've spent way too much of my life doing that. So I'm now doing my damndest to keep running as something I do to please myself, for fun, not so I can whip out yet another proof of achievement in the form of a PB, or a medal, or whatever.
TLDR: if I don't want to do something, I don't. If I do, I do. Last week it was hills and a new route that turned into a glorious giggly mudfest. Not so much "mind over matter" as "I've lost my mind, it doesn't matter!"
Happy running to you and all VRBs, whatever approach you take!
The gardening is 'mum duties'; just a shame my daughter has picked a wet week to be off work! Hey ho!!!
I love the 'I've lost my mind, it doesn't matter' outlook - I've been there a couple of times too (usually in pouring rain)😍
I totally agree with ignoring the shoulds. I still struggle with 'wants' though. Even when my goal is to go out and run with a low heart rate, or maybe just to run and enjoy and ignore stats altogether, my head is still nattering at me! And if I have no goal at all ... then my head is very loudly pestering me with why? just why? ... I guess my running is very goal driven, and has been since the strict, prescriptive nature of the C25K program. It is that very sense of achievement that a PB or a medal or whatever gives me, that I enjoy about running 😍
Given that you go out with the specific purpose of running to enjoy, rather than anything else, does that give you peace of mind throughout the run? Or do you still find there is mind chatter to deal with?
Sorry, I can't help laughing at the timing of the "Mum duties" linda9389 ! What a contrast: from Mother's Day to Mum'll Fix It (Regardless of Weather Conditions) overnight!!
Running purely for enjoyment doesn't automatically give me peace of mind. Mind chatter, though, is mostly linked to whether or not I'm tracking the run. If I'm wearing my watch, I won't be able to resist the temptation to look at it from time to time. Sometimes I can view this as an experiment - seeing how my pace and/or heart rate changes between uphill and downhill, even though it feels just the same.
But more often than not I'll end up using the data as a stick with which to beat myself. So not tracking a run usually works perfectly for giving me peace of mind, because then there's no chance of being able to worry about distance, time, pace, heart rate, or whatever!
I tracked the run in the photo: 14.32k, 339 m elevation gain, 2:02:31 moving time, 8:33 /km overall pace. The muddy section in my photo started at 4.5k and continued for 1.5km, mostly downhill, with >20% gradients in places. Pace dropped to around 15:00 /km at times. Whoopee doo. Those are the stats.
What those don't tell you is that it was easily the best, laugh out loud with joy part of the run, because there was just me, the trees, birdsong, and stupid quantities of mud. It also set me up for the remainder of the run as I was way more relaxed and confident.
Did you see this post from nowster on Bridge?healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... As I said in my reply to that post, that's one of the very few running videos to which I can relate.
Happy running to you, even though yours is pretty much the opposite of mine!
Haha. She came over yesterday and took me for a long walk, then cooked dinner for us all. I'll let her off. Though now you mention it ... there are 4 days of 'mum duties' this week 🤔😄Your running is almost an entirely different sport to mine 😍
Yes, I finally watched that video yesterday ... and, the main point that struck me was the mixing it up to avoid comparison. I have been known to deliberately take a trail run specifically to make myself go slower and to NOT compare, but prpobably not as often as would be beneficial! But mostly (for better or for worse, and for now at least) ... it's me, my stats, my goals ... and ever present head chatter 😍
Are we talking about the same video linda9389 ? Not the stop running like a beginner one, though that was OK. However I'm referring to Nixon the dog in the snowy hills 🐶🏔️ youtu.be/UIRBg53ePAs
I look at that video and just want to be out there with them. Yes, in those conditions!
ETA: And this morning I did a short run to try out the new Sauconys I bought months ago. Wore my watch. Mistake. Instead of enjoying the new shoes, and the fact that I was running in glorious countryside rather than slogging away at work in a polluted city, I'm now beating myself up for being way slower than when I took my Ghosts for their first run exactly a year ago. It doesn't make me feel inspired to try harder, it just makes me feel miserable and guilty. Mr Garmin however upped my VO2Max by a point, which I find utterly nonsensical.
I should have done my morning run by now, but a chat with an adviser had to take precedence (with a couple of hours prep beforehand), and now it is time for lunch and then a walk with Molly is required …and maybe, just maybe, my long run can be fitted in after that; unless it is too dark by then 🥵. Work first!!
