RACE BLOG – What a Day!

written by Terena

As runners, setting goals is a constant practice. There are the goals we openly discuss, the ones we meticulously jot down on paper - a declaration, a commitment. Yet, if we're truly honest with ourselves, there's often that one elusive goal we keep to ourselves. It quietly emerges in our minds, planting a seed of ambition. However, it remains unspoken, deemed a pipedream - unrealistic, unattainable, and, for those of us who struggle with self-belief, nothing more than a whimsical fantasy.

So, I had my set goals, all of which came with the caveat of completing the marathon strong, running the full distance and having had a great time out on the course: bronze (finish); silver (finish in under 5 hours); gold (beat my PB of 4:52) - I was confident that I was going to hit one of them.  But then there was that secret goal – the one that I didn’t talk about.  The, ‘I wonder if I can get close to 4:30,’ one! 

Well, not only did I achieve all my set goals, but I damn near hit the fantasy one too!  I finished feeling strong and having enjoyed the experience – it’s London after all and if ever there is a marathon to enjoy it’s this one.  Crossing the finish line still in one piece, in a time of 4:36:04 (official time, 4:33:40 Strava time and Strava marathon distance PB of 4:32:59 – which one do I use?!) did, in fact, cause a tear or two!  But that’s the end and I need to start at the beginning!

Picking up from the last blog, the rest of tapering went well, and I kept the faith in the process!  I continued tweaking my fuelling, making sure I had the right combination for the day, and hoping there would be some kind of resolution to the toe injury!  That didn’t happen and I had to accept that I would be running the marathon with a sore toe - thanks for all the advice Melissah!!

Pre-race

I slept well the night before, which surprised me, and I woke up excited that the day had finally arrived!  Trish and I had made plans to meet at Ealing Broadway at 8am – we had both decided that our start times were too late to make use of the Eagles’ coach.  For me, I knew that I would have too much thinking time once at Blackheath and this way I could ease into the morning – not to mention getting an extra hour in bed!  All went smoothly enough, and we got to Blackheath in good time to get ourselves sorted.  Trish’s wave set off 30 minutes before mine and it was a long 30 minutes!  At last, Blue Wave 15 was called to the starting pen – I had my warm hoody on that I would soon have to take off and discard, which I wasn’t looking forward to as it was quite chilly on the windy heath!  Not only that, I knew once I took it off that was it – the start would be moments away, which made me feel a mixture of excitement, nerves and self-doubt!  

The Race

Those of you who have run London and set off from the red start (Greenwich) I’m sure you enjoyed the iconic start along Carlton Park Road.   If like me, you started on the blue route (Blackheath) you may have been as equally underwhelmed as I was!  It was literally line up in the field, shuffle round to the charity donation banks, shuffle forward a bit more, turn a bend and then you’re off!  No fanfare, no grand gates, no BBC cameras in your face just a timing mat and a bloke on a loud Tannoy!  But anyway, we were off and that’s what mattered, the watch started, and the first mile started!  The first few miles I focused on settling into my pace and getting a feel for how the course felt.  I had to keep pulling myself back as I kept finding myself running a little too fast.  I reminded myself of some advice I’d overheard on the train, ‘Halfway isn’t 13.1 miles, halfway is 20 miles!’  That was a game changer for me and kept me grounded.  My strategy was always to aim for negative splits (thanks for the kudos on acknowledging that, Ralph!) but I found this last-minute snippet of wisdom to be hugely valuable too and kept it in mind.

Cutty Sark was just as I imagined, so when I turned the corner, and it came into view there was nothing I could do but grab my phone and take a snap!  Old habits die hard I guess – you know me and my penchant for taking photos on a run!  Difference this time was not stopping to take them so the photography isn’t great!

