Friday, February 25, 2011 at 04:05AM Feeling a little tired today after eleven and a half hours of driving and delivering three quite challenging workshops in the last 36 hours.
Today, Nicky and I are celebrating sixteen years of being together with a nice lunch out.
Then it's building my strength up to run the Tunbridge Wells Half-Marathon on Sunday.
Oh yes, and I also ran two gentle miles this morning in daylight again. Very nice.
Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 06:06AM Seven miles, my longest run since I clattered my left knee ice skating. Although it is still sore, I was pleased to complete half of a half marathon and at a minute per mile faster pace than I will have to do for the whole distance next Sunday.
My family are always telling me how heavy I am on my feet. Apparently they always know when it's me coming down the spiral staircase into our kitchen/dining room, because the staircase shakes.
So as my knee still isn't perfect, I decided during this morning's run to see if I could land a bit softer when I was running.
I have tried in the past to see if I could think of tiptoeing while I run, with little success.
This morning I came up with the thought of stroking the ground.
What was interesting was that when I tried to make my feet stroke the ground, it didn't really work, and even created stress and tightness in my shoulders.
What did work was imagining what it would be like for my whole body if my feet were simply stroking the ground, and also becoming aware of how close or far I was from that ideal.
Just being aware of where I was without trying to force anything was the most effective strategy.
It didn't work all the time but it was certainly the most effective approach I've found so far.
Half marathon, knee, stress, stroking Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 07:03AM Well, I've done the 13.1 miles half marathon distance now. I ran the race route this morning about seven minutes quicker than I'll need to run it three weeks today.
I'm listening to I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue on the radio while I'm writing this, which is a little distracting.
Since I got home from my run I've had to clear up two gifts that our adopted cat has left us, a dead mouse left on our front door step, and regurgitated cat food on the inside front door mat.
I've just started reading a book called "Spark! - How exercise will improve the performance of your brain."
I must be on the right track.
Half marathon, books, cat, radio Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 01:13PM Out late last night, so this morning's nine miles were quite a challenge.
No overtaking anyone today.
I also haven't run more than two miles a day since last Sunday, which added to the morning's challenge.
Anyway, four weeks today until the half marathon, and five more days until I'll have completed 400 days of running a mile each day.
Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 04:19AM It must be something about Saturdays, but my friend Pavlov took control of me again this morning.
I heard the much quicker steps coming up behind me. I noticed my stride lengthening a bit, but I didn't increase my cadence - too obvious.
Then a young lady cruised past me fairly effortlessly. I thought, "She's too fast for me".
My pace quickened and I found myself maintaining the distance between her and me. I wasn't thinking, "I must catch her", honest.
After another quarter of a mile she started to slow a little and I couldn't help myself, I went past her and maintained the pace.
But it gets worse.
Further along I spied another runner ahead of me. He went down a road that I hadn't intended to run down. Guess what, I went after him and overtook him at the bottom.
There's no denying it. I can't say I'm not competitive, but why do I do it?
I think it's probably reminding myself that I am good enough as I am. Although why overtaking someone I've never met in my life before does that, I don't really know.
I will definitely have to keep Pavlov locked in the house four weeks tomorrow when I'm pacing other runners in the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon. It wouldn't do to race the people who I'm helping to achieve their goals.
Thinking about it, helping others achieve their goals and dreams actually beats competition by a mile (no pun intended) for me as a sense of satisfaction, so I should be fine.