At breaking point

At the weekend I took part at Ride Chartridge which is a 45 k or 100 k bike ride through the beautiful Chiltern countryside. This was my first ever bike event and as I am doing a fair bit of running I was debating entering the 100 k ride. Riding and running uses the same muscles anyway, right? Well I am so glad I decided to go for the 45 k ride as this bike ride proper broke me. I only have a mountain bike with very knobbly tires and wasn’t aware how much harder it is riding a mountain bike on a road compared to a road bike. Oh and did I mention the rolling hills of the Chilterns??? And that I have hardly done any cycling in the last few years?

On Sunday, the day of the event, I woke up to rain lashing against the window and very strong winds. I had to cycle 10 k to get to the event but luckily it stopped raining when I was half way there. I was quite tired just from cycling the 10 k and was so very nervous of what was to come. I registered, attached my bike number to my bike and off I went after a short brief. As it was a staggered start there was no waiting around and no mass start. I loved it. They should introduce that at running events as well!

My bike and number

Two minutes down the road I took my first wrong turn. It was very stupid of me and luckily I noticed straight away. The first section was downhill but lasted only 5 minutes. From then on the road was quite rough and it was hard work. And it was only the start! We made our way towards Aldbury crossing the canal. From Aldbury we took the road up to Ashridge which was very steep and winding but I am so proud I didn’t get off my bike and push! I really, really wanted to. You could have walked quicker then I was cycling! There was a photographer at the top which I thought was a bit mean. Catching you at the worst moment. We then made our way along the main road through Ashridge round Ivinghoe, past the Ridgeway and back to Aldbury passing a beautiful forest carpeted in bluebells. 

The beautiful bluebells of Ashridge

The Ridgeway on a sunny day

Coming down the Ridgeway the wind was very strong and even though it was a downhill section I still had to pedal. After passing through Aldbury and crossing back over the canal that’s when the going got really though. There just seemed one hill after the other and even relative flat section seemed to be so hard! Every pedal stroke took so much effort! I had to constantly tell myself ‘I can do this’, ‘You’re doing great’, ‘As long as your moving forward you’re fine’! And then I got lost. I followed some cyclist who weren’t part of the ride! And I didn’t notice for quite a while! That added another 5 k. I retraced my steps but a little while later I had a little break-down..mentally not mechanically. I was so done. Physically tired of cycling and mentally tired of keeping me going. I got off my bike and ate a cereal bar trying to hold back my tears. I just couldn’t understand why cycling 50 k was so hard! On the day before this event some lovely runners from Twitter cycled 60 miles from London to Brighton. Why was cycling 50 k so hard!!!! I got back on to my bike and luckily not long after that got to the finish. 3 hours and 16 minutes after l started. I was broken. I found a grassy spot to drop my bike and sat down.  I was about to burst into tears. This was so hard. So much harder than any run I have ever done. Even the marathon. I was sitting there fighting back my tears. However discovering a medal in the goody bag cheered me up as it didn't mention it on the event website. I love medals! Unfortunately I still had to cycle 10 k back home up a massive hill but couldn’t wait to get home to a warm flat. I was freezing.

A medal!

For days afterwards I have been wondering why this ride was so hard for me. Yes it was hilly, yes it was windy but why took it so much out of me. I have run nearly as far as that!

I think part of it was that I put myself under pressure that I SHOULD be going faster. I believed that going as slow as I was made me weak and unfit. Especially with my running background I thought I should be able to do this ride easily. It’s kind of sad that this self-imposed pressure brought me to the brink of breaking out into tears.

I also clearly under-estimated how hard it will be. They were handing out gels at the start and I was thinking who needs gels on a bike ride. Cycling through hilly terrain is hard and shouldn’t be under-estimated. I learned that one.

I will probably never quite understand why this ride took so much out of me. But I do know that every hard ride/run will make me stronger in the long run. I am taking part in these endurance events to test out my limits and to push them further. Events like this will make my physically and mentally a stronger person. Only by pushing your limits do you grow as a person!

Looking at the positives: I did finish. I could have easily taken a short cut and cycled home. Also I have tried something new. I wanted to take part in a cycling event for a while and I had the confidence to do it. Additionally the mental strength I have gained through this event will hopefully help me during the darker times of the ultra-marathons which I am planning to run soon.