My decision making problems are really all about head/heart conflicts. For example, today should be a 10k. Straight forward enough. However, my heart says that maybe I should add a couple of Ks on, and then next Monday maybe I can do 15k which will take me back to where I was before the dreaded lurgy struck. But will I pick up an injury in the process?
My only way forward is to say that I am going for a slow 10k run, and then I will see how I feel as I get towards the end; if I feel good, maybe the extra 2k will be ok. Either way, there will be no failure to hit target. We don’t use the F word here of course…..came close this morning though…..🤯
Ah yes, the heart and the head on the subject of injury ... now that struggle can run and run in my experience!Dare I ask? Did you make it out for the long run? At least the days are beginning to get a little longer at last 🙂
Yes I did get out thank you. Running wise it was ok; 11k at an easy 7:26 pace. I felt as though that was good enough for today. Technology was another matter. My iPhone ran out of steam just before I reached10k, cutting CB off in full flow. Then I noticed that my watch was down to one bar… but luckily it captured the run ok. I need a carer!
There was a bit of a bump in my chosen route; 81 metres Total Ascent, so that added a bit of a challenge. There is no point in my sticking to flatter runs just to make it easier to extend distance. I know that I can run these distances at 7:00 pace; but not at the moment.
So, maybe 13k next week…lots of rolling required tonight. Still way off HM, but headed in the right direction. It’s cheeky who needs the TLC.
My heart wants to run, my head wants to run, my legs probably have forgotten what running is (only 1 x 5k run in exactly one month), and I’m giving myself one final week to get over this absolutely beast of a coughing bug (not Covid). Next week I’ll be out there doing something, and no one’s going to stop me! If my head decides it doesn’t want to - believe me I’ll haul myself out the door. 😠 I’ll be slower than my usual slow, but good grief it’s time to get moving again woman.
I’ve signed up for the Bristol 10k in May (doable), and the HUHM a week later. Doable? Of course not, but I’ll walk/run as far as I’m able because I signed up for a virtual HM and there’s bling to be had. 😍
I bought new shoes recently, but I’m not really one for millions of tops and leggings. I have my favourites - I do need some new socks soon, but that’s about it. 😇
You have had such a rotten winter haven't you CC? No wonder you're heartily fed up. Still, when you do get back at it - and you will - just think, everything will be springing back to life alongside you 🌸 And going slower will give you the time to appreciate it in all it's glory!Do feel better very soon 😘
Thank you for hosting the chat this week Linda - and I am impressed by your multitasking ability! 🙏
I sometimes don't want to go out for a run, in which case I start to lay out my kit etc and the ritual takes over. Once I'm out there and have settled into a rhythm I have to remember to stop.
Problem is I don't think my body tells my mind when it is getting tired and needs a break. (I believe this is probably due to adrenaline and cortisol being released when I go out for a run, in turn causing my blood sugar to spike and stay high). I think this is why earlier in my running journey I was prone to injury. Since I began running to heartbeat this has proved an effective mechanism to prompt me to moderate my effort.
As for kit, during my hiking years I habitually would stock up on something I liked before it went out of production, and this has carried over to running. I like Nike Invincible shoes and when I read Nike were going to "improve" them I began stocking up, and probably won't need to buy any more easy running shoes for years to come. 🤣
Wow! 'Have to remember to stop'? That's quite something and definitely not a problem I have ever had 😊 Great that you have found a strategy to overcome problems resulting from that though.Buying up shoes seems an infinitely sensible thing to do when you find something that works. I'm with you all the way on that one 😊
I wore a Continuous Glucose Monitor for a couple of weeks when I started the ZOE programme, which showed my blood sugar shooting up when I went out for a run and staying like that for hours afterwards - even though I fast overnight before a run and often don't eat for hours afterwards. That seemed to shed a bit of light.
Still very much a work in progress, for me, this running lark!
Interesting!Running is still a work in progress for most (if not all) of us I think! There's so, so much to learn - about running, about the world around us, but most of all about ouselves 😊
I’m in exactly the same predicament Linda! My brain seems to have got round the fact I can do 10 miles at race pace but can I convince it of the last 3.1? Not so far. I fear it won’t be convinced until the day itself 😬
My trick is to do the run before my brain has fully woken up. Unfortunately this won’t work for my next race as it starts too late. I think I’ll have to think of coping strategies (maybe a doze in the car?).
