11th April - The Time of My Life

Well, it's taken me a week to come back down to earth from what was one of the best days of my life. Suddenly, I understood what all those months of hard training had been for..like a eureka moment 'ah, so that was what it was all about!'.

Excitement gave way to nerves on the morning of the marathon and the silent dining room at our hotel full of would-be marathon runners confirmed that I was not alone. Walked to the start line with James at about 8am, with the Champs Elysees as I have never seen it before. Thousands of runners milling about, some warming up and others just waiting in nervous anticipation.

Towards the Arc de Triomphe, I found my pen amongst other runners hoping to run a similar time. In what felt like minutes, I heard 'cinq seconds...departe!!' We were off! Erm, only we weren't as it took me 15 minutes to get to start line due to the sheer number of runners.

In fantastic sunshine, I crossed the starting line just before 9am and headed down towards Place de La Concorde, past the Bastille, at mile 4, where my mum and sister had said they would be. Searched frantically amongst the sea of faces to no avail, so carried on towards Chateau de Vincennes, a totally stunning building and another reminder that I am running a marathon in Paris!

Running through the Bois de Vincennes, we looped round at about mile 11, when I received a text from my sister (modern marathon running!) saying we're waiting just after mile 14 at the Bastille. Right, just three miles to go then before I see some familiar faces. It really spurred me on knowing that my family were going to pop up sporadically throughout the marathon - it broke down the endless miles into more manageable chunks.

I loved the feeling of running in a crowd, and this marathon felt really international, with runners from France, the UK, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Germany...the list was endless. As we entered the various tunnels, including the notorious Pont de l'Alma tunnel, runners sang and chanted together in a universal language. This was truly a shared experience.

I knew the British Heart Foundation supporters would be there at mile 18, but better than that, as I turned the corner, suddenly to my left loomed the Eiffel Tower. It really doesn't get any better than that. Lots of cheering from the BHF reps spurred me on, as did the fact that I have now raised £660.50 with final donations from Liz & Chris, Lesley, Chris R, Lindsey, James Mc and Ed - thank you so much all. At this point, I was on top of the world.

Next support was coming at mile 22, I was informed by another text at mile 19. Right, 30 minutes I thought but I realised I was losing pace at this point because it took me a good 40 minutes to get there. I knew I was starting to lose form and made a conscious effort to pick up my feet which were starting to hurt like hell. I managed a weary high five to all three, as I ploughed on towards the Bois de Boulogne. Just four miles to go!

I knew by this point, there was no way I was going to make my secret target of sub 4h30 by now I really just wanted to get to the end without stopping. Somehow, I missed the mile 24 marker so I had no idea when I was so near the end. Several supporters had shouted 'courage Sophie!' as I'd been running previously and I kept repeating this as I willed myself on.

Turning a corner out of the woods, I suddenly realised I was on Avenue Foch and the finish line was in sight. I heard an 'Allez Sophie!' from the sidelines and spotted my family lined up with the crowd. I'd nearly done it! I managed to pick up the pace and surged forward.

Before I knew it, it was over, I'd done it! Stumbling forward, I was given a finishers' t-shirt and a medal. So disorientated, it took me about 40 minutes to find my family, and at one point, I felt I just couldn't walk another step and just sat down on a pavement hoping they'd come.

Meeting up with everyone, the enormity of what I'd achieved began to hit me and, exhausted as I was, I couldn't stop smiling.

I'd done it!! And in 4 hours 35 minutes...I was so happy!

It is so hard to put it into words the thoughts, feelings and emotions I experienced running this marathon. I will remember it always.

So, all that remains for me to do is to thank my fellow training partners, Julie, Lisa and Jo for their immense support over the last three months and wish them the very best in their respective forthcoming marathons...to quote many a well-meaning marshal, 'dig in now Eccleshill, you're nearly there...'

3rd April - Signing Off

My BHF running vest has arrived, I'm all stocked up on energy gels and bars, I've bitten the bullet and bought some new trainers, the Eurostar tickets are here,and I've completed my final longish run (9 miles today). I'm officially good to go...

I've completed approximately 320 training miles since the beginning of January and attended 13 sessions of boot camp...if I can't run a marathon now, I never will.

Just a couple of steady short runs this week and a whole lot of carb loading to get through.

