Run Happy: November 2015

Hello

So this post starts with a confession...week 1 in my training and I missed a run. Whoops. I only ran just over 7km last week. Double whoops. It was yesterday's run I missed, I had come off of a double shift (a double shift for me means 48 hours at my work, working for 32 of those hours and sleeping the rest), I had a terrible night sleep at my work due to the howling wind and rain, and when I got home I had errands to run and wanted to spend time with my lovely husband. So I didn't run. But it's okay, at this point in my plan I feel like I can do this without feeling too guilty, I am only running three times a week at the moment so fitting in an extra run to make up for it isn't too much of an issue. I know some people would feel guilty about missing a run, and definitely later when the training gets more intense and important (long run Sundays I'm looking at you) I will be aiming not to miss any runs at all. However for now I am trying to ease myself back into running. Lazy Girl Running put up a blog post the other day written by her sister in which she said she was still learning to enjoy running, this is after having run for a year (the post is great by the way, have a read). I could relate to this, running doesn't come naturally to me and enjoying it is certainly a pipe dream at the moment. By beating myself up about missing one 30 minute run is only going to make me feel bad, and that's going to suck the enjoyment out of it which is the total opposite of what I am trying to do! They say it takes about 21 days to form a new habit, I have a feeling it will take longer with running so I'm giving myself a break with this one. Not to miss out completely though, I am going to do yesterday's run today and I have already text the husband to ask him to run with me after work, that way he will make sure I go out!

Vicki x

www.justgivin.com/Vicki-Rennie3

Hello.

I've never been much into sport, in primary school I played netball, which I loved but that was it. Going into high school, I didn't hate PE but I didn't love it either, I had decided by then that I wasn't good at sport and therefore PE was just for a laugh with my friends. So when I left school for university I didn't give sport or fitness another thought. I mean I dabbled in gym memberships which I paid for and then never used but that was about the extent of it.

Until I met Jack. Jack is into ALL sport, he wants to try them all but his focus is running. Jack loves running, I mean LOVES it. Those first few months we were together he would talk about running and also his love for Crossfit and I just didn't get it, how could someone enjoy exercise that much!? Slowly, over the years, his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me. This started with me doing the 5k Race for Life, then, after not touching my trainers for about 2 years, I joined a gym with a friend and started going to classes. This was in 2013 and, at that time, I also signed up for a half marathon. I bumbled around with training, I loved the gym but hated running and, although I completed the half (and loved the actual race), I hadn't done the training and so didn't get what I thought was a decent time. I then went on to sign myself up for MOKrun 10k the following year and didn't run again for abut a year and a half.

MOKrun 2014

Bringing us to this year. After watching Jack run the London Marathon in 2:37 (a minute behind Paula Radcliffe!) I felt so immensely proud and inspired. Jack had worked really hard to knock a huge amount of time off his PB and the atmosphere of the marathon got to me. Not long after I signed up for the charity bond place with Barnardo's and joined the gym. However, with planning a wedding, starting and then not completing a course at uni, and then going back to full time work, it is only now that I am finally starting on my fitness journey again.

Shiny new marathon training shoes

Vicki x

www.justgiving.com/Vicki-Rennie3

Hello

So yesterday I went out for my first run of my marathon training. Maybe a bit late to the game but at the moment I am following the Barnardo's preparation for marathon training plan. This is an 8 week plan designed to get you into running before the real marathon training starts, 16 weeks before the big day. This plan can be found here, it's not the most detailed or advanced plan but it works for me at the moment. When it actually comes to training for the marathon I'm not sure what plan I am going to use. I just want to finish it, I'm not aiming for a time (although the less time spent running the better!), so I may just follow the Barnardo's marathon plan and get my better half to tweak it for me.