Good to hear you’re still keeping your hand in! Surely it’s not your own garden that needs a ‘major clearance’?
I prefer the earlier starts too, far less time to overthink 🙃Like you, convincing my brain I can do more on a training run is really tough; I seem to have to rely on the atmosphere and adrenaline and general magic of an event in order to deliver pace AND distance.
The gardening is for my daughter. Mine needs a jolly good overhaul, but hasn't quite reached clearance state yet! It won't be getting a look in til the weather bucks up though 🌞
Aha, that makes sense. Mine is awful too, we have more moss than grass and there are bald patches everywhere from where it scorched last summer. I was hoping to weed and feed before the tortoise woke up but I think that is pretty imminent now it’s warmed up. Just don’t get injured!!
I keep forgetting about the atmosphere effect (how?!! 🤷🏻♀️)! That will help won’t it? It’s been a decent playlist or podcast that’s kept me going so far but atmosphere has got to add a bit/km?
Linda, I think your virtual grisly bear will see off the virtual gremlins! I'm all set for my event on Sunday. I'm not calling it a race as I'll probably start stressing and I don't want to do that! I simply want to run at a comfortable pace and enjoy it. My aim this week is to swim, keep up the yoga and have a training session on the beach and possibly a short run with some friends who are training for a triathlon.
I'd like to try improving my speed, as my next target, but hey, one thing at a time!
Thanks for your post and hope the gardening goes well.
Hi Linda and everyone. A major garden clearance is so satisfying. I love that “before” and “after” look although I do appreciate how much hard work goes into achieving it. And the potential for all sorts of injuries 🙀 Be careful out there!
That’s an interesting article, especially the experiment with the iced water 😳
I think my central governor doesn’t work! I don’t generally have a problem getting out and once I decide on a distance to do then I do it. In the past (note the past tense 😇) I’ve often ignored pain and finished the run simply because that’s what I told myself I’d do on that day. How stupid is that?
But I’m trying to be good at the minute and do the right thing. I haven’t run for a week and got back from Ireland last night so headed out today for a 5K. It’s not good. My shins and knees are throbbing like anything so the only thing I can think is wrong is my orthotics need updating. I normally see my podiatrist once a year and as I injured my back last year and wasn't running much I didn't see him so I’m really hoping that’s the problem. The shoes are ok mileage wise but maybe I need a new pair just in case….. 👟👟
The good news is that my back feels great! At least something is working ok 😂
I too can ignore my head when it comes to injuries and niggles, and I can push on to full distance 99.9 % of the time, but I'm not so good at holding the pace I set out to do!!!But how frustrating for you IP that your knees and shins are complaining so loudly! I do hope it's as simple as the orthotics and that they can be fixed quickly.
I spent most of the 2nd half of last year preparing for races and feeling I would have failed if I didn’t beat my previous times for the various distances. Then on the various days I was slower every time, so I kind of spat my dummy out and didn’t really run much for a couple of months (mind you the stinky never ending cold and cough didn’t help 🤧). Now I am not setting myself any plans or targets and just running when I feel like it instead of beating myself up, generally parkrun and my club sessions, which are also a bit sociable too.
We are currently on a tour of Spain and Portugal and kept moving for the first two weeks (loads of walking when sightseeing), I didn’t go for a run during that time and didn’t feel guilty! Now we’re on the coast in Portugal, though, and I love seaside runs so went for a 5k yesterday (hard after 2 weeks off) and will fit another couple in before we move on again.
As for kit, I don’t get tempted, so I have a pair of road shoes and a pair of trail shoes, wear event t-shirts and buy everything else when I need to replace it. Maybe that’s my Yorkshire genes 😂😂
You are sounding super chilled and at peace Sandie. Great job!!! Your holiday sounds fab, and I absolutely have to agree on loving seaside runs. Enjoy them all and safe travels!
I absolutely love that statement at the top of this post - that is so true for me. The only thing that keeps me going is bloody mindedness. I started, so I will finish, and I WILL NOT give up. Just one foot in front of another, Susan, you can do that, I tell myself. Never think about the lovely hot shower that is waiting for me, or the warming cuppa, never ever do that.... I just tell myself off, I can do this, don't you dare give up. That's how I cope. But each run is a battle, and no run is ever easy!