Thank you to everyone for all your support, and a particularly massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me - £590.50 now raised for the BHF, with the final generous donation from my good friend, Sharon, whose baby has suffered from a congenital heart defect and was part of my rationale for raising money for BHF.

À bientôt. See you on the other side...

27th March - False Alarm

I'm currently lying low with my fingers and toes crossed, as I woke up in the early hours of Saturday morning with excruciating pain in my right foot and found I was totally unable to put any weight on it.

Panic set in. For the first time, I had to cancel my scheduled run with Jo which was supposed to be a steady 13 miles - the first of my taper. As I hopped around the house, the catastrophising started. What if it didn't get better and I had to withdraw from the marathon - weeks and weeks of training would be wasted? What would I do with my sponsorship money? Would people think I'd just bottled it at the final hour?

Convinced I'd been sleepwalking and somehow fractured it in my sleep I headed off to minor injuries at Wharfedale Hospital. An x-ray confirmed there was nothing serious wrong with my foot - perhaps I'd just strained it? It seems fine now but I am nervous to run on it just in case.

At last Thursday's marathon school training session, Mick reminded us all that getting to the starting line healthy should be the main goal. I think I might have taken the taper a little far, however, given that I haven't run at all since last Thursday! The plan is to go out with Eccleshill tomorrow night (Julie, I hereby commit to being there), then marathon school Thursday night.

I'm not sure it's hit me yet that there's just over a week to go until we're off to Paris!

21st March - The Home Straight

The final long, long run is complete! Let the taper begin...though contrary to my initial idea of putting my feet up for two weeks, apparently I've still got to do quite a bit of running but no more of those epic three hour plus treks.

Well, not until the marathon itself.

It keeps occurring to me, how am I going to run so far? What if I can't do it and have to drop out? The shame.

A friend commented the other day that I must be really fit by now with all the training but the funny thing is I genuinely don't feel that I am. In fact, I sometimes feel my fitness levels are getting worse when I'm dragging myself round the streets of West Yorkshire. Perhaps my fitness will undergo a miraculous improvement during the taper?!

Training's gone well this week. Did boot camp on Wednesday, then marathon school on Thursday, which I loved - sprinting round a football pitch in the dark at Apperley Bridge (well, it's a marked improvement on running in the freezing cold with snow blowing in my face), something to do with VO2 training...Friday found me doing some heavy duty shopping after work (recovery shop?), then Sunday did the Otley run(though without the booze) nearly 16 miles with Julie and Lisa.

I'm still struggling with painful feet. I thought I was doing okay until about mile nine on Sunday and the now familiar nerve twitch returned. I'm resolved to get some new trainers but I'm not sure whether I've left it too late...I've got to do something though or I will be withdrawing from the race. Just kidding...

18th March - Big Hearts

I've now reached my fundraising target of £500 for the British Heart Foundation, so any extras will be a fantastic bonus. Thanks for the recent generous donations from: Sue B, Colin & Sue, Alex, Mick & Dawn, Alan, Nick and Claire H, which have taken me to today's total of £513.50!!! I'm so pleased, as are the BHF who have promised to send me a vest to wear in the marathon and lots of support along the route.

I managed to get back on my feet after Sunday, with a five mile run with VARR on Tuesday and boot camp last night. Marathon school tonight and we're apparently doing 300m repetitions, with emphasis on leg speed and form. I'll just have a little lie down first I think...

14th March - Time Wounds all Heels

A relatively early start to head off for sunny Morecambe (or Lancaster as it turned out to be) for the Trimpell 20 mile race prevented me from having time to feel nervous. I'd spent the day before preparing: stuffed my face with carbs all day (do rocky roads count?) and bought a bum bag for my gels, new thick socks and pads for my trainers in the hope that the recent pain I'm experiencing in my feet when running will go away.

It didn't.

I have never experienced such a painful run. From about eight miles on, every step felt like the nerves in my feet were being twisted.

Now I know why it's called endurance running.

We started off with a lap of a track from Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, and then headed off onto some cycle tracks. I stuck with Julie for the first 3-4 miles, which kept me at a great pace though I had to admit defeat eventually as I just couldn't keep up. I ran the rest of the race on my own counting down every single mile and desperately trying to keep within 10 minute miles. It was a good job I did those speedy first few miles because I was losing the will to live by about 13 miles, and the miles went down slower and slower. The negative talk set in and, at times, I very nearly walked and even considered dropping out all together.

