Less is More.......well for me at least....

......if we're talking about running that is.......if we're talking about cakes and chocolate, I can never get enough!!!

It is interesting to look back on last year, or even a training cycle within the year, and see what worked and what could have worked better. Even though I had suffered with tendonitis in 2011, and not given it the respect it deserved as soon as I felt the initial pain resulting in several weeks of enforced rest from running, I still hadn't really learnt my lesson. I started to get some foot discomfort early on in 2012, but have to admit to putting my head in the sand, ignoring it and carrying on.....and so developed full-blown Plantar Fasciitis, which meant another enforced rest from training and having to pull out of my target races. This time though, I think the frailty of the human body and the reality of the knife-edge we tread between training "niggles" and developing injuries, did start to sink in. Next time I felt foot pain was in a long training run as part of an autumn marathon build-up, and so I visited the physio the very next day for a check ultrasound.  A judicious week away from running meant that the developing tendonitis settled very quickly and I could still make the marathon startline.

Having had the injuries during the year, my training had been more fragmented than it should have been (indeed sometimes it was frankly not possible) and I did not have long to build up in order to run my desired Warsaw marathon. This meant that I had to increase my mileage and running intensity pretty quickly, which in hindsight didn't work that well for me. The race notwithstanding, as anything can happen on the day, and nobody had predicted the strong headwind, I became frustrated with not quite achieving my training goals and just becoming more tired. Having the 50K race so soon after the marathon was another problem, as it was really too soon for me to recover and refocus.

This year has seen me make some changes, which I hope will be of benefit in racing, although that is really a secondary goal, as they have certainly made me feel much happier about my running....and actually enjoy training a lot more!

I am doing a lower mileage, and all my runs have a purpose. That may sound odd, but it means that I don't go for a run without knowing why I'm going...and don't change the reason halfway through. If it's a gentle recovery run, then it will stay as a gentle recovery run whether I feel like I could fly or not; if it's an endurance session, I'll break the session up in my head as I need to so that I can focus all the way through and get on with it without moaning (much); if it's purely for the fun of going out and enjoying the trails, I won't look at a watch and will change the route so that I cannot compare times. I have also realised the necessity of recovery.....be that my favourite past-time of trying and testing the cakes in all the local cafes, or just sitting on the sofa and watching TV.



A "Reformer"



I know that many people cross-train. While I do not doubt that cross-training/gym-work etc has a lot of benefits and really helps many runners, I feel that I do not have enough time to really get into it. Trying to fit training round a busy job and life, I feel that such sessions would be at the expense of runs...and it is the running that I enjoy, and hence why I do it.



On a "Reformer"



I have, however,  swopped a run for a Pilates session every week. Initially I went along to a mat-based Pilates class with Audrey, but when I was over in California on holiday, Clancy took me along to her Pilates session and we used "reformers". These 8 foot long machines are the main pieces of equipment used in Pilates exercise, and have a horizontal carriage that glides forward and backward on rollers. Resistance is provided using springs along with other attachments for a variety of exercises and positions (that is, lying down, seated and standing.) This type of Pilates seemed to suit me much better, as it is designed to restore the natural curves of the spine (and I struggle with an exaggerated lumbar lordosis - curve in the base of my back) and rebalance the muscles around the joints, so I changed classes on my return to Dumfries. Although the instructor still tells me that my core is too weak and my legs are too strong (so they take over doing the work instead of my core), I do feel that I'm gradually improving, and hope it helps my running form....and if nothing else, makes me stretch at least once a week (ie once more than I used to do)!





A snowy off-road run

Another thing I'm trying to do is to look at the bigger picture - by this, I mean not getting bogged down with every run - eg mileage and pace. If I feel a niggle, it is better to take a rest day, or change the terrain of the run, as missing one or two runs won't affect the final goal, but developing an injury could completely jeopardise the whole cycle. The weather in this part of Scotland can be temperamental at this time of year to say the least, and so, although it's important to get out and train even if I'd rather be curled up in front of the fire, it's not worth risking falling over on the snow or ice and damaging myself. Running in snow can be magical and fun, but it can also be hard work, and therefore I can get more out of a short snowy off-road run, than trying to slide around to "get the mileage in" on slushy wet roads.

