Mind Games

Since running and signing up for the 10K in Sheffield I have been surprised by the mind games I have been playing with myself. for example I will be out for a run and then I remember that in the 10K I have to do this 3 times over and I suddenly feel sick, my legs feel heavy and I feel like someone has emptied all of the oxygen out of the air. It is amazing what a little pressure does to our minds and bodies. I then think to myself that the 10K isn't today and I have months to get to that stage and the run becomes more bearable.

My dad always asked me how do you eat an elephant? The answer is in little bits at a time. I think that the same applies to running. Logically I know 6 miles isn't far but when I feel as thought I can't catch a breath and I have already taken more puffs of my inhaler than I care for, I dread to imagine how tough the 10K could be if my asthma plays up on the day of the race. Since stress is a huge factor in triggering my asthma I am going to have to learn to keep it under control. Maybe now is a good time to take up yoga?!

Map My Run

Wahay I am back running after my holi holidays and injury break! My knees are pain free and I am back running. I went back a few weeks in my training plan and have now caught up with where I was before my break. I am ready for phase 4 of my training plan which includes 3 min run, 5 mins run, then 3 mins, then back to 5 mins after which I will collapse and which I hadn't gone out! This is my last phase where each run is the same after which every run will vary in time and length.

Today I ran next to the river by my house and past the sewage treatment plant which partly ruins the run as on hot days like today it pongs somewhat! Anyway once I was past the pongy treatment plant and running through fields my run was a lovely one, with views of the hills and farms. I really enjoyed it but did find the last phase of running really hard and I was glad when NHS Laura pipped up through my headphones saying I only had a minute to go!

I have been put of running since I signed up for the 10K, when I went out all I could think of is ho0w I couldn't achieve it and I had bitten off more than I can chew! Realistically I can probably run/walk the 10K now and manage it fine but being miss perfectionist I don't want to run/walk, I want to run as much as I can and to get a fairly respectable time. It is funny how we play games in our heads, how worrying about it can make my training that much more painful. It just shows how powerful the mind is over the body. Either way after brewing on it for a few days, I decided all I needed was a great run with pretty views to remind myself how much I like running and to persuade myself that a 10K is not a big deal. I can safely say it worked!

Gulp!

I just got a place on the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run!! I paid my fee for taking part and set up a just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/ClareEaston

I feel a bit selfish supporting a charity so close to home but if I didn't have all of the help I get with my asthma, from my Dr changing my meds when I need them, to advancement of asthma meds I wouldn't be able to run today.

I would like eventually to run the Great North Run for Macmillan, since they helped my Grandma, Auntie and Grandfather in the last few years with their struggles against cancer and they did such a great job. But I will save Macmillan for the big run when I eventually get fit enough to run it!

So for this race I chose Asthma UK, they do loads of great work and I am proud to be able to raise money for them.

I sent them an email to say I have signed up and to get a fundraising pack so I will wait for it to come though!

Now I just have to hope I can push myself to 10K from 5K without injuring myself! I am going out for another 5K tonight and hoping my knees don't play up. I had a rotten time of it a few weeks ago when after a few painful runs I could barely walk. I rested for almost two weeks then went out again on the weekend and ran pain free only to go on a 5 mile walk in Chatsworth straight after and to get my knee pain back which then gave me sore hips from walking funny! So I am hoping that my run tonight goes well. I am doing a different route tonight too, so fingers crossed!

Too soon or just plain lazy?!

I injured my knees about two weeks ago. I ran and with every impact with the ground I had a sharp pain under my knee. I decided not to run on holiday Scotland, in fact it was more of a case of not being able to run, I could barely walk! A week of recovery later and I can go up and down steps and walk fairly normally again but when I attempt to run a bit it's still painful and I feel wobbley! So I am off to Sweden tomorrow with work and was planning on taking my running shoes but I am not sure it's a wise idea to run. I keep telling myself that not being at home is a good reason to continue resting my knees and to pick up running again when I return. The only downside is I think my other half is looking at my not so cheap running shoes wondering if they will get to be used anytime soon!

I will keep you posted!

Injury or Wuss?!

