#Addicted!

Well I suppose that's 'a wrap' on Christmas! I hope that you have all had as wonderful a Christmas as I have and have been able to spend lots of time with families and friends! 

Boxing Day was spent with Stu, who loved his presents and was happy to see us. Although, the parrot that repeats everything it hears in a high pitched tone, made for an interesting afternoon! Stu definitely liked it though! 

So in the true spirit of making the most of the Christmas holidays, I have so far taken the time to finish my book, do lots of running, spend lots of time with family and do a big sort out of the house (which has definitely been a long time coming!) 

Now I'm confident i saying, that in almost every house, there is a 'junk drawer'... The drawer where all miscellaneous items are shoved when we're not quite sure where they should live... Batteries that may or may not be flat, rubber bands, some of which have already snapped or are so old that they have actually fused together along with the mystery keys that nobody is quite sure what they unlock. Well, in our house the 'junk drawer' had graduated into a cupboard. A big cupboard.. A Harry Potter sized cupboard. Well it is this cupboard that I have tackled today, and no big surprise... it was primarily filled with shoes! Here they are, all lined up for an identity parade in the kitchen! 

And what does this show us? That the Fiance has more than I do, contrary to popular myths about women and shoes!

I think it is definitely safe to say that we have some sort of addiction to running shoes in this house! 

I can also say that I have a specific brand of shoe that I get time after time!  

Having suffered for a long time with blister problems, finding a shoe that doesn't cause issues is important! 

The Fiance on the other hand has a pair of pretty much every brand of shoe going, but seeing as he works for a running company, what should I expect?! 

So having had some much needed family time and the chance to get the house in order, I can continue to focus on the running! This weekend I have a 13 miler on the training plan, which is making me slightly nervous, especially after the knee issues I had towards the end of the last long run I did! Hopefully this one won't cause me any problems, but I think taking it steady and investing in a knee support might be wise. 

Thinking slightly further ahead to the next challenge of the full marathon,  I really hope that my knees don't let me down and I can get through it! 

I've almost made up my mind that after the Brass Monkey Half Marathon, I am going to forget about speed and times and just focus on making it to the end! Almost.. if I can get my competitive streak in check that is!  

Please remember to visit my Just Giving page and give me and my knees some support! All donations welcome!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-kitchingman

Smashing it!

After what felt like a completely terrible long run last week, this week has been much more positive. I've avoided the rain (and all the puddles!), run in the daylight and put in some good miles! The best of which, was my 11 miles yesterday afternoon! 

I planned my route before I left to make sure that I wasn't going to have to run past home or do extra loops to make it up to the correct distance.. There is nothing more soul destroying than having to run past your house on tired and achy legs until the Garmin says you're allowed to stop! 

Now, I normally do my long runs on a Sunday, having done the Parkrun the day before, (this might explain why last week's felt so awful!). This week however, I did my long run after having had a rest day the day before... And boy, did it make a difference!! After warming up in the first mile, I really hit my stride and had a great run! The planets obviously aligned, the music didn't skip, the energy blocks didn't make me feel sick and I ran like the wind! (Kind of..) 



Whether I ran like the wind or a light breeze, I am over the moon with the time that I put in! After a disappointing 10 miles last week, I knocked SIX MINUTES off my time! SIX! And then did another mile on the end to boot! 

Now I just have to do an extra 2 on top of this and that's the half marathon done! And then only another.. 13.1 to add on to that.... Sounds so simple right!? 

In the meantime though, I get to be smug about the long list of achievements I achieved on the 11 mile run! New Strava Personal Records for loads of milestones and a new PB for 10K on my Garmin! 







However, as the saying goes "pride comes before a fall", and apparently moderate disaster comes after a great run! Luckily, this time that fall is only a metaphorical one, as I've done the actual fall and I can confirm that it is definitely not fun! 

'The fall' in this case was a particularly awful Parkrun this morning. My knee decided it was a good time to produce a stabbing pain every stride, which was both very painful and incredibly frustrating! 

