I did a bit of quick maths in the weekend, and realised that I’ve run, on average, over 5kms (3 miles) per day for every day so far this year...that’s over 27 hours of running. And as Dan pointed out when I was talking to him about this, we’re also at the point that we’re now running well over a marathon a week in distance. And there’s still over eight weeks to go!!
I think this must be the first winter that I’ve consistently and regularly run through, and it’s certainly been a challenging one, especially with the freezing temperatures and impressive snow fall. I also remember one weekend a few weeks back a friend pointed out that Saturday was meant to me a MUCH nicer day than Sunday as torrential rain was forecast, and perhaps I ought to consider doing my long run on the Saturday instead of the Sunday.
I decided that despite the forecast, I would persevere with the long run on Sunday. Apart from the fact that I really enjoy the Sunday run with the Serpies (http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/training_run_sun.html), I also commented that we’ve got no idea what the weather is going to throw at us on marathon day and besides, you can only get wet once. And get wet I did! It poured down. But despite my shoes and GPS watch filling with water (the watch has since dried out and still seems to be working fine!), it didn’t affect my run much at all...and it meant I appreciated the warmth of the Pembroke Lodge much more when I’d finished.
So, what affect has the weather had on all our training? I know I certainly took a few days “R&R” when we had the massive snow fall, as my track session and the Wednesday club run were cancelled, and I’m not a member of a gym so there was no treadmill for me to pound.
I remember my coldest run day too. It was the morning after the Bibendum Christmas party (which I’d been ridiculously sensible at to ensure I’d get out for my run the next day). I was up and out the door around 8:30am, and my planned route for the day was four miles along the canal, and BOY WAS IT COLD! The ice on the canal was impressively thick – over an inch in places. The geese looked a bit bemused to be walking where they’d usually paddle! The most unusual thing that happened though was that I had little icicles on the tips of all my eyelashes which had frozen there from the condensation off my breath!
Kate:
The snowy weather gave me a nice excuse for a few rest days in a row but the guilt kicked in after day two and I did venture out albeit tentatively, I felt a bit like Rocky running in the snow! In general the weather doesn’t bother me too much, I like it when it’s really cold as I get so hot running, but heavy rain is a complete pain as my super expensive trainers seem to have been designed to let in water, so my feet need to be wrung out afterwards!
Amy:
Obviously the bad weather affected me the same as everyone else (although I just went to the gym instead) but one weekend I went home to Scotland just after they had a snow fall. It was the most gorgeous day so I decided to brave it and go for a run. The snow wasn’t too much of a problem by then, but it was so pretty I kept stopping to take photos with my phone (was what I was using to listen to the radio in the early days). So I was “outside with joy in my heart” full of nature appreciation and positive outlooks but wasn’t really ‘bounding’ as kept running to a halt to marvel at the scenery!
Dan:
Come rain or shine I will be out there pounding the tarmac clocking up the miles. As Gemma says you never know what race day will throw at you so you might as well get used to it. But sadly I had to shelter in the gym for 2 days when the snow came as there was just too much where I live. I tend to run in the same clothes whatever the weather but maybe swap into short sleeves if it’s warm. I can’t really tell at the minute anyway as we haven’t had any warm weather.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Running to the beat.
Bibendum's intrepid marathon runners are all now well into their training schedules. The majority of us are doing London Marathon on 26th April, which is now less than ten weeks away! And in those ten weeks, we've got plenty to do... ten measly weeks in which we've got to cover hundreds of miles, work out our 'race pace', how and what we're going to eat while running, figure out what we're going to wear (apart from those stunning orange singlets that we've been kindly provided), feel comfortable and pain free while doing it AND raise £2000 each for the Multiple Sclerosis society. It's no small feat, that's for sure!
We've all begun our fundraising...and in fact you can see our 'widgets' to the right - and even click through and sponsor us (please do!). We're also busy organising a fundraising event, gathering prizes and each week from now until the event, we hope to bring you this blog to keep you up to date with our progress.
In the weekend, our training schedule had us out there running about half the required total distance on our long run of the week. I know my legs were sore the next day, and I know that I've got to get to double that distance in the coming weeks...urgh.
