The journey ahead

A walk in the spring sunshine was irresistible this week despite the fact I was recovering from tonsillitis.
So with Vena in on the jaunt and a borrowed dog we set off on a little jolly. Well, not that little as it turns out. Actually near enough the 10km distance we've got to cover in the race come July.
We walked it while covering our usual range of topics (trains, Take That, old times on trains and with Take That, Richard Hammond, nights out and love lives) and we may have had a quick half in the pub midway. But now I've actually done the distance I must admit the race is feeling more daunting.
I know I have to grasp the training nettle and get on with building up my stamina and ability to actually, you know, run.
So, yes, overwhelmed by the task ahead again. It's a hell of a long way and just walking it in the sunshine, with friends, with no particular rush to get there or back left me feeling weak, tired and as if traveling around in a motorised armchair would be a pretty sweet way to live out my days.
But quitting is not an option...so on with the training. I think my overall lack of general fitness is part of the problem so I'm trying to build in swimming and cycling to the schedule as well as the walk / running. And say it very quietly - I'm giving the dieting thing another go too.
And every journey begins with the most hesitant, shaky, unenthusiastic small step right?
S C-P x

Powered by vitriol

Got out there. Jogged 1.6 miles in 18 minutes and feel, frankly, miserable, a bit angry and not very healthy at all.

I am therefore giving science the finger as this stuff about endorphins is clearly codswallop. I'm feeling angrier now than I did before heading out and that's saying something given the whole endeavour was powered by a doozy of a tantrum.

My whole right leg is a series of niggles now - one in the inside of my ankle, then the outside of my knee and the familiar pain in the lower right of my back. Further convincing me I have one leg shorter than the other or (new option) they unbalanced my core by removing the left hand side of my reproductive system.

Anyway. I did it. I got out there and did my first training in 16 days. Now sponsor me. Please.

S C-P x

Top five: things learnt in training #2

So, grasping the training bull firmly by the horns I headed out again yesterday for training session number two.
With my three-year-old taking on the training partner role we set out in the bright sunshine for what was supposed to be a walk of a 10km circuit. I thought this would set in my mind the distance I'm aiming for in July. Nothing like seeing the whole of the desert before trying to move it grain by grain.
Anyway, we managed 8km. These are the top five things I learnt from it.

1. Ten kilometres is a long way. A really long way. A really really long way.
2. Surprisingly good tunes to train to include Belle and Sebastian Sleepyheads and St Etienne Join Our Club.
3. Yesterday was a really beautiful cold, crisp, sunshine and blue sky of a day with a hint of Spring in the air. Even with the physical struggle of making it as far as I did it sure is good for the soul to get out and about.
   
4. So adept am I am moaning that with each mile that passes another made-up malady strikes. Yesterday I was mainly suffering from a popped lung (a dramatic spin on the not-made-up asthma) and the conviction that I have one leg shorter than the other and this is what makes my back hurt (right leg shorter if you're interested).
5. That however big a challenge I have given myself by deciding to do the 10km it is nothing compared to the challenge facing those with cancer or their friends and family. I was reminded why raising this money is so important after hearing about an associate's current battle. I'd gladly up my distance if it meant we were one step closer to finding a cure for cancer.

Today is a day off. All the girls in the team who are taking on the 10km are getting together to eat a hearty Sunday lunch and no doubt talk training. Next week sets me off on my schedule proper and I'm still feeling pretty positive about what I can personally achieve.

