Marathon training has begun!

As you may know, I have been preparing to train for my marathon for the last couple of months. It all started in December with running every day to 25^th and also trying to increase a single run to 10 miles.  All was achieved and I have been steadily running 4-5 times a week since the beginning of January 2019 and increasing my long run distance.

So 4th Feb signalled the start of my 16-week training plan; which does feel long but I’ve built in some wriggle room and factored in a week in Mexico🌞. I have still not managed to really get in much quality work, reps on the treadmill are hard work and no one really fancies a tempo session unless you have company😒 .  

But I did get my longest run for 2 years done a whopping 14 miles last week and followed up with 13 miles this week.  On both runs, I was feeling the effects by the end and none of it was particularly quick.  

I like to reminisce about my long runs, of the past when I could run 14 miles at 8:30 min pace and question whether I will be ever that quick again…..but then I remember that I’m older,  that style of running hurt and I didn’t really enjoy it.  So I will carry on with my plodding miles and hope that the pave does quicken a little.

You do have a lot of time during your long run and I used to decide which charity to run for. I'll be fundraising for it's Bowel Cancer UK and my link to my just giving page is here I had originally thought perhaps I could run for all the B cancers; Bladder, Bowel, Balls and Breast, but I don’t think that there is such a charity out there yet!

Bowel Cancer UK  provider expert information and support to patients and their families, they campaign for early diagnosis and treatment, they support and fund research to help stop people dying of bowel cancer and they educate. To find out more check out their website. https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/

Cancer has struck my family again; my Dad survived his last bout with Bladder cancer and has been fit and healthy for the last 8 years.  Then last year he started to get some symptoms, which made him book an appointment with the GP and following that he was put on the cancer two-week pathway and had a battery of tests. 

The outcome and diagnosis was not what any of us wanted but in the grand scheme of things it was in the early stages and he had stood a good chance to win in this battle too.  

His treatment plan was an aggressive one of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy, neither were very pleasant and towards the end of the treatment, they were beginning to take their toll on him.  However, after 5 weeks his treatment stopped and although the treatment effects continued they didn’t get any worse and they even started to lesson week by week.  By week 5 after he finished treatment he was back to his chipper self….all be it a lot thinner than when he started. 

Now for the next barrage of tests again to see how things are going….and it was good news treatment had gone well the tumour was now a distance memory.  Although things don’t stop there, because of his previous cancer and the treatment he was unable to have the usual next stage in traditional treatment pathway which was an operation to remove the site of cancer, which meant there were several options to him. 

As it stands, 4 months after he finished treatment,  he is now on a watchful waiting list, where he has regular scans to ensure he remains cancer free and the second anything changes we face a new decision which is knife or no knife…..

It is a tense time for all of us, but I think that it is the Owen way to feel invincible and that we will defy the odds, so let’s keep our positive pants on and keep moving forward.

Finished and I am now a marathoner!!

The green umpa lumpa

London well and truly delivered it was everything that people had told me about; the crowds were fantastic loud, encouraging and kept you going at some points it was a little too loud.  What is surreal was that people you didn't know calling out your name as if they were a long lost friend and in that moment they were, so a BIG THANK you to the crowd support!!!

 I was in the charity red start zone so after walking to the blue start I bid farewell my fellow Trentham runner Andy Vickerman and made my way to the park. It was on the entrance to the holding area my I made one of my two school girl errors and tired the lady urinals the least said about this the better but let’s say must practice more. On to my second school girl error I hurried over the bag drop off I gave my bag and as I walked away I realised that my gels were still in there with my lip balm oh well too late now. So now off to the actual loos, to waste a good 20 minutes before heading off to my starting pen.

In the pen I soon started to make friends with a lovely chap who was running for the Royal life boats, he was a veteran with 4 marathon under his belt it was nice to get chatting with someone to help settle the nerves. The start was fast approaching and I needed another pit stop I couldn't believe it, fortunately just before you cross the starting mat there was soon loos so I darted off for my last pit stop and rejoined the crowds surging over the starting line and that was it we were of, filled with excitement and anticipation.

