When It's All About The Base

Building Foundations

I've just realised that it's been over two weeks since I last did a post. So much has happened since then......not!

Basically, I get up, walk one dog on Salisbury Plain, come home and walk the other dog around the village (don't ask), feed them, feed the fish, feed me, go to work come home and sometimes if I can be arsed, I go for a run but I have to admit, the enthusiasm is waning.

Thursday night with Pewsey Plodders is still great fun but I am finding my weekend 'long' runs really difficult. I say 'long' run but they are never long-long because I never achieve what I set out to do. I cunningly run in loops at the moment so that I can pathetically throw in the towel if it gets too much and I have to say, that towel has been thrown a lot!

Case in point - last Saturday I went up on the Plain with the intention of doing a 10 miler. I had put my 5-mile pace into an online calculator, which (apparently) works out what speed you should be doing your long runs at - mine came out at about 3 minutes a mile slower than what I have been doing - so basically I should be walking my long runs???? Anyway, I went out in my new Harrier Trail vest (all the gear, no idea), I had hydration in the form of cold raspberry and lemon tea in my new soft bottle, a bar of Kendle Mint Cake and a Nakd coated fruit and nut bar - I had prepared for all eventualities.

I parked the car up, hit 'go' on my watch and off I went at the new-and-exciting slow speed. Big downhill to start (nice) then a big uphill, some tank tracks to try to sprain your ankle on, mud, more hills, more mud and one or two flat bits.

Just a tad muddy!

This is alright, thinks I, going at the aforementioned new-and-exciting slow speed, perhaps 10 miles won't be so bad after all.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG

Five miles in and I had already succumbed to the tantalising fruit bar, I simply had no energy and I thought it would help. I was having a whale of a time with the new soft bottle.......how the hell are you supposed to get the liquid out? I was pulling the bite valve, biting the bite valve, swearing at the bite valve (Dr Google tells me - "Bite on the soft portion of the valve and suck at the same time. It will make the water flow and immediately close up when you stop so there's no need for strain and the hydration bladder won't fill up with air") ...... no shit Sherlock, don't you think I already knew that???

So I was getting arsey. Remember me exalting the merits of the Out and Back system? If I had done that I would have achieved what I set out to do, but nooo, Tina decides to do loops so I was never too far from the car. Perhaps that's why at 7 miles the wheels fell off and I harumphed back to the car. I felt much better once I had guzzled the flask of tea and lemon flapjack which I had installed in the vehicle as a reward for doing 10 miles - I didn't have the energy to argue with myself that I hadn't done 10 miles so I didn't deserve the goodies.

So what is going on?

I'm trying to build my base so that my long run attempt with be easier but at the moment the thought of 9 miles seems monumental, let alone 31 miles.

Getting into the Granny thing.

Best to give up and carry on with my crochet projects? (did I mention I am going to be a granny? So VERY excited)

Well, er, no, that's not going to happen; what would I have to bitterly complain about then? It is time to look at my Base.

How to Build a Base

It's not rocket science Tina, you simply increase the time or distance you run by no more than 5 to 10% each week. (Note to self - you know this, so why not implement it??)

The first two months of training, (two months Tina, not two weeks) simply focus on building up mileage with easy runs and long runs.

Then, about four months from race day, add in one hill workout per week and one interval or tempo run per week.

The thing is I'm so very impatient and although I tell everyone else not to compare themselves with how other people are doing, I'm drawn in...Strava reminds me daily that everyone in the Universe is improving more than me. I'm also comparing myself with how I ran 20 years ago; I have, at some stage, to acknowledge that I'm not that person anymore, time (not the quantities of food I've inhaled) has made me a different shape than I was 20 years ago - I am now running with the equivalent of a 2 stone weighted training pack on me and I don't run 6 days a week like I used to.

Therefore I have A PLAN - cue facepalm from everyone.

Yes, a new-and-exciting plan.

But you will have to wait until next time, as I have to finely hone it before revealing my genius to the world.

(you are welcome to interpret that as.....I haven't actually done it yet!!)

More next time pop pickers xx