How do you know when to run or when not to run when you are in pain? Ever since changing my shoes my knees have been almost too painful to walk on never the less run on. On my first run in the pair of shoes i returned my knees hurt but just a twinge of pain. The assistant in the running shop said that's normal for the first few runs and will go away after 3 - 4 runs. The second run I did in my new new shoes I was in so much pain I had tears in my eyes and thought I should call my hubby to pick me up but decided I was being a wuss and it won't improve unless I got my legs used to my new shoes and running style. So I left it a few days and went out for another run after my legs started feeling better and this time it hurt initially but the more I run the le it hurt. It gets under me knees when my feet impact the ground so I think I was running in a way to reduce the "bounce" and the amount of impact on my knees but now three days later I  struggling to walk an get up and down stairs and am giving my run a miss today for the first time since starting C25K. I will wait for my knees to feel better and recover then go out again to see if it improves, if it doesn't I'll pay a visit to the docs. 

My question is how do you know when your pain is just your body adjusting vs when you have inflicted damage to your body? It's a tough call knowing if you are being a wuss or you have simply pushed yourself too much and need to recover!

My new side kick

Way hey! I bought new shoes! It wasn't as smooth or as easy as I had hoped! I went to Derby Runner as it has been recommended time and time again by friends who run. I went in and asked for a fitting, one of the managers helped me and looked at me standing on one leg then the other and said I over pronate. Then a lady from bbc radio derby came in to interview him about their contribution towards the derby 10k and his colleague helped me instead. But he didn't really fit or offer any advice just bought out some shoes to pick from. I picked Nike Zoom Structure +17 and when I ran in them in the evening they started hurting in the back of my heels after only a mile.

It was my worst run so far! the shoes were so painful and it was pouring down with rain! I wouldn't normally run in the rain but I was so keen to test the shoes. I now know not to run in the rain again!

So I sent them a tweet and they said to go back in with them to check for fit. I went back and they swapped the, over for a different pair. This time it was the store manager and he got out more pairs to pick from then he said I could test them on the running machine. I found two I like and in the end after a few tests on the machine picked the New Balance 1260 v3.






I went out for a run in them this morning and not a single ache or pain other than the muscles under my knees readjusting to running with a neutral gait now I am running in structured shoes. The differences were subtle, I could tell that my gait was being readjusted by twinges in places that didn't twinge before and I didn't get sore shins too and they were nice and cushioned!

Run Forrest Run

We all have our reasons for wanting to run and I am always intrigued as to what motivates the poor drenched person running at the side of a road in rain at 8pm at night.

My reasons for running are four fold! I have had asthma since I was a toddler and I have always struggled to run any distance without an attack and have always dreamed of being one of those people who can run. Secondly my asthma has been rock bottom this year, I have finally stabilized it so I don't wake in the night with attacks or wake up with a peak meter score of 250 and less (for me 200 raises the alarm of go to a&e if I can't get it to improve with my emergency inhaler). But now my lung capacity is rubbish, I can only get about 350 on my peak meter most of the time, where as I used to easily hit 450. So on my last visit to the Dr for an asthma checkup we discussed using running as a means to strengthen my lungs and hopefully increase my lung capacity. My final reason is that I verge on the pessimistic side of life rather than being a happy go lucky optimist. I have been working on improving how happy I feel like writing down three positive things for each day and I am trying not to jump to negative conclusions or over analyse every little thing. I know that exercise is meant to be good for making you feel happier and so this has a large bearing on why I am so keen to run and keep fit! Finally, I love the fresh air, the views from my house and the fact that it is free to train!

So if you see a mud covered, red faced, asthma pumping unfit looking woman running in the Derbyshire Dales it might just be me telling myself my lungs will get better than they are now and this run will make me feel happier about everything for at least two days after!

I have noticed that since starting to C2K my peak meter score is already improving (I hit 400 yesterday after exercise!) and my asthma is more stable. I did laser quest last night with my work colleagues and last time I did it, I had one of the worst attack I have had in ages in the arena so I played he remaining games from a stationary location. Last night however I was running around, and with a few pumps of ventolin I was off and coped great and got a mid range score too! The added bonus is that I seem to be sleeping far heavier since running and wake up feeling far more refreshed too. So far it has been worth it!

Running shoes

Since starting the couch to 5K running sessions I have quickly established my shoes are as in bad shape as I am. My heel moves, my foot slides forward, my arches hurt and my shins ache.

I am a little hesitant to buy new running shoes just in case I get lazy and decided running isn't for me but I am struggling to imagine that this will happen as I feel pretty determined to give running a good go. 

I have been researching running shoes and think I will go to Derby Runner in Spondon since I am such a noob! 

Having done my research online I have established that i am an "over-pronator" which means I land on the outer edge of my heel which puts loads of pressure on you big toe area. I think my ugg boots give this away! These are my old ones I eventually wore away the area above my big toes and as you can see the soles aren't looking so hot!