 

I'm interested to see the outcome of these changes......but as I said before, at the end of the day, the time I run in a race is just that.....a time, and I almost don't want to race because I don't want to put a figure on it - but I'm loving the process of getting there just now - long may it continue!!

Cake........cake......and more cake.......



Not the warmest day...



January can be a very flat time of the year.......the excitement of Christmas and New Year has faded.....and the longed for warmth and longer days of Spring still seem to be a long time coming! Most people are getting stuck into their training plans for spring races but the races themselves are still away on a distant horizon.

I used to hate having a birthday so soon after Christmas as then there was nothing big to look forward to for the rest of the year, and also because people used to "accidentally" tell you that they'd bought your present in the January sales. This year, however, I loved my birthday weekend as I got to do 3 of my favourite things.......run, hang out with friends, and eat lots of cake and chocolate! The only negative thing was that my parents couldn't come over as planned due to all the snow in the Northeast.



Parkrun



Buggy Running

Luckily I hadn't had too late a night at our practice night out at the local Indian restaurant on the Friday night, so I managed to get up early enough on Saturday morning to drive down to Carlisle for the inaugural running of the Carlisle parkrun at Chances Park. Parkruns are free, weekly, timed 5K runs that occur on Saturday mornings around the world. They are for people of any ability and experience, though I think they are especially good for those new to running, returning from injury, or juggling family time with running. There are no parkruns very close to Dumfries, but I sometimes run them if I'm away visiting family or friends, as it means there are always people to run with (and have coffee&cake with afterwards). It's also nice to take a step back from training and just have a fun run with friends......and Carlisle parkrun was just that. It isn't what I'd describe as a fast course as it is about 50% on grass, and consists of 3 laps with some tight corners, but I had a fun steady run round. I also really enjoyed a cool down pushing my friends' 15month old daughter round in her babyjogger. It was great to run with (both on and off road), and doesn't seem to slow you down much.....though admittedly I didn't go up any major hills!

Tullie House Triple Layer Cake



Morton Manor opened up their cafe for us to have post-run coffee and snacks, so I had my first cake of the day courtesy of Russ and Pip Maddams (who are looking forward to the arrival of their daughter this week.....hopefully). Never being one to turn down cake, I had some more at Tullie House with Doug...and then later went out to a cafe in Dumfries for more treats with Audrey.......which was definitely a good thing as every cafe in the area seemed to be shut on Sunday (either that or they knew I was coming!!!). What more can a girl ask for?

(parkrun photos courtesy of Steve Angus)

Supermarket Sweep

The Central Lancashire Half Marathon is a great run to start the year with. I have done it for the past 3 years.......though admittedly the first time I did it, it was delayed until March due to ice and snow!



Race Route



It's a good fast course if conditions are favourable as it fairly flat, though there are some inclines due to the road crossing the motorway on 4 occasions......and a cheeky sharp humpbacked bridge to finish off tired legs in the last half mile of the race.

I was hoping for a good solid run to see where my fitness was at, but I really had my doubts as I drove up from Manchester through thick fog - the visibility got down to about 30m on the motorway - but luckily it cleared before the 10am race start. Paul Carroll (from Clydesdale Harriers) and I went for a warm-up jog and debated our prospective race positions. He had beaten me in the 2011 race, but I'd pipped him last year, so today was anyone's race. We both hoped that feeling tired and sluggish in the warm-up would lead to a good race, but weren't too confident as we took our places on the start-line.

The race had sold out in early December and the field seemed much larger than usual, so I had to concentrate in order not to get dragged out too fast. The field stretched out straight away as the race winner disappeared off ahead, and I gradually moved up places over the first few miles. It was quite flattering when the "lead lady's cyclist" caught up with us saying he'd had to chase me down! I felt quite comfortable running along and, as the conditions were favourable, suddenly found myself in 2nd position overall after 4 miles. I wondered how long it would take before all the men shot past me, but didn't expect it to be natural obstacles that caused the biggest upset to my run!

