I am not very good at being injured ....

I am not very good at being injured – fact!!  Luckily for those around me I have been away on work trips for most of the time that I have been injured so no one has really had to put up with my sulking!!

So here’s the thing – for so long now I have been in a whirlwind of training cycles from one race to the next.   I have talked before about how having a race scheduled in is a huge motivator for me – I love a plan and I love to tick off all those hard sessions and know what I am working so hard for.  I like to know that I am getting up and out of the door for a session at the crack of sparrows or pounding away on the treadmill long after the kids have gone to bed for a reason but it wasn’t always like that.

I ran my first marathon in 2003 – I swore I would never run another and it did take me 9 years before I ran my second.  In the time between my first and second marathons running was just something I did as exercise, something to get me out of the door.  I went back to running pretty quickly after each of the kids came along as a way to lose my pregnancy weight and to get some headspace.  Running was more time effective than going to the gym – lace up and head out for 30 minutes and that was all there was to it.

Since 2012 (the year I did my second marathon in London) I have done a further 5 marathons, and who knows how many half marathons.  I have trained long and hard for each marathon and this year was set to be no different – although this is the first year that I will be doing two marathons.

And then I got injured!  And it may have taken a while but I have learnt a couple of things during this period of enforced rest:

• I really am not great at being injured – I know my buddy and I always say we are extremely lucky not to have gotten injured but I am not sure we realised how lucky we really were until we both got injured.  At first I was pretty adamant it was not a running related injury and determined to run through it which was the worst thing to do.  I finally saw the chiropractor and as soon as she said I could start running again I got straight back on plan and re-injured – cue another 5 days rest!!  So this week I have been very careful – stuck to the treadmill and kept it to easy runs – what can I say I am a slow learner!

• I have worked really hard to take the positives out of this period – and one of those is that I really need to listen to my body a bit better.  I have also now realised that I need to pay more attention to stretching and strengthening – so pilates here I come!

• But one of the biggest things to come out of being injured is remembering why I run – it isn’t all about the training plans and the medals.  Running has taken me on some amazing adventures and I have met some amazing friends on my running journey, running has been a constant for me whilst so much else has changed.  Running has been my headspace, my me time, my thinking time, my time when no one calls me Mum, time when I can work through so much – in short running makes me a better me.

So as my running buddy and I prepare to head off to Prague I know I have missed more training than for any other marathon and it has been a very different training cycle than we had envisaged.  The plan for the race is to enjoy it and have fun and remember that we are lucky that we get to run – and along the way remember why we run!!!

And then I promise to sign up to a pilates class when I am back!!

Jane xx

Aaaargggghhhh I am injured and it is only six weeks to Prague!!!

Don’t ask me what I did because I don’t know, I don’t remember doing anything to hurt my back but last Thursday when I went out for my run early in the morning it was pretty painful – you know that part where it always hurts right in your lower back?  For me it is always on the right-hand side only which I put down to the fact that I had a patella tendon realignment on my right knee in 1998 – clearly I do not know whether this is really a contributing factor or not!!!

Anyway so I persevered with my run on Thursday despite it being pretty painful because it was not actually getting any worse so surely it would just click and be alright right? WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!  By the end of Thursday it was pretty painful all the time – but this was mainly due to sitting in a meeting room all day in the world’s most uncomfortable chair and actually nothing to do with insisting on running whilst injured.  You see where I am going with this?

Finally I googled “running and backpain” – I actually wanted Google to tell me I was right to continue running whilst my back hurt because the pain was not a running related injury.  Instead I stumbled upon a neat article which suggested that I am in fact experiencing a running related injury and then asked a number of questions to establish the cause of my injury:

1. Have you been travelling recently – we all know that your body recovers and repairs when you sleep right – so I guess if you are not sleeping well because you are staying in hotels you are giving your body less time to recover
   

2. What surfaces are you running on – if you constantly pound hard pavements you are putting more pressure on your joints than if you are running on softer surfaces
   

3. Is it time for new shoes – manufacturers recommend you run 300 – 500 miles on your shoes before changing them and nowadays people tend to recommend you cycle through several pairs of shoes at a time
   

4. Have you recently upped your mileage, started training for your first marathon or are you about six weeks into a marathon training cycle?

Ok, there were a few more questions but you get the picture – GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY!!!

• I have been travelling for work four out of the last five weeks, staying in hotels in the Middle and Far East – so not only am I not sleeping great in hotels, but I am also dealing with jet lag – just when I get sorted I get to go home!!
  

• At home we are blessed with some fantastic places to run off-road and it is all pretty muddy and squishy at this time of year, out here I have been running consistently on roads and pavements
  

• Alright so I do cycle through a number of pairs of shoes – Nike Wildhorses for off-road, Mizuno Wave Riders for the road, On Cloudflow for the treadmill but Strava has been telling me for ages that they all need changing!
  