Next on the route was Tower Bridge, another photo must and the first meeting point of my support.  My colleagues from work were going to be somewhere just over the bridge and I was keen to make sure I didn’t run past them, after all, they had given up their Sunday to come and support me!  It was great to see them, and it gave me the boost I needed to get through miles 12, 13 and 14.  Next target, Canary Wharf, and mile 15 where David, Kelli and Julie (a friend from work) would be waiting.  I was on familiar territory now (I’d only trained on the north side of the river) so I could picture where I was going and settled into the next few miles.  

It was great running out on The Highway seeing all the speedy runners coming back the other way: perfect Eagle spotting opportunity which was a great distraction!  I spotted a few, including Piers flying towards mile 22!  I was feeling good but was still making sure I wasn’t pushing too hard knowing that there was still a long way to go!  Managed to spot David, Kelli and Julie at mile 15.  It’s not the easiest of things to do when the streets are packed with supporters, all calling your name and you have to be mindful of the people around you as the course is so busy!  I had a quick 20/30 second stop for hugs and my gorgeous friend, Julie, said just the funniest thing, ‘Wow… your complexion looks great!’  Of course, Kelli and David kept to the brief and told me how strong I looked and how good I was keeping my pace!  After the loop round The Isle of Dogs, we met up again at mile 18 and we did a quick fuel exchange, refilling my Tailwind and taking my last gel.  They then had the task of getting from Canary Wharf over to Mile 23 and I had the job of getting myself there too.  

After so many years of being on the other side of the barriers, I literally couldn’t wait to get there and to top it all I knew there a couple of my pupils waiting there too!  If ever I had a motivator to arrive at mile 23 in one piece it was that!  Can you imagine them coming into class on Monday saying, ‘Ooh, Mrs Hind, you didn’t look so good at the marathon yesterday!’  But I think I did myself proud!  It was an amazing reception from the Eagles and gave me the boost I needed to get the last 3 miles done!  And I think I did them pretty well!  Here’s a snap from the finish line – I think it shows how I felt about the run!  26.2 (well 26.5 on Strava) ran, no walking and finished just how I wanted – strong and not injured.  Not to mention a shiny new PB!

Post-Race

Had a pint and signed up for the 2025 ballot!

Well, that’s it!  I’ve had an amazing journey and I’m very proud of my achievements that day, none of which would have been possible without the support of my club and my friends and especially David and Kelli – the best running mates ever!

Penultimate Blog and Taper Time!

Terena writes:

Never have I heard such beautiful words!

First, though, what has the last two weeks had in store?  When I wrote last, I was just at the end of a de-load week before beginning the heaviest week before taper.  However, as I mentioned in my last blog, I had developed an injured toe which put a bit of a damper on things.  

I managed to get a podiatrist appointment but unfortunately, they were unable to help and advised that I see a GP to get CT scan and blood tests!  Well easier said than done these days trying to get in front of a GP!  Anyway, to cut a long story short, I’ve been triaged on the phone, had blood taken, finally seen a GP and had an x-ray.  That said, I’m no closer to getting a diagnosis!  But what I do know is that it’s not gout and it is not a bone issue.  The GP has told me that the wait for the musculoskeletal department (which apparently is the next step) has a backlog a few months!  No chance of a CT scan in the meantime, apparently there is an order to these things!  The GP was lovely though and her last text message to me read, “Obviously I would prefer to advise you not to run the marathon, but I don’t think this is an option for you.”  Good to know that she got the measure of me in just a 7-minute consultation!!  So, we are where we are with the toe – it doesn’t stop me running, just makes it a little more challenging!

Photo of outpatients – unfortunately do not have x-ray of foot which would be far more interesting!

Alright, let's get back to the training. In the week leading up to The Long Run, I made the call to give my foot complete rest while sticking to my strength and conditioning routine. Before I knew it, the time had come for the 20-miler. It turned out to be a fantastic run, with a pleasant surprise of two quicker miles at the end! The route took us down to Teddington via Kew, Richmond and the river, then back up the other side through Twickenham and Isleworth. Along the way, we made a pit stop at York House Gardens to admire 'The Oceanides' (see picture and link: The Oceanides). This sculpture has recently undergone renovations, and it was a great to see it without any construction barriers. The sculptures sit gracefully in the garden grounds of York House, and I recommend a run down there to catch a glimpse of them!

