Week One - Done!

So here I am having completed the first week of my London Marathon training!

My week started with a trip to the osteopath. I've been seeing him about once every ten days for the last month or so. I first went as I had pain in my hip when running which has now resolved itself thanks to some incredibly painful massage from him and some self inflicted, and not much less painful stretching by me. This time however I told him about a pain I'd just started getting on the lower inside of my lower leg.

After a bit of prodding and poking he diagnosed a calf/soleus strain and recommended that I get some orthotics. We've spoken before about the fact that my legs turn inwards when I run and when this is added to my apparently low arches on my feet it's a recipie for shin splints or other unwanted injury somewhere along the way. So, ortotics are on order and I'll get them next week.

It also made me think about my trainers and how long I've had them for. Most running experts recommend that you change your trainers every 300-500 miles depending on how heavy you are on them. I hadn't really thought about how many miles my trainers had done but when I got home on Monday afternoon I looked back through my running logs and realised that the trainers I'm currently wearing had accumulated around 350miles! How on earth did that happen?

So, once I've got my orthotics, I'll be off to Runner's Need to have a new pair fitted. I had some money for my birthday from my parents and I will use this and my prize from the Thinking Slimmer Loving Life competition to buy my new pair.

So my training this week has consisted of 3 consecutive days of 3 mile runs followed by a long run today of 6 miles. To be honest I found the 3 mile runs harder than I thought I would but really enjoyed my 6 mile run today. I've realised that I don't really get into my running 'groove' until around 3.5 miles. At that point I seemed to be nicely warmed up, my breathing has steadied and my legs seem to have found a good rhythm. Up until that point I find it quite hard work. When combined with early dark mornings as I have done this week I find the 3 mile runs quite hard work!

I also went to a Powerplates session on Friday morning before work. I was the only one at the class and it was with my favourite trainer - one I've known for a few years. I was lucky to get a free one to one session with him as no-one else showed up for class! He ran the marathon last year and has a place for this year as well so has a great understanding of running and he adapted the class to make sure I got the most out of it.

So that's it, I've finished week one of my training. It feels great to be able to write that and I'm looking forward to next week and upping the mileage every so slightly.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Mileage this week = 15 miles

Total mileage so far = 15 miles

It's my birthday and I'll run if I want to!

Yesterday was my birthday, and the first run of my 18 week marathon training plan. For some reason, I don't know why, I didn't sleep at all well on Monday night. I'm sure it wasn't excitement about my birthday, I think I'm a bit old for that, but it might have been a bit of apprehension/anxiety about the fact that my training plan was really about to start. Silly, as the first few weeks are all runs that I should be able to complete comfortably and there's really nothing to be getting anxious about but that's the only thing I can put it down to.

So I woke up yesterday morning bright and early as my husband had to get to work and wanted to give me my presents before he left. He'd told me the evening before that he was concerned as most of my presents were running related. That didn't bother me in the slightest! Among my presents were the following running related delights!

A training diary which is full of advice and tips and has space for me to record my training runs, my performance in races, keep track of my shoes and lots more.

Now this is something that I never thought I would own. A hydration rucksack! When I get to running for over 2 hours or so I'm going to struggle to carry enough water or energy drink to keep me going. This nifty little rucksack will allow me to carry 2 litres of drink on my back and has pockets on the straps for my phone and gels. It's specifically designed for women and I've tried it on and it feels really comfortable. It will be interesting to see what it's like when it's full of water. I'll try it out on a long run in the New Year.

And more training gear. This is a really great jacket by Ronhill - I've been wanting one of these for ages. It's warm and waterproof and has great reflectivity. However, the best thing about is that it has zip off sleeves so if the weather changes or I get too warm with the full jacket on the I can take the sleeves off mid run and store them in a pocket in the back of the jacket - hey presto it turns into a gilet!

I wore it out on my run yesterday morning in the full jacket version and then again today without the arms as it was quite mild this morning. It's really comfortable and I love it.

So I was very much spoiled with these lovely presents from Mr J. And it didn't end there. In the evening I was treated to dinner at Gordon Ramsay's at Claridges. We love this restaurant and this hotel and the dinner last night didn't disappoint - we had a lovely evening. I definitely needed to go out and do my second training run this morning to run off some of the calories that I consumed.

What a lovely birthday!

My charity

I decided earlier today that I would post about my chosen charity tonight. As my first 'official' training run is tomorrow I thought it would be a good time to talk about them and launch the link through to my sponsorship page. It was obviously a good thought as when I got home from work tonight I found a welcome letter from the charity! It explained lots about the work they do and how they're going to support me during the build up to the marathon and on the day itself.

The charity that I've chosen to run for is The Dockland Settlements. It's been established in East London for over 100 years and provides a variety of services to meet the needs of local people. They are a small local charity which means that every penny I raise will make a difference - they can't afford to waste any money on administration or fancy equipment so they don't. They are part of the community and their priority is to make a real difference to people's lives.

They operate three community centres in East London, two of which are actually on the marathon route and one of which I have run past several times during my training. From these centres they provide a variety of services to the local community, from pre and after school playcare provision, to youth groups, through to a Vietnamese Refugee Support Group.

