Running Urbanite

Ups and downs, I run

 

2012 run down

image

Thinking back on the running year just gone, so many moments crop up.

My running has definitely evolved massively over the last 12 months. I came into 2012 on the tail end of a post-marathon blues from Berlin in September 2011, but with Berlin Half to train for with everyone from RunDemCrew, I had to get into it again. Tempo Tuesdays, Track Thursdays, speedy Saturdays and long Sundays meant week day runs mostly with people, weekends mostly alone. A good balance of socialising and just running. It all went very well for Berlin Half on April 1. But then a bit of a slump over spring had me down a few groups at RDC.

Read More

4 months ago 1 note

“Physiologically you’re capable”

So the test results are in. A month ago I did a body composition, VO2max and threshold test with my friend Anne Delextrat at her university. She offered to do two tests for me, one before the bulk of my training for the Berlin Half Marathon and another after the race. We’ll compare and contrast the findings and Anne will use the information to give me tips on what to focus my training on to improve strength, speed and endurance. Here is the first set of results and some thoughts on what to use them for.

Read More

1 year ago

We run BLN

Normally I would do a race report just about the races I do, but this weekend was so flippin’ amazing that I may have to cover a bit more than usual. 

Having run the Berlin Marathon in September last year I wasn’t over the moon when the crew began talking about the Berlin Half for a crew outing. I’d rather go somewhere new. But, I could feel the vibe building, back in October, so I signed up and began to organise my trip. Basically, I ended up reserving a shared room with three other girls I had never met (Jackie, Lissy, Sophie), two of whom run with Run Dem Crew and one who lives in another city. Madness had taken hold.

Read More

1 year ago 3 notes

Mind-games

Berlin Half is next Sunday, 8 days away. I’ve struggled recently to find the time and energy to stick to my training plan and have missed a number of runs. Being insanely busy has played its part in this, but I know that my mindset around being busy has been even more influential.

Read More

1 year ago

First Sunday morning long run of my Berlin Half training took me to Highgate Woods. The route there through Parkland Walk holds a slight incline, which can seem hard enough in its insistent call for your calves to perform.

The sensation of entering a forest from a residential street in London is glorious; leaving behind the Georgian terraces and humdrum life, trees stretch above you and a mottled carpet of golden orange and brown leaves invites you into the forest. It’s nature - inside London, imagine that! But the real fun begins in the Woods: leaves and mud and steep hills slow your movement and hasten your breath as you push yourself up-up-up to the top, again and again.

When my tired legs complain over the next days, I will take a moment to remember how running through the woods felt.

1 year ago