The Oceanides ‘Naked Ladies’ by Oscar Spalmach

Following The Long Run – TAPER!!!  The start of my 3-week taper was the 17th week of my training plan and in all those weeks I have missed only two training sessions.  I would say 50% because of my determination to be in the best condition I can be so that I can enjoy London, and the other 50% thanks to my running buddies David and Kelli who have selflessly supported me the entire time making the training sessions fun and something to look forward to not dreading!  David is himself running Manchester Marathon next weekend and I wish him lots of luck – I know he’ll go and smash it!  As for Kelli, well she claims she’ll never run a marathon but quite frankly she’s smashed the training out of the park and 100% is more than able to run one!  But she says there’s Ubers for those kinds of distances and no doubt she’ll send me an Uber quote for 26.2 miles on the day as a joke – she’s done it before!!  But seriously, thank you guys – it’s been a blast and I look forward to seeing you on the route for your last TTfL (Training Terena for London) duties!

I read a few articles and watched a couple of YouTube videos on the correct way of tapering – geez it’s complex!  It was harder to plan than the rest of the training!  Hopefully I’ve got it right and I’ll be in tip-top shape come the 21st!  The stats are looking good - picture below!

Ealing Club Champs Mile – photo courtesy of Olivia

It can be easy to slip into the mantra of, ‘I can skip this run, I’m tapering!’ but that would be a mistake so I’m making sure I keep at my targets.  I took part in the Eagles Mile last Wednesday which was fun and got me out and I’ve just done a 10-mile run today.  It was tough today and at this moment I’m not quite sure where the other 16 miles are going to come from but I’m reminding myself that I felt good at the end of my 20-miler and that, after two more weeks of tapering, I’ll be good to go!

Just before I sign off, news of start waves and colours was sent out by TCS: blue start, wave 15 for me which gives a estimated start time of 11:07-11:11.  I was prepared for a later start with submitting a predicted time of 4:45 but 11:07am! Sorry Eagles, you’re gonna have to stick around at Mile 23 a while and don’t eat all the food at the King’s Arms!

Bib number! (not official bib – just a mock up for excitement!)

So that’s it – the next blog is post-race and I’m excited to be able to share the details of my marathon with you and I’m really excited to get to the start line and see what I can do!  There’s an equal measure of anxiety too but that’s a more personal battle and with a good amount of PMA I will get through it!

Stay safe and run happy as always!

The Unexpected Injury

Terena writes:

(warning: skip the first paragraph if you’re not keen on foot talk!)

So, I’ve looked after the 2018 knee injury (Bournemouth Marathon) by not increasing my miles too quickly.  Stretched and exercised my hamstrings and gone easy on track to keep them happy to avoid a repeat of Manchester Marathon in 2020.  Strengthened my glutes and core to protect my grumbling left hip.  So why did I not litigate against the potential of an injury to my right, index toe?  I simply didn’t think of it - my bad!  I’m waiting for an appointment to see a podiatrist next week.  I have no idea what I’ve done to it – it just decided to swell up the day before my 18-miler and has stayed that way ever since!  Initially, it was more of an annoyance as my toe wasn’t painful as such, just a bit uncomfortable, but now it is starting to be quite an issue and is quite sore, so I want to get it looked at ASAP.  Don’t worry, there is no photo of my foot – that would be taking it too far!

Anyway, back to the training. At the end of my last blog, I mentioned that the following two weeks were to include my longest planned run of 20 miles.  That was completely inaccurate!  This last two weeks I completed an 18-mile-long run and then the week just gone was a de-load week, so my long run was kept to 13 miles.  The 20-miler comes Easter Weekend!  

