I didn’t walk and I wasn’t sick. Result.

2 hours 6mins.

I entered Perth’s Heaven and Hell half-marathon thinking that I might be signing myself up for a calamity.  Was I ready for a 13.1 mile race and a particularly challenging one at that (see photo, right)?  To be frank, I entered during a moment of boredom fueled by optimism.  This was to be my biggest running challenge of 2010 so far.  I wasn’t wrong.

New routes and an ice bath

I’ve been in Perth for a week at the folk’s abode during my Easter hols.  Running here has been great A. the weather’s been impersonating summer, B. I’ve explored new routes and C. (perhaps no so helpful for training) the routes close to the house are all pretty flat.

I wasn’t even sick!

One week ago I was not laughing.  I was scuffing the soles of my trainers and listening to the slop of my stomach contents as I walked away from my first 10km of 2010.

I had been excited.  The Nigel Barge memorial race was to be my first opportunity to show the benefits of the training I’ve been doing since January.  I was sure that I would break my previous 10km time of 56mins.  I was pumped.

And I’m …. back in the game!

This rest day was sweeeeet.  I tweeked my schedule a smidge last week and a tad this which had the accidental conclusion of seven consecutive days of training and today I enjoyed the vacation from my trainers.

Bad news

I skipped a training session.  I’ve lost my watch.  I’ve missed my chance to enter the Sheffield Half-marathon.

I did not run on Monday because I assumed it was a rest day having not seen the mandatory reminder e-mail.  I ran on Tues, whoop, small victory but today I did not run at all.

Much to report

Well well, its been over a week since my last literary contribution but unlike the last time there was such a gap, this is not because I have not been trainining… au contrare!! (massive apology for my abismal attempt at French).  I have trotted out on 6 runs since March 7th, I have merely been lax in updating my blog.  I am sure that there are thousands of avid ‘Clare Carswell blogs…’ readers who were deeply concerned and cavernously furrow-browed at my blogging absence…..fear not I have remained a running geek!

Inspiration = Izzard

My runs  have become quite regular now (not a medical metaphor).  As claimed in my last post, still no dingies.  I clocked up 3.2miles on Thursday, the first time I had run in the evening for over a month and I do believe my limbs posessed an extra measure of elasticity.  I was knackered and was sorely tempted to assume the chilled position on the couch, but no, finding it increasingly difficult to miss a session I slipped on my trainers and the lycra.

Crunch the crisp white morning

I think, I’ve dingied the dingy.  I used to find it very easy to lie in bed, post snooze-slap and convince myself the morning run I had planned was unnecessary.  Now, I appear to have developed a parental styled conscience which suggests that venturing outside for a run is preferable to snoozing under the warmth of my duvet.  At 6.30am, my semi-consicious self finds the concept comical.

What have I become?

Uh-oh.  I think I’m becoming one of them.  One of those cheerful people who bound up stairs, jog to make the green-man rather than defiantly stroll across while the car’s signal flashes amber.  A person who wants to run faster, harder and sooner than the next scheduled training session.  Next, I’ll be waking-up at 6am to find a smile on my face and dressed for a run.  GAH!

Short and tough

I completed a 15min ‘hard’ run today.  15mins, great I thought beforehand, that’s no time at all and will limit the time I have to be out in the rain.  I was gasping for breath and gawping at my watch 2mins after I started, yes weak I know.  It is a bit of a worry because my ‘hard’ running is probably the equivalent to a marathon runner’s jog.  Though it is important to stress that I was pushing myself to breathlessness, it just so happens that I have a lot of improvement to make on my fitness.