Category Archives: Lifestyle

Lolly’s 2019 running reflections

by Lolly

I’m not entirely sure how it’s the end of December already, but it is and so it seems a good time to reflect on the past year as I plan for the year ahead. It’s certainly been a strange year for me in terms of running, lots of meh but also plenty of spectacular highlights.

I didn’t officially write down any goals for the year, but in practice they were:

Beat my long-standing parkrun PB
Get a friend to run their first parkrun
Visit 12 new-to-us parkrun events
Do the Somerset Series
Make running a habit (again)

Beat my long-standing parkrun PB

Straight in with one of the undeniable highlights of my year. Right back in January I went to Burnham and Highbridge parkrun and somehow achieved what I thought I was still months off. The write up of that morning was also one of my favourite blog posts of the year.

Get a friend to run their first parkrun

Or even better, get more than one friend to run their first parkrun. I took some of my colleagues through Couch to 5k at the start of the year, at the end of which I was able to introduce them to Longrun Meadow parkrun. And they’re still speaking to me as well!

Visit 12 new-to-us parkrun events

We made it to 13, so definite tick here. More would have been nice, particularly with the momentum we had at the start of the year, but tourism is always a compromise in this house.

And what would tourism be without a family start line selfie?

Do the Somerset Series

This is where it goes downhill a bit. I tried to make this work, and worked with Ben to get a schedule that fit both of us. I pushed myself to do some races I normally wouldn’t consider, and even got a very painful 5k PB at Yeovilton. But skipping out on a few options early on left me needing to do the Mells Scenic 7 and Brent Knoll to get enough in, and I wasn’t well enough to run Mells. I would say there’s always next year, but I think this is a goal I’ll park for a little while.

Make running a habit (again)

Ohhhh wow. I failed so badly here. My monthly mileage chart looks bad enough, with its gradual climb through the year, but when you see the scale it’s flipping awful. As Ben has pointed out, in each of 3 months I ran less miles than he would consider the minimum for a satisfactory week. Total mileage for the year 337, and that includes a lot of running to assist other people.

Anyway, goal analysis out the way, here’s the other highlights from a year that had a surprising amount of good packed into its low mileage.

New 10k PB

I put a lot of pressure on myself to be ready for the Glastonbury 10k, and was a massive bag of nerves that morning. Everything clicked together at the right time, and the race that saw my first sub-60 back in 2015 got my new PB in 2019.

The angle of my front foot makes me wince

Sub-30 buggy parkrun

This was a huge milestone for me, as before this year I didn’t consider myself much of a ‘proper’ buggy runner. And my very first sub-30 was at the stunning Eden Project, which had the added boost of knowing I’d managed the hills well.

CiRF

Or Coach in Running Fitness for the uninitiated, which is what I have officially been since the start of June. Not going to lie, I found it tough going and decided I was going to drop out multiple times, but I’m glad I stuck with it as it’s really helped with…

Beginners Groups

Back in March I volunteered to take over running the beginners groups at my club (Running Forever Running Club). The two groups I’ve run so far have been a big confidence boost in a year where self-belief has been in short supply. And I love chatting to group graduates at club night or parkrun and hearing how their running is going.

Tamar Trails parkrun

I ran 36 parkruns this year, and every single one was an achievement or learning experience of some kind. But I need to single out Tamar Trails on my personal achievements for the year, because it’s something that 12 months ago I wouldn’t have thought I could do, and I did it at a crazy time. After a month when I’d missed parkrun every week, and really getting inside my head, I ran a tough trail course, with a buggy, in a storm. And when I finished that run I really felt like I could achieve anything.

Mini running buddy

I hate to end with a cliche, but some of my truly proudest runs this year have been running with Lani. There was her 10th parkrun at Severn Bridge, the “I don’t want to run” turned PB at Torbay Velopark, and the pure joy of running at her 50th junior parkrun. And set apart from the milestones, the girl who used to run at Heavitree every week in winter to avoid puddles became the girl who ran straight through near knee-deep puddles on Christmas Day.

Team Awesome strike again! (Photo from Longrun Meadow parkrun Facebook)

So, no pressure 2020, but your highlights reel has a lot to live up to.

