First Run Of The New Year

Saturday 23 January, 2009

For the first time this year I woke up feeling like a run on a Saturday morning. I was taken by surprise because so far 2010's been sluggish and I've had to force myself out of the flat even to get the gym.

Not wanting to scare off the resurrection of my enthusiasm and concious that it could start to wane at any point, I dressed for running and made my way outside as quickly as possible. This took a while, since my running kit's been redundant for several months and was scattered about the flat and buried in different drawers.

I stuck to my normal route, down Avenue Louise to the Bois de la Cambre and around the pond, clocking up four easy miles. It's not the prettiest time of year in Brussels. Those who criticise the city for being grey should avoid visiting in mid-January, when it is cold, rainy and composed singularly of shades of grey.
















The woods look stark and unwelcoming now the snow has melted. On the upside, all of the pathways have been redone and are fresh with yellow sand.

A restaurant has opened on the island in the middle of the man-made lake: Chalet Robinson, linked to the shore by an electrical raft which looks precarious... Apparently it was first built in 1877, but was destroyed by a fire in 1991. There's a Belgian restaurant on the ground floor - which I'd like to check out - and a ballroom on the first floor.

www.chaletrobinson.be

Ran: 4.1 miles
Time: 38 mins 45 seconds
Average pace: 9:40 per mile
Calories: 467

26.2: NEW YORK MARATHON

1st November 2009

The day of the marathon dawned and we were up super early and bussed out to Staten Island.

The atmosphere on the coach was a mixture of anticipation and heightened nerves: people feeding off each other, offering encouragement and reassurance and swapping stories about their training, their previous runs and their various injuries. I found the constant chatter quite difficult to manage, preferring a quieter approach, and was happy to sit - somewhat unsociably - pensively and silently in my seat.

I needed time to prepare mentally for the day ahead. Throughout training, I hadn't allowed myself to entertain the prospect of not being able to finish the race, I hadn't let myself think about what a serious problem the knee injury could be or what I would do if it totally gave way.

Now, I allowed myself time to think through those issues and plan what I would do in each situation, thinking about how I would start the race, how I would finish it and how I would approach the water stops, the cameras and the "dreaded" bridges.




















Lining up at the start, I had a sudden rush of energy and the realisation that I COULD DO IT.

Somewhere deep down I knew it was going to be fine. This was it: one final push.

All that stood between me and glory were 26.2 measly miles and around five hours. A stereo pumped out the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song Empire State Of Mind

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There's nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Let's here it for New York, New York, New York

And then we were off.




















The first two miles were "bitty": I wasn't comfortable, in a sort of nervous frenzy, I couldn't visualise finishing, I wanted to run as fast as I could but was unsure of my pace, worried about my knee. On top of that I felt claustrophobic as other runners wove around in front of me on the bridge, each looking for his own space in the shoal. Thoughts of other things going on in my life turned over and over in my head: work, love, life, death.

I needed better focus.

Coming off the bridge, we wound around a slip road and caught sight of the first supporters. One of them held a banner: "You're About To Do Something Totally Amazing, SMILE!"

And so I did.

I kept it together and smiled all the way up 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, cruising past the 10K mark in 55 minutes. The crowds were incredible, 20 people deep, clapping, shouting, whooping, offering up tissues, energy bars, drinks, donuts and sponges. A women wearing gold trainers sped past me in a blur, yelling "C'mon Brooklyn, I can't hear ya." Brooklyn yelled back riotously.














At the halfway point, 13.1 miles, on the Pulaski Bridge, which connects Greenpoint in Brooklyn to Long Island City in Queens over Newtown Creek, I felt invincible. I knew my time was fast, just shy of 1 hr 59 mins and I thought I could keep it up. I imagined myself crossing the finish line in under 4 hours!

Darkness hit me around the 15 mile mark in Queens. The bank of supporters was at its thinnest and the horrendous Queensboro Bridge loomed large. The acute pain from my knee had transferred itself to my left bum cheek and was making itself very evident. I thought I might not make it over the bridge, which connects Queens with Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island in the East River. It's the star of the poster for Woody Allen's film Manhattan, where Woody and Diane Keaton sit on a bench, looking out at the bridge.

I took an energy gel, a dextrose tablet, an ibuprofen and gave myself a pep talk. I remembered my mum's endless refrain when teaching me to swim: "Keep kicking, keep kicking." What came next is a blur, up 1st Avenue in Manhattan. I remember miles 16, 17 and 18 being particularly bleak: long, hard, slow, heavy-legged.

Somewhere between miles 19 and 20 I regained my stride. We crossed in to The Bronx over the Willis Avenue Bridge and a man with a portable mic was beat boxing using a mic and a portable stereo. "You can do it, put your back into it." A woman held a banner, "Run the last six miles with your heart." A second banner read "If your feet hurt it's because you're kicking ass." A third: "Pain is temporary, pride is forever."




















Coming off the Madison Avenue Bridge and back in to Manhattan, an Australian woman shouted, "What's five miles?"

What indeed.

The end of the race was very emotional: I knew I was running well and was set for a good time. Suddenly I found myself transported back to the Bois de la Cambre in Brussels, where I'd first began training for this marathon. I remembered in particular one gorgeous early morning run of about four miles I'd done in May, where - after a very difficult relocation from London - I'd been able to see for the first time the benefits of my move, the wider view of what was happening in my life, and that my reasons for moving and all my hard work were coming to fruition. They were all culminated in that one run, with the sun coming up over the man-made lake in the park.