If you want to sponsor me you can do so online: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/sarahlay

S C-P x

Training session #1

I'm not sure if this is the way that serious athletes do it but I started my training session by drinking two pints and talking about the money to be made from selling virtual nipple tape in Second Life with a great bunch of geeks.
Something powered me on though as I headed out into the twilight with Lauren and Vena for our first official training session for Race for Life 2010.
We did a short 1.6 mile circuit round my way but was mightily impressed that we jogged most of it - even the hills! It was certainly easier on my lungs that the 5k was last July as the pig 'flu ravaged them.
It wasn't a full throttle start to the training but we feel it is sensible to start slow and short and build up so we feel we've achieved something each time.
In fact, rather than feeling knackered and overwhelmed by the task ahead, I feel motivated and incredibly positive about making it round the 10k come July.
I've now mapped a 10km walk from my door and back again and plan to load my three-year-old into the pushchair and walk this route tomorrow morning. I think this will give me a good idea of the final distance and what lies ahead.
And then onward with the 12 week training schedule I've been recommended by a friend. I think training together is a great giggle (although everything we do is laughs-a-go-go to be honest) but I'm also looking forward to getting my music on and tackling these routes alone sometimes.
I don't think I could have hoped for a better start. The next 6 months of training are going to be challenge - but I'm ready to face it head on as part of Team Run, Fat Girl, Run.
S C-P x

Curse my radical thinking

So yesterday I had the brain wave about doing the 10k run instead of the usual 5k. I even wrote a small blerb in this Blog and shared my insanity with a few of the Team. But then i talked training regimes with some gym-keen friends and I quickly saw the error of my ways! The kind of plan I'd need to get myself to where I could jog 10k at a respectable pace was colossal and so much harder than the one I failed to keep up for the 5k! The idea was dismissed. I was a little disappointed I'd not got the courage to challenge myself to that level but the commitment filled me with dread, the sheer size of the task and the totally dedication to not looking like an idiot... it just goes against every lazy bone in my body.

Then out of the blue the other Team members agreed with me, but a day too late, they agreed the 10k was a good idea! Oh how easily my mind is swayed, about 2 seconds later and I'm all fighting talk again! WE CAN DO IT!! If only my fitness was as strong as my will is weak! *urgh* now we're signed up for the 10k EEEK and there's no going back. I'm going to have to do my very best to kick my lazy bones into gear, because if I fail at training I'll fail on the day. I do not want to let the Team or Cancer Research down.

So all that training I baulked at before is now back on the table and being designed into a spreadsheet of woe as you read this. I'm going to be using and abusing all my kind friends and fellow TRFGR members who've pledged help, support and training companionship! The countdown is on: 18th July 2010!

This Fat Girl is getting her game on!! My sponsorship page is up and running already so it has officially begun. 6 months to train and raise a load of cash. I'm going to try and remember the reason behind it all when my legs are aching and my feet are bleeding, all the training pain and tears will be worth every penny of sponsorship.

What could be better motivation than helping find a cure for Cancer?

On your marks....

So, here we go again.

I am not sure what magic is at work but each January when the registration opens for Race For Life the unwavering belief I can run (yes, run) easily, happily and fast by July takes me over.

Consequently, having overcome the challenge of completing 5km at Holme Pierrepont in 2009 with swine 'flu and a chest infection raging through my system this year I've registered for the 10km.

Yes, 10km. Which I am convinced I am going to run with the carefree smile and graceful gait. The image in my head looks like a BodyForm advert - the sun is shining and I am laughing, barely noticing that I am running at speed. Sweat, wheezing and moaning doesn't come in to it. Neither does the inevitable crying when I finish slower than the rest of the team.

Right now I am uninterested in the reality of what 18 July 2010 will bring. I am signed up and ready to become S Champagne-Perspiration again. I fully intend to get further along my training plan than merely printing it off this year.

So, yeah, 10km. Bring it on.

And if you could sponsor me that would be awesome: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/sarahlay

The rest of the team are also ready to go again - I've already had news that superspeedy Fat Girls of 2009 Vena and Lauren will be taking on the 10km, as will self-confessed lazy arse Kelly Race while Sarah Hutchinson heads to Nottingham again to take on the 5km.

I am sure news of what the other Fat Girls are doing will feed through soon. So watch this space (and the roads of Derbyshire as I get training!)

S C-P xxx