I actually did speed work!

I know I said I'd get better at updating but I'm a big fat liar-I've been distracted by flat hunting and furniture dreaming but that's besides the point!

Week 3 of #janathon and my mileage is up and I actually completed some speed work which is a miracle for me. 

Day 12- lazy day! I'm having more of these then I should! I know slapped wrists for me. 

Day 13-I went to the Asics Run club at the Marble Arch store. We did a speed session which killed my thighs but made me realise that I can run faster then I think I can, I can also push myself and run with the crowd when needed. 

Day 14- sore thighs (damn you running faster) so I took it easy. But I don't consider commutting round london easy-every staircase & escalator killed my thighs. 

Day 15- I attempted some stretching and foam rolling but even I can admit it was a lame effort. 

Day 16- 2.6 miles run before heading off for a weekend away. I didn't feel too strong but I ran and I'm noticing more and more that I need to congratulate myself when I get out of the warm bed and run. 

Day 17-this was my long run for the week. I did 7 miles along the Portland coast. Aren't the views beautiful? It made me feel better running somewhere new & to look at the scenery around me. In hindsight I should have left my headphones behind and enjoyed nature but you live and learn!

Day 18- people may not count walking along Chisel Beach a workout but which steep hills to climb it gave my sore thighs a workout. 

And that was my week! How was everyone's workouts? More disciplined then me I hope!

#janathon update!

Right apologies for the lack of updates (Janathon & runs haven't been fantastic either) but I will do an day 5-11 update and I will try to be more on the ball with weekly updates in the following weeks!

Day 5- I hit the gym for a lower body weight session. Kettle bell swings (exhausted me) sumo squats, jump squats, deadlifts, lunges & regular squats! I love squats. I also did some of the weight machines. I really enjoyed this work out and felt strong for the day but I have lost some strength & stamina from a couple of months ago. 

Day 6-I struggled through a slow 2 mile run at 5am! I was still sore from my Monday gym session (leg day before a run is silly Susie) but I got up and did it and felt proud

Day 7- still feeling sore so just walked and had a quick stretch. 

Day 8- I had a different work schedule and because I didn't have a 2 hour commute home I had time in the evening to do a 2.5mile run and took 30 seconds off my average run. Felt very proud of this but now it means I have to beat it...

Day 9 & Day 10 I wasn't able to work out as I got an infection (it was below the neck so although I felt I needed to run I couldn't struggle through the pain) 

Day 11- took a 3 mile walk (and included a cafe for cake) to stretch my legs and get out the house. 

Although I'm not doing what I want everyday I am exercising more. How do people manage running for loads of days in a row? How are other people finding Janathon?

Day 1-5 #janathon challenge

So I'm taking part in Janathon this year to kick start my fitness and force me to go out and run more often...and so far it seems to be working 5th January & I have stretched or exercised everyday!

Day 1-gentle hungover 2.6miles around my local park. It's was windy, I was dehydrated-But I did it!

Day 2- 25minute kettlebell, core and upper body session. Using my home gym equipment I tried to build up my upper body & core to help my body & balance-it's was enjoyable and showed me that I do enjoy home workouts. 

Day 3- 6.5miles long run. It was slow & I had to stop for walking but this was the longest distance I've done since October-I'm still proud. 

Day 4- after the previous day's long run I decided to have a stretch and use my long neglected foam roller-there seems to be a theme here with things I should but don't seem to consistently maintain. 

Day 5-early alarm and a weight session down the gym. I squatted, lunged and gave my legs hell. I have lost strength but I finished my workout and that was successful. 

How's everyone's #Janathon going? Are you finding motivation or struggling to kick it up?

2014....the not so good

So I've talked you through my successes and running my first marathon and now let me explain how it went downhill...

To sum up the 2nd part of 2014 I didn't train! I burnt myself out marathon training and took 2 weeks to rest and never fully returned to my desired training. I ran 'We Own The Night' 2014 and between my April marathon and may 10K I barely ran and followed no real structure. I struggled through the 10K being cocky thinking "I've run a marathon how hard could this be?" The answer, quite hard! I felt defeated and low and afterwards I wanted to kick start my training again. 

I decided I would sign up to a half marathon to keep me focused and kick my butt out of bed to run, I also signed up to Sure's Run to The Beat to give me more races to keep me motivated with medals. 

But as you can see from my September/October goals I struggled completing my training runs. I did 80% of the runs but I wasn't as strict as I could have been. When it came time to complete Run Through's Wimbledon half marathon I was shocked by the small numbers. Although the atmosphere was lovely the small numbers meant that I felt that I was slower then I was, as I was one of the last runners the entire course. I kept thinking that if there were more runners I wouldn't have been so isolated and could have had more competition. I struggled with the hills, I struggled mentally crossing the finish line and I finished another race feeling defeated and cross with myself for not training correctly. I finished the race to go on holiday expecting to come home and get fit once more. 

Since coming back from holiday my health and body have no been working together and I am a very low point in my stamina and running fitness. I have been having IBS flair ups which means I can't feed my body ready for exercise and also feel too uncomfortable to run. 

But it's 2015 and I'm putting my past behind and looking forward to supporting my body to be stronger and faster this year. 

Have you reflected on your 2014 mistakes? Are you focussed going in to 2015? What are you goals for the new year?

2014...the successes!

I thought I could round up my 2014 races!

January-april was dominated by marathon training. I got up at 4:45am to run 2 mornings a week. My weekends were dominated by long runs and refuelling. I learnt how to squat, lung & deadlift and did weights regularly in the gym and loved it!

I got my first pair of official running trainers (I lived in fear of loosing my toenails) and brought an obscene amount of gym wear. But during this time I was pushing my body to new longer distances and loved what my body could achieve rather then how it looked. I changed my mind frame to see that food was fuel & I naturally cut down on alcohol so it didn't effect my training. I felt fit & healthy and toned. 

I did however become a bit of a hermit. 5am runs meant I was asleep on the week by 9:30pm. I had a lovely birthday brunch but it didn't feel like my birthday and by the end I wanted my social life back!

On 22nd March (week after said birthday let down) I took part in the hastings half marathon! This is still my favourite race and the moment I felt like a runner. It was part of my brighton training plan- I was advices to do a coastal run so I was prepared for wind. I felt strong, I felt prepared & I had a plan and a pace to follow. I was told it was hilly but I didn't care I was going to do it. What I wasn't prepared for was the massive support-throughout the entire race. Bands & organisations along the way made it a real community feel. A very appreciated moment was when a woman  opened her house up for runners to use the toilet and had a selection of fruit and sweets in the hall for us to help ourselves!

I kept to my pace & felt like a runner for the first time. Heading forward into the marathon feeling strong. 

So then my big day came-brighton marathon 2014. It was overcast & grey but I was happy because I hate running in sunshine. I had trained for 5 months and I couldn't have felt stronger. I kept to my pace and let other people over take me. As my first marathon I just wanted to finish. As I got to mile 20 I was tired but still smiling - luckily not hitting the wall and finished the race in 5hrs 32min. 

So that's my 2014 successes next I'll explain my 2014 difficulties...

What were your race achievements of 2014? Did you start the year strong or get your stride later in the year?