I ran!

I'm not going to update everytime I run but this is a pretty big deal as it's been so long without a run plus my knee pain.

I ran this morning. Got up at 7am (early for me!) and got ready and out we went into the rain. My knee twinged a bit on the warm-up walk but it was fine on the runs. I made an effort to run up hills - it was a bloody effort - which I think helps. I'm going to really focus on ensuring that my strength and stretching work is consistent which can only help.

After I was ill, possibly due to being stationary on a sofa for so long, my left hip just stopped working. I woke up one morning unable to turn over in bed because of the pain. I couldn't stand up or walk. It was really strange. My hip had been hurting for a while but I just put it down to not moving for so long. I went to the doctor who said there wasn't anything obvious but the muscles in that leg were really tight. Every now and again it hurts a bit and it's aching now. All the more reason to keep moving and keep stretching.

Our feet at the end of the run, as dawn was breaking at 7:45am.

Clawing my way back

I have finally got off my butt and done some exercise!

The sore knee, then the snow scuppered me for a week or so. Of course, I *should* have been doing pilates or other conditioning at home. Instead, I sat at home and ate Oreos. I do like a nice biscuit but they don't help much with improving ones fitness and preparing to clock up the miles on the road.

I have found in the past that when I stop exercising, it's really hard to get back to it as it's like, "well, I've slipped this much, may as well fall right off any type of exercise wagon and lie by the side of the road eating Oreos."

That's not an option this time around so I'm really glad I've managed to restart and regain some enthusiasm. Today I walked home from work - an hour's trudge uphill. I was definitely "warmer" once I got in. Then I did an hour of a Yogalates DVD to help with my knee problems.

While I walked home, I thought about my health, and the problems I've had over the last year. This time last year, the idea of walking for an hour was just out of this world. Then, other problems cropped up which made it even more unlikely. I couldn't have imagined at points that I would be training to run a 10K! So I have to make the most of it. Work out when I can, and make the best use of my time, and try not to give myself too much of a hard time when I don't manage it, just make sure I do get back to it. We're going to try to run tomorrow morning, I'll report back soon.

Disappointing week

It's not been the best week, running wise.

I went out last Saturday and felt pretty good. On Sunday I put on a pair of old flat boots which seemed to knacker my knees as soon as I took a step. I have flat feet and have to be careful about my footwear as it does affect my knees and hips. Since then, my knees have been feeling quite sore, particularly on Wednesday after my morning run on Tuesday.

Most mornings I've been waking up feeling quite fluey - coughing, sore throat and aching body - not a great week at all.

I've not run, nor done any other exercise since my Tuesday run. I've tried to rest and my knees are feeling a lot better. Not 100% but I'm not feeling like I'm going to fall over when I stand up! It has taught me a lesson though. I was trying to cross-train by doing DVDs (more of which another time) but I thought I could get away without it. Not so! I really must woman-up and get on with some squats and lunges to keep my quads and glutes strong. I'm also hoping to get a gait analysis done to make sure my running trainers are supporting me as with my flat feet and over-pronation, it's always going to be tricky to stay on track.

Shopping and mornings

I'm a bit of a shopper; I like a browse round the shops on my lunch break and I'm lucky enough to do a job near town that has good lunch breaks. 

One of the ways I'm motivating myself to keep going with training (apart from not letting everyone down of course!) is to resist the urge to shop and "award" myself things I want when I reach certain milestones. I've got my eye on some things once I can run a mile, believe me.

But today I fancied a look around TK Maxx and with the mornings as cold as they are, I couldn't not buy this Saucony top. It's long sleeved but without a hood and has a zip neck. It's pretty thick and I'm looking forward to trying it out on my next run. I'm finding some of my V-neck tops are really pulling on my neck which is unpleasant. I got it out to put away and realised it has a light on the sleeve! How neat is that? I didn't even realise and this really pleases me as I hate the dark mornings so much. 

That said, this was my view at 8am as I finished today's run:

It was much more invigorating at the end of a run than heading back into the house in the dark like last week. I did go out a lot later but hey, whatever helps get you out of the door, eh? I'm hoping that this cold, dark time of year will be the worst for training for me. I find the cold air really affects my throat - not my breathing so much, just uncomfortable after a while. I'm really not a morning person either so it's all the more amazing I get up to go outside to run. I don't feel like I'm running for myself though, I'm running for those women who I know are going through hell and if I can help in this way, getting out of bed in the dark isn't really much to ask. 

So we begin

I have set up my Just Giving page, I have started training. Time to get really serious. 

I am training to run Bristol 10K on May 5 2013. I am very much *not* a runner, not even particularly fit. This is likely to be a rather uphill struggle. 

But I am determined to do this.

My chosen charity is the Cancer Treatment and Research Trust based at Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith. Please do take a moment to have a look at the site and learn a little about a condition I have experienced - molar pregnancy.

2012 was a pretty horrible year for me in many ways. My recovery from the illness was long and protracted with all sorts of problems occurring. At one point I was even unable to walk! So for me, this run is a really big deal and I'm determined to complete it for me and and to raise money for the research which will make such a difference to those women and their families after diagnosis. 

I'll be trying to blog regularly about what's happening with my training, information about Charing Cross and molar pregnancy too. I expect some other things will pop up too. 

Here goes nothing!