But I didn't.

And thanks are due to some lifesavers, including Liz Jones who popped up sporadically to take photos and made me smile, the lady whose name I never caught but was training for London who ran with me from mile 16-18 and announced if I stopped or walked she was going to drag me round the final few miles, Nick the marine who ran with me for the last two miles and of course, Julie, Lisa and Jo my greatest supporters and inspiration who all ran the race in some amazing times.

When the pain was over, after the final gruelling two laps of the track (how cruel) we finished off with a lovely swim at Salt Ayre Leisure Centre.

I managed a time of 3 hours 27, which I'm hoping will mean I can complete Paris in a credible time. How I'm ever going to run six miles more than I did today, I just don't know. But I know I will.

7th March - With a Little Help From My Friends

Five weeks to go until marathon day, and the first of my three really tough weeks, until the taper, is complete.

And I pleased to report it really hasn't been too bad.

That said, I'm currently moving about as if I could do with a zimmer frame. But I have just run 16 miles (count 'em!).

After marshaling the final Peco X Country Race today, Julie and I headed out on the run she had planned (thank you, Julie) from Esholt to Guiseley, then onto Otley where we turned round by the river and ran back with a final three miles on the canal back to Apperley Bridge. It was a really lovely scenic run and the sun was shining which always makes a huge difference.

The next long run is the Trimpell 20 in Morecambe next Sunday, and it definitely doesn't feel too unachievable now.

Thank you my ERR friends for keeping me going...

3rd March - Egg Runner...

Running in the spring afternoon sunshine, how lovely. What a fabulous change from running in the dark in the wet and cold. Apparently, not the case in Bradford...we got egged by a some lads in a passing van.

Unbelievable!

Up until then, Lisa and I had been having a great run from her house in Pudsey, up to Tong Village, then along Tong Street and down Dick Lane, where it happened. Outraged, but undeterred we carried on back down to Lisa's. By the end of the run, we'd clocked 9.5 miles. However, when we'd done this run before it was 10.5 miles (and it certainly felt like it), so we decided Lisa's Garmin hadn't picked up the satellites for the first mile.

Marathon school tomorrow and I think we're off to a track on the other side of Bradford to do some speed work. Here's hoping there won't be any flying eggs...

1st March - The Lone Ranger...

First day of my week off and spurred on by word that Julie, Lisa and Jo had run 17.5 miles in my absence yesterday, I knew I had to fit in my long(ish) run today.

Even if it was on my own.

It took me a whole morning of procrastination to force myself out of the front door, but I did it. Left the car at Apperley Bridge and ran along the canal in glorious sunshine feeling quite invigorated. Then through Esholt (where it threatened to rain), up to Guiseley, along to Rawdon and it was here the endorphins kicked in and I decided to extend the run over the originally planned 10.5 miles. So, I carried on running down to the ring road, down Calverley Lane and then back to Apperley Bridge along the canal from Rodley.

It was lovely to be finally running in the light.

I'd been gone 2 hr 20 minutes by the time I got back to the car, which was less than the 2 hr 45 I should have done but I was happy with it nevertheless. I've just mapped it, and reckon it was about 13 miles.

The plan for the week is to run with Lisa on Wednesday afternoon, then running school on Thursday, recovery run Friday, boot camp Saturday morning and long run Saturday afternoon.

No rest for the wicked.

26th February - Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays....

Six weeks to go until marathon day, and sometimes it seems as if the training has taken over my life - which it has. This week has consisted of a 5.5 mile run on Tuesday, boot camp on Wednesday, 9 miles at marathon school last night and I have to do a 3 mile recovery run tonight.

I mean, how did I used to fill my days before? Watching telly...seeing friends...going for nice meals...pleasant walks?

A taste of the normal life is coming my way this weekend as I'm off on a hen do to Bath (is this like rehabilitating prisoners into society?). But what about my punishing weekend training schedule? I'm not doing it is what.

And I confess I tried to get out of doing any catch up training at all.

But Mick the marathon coach was having none of it. Apparently, it's far too close to the marathon to be missing my long run so Monday will see me pounding the streets for 2 hours and 45 minutes...on my own.

Yes, that is why I don't like Mondays.