An ‘I’m not really running’ update

by Ben

I don’t know what it is, but I just haven’t clicked this year. It has by no means been awful: other than when I fell over and made a hole in my knee, I haven’t been injured this year, and thankfully I’ve had none of the illness woes that I struggled with at the end of last year. I’ve just sort of, lost my mojo.

Heck, it wouldn’t take much for this year to finish as my second highest mileage ever, though as things stand I’m on course for my lowest total since 2015. (The difference between my current second most (810) and my fourth most (732) is about 80 miles.)

I have still been running though, and I’ve been trying to find the enjoyment while running. Even if sometimes that enjoyment isn’t actually the running itself.

My hopes of a sub-40 minute 10k this year faded away as it became clear that I just didn’t have the mental fortitude to string together consistent training weeks: I could do 30 miles one week, and then simply not run at all the following week. My last two months or so of running mileages go as such:

30, 0, 13, 0, 9, 30, 0, 18, 5, 11.

That said, I did manage to clock a sub-20 minute parkrun when we visited Burnham and Highbridge at the end of September (specifically for that purpose). While this isn’t a huge achievement for me, I would have been pretty annoyed looking at my parkrun history if I hadn’t done it.

Looking… fresh as a daisy(?!) during Burnham and Highbridge parkrun.

We also visited our 50th different parkrun; our ‘Cow’ (half a Cowell), when we went to Rogiet parkrun earlier in September.

I still have some races to look forward to, if I can get things together: the Brent Knoll race is one of my favourites, at the end of November. It isn’t the sort of race to worry too much about a time, but it’d be good to be able to have a run that I’m proud of, as I had to plod around this one last year at the height of feeling awful, in order to complete the Somerset Series.

After that is the Wellington Monument race, the weekend before Christmas, a local 10k that I’ve never done. Another one not to worry too much about time, it heads up a hill to Wellington Monument (surprise, surprise) before heading back down to the start again.

After that, in the first week of January, is the Stoke Stampede 10k. Weather dependent, this is genuinely quick course that I could attempt a PB on if I’m in good shape. It’s about 11 weeks away at the moment, so there is every chance that if I get my shit together, I could actually do well. If.

And after that, if I really manage to get my training sorted, is the Grizzly race in March.

It all seems in equal parts unlikely and perfectly achievable at the moment. But, I did manage to run my second Longrun Meadow parkrun of the year this week…

… and if I can do that, I can do anything!

parkrun tourism packing list

by Lolly

There’s a list picture that often does the rounds on social media, with the things runners have to take to parkrun (their barcode) vs the things the core team have to take (lots and lots of stuff). The idea being that given the long list of things required to make a parkrun happen, asking a runner to take a barcode along is pretty reasonable.

While technically true, and a good point to make, it is slightly amusing given how long it always takes us to get stuff ready to go out to parkrun. And how often we forget to take something vital. So with that in mind, here is the list of stuff we (should) pack when we go parkrun touring.

Running buggy/ies

Pretty essential. Just one if Lani is definitely going to run. Two if she definitely isn’t or isn’t sure. As the item that the car is packed around, we’ve always remembered this one.

Buggy rain covers

Fairly critical if it’s raining, windy, or even just plain cold. These have been left behind on too many occasions. Special mention to the time we took the wrong rain cover for the buggy we had.

Mobile phones

Used for so many things. Double checking the post code and directions. Playing music in the car to keep the kids happy. Using Google Maps when we don’t trust the car sat nav. Answering any questions about the course that pop up on the way. Taking photos. Always remembered, but we have occasionally had to charge in the car.

Garmins

Kind of obvious here. We’re fairly good at remembering these, but have forgotten on occasion.

Ventolin inhaler

So a responsible asthmatic should carry their reliever inhaler at all times. Particularly when exercising. Sadly I don’t seem to be that responsible, so I need to work on that.

Correct type of running shoes

Ideally taking a spare just in case of last minute change of plan. We’ve definitely had a few misses on this one lately.

Runners waiting for parkrun to start — I spy with my little eye… road shoes on a hybrid course

Nappy changing bag

Kind of self-explanatory when you have a toddler. Probably the single most forgotten item on this list, which has lead to a fair few leaking nappies by the time we arrive back home.