After an internal battle between wanting to persevere and knowing that I need to take care of my body, I did the sensible thing and walked. I still completed the 5K, albeit very slowly and it was possibly one of the most difficult things I've done! My competitive nature does tend to get the better of me and remembering that I am playing the long game was hard, but was definitely the best thing I could have done. 

A few hours on and a chiropractor appointment later, I am straightened out and currently pain free, so fingers crossed tomorrows 5K won't cause me as many problems as today's! 

So overall, it's been an alright week! The highs and the lows have balanced each other out and I am ready for a good helping of Christmas cheer (as well as some Christmas running!) 

Please keep supporting me this Christmas, visiting my Just Giving page and leaving a donation. Every donation, little or large, keeps me running and makes a massive difference to the lives of those with learning disabilities and their families! 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-kitchingman 

Keep an eye out for further Christmas posts! I am looking forward to spending some time with Stu and the family and will hopefully have some photos to post too!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

A Bad Day At the Office

Today was 'long run' day... 10 miles.. And boy, were they long! 

For the first time since upping the distance of my runs, I actually had good weather! It wasn't raining, the temperature wasn't below freezing and I wasn't running in the dark. Surely it was going to be a good run? No. No it wasn't. Everything was lined up for it to be a good run, everything except my energy levels it seemed. 

Right from the outset, things felt hard. Maybe I was a nervy as it was my first long run after my week off due to feeling so poorly? I suppose I have to understand that not every run is going to be 'a good run' but it felt rather demotivating today, like I was wasting the perfect conditions! But as far as bad runs go, it was pretty bad; I racked up a fair few issues, including (but not limited to): going over on my ankle, the mp3 player running out of battery and the energy gel making me feel sick! So yeah, overall really not great! But on the positive side, I did it and I have lived to tell the tale! 

After a run like today's, the reality of the 26.2 miles challenge is really starting to sink in now. That's actually really far! Like, really really far! 

However, now that it is officially the Christmas holidays, I am hopeful that my training is going to be a little bit easier, as I will be able to run in the daylight instead of either before or after work which is always inevitably in the dark. I'm actually quite looking forward to it! It's got to be better than today's running right?! 

I also have something extra that's going to make my training even better;  some really thoughtful Christmas gifts from my lovely class and children who I teach, including some Up & Running vouchers, a thermal ear warmer and some bath soak! I'm really looking forward to going and treating myself to some new gear in the next couple of weeks to get me through these cold training runs. 

So here's to better running than today! Fingers crossed! 

Please keep me going by visiting my Just Giving page and leaving me a donation and a message, it really does make all the difference! 

Community

So as I mentioned in my previous post, there wasn't an awful lot of running happening this week. It has been incredibly frustrating, watching the days on my training plan pass by without me lacing up my trainers, but I am out the other side of it now I hope! 

After feeling horrible all week, being full of cold and just generally exhausted,  I am definitely feeling much better and was able to put in an alright time at Parkrun on Saturday morning. It was at Parkrun that I had one of those overwhelming moments of feeling the amazing community that you're automatically inducted into when you become a runner. Whilst I was just finishing my first lap around the stray, a fellow runner came alongside me and he started to speak to me. To my pleasure, he said "Gosh, you don't even look like you're working hard!" Which after a whole week off and feeling like it was very hard work, I was pleased to hear! From here, we continued to chat and we began to run together, encouraging each other as we went. 

I really love it when things like this happen at Parkrun. So often, we are so focused on running our own race that we forget to look out for our fellow runners (unless something dramatic happens and we have to put on our hero hair and come to the rescue!). There were many times when I first started going to Parkrun that I found it difficult to get round the whole 5K without stopping, and I was always grateful to the runners who picked me up along the way and got me to the end, so it's nice to feel like I'm paying that forward! 

It was actually touch and go on Saturday morning whether I or not I was even going to Parkrun but I'm so glad that I did (and not just for the reason I already mentioned). The weather was miserable but that means fewer runners, fewer runners means a smaller field and a smaller field means a better finishing position! Even though I wasn't running a PB like a few weeks ago, I put in a 25.39 and was the 4th female finisher and 72nd overall, which are my highest rankings to date! Well worth braving the wind for! 

