Wheathampstead 10k Race Report - The effects on the human body, of running a 10k without a single run in the previous 49 days

Well you'll be pleased (I hope) to know that I survived. I wasn't quick and it certainly wasn't pretty but I managed to run the Wheathampstead 10k, on an undulating course, in 27 degrees, without a run in the last 49 days and without stopping in 59:32! I had pitched myself at 1:05:00 so I was delighted to scrape in under an hour.

In an absolute refusal to get a burnt head (it happens a lot), I looked more like I was dealing with the heat of the Marathon des Sables than in Herts in May. A buff going down the back of my neck with a cap over the top, sunglasses and a healthy amount of suncream on my arms and face. It was a bit scary.

But can I still walk. Well yes. Slower than normal and with a slight grimace but yes. The legs are as stiff as they used to be when I first started running and I can feel the tension across my shoulders oh yeah and I have the coolest blister along my left foot but that's about it. No knee pain, no calf pain. THAT is great news.

It's not an easy route an involves a lot of inclines, uneven ground and 2 sets of steps but it has a great feel to the event with the family 2k that's run before and with the bouncy castles and the like.

My race was all about completion so when myself and eatingtrees took ourselves to the start, we headed towards the 55-60 marker. Once we started eatingtrees headed off through some of the runners and just as I was about to follow, I felt that I was going to struggle if I did that so I just settle back and started running. It was quite surreal with no one to talk to AND no mp3 player. All I could hear was my own extremely heavy breathing but however hot and slow the race was, I kept thinking back to eatingtrees comments about last year and the constant downpour of rain. It must have been a bog in places so we were lucky in that way I guess.

I have to say that I don't really remember much of the run after that. It was just about finishing and judging by my spilt time, I ran at pretty much the same pace all the way round in a kind of daze. First 5k: 29:45. Second 5k: 29:47. As I said, not in anyway quick but at least I didn't have to stop!

My happiness of my achievement was so much, I've signed myself up for the Cranleigh 10k at the beginning of July. Let's hope Juneathon doesn't destroy me in the meantime.

Juneathon or not Juneathon. That is the question

I can't decide about this whole Juneathon thing. I mean it's a brilliant thing to do and anyone who completes it in my eyes deserves a world of respect but being one of the people who dropped out last year, I can testify about just how tough it is. Doing some form of exercise every. single. day. and blogging about it every. single. day. takes a hell of a lot of motivation for anyone who's not training for some insane kind of triathlon event.

To be honest, after my failure to run in the last 40 odd days and the increased size of what I'm calling my 'sympathy belly', I really should be taking part, winning and halving my excess weight but I'm not sure I can commit. Mind you, if I don't even try, I've got no hope so hope so decision made, count me in and I'll try my best.

By then, I'll be living 15 miles away from work so there goes the 'easy cycle day' and as eatingtrees mentions, the last week is going to absolutely kill after competing in London2Brighton on the bike on the 20th! I think I may have to get the press ups and sit ups involved to help me through my lazy days.

Join us for Juneathon. If you don't have a blog, you have no excuse either! Just put all your daily updates the soon-to-be Juneathon 2010 Facebook page which I'll add a link too as soon as it's live. Come on, join the pain. I mean fun. Join the fun.

Oh no, I've only gone and done it again

Without a shadow of doubt, I have run out of training time for the up and coming Wheathampstead 10k. This means, come the 23rd May, I may have a very interesting blog entitled 'The effects on the human body, of running a 10k without a single run in the previous 49 days'.

Oh dear. That's even worse when I put it in writing. I just can't see when I'm going to fit a run in though. In the next 10 days, I'm out of the country for 4 of them, in a different county visiting friends on 1 of them, at work for 5 of them and for the evening's of those, I'm out one night and packing for our impending home move on the other 4. I'm going to have to try though.

Maybe I'll have to run home from work but as that's 5 miles, if I break myself I'll be in trouble for the 10k. I can't fit my gear in my hand luggage so that's out too. Maybe I'll just have to up the miles on the bike to and from work in the hope that the muscle that may have built up in my leg might possibly help me through. Any thoughts people? Will getting on the bike more help at all?

Picking a positive note to finish on, maybe I'll surprise myself and be amazed by my natural fitness... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Sorry, that's brilliant. Someone my shape doesn't have 'natural' fitness. It's going to be painful, hard work and LG will probably have to be the designated driver but hey, I then have 6 months to train for my next event. I think I'll owe it to myself to at least aim for a PB to shatter the thought that I have a blog about running yet haven't done it since the 4th April!

weeeee..... that was fun

Yep I'm a child and I have the grazed knees to proved it. Coming off by bike during a 32.64 mile ride isn't unexpected for me. Coming off going less than 1mph rather than the heady heights or 33.9mph on the downhill is somewhat embarrassing though. It was good fun though and well worth it. I'm planning another route of a similar distance next weekend where I'll do my hardest to stay on the damn thing! 54 miles for L2B isn't looking as scary anymore.

The brusied knee stopped any chance of a run yesterday though but hopefully by the end of the week, I'll be pounding the pavement again. Even more so as I've just checked my calendar and see that I have the wheathampstead 10k in less than 3 weeks and haven't trained at all. Plus I'm away the weekend after  next. This certainly isn't looking like PB territory but should be a laugh anyway. Eatingtrees seemed to enjoy it last year anyway.

Looks like Hellrunner's a no go for me though. The week before Grim and in a month when I already have a HM? I think I'll pass this year!