So, I took advice from a) Marcia at The Healthy Slice and b) several people who reiterated and told me to listen to her, on my comments last week, and dialled down my expectations of my general fitness and my plan to run another 20+ mile run this weekend. I also took my own advice and worked hard on bedtimes and getting enough sleep. I do feel these were good choices to make. Better to feel slightly undertrained going into my races than overtrained and overtired, right?
I will admit to already looking forward to post-races, so July 15. Is that bad? Does it say I should go with my gut feeling and run not race? Hm. Will consider that after the summer. I know I also have a summer of outdoor track and field season to work on and I’m really excited about that, but a bit nervous and DETERMINED to keep up my resting!
Anyway, what I did this week … Look out for wobbly yoga pictures …
Monday – recovery run time from my 22 miler on Sunday. I felt very, very creaky. I’d been wearing my bright pink compression socks in the morning and decided I wanted to keep them on to run in. So I did, and then I had to wear these fetching brown-with-a-pink-stripe capris, which led me to keep up the pink theme with top AND buff. Cari knows I also like to be aggressively mismatched, so this was a bold look for me.
Aggressively matched today
I met up with the ever-patient Mary Ellen, who was quite fatigued after a weekend residential for the course she’s doing, and staggered round 3.1 miles very close to home! It was quite sunny so I put this down to hot training for my summer races!
3.1 miles, 12:58 mins per mile.
Wednesday – I missed yoga as I signed up too late and was on the waiting list (they were doing one instead of two classes again) and then I had an urgent job I didn’t think I was going to finish. So once I had finished the job I put on one of my 401 Runner Ben tshirts (OK, it’s quite snug so it makes me hold my core in!) and met up with Sonya for a nice spin.
Wearing my I Ran with Ben tshirt with pride
I was a bit tired and we had a good chat about better sleep hygiene. There were some lovely flowers out
and when I got home I did a little bit of yoga and took Proof Of Yoga pics …
Oopsie! You can see my new Saucony Omni ISO SS19 trainers here. Plea for help: when I first put them on my right ankle (which likes to bend in) protests for about a mile then feels OK. No lasting pain or soreness afterwards. This is back to a stability shoe which I love, is this just my ankle getting used to sitting correctly after being in a) ancient shoes, b) my unstable Hurricanes?
5.2 miles, 12:32 mins per mile
Friday – No yoga again! I saw some family and it clashed with yoga. Oh no!
Saturday – You didn’t think two weeks were going to go by without me volunteering in some way, did you? I was back at parkrun, marshalling at a nice complicated junction, having fun calling out to friends from club and parkrun in general. Had a lovely cuppa and chat with Chris and Rich, who I haven’t seen for ages, as well as chats with Andy and other lovely parkrun friends. Great to be back at my 124th volunteering stint, and I walked the 2 miles there and back.
Sunday – Cut-down Long Run Day and it was pretty warm (in the 20s, apparently (very high 60s) so good hot training. I did one loop with Jenny first and had a good catch-up, then met Mary Ellen and we went out on the canals a different way, taking the Stratford Canal out towards Stratford, getting as far as Dickens Heath. No gritty urban photos for my readers who think all my runs are lovely as it was in the main lovely (the only suburban bit was on the way down and back again when I was hot!).
Love the boat reflections and how lovely to have a house that backs onto the canal!
You can see from the towpath here that it wasn’t tarmacked but a traily kind of surface with loose stones. We had quite a lot of this, plus then earth tracks with uneven surfaces and the odd embedded brick.
We were very excited to come across the Shirley Drawbridge. Yes, I’ve brought you the ford, and the aqueduct, and now a drawbridge.
Drawbridge down, cars able to go across
Up she goes! All done by electronic gubbins now
Fully raised – still quite tricky to get through
The most British sign in the world: “Do not nudge the bridge”.
We reached our turnaround point when Mary Ellen’s watch said 5 miles, and took the required photo:
Liz and Mary Ellen in the sun
We went back and got off the canal behind the Rugby Club and common, which is where I’ve run with Claire a few times and during the Canal Canter: unfortunately we missed the way onto the common and had to stick to the roads after a bit of forest paths. But a great run and I felt good training for my hot summer races and also the trail aspect of my ultra.
