My Year in Running - a Marathon Journey

It is now 15 months since, in a moment of madness, I stuck my neck out and announced publicly that I wanted to run the 2021 Orwell Challenge full marathon!

Taking inspiration from the Park Runners I leafleted in the lead up to 2019’s event, and also from a couple of ‘mature’ first time marathon runners I chatted with at our checkpoint that same year, the idea of me running a marathon started brewing in my head! If they could do it, then why couldn’t I?

Saying it out loud to myself and to more than one other person really helped to reinforce the idea. Coupled with the fact that I came spectacularly last in the parents’ and grandparents’ race at my grand daughter’s sports day, the gauntlet was well and truly thrown!

I remember mentioning the idea to a couple of people shortly after the 2019 OC but immediately dismissed it as being ludicrous. And so, with the encouragement of two other ‘mature’ hopefuls (who incidentally have both since dropped out), I lined up a marathon training guru to keep me on track, downloaded the C25K (Couch to 5K) app onto my phone and started recording my efforts on the Strava app (which anyone can download and ‘follow’ me - please feel free to do so!).

My first ‘run’ involved jogging for 30 seconds, followed by walking for 1 minute - and it absolutely KILLED me!! I could quite easily have given up right there and then but I’d just spent good money on a pair of proper running shoes so thought I’d better give it at least a bit longer.

And now here we are - more than one year on and over 200 active days later.  I can now own up to having run for 196 hours, covering in excess of 1500K (almost Ipswich to London and back x 5) and an elevation of 8250 m (the height of Everest - in Suffolk?!).

Currently my training regime consists of running three times a week plus one strength/cardio session. I start the week with a brisk short run (approximately 7K), a medium run working on speed and/or strength (hill sprints, sprint intervals, FARTLEK intervals) and then finally a long run (either a steady or progressive pace). The strength/cardio session is in the gym when allowed (HIIT - high intensity interval training) or specific exercises to strengthen glutes and quads, as prescribed by my marathon training guru Alice. During the current lockdown whilst I’m not working I’m also walking with Hubs - trying to build up the length of time on my feet.

My longest run to date is 27K, which happened one day last August when I got lost and ended up in a field of asparagus somewhere near Martlesham. Now I’m concentrating on improving my form and pace, and will start to gradually increase the distance over the next 6 months until June.

This journey hasn’t been all plain sailing though. Early on, I experienced a return of my childhood asthma which has thankfully now resolved with minimal use of medication (I just needed to start breathing properly and using my lungs more efficiently). My first downhill run resulted in a knee injury in the short term, again thankfully now resolved by using just heat and ice; an over-enthusiastic hill sprint led to a very painful calf injury for a couple of weeks. Listening to the following TED talk really helped with managing this - https://youtu.be/gwd-wLdIHjs

So - questions.

Why?

 I’m often asked (and most frequently by my husband and almost as frequently by myself) 

Answers:

1) Why not? If they (the park runners) can do it, then I should be able to. Right?

2) Personal challenge/ B460 Bucket List

3) A REALLY welcome structure during the lockdowns (I even caught myself saying a couple of times that I didn’t want my work to interrupt my training!!)

4) To raise much needed funds for a local charity. I’m keen to support Suffolk Mind as I feel that escalating mental health issues will be a sad legacy of the pandemic. 

Do I like running?

NO!! Absolutely not!! I HATE RUNNING!! 

I liken it to child birth - it seems really easy at the outset,  but is in fact the worst experience in the world whilst you’re going through it. Once it’s all over, you very quickly forget how awful it all was and can’t wait to try again!

I REALLY hate the thought of going out to run. I hate it for the first 3K and could very easily give up and go home. After that, I manage to convince myself that I’m almost home so it makes sense to continue. I refuse to wimp out and ask for a lift home. However, I am not that person who loves running or gets a buzz out of running. Never have, never will.

Best bits:

1. Running down hill - it all feels so easy and perfectly possible.

2. The homeward stretch. Lying on the floor after a run and stretching out. Hot cuppa, boiled egg and toast; standing in a boiling hot shower.

3. Reaching the end of a run and realising that I’ve run further than I thought/had planned.

4. Feeling a huge sense of achievement after each run.

5. Logging on to Strava, checking my stats and achievements (or lack of)

6. Having a glass of wine with dinner, knowing that I don’t have to run the next day.

Worst bits:

1. Running up hill - it all feels so hard and nigh on impossible.

2. Knowing that I have to run today.

3. Reaching the end of a run and realising that I’m way short of my target (I find it impossible to squeeze out an extra few Ks once my brain has shut down)

4. The first 3K of any run. Going home is far more appealing.

5. Speed intervals. My body is built for comfort, not for speed! My little legs won’t go fast!

6. Bishops Hill uphill.

7. Running in the dark or freezing cold; cold fingers and toes (reminds me of hockey at school in the winter); gale force wind - SUCH hard work unless it’s behind you.

The Upsides:

1. Recording runs in km rather than miles. The numbers make it feel like you’ve run a long way!

2. Seeing progression and being thankful for how far I’ve come and having the opportunity to stretch myself to such an extent.