I chose this charity out of the many that I could have run for because it means I can make a difference in my local area. They only have 25 places in the marathon this year and they've invited us all to go and visit one of the centres and have a look at what the money we raise will go towards so I'm definitely going to take them up on that.

From what they've told me so far I understand that the money that I raise will:

*Go towards a project to help stop youth reoffending and reduce anti-social behaviour

* Put playworkers in school playgrounds

*Fund Christmas parties for older people

*Support a special needs education centre

*Fund junior football teams

*Support a full range of community activities from toddlers to pensioners

*Support a sports coach mentoring programme

I have pledged to raise £1250 for the charity and this is where I need your support. Please consider sponsoring me - there's a link to my Just Giving page here. Thank you in advance - your support really means a lot to me.

My marathon training contract with myself

My 18 week training plan for the London Marathon 2012 starts officially tomorrow. I have decided to write down the committments that I am making to that plan. I know that when I write things down I am more likely to make them happen and by making this public as well I am holding myself to account even more.

So here is my marathon training contract with myself:

1. My goal is to finish the marathon in one piece, with a smile on my face and having enjoyed the experience

2. I will not get obsessed by time. People will ask me what I time I am aiming for. My response will be as at point one of this contract. Whatever time I achieve will be a personal best.

3. I will follow my chosen training plan and run 4 times a week.

4. I will train to run/walk in 9 minutes running, 1 minute walking intervals. This is not cheating and is highly recommended for beginner marathoners. The walking breaks will conserve my energy and give me time to take in water or fuel and will probably help me to finish in a better time than if I tried to run the whole way.

5. There will inevitably be times when life will get in the way. If I miss one run I will not panic. I will review the situation sensibly and see whether it is best to try and fit it in another time, or just let it go.

6. I will see my osteopath/masseur at least once a month and I will follow any advice he gives me, even if it includes things which are painful, like sitting on tennis balls and using my foam roller.

7. I will stretch properly after every run. I will use my foam roller at least once a week. I will sit on tennis balls, as instructed by my osteo after every run.

8. I will include Yoga and Powerplates in my training plan for strength and flexibility. They are important, but not a substitute for running.

9. I will take rest days when my plans says I should.

10. I will listen to my body. If I need an extra rest day I will take it.

11. I will not use point 10 as an excuse to stay in bed because it's cold and dark and I don't fancy going out that morning.

12. I will run in all weathers. Rain, wind, snow (but I will keep my fingers crossed that I don't have to with that last one). If it's icy I will be very careful and will think seriously about whether it is safe to go out. I can always get a day pass at the gym if I really need to.

13. I will eat a sensible and balanced diet with plenty of complex carbohydrate to fuel my body as well as I can.

14. I will drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and will learn how best to keep myself hydrated when I'm running by experimenting on my long runs.

15. I will try to learn to love Lucozade sport - it's what will be available on the day and it will make things easier if I can use it as part of my fuelling strategy.

16. If I am ill I will rest. If I train when I'm not well I could seriously injure myself. Colds do not count, I will run as long as my temperature is not raised and the cold isn't in my chest.

17. If I get injured I will rest. I will see my osteo as soon as I can and follow his advice.

18. I will keep adding new music to my mp3 player so that I don't get bored of listening to the same songs.

19. I will vary my running routes so that I don't get bored of running the same route.

20. I will run parts of the marathon route as part of my training. This will help me mentally on the day as I will be familiar with them.

21. When the going gets tough I will remind myself that I can and I will do this. It's not going to be easy, but it is possible. In the words from one of my favourite running tracks "you can do anything you set your mind to"

Rebecca Jones
18th December 2011

From May to December

Last year, 2010, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who helped me to deal with issues that have been with me since childhood. Fortunately nothing too traumatic, but beliefs and thoughts about myself formed during early school years which which without doubt have held me back and stopped me from achieving my true potential.

You know you who you are and you know how much of an impact you have had on my life and continue to - I can't thank you enough x

Back in May I came across Thinking Slimmer I have for a long time struggled with my relationship with food, I don't know why and it doesn't really matter. What I do know is that Thinking Slimmer has helped me to change to relationship with food forever.

Between them these things have helped me to achieve the most remarkable change in my life. I have been *slightly* overweight for as long as I can remember. This is me in May 2011 - happy but overweight in Rome on holiday with my husband.

Since May I have made the most remarkable changes. You can read about how Thinking Slimmer has helped me in my previous blogs. Not only am I much smaller but I am now running, training for the London Marathon 2012 in fact. This would not have been possible without the self belief which a certain person has helped me to gain and the weight loss which Thinking Slimmer has helped me to achieve.

This is me today, going out with my husband to celebrate the 7th anniversary of our meeting. I feel soooo much better than I did back in May

I'm nearly 2 dress sizes smaller than I was back in May! This in itself is fantastic but the most amazing thing is that I feel like a different person. Capable of anything. Bring it on!