After the finish!

The race is all on open roads, so we made sure we kept as tight as we could to the left-hand side of the road, but after about 9.5miles, there was a 90 degree right-hand turn at a t-junction onto a main road. My cyclist told me to keep to the right-hand side to avoid crossing over directly in front of an oncoming van, but the main problem soon became apparent. Behind the van were 4 goats running towards me in the road. The cyclist said he would deal with them, so I could just ignore it and get on with the race, but the goats had other ideas. As he tried to head them over to the left away from me, the goats wheeled around and headed straight across in front of me. I had to significantly shorten my stride and shout at them in order to get past without running into them, but then they started chasing me......and one even headbutted my back leg. I didn't realise how much such an interruption would affect me, but I found it hard to get back into my rhythm for the next mile and started to struggle. Paul shot past me at the 11mile mark, looking as strong as if he was running a 10K, but I tried to ignore that and focus on finishing my own run. I had wanted a strong run, but at this point I thought that as long as I could keep my legs turning over well, then I'd be close to my PB.

In the last halfmile there is a steep sharp humpbacked bridge over the canal, but as I knew the finish was close, I unconsciously relaxed. Unfortunately this meant that my stomach muscles started to spasm, and so I was unable to push at all in the last 200m as I thought I was going to end up depositing my breakfast in a hedge. It's never nice to be overtaken at the death of a race, but there was nothing I could do, and I later apologised to both the man that sprinted past me, and to my cyclist for my dry retching.

I got the shock of my life looking up at the clock over the entrance to the carpark (though it did turn out that we had to run down the length of the carpark to the hall to finish) as it turned out that I'd taken over 20seconds off my PB!!

Kitchen appliance anyone?

Paul and I ran back down the course to cheer his clubmates in and reflected that we were spot-on in saying that a rubbish warm-up DID indeed foretell of a good race, and what a great start to the year it was for both of us (with new PBs)....and I congratulated him on the well-deserved victory over me! 

OK, OK so it's not quite Supermarket Sweep, but the prizes for the race have always caused amusement back at my club.......as they seem to be trying to stock up my kitchen. In the past 3 years, I've won a mini-cooker, a sandwich toaster and an electric mini-chopper.......and this year I added a handblender to the collection.........smoothies anyone???

Looking Back.....

In most walks of life, we are encouraged to keep looking forward, driving towards the future, and not to look back........but in some situations it can be beneficial.

The Festive Period, for most people (even if, like me, you only have the Public Holidays off work) gives you the chance to step back from the pressures of work, spend time with family and friends, eat, drink and sleep well, and think about the year that has passed as well as looking forward to what is to come.



Gateshead Event Director pointing out the course



I managed all of these, from going to a local parkrun (Gateshead parkrun in Saltwell Park) with my dad on Christmas morning (though admittedly it was more about enjoying the mulled wine, mince pies and chocolate brownies afterwards than it was about the run) to discussing (with my 4 year old nephew) the differences between him trying to run "farrrst" (long southern vowels) and me trying to run "fast" (short northern vowels) to learning about "Superworm" from my 2 year old niece, to eating all 4 different types of cake that my mum made (both Polish and English).



Vests of the year



Whilst catching up with friends old and new, I took the time to reflect back on 2012, which was a very beneficial experience. If you'd asked me what I remembered of my year in running, the initial things that sprang to mind were quite negative........developing plantar fasciitis and struggling with it for several months, forcing me to pull out of target races.......then some tendinitis interrupting training......and a "far from ideal" 50k.......but on thinking more deeply I have actually had a year that I can rightly be proud of.

I've travelled and raced well overseas (including in Warsaw with my family there) proudly worn several different vests (Dumfries Running Club, Nedbank International, Scotland, and the Scottish Vet Harriers), lowered several PBs, won some odd prizes, recovered from significant injury, but far and above it all......I've enjoyed my running and made many new friends! If 2013 has even half of these features, it'll be a great year and I look forward to meeting it head on!