So, why 'Running to the beat'? Rather than telling you each week we ran X miles and it caused X much pain, we're going to let you know how we run, when we run, what stops us running and so forth... this week, it's all about the music, the time of day, and the company we run with.
Now, I don't listen to music while I run...in fact, I don't even own an MP3 player. It's just not something I've ever got in to, and since I do all my running outside on paths and pavements, I like to hear what's going on around me and be aware of my surroundings (yes, I am a bit of a safety geek, but as a girl, I think you have to be). I also do a lot of my run with the running club (http://www.serpentine.org.uk/) which doesn't allow the use of headphones while running (to encourage us to be social!).
I find it so much easier to get out for my run if I know there's going to be company involved - the club runs are the ones I've skipped the least! Although I don't mind running on my own, it's always much better if there's someone waiting for you at the end (and it's usually me that they're waiting for!).
I like to run in the morning, and definitely prefer daylight over darkness (something of a challenge through the depths of winter), but I've run at lunchtimes and in the evening, so am pretty flexible on the time of day. My best run so far was Sunday morning (15/02), when I did a lap of Richmond Park in 61 minutes - this is a huge improvement on a few weeks ago, which was my worst run on the same route. It felt like I was running through golden syrup - definitely not as sweet as it sounds! In fact, Richmond Park is definitely my rave run - it's undulating, with a sand track, and mostly traffic free. I'm not a big fan of pounding the pavements and pedestrian dodging has never been my idea of a good time...
Kate:
I have a mental block where I literally cannot run without music and I have been known to turn back when my ipod runs out of battery. I do have an inspirational song but I think I would lose all credibility if I revealed what it was....... I have to be alone too, I make many random excuses to friends who suggest running together.
Evenings tend to work best for me for the shorter runs, (if you count six miles as short!). I am most definitely not a morning person so the idea of getting up early to go for a run pre-work is a no no for me!
Perversely I find the long runs on a Sunday the most enjoyable, I like to run all over London normally going through Hyde Park, round Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament and along the river. I have seen more of London since I have been running than I have in the six years I’ve lived here! It’s a great place to run with so many beautiful parks, so much history, brilliantly diverse architecture and lots of weird and wonderful people to look at. It can all be quite inspiring. Which is just as well when you’re battling against your body's desire to take a rest at the nearest park bench.....
Dan:
There is absolutely no way that I could run without music. The sound of what I can only describe as hideously loud heavy breathing does not appeal to me so I like to block it out with as louder music as possible. I am in no way as safety conscious as Gemma, as whilst I am running I take no prisoners. If people are in the way on my second lap of Richmond Park then they really should have been looking where they were going. I tend to listen to anything that has a quick beat to it so it helps with my pacing. I will however sometimes mix it up a little bit with some current top 10 music to bring me back to reality.
Like Kate I am a complete and utter loner as I like the fact that I can go at my own pace, listen to music and focus on clocking up the miles. I just find running with people quite odd for some reason.
My running schedule fits around my daily routine so I tend to run when I can fit it in best. I certainly have started to look forward to that long run on Sunday which 3 years ago I never have thought about saying. With my busy routine I tend to run anywhere I can, streets, treadmill to give the shins a rest, but I do favour Richmond Park as it is very relaxing to run around. The best run so far has been my 14.5 mile run in under 1hr 55mins (15/2) which puts me on course for my target of under 4 hours for the marathon. Bring it on!
Amy:
The radio is my saviour! I find it is the only thing that keeps me sane and entertained. I do like listening to music, although sometimes the urge to run or dance to the beat is too strong and I look weird enough when I run without my arms flailing around to the tune.
The freezing cold weather, snow and rain over the last few months forced me to join the gym as training progress was… a little slow shall we say! So for a while I was a treadmiller but having started to brave the outdoors again, it’s reminded me how much better it is to run outside –you just don’t get the same endorphin rush in the gym and obviously there is much more to look at!
As for company or no company I like to mix it up. Generally I run alone which I like as I can go at my own pace but I also appreciate company for the motivation when I just can’t face it and time goes that little bit quicker.
We've all begun our fundraising...and in fact you can see our 'widgets' to the right - and even click through and sponsor us (please do!). We're also busy organising a fundraising event, gathering prizes and each week from now until the event, we hope to bring you this blog to keep you up to date with our progress.
