As I posted a few months back, the hours and hours of relentless pounding away while training for this year’s London Marathon took its toll on my body and I had the joys of suffering with shin splints, although I really do like my physio Cathy, having my shins 'ironed out' is not something I enjoy at all!
Strangely think this injury came at the right time for me, I had really had enough of running and I was struggling to enjoy running with Regency Runners, so I decided to concentrate on losing weight and come back to the running at a later date. Unfortunately this meant dropping out of the Great North Run and Great Birmingham Run, it was no easy decision to pull out but sometimes you just have to make these sacrifices. I really didn't want was to injure myself to the point where I couldn't do anything at all!
As I posted last week, I've now lost a stone. It's not a great deal as ideally I need to lose another four but it's a great start. A lot of the training I have been doing recently has been focused around spin/RPM classes so I have been working on my level of aerobic level of fitness. These classes are great fun, and really push you to your limit. I do moan a lot about my gym (pretty much endlessly), it's one of those chains that only seem to care about the money and don't value their members, but what they do very well is the range of classes they do and the instructors they have are excellent. I had started to look around for a new gym to attend but I just can't find one in the area that run a spin/RPM programme that is anywhere near as good, so I shall stay put, for now.
Last week I started to notice a real change in my fitness levels during classes, after the sprints when I slowed my legs, I was surprised with the resistance that I had on, whereas not so long ago I was 'free-wheeling'. I also started to notice that during the climbs I couldn't get my resistance right, I thought the bike had broken at first, but soon realised that I'm getting stronger, so I need to find the next level to challenge me again. I have since made sure that I turn the resistance up even more so I get the most out of each track and I have really been feeling it!
This past weekend was spent getting frustrated as I had a stinking cold. I had convinced myself last week that it was hay fever and that it would soon pass but as it got worse I realised that it wasn't going anywhere. I trained really hard last week, so by Saturday I was done, I woke Saturday morning and couldn't breathe, so I forfeited my training session and rested, thinking I would be ok to train the following day, I was wrong! I was so determined to go but after a conversation and a good telling off from my friend Paul and a big strop from myself I decided to go back to bed. I didn’t wake up after midday, so I really must have needed it! I hate it when Paul is right!
I felt loads better that evening so decided that I'd set my alarm for the next morning and try a little run. The park behind the house is roughly a mile and as I didn't want to go too far I thought once round would be just right. I woke up and it was chucking it down, this is my favourite running weather so off I went after a fair bit of whining to anyone who would listen.
I only had to run to the end of the road to remember why I love running so much, I felt great! I was wearing my Garmin but made a point not to check it, I didn't want to chase a time just see how I got on and if I would get any pain. Before I stopped running a few months ago, my pace was a very slow about 12 minute miles, on a good day. Today’s run, short as it was, was at a much improved 10:24min mile pace, and it didn't really feel like I was pushing it so when I got home and looked at my watch I was chuffed.
I have always run because I love it, and although at times I would get frustrated with my slow pace I was just happy to get out there and do it. Paul has always called me a proper runner; to be honest I don't know why as he thinks that a 2 hour half marathon is slow! But anyway, recently I have started thinking about my pace and realised that this is now really important to me, I want to become that 'proper runner' that Paul seems to think that I am, and of course to beat him in the 2014 Regency 10k, yes, that is how long I will need to get the pace!
So, in every session I will be channelling Jilian Michaels to myself!
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