21st February - The Runs...

I'm starting to get really nervous before these longer runs, so I was a little relieved when I woke up this morning and realised it had snowed quite heavily last night. The relief was shortlived, however, as the realisation hit me that there is no way I can miss out on the scheduled 15 mile run...marathon day is getting just too close. So, I met Lisa and Julie as arranged.

Here I am with my fellow troopers after the first three miles or so. See? We're all smiles..not the case about 8 miles in when I experienced my first ever runners' trots (is this too close to the cloth?!) - thank goodness for the Fox & Hounds at Bramhope...saved me a lot of embarassment!

Other than that I'm feeling okay, if a little tired. I'm pleased.

A total of 32 miles run this week...

18th February - The Going Gets Tough(er)

Training's been tough, tough, tough this week. Just back from our introduction to the short tempo run at marathon school. This was basically a 25 minute hard run (90% of maximum heart rate), sandwiched between a 15 min warm-up and 15 min cool-down. I think this would be tough in any circumstances but in the dark, at 0 degrees with snow blowing in our faces it was doubly hard. I've started to cough a lot when doing difficult runs - I wonder whether I'm shifting decades of pollution from my chest?!

Tuesday, I did about seven miles with the Virgin Active Runners - I went out with a faster group than I perhaps should have done and ended up playing catch-up down Kirkstall Road, into Leeds, up to Headingley and back to Kirkstall. A great workout but slightly embarrassing that I was so far at the back. Runs like this feel like a wake-up call to remind me that I've still got a long way to go!

It's difficult to get a balance though, while trying to avoid injury too. I seem to have developed what Mick at marathon school thinks is Piriformis Syndrome, so I need to make sure I'm stretching everyday. Maybe I need to look into sports massage too?

Recovery run tomorrow night, bootcamp on Saturday morning and then I'm aiming for a 15 mile run on Sunday with Julie & Lisa. What an achievement that will be...

14th February - Into the Groove

Liversedge Half Marathon is complete! One of the reviews I read described it as 'mainly through rural areas and testing in places' which was pretty accurate. Suddenly I am glad that I train in Eccleshill where there are hills aplenty, so I wasn't too fazed by the huge hills in this race.

I'm feeling really positive - I've upped my mileage (about 34 miles this week) and feel okay today. Also, the amount of support I have already received through sponsorship is amazing. I'm now 82% of the way to my target at £411.50, thanks to recent donations from Lucy, Helen, Grandma, Geraldine & David.

Bring on the coming week...

12th February - No 42956 Reporting For Duty...

It's here! My race number has come through...it's really happening...I've just got to sort out the medical certificate from my doctor and then that's it. Oh, and eight more weeks of training too!

The week's gone well so far. I spent Sunday recovering from the trauma of my Saturday training, then went to club on Monday for some hill sprints around Fitness First. Rested Tuesday, and then went to club on Wednesday and did a 6.5 mile run.

The word 'horrific' kept going through my mind at marathon school last night, however. We were introduced to the long tempo run, where you basically run hard for 70 minutes. It didn't sound so bad until I realised this length of time meant I would get as far as Calverley (from Morrisons on Gain Lane), and so have to run up Woodhall Road while maintaining a good speed. We're doing short tempos next week which sounds much more up my street.

Another weekend of hard training stretches before me. Three mile recovery run tonight, bootcamp on Saturday morning and then the Liversedge Half Marathon on Sunday, which I'm told is really hilly. It should amount to about 34 miles this week. I get the feeling I'm going to start next week very tired...

I heard this quoted recently and I'm trying to keep it in mind...

"The pain will go away but the finish lasts forever"

6th February - A Glutton for Punishment

Well, this marathon training is clearly turning me funny in the head resulting in the madness that was my training today. It went something like this:

1. Go out on Friday night and consume some large glasses of wine
2. Get up early on Saturday morning for crazy boot camp in Roundhay Park. Spend an hour swinging kettlebells and doing strange things with power bags
3. Try to tie in my long run with boot camp, wave goodbye to James speeding off in the nice, warm car and run home from Roundhay.

Cut to scene as I am heaving my aching limbs down the Leeds ring road, which I can only liken to running on the motorway. I'm not going to relive the nightmare that was this 10.5 mile run, suffice to say I will not be doing it again!