I am not going to let this event break me. It was the most challenging event I have ever taken part in but I will get back on this bike, buy some slick tires for my MTB and have already spotted a bike event in July I would like to take part in. Practice will make you stronger, right?

Looking at the bright side

Now is the time that many runners are in their last weeks before their spring marathon. On twitter there are many excited runners who have put in the hours of training and are now nervous and excited about their big day. I was planning to be one of them but unfortunately this spring I am not going to run a marathon. And I am devastated! My running at the beginning of this year was going really well. My running pace significantly increased and I was enjoying the progress. I really, really enjoyed running and therefore went out more often than my running plan told me to. In addition I started running every day from the train station to work. It’s only 3.5 km each way but in addition to my normal running plan each day it was too much. My left thigh/knee went. I have now not properly run in 6 weeks. Since I started running I have never not run for such an extensive amount of time. I am surprised how much of an effect it has on me. I spent so much time running. And if I am not running I am reading about running and planning new races. Without being able to run I feel totally lost and frustrated. I feel like I have fallen into a big hole. I don’t really know who I am anymore. I identified myself through running.

However I believe that everything happens to you for a reason so I have been trying to see some positives in my injury.

•  This injury has made me realise again that you cannot plan your life.  Circumstances may arise for which you cannot plan and instead of getting frustrated that things don’t go your ways it is much better to just accept them. Life will never go as planned.
• Enjoy where you are. Besides the pain while running I am healthy. I have two arms, two legs and have an otherwise a healthy body. I can walk without pain. There are people less fortunate.
• I will run again and when I run again I will appreciate the ability to go running even more. Hopefully this will give me some motivation when I’m finding it hard to get up early to go to the gym.
• My body is delicate. It is not a machine. Someone on twitter posted that your body is like a plant you need to take care of. Little sleep, sudden increase in mileage and crappy food are not good nutrients for a delicate plant.
• Listen to your body. My body was achy the weeks before I got injured even after short 10ks but I didn’t give my body more than one day of rest. Stop when your body tells you to stop.
• Take breaks. I have started to really enjoy running and I tend to especially enjoy it after a big race. This however leads me to never giving myself a break from running. For the last 2 years the longest break from running I had was one week. I am slightly nervous losing my fitness but I think it’ll be good to once a year take 3-4 weeks off from running so that your body can recover. This is my plan for next year.
• Cross-training. I love running and therefore when I have some spare time I want to go running and not do something I am less keen on. However I believe that cross training is key to avoiding injury while keeping your aerobic fitness up. I would like to go cycling and swimming more often. I do enjoy cycling but I don’t really enjoy swimming as I only recently learned how to crawl and I still do not proper master it. But only practice will turn that discomfort into appreciation. When I started running I didn’t love it straight away. And I really would love to be a strong swimmer.

I will run again. My body has taken me to some amazing places and has allowed me to finish my first marathon. Now I need to be patient and let this body rest. There will be many races to come.

You want to be happy?

A couple of weeks back a number of bloggers and journalist were fortunate enough to be invited to meet the great Haile Gebrselassie. Haile has set several world records and has won a great number of marathons such as Amsterdam, Berlin (4 times), Dubai (3 times) and Fukuoka. It has also been announced that he will pace the elite field of the London 2014 marathon for the first 30k at world record pace.

He is clearly an elite runner who has made an amazing career out of running. Running is his profession whereas for most of us it is just our hobby. Yet although he runs very competitively I was surprised to read that he recognises the effects running has on the mind. The Women’s running editor who met Haile quoted him as saying:

“Don’t just run for weight loss, 20 per cent of it might be for weight loss, but you should run to get fit. What I mean by “get fit” is mental fitness. Run for mental fitness.”

I believe that the positive effect running (or any sport) can have on mental health needs to be more widely talked about. People are aware that running temporarily can release endorphins but I don’t think they are aware that regular exercise can stabilise your mood even on days you don’t run. I have been struggling with low mood for the last 10 years or so. I have tried a number of methods to try and stabilise my mood. Unfortunately nothing quite worked for me. Since I started running regularly two years ago the ‘down times’ are much less frequent and I wake every morning with a much more positive mind set. I wish someone had told me years ago about running. However if you want to run to improve your mental health you need to run regularly. I believe 4-5 times a week is best even if it is for short durations. You don’t necessarily need to run. There are plenty of other sports out there which get your heart pumping.   