Your post is very much to the point - I just read it whilst looking for a gap in the weather for a run. That's the first mindset barrier - run whatever the weather! (ok, not if it's a howling blizzard but you get the idea). The next thing is the brain saying "this is hard - just do a short one today and go again in a couple of days". I give in to this so so many times.
So ... without futher ado ... I'm getting changed and going out (and I'll do at least 20% more than the last run)
I’m working my way through a HM plan with NRC. Finding it tough if I’m honest, have no idea if I’ll be ready for the HUHM in May 🤷♀️ I have signed up to a local 8.5 mile trail run on that day which I was planning to run as part of the HM. It sounds like it will be a great run through old railway tunnels & over viaducts that hopefully will be open by then 🤞🏽There is lots of work going on locally to reopen old railway paths that have been unused for decades, exciting times 😁
I aim to complete all the weekly runs on the NRC plan. I’m particularly tired at the moment which I think is a combination of being a little under the weather lately & good old peri-menopause! Feeling a lot better today so hopefully whatever bug I’ve had has been evicted 🤞🏽 Generally I’m finding running a lot tougher than I did 18 months ago but I’ll keep plugging away 😊
Am I right thinking this is your first half marathon? Most 'beginner' plans only have you running three or maybe four times a week. Five runs a week is quite high mileage, which will definitely be tiring. With the NRC plan, you do have the option of picking three or maybe four of the five suggested runs each week - just make sure that you don't skip the long run though. That may help, even if you vary the actual number of runs week by week 😊I still only run two or three times a week (always leaving two rest days between each run because I have an annoying tendency to injury 🙈). I am about to run my eighth (?) HM race. Even with so few training runs, my times have steadily improved; I'll never be fast on three runs a week, but I'm fast enough to keep me happy 😊
It may be something to consider if tiredness is sucking the fun out of it 😊
Thanks Linda, this will be my 7th half marathon. I decided to follow the NRC plan this time in the hope I would be better prepared. I’ve tended to run them on a whim before without training adequately 🤦♀️ Thanks for the advice, I may pull back a little from the training plan if needed & I can always do the 10k option instead if I don’t feel ready by May. I’m hoping some better weather may inspire me! 🤞🏽☀️🌻
Ahh ok,sorry I got that wrong! Now the extra runs make more sense 😊 I can also give you a forum half marathon badge, small comfort but you never know it may help 😍
Fwiw Runnin-g I've never trained for a HM. I used a plan for my trail marathon event, but even then I spread it over 20 weeks, not 16. If you're getting tired and finding your plan a bit much, I'd suggest doing less rather than more.
I've also signed up to the May HUHM despite not having run more than 17k in a year or so. It hasn't occurred to me that I should be training, or prepared, or ready. It's just a bit of fun, so I'll simply go out and do what I can. I'm lazy!
That’s what I normally do but I have been hampered with various injuries for the last 12 months or so 😞 Was hoping a structured training plan would help reduce injuries 🤞🏽🤣
Sorry to hear about your injuries Runnin-g . I can empathise, as a face-plant at the end of June messed up my running for months. For me training plans don't help because they just add pressure and suck the joy out of my running. Also, I love running hills and trails, whereas most training plans are geared to getting PBs in road races, which is absolutely not my thing. Very much hope your plan helps you though!
Thanks, that’s really interesting that you mention training plans tend to be geared to getting PBs in road races, hadn’t thought of that 🤔 I really enjoy trail running & most of my HMs have been trail. I too hope a more structured plan will help reduce/prevent injuries, I guess I’m finding out what works for me at the moment and will move forward with that. But more trail running is needed I think 😊
I chose a marathon training plan specifically designed for trails, because my event had quite a chunk of elevation and some fairly challenging terrain in places. My only aims were to get round and have fun in the process, so plans designed to increase pace on flat roads were just pointless. I struggled enough with the one I chose, as I'm very bad at being told what to do!
That's exactly why I stick to a plan these days, but out of necessity that plan has two days off between each run. Overdoing mileage was the main culprit for me, but it takes time to work out the right balance; we're all different 😊
Thanks, 2 days break from running sounds sensible & I’m sure that would help reduce/prevent my injuries. You’re right, we’re all different & I’m beginning to realise I need to try a range of things to see what works for me 🤗
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