And this was going to be my sensible week...

3rd February - Best Laid Plans...

Hooray! I've finally stuck to the marathon training plan by reducing my nights of running and I'm now feeling loads better.

In fact, I'm a little ball of energy...

Had a great time at boot camp on Saturday morning. Ran 10.5 miles with Jo from running club on Sunday and managed to come in spot on my scheduled 1 hour 45 minute of easy running. I was back home for 11am, feeling positively virtuous with the day stretching ahead of me.

I'm not sure an enormous lunch at the Toby Carvery is included in the marathon training plan though...surely it's all about fuelling?

Nervously, trialled the Virgin Active Runners last night and was pleased to see so many familiar faces there. I thoroughly enjoyed the session which included a warm-up mile long jog along Kirkstall Road, and then interval running...er in the car park of Iceland. We did seven sets of two minute sprints with a two minute rest in between each one.

I know this type of training got me really fit for my first half marathon, so fingers crossed this will do the same. At one point, I did wonder what the heck my life has come to when I spend an hour on a Tuesday night, in the dark, running round lamposts in a supermarket car park.

I guess stranger things have happened...

28th January - Twitching Slowly or Quickly?

I took Monday and Tuesday this week as rest days and so felt moderately refreshed when I went to club on Wednesday night. I was dismayed (in a good way, if that's possible) to find we were going to run up the dreaded hill that is Woodhall Road in Calverley. However, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought and I managed to clock up 8 miles which I was really pleased with.

Marathon School last night (or the Slow Twitchers),and we were introduced to a pelaton, which involves running easily in single file, 2m apart. The runner at the back of the line sprints to the front, and settles in to the easy pace again 2m in front of the front runner. Then the next runner (at the back) sprints to the front, again taking up the lead position 2m in front of the front runner. I think we covered about 5 miles over the course of the evening, which I was pleased with and I really enjoyed it.

Quite a few from club are running one of the league cross country races on Sunday, but I'm keen to try to stick to my training plan, so I've arranged to run a 10 miler with Jo from club instead. So, that's Sunday's training and Saturday I'll do bootcamp as usual.

The hardest part of this marathon training so far has been getting the number of times I train a week right. It is okay to do two days on the trot, or will I lose the benefit on the second day because I won't put in so much effort as I'm still tired from the day before? How far should I run on a long run? How far should I run on a short run?? So many questions!!

Anyway, I have some new trainers this week so it's time for a fresh start! The new plan is to follow my marathon school training plan more closely. So, next week I'm going to try out a Tuesday night run with the Virgin Active Runners, which has been highly recommended to me, instead of the usual Wednesday run and see whether I feel fresher for marathon school as a result.

Perhaps I am planning too meticulously for this and need to take it more in my stride (literally?!). Well, we'll see...

Raising the Game

Sponsorship for the marathon is steadily increasing. I'm now at £325.50 - 65% of my target with just under 11 weeks to go. Thanks very much to Sarah, Uncle Albert, Lisa, Matt and Claire for your recent donations.

24th January - Cold Enough to Freeze...

An early start this morning to be in York for 9am to run the Brass Monkey half marathon. Given that I'm still in the 'endurance phase' of my marathon training plan, I'd been told not to race as building mileage is more important and racing at this stage could result in injury - or more likely for me, being so tired that I can't train for the rest of the week!

I decided I was going to try to work out heart rate training so strapped on my monitor and, er, watched it. I don't really understand what my heart rate should be when I'm running to ensure I'm running at the optimum level. I ran the first seven miles at 160 bpm (thanks for keeping me steady, Gill) but then increased to 170 bpm for the next five miles and upped it a bit more to 175 bpm for the last mile. But what does all this mean?? I'll have to check it out with Mick, the marathon school coach who reckons training by heart rate is the best way.

Anyway, I managed 2 hours 16 minutes, which is my slowest half marathon yet but I guess I need to bear in mind it's getting the mileage in that counts most at this stage. I think that's the case anyway - the problem with marathon training is that there's so much conflicting advice it's hard to know what the best thing to do is.

Despite being tired and having feet covered in blisters, I think I'm doing okay mileage wise. In the last week, I've done about 30 miles plus boot camp - I just hope I can keep it up!