Nappies and wipes

Yeah, we took an empty changing bag one time…

Water bottles

Between travelling and running there’s a lot of need for water. We rarely take enough for everyone, which leads to a lot of groggy Saturday afternoons.

Snacks

Depending on timing this could be for before the run as well as after. As with water, we should take more.

Money

For car parking, cafe, and post-parkrun adventures. We usually remember some form of money, but don’t always remember to check we have change.

Tissues

Between the four of us, someone almost always has at least a bit of a cold. Bizarrely, even though this is something we could keep in the car (or the elusive changing bag) all the time, we rarely have them.

Contact lenses

Running wearing glasses is just not as comfortable, and is a pain when it rains. Usually put them in before leaving the house, but sometimes take them with us for longer drives. Or sometimes just forget.

Running gloves

When it’s cold, buggy running without gloves is pretty painful. I should know, I’ve done it when I’ve forgotten to pack them. Now I’ve (finally) worked out to store my gloves in the buggy pockets.

Suitable layers for the kids

Again, particularly when it’s cold. Remembering that a kid sat in a buggy is not going to warm up when running is pretty important. We find puddle suits good for blocking both wind and rain. That said, we’ve had a fair few times when we could have done with taking more layers.

Child in running buggy wearing parents' jumpers — Possibly we had to supplement her layers with our jumpers…

Wellies

Essential if you’re taking kids out in the rain, or anywhere with decent exploring potential. Also pretty useful if you’re buggy running through muddy puddles on Christmas Day and you don’t want your son’s shoes to get covered. Or they would have been, anyway.

Bib and kids cutlery

To make post-parkrun breakfast that little bit easier. I think we’ve remembered these once.

Change of clothes

If we’re going somewhere after and don’t want to be in our running kit. We’re fairly good at remembering this when required, but typically miss at least one item.

Oh, and of course…

Our barcodes

The only thing we actually double check before getting in the car (looking at this list, maybe we should check other stuff too). Even if Lani is intending to go in the buggy we still take hers. We haven’t yet forgotten to take our barcodes with us on tour, which I’m extremely grateful for.
I did once commit the parental cardinal sin of not taking Lani’s barcode to junior parkrun. Having spent the whole event dreading the attitude I would get all day, she cheerfully met me at my marshal point at the end and announced that the people had written her name down. The parkrun purist in me was mortified, but the rest of me was so so so thankful.

Special mention to hoodies, which we usually wear before and after running. Not something that we have to remember to pack, as we wear them when we head out the door. They are something we have to remember to bring home though. Which we sort of failed to do the first time we went to Minehead.

So there we have it, our list of things to take. Or probably our list. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty forgetful, and so there’s probably something else I’ve forgotten to mention…

3 things from last week

by Lolly

Being ill sucks

I had a pretty bad cold, which by the time we did Southwick Country parkrun meant that even running with Lani wiped me out. The cold started to get quite chesty, so I did the only sensible thing for an asthmatic – keep on top of inhalers and don’t run. Which was pretty painful for last week as we were in Center Parcs, which is one of my favourite ever places to run. But ultimately worth it, as I recovered pretty quickly considering how bad my lungs felt at one stage.

Step counts (or lack there of)

I always do a lot of walking at Center Parcs, and last week was no exception. Particularly given the lack of running, and the fact that our toddler mostly only slept when in the back carrier. I used to have a Garmin Vivoactive for tracking my steps, but after 3 years of service the strap broke at the end of last year. Ever since I’ve been putting off the decision of what to replace it with. Last week that really annoyed me, as I would have loved to see my step count for some of the days. So now I need to actually decide. Do I get a new simple fitness tracker watch? Do I get a fitness tracker watch I can use GPS with as well? Or do I go all out and replace my Garmin Forerunner 220 with something that does everything? Any comment suggestions much appreciated!

Running where you love

Happily my reluctant resting meant that my lungs had just about recovered in time for me to run on Thursday evening – our last night of holiday. I thought up a route with some of my favourite paths in, and headed out for 2 and a half of the most enjoyable miles I’ve run in quite a while. It was such an enjoyable experience that, when we decided it would just be me running parkrun on Saturday, I chose to go to Killerton. The trees were totally worth it. Hopefully I can keep getting enough runs in places I love that I can motivate myself to keep training.