Despite being poorly, it has been a really positive week in terms of fundraising too. We raised £50 at the Christmas fair last weekend and even more collecting donations after the Infant Christmas Production (which was incredible by the way!). Seeing the total going up is really helping me stay motivated in these winter months, so please give generously on my Just Giving page! It really makes all the difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities, helping them to lead independent lives. 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-kitchingman

 

Struck Down!

Feeling unimpressed, cold and wet post run!

Following on from last week's post, I have continued the winter training, come rain or shine (usually rain). 

Overall, the training has been going really well! I have been hitting my targets and seem to be set to get a massive PB at the half marathon in January. However, this week I seem to have hit a sight bump in the road: the inevitable winter cold. It's hit me and it's hit me hard. I've been doing pretty well this year in terms of illnesses, remaining on the whole rather healthy, so feeling so unwell has come as a bit of a shock to the system! 

Normally I am the kind of person who doesn't like to let a little bit of illness stop her, but by Friday lunchtime I was unwell to the point of being sent home from work, which I hated! Whilst it felt a little bit like defeat, I can definitely concede that it was the right thing to do, even if it did mean missing the Christmas party! 

The extra rest however did come in handy for running a stall at the Christmas Fair at school, raising some extra money for The Home Farm Trust. Stu even came along to help! He had a great time looking at all of the stalls and meeting lots of my friends and the children I work with and even won a prize on the tombola! 

Now that the weekend obligations are over, I am finding that I am once again totally exhausted and could do with another weekend to recover! And that's without doing the 9 mile run I was supposed to do! 

Today I've made the difficult decision to press pause on the training plan for a couple of days in the hope I start to feel a little more human before continuing to embark on my running mission!  

So fingers crossed I feel back to my healthy self soon and can get back to pounding the pavements of Harrogate, raising money for The Trust! 

In the meantime, please head over to my Just Giving page and leave a donation and message of support to get me through these winter months and horrible colds! 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-kitchingman 

So Good I Named It Thrice!

Whilst on my run today, various options for the name of this post went through my mind... Most of them with very good reason. Not wanting to let any of them go to waste, I'll see if I can squeeze them in throughout the post! 

Five Ws and One H

As a teacher, I often talk to the children about the 'Five Ws and one H': Who, What, Where, When, Why and How... For me today, my Five Ws and one H were more like Wet, Watery, Wild, Windy, Waterlogged and Hilly, as I completed the 'easy' 5 miles my training plan demanded.

Dedication : A Definition

Having arrived home from work, going back out into the elements was the last thing I wanted to do. But today, if you looked up the definition of 'Dedication' in the dictionary, I am fairly certain that there would be a photograph of yours truly!!

After the longest Monday known to man, which involved me not returning home for 14 hours, I am rather exhausted.. And yes. I am aware it's only Tuesday! But my overwhelming desire to get my half marathon PB in January and raising money for The Home Farm Trust spurred me on and was enough to get me back out of the house, despite the wind and rain! I did ask if the fiance (it's definitely not got old yet) wanted to come with me, but unsurprisingly, he politely declined!  

A Rant and a Moan!

Another line of thought I had whilst pounding the pavements in the pouring rain is best surmised a rant: a long list of things that annoyed me whilst running around the streets of Harrogate. 

For the whole 5 miles, I couldn't quite decide what should come at the top of this list of annoyances, so please forgive the fact that they don't necessarily come in a hierarchical order. 

The first thing that irritated me was puddles. Yes, that's right. Puddles. Now as a rational human being, I understand that when it rains, puddles will form; I even understand the water cycle. But what I don't understand, is why our pavements have to be so uneven that they cause puddles to form that are reminiscent of the size of oceans?! 

Nothing breaks a runner's stride quite like having to suddenly become a long jumper, leaping over the vast depths of water that have begun to pool everywhere you look! 

This irritation actually brings me quite nicely onto the next: Streetlights. Why is it, that even though I was running when it was already incredibly dark (at 4.30!), there were limited streetlights on? This one is on the list for two reasons. Firstly, the most obvious is safety. I don't particularly like running alone in the dark as it is, but sticking to areas with streetlights at least means that I feel a little bit safer in doing so. That's all well and good, assuming that they're actually on! There were a few parts of my running route, where I would go as far as to say, I felt a little bit vulnerable as I was unable to see what may be lurking around the corner. 

