Official Marathon Training Week 11

Hello Fudgey Friends

Just a quickie tonight as feeling pretty tired and hoping to get myself into bed as early as I can, but I wanted to get my week 11 post to you asap

And what a week.....feeling fudgeytastic re the running

Monday - last running conditioning class with Lyndsey, have really enjoyed these and found them really useful.

Tuesday - 12.49 miles....before work. Up and out by 6am and ran all the way into work. Absolutely delighted and feeling more positive about the marathon training

Thursday - lovely short lunchtime run including my 'favourite' hill Bells Brae. 2,34 miles wasn't my best running but was good to get away from my desk. I managed to take some photos especially for Liz. These are from The water of Leith, Dean village and looking down from Queen street towards Fife.

Sunday - race day Great Edinburgh Run 10 miles. I promise a full race report before the end of the week but it was an absolutely fantastic day, everything just fell into place and I smiled for the whole 10 miles. 6 weeks to go until the marathon 

As I said just a quick post, hope you have all had a good week. I am off now to take some photos for the race report, a cuppa and off to bed.

Sweet dreams all

Lots of love

Fudgey xxx

Race Report Meadows half Marathon 8th March 2015

Apologies but a long last a long overdue race report

This is the 3rd time I have taken part in the Meadows event, first time the 5k and this was my 2nd meadows half marathon. Each year it has grown bigger and bigger and considering it is organised by the university students is pretty impressive what they do, how much they raise for charity and how successful it has become.

Unfortunately the longer I have left this the harder it has become to sit down and write so I will keep it brief and try not to ramble.

This year there was a 5k, 10k, half marathon and a full marathon. If I recall correctly the events started at 10am and ended around 4pm. The half marathon started at 1pm. This was unusual for me as most running events I have participated in have started in the morning, the positive of this was not having to get up too early and plenty of time to fuel up. The negative was that we decided not to take Miss Bug with us as she usually sleeps around that time for a couple of hours.

Registration process was simple and painless and no problem getting my race pack on arrival at Teviot place, I was amused to have a finisher certificate in it before having run a single step. I also got a tshirt.

We were quite early so were able to hang around the hub and get a coffee. The weather was a mix of sunnny but cold, rain and very windy and I opted for a baseball cap...quickly abandonned when it blew off as I went out for the warm up.

Warm up by pure gym was Ok but I think given the weather most people just wanted to run.

The course was 7 laps round the meadows this has advantages and disadvantages. Great for spectators but a bit monotonous for the runner but great training event for the marathon and opportunity to practice pacing and nutrition. There was meant to be entertainment on the course but as I was so slow the entertainment had packed up when I was only half way complete. The volunteer marshalls were brilliant though, very enouraging and smiling , they must had stood for hours. The warer station was manned by local cubs I think, and as it was laps you would pass it several times, I didn't use it as they offered cups of water and still haven't mastered the technique of running and drinking from a cup, i chise to run with my camelback water pack. 

The hardest part of the course for me was the cobbles at George square....they were brutal and I found it hard to run on them and painful.

This turned out to be my worst ever half marathon performance and I was 3rd last with a time of 2 hours 42 minutes, however this was under the course limit of 2.45 and for me a massive achievement in distance since the arrival of Bug. I knew there wouldn't be a pb on this occasion as I had only started seriously running again in January and for me it was a training run and stepping stone to the marathon.

At the finish line we got a medal...first bling this year, a coconut water and a goody bag. Disappointingly a lot of the leaflets/vouchers in the bag were out of date but for a student run and relatively cheap event they provided a decent bag.

And now for sone photos from the day :-)

Thank you as always to Mr Fudgey for the photos and for his support.

Thank you to Mum and Das S for looking after Bug

Thank you to Meadows Marathon for another really well organised and 'enjoyable' event.

Thank you all of you for your words of encouragement and support, especially Di and Lyndsey who helped med decide to sign up in the first place.

Will try and make sure next race report is more timely 

Lots of love

Fudgey xxxx

Thank you

To all my fabulously fudgey friends, family and followers,

I am often asked how I manage to pack so much in, a full time job, a home and family and train for a marathon, blog and all the other bits and bobs I get up to. Honestly sometimes I ask myself that very same question. But the reality is that I couldn't do it alone.

I am so blessed to ge surrounded by people who love, support and encourage me.

Yes that's you guys. Hubby, both Mums and Dads, Sister, Brother and Sister in law, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, good friends and my lovely team and other work colleagues. And some people who sadly are no longer here but inspire me so much.

Special mention to poor long suffering Mr Fudgey, he really is a star. 'Bullying' me out of the door when I procrastinate, patiently hanging around at running events, going to the running shop in his lunch hour to buy energy gels for my long runs. Taking photos, wiping my tears, celebrating my achievements and so much more.

We are also very fortunate to have Granny and Papa who Miss Bug adores - they do so much for us and I really hope they know just how much we appreciate them.

Thank you each and everyone of you I couldn't do it without you

Lots of love

Fudgey xxxx

Official Marathon Training Week 10

Hello Fudgey friends

How are you all?

Just a quick post tonight, per my week 9 post not much running action in week 10.....but I did get a long run in..........