This path is genuinely one of my favourite things about Center Parcs. Which is probably a bit weird…

3 things from last week

by Lolly

Couch to 5k graduation

Saturday was the graduation parkrun for my work couch to 5k group! Their hard work paid off, and all three had smiles on their faces at the end. Having 3 runners with very different paces was a bit of a logistical challenge. In the end the fastest ran with a friend, I ran with the middle runner until near the finish, then darted back to join the third. Honestly one of my proudest ever parkruns. And seeing the amount of effort they put in is making me want to kick myself into gear with training.

Home runs

I really enjoyed having a home parkrun weekend. All 4 of us walked to Longrun Meadow parkrun on Saturday for the graduation run (I ran and the others were cheering spectators). Then on Sunday we drove over for Lani and I to run junior (with the others cheering again). With most of our parkruns being on tour, and Lani preferring Heavitree juniors in winter, it’s been a long time since we had the local familiarity both days.

Your pace or mine?

I went running 5 times last week. Once was with our running club’s Beginners group (also running the half mile there and back), once was with my work group, once was parkrun and once was junior parkun. Other than the mile around club and the dart back at parkrun, my 3.5 mile run when I was off work last Monday was the only time I ran at my own pace. I am really really enjoying helping people discover a love of running, but definitely need to make more of an effort to run for me as well.

Motivation to Run

by Lolly

Last week I was fortunate enough to hear an after-dinner speech by the amazing Dame Kelly Holmes, at a work event no less. I have never heard anyone so inspiring, particularly with her ability to make herself seem normal and make everyone feel they have something to achieve. And, of course, I was a little bit excited to hear someone other than me talk about parkrun to some of my colleagues.

Did I mention yet that I met Kelly Holmes?

I headed back to my hotel feeling completely motivated. This was it. This time I am going to put the work in and finally beat my long standing parkrun PB (the saga of my long standing PB is a whole post in itself). My head was buzzing, and I found myself making notes of training ideas and blog posts to write. At midnight. This is not normal behaviour for someone who prizes sleep so much.

And then, as it does, reality hit. Two full-on days, on the back of a particularly busy few months, left me exhausted. And I don’t mean slightly tired. I mean having to stop at services to nap on the drive home. I mean stopping work in the middle of the next day to have another nap. I mean keeping fingers crossed the whole of the day after that the toddler will want plenty of calm activities (he didn’t, he’s a toddler after all).

But still, the positive light of Saturday morning was beckoning. Following a week volunteering we’d missed 2 parkrundays in a row, so we gave ourselves a couple of options. Plan A was for us to visit Torbay Velodrome parkrun, which would have been a new event to us. Plan B was for us to all head to somewhere local-ish like Killerton or Yeovil Montacute for me to do a repeat and get my p-index to 3 (again, a whole other blog post in that story), given Ben was thick with cold.

I woke up at 7:30 on Saturday. It was 7:45 before our little one got loud enough for me to realise what day it was. Ben was still sound asleep, and I hadn’t heard any noise from our daughter yet. So Plan C was formed. If I could get myself and our son ready in 15 minutes, I could get to Minehead and run it with the buggy (which was an extra option for increasing my p-index). Clearly, I was still a bit tired to think this was possible, as it took me approximately 10 minutes to persuade our son to leave his dummy in the cot. By which time our daughter was awake too.

So I resigned myself to Plan D – have a restful morning at home. I relayed this information to Ben at about 8:10 (he was still in bed, but it’s really hard to stay asleep once both kids are up). And about 10 minutes later he appeared downstairs and told me to get dressed and go to Longrun Meadow.

Plan E, it turned out, was exactly what I needed. Just running. Yes, touring would have been nice. But familiar faces, being able to focus on running without working out where to go, and the amazing puddles of home allowed me to run. I was never going to get an outstanding time, but actually it beat my expectations of where I would be. And I got to wear my shiny new 100 top for the first time (probably another post there too, actually). And did I mention there were puddles?!?

