Sorry I haven’t been writing for a while, but a) I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by everyone’s successful VLM stories and b) I haven’t really been out much since Silverstone.

I have signed up for the Run Hackney Half Marathon in June and the Gt British 10k in July and following an email from the 10k people, I signed up to Runcoach for free.  Their software has produced a training programme which I hadn’t been too keen on (two days gentle running no more than 2 miles a time and four cross training sessions a week).

Well Cross Training to me meant something expensive in a gym, well I can’t afford that so I dug out the WII and (what had been new to me at the time) EA fitness 2 and started the 9 week challenge (Four sessions a week).  I opted for the Hard sessions to ensure a challenge. [It’s an all over body circuit, strength and core training programme].

Been at it for just over a week now.  It certainly is a hard slog, I’m generally drenched through by the end of each session and my legs, bum and tum have been making themselves known so I felt that something was working (only one exercise I've despised so far and I've managed to adapt it to make it tolrable).

But I can’t give up my parkrun so I treated it as a cross training session and last week I headed for the park – just managed to get round – found it totally exhausting and wondered if it had been because I hadn’t been out for  a run all week.  This week I felt totally different, got to the park, sun just beginning to warm the place up.  Daffodils blooming, puddles drying out etc.

Took my usual position at the back but my starting pace seemed to be a bit faster than usual but I just went with it and I actually passed a couple of people (a first for me).  After a while I felt the need to slow down to get my breath but tried not to slow down too much.  It obviously worked as my first circuit was before 11 minutes.  So I kept pushing.  Second time the marshall called out “22mins and something seconds and to keep going I was well on my way for a PB”.  So I pushed on (until I’d got round the corner then slowed down again to regain my breath but carried on pushing after that).  Even managed a bit of a sprint to finally finish.  Had hoped I’d done okay as there was still a queue at the bar coding (another first) and yes, I got a new PB this week 33.11 (27 seconds off my previous record when Vin was helping me). Okay I admit my overall position was 204 out of 208 but that’s still an improvement for me!  I wasn’t last!  So I’m beginning to think this Cross Training malarkey might actually be working! 

Good luck to everyone running half marathons tomorrow.  I’m going for a walk with my hubby along the Waterlink way from the Cutty Sark  finishing in a local park.  Hoping to start including stretches in my runs next month.