Eleven weeks and 13 more miles than today to go...arrgghh

21st January - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm absolutely shattered tonight and have realised I'm going to have to amend my perhaps over ambitious training. If only I didn't live in EcclesHILL, I'm sure life and running, in particular, would be much easier!

Tonight was the first session of marathon school - or the 'slow twitchers' which I think is our official name. I'm hoping this weekly two hour session is going to whip me into shape ready for the marathon. Tonight, we did a 5k time trial and I was dismayed to realise I'm actually a minute slower than I was when I last did a time trial in May last year (27.35 compared to a PB of 26.25). I'm putting it down to a week of tough training...

Monday I was thinking of an easy run but Lisa had other ideas (I'm so thankful to her for organising me!), and we ended up doing 4.5 miles which included the dreaded hill that is King Lane. What really did for me though was Wednesday's 8.5 mile run out to Saltaire and back to Idle - my legs were like lead for that entire run and I've felt drained all day.

So...I'm going to rest tomorrow night instead of going to running club, in the hope that I'll be fit for boot camp on Saturday morning.

This Sunday, I'm running the Brass Monkey half marathon in York as I've now managed to get a number from someone who has dropped out. It's definitely going to be more of a training run that a race though - at the moment I'm not sure my legs will even get me round.

Three sleeps before then though...

17th January - The Hills Are Alive

Finally, a longer run is complete. Did a very testing run this morning with Julie, Lisa, Gill & Sharon from Saltaire to Eldwick, then onto Baildon and back to Saltaire - I think it totalled just over 10 miles, and we were out for about 1.40 minutes. It was a bit longer than I should've done according to my training plan but I really enjoyed it, despite the mammoth hills at Eldwick. My heart is still beating out of my chest now!

I've struggled to keep to the training plan due to the inclement weather and icy paths but am hoping to get back on track next week. Still managed five miles last Monday, five on Friday evening and an hour's boot camp on Saturday, but it is not enough! So, next week's training should look like this:

Monday - 30 minutes easy
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 40 minutes steady
Thursday - Marathon School - last week cancelled so not sure if it's fartlek or 5k time trial
Friday - 60 minutes easy
Saturday - Bootcamp
Sunday - 90 minutes easy.

This week I need to find a route to run next Sunday and also investigate what I need to be doing about 'fuelling' when I run. Do I need gels, energy drinks or what??

Twelve weeks today and the marathon will be complete!

Generous people

Thanks so much to the generous people who have sponsored me in the last week: Becky, Auntie Brenda, Jane, Julie, Kay, Bernard, ma mere, John and Mark. I'm now over the half way mark to my target with £254.30 raised to date. For anyone else who would like to sponsor me, I'm raising money for the British Heart Foundation and the link is:

http://www.justgiving.com/Sophie-Withnall

11th January - Slip Slidin' Away

The snow seems to be melting now and running in slush is no fun at all. Ran about 5 miles with Julie and her son, Marc - it was a tough run to five lane ends, down Kings Road and then up Bolton Road. Julie described it like running through treacle and that was pretty accurate along with slipping and sliding on the snow. The local youths lobbed snowballs at us as we ran - unlucky Julie got bashed in the head with one. Surely the young people of Paris will not shout abuse and throw things as we run the marathon?!

Arrived home with cold and wet feet.

Rest day today and I'm intending to savour the free evening...

10th January - Big Bad Doms

Very sore today after the first boot camp for three weeks yesterday - I believe it's called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). It was really hard going in the snow, and it always feels like I'm starting from scratch if I even have a week off. Still, I'm hoping that weekly boot camp - run by http://www.creatingchaos.co.uk/ - (shown here in an attractive photo of me with my bum in the air!)will strengthen my legs enough to keep me running the full 26.2 miles.

Marathon school is starting next week, which I'm very excited about. It's going to be two hours of training every Thursday for the next 13 weeks. Mick Brearley who's running it has sent me through my training plan and I'm pleased to note it doesn't look anywhere near as daunting as I expected. In fact, I think I've been doing okay so far. The plan is broken down into four phases: endurance phase, lactate threshold, race preparation and taper. I'm going to adapt it slightly to fit in with club training nights.

So, the next four weeks will look something like this:

Monday - 30 minutes steady
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 1 hour easy
Thursday - 5k time trial/fartlek/hills/long tempo
Friday - 45 minutes steady
Saturday - Boot camp
Sunday - 80 minutes rising to 2 hours easy.

