Soon

Lots of things have been on hold, or paused for weeks and months now. The winter has whispered past with me barely noticing as life tumbles on in this never ending washing cycle of annoying stuff, like surveys and solicitor bills. 

The new home is almost in sight just a couple more weeks and we can return to those fond routines, back on the sunny road to running fitness with some bits of DIY in between.

M's work trip away to the sun has left me thinking of us leaving this home not long from now. It feels sad to be leaving all our running steps behind across the hills and by the river. Perhaps a bit of us will stay in this lovely Yorkshire valley. For now the warmer days are keeping me perky as I pack our things and imagine our new home; a Lancashire lass I'll be.

New Playground

Runningbear's adventures have been more like escapades this month, starting with another wobble in the world of house buying and selling. M & I are hoping that we are over this final 'test' in this stressy world of ultra house buying endurance... Dare I say we hope to be moving in the next month.

I'll not be surprised if summat else goes pear-shaped but for now I'm being sustained by thoughts of this beautiful new playground on our doorstep and a shorter commute to save more of those summer evenings for sun kissed runs and suppers with a view.

Runningbear's new home-to-be is big and handsome with breathtaking views but in need of some TLC along the way. M & I are already planning our running routine with hill reps in the front garden and a home made cross country circuit at the back. 

This helps to distract from the actual running now, which is far less nice or exciting. We're getting out a bit but I'm feeling a bit fat, unfit and my body feels ancient. I creak about our well trodden routes with constant back ache, silently screaming hammies and complaining knees. Running feels a bit unpleasant, painful even. But I'm guessing this is what being unfit feels like.

Real life feels like its been kept on hold except for work which just seems to race ahead of everything else. I've been keeping sane with night time instalments of Borgen (hurry up series 2) and some Lens browsing. Can't wait for life to start again...oo bring on the light nights, weekend races and running in sunnies.

Snow Way!

I've bimbled about this last week with a few short runs to get the legs back in action. How unfit am I!? I can't believe I feel so pooped after only 4 miles... these achy breaky legs have long forgotten the days of 22 miles on a Sunday morning under summer skies. 

I'm still making my comeback though I suspect it'll be a protracted one. The snow dump this weekend got in the way a bit but thankfully has stifled any over enthused urges to get back into some mileage. Hurrying the return is a common mistake and my legs have forgotten how to do this running thing. I'm instead enjoying some vicarious racing but am puzzled about the Dewsbury 10k.. was it cancelled?

House stuff still distracts M and I from the flab and unfitness...we slowly approach the move to our dream home with caution. I still daren't say nowt until it's in the bag. Maybe we'll make it in time for spring; the time for nesting. Happy shuffling.

Comeback

So I write this as I contemplate the last 3 months of not running and wonder if a blog name change is needed. Running has instead been replaced by a big dipper drama of house buying. I think we've lived through the gritty Eastenders equivalent as opposed to the quaint period costume drama experience and we're not at the end of it yet either. I'm wondering if anything else could go wrong but hoping a move to our very own corner of heaven will be on the cards soon...

So for now I'll not taint our plans by typing any more until all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed. There's at least there's some space to return to the running passion that always helps to put all other things in perspective. I'm making my training comeback today with a brief grassy jog under sunny skies. The frost and sunshine is tempting me out of the fluffy dressing gown and into the outdoor world where house viewings, fickle buyers and conveyancing bills are distant memories. 

The race calendar is out of the window but a gem of a summer race should work well as a focus to get me training again. Perhaps this very well rested Runningbear's killer instinct will return... wish me well for my foray into the grassy pastures of Ben Rhydding hockey pitches. Grrr.

Still Here...

...alive and kicking but very busy selling and buying houses. The last few weeks have been a roller coaster of selling then not selling, buying then not buying and not much running has featured either. Anyway, I'll not jinx our plans by sharing specific news of our fab new pad just yet as there's a bit further to go before it's in the bag. For now we're whiling away weekends pondering the costs of rewiring and deciding what kind of survey to go for. Exciting stuff of course but no running adventures to report. I'm now growing a curly wurly belly. The new place is however a fab spot for runners and will hopefully feature in 2012 blog pics. It's funny how you know a place is home as soon as you walk through the door.

P.S. That's M upstairs.
P.P.S As you can see, the roof needs a bit of work.