I wore the Saucony Omnis again and had the same issue but no sore ankles afterwards, which I had going longer than 10 miles in the Hurricanes …
13.1 miles, 13:22 mins per mile
I was pleased with the week although low on yoga. Next week will be a low mileage one. I have an Easter Bunny Strava Art run to do with clubmates to wish our London Marathon runners good luck for the weekend tomorrow, then I’ll be going down to London to support the marathon, hopefully doing some parkrun tourism with my best friend on the Saturday and supporting Claire and her sister Rachel, Sarah who I did my 18 miles with, Maria my fellow Mental Health Champion, and all manner of lovely friends from various clubs in the London Marathon. Good luck to everyone who’s going to be there!
Miles this week: 21.3 Miles this year: 358.4.
The Weekly Run Down is run by two wonderful running women and joined by lots of other inspirational women. Kim’s weekly wrap is here and Deborah’s is here.
Adventures in reading, running and working from home 
Apr 21, 2019 @ 19:06:22
A strong week Liz and I love that you managed some yoga at home! Your pictures this week made me miss England! I studied in Canterbury and then Surrey, and my biggest regret is that I wasn’t a runner then! I would have loved to run around Canterbury!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:21:20
Oh, how interesting! I grew up in Kent, though on the Sussex side, and know Canterbury well. I’d love to run on the coast around Herne Bay and Whitstable. And my husband was at University of Surrey in 1990-94 doing Chemistry and has good memories of there.
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:26:41
Wow! Your husband is part of my alumni! I was at University of Surrey for my Masters in Psychology from 2004-05. That’s just awesome – small world, huh?!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:32:53
Oh that’s funny! He also worked in Psychology at Birmingham 2006-2014 after doing a Master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience there 2005-2006!
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 19:16:45
I have always been a believer that it is better to be a little undertrained than over trained and exhausted. Sounds like you feel better this week too. Those drawbridge photos are really cool! Looks like some nice weather there too. Have a good one!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:22:14
Yes, that’s always been my feeling too and I underestimated my strength a bit (I think after all this I’m going to make a big effort on my general fitness then do one last marathon). It is glorious blazing weather again and it’s a bank holiday here so that’s very surprising!
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 19:18:45
Constantly impressed, Liz – how do you fit it all in?? And I loved the bridge sign – nowhere else but in Britain…. ;D
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:23:10
It beats “no wet umbrellas” which I spotted in the museum and art gallery on Friday! I didn’t really fit in much this week as I had a long gap between runs and no yoga, and it was nice to just be out for a few hours on Sunday actually.
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 19:28:37
OMG–do not nudge the bridge! I love it. That is just the cutest drawbridge ever. So the boat owners lift it themselves? There’s no operator? I can only imagine kids playing with it…
I totally agree with being undertrained than overtrained. You’ll still have some gas in the tank that way. Nice week and thanks for sharing all your fun photos!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:25:33
Oh, no, this one (unlike that ford I upset you with!) is very safe. If you can see the sign I posted, there’s a special key you get from the authorities (the boat we saw was a day-hire from the local boatyard I’ve photographed before so they presumably gave them it). One person holds the key to the operating box by the bridge, then the warning sirens go off, the red and white barriers come down, then the bridge lifts, waits, then does it all in reverse. It did used to be manual but there was probably still some kind of key involved.
And yes, I’m feeling like there might be some residual gas in the tank now, with another lower week (but busy) coming up.
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 20:06:17
hmmm odd about the shoes. maybe you are right, you are just adjusting to the new shoes? I hope anyway! they fit well, I guess?
seems like a good week, though I can imagine you were missing your yoga classes!
I definitely believe in slightly undertrained rather than overtrained. Best to listen to your body too – rest is so very important!
When are you down in Liverpool? I’m most definitely not running now so I have a different sort of free time. Not even sure I’ll volunteer though I’ve been in contact with someone local coordinating the volunteers. It’s all up in the air really. We definitely need to meet!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:27:07
They do fit well and I don’t have ankle pain today whereas with the less supportive shoes, that was an issue the next day. So I’m going to persist with them and do my ankle exercises, too.