• And of course I am right at the top end of my training cycle for the Prague Marathon!!!

So now I know this is a running related injury and I know I need to stretch and rest – and this is where I backed right off and rested right?  Except I didn’t!!  By Sunday I decided that my back felt a lot better so popped out for a quick run to see how it felt – suffice to say it didn’t go brilliantly (why would it – I had allowed myself two whole days of rest!) so I tried the exercise bike instead – which induced some eye-watering cracking and pain.  I had a little pity party and ran through all the worst-case scenarios – which inevitably ended with me not being able to run Prague.

After that I had a long text chat with my running buddy (the bestest running buddy in the business) who also happens to be injured.  We talked about how frustrated we are and talked about how we are literally falling apart and then she repeated the pep talk her husband had given her – which I would no doubt have had in person had I been at home.  We both said we were being very sulky and grumpy and I admitted I may have visited the Cheesecake Factory to cheer myself up!

This morning I got up early and went to the gym and walked on the treadmill – yes I just walked.  No pressure, I didn’t even try to run because finally it had clicked – I was so worried about training for Prague I just couldn’t allow myself the time to rest even though all I was doing was making things worse.  So I spent an hour listening to Ant Middleton this morning whilst walking and he is right – your mind really is your own worst enemy and patience really is a virtue!!

Jane x

P.s. I would like to thank the Cheesecake Factory who made sulking a bit more enjoyable, Ant Middleton for his wise words that finally hit home and as always my running buddy and her super human husband for always being there even if I am thousands of miles away!!!!

Flying long haul messes with your mind and your body!!!

So I was busy writing a blog post about “Am I really a runner if I don’t race?” but then I had pretty much the worst long run on the treadmill ever last night – a combination of jet lag, the after effects of a 14 hour flight and the hottest hotel gym in the world so I thought I would talk about that instead!

Let’s start with last night – the Prague Marathon is just over 2 months away and so I am right at the most intense period of my training schedule and right now I am traveling a lot for work, last year I took 28 flights, this year I am going to spend 4 out of the next 5 weeks in the Middle East and Asia – juggling a full-time job, travel and training for another marathon is a tough ask.

Had I been at home, yesterday would have been a long slow distance run of 2 hours 30 with the last 20 minutes at goal race pace.  But I am not at home – I am 6745 miles and 8 time zones away from home! Because of this my coach said just do 1 hour 30 on the treadmill – easy right? Well that is what I thought but it was the hardest run I have had in ages – about an hour in I even had to give up listening to my audiobook – seems even Ant Middleton’s dulcit tones couldn’t help me out!  I found myself endlessly repeating “one more minute” whilst counting down the seconds!

So why does long haul travel make you feel so bad?

• Firstly I guess travel is just tiring, flying is not just about the time spent in the air, flying is the time it takes to get to the airport, dropping your bags, getting through security, waiting to board, not to mention clearing customs on arrival, collecting your bags and getting to your final destination – as well as the flight itself.

• A 14 hour flight and an 8 hour time difference mucks up your body clock – as if travelling through 8 time zones wasn’t enough on board the plane you are expected to eat and sleep at funny times.  On the way out here we were given dinner at 11pm and then meant to sleep, we were told to keep the blinds down though because as we flew further east we were actually in broad daylight.  Finally we were served breakfast 2 hours before landing – fine if we were still on UK time but it was already 3pm at our destination – no wonder your body is confused right?

•   Change in temperature – I know we are having unseasonably warm weather for February back home (pretty sure we are going to get one more icy blast before spring is finally sprung though!) but Singapore is different gear hot and humid. So here’s me used to being bundled up in layers of jumpers and coats in the cold, damp of the UK winter and suddenly I am in Singapore and it is 34 degrees with 50% humidity so I am bound to feel a bit out of sorts and generally just unused to the heat right?

So what can you do about it?

I am sure we all know that we are meant to try and stay awake once you get where you are going but recently I read an article in which some pro-cycling teams gave their tips on flying long haul:

• Start to acclimatise to the time zone before you go – ok so this might be slightly impractical but they did suggest starting to shift your bedtime and mealtimes nearer to those of your destination a few days before you travel – I get the idea just not sure how practical that would be whilst still working and managing three kids!

• Watch what you eat on the plane – plane food is not always the best and as I mentioned before you can end up eating at some fairly odd times so best not to rely on what you are given and take some snacks of your own and make sure you stay hydrated whilst flying. This one I can do - the thought of not having food with me sends me into a blind panic!

• Get some rest on the plane – this is a fairly easy one for me – as my colleagues will attest I can sleep anywhere and am usually asleep before we even take off – I don’t know but something about waiting for other people to board wears me out!!  If you struggle to sleep try a sleep mask, earphones and comfy clothes to see if that helps.