CurlyWurly Heaven

Ampleforth 7 was the second race in as many weeks after what seems like yonks off from proper racing. The combination of a gammy leg and new-job-syndrome have taken their toll this summer. [That and being trapped in a Chewy Soft Chocolate Heaven; I've now developed a CurlyWurly dependency having rediscovered the childhood treat at a garage en route to work]. But, the cross country last week brought home the realisation that there's no more time for excuses and some serious training and racing is needed. This tidy and low key race was another chance to toughen up this ageing boot and get some hard tempo miles in the legs.

The drive over took us past the beautiful Byland Abbey. There was much quaintness to be seen roadside as we ambled our way north for a very civilised lunchtime start. The trail race starts in the grounds of the great Ampleforth college; a famously posh school with expansive grounds and sports fields to die for. The course undulates around the forest overlooking Yearsley and offered little respite as we scrambled doggedly up the trails and stumbled the muddy descents. The course took us up and down, right and left, mostly on foot but sometimes on butt - the aptly name 'chute' descent spat many of the more tentative footed out in a soggy heap at the bottom. 

Byland Abbey

I ran hard if not very fast, enough to call it a tempo effort and sufficient to win the ladies race and place 5th overall in a smallish field. M finished a place in front, leading the field for parts of the race but feeling a bit too tired and heavy legged to keep up the pace of the earlier miles. The race was a welcome break from the usual Sunday long run. The drop in mileage provided a timely ease down before a return to some hard miles again this week. I've now entered a few more events; encouraged that the racing pain will dull as the weeks go by. I'm starting to enjoy the mud, the rain and the wind again. Hello autumn! 

This week in trainers...

DAY	AM	PM
MONDAY	REST	7M @ EASY
TUESDAY	REST	INTERVALS: 12X400M
WEDNESDAY	REST	7M @ STEADY
THURSDAY	REST	5M @ STEADY
FRIDAY	REST	5M @ RECOVERY
SATURDAY	REST	5M WITH STRIDES
SUNDAY	RACE: 7M TRAIL	REST
	WEEKLY TOTAL	50 MILES

The Adventures of Runningsnail

What a scorcher of a week! It's been all shorts and sunnies on school nights; running each evening in brilliant October sunshine. Another healthy training week has been had leading to yesterday's tentative return to racing. It was a painful day out for this Runningbear. 

I've been putting it off for weeks but slowly ran out of excuses and just had to face up to the racing facts; I'm a slow and slobby Runningsnail. Yesterday was when the truth hit home at the Northern Athletics XC relays. The event was a confusing mixture of County Vets and Northern open teams - a fact only announced this week which led to a last minute kerfuffle and Bingley ladies scraping just one team in the V35 category. The boys (including M) had a fine V40 team also competing in the Yorkshire Vets Champs.

The event at Graves Park, Sheffield was my first effort at jumping back on the racing horse after a rubbish summer of injury and eating too much pie. It was also a rather long drive for the sake of a 2 mile race. Yes you read that right; a 2 mile race! I've never run such a short race as a grown up. The one lap route seemed to involve one very very long hill with a bit of downhill at the start and finish. This course really should be reserved for youngsters only... I'm still coming to terms with how slow I was. We finished second V35 ladies and won a small silver & plastic thingy. M's team mirrored our success as second V40 team, stealing Steve's prize (had he been running for a Yorkshire club!). Results here.

It's a funny thing coming back from injury. Though in my head I know I'm off my best and the racing is about getting fitness back, I still walk away from these things torturing myself about my crap time/position/pace. It's daft I know but hard to change the internal hand wringing. I'm now trying to deftly convert this said mental torture energy into Runningbear rocket fuel. I've some way to go before race fitness returns and remain a flabby, untrained Runningsnail with a soft underbelly. I've yet to build back the roughty-toughty shell that grows with the grit of some hard racing. So the adventures of Runningsnail continue for now... it's race #2 at the Ampleforth 7M next week. Wish me luck!

This week in trainers...

DAY	AM	PM
MONDAY	REST	8M @ EASY
TUESDAY	REST	INTERVALS: 12X400M
WEDNESDAY	REST	MID LONG RUN: 12M @ STEADY
THURSDAY	REST	8M @ STEADY
FRIDAY	REST	4M @ RECOVERY
SATURDAY	RACE: 2M YVXC RELAY	5M @ EASY
SUNDAY	LONG RUN: 18M @ STEADY	REST
	WEEKLY TOTAL	70 MILES

Fluid & Free

So it's Sunday night and I've just about managed to peel myself off the sofa to blog for a bit after a weekend of eating and training. There's been a bit too much wine and pie consumed and a fair amount of post-run-lolling in front of the telly. I've revelled in the afterglow of some good sessions; training is feeling less painful as the legs get used to the longer runs and the odd bits of tempo thrown in. I'm still slow but happily battling to get fit with a training plan under my arm and my mojo back in my knapsack. These training weeks are whizzing by...