I’ll be there on the Saturday (probably afternoon) to the Tuesday morning so if you’re still around a coffee on the Monday might work. Drop me an email via my contact form if that’s easier! It would be good to meet up but I hope you get to volunteer!
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 20:37:15
Glad you now have a plan! Most of your runs really do look lovely, but then again, if it were ugly, why would we photograph it, right? I do a lot of yoga. I’m not super big on Proof of Anything, LOL!
Sounds like it should be an exciting week with the marathon coming up (whether you’re running it or not).
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:28:03
I have tried to have a plan, not sure if it’s a good plan but it’s a less tiring one! I am excited about the marathon indeed – it’s such a good day out and I get to see my best friend, too, and help support lots of running friends. Ideal!
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Apr 23, 2019 @ 17:47:48
Enjoy the marathon viewing this weekend!
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 20:47:59
It sounds like you had a solid week. I love the scenery — and the drawbridge sign. I’m not sure I’d want to drive over it any time — I guess the engineers know what they are doing. Enjoy London!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:28:54
Oh it’s fine, it just looks like a section of the road and is very secure. Some older folk who were watching it too shared that it had been refurbished recently; it was quite rickety before and they used to enjoy driving over it more!!
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 21:52:00
Glad your sleep got better!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:29:12
Thank you, yes, and I’m going to concentrate on that from now until mid-July!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 15:45:54
Sleep makes a big difference to everything I find:)
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 23:16:16
That drawbridge is pretty cool! The sign is amusing 😉 I’m with you on the sleep thing…I’ve been doing better, though, I think my body (secretly) is craving more than I have been giving it.
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:31:45
It’s so funny, so damn British! My friend I was running with is American (you probably all remember that) so she found it amusing, too! And yes, we both get up pretty early so it’s earlier nights, isn’t it, unfortunately.
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Apr 21, 2019 @ 23:56:31
Nice week Liz! I’m glad that you listened to Marcia’s advice in your previous post – she always gives good advice!
I also agree with being undertrained vs. overtrained!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:29:43
Yes, it was good advice and I would have struggled in the quite sudden heat and maybe hurt myself, too.
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 00:36:08
Great week! Look at all that sunshine! You’re doing a great job sticking to your plan 🙂
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:30:23
I know, it is doing it again today, too, blazing away: might even have to break out my shorts!! Not sure if I have a plan or am sticking to it, but thank you for your faith in me!!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 02:20:47
I did laugh at “Do not nudge the bridge”!!!
Great week for you Liz!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 07:30:36
I know, right, but I can see the temptation. Thank you!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 17:04:30
Do not “nudge” the bridge – means “don’t push on the bridge”? Beautiful views along the water!! Good job on volunteering… I’m heading to my son’s track meet for more timing tonight!
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Apr 22, 2019 @ 17:17:32
Well, yes, really “Don’t gently push the bridge up to ‘help’ it by putting the boat under it before it’s up properly” I would say! And happy timing! I’m doing something as yet unknown at the first vets’ league match on Thursday night!
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Apr 23, 2019 @ 23:59:33
Looks like a great week Liz! I definitely believe it is better to be a little undertrained and rested vs. overtrained and tired! Good for you for focusing on your sleep – I need to follow your lead on this one.
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Apr 24, 2019 @ 04:42:39
Thank you, and do go for that extra sleep – you know it’s worth it, too!
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Apr 27, 2019 @ 19:10:49
Congrats on a strong week with a variety of exercise Liz! Your note about sleep hygiene stood out to me as I’m studying about the neurobiological implications of sleep and sleep deprivation in my biopsychology course, and I just wrote a paper on how sleep deprivation tends to lead toward overeating. I’m glad you wrote about it in this blog if only for a brief bit and that you’re having conversations about sleep hygiene, as that’s such an under-discussed topic in society (at least from my view).
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Apr 30, 2019 @ 06:38:34
Oh that is interesting, I seem to see and hear nothing but sleep studies here! I can see how it leads to overeating to keep yourself going and awake. I slept for too short a time on Sunday night and was reaching for the chocolate the next morning, unheard-of for me.
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