Wigilia!!

Wigilia is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland, held on December 24. The word "Wigilia" derives from the Latin verb vigilare, "to watch", and literally means 'eve'. The feasting traditionally begins once the First Star has been sighted in the heavens at dusk (around 4-5p.m.) although we started slightly later than this as I had to drive over to Durham after finishing work.

A bundle of hay is placed under the tablecloth to symbolise the fact that Jesus was born in a manger. As a game, pieces of straw are drawn out from under the tablecloth to tell your fortune for the upcoming year, eg growing strongly, branching out, fruitful (though my mother is the best at turning her piece round to "help" predict her fortune! 

Another tradition is to leave one extra place-setting for an "unexpected guest". This is to celebrate the tradition of hospitality and inclusion. The empty seat is left open just in case a traveler, family member, or a friend knocks on the door, so there would be a place for them to join in the celebrations..........which our neighbours have learnt and profited from over the years!

The wafer

Our celebrations begin with a glass of vodka (modern technology is amazing as skype let us share this with family and friends in Scotland and Poland) and the breaking of the Christmas wafer (opłatek - a rectangular unleavened wafer, blessed by a priest, embossed with Christmas images to symbolise the bread eaten daily) and wishing each other good fortune in the upcoming new year. The opłatek is broken by the eldest and the youngest and pieces are given to everyone, who then break off a piece of their opłatek, and share it with everyone else, wishing them luck, joy and good fortune in the upcoming year (finalising the wish by a kiss on the cheek).

Barszcz with uszka

The awesome salmon

A traditional Christmas meal in Poland starts with czerwony barszcz (beetroot soup) and uszka (ravioli). Fish provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland as Wigilia is observed as a Black Fast (meaning that most Poles abstain from eating meat on this day). Traditionally the fish is carp, but in the Zakrzewscy household we tend to prefer salmon. My mother excelled herself this year, and had the nicest salmon dish I think I've ever had......full of flavour and so moist. Other dishes include the compulsory sauerkraut and cabbage (kapusta), and walnut/potato croquettes.  

Makowiec

For dessert, there's makowiec (poppy seed roll), babka (panettone), piernik (honey-spiced cake), fruit compote and pierniczki (gingerbread cookies). 

The number of country courses is traditionally established to be twelve (symbolic of the number of months in the year as well as to celebrate the twelve disciples) in a similar manner to the British tradition of eating 12 mince pies over the festive season, so if we've not yet got to twelve, we make it up with dried fruit, nuts and chocolates!!

Running for Fun



Lovely new snow!



This is a great time of the year....no, not for the weather.....or for the fact that it's the season of overeating and overdrinking......but for the fact that for most people the race season has come to a close! Instead of hard training and worrying about times and distances, you can kick back, reflect on the year gone by, start to plan for the year ahead.....and just run for the love of it!



For me, it has meant a chance to get out on the hills without worrying about injury, a chance to play in the snow without worrying about slipping, and also a chance to enjoy catching up with friends on nights out.



Running past the neighbours

 

My "prize"



Starting the Christmas handicap

I have just kept my running ticking over.....when I want to (especially nice to run easy in the crunchy new snow), and where I want to (out in the countryside or the woods)......though the club Christmas handicap was a bit of a shock to the sytem. We all run a 5 mile route (almost the course of the Holywood Stroll) , but start times are staggered according to our race results over the past 6 months. Everybody brings an anonymous present worth about a fiver, and then people choose one in the order they cross the finish line (except that the winner gets last choice as they also get a trophy). It was nice to see everyone.....but my aim was to get back as quickly as possibly in order to get a present that looked like it might be chocolatey. I started 4th from the back but managed to work my way up to finish 11th out of the 30 runners, though my plan failed as the prize I chose turned out to be a box of crackers that may just have come out of the Ark! Still, I made up for it with a mincepie fest and a trip to see The Hobbit afterwards (though sitting still in a cinema seat for 3 hours was almost more painful than the 5 mile effort)!!