Goodbye social life or any other interesting offers...well, it's only 13 weeks of my life.

8th January - Blinded by the Snow

6.50pm and Lisa calls to say it's snowing hard in Pudsey so she's not running. There's no sign here in Bradford.

Fast forward to five past seven. Julie and I run what was possibly a three mile PB for us both round Eccleshill slipping in the snow, barely able to see where we're going as the snow's coming down so heavily.

The training isn't going so well! On the plus side though, I've now raised £138.30 for the British Heart Foundation. Thanks to James, Kate H, Kate S, Matt, Liz and Chris for your sponsorship.

Boot camp in Roundhay Park tomorrow morning. Can't wait...

6th January - The Big Freeze...

Been back an hour and still haven't got warm...blanket wrapped round my legs as I type. James has just informed me I look like a frozen turkey. Thanks.

The Big Freeze is here.

The car said it was minus three degrees but I'd said a definite 'yes' to Julie about running tonight on Monday. I can't let her down. I can't let myself down. So, donning my studs (apparently very handy for running in snow) I head down to Idle for 7pm.

Despite the cold, it's a lovely night...white and crisp.

We run from Idle to Thackley and on to Saltaire down to the roundabout (not a car in sight) and back...only not quite back because that final hill is just too much and Julie's husband's car gets up it much easier than we could.

A pleasing 7.5 miles in cross country-esq conditions.

4th January - Another Run in the Snow

Oh heck, yesterday I committed to meeting Julie and Lisa to run tonight. I haven't managed to get warm all day and truely the last thing I want to do is step outside in the dark and cold and run...and didn't Lisa mention something about running up the neverending Harrogate Road?!

Nevertheless, 7pm and I'm racing out the door in woolly hat and James's enormous Thinsulate gloves. Run down to Fitness First. Not many at club tonight (wise people)...just Julie, Lisa and Jo is back. What would I do without Lisa who has worked out a trying route to run to Five Lane Ends, down to Idle, up to Greengates then up Harrogate Road. I would NEVER do this run on my own! We head off slipping and sliding on the pavement...surely my breathing is so heavy because of the cold rather than my fitness levels?! Harrogate Road goes on and on and it occurs to me, that I will remember this training run when I'm struggling round Paris...I ran up a big hill in the snow to train for this, what's 26.2 miles around flat Paris in the Spring? Lisa and Julie are speeding on ahead. How do they go so fast? Should I be pushing harder?

We end up extending the route slightly...well, I'm pretty warm now. Some local youths taunt us on the home stretch back - it's always the same, they try to race us and end up crippled over. Ha!

Five miles...done.

3rd January 2010 - Training Day One

The training books are all read, two half marathons are complete and seven weeks ago in a moment of pure insanity I entered the Paris Marathon. The easy bits are done. It's day three of 2010, the countdown begins...time to get serious...

Up at 6.45am for the first run of the New Year. Panic is beginning to set in that the Paris Marathon is just 14 weeks today! Last night, I tried in vain to find a 14 week marathon training plan but they all seem to be a minimum of 16 weeks...have I left it too late??

Today is the Pennine 10k at Brighouse.

Meet Lisa & Julie, my fellow Eccleshill Road Runners (ERR), at the end of the road. The snow is pretty bad and as we drive into Bradford to meet Gill (another ERR member), Lisa wonders whether the race will be cancelled because of the ice. Unfortunately, her prediction comes to fruition as we approach Brighouse there is a call from Mick Hogan (top notch ERR) to confirm the race is cancelled. Undeterred, Lisa suggests we run anyway and drives us to a park for a short run.

We're just warming up (well, of sorts), when we're joined by another would-be Pennine 10k racer from Baildon runners. Turns out he's run nine marathons and is full of tips. The main thing I remember though is his experience that once you start doing training runs over 13 miles your weight drops off. Well, every cloud....

He also confirms my reading (the bible - The Competitive Runners Handbook) that I shouldn't go over 20 miles on a training run. I like this man!!

We do about three miles in the end, not much, but it is freezing cold and surely we're using more muscle power running in snow?

Finish off with a warming coffee and bagel in McDonalds...hmm not sure that is on the training plan.

Well, it's a start...