Hurry up again Harri's Blog by Hat

Every year around about now I lose my mojo to run. Seasonal affective disorder is definitely part of the problem. I can be so disciplined with my running, diet and training for most of the year and then Wham! It all just disappears in a puff of pantomime smoke and a wicked witch curse which turns me into a carbohydrate snaffling pumpkin.  

I blame mince pies and stollen for starters (alongside the greyness outside) because once I get a taste for these goodies I find it hard to stop - like a child at the sweetie-jar. That has the knock-on effect of making me feel lethargic and beach-whale like within a nanosecond and running becomes such an effort. Well, it's always an effort but somehow this makes it even more of an effort!

I planned a 20 miler for last Saturday and only just managed 14 - it was so tough. Also, my sleep is being severely disrupted too at the moment so all in all I suppose I just need to wait for Christmas to pass and then the good fairy will work her glorious magic and in another puff of pantomime smoke the pumpkin snaffling carbohydrate monster will be turned into a sylph-like running princess....in pink. Fluorescent pink.   

Oh, and then there's the small matter of an anatomy exam next Friday that is causing great angst...Uni is going well but is certainly taxing the ol' grey matter big time.

But enough of this seasonal whingeing!

If I can get my act together after Christmas then I may well aim for the Gloucester Marathon in January as a training run for the Ultra in February - however, if I'm feeling the way I am right now and the good fairy doesn't visit, then I might have to alter my plans.

It's funny isn't it how one goes through phases of being energetic and motivated to run and to look after oneself and then at other times it can all go to pot. I think it happens to us all in different ways and at different times. But it's the acceptance of these phases that is hard, it always feels like it will last forever. And of course it doesn't. I see clients all the time going through this which is why they employ me to motivate them!! 

Glad to see the email alerts are working again and also good to see so many bloggers back in the fold.

Happy running.

Hxxx

It's been a while since I graced these glorious bloggy shores. Mainly because I decided to write and publish a blog elsewhere (sorry realbuzz). Also, I don't seem to be receiving any blog alerts anymore...Oy!

Anyway, I started another blog in a different cyber world because I wanted to witter on about my Uni studies, what it felt like being a student aged crappety-crap years old and all that that entailed... But of course, I can't write what I really want to write (d'urrrr) because it's a very public domaine and I would hate to upset anyone by taking the piss, naming names or being silly (as if I would...)...

So I thought I'd de-camp back here to be amongst my running buddies and return to the comfortable and relatively safe witterings about all things running again, plus a little bit of tame banter about Uni life and what I'm up to thrown in for good measure....So here I am!          

7 weeks into term and I have to say I am a tad disappointed by the constant powerpoint slide shows and being-talked-at type lectures which then need to be installed into my brain - that aint gonna happen! However, I love the coursework and the great thing about being crappety-crap age and at University is that it really doesn't matter - what will be, will be!

Meanwhile, I am about to take a Leadership in running qualification on the 20th - my plan is to form running groups for the 'older adult' - how many people of my crappety-crap age and older would like to start running but when it's suggested say 'oh no I'm far too old to start running...but I would love to....no, I can't...' No more, I am on your case!

I'm also braving joining a running club. I've succesfully avoided joining a club for years, mainly because I am scared that running in the evening will turn me into even more of a hyperactive insomniac than I already am. First try-out Tuesday evening...

Haven't run any races lately but keeping the mileage fairly high as I intend to run the 50k London Ultra in February followed by Brighton Marathon in April - I didn't get a place in the 2012 London Marathon but I am rather fond of the red fleece I was sent instead...very nicey and bright.

So now all that remains is for me to catch up on what everyone has been doing....

Happy running!

Can’t believe it is nearly two weeks since my return from the fantastically funky French Alps. My little beating (but oh so fit) heart is still there though...And I’m trying my darndest to get back. May even go and run a little undulating 26k race called ‘Le Belier’ over the August Bank Holiday. Decision to be taken shortly. Details here.... https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=243877838969581&set=a.24387


A week’s training with the Yellings has made such a difference. I know I haven’t raced yet but I certainly feel stronger and very motivated - it’s them hills!  On Sunday I decided to have  a go at the first 19k of the Chiltern Ridgeway using the Trailblaze route as my guide and to log it on their website...And got lost. I had to ring ‘him indoors’ to come and collect. The silly thing is, my running partner and I spent bloomin’ ages studying her iPhone GPS alongside my crinkled, sweaty map and we wandered round and round Wendover trying to find the Ridgeway route, but to no avail.

We even bumped into some walkers with their guidebook open at a map of the area and they were just as stumped as we were. So.

We arranged to meet our ‘rescuer’ outside the station. As we were sitting there (Facebooking on our iPhones - as you do!) A continuous stream of dogs and their owners trotted by. The lolling tongues and huffy puffy sound effects  evidence that they’d been somewhere exhausting Ridgway-ish for a long walk. The dogs, that is.... Anyway, this should have given us a very, very...very big clue as to the closeness of our route. And indeed it was close, the Ridgeway was just behind us. Hey ho. So I shall be trying again on Saturday with Pauline (Wiggy blogger) and hopefully we will make the very undulating 19k plus a bit beyond. Great fun exploring new territory though. If you’re interested in Trail running and Ultra running (some of these routes go on up to 100k and beyond should you fancy the challenge) then take a look: www.trail-blaze.com

Meanwhile, we had a ‘girls wot run and blog’ meet up in Westfield last Saturday. These meet-ups are such good fun and a great way to put names to bloggy faces. We tend to meet in and around the London area but everyone is welcome to join us, so if you would like to come next time, give us a shout.