Hexham Hobble - a fell race or an ice skate?



Trying to stay upright on the driveway



I am sure that I am not the only person who feels that they ought to show their appreciation for their parents more often, so it was nice to go across to Durham this weekend and spend some time with them. My parents seem to realise that a weekend without any type of running makes me poor company, so my mother did wake me up on Saturday morning by asking if I was going to go down to the local parkrun. Not wanting to run it hard, I thought it would be a good opportunity to give something back to the local running scene by going to volunteer. Luckily, I found out just before leaving the house that it was cancelled due to sheet ice....which was just as well, as I couldn't even get down the driveway in an upright position (and the driveway is rutted to help in icy conditions).

Sunday dawned clear and sunny but very cold........so I did wonder what on earth had possessed me to go and take in a fell race  (the Hexhamshire Hobble) on the way back home, as it was bound to be colder higher up in the hills. True to my prediction, the temperature gauge dropped to -3 as I drove to a friend's house so we could go to the race together. He had done the race several times before and so explained the course to me - road sections at the start and finish, with bits of rough fell and runnable wider trails in the middle. We headed off up round the route backwards as a warm up, so that I got a chance to see the run into the finish. It was incredibly icy just crossing the carpark to the grass, and a lot of care had to be taken to avoid slippy patches running down the road, which was a  real shame, as I had thought that the final road section would be my secret weapon.



Route and course profile



As we headed back, it seemed unnaturally quiet, and we realised with a shock that everyone was gathered at the start a full 5minutes early. We had a slight panic, hurdled a stone wall, skidded across the ice back to the car to ditch our jackets and pick up our bumbags containing the FRA (Fell Running Association) compulsory kit (full body waterproof cover, map, compass, whistle and emergency food) and made it to the start just in time. Well, when I say just in time, I was still bent double tying my laces when the gun went off! After leaving the field, the first mile and a half were on road - initially slightly downhill and then a steep climb up onto the fells. I knew that this would be a strong section for me, but the ice on the road meant that it was difficult to pass people safely.

When the marshall directed us off the road onto the fells, that was when the fun really started. It was a beautiful, sunny day, crisp and clear with great views (though I couldn't really appreciate it as I had to spend most of the time looking at my feet to avoid the ice). The snow from a couple of nights prior to the race had almost melted, and what was left had frozen, along with the bogs due to the flooding and rain of the week before. I actually found myself sitting on my backside in the middle of a 2m stretch of sheet ice at the 3 mile mark, but managed to get up and start running again without really noticing. I managed to catch up with the 2 men in front of me on a lovely stretch of wide runnable trail, but they moved ahead again as we queued up to have our numbers stamped before turning back onto the rutted icy rough moorland. This section was a long one and so several of the true fellrunners shot past me in their shorts (!). I actually really appreciated that, as it meant I could follow their line rather than try to pick out the best route, and hence avoided crashing through  more frozen puddles to soak my feet. I recognised their vests and so knew they had local knowledge, regularly training on those fells, so I tried to keep them in sight.



"Keep" trophy as I had to give the large gold one back!



Another road section meant I soon caught them up again and we then had a bit of friendly banter negotiating ice and they encouraged me to push on away from them. The last push up off the road and across the icy tops flew by as one of the marshals had told me that I was the first lady and also that there was cake and tea at the finish........I certainly wasn't keen to let anyone get at the cake before me!

Our recce of the finishing mile was brilliant as it meant that I could speed down that last bit of tarmac, knowing exactly which bits of road to avoid. I felt great, and flew into the finish at my road 10K pace, though did wait to cheer my friend in before hitting the cake.

Not being a natural hill runner, I was amazed to see the results and find out that I had finished in 12th position overall, over 7 minutes ahead of the 2nd lady, and only 2 minutes slower than Angela Mudge's 15 year old course record........though at the prizegiving, the announcer gave up and didn't even attempt to pronounce my name!