The race itself was simply a run; the BIG one problem was about the crowds of runners which did slow me down in the beginning however I was not too concerned as it helped to make sure I didn’t go off two quick. However during the middle beaten 9-17 it was quite tiring trying to navigate around making sure you didn't trip them or yourself up.

What was nice was that I saw a couple of friends during the race, a couple of familiar local running club singlets which was nice and finally couple of friends spectating; unfortunately I didn't get to see Sean and Emily Vickerman I was looking really hard but it was really hard to make people out (I think Trentham RC need a couple of flags to help spot our supporters). I got really tired between 22-24milles but kept plugging away and was determined not to walk, I knew by now that I wasn’t going to make sub 4 hours and Good For Age time was a very distance pipe dream and tt was during these dark moments I was not looking forward to running Edinburgh Marathon in 5 weeks, I was even considering pulling out.  From mile 24 I got my head down and decided I was going to finish and finish as strong as I could and there is nothing better than crossing that finish line.

I was completely shattered at the end of the run but carried on walking through the finishing enclosure to pick up my goody bag and my clothes bag; dug out my phone and rang Sean. Due to the power of chip timing and the advent of the smart phone he already knew that I had finished and were waiting for me to make my way to the meeting area. So I quicken my hobble to get there faster but navigating around the hordes of finishers and their families was quite difficult as changing direction was not that simple! But I got there and it was great to catch up with how the rest of Team Trentham had done, although after a quick photo there was no rest for the wicked next thing on everyone’s mine was a celebratory drink and for same strange reason my legs got a sudden burst of life and they were able to move a little quicker.

Janson, Greg, Dan, Andrew, Ryan and me in the centre

In summary a great run and mixed emotions about whether I will run another marathon again….ok I’m not fooling anyone……Edinburgh here I come...sorry knees

Curry and Quiz Eve

There is still so much to do….. I am a list person so naturally there is a list with all my outstanding jobs the only problem is that I am not sure where I put it, so I keep creating new ones!  So if you do happen upon a list that says; ring club, check curry, raffle prizes, WRITE QUIZ, helium for balloons it’s mine.

Well it will be tomorrow before I know it and it only dawned on my run yesterday that I am going to have to say a short speech eeeekkkk. Now this is quite difficult for me as I’m such a wallflower, you know the shy and retiring type, wouldn’t say boo to a goose ….no honestly it is……no seriously it is….

I take it I am not convincing you, well I wouldn’t blame you I LOVE to talk! And always have plenty to say, but I am going to have to try and keep it concise and relevant and also try not to cry. The last time I had to give a speech it sort of went; "would just like to say wahhhhh wahhhh, no no in a minute; I’m fine honest wahhh wahhh"

I couldn’t do anything for crying, you see I am normally quite emotionally reserved but at the most inopportune moments an emotional ninja strikes and I can’t string a coherent sentence together. 

So on my run tomorrow I am going to gather my thoughts and make sure that I rehearse it a couple of times, to get it just right, I know I will write it on the back of my latest list to make sure I have it with me all day…….what could go wrong with that  

I will let you know who tomorrow night goes, wish me luck!

Curry and Quiz is on!

Feeling down in the dumps and want to do something to cheer yourself up, then buy yourself a ticket the hottest event this side of the spring. 

I am holding a fundraising curry, quiz night, raffle and much more on Friday 1st March 2013, raising money for MacMillan Cancer Support. If you don’t like curry then not to worry, there will be an alternative or two you can have instead.

I would love it is you were able to come along, it will be held at Hem Heath Cricket Club, Trentham Lakes, Stoke on Trent. Tickets are £13.00 per person and includes poppadum, choice of starter and a choice of curry with rice and naan bread and an evening’s worth of entertainment.  There will be a vegetarian option available and if you don’t like curry there will be at least one other option, but please inbox me so I can collect the numbers to cater for.