And finally, I better talk about my current running I ‘spose - this being a running blog ‘n’ all! For the next few weeks I plan to sustain the weekly mileage at around 35/40 to include hill reps and interval tempo sessions a la Yellings - then at the  beginning of August I shall start my Dublin Marathon Training in earnest.  But thanks to Jenny Cass Ultra marathoner extraordinaire who is running a 50 mile Ultra this weekend - 50 bleedin' miles!!! Good luck Jenny! ...I am looking into running the London 50k Ultra (that's K not M! Unlike Jen!) next February....And it would be nice to have company - any takers?

Happy running!

Hx

It can be quite scary traveling alone to join a group of complete strangers knowing that the only thing you’ll (hopefully) have in common is your passion for running. And that maybe you’ll be the oldest, the slowest, the only non-club runner;  that you’ll be living communally, taking meals and training together 24/7. But that fantastic, addictive activity that originally drew us to blog on this website all those years ago, was indeed all it took to bond a disparate group of lycra junkies on a running camp with Liz and Martin Yelling in the French Alps.

Okay, so I was the bloomin’ oldest (as per!). There were 9 of us in total and the youngest was a gorgeous 19 year old girl, the junior world champion mountain runner! Gordonbennet!!!  Stunning runner and lovely, cheeky girl.

I was often the slowest - some of the group were good for age and winners in their fields, so impressive to watch, whilst a couple of the others were like me, recreational runners. But I certainly won the prize for the noisiest hill ascent! I  did naturally struggle at times with all the hill running and if I’m honest, the intensity of the week was a tad hard. But actually none of this mattered at all because Martin and Liz were so good at including everyone, whatever their ability, adapting training runs to suit us all, showing us individually how we could improve and reach our goals and generally making every single one of us feel capable of achieving more.  And I need to add here that they are the most generous, down to earth, accessible couple with a fabulous sense of humour - not once was there a feeling of ‘us’ and ‘them’ - very unusual, incredibly refreshing and much appreciated. Their daughter Ruby is completely lovely too!

So, I’ve come home having had the most fantastic week, better than I could ever have imagined with every intention of doing it all again next June. However, I will hill train for months before going next year so that I just might be able to keep up and do more! But I’m still gonna go whatever!

Not only was the camp held in a stunning part of the world - La Haute Savoie, an hour from Geneva close to the town of La Clusaz in the valley of St Jean de Sixt (why has it taken me so long to visit this part of the world?) but also the chalet was out of this world. The luxury accommodation sleeps 14. And hey, I was given the suite! So maybe there are some advantages to being the oldie!  Delicious, locally sourced, home cooked, healthy food provided by the young couple who managed the chalet was served to us at a long kitchen table every day. From breakfast to dinner and in between, all our needs were catered for. And yes, even with all the exercise, I put on weight! But it was worth it!

And so, to the running. Every day was well organised. Some days we started early with a local 4 mile hilly run (the more able did the circuit twice) or we’d end the day with the same. Actually nearly all the runs were hilly cos of the mountains...Apart from the Interval tempo sessions we did along stunning Lake Annecy. One day we had a Yoga session and on another Liz took us through some core exercises for runners which turned into a giggling fest! Massage was on offer on another afternoon and much appreciated! We swam in Lake Annecy and at the local outdoor pool. Some of the group went Parapending/Paragliding....er...I didn’t.  Cycling was on offer, as was Kayaking but somehow there just wasn’t time to do everything. We ran up long, long hills into the mountains and then down to the sound of cow bells ding-donging in the valley - life-enhancing, lung-busting and bloody marvelous. We had an afternoon of hill reps with instruction of how to run down hills, how to use our arms to balance - I actually sat this out after one hill rep as I just couldn’t hack it and took myself off instead to find some gentler inclines. Bastard body wouldn’t play. We did tempo runs around a track in Thones and Liz and Martin coached us on pace; Liz took us through  various running drills and we all had one-to-one sessions with her where she outlined a training plan for our chosen goals....So much to tell and difficult to write it all down in detail here. But most of all, it was such fun and there was lots and lots of laughter and banter and support from everyone. Runners are so good at that!

Adventures In The Alps www.adventuresinthealps.com are the company who set up this incredible training camp. They offer many different sorts of fitness holidays from cycling, to family fitness, to weight loss, triathlon, swimming, horse riding, walking and even creative writing - you name it, Pip, who runs the company, will do it. Take a look at her website and keep an eye on it because she is adding weeks and different types of holidays all the time. I can’t recommend the company enough - the organisation and care was impeccable. The cost, which initially felt a lot to me, is well worth every single penny, certainly, to my mind, it is excellent value for money.

I shall be running an over 40’s/50’s fitness camp in the Alps - 3rd - 9th September this year, so watch this space! Pilates, swimming, cycling, running, walking...I will post more details when it is set in stone, but if anyone is interested or wants more info, please pm me or take a look at the website above - although I’m not on there yet!!

And that’s where I will stop....for now. If you are on Facebook you will see hundreds of photos but I’ll leave you with a taster here too...Not sure how these will turn out!

The chalet we stayed in