Caution - EPIC failure!!

34 days to go and £1000 + raised by 44 donors... that's a great result, and I am humbled by the support and it got me thinking...

Its Balfhalf + 7 and London -34 - and I am scared.

Ran 9.5k on Friday evening with Sarah - isn't it lovely that the evenings are lighter? Ran all over north Bristol - actually really enjoyed it, only thing that was challenging was the fact that all the kids were waiting to eat when I got home:) Had a great (resting) day on Saturday, then the planned 14.5 miles on Sunday. It did not go well - hence the EPIC FAILURE!!

So mothering sunday, awake at 3am - not good. Finally awake at 8am, kids all up at 8:30 and then tea and cup cakes in bed. Hollyoaks - who really watches that??
Run was planned after the boys got back from rugby - walked around to my mums to give her flowers and tlc (bad cold) and then run started well on the Downs, but after about 2 miles we stopped. Everything was aching, my head was not in the right place and I stopped. Feel so cross now but at the time just wanted to get home and be with my family - it was mothering sunday afterall??
Consulted the oracle aka Kim and coincidentally she had emailed. So not so bad - have to step up the miles on my feet this week - makes the planned 16 miles next weekend even worse!!
Its going to be a tough week - get prepared for the bitching and moaning!!
On a plus side there are now 9 of us going to Vegas 3 days after the marathon - maybe 10!!
Just in case you don't have it - here's the sponsor site...
http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/LindaDaviesCarr where you can also sponsor me online.

Who'd have thought...

Well here it is – it is well known to those who know me and maybe read this that I am not a runner, nor do I like it – well that’s a bit of an understatement… but here’s a thing, after the slog that was the Bathalf, and the anticipation – strike that the sheer and absolute stomach churning fear that is the London Marathon in 37 days. I’ve got to begrudginly admit that the process (apart from the pain) is amazing. The support from my friends, my amazing husband, my girls and even my parents has been astounding. I think I honestly love Kim Inglebury – she is amazing and I do not know what I will do when it all stops… and even Jan and Heather at Sweatshop and the girls at Monday night kettle bells, and the running club at DL, and that is the reason for the blog today…

There is only one answer when I woman asks “do you think I have lost weight?” supported and followed very quickly with “do you think my bum is smaller?” – if you want to retain your friendship. For those of you not sure the answer is a definative YES. (FYI  - I once knew someone whose answer to the question was NO – YOU make your bum look like that – she didn’t have many friends!!)

So when your children and even husband comment WITHOUT prompting that 1 – you look thinner / leaner, and 2 – bum looks smaller I kissed each and every one of them – with a MASSIVE smile on my face. :)

So who'd have thought that today - yes that's only 4 days after the Bathalf marathon I agreed to run the Bristol half in September, and the Bath half next year... and I was SOBER!!

So girls - lets do it..

Hugs

L

xx

Bathalf 2012 - done!

Ok here it is - can you see it??? 10422th in what was a life changing experience... too many funny funny stories to share.


11am start and it was lovely and warm, beautiful foggy start at 8:15am when we left Bristol, then the sun came out!


13,000 runners at the runners village - Clic Sargent were amazing support and to Jan & Heather at Sweatshop - the encouragement and hugs were just what was needed.


I saw Dasterdly & Mutley, human morphs, a centurion, a baby, a fox and loads of other weird and wonderful people all dressed up. The boys for the army, 131 commandos all kitted out with 60lb packs. Not gonna lie, its interesting - and a little alarming being over taken by a chicken!!


Bit weird when the winner (who did it in 62 minutes) lapped us at mile 5!!


13 miles - DONE. Never never doing it again - Oh wait, that was a training run (LMFAO!!) and in 40 days I have to do that DOUBLE!!


To the wonderful Cheesy who said out of support last week, well if you can get me a number then I'll run with you (wouldn't have pushed to do it under 3 hours of you hadn't been there) - thank you and sorry as the fabulous Kim did get you a number and you did run. To Sarah & Leanne - you were fantastic. To my mum and dad who turned up to surprise me - what a lovely surprise at mile 12!!