For my 18-miler, we headed out on the marathon route for the first time.  Pretty much the only part of the London Marathon route that I am familiar with, is the 100m each way I can see from Mile 23!  Every year, since joining the Eagles, I’ve been there cheering on my fellow club members and have never really thought about the other 26.1 miles!  I’m so glad I did it!  It was challenging getting up at 4:45 but entirely necessary if we were to have any hope of running on reasonably pedestrian-free pavements!  

Started from Tower Hill and ran out to Canary Wharf – what is with the satellites?  Strava gave me a mile record of 7:04 min/mile which clearly, I did not run!!  And here’s another thing – I had no idea that the route did a loop of The Isle of Dogs! Also didn’t realise that the London route managed to find some less-than-picturesque roads to run down! I particularly enjoyed the aroma lingering around Billingsgate Market!  I’m hoping the market isn’t open on a Sunday – although I suspect the essence of seafood may be rather a permanent one!  It was great to run past Mile 23 and David showed me where I need to get up onto the pavement so that I don’t have to try to climb a ridiculous curb near where the Eagles are!  Once we reached Big Ben, and it was still only about 9:30 by this stage, it was completely impossible to run up through Parliament Square as it was rammed with tourists!  Buckingham Palace brought a unique challenge of 7 massive pelican’s occupying the pavement (see picture)!  Who knows why they were there!  There were so many photos to be taken as it was such a beautiful day, and with autopause turned off my average mile pace took a hit.  With adjustment, I was keeping reasonably consistent at 10:45 min/mile pace which is my marathon pace – so very happy with that.

But I am getting more and more tired each week and as school approaches the end of the Spring Term, I’m feeling a bit worn out! De-load week was a welcome, and my mileage dropped down with just a 13-mile run this weekend just gone.  It was lovely seeing lots of Eagles running the other way to me as they took on the Queen of the Suburbs 25K and 50K events!  Unfortunately, maybe because I’m more tired, I managed to trip over a curb I didn’t see round the back of The Watermans Centre.  It’s the first fall I’ve had since Green Belt Relay back in 2019!  Luckily there was just a couple of grazes, and it could have been a lot worse as I nearly went head-first into a brick wall!  But it was a good reminder to keep focused on where you’re putting your feet!

Ahead of me, one more week of increased mileage culminating in a 20-mile run on Easter Weekend then 3 weeks of taper!  Of course, that could change depending on the outcome of the toe, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it!  Only one more blog before the marathon itself, which makes it feel very close!

Stay safe and run happy as always!

I’m In, In!

Terena writes:

Nils asked the big question … did I still intend to run London! Yes, I bloody do!  But I’m aware that I am lucky, and sometimes things just don’t line up.  I was so disappointed for Jane to read in her blog that she had made the incredibly difficult decision to pull out.  

I was lucky enough to spend time with Jane driving around the countryside during the 2023 Green Belt Relay event, where she shared her story with me.  Jane is an incredibly strong woman and certainly not someone who would make such a decision light-heartedly.  This latest challenge, I have no doubt, will be faced with the same determination to come back on top and when Jane is ready to run London, I hope I am at Mile 23 cheering her all the way.  What an inspirational woman.

But yes, Nils, I am still running.  Training is progressing smoothly with the miles slowly increasing.  But I’m not going to lie, it is, at times, a challenge to fit everything in and get enough rest time too!  I am lucky that, in my line of work, I will have 2 weeks away from the ‘office’ for the Easter holidays where I will be in taper and able to focus on recharging my batteries.  The downside is that I will need to be back in class on the Monday morning after the marathon!  So, no marathon finishers brunch for me – just a school dinner! 