I became very circumspect and a bit teary, thinking about how and why life picks us up and drops us off at different, funny places without reason. I felt very lucky now to be dropped here, in Central Park, in this, the most glorious, sweet and perfect moment.

Crossing the line I was ecstatic, much happier than I'd been when I finished the Edinburgh marathon and with a much greater sense of achievement. I felt I could have gone further, I didn't want this fantastic feeling to come to an end.




















It was - without doubt - one of the most wonderful moments of my life, something I will remember forever, I only wish I had the depth of memory to encapsulate and preserve every detail, every supporter who willed me on, every banner that made me smile and each and every runner who crossed the line alongside me.

Total Time: 4 hrs 15 mins 5 secs
Average per mile: 09:45

10k

Thursday 16th July, 2009


Today I discovered that if I run from my house to the forest and then twice around the pond, I make about 10k.


Having not been out for a few days, I was keen to get a good run under my belt to reassure myself that I was still "a runner".


Ususally I find the first 2 miles or so the hardest, so battling through those I pumped up the i-pod and pushed on, keeping running the whole time (try to ignore that massive v-shaped dip in the middle of the running chart below).

Felt AMAZING at the end. Bring on the marathon!













Ran: 6.22 miles or around 10k

Time: 58 mins 31 seconds

Pace per mile: 9 mins 24 seconds

Calories: 654

Summer Rain

Saturday 11th July, 2009

One of the frustrating things about Brussels is the erratic weather. The climate changes at a pace more rapid than any other city I have lived in or visited.

You can be sitting in a pavement cafe, sipping coffee in the sunshine and within a matter of minutes black clouds will have gathered, prompting a ferocious torrent of rain.

The Belgian sky. In JULY:















This morning: I dressed for my run - it was sunny - but no sooner had I donned my running shoes the rain started. In the end I went out and ran for about half an hour in the rain. Pretty unpleasant. Retired to the gym. Oh, and my Nike+ Sportsband seems to have given up the ghost too. Not. A. Good. Day.

There's an interesting article on geeky-blog Wired about running barefoot and how it's supposed to be better for you:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot/

Runner's High

Wednesday 3 June, 2009

My friend who duped me in to running the New York Marathon with her phoned with a revelation on Sunday: after around three weeks of running training, she'd hit her first Runner's High. You can read about it here: http://rosanneperry.blogspot.com/2009/05/progress.html


















The "Runner's High" is a euphoric, calm and clear state which many people say they reach after exercise. Most runners have experienced it at some point or another, but what interests me is that I don't get it every time.

I felt pretty high after the Edinburgh Marathon Relay last Sunday. Other days I feel nothing and some days I actually feel worse after the run than I did before. I always feel good after a competitive race, no matter what my time is.

Most likely, the feeling is down to a confluence of factors: mood, the weather, endorphins, adrenaline, a sense of accomplishment. I felt on top of the world after my Edinburgh marathon stint on Sunday, likely due to a number of things: I was with my friends, the sun was shining, running along in a big group by the sea. I find the rhythmic thud, thud, thud of thousands of runners' shoes hitting the pavement just fantastic as well.

Pinning down exactly what creates the Runner's High is the subject of thousands of books, articles and studies, like this one What's Behind The Runner's High?

The New York Times has a great piece titled "Yes, Running Can Make You High"

Coincidentally, Runner's High is also the title of an album released by Japanese band, The Pillows in January 1999. The lyrics of the title-track are pure genius:

Escape from the sinking
Do you see what i mean?
Freedom beats the kingdom and i saw you in my dream
Me o tojiteitatte subete ga mieta kaze o kaki wakete


Just Runners High!
Runners High!
Just Runners High!
Runners High!

Motivation

26 May 2009


Here is lovely photo of me and Nicky from my running group taking part in the Flagey 6k on Sunday
















Keeping up your motivation to run is tough. There are days when it's raining, days when its too hot, days when you're tired and some days when you really really just can't be bothered. Some days all of the above happens at the same time.

Take yesterday evening for example. It was beautiful in Brussels, perfect running weather and the park where I like to run is just down the road. But I can't get going. I can't even bring myself to put on my gym kit. I consider other forms of exercise: I know there's a step aerobics class going on at my gym. Again: I can't be bothered.

For most people the lack of motivation is mainly associated with actually getting out the door. Whether you are putting off going to the gym, avoiding a run or ducking out of a swim, the rot sets in at home, where the cozy sofa and the Six Feet Under box set beckon. The trick is to find ways of getting past the initial "I don't feel like it" feeling, knowing that once you get out there, you'll be fine. A very effective trick I used to use was to change into my running kit, which almost always forced me out the house.

And so to this morning, it is raining in Brussels, and I am still unable to get anywhere near motivated, so I get up and don my running kit. I pump up the i-pod, set the sports watch going and I run out of the house. Admittedly I don't get very far, as the rain comes down harder and I'm really just not in the mood, but I am feeling a remix of Madonna's Miles Away and that manages to spur me on for ALMOST 2.5 miles before I jack it in and come home.

Alexander James writes an interesting article in the Times about music, motivation and working out, here: Music holds the key to working out successfully


Ran: 2.48 miles (pathetic)
Time: 22 mins and 59 second (see above)
Average pace per mile: 9 mins 14 seconds
Calories: 261