There are two ways to buy your tickets; either in person with me (drop me an email) or the easiest option would be to go to my fundraising page and add the cost of the tickets as a donation and the comments box type in curry and quiz and the number of tickets you would like.  Also if you can make your email address visible then I can email you your tickets. My page is http://www.justgiving.com/KirstenJOwen

Thanks everyone for your support and here’s to a great night

Not so quick post

Just a quickie tonight; things are going well busy as ever well who isn’t these days.  Training is going well for Virgin London Marathon; I am keeping up with the cross training – strength on Mondays and yoga on Fridays (well most Fridays) I think for February I am going to double up on the strength training, I’ll let you know if I manage it. 

Fundraising efforts are going well; I now have a venue and date for my Charity Curry and Quiz night…drum roll please “Friday 1^st March at Hem Heath Cricket Club, Stoke”.  The Hem Heath Cricket Club have been great and provided the venue free of charge, however I still trying to sort out the food but I hope to get that finalised by the end of the week so I can announce my ticket price.  The next BIG thing I need to sort out is a quiz and a (free) disco/karaoke for the evening, but I am sure I will get that sorted (if you know anyone who might be able to help give me a shout). The cake sale at work is now also been arranged and I am hoping from both events I can raise around £1,000 so I am keeping my fingers crossed.  

College is going well I still have 3 outstanding assignments but I only have a bit more to do on one of them and other two are due the end of February, so plenty of time.  We have just started our new semester and two new models; Training and fitness for sport and exercise and Physical activity, lifestyle and wellbeing both seem fun and it looks like our assignment will be less wordy but I still think that they are going to be as challenging.  So watch this space

I am really happy the snow has gone, it was nice for a while but running in it was such hard work, I felt exhausted every time and there was no point looking at your watch as you just felt demoralised, anyway it is gone and the paths are clear again and I am start to try and get my speed up.

The things I am looking forward to over the next few weeks is:

• Saturday I am at the Virgin London Marathon meeting the experts (and maybe a little shopping)
• Sunday is the 1^st race of the season which is Alsager 5 then a couple of use from club are running back to Trentham for our Sunday long run 
• 1^st half of the year at Brigthon Half on Sunday 17^th February, hopefully it won’t run long this year.

Take care everyone and remember 

run like you stole something 

2013 One week in

It has been a  great 1^st week into 2013, with some annual leave I haven’t been to work since 27/12/2012 and it feels like forever :) Unfortunately that is all about to come to an end as tomorrow it is off to work I go, despite me having numerous chances to win the lottery things didn't work out :(

Oh well you can’t have everything, the extra few days have helped me get ahead of the curve on the college front and I am about 80% through my 3^rd assignment for antimony and physiology and this time it is all about the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system, which again has been very interesting .  On the sports psychology I have done some reading but officially we have not been given the assignment but I am going to do some more reading up on the formation of teams, team motivation and dynamics which should be fun. 

The training for the Virgin London Marathon is going well; I had a running MOT by Brian Cole, Sport Injury Specialist (check it out http://www.colestherapy.com/) and it looks like I am good to go, his take on things I have a good style (well I did wear my best shorts and Nike T) and I am pretty much in alignment only a couple of tight hamstrings and quads which he sorted me out for.  I have also booked in for a monthly sports massage just to make sure I stay in shape – as they say prevention is better than cure. My only worry now is raising the required amount; I have a good few different ideas in the pipeline but at the moment I want to allow people to get over Christmas so I am using this time to plot my strategy and get arranging some fundraising events here are some of my ideas;

• Coffee and Cake Morning
• Finish time sweep
• Curry and Quiz night – February 2013
• Sponsor a mile
• Pick my fancy dress costume (keep checking back for my options)

What do you think? 

I promise to keep you updated and for anyone local to Stoke on Trent and wants to come along to the curry and quiz night just let me know via email using the button on the right-hand side.

Better go, take care and look after each other