Lolly wears the 100 parkrun top, accessorised with trademark hairband barcode, and muddy Christmas leggings

So this was a step in the right direction. My first run that wasn’t a tourism parkrun or junior parkrun since the end of September. Now I just needed to get a run that wasn’t at parkrun at all. Of course, Sunday was a slump day. Everyone tired. Feeling a bit meh. It’s hard to start a new routine in those conditions.

And then onto today. Wow. I had an hour slot in the afternoon where I was actually free, and so I was determined to use it for an exercise DVD or something. My day fell apart with some very sad news, but I became more determined that I would get my time. Then I discovered I needed to head into town during that hour.

This is where running wins.

This is where running was a very practical option to get into town and back in the required time, while still getting my exercise in. Extending the 3/4 trip each way to 2 miles in, 1.1 back (I do love 5k at the moment).

But as soon as I set off, I knew I was running for so much more than that. I wasn’t running to help my body, I was running to help my head. The cruelest thing about feeling tired and down is that the thing that can help most is the hardest to do. What I needed was space and time to process my thoughts. I needed the consistent sound of my feet hitting the pavement. I needed the freedom.

Somewhere amongst goals, comparisons and training targets, I’d forgotten the real reason I run. Yes, some of those goals will always be a driver to improve (until I hit them of course), but the important thing is to get out there and enjoy the run. Because as tired as running can make me, life without running is way more tiring.

The Truth about Running in Pregnancy

by Lolly

As I mentioned a few months ago, running during pregnancy is a completely new thing to me. And so, like most things, I’ve just done what felt right. There have been the people who’ve thought I was crazy for keeping running. There have been the people who run half marathons at 7 months pregnant faster than I could normally. But I’m not any of those people, I’m me.

But there are some truths about running that I think are as universal as anything can be when it comes to pregnancy.

It’s tiring
This is kind of obvious in a way, because everything is more tiring when you’re pregnant. But the difference has been really noticeable to me. Not just how I’ve felt when running either. Afternoon naps after parkrun became pretty much essential to function normally.

You need more support
This is both moral and physical support. Moral support from friends and family in your decision to keep running. Physical support in the form of a decent sports bra (even more important than normal) and some form of bump band.

Your pelvic floor is your friend
It’s hard to overplay quite how wrecked your pelvic floor is after pregnancy. One of the biggest struggles women have in post-natal exercise is re-strengthening this crucial muscle so that high impact activities like running are even an option. And running during a second pregnancy made it very noticeable if I’d been skimping on my exercises. So do the exercises.

Running photos are even more attractive than normal

It’s important to know when to stop
Sure, the dream is to keep going as long as you can. Lose as few weeks of fitness as possible. But given every runner is different and every pregnancy is different, it’s not much of a stretch to realise that there is no ‘normal’ time to call it a day. What’s important is to keep listening to your body and recognise when you need to stop, before you push things too far.

For me, the time to stop appeared a week earlier than I’d hoped. Like most parkrun tourists, we had plans to see in the New Year with a parkrun double. That seemed like the perfect way to sign off for running maternity leave. My body had different ideas though, and my recovery time after parkrun on Christmas Eve told me it was time to call it a day.

To me, running in pregnancy mostly consisted of running a slow parkrun every week that I could. I would have loved to have done more, but it’s a break from running not a retirement. And until then, there’s plenty of volunteering and spectating to be done.

Being a parkrun tourist

by Lolly

In some ways it’s really easy to define parkrun tourism – running a parkrun other than your home event. In some ways it’s a bit more complicated, and (sadly) divisive, than that.

There are several types of tourism:

While on holiday, looking up and attending a nearby event.
Attending a neighbouring event because they’re doing something special or your home one is cancelled.
Travelling further for no other reason than to attend a different event.
Planning an entire trip away to attend a different event.

It’s pretty safe to call ourselves tourists – completing 25 different events when you live in the heart of the South West region and have a toddler is not something that happens by accident. With a short-term goal for the year of making the Most Events table (20 events) and a long-term goal of becoming South West regionnaires (completing the whole region), 2016 saw us shift up a gear in our tourism efforts.

Making a day of it

So what does being a parkun tourist mean for us?