Choosing a training plan

Ever since I found out I'd got a place in the London Marathon 2012 I've been researching training plans. If you Google 'Marathon training plans' you get close to 5 million results for plans which last from anywhere from 12 to 24 weeks and that involve running from 3 to 6 days a week. Very confusing!

So how on earth is a first time marathon runner supposed to choose the right plan? I spoke to a few friends who have run marathons and their advice was that you have to pick one that you think will work for you. No good picking one that has you our running 6 days a week for example, if you know you can't fit that into your schedule. You'll just end up missing runs and not completing the plan properly. Similarly the length of the plan needs to fit with your current levels of ability. So a 12 week plan that starts you off with a 10 mile run on the first weekend is no good if you've only ever run 5 miles maximum. Common sense.

So I went onto Amazon and had a look at the top selling and best reviewed marathon training books and bought myself 3 of them. I figured that even if I didn't use the plans, they'd have good advice and tips in them which as a complete marathon novice would all come in handy.

The first book I bought is called 'The Marathon and Half Marathon A Training Guide' by Graeme Hilditch. Now I'll admit that I haven't read every single page of each of these books - I've dipped in and out of the various sections paying particular attention to the training plans and advice around these. This book has got a great section on the physiology of running and explains the changes that take place in your body as you train for the marathon. Really interesting stuff and helped me to understand why the training plan in the book is set out as it is. This book had a 16 week beginners training plan that has you out running 4 days a week with a mixture of intervals/hill training as well as the long slow run at the weekend. The plan is based on completing a set distance for each run.

The second book I bought is called "Marathon Running for Mortals" by John Bingham. This booked is aimed at people like me, just starting out in their running who aren't aiming for the fastest time in the world but want to complete the marathon safely and enjoy it. There are loads of real life stories of people who have completed marathons successfully following the plans set out in the book. What I really liked about this book is that it sets out plans for walking, walk/running, run/walking and running the marathon. It gives you a questionnaire to complete about yourself and then advises you which of the plans you should follow. The plan that it advised for me was the run/walk plan which is 20 weeks long and has you out running 4 times a week for time based training.

The third book I bought is simply called "Marathon" and it's by Hal Higdon. From the moment I started reading the book something in my mind clicked. I liked the way it was written, the stories that the author told resonated with me. The novice marathon plan lasts for 18 weeks and involves 4 runs a week based on distance. There are no specific hill, interval or speed sessions as the author does not think these are necessary for first time runners who just want to complete the race. His view is that these can lead to unnecessary strain and potentially injury in novices for whom the distance is a challenge enough in itself. He advocates taking walking breaks when necessary but does not stipulate when these should be.

So this is the plan that I will be following - Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training plan. The long runs start at 6 miles in week 1 and progress to 20 miles in week 15. The 18 week plan starts next Monday 19th December and will see me training through to Sunday April 22nd 2012 when I will run the London Marathon!

I ran home!

Tonight I did something that a year ago I would never have thought I would do. I ran home from work!

I've been thinking about doing it for a while. My marathon training plan has 3 midweek runs and while I enjoy getting up in the morning, 3 dark mornings in a row might be a bit much so I've been thinking of other ways that I can fit the run in and decided that I could give running home from work a go.

I bought a rucksack specifically designed for running as I needed something to carry my things home in. It's a great little rucksack, really lightweight but with enough room for my clothes, purse, phone etc. It's got a belt that secures it across the chest and around the waist meaning that it's pretty stable while you run.

I decided that tonight would be the night I'd try it out. My running club has finished for Christmas and I've got used to running on a Tuesday night. So last night I packed up my gear and mapped out my route. The most direct route it about 4.5 miles so I decided to keep it simple for the first time and follow that route.

So I set off from work at just before 5pm this evening and made my way down to the river. The route took me along the Southbank past the London Eye where the Christmas markets were in full swing and then along towards Blackfriars Bridge.

I noticed straight away that running with the rucksack was harder than running normally. Obvious I suppose that it would be. I didn't have my heart rate monitor on but I could feel that I was having to make more effort and my breathing was harder than normal.

I think London looks lovely at night, particularly by the river. St Paul's always looks great all lit up and the Christmas lights everywhere made it a very pretty route to run.

I ran past Tate Modern and the wobbly bridge and then crossed the river via Southwark Bridge and headed towards the Tower of London. By this time my Garmin was saying that I'd done about 3 miles. My speed wasn't very fast at all but I felt pretty good.

After passing the Tower I was on the last stage of my run, along the Highway towards Limehouse. This was the part of the route I was least sure about, I wasn't sure how busy it would be as I've never walked or run along the road before. As it turned out there were quite a few people around and before I knew it I was back on familiar territory and nearly home.

The 4.58 miles took me 55 mins so no record breaking times, but this wasn't about speed, it was about getting comfortable with the route and the idea of running home, both of which I achieved.

When I got back I weighed my rucksack. It was just over 6 pounds. It made the running quite a lot harder and it made me think about the weight I've lost and how much harder it must have been for me when I first started running and was carrying over a stone more in weight. It also made me wonder how much easier the running will get as I lose more weight. Now there's a motivating thought!