The Secret Life of a Runny Mummy by Suziewee

Well goodness me time does fly and I am thoroughly ashamed to see that my blog has been totally neglected since 4th July - bad bad me!

Sooooo what's been going on, well a quick update:-

Firstly my plaster came off and I spent the next few days wandering around feeling it might snap at the slightest knock.  I found I needed to strap it up to run comfortably as all the jiggling was painful.  I managed a few runs 4/5 milers before the school holidays began and it all went a bit pear shaped on the running front. Time, tiredness, holidays etc etc ...

So September came and something needed to be done so I started on Paula's 10k plan - I do need to follow a plan or I am just aimless.  Still pushing the boy in the buggy it has all been going well.  I am now up to 8 miles, and ran my first 10k (well more of that later) at the weekend.

Life is tickety boo, I am busily flitting from trying to get fit, to trying to keep all three children in order.  I thought having two at school would be easier, but it doesn't seem that way at the moment.  Trying to keep up with their social lives and after school activities takes some doing.  Total respect to working parents out there I don't know how you do it.  The boy is doing well, and I cannot believe that he is now 7 months - crikey where did that go?!  He is a completely gorgeous lump, all smiles and gurgles.  It really is a lovely age, and unlike certain other children he doesn't answer back, huff off or slam doors - yet! 

On Sunday I ran my first proper race in ages and chose I nice easy .... no hang on... I chose a hilly, off road, blinking painful race to start with - the Welcombe Wobbler.  I ran it three years ago when I remember someone saying "this is the hardest 10k you'll ever do".  Well I don't think that is strictly true, there must be harder ones, but it certainly is not easy either!  All up and down and not much flat.  After my usual pre-race flappings over drinks and toilet visits, I warmed up and we were off.  The first 500 yards were quite pleasant, across a field, slightly downhill …. then the up started, quite steep but okay, then a steep down followed by a flippin’ steep up which was quicker to walk up. Then some more ups and downs and the first mile done.  I was next to a woman who, while I admired her determination, was grunting rather alarmingly!  The next part was a nice flattish (in that there were no hills but very bumpy underfoot )run along the top of the hill before dropping down to Clopton House.  A lovely down, which could only mean one thing, getting back up.  This up was a long one and again I had a short walking break.  Then another long down back to the start …. so I could do the whole thing again.  I picked up a drink here, but instead of stopping to drink it tried to down it while running and nearly drowned myself.  The second lap was less busy than the first as everyone had stretched out so I found myself running alone, and it seemed it was me who was now grunting alarmingly.  In fact I reminded myself of giving birth to the boy, which was slightly disconcerting but at least no one heard me (I hope).  I was pushing it as I really wanted to try and beat the 57 minutes I completed in when I ran this 3 years ago.  Up the last hill I started flapping my arms wildly in an effort to maintain any forward momentum, which explains why they now ache so much.  The last long down was brilliant, I just let gravity take me and felt like I was flying and I tried a bit of a sprint to the line - Fan-bloody-tastic!!  Why is it as soon as you finish you want to do it again!! 

I checked my watch and it said 51.10, now that was a surprise. The Garmin measured it short as 5.6 miles, but the course was exactly the same as 3 years ago so I know I have a PB over the course.  I have measured it using Mapometer and it came out at 6 miles so something’s not right somewhere. I am not sure I dare believe I ran 6 miles over that terrain in that time because that would be a PB and I have run some pretty flat 6 milers/10k’s in the past.  Maybe all this running with the buggy is finally helping me to go a bit quicker.  I might need to find a nice flat accurately measured race to see how I am doing.

Well that's the update, quite a long one I'm afraid but I will try and blog a bit more regularly in future.  I am now underway on Paula's half marathon plan.  This involves hills and fartlek sessions which I will have to do alone, if I can fit them in somehow.  I am also still toying with the idea of a spring marathon, but this might be a step too far, we'll see.  I'll decide by Christmas and if all the spaces are gone so be it.

Righty, best get on with something useful!