Early starts
We’re fortunate that during the week our alarm is set for 6:45. We’ve (just) managed to make it to our home parkrun getting up at 8:25. For some of our tourism trips the alarm has been set for 6:00, and even then it’s been a push to get out the house on time to allow for toilet stops en-route (because, toddler and pregnant woman).

Barcode paranoia
The golden rule of parkrun: don’t forget your barcode. And if you’ve travelled specifically to tick off another event it would kind of suck to not get a result. We have the plastic barcode tags, and keep one stored in as many running kit pockets as we can (they go through the wash, it’s brilliant). Even still, we check that we’ve got them approximately every 5 minutes while getting ready to leave. And for trips away barcodes are second on our packing list (a friendly local might print a barcode for us at a push, they can’t print a toddler’s much-loved toy).

Variety
Choosing different events to attend means getting to experience a variety of courses. While I enjoy Longrun Meadow (particularly with puddles), it’s sometimes nice to run a fast tarmac course, or completely off-road. To see countryside or the sea. Or even get some hills in. Every event is different.

Getting to know the locals

Spending more time together
Saturday mornings at the end of a long week can be wash-out zones, and it’s easy to spend the time relaxing separately. Travelling for parkrun changes that. For starters, there’s the entire journey there and back where there’s nothing to do but (gasp) talk to each other and compare thoughts on radio features. But, strangely, with parkrun then taking up most of the morning we’re also more likely to visit a playpark or head to a cafe together as well.

A massive community
A common accusation pointed at parkrun tourists is that we have missed one of the main points of parkrun: community-building. For me it couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, I have gained a lot from my home parkrun’s community and really appreciate seeing familiar faces any time I’m there. But travelling around makes you realise quite how big the parkrun community is, and you get to meet new people to share your mutual love of parkrun with. Whether it’s talking to volunteers, meeting up with fellow tourists, or just chatting to the person you happen to run next to, it really doesn’t matter which parkrun you’re at.

As for those types of tourism I mentioned, perhaps unsurprisingly we’ve done all 4. We haven’t gone to the extreme of flying somewhere just to visit a different event. Yet. There’s still time.

Lack-of-Training Update

by Lolly

I haven’t been posting enough recently. I’ve been trying to persuade myself that it’s ok, because Ben has had a lot more running to write about than normal. But then looking at the last 10 blog posts only 1 has been from me. Oops.

In part, this has been because there’s been little to write about. My running lately has consisted of parkrun. Even then, other commitments have meant I haven’t managed every week. My times have been less than stellar: 36:29, 37:15, 37:07, 35:46 and (today) 38:52. It hasn’t bothered me too much though.

My packed-out training schedule

So to re-cap: I’ve got no races planned for the rest of the year, my training is virtually non-existent, and I’ve been taking the few runs I have been doing as easy as possible.

Kind of screams “surviving first trimester of pregnancy” right?

Actually, I’m pretty proud of myself for the little running I’ve managed. Last time round I ran precisely zero miles during the whole 9 months, so every time I set off it sort of feels like a new PB. And now that I’m through with the “feeling crappy” months I can get moving a little bit more for a while. You know, until the “exhausted” months arrive.

My life revolves around running

by Lolly

For the past couple of months it feels like everything I do is about running. Timetable. Meal planning. Laundry schedule. Everything. But here’s the kicker – I’m not running.

My latest run on Strava was optimistically called “Trying to start a habit”. Given that was a month ago, it clearly wasn’t much of a success. Truth is, there’s been a lot of other stuff going on. I’m at the end of a college course, and so assignments have had to take priority in the evenings and at weekends. Add the normal tiring elements of work and a toddler, and there wasn’t a lot left.

Does he even own any normal clothes?

But still, the alarm is set early enough for long runs – inevitably causing aforementioned toddler to decide it’s time to get up. The requirement for me to be on toddler duty is based on a running plan. Meals are meticulously selected so that spice does not precede a long run. Each day the laundry basket must be checked for favoured running kit, and the dirty dishes pile checked for recovery shake bottles. And weekends? They’re for researching race routes to decide if there are toddler-friendly cheering points.

In short, I am currently a running widow.

It will change. My college course is almost done. Home life is adjusting to the idea of Ben running so much during the week. And everyone knows that attack is the best form of defence. Time to dust off the trainers then…