I’m getting to the stage of pouring over too much marathon literature!  After the latest read, “It’ll all be alright in the long run!”, I’ve decided to cut down my three 20-milers to just one.  It will take me longer than 3 hours to complete, which seems to be a cut off point for your body to recover well enough and could potentially be counterproductive to run for much longer. That said, other research indicates 4 hours to be the max. So, I’ll do one 20-miler, see how I respond and then possibly set my limit at 3 hours for the rest of my long runs.  In the back of my mind, I’m always conscious of the old injuries (knee and hamstring) and I don’t want to push the training and have an old injury rear its ugly head.  It’s always been my goal, with this marathon, to be on the start line feeling fit and strong over chasing a time, so I’m making sure I look after my body during training.

I have finally got around to testing out Tailwind - a powder nutrition that is added to water.  It contains both carbohydrates and electrolytes and reviews claim that it is much easier on the stomach than gels.  Having tested out gels every 40mins on a previous long run, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the effects it had on me later that day.  It’s a worry of mine, that gels added to on-the-day nerves, those effects may be accelerated and that is not something that I want to consider!  So, giving the Tailwind a shot!  I’ve used it on two long runs so far, and all good.  I mix one stick to 500ml of water totalling 50g of carbs.  By my calculations I will need around 50g an hour and I’m not convinced I can drink 500ml every hour!  So, I’m teaming it up with gels as I think my stomach can cope with 3 or 4 gels over the 26 miles.  That would give me around 190g of carbs (electrolytes are included in the Tailwind) for the duration, leaving about 100g still to find from somewhere!  I’ve seen a lot of people suggesting Kendal Mint Cake is a good option; I’ll investigate!

Long run today (March 10th) was a tough one.  I’d bumped my Thursday 6 miles to Saturday so setting out early Sunday morning my legs still felt a bit tired.  I had 17 miles to do and was following a route a friend had done the day before.  As always, I had great company with Kelli and David – we always seem to manage to find something to goof around with!  This time it was a wooden toad!  

I think David is about to leap the frog!

Mile 13 I hit a bit of a wall!  It’s funny isn’t it, how you can run a half marathon ok but get to mile 13 of a long run and it literally feels like you can’t take another step!

I tried to convince the guys to let me get the bus home, but they were having none of it!  Still, the 2-minute sit down was welcomed!  So, I pulled myself together, visualised the last 4 miles and cracked on with the job!  And this leads me to point to consider.  I can’t visualise London because I’ve never run it!  I think it might be time to start getting out on the route for my long runs so that I have some knowledge of where I’m going! 

Well, that’s the last two weeks of training accounted.  The next two weeks will bring my longest run on the plan, 20 miles, getting out on the route and then from there it’ll be another de-load week leading into taper!  Yikes – it’s getting closer!  

As always, run safe, run happy and see you around!

Brilliant Brighton (it never fails to entertain!)

Terena writes:

Sunday evening and just home from another brilliant trip to Brighton!

Some will remember, some will not, some may wish to forget, there used to be an annual Eagles trip to Brighton, which always included running the half marathon and it often included The Eagle Pub!  In fact, it may even have been a club champs’ race, but I’m not 100% sure on that!  Anyway … it fell out of favour one year (I won’t go into details!), but a few of us continued the tradition, and this was my 8th trip and 6th finishers medal!  Covid did for one race and injury put pay to the 2022 race.  But back to this year…

I don’t mind admitting that I am a reluctant lone runner but with London approaching (yes, I know there will be thousands of people there just not my people) I must face the reality that I will be running solo and Brighton turned out to be a good practice ground.  Many of you won’t know that I can suffer from panic attacks and anxiety when I’m running solo in events, so I’ve got to put my big girl pants on and get on with it! 

Two big differences in Brighton this year: my son, who is now studying at University of Sussex, joined us for our pre-race evening meal (which was super cool); and Kelli, David and I separated at mile 4 of the race!  The norm would be we all start together but then typically David would take off and Kelli and I would pootle on together. It felt a timely occurrence that this year that I ran the last 9 miles solo.  