Back to yesterday's run. It was miserable here in Glasgow, windy, rainy and from the comfort of my bed it just looked horrible. I was so tempted to stay in bed, even when it got to 1pm I was still in bed! When it comes to running I seriously struggle with motivation, I hate the first 3km, always, I'm not sure why but I do. Anyone else feel this? Today's run was only meant to be 20 minutes, probably only reaching 3km which meant every part of this run was going to be horrible. Perfect reason to stay in bed. However, suddenly remembering the money I have to raise, the people that have already donated and the work Barnardo's do, I hopped out of bed and wrapped up in my warmest running kit, complete with woolly hat. Also, standing in my close I went onto Spotify to find a running playlist, selecting 'shuffle play' on a playlist we had made for our wedding but didn't use, the first song to come on was Run by Snow Patrol! If that's not a sign...

The winter running gear was a bit of a mistake. Although wet and windy, it was a surprising mild day. Here was me in my long leggings, t-shirt, jacket, and woolly hat, and within 3-4 minutes I was roasting! I persevered with the hat however as I had no hair bobble or hair grips and taking it off would mean hair flying everywhere, no thank you! Cheeks were definitely beetroot by the end of the run.

So off I went, just a 20 minute run around my area. Coming out of my street I was faced with two hills, one very steep, one not. Needless to say I chose the easy option, I didn't want to put myself off running for life now! As I said before, I always hate the first 3km or 20 minutes and this run was no different. This run was miserable, I hated every second of it, that is until Stevie Wonder's 'For Once in My Life' came on through my headphones. For some reason, that first few lines made me smile and made the following three minutes actually enjoyable as I ran along singing away to myself. Anyone else find some songs do that when you are running? Not sure who I am asking at the moment as probably no one reads my blog! Anyway, thanks to whoever put that song request down for the wedding, sorry we didn't use it then but it helped me through my first marathon training run!

A wrong turn meant my run was a bit longer than intended and I was proud of myself for not stopping to walk at the 20 minute mark, something I usually do. Not the most exciting of runs but a couple miles down on the marathon road. Lesson learned on day 1, actually check the temperature outside on the forecast before wrapping up in warmest gear!

Vicki x

www.justgiving.com/Vicki-Rennie3

Let's start this blog off with some introductions, although I'm not entirely sure who will be reading this! I'm Vicki, 26, living in Glasgow, Scotland, recently married and about to training for my first marathon. That will be the London Marathon 2016 to be precise. I signed up for London through the ballot system, as I have done for the past 4 years although I have never got a space. This year however, feeling inspired after watching my fiance (now husband) Jack run in London this year, I decided I would just do it and apply for a charity place. I applied only to Barnardo's as it is a charity I have worked with through my job in the past and they do fantastic work with disadvantaged children and families. Luckily I got one of their golden bond places and I am now on #teambarnardos!

My marathon running husband and I - London 2015

Since I have never trained for a marathon and I can see this being a bit of an epic battle I thought I would start a blog to document it all. There's a few different reasons I've decided to do this -

1. To give me something to do on my days off. I currently work shift work, so for me full time hours is 3 long shifts a week, giving me 4 days off. Great if my days off are at the weekend when my husband, friends and family are around, bad when it's the week day and everyone else is at work. Hopefully this will give me a creative outlet to keep me amused on my days off.
2. To hold myself accountable and celebrate the achievements. By writing a blog I can look and see how little or how far I have come and give myself a kick up the butt or a pat on the back!
3. To raise awareness for Barnardo's and aid my fundraising. Having a charity place means I have to raise £1800 by April 2016. I already have over £600 so making good way with it and I'm sure more people will want to donate to this amazing charity.

So that's my little introduction and my training starts today. As I type this in fact I am still in bed, looking at the weather outside and wondering whether I actually want to go a run, in Glasgow today it is cold and very windy. I've promised myself I will though and today it's just a short 20 minute jog but at the moment, having not trained in ages, that seems a bit daunting.

I will touch on my running/fitness history in another post and how I got to this point (it's not very long to be honest!) but for now it's just a quick hello.

Vicki x

https://www.justgiving.com/Vicki-Rennie3/

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