I'm back writing (but still been running)

Time to kick start ye olde blogge.

Fear not, my silence has not been down to lack of training but just an amalgamation of summer busyness, hard training and just generally struggling to find the time to write. I have missed it very much so here I am again to update you on my ‘travels’ as a runner.

I’ll keep this post brief just to say hello and to keep your eyes peeled from now on.

So where am I? I have had some solid training since my last post and although I didn’t get to do a Triathlon this year (due to finances) I have been keeping up with the swimming and cycling to prepare myself for next year. I now swim just under a mile and go spinning once a week.

My priorities have changed a little lately as I am signed up to run The Virgin London Marathon again. My decision to run again comes from over a year of wishing I wasn’t injured when I ran last time and wondering what I actually could have achieved so now I’m going to find out J

I am training smart this time and very gradually building up the long runs (now up to 11 miles) and cross training in the pool and spinning. Any increase in weekly mileage is slow and I’m mixing up the types of runs I do. Most importantly I’m training much much slower, I’ll save the speed for racing and tempo runs. My goal right now is to run long and to be super fit, not super fast!

So now I’ve updated you I’ll keep you posted more often now. I forgot how much I love combining my passions, Running, writing (and taking photos but that’s a little challenging at times whilst running)

PS. Hope you like the new look blog, been learning HTML code so it looks less templatey!

I must get better at this blogging malarky!

Yep, I've got sloppy again... apologies for lack of blogness... seriously busy with training, taking photos and creating a website for my pics! Enough of the excuses... where am I at?

Triathlon training is well underway and I'm doing well in 2 out of the 3 events so all is going well. I'll update you per event

Running
It's taken a while to step away from the running without me kicking and screaming so I have made an effort to really focus more on Swimming and cycling this past month. Running has still been very much a part of training but definately not the sole focus. It was a bit like someone stole my ice cream to start with but I'm getting there.

I was getting a little concerned that my running was going to suffer but it seems to be getting better and I feel amazingly fit and strong when I'm running now. Managed a PB in my first 5 miler for a long while today and I enjoyed every minute of it which goes to show the power of 'Cross training'. Invested in a pair of  Zem's which are just the most amazing barefoot 'shoe'/'sock' to run in. They are giving me a real sense of freedom and as soon as my feet are in them I feel like I could run for miles.

Cycling
So, how hard can cycling be? Get on a bike and pedal away? Well up until I decided to do a triathlon that was more than sufficient but now I have set my goals, it's becoming apparent training on the bike will be the toughest part (and most vital as its the largest percentage of time). After discussing with an Ironman triathlete, her advice was, to get any better it's going to hurt! Oh joy!

So I've been putting in really hard sessions on the turbo bike to build up my strength and stamina and have started riding outside a lot more, I even attempted a headwind ride in 42 mph winds... that wasn't 'fun' as I expected...lol! My biggest barrier now is my bike, as great as my bike is, it wont cut the mustard in a race (well it will but I want to compete not dawdle). SO now I'm working on getting a new bike which I am assured will increase my speed massively, now I've been told this I can really feel the bike holding me bike.... all good training. This is the bike I want...  Fingers crossed!

Swimming
Well my first trip to the pool was worrying and the following trips were equally worrying, I finally was able to swim a length and had the breathing down but i was still only swimming a length at a time. These lengths were slow and hard work still. Every time I went to the pool I took a tip in my head and gradually over time I was managing 2 lengths at the time and the occasional 4 lengths.

Last week I focussed on my swimming, getting some serious time in the pool (amongst running/cycling/weights). I really focussed on form and building up confidence and was starting to manage 4-5 lengths at a time (this was after some pretty tough workouts). On sunday I headed to the pool intending to do 800 metres and i managed 900!!! I also managed 10 lengths pretty much non stop and 400 metres in 10 minutes which was my tri target time! So now I'm brimming with confidence, I'm making myself a swimmer after all :) I am seriously in the wrong job!

Overall training is based on a 3 week cycle having 'focussed' weeks, last week was swimming, this week is running. This basically means the respective sport will have a slightly higher percentage of train time for the week. I'm going to start introducing a 'long' event on sundays, this will be whatever the chosen sport for the week is (long run, long swim, long ride). I am training 5 days (sometimes 6) a week! I am spending serious time on the turbo bike, weights and rowing is my cross training in the gym! I'm riding or running to the gym each day (4 mile round trip).... so as you can see its all pretty busy but boy it is amazingly enjoyable! I miss 'just' running sometimes, but my joints and body are so much stronger. I could really see this being my thing, and if anything this training will make me a fabulous runner!

Try to Tri

My poor neglected blog was gradually heading to the place where blogs go to die but I have returned and as usual it is all change. As you all know I'm constantly up for a new challenge and challenges are what I do best.

So after a fantastic year of running (just under a 1,000 miles) I wanted to start the year with a bang. With big plans to run a marathon in Spring and a handful of half marathons the first half of the year and a triathlon in Summer I set about training. Then a few weeks into the new year i had a fabulous 9 miler on a new route and felt great but my run a few days later was agony, my shin splints were coming back. Having learnt from past lessons I knew I had to stop running completely for a few weeks and focus on cross training.

Over the past 3 weeks I have focussed my attention on working on triathlon training and it has now become apparent that triathlon training is not going to be a part time training challenge. The marathon I was going to do booked up so that was possibly a blessing in diguise and although half marathons are an option, I'm not going to dedicate my training to them. So what am I doing?

Well I joined a gym to start working on my swimming and cycling, after a few initial test runs it became apparent I have an awful lot to do to to get my swimming and cycling up to triathlon standard. I have been doing alot of tough workouts on the bike and building up a high average cadence as well as upping the resistance to build up strength and stamina. I've also been doing a fair amount of weights and generally using the rower and crosstrainer to get my body stronger and started to build up the distances slowly on the treadmill.

In the pool i'm trying to reteach myself to swim, swimming with poor breathing and your head above water is ok to get by but in a race it will probably finish me off so I am swimming between 300 and 500m but purely focussing on bilateral breathing so I can get my breathing accomplished before really focussing on technique. That is going well but I have a long way to go but I'm already excited about my improvement.

So my race is in early July and it is a sprint triathlon 400m swim/23km ride/5km run and I have a feeling it will just be the beginning. I am loving the new challenge of a triathlon and teaching myself things I had resigned myself to being rubbish at, for me the triathlon challenge is not about distance but about proving to myself what I can do with a bit of focus. I have always been a poor swimmer and not the fastest or most confident cyclist so I have a lot to be working on. The best part is that I'm training and racing with my husband and he too is starting to see the addictive...ness of a triathlon! Running will always be my favorite and my strength but trying to perfect 3 disciplines is so exciting. We are also racing in the Lincoln 10k in April which will keep me running between all the other workouts.

I had my first brick session yesterday and although it was a killer, it has made me blissfully excited about getting better at all the disciplines and proving myself and others wrong (yes PE teachers I refer to you)! I'm doing a better job of making myself a better athlete than all my PE teachers put together...

As usual my fellow athletes on Daily mile are brilliant with their motivation and advice! And now more than ever I want to get my instructors qualification and start bringing the excited that sport can bring to others... one day :)