3. Running before sunrise and seeing the new day dawning (I only did this once though, but it was lovely!)

4. Being top of the Strava leaderboard or a Local Legend for a segment (a tiny bit of competitiveness coming out)

5. Running in the rain, fog or mud. For some reason I like getting soaked or splattered. I’ve always loved the fog.

6. I’m 2/3rds done and only 6 months of training left.

7. That moment when your fitness is such that your legs ache before you feel out of breath - a real game changer. 

The Down sides:

1. Recording runs in km rather than miles. You have to do more of them to complete the full distance (42K rather than 26 miles - bummer)

2. Really struggling to go out for a  run when your head and body says ‘NOOO!! STAY IN BED!!’

3. Trying to peel off compression leggings  - they’re far easier to pull on than to take off, especially when sweaty!

4. REALLY stinky running shoes.

5. Runner’s toe - black and really thickened toenails. No open-toed sandals for me this summer.

6. The thought of the OC being cancelled this year. I absolutely CANNOT keep training until October or 2022 - I know I’d lose the will to live. I’d rather run a virtual marathon in June if all else fails.

7. That moment when your legs ache and you feel out of breath. 

Most embarrassing moments:

1. Tripping over a tree root, falling flat on my face; grazed knees and hands, feeling shaken, hurt pride.

2. Tripping over a blade of grass, falling flat on my face in full view of others, feeling like a real idiot.

3. Getting bitten on the bum by a dog

4. Realising that one’s bladder isn’t quite what it used to be!

Discoveries:

1. I have to get up and go straight out for a run.. If I delay or aim to go later in the day, I’ll very easily talk myself out of going.

2. Discovering new routes. The joy and wonder of having no idea where a new footpath will end up (reminds me of walking in Wales as a child, hunting for way markers)

3. I’ve never been one to set goals or targets but I find it essential whilst running. Strava has free virtual challenges that you can sign up for - really helps with motivation.

4. Recording pace and distance on Strava gives different results to Garmin. Garmin is apparently more accurate. My all time 5K record was recorded on Strava and I haven’t a hope of bettering it!

5. Keeping my phone in a waterproof pouch. Before I got my Garmin watch I recorded my runs on Strava via the phone app. Sweat found its way under the screen and left a huge black blob on the display which made the phone unusable for a while. Scary, as all my work contacts etc are on that phone. I now only take the phone in case of emergency, and it’s well wrapped up. 

6. Being able to find my way home despite my hopeless sense of direction.

7. Loving the sense of solitude; noticing footpaths that I’ve walked past for years without realising they were there; noticing nature - wild flowers, trees, birdsong.

8. Some people listen to music or podcasts whilst running. I do neither - I just count (in, two, three, out, two, three) - I’m now very good at counting to three! Sometimes I aim to run to the next lamp post/post box/junction/traffic light but once I reach it I try to run just a little bit further - gives a huge sense of achievement.

9. Discovering Rushmere Common, the Sandlings Walk, Foxhall Woods, Brookhill Woods,; rediscovering Orwell Country Park and the River Walk in town - whoever even knew they existed? I didn’t, despite living right next door to them for all of my life!

10. Being kind to myself. I’m not out to become the next Mo Farrah so it doesn’t matter how quickly or slowly I run, or even if I walk for part of the way. A marathon is the same distance whether you run it quickly or slowly. The first time I had to break from running into a walk was in the heatwave of  last summer. Initially I felt a complete and utter failure and almost phoned for a lift home, but quickly had a talk with myself and managed to walk/jog all the way back. There is actually a recognised running technique called ‘Jeffing’ - invented by US marathon coach Jeff Galloway, which encourages walk/running for the duration. Not as easy as it sounds - for me, I find it really hard to start running again if I’ve been walking for too long.

11. I find I have to visualise my runs before starting, and usually plan them the night before. However, sometimes my head and body are not in sync and a run just doesn’t go according to plan. I’m now OK with this and just aim to smash it at the next outing!

12. Running off road may be kinder to the knees and joints in the long run but it’s much harder work than running on a hard surface. Mud and uneven ground slows you down (though it’s good for core strength), and running with soggy feet just  isn’t fun! However, it’s SO much nicer running across fields and in woods rather than next to a noisy road.

13. Nutrition and hydration are extremely important. I can’t eat much before I run (maybe half a banana) or drink too much (half a cup of tea) otherwise it all starts sloshing about, so I rely on the previous evening’s meal and hydration to see me through the next day’s run. I take sports gels if running for more than an hour, and carry water and electrolytes in hot weather. It does weigh you down and is a pain, which is why the OC checkpoints are really essential fuelling stations . Energy bars do a good job too - the Veloforte ones are delicious!

14. I lose a huge amount of heat immediately after a run, even in hot weather, so I need to have a hot drink and FOOD as soon as possible. I get to eat more potatoes than my husband and I carefully monitor my fluid intake, aiming for 2100 ml per day (caffeine tea/coffee and alcohol don’t count!)  

15. I’m a real advocate for the natural anti inflammatory and analgesic properties of turmeric so I take a daily supplement of fermented turmeric and black pepper, which is also good for the gut microbiome. General tightness in calves, quads and glutes can be eased with a handheld percussive massage gun. I always make time once a month for a 2 hour reflexology and massage treatment. 

What next?

Nothing!!! Nothing at all, nada, zilch. Lots of long lie-ins at the weekend, enjoying the summer; not feeling too knackered to do gardening.

This is very much a once only performance! I have no intention of running long-distance ever again, although I will probably keep up with a weekly short run and definitely will keep up the HIIT training.

If I never see another hill again then I won’t be upset at all; likewise sprint or FARTLEK intervals.  

I might enter the parents’/grandparents race at my grandchildren’s next sports day - but there again, maybe not.  I’ve been able to prove a point to myself so I don’t need to prove it to others.