Lazygirlrunning wrote about her encounter with Haile on her blog. Haile said to her:

“Running is everything. It’s the best medicine. It makes you fit in your mind and helps you with stress. When you get back from your run you have a shower, but you’ve already had a shower in here [points to head].”

You want to be happy? Get out there and run!!! 

I can’t run

Running has had a huge impact on my life and has made me a much happier and well-rounded person. Therefore I am keen to encourage other people to give running a try and tell them about the positive effect it has not just on the body but also on the mind. 

However often people reply that they can’t run. They just can’t run. I am amazed how often I hear this from healthy friends. Running is probably one of the simplest sports there is. You don’t need to learn a technique like with swimming, you don’t need any special equipment and you don’t need to go to a pool. You just need some clothes and shoes. (When running longer distances proper running shoes are of course good.) And as long as you know how to walk and don’t have any serious physical condition you should be able to run. I am amazed how many people there are who won’t even consider giving running a try.

Saying this, although running is a simple sport it is also very hard to get started. I still remember going on my first run, having to walk several times to finish the 20 minute loop I wanted to run. It was hard. Very hard. I did not enjoy myself much while out there but I felt good afterwards for having gone for a run. Often people think that you are either born sporty or not. That it is in your genes if you are going to enjoy exercise or not. The thing is that if you haven’t done much exercise lately you cannot expect running to be easy. Your body is habit driven and if it hasn’t been running you will have to get it used to running and build the muscles first. The beautiful thing is that the more you go running the easier it will become. So if you have gone for one run and have decided that running is not for you because it is too hard then preserver! A very crucial thing here is to avoid the all or nothing approach. Don’t try to run 5 km on your first run and don’t be afraid to stop. It’s better you start running a short distance a few time a week than trying to run too far too often and stopping after a week or two because you’re not enjoying it. Persistence is key here. And don’t forget it will get easier. I was never a sporty child and hated PE or any physical activity. My brother was the sporty one in our family, not me. Now I love running and I am amazed that I have recently even started to enjoy really hard interval training. I used to hate it.

One thing which helps to get started with running is having a good reason why you run or a goal to aim for. It will be hard and reminding yourself why you want to go out running helps to keep at it. I am person who loves challenges and the possibility to challenge myself to run further every couple of weeks kept me going. I never thought I was able to run these distance until I did. I also really enjoy running races. Running in the middle of closed streets with people cheering you on will keep you coming back for more!

Run as far as you want to, run as slow as you want to, stop as often as you want to but get out there! You will not regret it!

Give running a try. It is a very beautiful thing. I wish someone had told me years ago about how running can change your life. It is hard to get started but preserver. All good things in this world need effort and hard work.

Running together

When I first started running I ran by myself. I never thought about running with other people. As an introvert I really enjoy my time alone out on the trails.

However my husband and I recently moved and I have joined a running club in the town we live in now. I was nervous before my first session as I wasn’t sure what to expect. I needn’t have worried. Runners are such a friendly bunch of people. I usually dread interval training and other fast paced work outs. But I discovered that running with others makes the harder sessions so much more enjoyable.  And I push myself so much harder if there is someone else running next to me at a faster pace. And I love chatting to the other runners afterwards, talking about how hard the session was, sharing a cup of tea. I have realised what a friendly community runners are.

I have also noticed that running somehow makes you feel closer to the people you run with. Every Sunday morning I run around 10-14 miles with two others from my running club. Even though I hardly know them and we don’t talk much while running I have grown really fond of them. I love getting up early on Sunday with hardly anyone around, just hearing the birds chirping and our foot fall. Running down the street together. A perfect Sunday morning.

My dad is also a runner and is probably the reason I chose running as the sport of choice to get fit two years ago. I love my dad but there have been times when our relationship wasn’t great. My dad is a man of very few words and I often interpreted that as him not being interested in me and my life. As I now live abroad I don’t see my parents that often. About a year ago when I went home to visit them I joined my dad for a run which turned into a 2 hour run through fields and forests. We didn’t talk much at first. After some time he slowly started opening up telling me about the time he lived abroad in his twenties. Stories of his life he has never told me before. I absolutely loved it. I never knew that my dad actually ran an Ultramarathon in Rhodesia!! I felt like I discovered a whole new side to my dad. Since then, every time I visit my parents, I will try and make time to go running with my dad. I love spending time with my dad running and have probably never been as close to my dad as I am now.

I love running.