After what feels to have been another reasonably productive running week of logging good miles I'm a step nearer to sustaining and holding a 70 mile week. After that the focus will be building more quality on the track and roads with a regular sprinkling of races. All being well I can start to think about a marathon schedule for the new year and a stab at a new PB in April. 

For now I'm determined these rep times will shed a few seconds each week as I clamber back towards those heady days when even monster 1k rep sessions felt fluid and free.

This week in trainers...

DAY	AM	PM
MONDAY	REST	8M STEADY
TUESDAY	REST	INTERVALS: 8x600M
WEDNESDAY	REST	8M STEADY
THURSDAY	REST	12M BRISK
FRIDAY	REST	4M EASY
SATURDAY	SPEED: 8X200M	REST
SUNDAY	17M (6M TEMPO)	REST
WEEK'S MILEAGE:	64 MILES

Into the Groove

It's so good to be able to report that this Runningbear's training mojo is back. It seems so long since I've enjoyed my running quite in this way; I know this because I've started looking forward to those extra tough training days [as opposed to feeling a quiet dread at the thought of a track session - a sad feature for much of this year]. Perhaps that's a feeling only other runners understand? It seems to puzzle many a work colleague that I might be motivated to work my legs and lungs into mincemeat on a damp dark night after a long, tough day at the office. It probably also says a lot about my psyche, but it's true as much as some might think it odd. Sitting in watching Eastenders on a Tuesday night ...eek.

 

For the anorak types out there I'm slowly returning to a former training routine of Tuesday night on the track, Thursday night tempo run and then a long weekend run, with plenty of steady running sprinkles in between. I plan to slot in something short and speedy the odd Saturday morning but for now I'm taking my time to build up the miles and get these old pins eased back gently into some faster running. No injury niggles (touch wood) makes for some satisfying sessions.

I've lost a fair bit of speed endurance and hate to think what kind of time I'd manage around a 5k course. It's a bit depressing to think of the chasm in my rep times compared to last summer... I'm quietly telling myself it'll come with patience and consistency. I'm dipping in to the odd XC relay in the next few weeks; here's hoping the Bingley team captain isn't expecting too much from this old croc. 

Having the North of England team event at the Great South Run is proving to be a perfect focus though and a helpful milestone for feedback to plan training through to the spring. I'm now six training weeks away from what could be a very tough day but it'll give me a measure of the work to do this winter and keep my eyes on the ball for a marathon next April. Which marathon is still to be decided. London could be great but also slightly too big and scary. I've been intrigued by the return of the Greater Manchester event next year; a flat and fast course according to the race information. I might even persuade a few work colleagues to come along for the ride...happy running to all. RB.

This week in trainers...

DAY	AM	PM
MONDAY	REST	REST
TUESDAY	REST	INTERVALS: LADDER
WEDNESDAY	REST	8M STEADY
THURSDAY	REST	12M HILLY
FRIDAY	REST	5M EASY
SATURDAY	9M TRAIL	4M RECOVERY
SUNDAY	17M (6M TEMPO)	REST
WEEK'S MILEAGE:	64 MILES

Bouncing Back

So it seems that I've written countless blogs in the last year threatening a comeback to some kind of fitness and racing plan. Sorry for the repetition readers. A mix of all sorts seems to have delayed me but after a bit of twiddling of spreadsheets and race planning I'm starting to feel very focused and race hungry again. Unfortunately I'm some way off what I'd describe as race fitness and also have a few pounds to lose, but I'm actually feel up for it in a way that I haven't felt for a while. This week is the first for some months that I've actually run every day.

After a call this week from the North of England team manager I've now got a nice target race to work towards; the Great South Run. A ten miler is a nice distance to work towards in 8 weeks and will help focus the mind. After that I'm thinking a fast half marathon in early 2012 and a spring marathon to capitalise on whatever speed I've gained. Does it sounds like a plan? In the meantime I've a few mini races to look for to pepper the schedule with some hard training runs. What would we do without Mr Schofield? The cross countries should serve me well; a bit of lung-bursting speed on the odd Saturday to remind me of the pains of racing. It's been some months since I last donned a club vest and it's all a bit scary. Today, a 16 mile tempo sandwich. I'm quite looking forward to it...