It went well and I stuck to my marathon target pace all the way to 11.5 miles.  The weather wasn’t too kind and there was a strong head wind on the turnaround, which meant a 3-mile fight with the elements.  I can tell you it was not as much fun as the year the wind was behind us on the stretch back!  At 11.5 miles I decided to push on a bit for a couple of reasons – it was cold and windy, and rain was on the cards, and secondly, I wanted to see how much I had left.  I did well and picked my pace up from 10:50 /mi to around 9:15 /mi running past a good number of runners to finish strong crossing the line at around 8:40 /mi pace.  

When I left you at the end of my last blog, I was looking forward to getting some miles done during daylight hours.  Somehow or other, that never quite worked out - I ran precisely zero times during the day!  I did get the training done though, and a little R&R to get the body battery recharged!  The last couple of weeks have included track, S&C, and a little jaunt up West Walk.  I know there are plenty of Eagles that do 10k, even half marathons on West Walk ... but I avoid hills whenever possible, so it was a little peculiar to be voluntarily running up it!

My long run the weekend prior to Brighton was tough – my S&C session had been moved to the Thursday and my long run moved forward a day to Saturday, so I was running on achy legs.  I had 16 miles on the plan which turned into 14.25. Yes, I’m having the .25!  It felt unbelievably hard, but it was only after that I realised these other two events played their part in this!  Still, we managed to have a laugh as you can see from the photo!

Squashing houses!

The week leading up to Brighton half was a cut-back week, so I had only done track and S&C in the lead up which was well timed as I was beginning to feel a bit exhausted with the training on top of a busy time at work.

I’m still working on fuelling options, I didn’t quite nail it at Brighton as I took a Tailwind powder intending to use during the race forgetting that Brighton only have cups of water and not bottles!  In that wind there was no pouring powder from one receptacle to another anyway!  I’m sure I would have ended up looking like I had been involved in a narcotics and fan mishap!  So, I just used my regular gels, and the Tailwind will have to wait for another day and another blog!

Have a great couple of weeks ahead, run happy and be safe!

Settling into the Training!

Terena writes:

Another two weeks gone; another two weeks closer to the big day!  

It’s been tough going with work and life putting added pressure on to my already hectic schedule – fitting in 4 sessions a week is definitely taking its toll!  The week before last, was particularly tough and by the end of it I could barely remember my name.  Somehow, I had to pull off a 15-mile run!  

But I’m jumping ahead of myself; first, I must tell you all about my new shoes!  How do you choose yours?   Brand? Colour? Marketing promises made? Recommendations?  Me – well I choose shoes, it seems, based on overheard conversations … 

I was several pairs in, none were calling to me and thought I might end up walking out of Up and Running empty handed!  Another customer was being served next to me who exclaimed:

“It’s like putting your feet to bed!”

“Them – I want them,” I said to the lady serving me!  

And you know what … it did feel like I was putting my feet to bed!  As it turned out, they were my brand and a neutral shoe which is just right for me.  So out of the shop I bounced, depositing my old ones in the recycling box whilst admiring my new Asics Gel Nimbus 25s and promptly refused to take them down to the tow path insisting instead, we run home the ‘clean’ way!  I’m also keen not to wear out the bounce, so for now, they’re staying indoors.  I’ll make sure I’ll get a few long runs done in them to check for rub points and general comfort!

Shiny new shoes!

Back to that 15 miler!  Like I’d mentioned, the week had been busy – not least of which included taking 50 year 6 kids to Young Voices at the O2 – and my body battery, according to Garmin, declared a pitiful 27% by the end of Friday!  It was going to be tough.  My order of preferred gels (Veloforte Doppio, maple, coffee & guarana) had arrived and as I wanted to get going with my fuelling options, I packed 4 to come with me.  After lots of reading and chatting with my PT, who is also a nutritionist, I’m planning on taking on 40g of carbs an hour; that’s approximately one gel every 30/40 minutes - seems crazy!  The run started out ok – nice slow pace and headed out to Osterley then on down to Twickenham en route to Crane Park.  Of course, you can’t run past Twickenham without stopping off at the statue for a photo shoot!