• Finally when you get where you are going, get out and get some fresh air if is still daylight – this sends a message to your body that it is still daytime and not time to sleep.  Oh and make sure you eat at the proper mealtimes – again this helps to reset your body clock.

Some of these tips have really helped me - if only to make me more mindful of why I just had the worst session ever!! For me, running really forces my body and mind to acclimatise to the changes in temperature and to adjust my circadian rhythm – just being tired at the right time really helps me reset. 

Whilst there are a lot of things you can do to minimise the effects of travelling long-haul it can still feel pretty tough for a couple of days, with that in mind I am off out for an easy 5 miles this evening, hoping that it doesn’t feel as bad as last night!

Much love xx

The 2 pieces of kit you need when you start running

So last week my friend and I made our annual trip to Lululemon with our hard-earned vouchers for completing their January Strava Challenge. As usual I spent ages gazing at the row upon row of kit in a dazzling array of colours, shapes and sizes and as usual everything I bought was black!. If you know me that will come as no surprise - there is nothing wrong with black kit ok!

Anyway the trip got me thinking how daunting it can be to work out what, amongst all this kit, you actually need if you are just starting out - there is so much choice out there, so many gadgets and so many bits and bobs that people will tell you are must-haves - compression tights, underlayers, specialist socks, gloves, hats, headbands, technical shirts, and let’s not even start on all the wearable tech - that is a whole new post right there!

So what do you really need to get started? I honestly think there are really only two things worth investing time and money in when you are just starting out - and by that I mean if you invest a bit of time into doing some research you can save yourself a load of money. So here you go my top two bits of kit are:

1. A good sports bra - (if you are a guy you can probably skip this one!) - seriously getting the right bra will make your whole running experience much more comfortable - even if you are small you will need some level of support.
   
   Do a bit of internet research to work out what kind of support you need - most bras are categorized in terms of size, level of support and the sport for which they are intended.
   
   Once you have worked out what type of bra you need have a look at websites like www.SportShoes.com for deals and check out TKMaxx - they always have great choices at good prices if you don’t mind a little rummage!
   

2. Shoes - badly fitting/old/unsupportive shoes can land you in a world of trouble and put you out of action before you even get started.
   
   If you are unsure where to start it may be worth visiting a good retailer to get a gait analysis done. Runners Need is a really good place to start - the stores are always very friendly, have a great range of shoes in stock and are able to offer sound advice on what you should be wearing.
   
   Right now Runners Need will swap your dodgy old trainers for a sparkly £20 voucher off a new pair!
   

   Stores will usually offset the cost of the analysis against any shoes you buy instore but you may end up paying top dollar for your shoes. Instead don’t be afraid to pay for the analysis and then go shop around for a good price - again www.sportshoes.com have great deals and if you are not fussy about having your shoes in the latest colours (they are just going to get muddy anyway right?!) you can usually get last season’s shoes online for around 30 - 50% off the full price!

So a good bra and good shoes and everything else can wait, hope this helps. Shout if you have any questions!

Much love xx

The 5 most common excuses for not exercising

When it comes down to exercising the phrase I hear the most is “I can’t because ….” So here I have put together the five most common excuses for not exercising and debunked each one!

1. I don’t have time - this is by the far most common reason I hear. Ok I get it we are all super busy, it is not a competition to see who is most busy. But here is the deal, it really just comes down to what you prioritise - if you make watching tv a priority you probably won’t have a lot of time to exercise - what I am saying is if you make exercise a priority you will make time to do it.
   

2. I don’t like exercising on my own - ok so don’t - find a buddy, rope a mate in. Personally running is my headspace so I relish being able to run on my own - although there is nothing better than having a mate along for a long run! But if you don’t like exercising on your own, grab a mate to exercise with or join a group class for extra motivation.
   

3. It’s boring - let me tell you a secret - I find swimming agonizingly boring - so guess what - swimming is not my exercise of choice. Why? Because I just would end up not going. The point is find something you love and then you won’t find it a chore - think outside the box - why not try dance classes or borrow a mate’s dog and go for a walk?
   

4. The kids/family come first - don’t they just! And so they should! As I said before running is my headspace and I guarantee that having that headspace time makes me a calmer mum! If you can’t get away what about taking the kids with you - in a buggy or if they are bigger they could cycle whilst you run. Or you could all just go for a bike ride together?
   

5. I can’t afford a gym membership - ok so some gyms are pretty expensive but there are some great pay-as-you-go options and in this day and age there is so much free content on the internet - loads of workouts you can follow from the comfort of your own home!

So there you go, the five most common excuses for not exercising and a whole host of reasons to exercise - just go make you a priority!!

Much love x