16.28 miles 

Marathon training well and truly back on track. 

It was slow but everything felt good, my stomach even behaved. My calves started to seize  when I came in but an ice bath and my compression leggings soon eased that.

Today feeling really good....certainly not like I ran 16 miles....and it has done my spirit the world of good too :-)

Running conditioning class at lunchtime today should help stretch out all those worked muscles and a nice soak in a dead sea bath tonight = bliss.

I have the Great Edinburgh Run this weekend....10 miles....and very excited for Little Miss Bug to come spectate and cheer.

That's all from me for now. Have a great week everyone

Lots of love

Fudgey xxxx

Official Marathon Training Week 9

Hello all

Hope you are all having a lovely Friday evening and are looking forward to the weekend.

Life has kind of overtaken me again and I find myself playing catch up. This week is week 10 but I haven't written a week 9 post. I seem to have completely lost control this week....back to work and still catching up from 17 days off, my stomach is playing up again making me pretty miserable, I haven't run this week, I've done no laundry, not started my Asda shop, no blogging and still no half marathon race report and this doesn't sit well with me.

So here is last weeks update. Running wise I had an amazing week, my first 30 mile week since 2011....last time I was marathon training 

Monday...It was wet wild and windy here but I managed a bracing 3.22 miles

Tuesday...took the wee one to Bookbug in the morning at the library which she loved now she is big enough to join in all the words and actions of the nursery ryhmes. Time to fit in a quick 30 minutes 2.61 miles after dropping Bug at nursery and before getting my hair cut in the afternoon.

Wednesday.... A rest day! Trip to the shops in the morning, post office and bank. Laundry, cleaning in the kitchen and gutted the ensuite.

Thursday.....an amazing 11.06 miles.... Feel like training back on track

Friday...another rest day

Saturday ....a lung busting 3.51 miles....ran faster than I have all of March....it was also hot and sunny :-)

Sunday....another 10.07 miles....this was a total slog, really struggled but job done.

This week saw the end of March so I totalled my monthly mileage....43.63 miles for March....down on Jan and Feb but long runs getting longer.

Unfortunately week 10 hasn't been as great running wise but I will get a long run in this weekend.

I am slowly regaining control, have cleared my 500+ emails at work and hope to be back on track with everything next week. Darks load washed tonight and in dryer, whites loaded in machine and will get my wee laundry assistant to put on in the morning. Fruit and vegetables cleared out of Fridge and drawers washed, Asda shop booked and half done, and this blog post written.

Time to head upstairs and get the swimming kit ready for tomorrow and then into bed....hopefully for a lie in beyond 6am

Take Care everyone 

Lots of love

Fudgey xxxx

Official Marathon Training Week 8

Hello again everyone

Well no blog action for over 3 weeks and then 2 posts in less than 24 hours! 

I have also been getting organised to write my race report from the half marathon by getting the photos  sorted out so I will hopefully get that written soon too.

So this is my official marathon training for week 8, this is last week, the week beginning 23rd March, not where I hoped I would be, but slowly returning to running from illness and better than no running

First full week of my time of work and looking forward to spending some time with Bug and had a plan for lots of running amongst other things.

Monday - I still felt rubbish so phoned for a doctor's appointment to be told no appointments till 7th April! Unless it was an emergency...so I explained that I didn't think it was but that that I also couldn't wait over 2 weeks, thankfully the nurse practitioner called me back and saw me later that morning and prescribed an antibiotic that seems to have sorted me out :-)

 

Managed to get a lot scored off my to do list, called the hairdresser and rearranged my hair appointment from when I was ill, called the joiner and arranged for him to come and get a few things done. Moo got a good scrub after being run over by the buggy on Sunday unfortunately though no sooner was Moo clean but Moo 2 suffered the same fate and needs a bath. I handed in Bug's Giant Wiggle sponsor money at the nursery and spoke to the manager about her funded place. I also bought, wrote and posted some birthday cards and gifts. I also got a few chores like laundry etc done so a very productive day, though no running.

Tuesday - less productive and we just stayed home in the morning. I indulged in a sneaky afternoon nap once Bug was dropped at nursery.

Wednesday - WOO HOO first run in 17 days, aspired for 2 miles, felt good so revised goal to 3 miles, still feeling good......5.1 miles done....very very happy.

 

Thursday - Pru health vitality health check in Edinburgh at 10.20am so a quick 1.56 miles before heading into town. Health check mostly good, great blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol but the negative...being overweight....well not anything I wasn't expecting and know that I need to get back on track with my weight loss too. 

Lovely lunch with Lyndsey Esland at All Bar One, some shopping and got my glasses adjusted at Boots before heading home.  Running kit on and ran another 2.05 miles to nursery to pick up the little lady, but bus back home.

Friday - Mr Fudgey had a day off and it was lovely for us all to spend the day at home together.

Saturday...A visit to the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh meeting up with my amazing sister and Bug's 3 big cousins. A fabulous day was had by all and we will definitely be taking Bug again

Sunday - another run :-) 3.48 miles

So 4 small runs in week 8, as I said not where I would hope to be but hoping to increase it over the next few weeks....watch this space.

Take Care everyone and I will post again soon

Love

Fudgey xxx