In the weekend, our training schedule had us out there running about half the required total distance on our long run of the week. I know my legs were sore the next day, and I know that I've got to get to double that distance in the coming weeks...urgh.
So, why 'Running to the beat'? Rather than telling you each week we ran X miles and it caused X much pain, we're going to let you know how we run, when we run, what stops us running and so forth... this week, it's all about the music, the time of day, and the company we run with.
Now, I don't listen to music while I run...in fact, I don't even own an MP3 player. It's just not something I've ever got in to, and since I do all my running outside on paths and pavements, I like to hear what's going on around me and be aware of my surroundings (yes, I am a bit of a safety geek, but as a girl, I think you have to be). I also do a lot of my run with the running club (http://www.serpentine.org.uk/) which doesn't allow the use of headphones while running (to encourage us to be social!).
I find it so much easier to get out for my run if I know there's going to be company involved - the club runs are the ones I've skipped the least! Although I don't mind running on my own, it's always much better if there's someone waiting for you at the end (and it's usually me that they're waiting for!).
I like to run in the morning, and definitely prefer daylight over darkness (something of a challenge through the depths of winter), but I've run at lunchtimes and in the evening, so am pretty flexible on the time of day. My best run so far was Sunday morning (15/02), when I did a lap of Richmond Park in 61 minutes - this is a huge improvement on a few weeks ago, which was my worst run on the same route. It felt like I was running through golden syrup - definitely not as sweet as it sounds! In fact, Richmond Park is definitely my rave run - it's undulating, with a sand track, and mostly traffic free. I'm not a big fan of pounding the pavements and pedestrian dodging has never been my idea of a good time...
Kate:
I have a mental block where I literally cannot run without music and I have been known to turn back when my ipod runs out of battery. I do have an inspirational song but I think I would lose all credibility if I revealed what it was....... I have to be alone too, I make many random excuses to friends who suggest running together.
Evenings tend to work best for me for the shorter runs, (if you count six miles as short!). I am most definitely not a morning person so the idea of getting up early to go for a run pre-work is a no no for me!
Perversely I find the long runs on a Sunday the most enjoyable, I like to run all over London normally going through Hyde Park, round Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament and along the river. I have seen more of London since I have been running than I have in the six years I’ve lived here! It’s a great place to run with so many beautiful parks, so much history, brilliantly diverse architecture and lots of weird and wonderful people to look at. It can all be quite inspiring. Which is just as well when you’re battling against your body's desire to take a rest at the nearest park bench.....
Dan:
There is absolutely no way that I could run without music. The sound of what I can only describe as hideously loud heavy breathing does not appeal to me so I like to block it out with as louder music as possible. I am in no way as safety conscious as Gemma, as whilst I am running I take no prisoners. If people are in the way on my second lap of Richmond Park then they really should have been looking where they were going. I tend to listen to anything that has a quick beat to it so it helps with my pacing. I will however sometimes mix it up a little bit with some current top 10 music to bring me back to reality.
Like Kate I am a complete and utter loner as I like the fact that I can go at my own pace, listen to music and focus on clocking up the miles. I just find running with people quite odd for some reason.
My running schedule fits around my daily routine so I tend to run when I can fit it in best. I certainly have started to look forward to that long run on Sunday which 3 years ago I never have thought about saying. With my busy routine I tend to run anywhere I can, streets, treadmill to give the shins a rest, but I do favour Richmond Park as it is very relaxing to run around. The best run so far has been my 14.5 mile run in under 1hr 55mins (15/2) which puts me on course for my target of under 4 hours for the marathon. Bring it on!
Amy:
The radio is my saviour! I find it is the only thing that keeps me sane and entertained. I do like listening to music, although sometimes the urge to run or dance to the beat is too strong and I look weird enough when I run without my arms flailing around to the tune.
The freezing cold weather, snow and rain over the last few months forced me to join the gym as training progress was… a little slow shall we say! So for a while I was a treadmiller but having started to brave the outdoors again, it’s reminded me how much better it is to run outside –you just don’t get the same endorphin rush in the gym and obviously there is much more to look at!
As for company or no company I like to mix it up. Generally I run alone which I like as I can go at my own pace but I also appreciate company for the motivation when I just can’t face it and time goes that little bit quicker.
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