It was a humbling experience, it was NOT easy, but there were 13,000 people doing it, and the amount raised for charity must have been amazing.. So thank you to everyone who has sponsored me and to those of you who haven't YET - thank you..


http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/LindaDaviesCarr where you can also sponsor me online.

11 miles - OMG!!

I know I know its been a few days - I have been running honestly!!

So I got all the timing wrong - didn't run on Saturday when the weather was lovely instead ran around with the children - seeing to everyone needs but mine! So ran on Sunday afternoon through town. So what could be worse for a fairly vain middle aged woman??? Yes running through central Bristol in your running kit (not pretty) with everyone out for their Sunday afternoon stroll?

So 11 miles - it took a while. NOT happy - but it was still 11 miles. Kim was right - there are good weeks and BAD BAD BAD weeks. Bath half in less than a week, I cannot believe that me, a non runner is using the Bath half as a training run...

when does it get easier??

10 miles 10 miles 10 miles - woo hoo!!

Ok I am a few days late - sorry.. however I have news...10 miles!! woo flippin hoo!!
Gorgeous Sunday morning, great weather, cold and sunny. Bristol really is BEAUTIFUL. We ran along the river, around the SS Great Britain and under the Suspension Bridge. GORGEOUS!!


It was hard I am not going to lie, but, and here it is... my legs ache, but NOT as much as last week. Now that surely is progress with a capital P!!


Kettle bells and alpha bags on Monday night with the lovely ladies from Energised Performance... wow those lunges hurt..


Kim (EP) emailed me the new plan to get me to the marathon - still too scared to open it, there's something in there about running 20 miles on 1st April - must be an April fools joke!!!


12 miles this weekend and then the Bath half is less than 2 weeks - OMG!!


xx

BATHALF 16157

Ran aka hobbled with Kim this morning - isn't it meant to be getting better / easier by now??
Seriously lost the plot now and how great is Harris Active sports, beans for this, beans for that, a running belt (really??) Elite drops (WTF??) And BFF Fran's father in law just said - well don't you just kinda get up and run!! I mean really - does he think we are Forrest Gumps??


Legs still hurt, is it age or mileage, or just both?
Gonna try the Elite drops - sound cool, and it will be the only time I get to use the ELITE word!!
Anyway got home this afternoon to this:

Well its here the all important number and I never thought I'd say this - but its the Bath half and it a training run!!! OMG!!!

9 miles - get in!!

Been a few days but have been running - honest!!
So as my dear friend Teresa would say GET IN!!!
By BFF in the whole wide world was staying the weekend - the one that got me into this pickle. Note to self - do NOT get tipsy at your wedding (or anyone else's wedding) with your BFF and sign up to a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) - not clever! 
Anyway she arrived in a flurry on saturday morning in her ruuning gear so off we went. A comfortable 6k - shame it rained so much - not happy :( and my poor daughter Anna (youngest and 13 on Friday - so still stuck in birthday haze) decided to come on her bike. We all got soaked - but we had a laugh..


Anyway friends around to dinner - all these lovely ladies and I have been friends for 20+ years and what a great night we had. Cheesy cooked - gorgeous. Fran (BFF) was v sensible and has been off the dreaded booze since NYE but the rest of us - well :( There was a lot for the recycling this morning and then the BIG RUN....
We had a route planned, the boys went off to the rugby and off we set. It was absolutley gorgeous, cold, bright and lovely. The first bit (2 miles) was ok, thorugh Stoke Bishop and WOT, then onto the dreaded Bristol Portway - along the river. Hateful absolutley hateful. Calves were aching and it hurt, really hurt. Fran said her bum muscles were twinging and well what a pair we were. 
Here's the thing, after we had climbed the hill from the Portway to the Downs it got easier and at about 6 miles the weirdest thing happened - it actually got better and yes, actually we did enjoy it. The pace was good, the breathing ok and yes it was ok.
So there you have it, I needed to do 8.5 miles and did 9.06 miles. 14.48K - OMG!!!
That is a PB - wow - 9 miles - never never ever did I ever think that I could ever run 9 miles. So chuffed....
Thinking of giving up the booze until after the big race....