With just over 6 weeks to go until the Loch Ness Marathon I’m at a very crucial stage in my training schedule. And having just returning to it after 3 weeks of jetting setting I will be honest and say it’s well and truly kicking my butt just now.
Our holiday was wonderful. 4 days in LA, 1 in San Diego, 3 in San Francisco, 2 in Yosemite National Park and 5 in Vegas, all of which were jam packed with day trips, trekking, cycling, walking for miles, helicopter trips, boat trips…. (I think we covered nearly every possible mode of transport going in a very short space of time) not a single lie in for the majority of the holiday (until we got to Vegas!) and I even took my running to stuff with big plans to go on an adventure. But with temperatures between 35 and 42°C it just wasn’t possible. It was much cooler in San Francisco, but we didn’t have a spare minute there, so again no running. Here we are, week after getting home I am still shattered and my body clock is all over the place. After not listening to Craig’s advice to stay up and try and get my body clock back to normal, I really suffered from bad jet lag the first few days back home. I tired to catch up on sleep, but I just felt worse for it and long days at work just made me miserable, so I put off my first run until the weekend. And it sucked. I went for a very slow 13 miles, just me and my music and about 5 miles in I should have turned back. Everything was hurting, especially my shoulders, my stomach wasn’t feeling great and every step just felt like such an effort. The weeks before I went away I was happily knocking out 40-50 mile weeks with no pains or headaches after training and I haven’t felt as sore as I did so soon after a run since I started running. I know I’ve only got myself to blame and I’ll probably get told off a few more times in the next few weeks, but I really am hoping it’s just a blip.
However, the pressure is on for Loch Ness. I am really excited about this event as so many people I know in many different circles are doing it and my wonderful husband Craig has kindly agreed to drive Jemma and I up and back. The only thing I am not looking forward to is returning to work on the Monday after. That might be a somewhat painful experience! I feel I have made leaps and bounds in my training since I joined the Harriers and my weekend runs continue to increase in distance without me evening noticing. What a difference having someone to push you along when you feel yourself flagging a bit makes – especially on the hills, no matter how small a gradient! Quite a few people from my club are also doing Loch Ness and like myself will be using it not only as a race, but as a warm up for Glen Ogle. Oh yeah, did I mention I have entered an Ultra? Yep, I’m totally daft….
Many people may think I’m insane entering my first ultra so soon, but the way I look at it is, how will I ever know if I don’t try? Yes I’ll probably wonder what the hell I am doing and why I’m doing it when I’m not even a third into the race and right now with the way I’m feeling post holiday I’m even wondering if I’m going to be alright in my marathon. I’m hoping it’s just my conscience talking because I’ve had a few bad runs recently and my confidence has dropped a bit. Give me a few weeks and hopefully I’ll be back on top of everything and running will be my best friend again.
I’ll ket you know how my next few training sessions go…
Some holiday and early July pics.