Me, saving Kelli and David taking on a hard boot!

So, we had some laughs on the run; taking on the gels went ok, and I worked my way through a bottle of electrolyte drink! At mile 14 I was done, but it’s always that last hard mile that shows you what you can do when you have to dig deep!  The toughest mile of the marathon could be the last mile so it’s all good practice!  Also, I really wanted a coffee and Kelli was making so that also got me through the last mile!  Pace was pretty much spot on for my long run and I was thrilled that I’d reached my longest run since Manchester Marathon back in October 2021 – over two years!  Two days of rest and I was back at track, more S&C sessions, a few shorter runs, and another 15-miler in the bag this weekend just gone.  I’m feeling the benefits of the S&C sessions and can feel my core holding up for longer.  

Half term this coming week, so I’m looking forward to being able to get my runs in during daylight hours.  Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to recharge my body battery with some lazy days and lie-ins! 

Right, that’s it for now but just before I go a quick shout out for The Green Belt Relay! Having been given the honour of captaining a team this year, which I am super excited about, I want to remind you to sign up here  to get yourself on one our 3 teams.  If you don’t know what it is, although I can’t imagine that’s the case, you can read about it here.  It’s the best fun you’ll have all year bar cheering me at Mile 23!

Take care, be safe and enjoy your running!

Is It or Isn’t It, Crunching the Data and Crunching - literally!

Terena De Abaitua-Hind writes:

There are over 40 different menopause symptoms, one of which is joint pain.  As a runner, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out if the pain is due to depleted oestrogen or an injury!  So, when I picked up a small glute strain, that then seemed to move to the hip area I had to figure out which one it was.  It’s a bloody minefield!  I decided to pull back on running miles, in case it was the latter, and instead braced myself for my first strength and conditioning session.  Ever!

Ahh!  I can hear you say!  So that’s why she found running past marathons tough – no core strength!  Well, you might be right I suspect.  At this point, I do need to stress that on ALL previous marathons I was strongly encouraged to invest in some core strength training – isn’t that right David!  But of course, I ignored the good advice and thus struggled!  Lesson learnt finally!

I’m now two sessions in and whilst the DOMS hit hard (when I say hard, I mean sneezing hurt!) after the first session, I’ve enjoyed it more than I anticipated!  After the second session, my muscles were less unhappy with me!  My PT, Laura (insta: @westlondonptandsportsmassage), is brilliant with me and tailors each session according to how my body is feeling and how the rest of my week looks.  I’ve popped some photos below as proof of advice finally taken!

Strength and conditioning session!

So, data crunching!  Cutting back runs for a week sent my training plan into negative milage for the week leaving me twitching with feelings of ‘falling behind’ the plan!  This of course is ridiculous as I’m working off a 19-week plan, allowing for a couple of weeks leeway should the need arise.  So, one week used!  It’s so easy to get obsessed with making sure every run and session on the plan is met, but the reality is that life cannot always be put on hold.  And that’s ok!  Running 370 miles in training versus running 380 miles isn’t going to make or break the marathon!

Heading out on the long run after a week off, I had a target of 10 miles, told myself 8 would be enough as I didn’t want to push the glute, not to mention my quads were still a bit unhappy with me, and pulled off 9 – happy with that!  It was a good run, took some pictures and finished with no signs of glute or hip pain.  All good.  Next run – track!  Track to me is a scary thing!  It shouldn’t be – I spent most of my teenage years running round one, competing even.  I may as well blow my own trumpet here: I was once the 7th fastest British forces schoolgirl in 800m whilst living in Germany!  Okay, not top three I know, but still impressive!  But I was young then, and less self-conscious or scared!  Maybe it’s a trigger thing – a sub-conscious memory of being yelled at to run faster round the track, put more effort in, quit smoking behind the bike sheds!  Mike never shouts though, and the effort is dictated by yourself!  Eagles do not judge either so it couldn’t be a safer place to be.  It was a great session and my great buddy, Kelli, paced me round making sure I didn’t get carried away but also not letting me slack!  Big shout out to Mike but leading the session – as always, the generosity of coaches volunteering their time to help others is awesome!  Thank you!