So I replaced them with these from Costco and I have worn them in the same way in less than 6 months and that is wearing an ortho heel to correct for some of this!

I always thought the insoles I wear correct for this and help me to not be so flat footed. They make my shoes more comfy anyway! I swap them in and out of pretty much every shoe I wear! I know I should probably buy posher more practicle shoes but I am in no way the average girl with loads I shoes, I have my beloved walking boots, a pair of fuggs *fake uggs* (because that is the sort of classy lady I am) and a few pairs of pumps and my favourite reef sandels.

These are my wonderful favourite walking boots:

They are brasher goretex boots with vibrant soles. It took me a long time and fair few pairs to find these and now I have them I can't imagine anything else but them!

When I first got them at Gaynor Sports they weren't cheap and the lady fitting me with boots put little wedges under my heel as my feet slid forwards. Gaynor sports is absolutly my favourite outdoor shop in the whole of Cumbia and the Peaks. They are great for walking boots and everyone is so experienced, well trained, friendly and helpful. 

Now I have replaced the boot insoles with these Superfeet insoles as the heel support is great. My heel doesn't move around but my toes have room to move. When I go down hill in them I don't slide forwards. The only thing I wish I knew when I bought them was that if I don't clean the mud off them the bacteria in the mud eats through the goretex and I have taken a few years off my shoes waterproofing by not cleaning them after each walk. I am at least grateful I know this now rather then in 10 years time.

Really I think I am looking for the running equivalent of my beloved boots! 

I am also not sure what type of shoes I need. I think I need ones with stability to correct my gait or at least reduce the risk of doing myself damage! I am unsure of whether to get trail shoes or not as I tend to run half through fields and mud and half on the pavement. If I run any 5Ks etc I think I will need something suitable for concrete so I suppose that Derby Runner are the people to ask about this. Everyone I have spoken to about running have always recommended Derby Runner for their expert knowledge, I hope they are as good as everyone says they are! I will keep you posted!

Where to start?

I have never had a blog people may actually read before although I think it is unlikely that people will read this but still I feel nervous about where to start. The first thing to mention I suppose is that I don't *currently* class myself as a runner, jogger, fitness finatic or anything similar to this. In the past I perhaps preferred the term outdoor enthusiast. I climbed a lot and sailed a fair amount, dabbled in kayaking and even dared the dreaded gym rather too regularly hoping for leaner meaner thighs. I never truly enjoyed the gym though. Being indoors didn't ever appeal but when I ran outside it hurt, oh my how it hurt. Truth be told I didn't make life easy for myself though as the few times I tried running outside I went down the hills behind my family home and of course when there is a down there is also an up... I walked up those hills again and wrote the whole experience off as a failure! More recently since moving in with my hubby I have become more and more lazy and lost that craving to exercise I used to feel! At first we both attempted going to the gym, but the big commercial DW gym in Derby seemed far more intimidating and going climbing in the Peaks became more effort as it was no longer a stones throw away, so I lost my enthusiasm to exercise. A couple of job moves and house moves later, life has settled down and I have been feeling a need to get fitter, run, feel that adrenaline rush.



I have been feeling a desire to run since last autumn but it has taken some time to get the confidence up to give it a try.  A few things have been stopping me from trying including the darker winter nights, not very inviting even for the average runner. I also have a terrible running style, I think "proper runners" call it gait, or is that something else? I have flat feet and climbing induced bunions and end up hurting my knees and back after a short run. Finally I am asthmatic, as in the steroid pumping, tablet taking type of asthmatic. So all in all I have been terrified of failure and have a lot to learn, mainly about how to correct my running style and most importantly I need to learn how to breath correctly when I run.



So to learn to run, I am starting with the NHS Couch Potato to 5K podcasts, I have "run' three times now and am enjoying it! I believe the C25K plan is quite common but the NHS podcasts are really good. They come with motivational music and a lady persuading you to keep going. After my first time I ached a fair bit. Not quite to the same degree as the first time I did body pump but enough that my husband enjoyed poking my thighs to make me screw my face up and yelp. The second and third times were interestingly a little harder when running but I ached far less after and I even found myself throwing in an extra running minute at the end.



So I propose a toast and raise my plastic water bottle to learning to run and not chickening out along the way!



Here is a cheeky selfie just to prove I did get off my couch (before climbing back on to write this!!)