For the second subsection of irritation number 2, please refer to 'puddles'. A lack of light, means it's difficult to see the puddles. Not only is it difficult to see the puddles, it is also difficult to judge the depth of the puddles. This equals very wet feet for Miss K! Needless to say, this is not my favourite thing! 

Water on the pavements, water on the road, rain creates a continual issue for even the most seasoned of runners. If you can actually motivate yourself to get out of the door, brave the diminishing light and the puddles on the pavements, you also have to contend with drivers. Drivers and puddles. Not a great combination if I do say so myself. Whilst I was hurtling down Skipton Road, leaping over the gargantuan puddles on the pavements, cars were being less than considerate, motoring through their own lakes on the road, with no thought for where their tidal wave might land. Luckily for me, I managed to avoid a thorough drenching... Although it came very close quite a few times!

The fourth item on this list, is actually all encompassing. Winter running in general. Why do we do it?? It's cold, it's wet and it's miserable, but oh my it's worth it! Especially when I think of the reason why I am dragging myself out on these cold, stormy nights. 

So for that reason, please help keep me motivated in spite of the all of the grumbles and irritations that winter running brings by visiting my Just Giving page and leaving me a donation! 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fiona-kitchingman

Miss to be Mrs?!

Well, it's been another interesting week! I really don't know where to start!

I suppose as this is technically a running blog, I should start there.. although I'm not sure that is where I want to begin!

It's been a great week in terms of running and training. I have done a few early morning runs, before going into work, which has actually worked really well; both in terms of timing and the amazing smug feeling I get for the rest of the day! However the one thing that is currently 'grinding my gears' on the running front is that this morning's 6 mile run won't upload onto my Garmin Connect app! Which means, as those who know me will attest, there was no point in doing it at all! I am a big believer in that if it's not recorded and if it doesn't go towards your weekly millage then was it really worth the time and effort? Probably not! I know it's recorded on my watch, but if it's not there for the world to see? Well. Let's just say I'm not happy about it!

But that quite nicely leads me onto the thing that I AM happy about! Very happy in fact! So happy, that I might even fall into the 'over moon' category! No... It's not a new PB, it's even better than that! (Or I think so!) This weekend, I got engaged! G, who will hence forth be known as 'The Fiance!', asked me to marry him! 

I can honestly say that it was totally unexpected and I am still in a state of shock! It honestly keeps taking me by surprise and I find myself grinning every time I think about hearing him saying those words "Will you marry me?" 

For those of you who are wondering "How did he do it?" "Where?" "When?" Well let me tell you! 

The first thing to say is that, I pretty much ruined his plans at every turn. But how was I supposed to know?! 

I woke up on Saturday morning and headed off to Parkrun, as is my weekend routine. I didn't wake G up, instead just slipping out of the house quietly. Something that I didn't think would be a problem! 

I came home after a pleasing Parkrun and we chatted, and I informed him that I was going out to meet some friends for lunch! He always tells me that I should see the girls more, so off I went! I think I did tell him I would only be a couple of hours... 

4.5 hours later I rolled in home, having been chastised by my friends for not remembering all the dates we had set for 2019. Seeing as my diary runs out at the end of 2018, how am I supposed to keep track?! 
Therefore when I got home, whilst the kettle was boiling, I started to write down all the important dates that I need to remember for 2019. Obviously, at the top of that list was The London Marathon! Having completed this task I headed to put my phone on charge, when G called me back to the kitchen, saying "You missed a date." 

Confused, I returned to the kitchen to find G standing with a ring box on my diary and he said those words... "Will you marry me?" 

My response... "Are you joking?" 

Probably not the romantic response that he was expecting! But what can I say?! I was completely caught off guard and had no idea that he was planning this! 

After establishing that this was not a joke, I obviously said yes through my tears! 

So even with me unwittingly sabotaging my own marriage proposal, we got there in the end and can now commence planning our happy day! For now though, I am still waiting for it to all sink in! 

Happy weekend everybody!