Heading back to the track after a long absence!

Next up is starting to look at my fuelling strategy.  I haven’t got into the kind of distance yet that requires much more than a couple of gels.  Previous marathons I have relied on gels and blocks to keep my energy levels up, but without really knowing when I should consume or how many.  So, I’ve done a little bit of research (much more to do), and consensus seems to sit around 30-60g of carbs per hour of running.  Helpful!  One is half of the other!  Is it 30 or is it 60!!  This translates to 1-2 gels per hour which means I could potentially get through 9 gels.  I not sure how my system will react to that so definitely some experimenting to be done!  Watch this space!

So that’s me for now!  Hope you are all enjoying your running, in whatever context.  Stay safe and see you around!

London Marathon – At Last!

Terena De Abaitua-Hind writes:

Finally! I’m in! For those of you who know me, you will know how long I have waited – for those of you who do not know me so well, let’s just say it’s been a long time coming! For the first time at a ballot draw, I wasn’t there and low and behold my name was pulled out! Maybe I’m my own bad luck which doesn’t bode well at all!! Here’s a little pic of me just minutes after seeing the news on Facebook! It’s safe to say I was just a little bit happy!

When I signed up to the Eagles beginners’ program back in January 2016, running a mile was out of reach, yet now, here I am preparing for my 4th marathon!  It goes without saying that it has only been possible thanks to all the Eagles that have been part of my running journey!  That’s the great thing about this club – it’s inclusivity and faith in everyone!

Regarding marathons, my previous three have been challenging to say the least.  My current PB stands at 4:51:55, run at the New Forest marathon in 2017.  Bournemouth, in 2018, was probably my best attempt and all went well until my knee gave up – I didn’t run for 2 months after that! Manchester followed and I was injured even at the start so adopted a run/walk strategy, which went well for two thirds of the race, but my hamstring was done, and I needed to walk the last 6 miles.  What I learnt about myself during these marathons is that I don’t give up – even when I should!  So here we are, 5 weeks into my training plan, and I am determined to make this the best one yet. And maybe the last!  I’m putting more varied training into my plan than previously, including strength and conditioning which is my least favourite thing to do!  Hopefully it will pay off and I’ll be in the best condition I can be on the start line!  Time will tell.

Training began well and the mileage began creeping up – slowly so as not to repeat my mistake with Manchester – but then hit a little hiccup with a twinge in my left glute: settle down reserves, I’m not done for yet!  I’ve pulled the reigns back a little and have been focusing on some glute strengthening exercises!  The last few runs have been ok with just little grumbles so hopefully on the mend!  

What I think I like best about marathon training is the enforced long runs!  I adore running in London, (along the river, through the streets, in the parks, the canals) so there are plenty of London miles coming my way!  And of course, I’ll be sharing those miles with my running buddies: David and Kelli!  Now, they may say that I stop for a breather, but genuinely, I love taking photos on my runs (you may have seen on Strava!) so I’ll probably throw a few into my blogs – they are most likely to be more interesting than talking you through my runs!  Here’s a couple to keep you going …. I bet you can’t wait for more!  Have fun recognising the landmarks and locations: you’re welcome! 

So that brings me up to date.  Week 6 of the plan had included hills, but I’ve decided to give it another week before I push the glute, instead I’ll be embarking on my strength and conditioning sessions. I can't help but reflect on the incredible journey that brought me here. From those first hesitant steps with the Eagles beginners' program to facing challenges in past marathons, navigating a menopausal body, and celebrating all the successes in between, I am super excited for what is to come!

Enjoy your runs, be them for fun or for training and stay safe!