Challenge 40

Hi All

2009-05-21T18:02:00.001Z

Sorry for not posting sooner. After my last race, well the day after, I had surgery on my left shoulder, which has been more painful than I imagined. They had to do more scraping of bone and removal of things than they expected. It is slowly getting better, even managed to run this week which was good.

Am due to race on Sunday, am going to take it very slowly, just need to get round.

On another note, did end up in A&E on Saturday with severe stomach cramps, which I think they decided was just knock on affect of my polyp op, but not sure about that. Will be keeping an eye on that I think. I sat there in the very hard chairs, looking down at my stomach and I seriously looked pregnant, which I am definitely not.

Seems to have sorted itself out, though will be asking the consultant.

Will let you know how I get on sunday, and then its off to Center Parcs with the Adam, girls, sister and her family next week which will be cool.

thanks

I survived

2009-05-11T05:14:00.002Z

Hi All,

Well I made it round, despite it starting at 8:30 in the morning and it being quite warm. I decided on a gentle plod and maintained a steady 9 minute mile pace, coming in at 1:58 so not bad really. Didn't have any problems and was very pleased.

The best part was as I turned the corner for the home straight, Adam and the girls had turned up to surprise me, complete with banners. It was lovely to see them there and its the first time any of them had seen me finish on of my challenge races. So it makes this race very special indeed and one I will remember.

Am in today for my shoulder op, so will be taking it easy for a couple of days at least, can't wait to get back to a time when I don't have any thing going on and I can just run. Also keeping fingers crossed this sorts out the problem and my shoulder stops hurting so much.

thanks

So far so good

2009-05-08T09:46:00.002Z

Hi,

Another run this morning, 4 miles, 33:30 so not a bad time, and I was trying to go slow :-) I realise I am not doing any great distance but am pleased to be doing any running at the moment and am sure that Sunday's race in Richmond is going to be OK. Its a flat course (they even start at the top of the hill and finish at the bottom :-) ) though it starts at 8:30 in the morning which is not much fun at all. I suppose at least it will be over quickly and it won't be hot at that time of the morning.

Got my op for my shoulder on the Monday, am really hoping that a) it sorts everything out and I can start living a pain free life, and b) doesn't stop me from running for too long. The consultant said that I should have no problem running my race on the 24th May so fingers crossed.

Will post after Sunday's race let you know how I got on.

thanks

Yippee

2009-05-06T13:35:00.003Z

Well yesterday saw me running again, and it did feel good. It never ceases to amaze me how much I enjoy running, and so after not being able to it is lovely to come back to. It wasn;t a long run, just over 3 miles in 30 minutes, but it did feel good. Am hoping to get out tomorrow to do about an hour and keep everything crossed (obviously not while running, wonder if anyone has ever tried that in the London marathon :-) ) that it goes well.

I know lots of people have injuries and illnesses that affect their running, and it can be so hard to take it easier or rest completely. I have had my fair share of that over the last 2 years when I started my challenge, but the amazing sense of relief when I get back out on the road is just lovely and I know others share that feeling,

thanks

Don't like walking

2009-05-03T10:50:00.002Z

Hi,

Have been restraining myself to simply going for long walks, but am starting to get bored of that now. Want to run :-)

Hoping to do some this week, but very slowly to see how I get on. I am sure it will be fine, but you never know. Am racing next weekend, in the Richmond half-marathon, which starts at 8:30 in the morning which I am not looking forward to. Don;t like early starts at the best of times. At least it shouldn;t be hot at that time of the morning, though knowing my luck at the moment anything can happen.

Starting to get a little confidence back, now my body has stopped hurting, it really knocked me sideways and dented my confidence in my ability. Really don;t want to go through that again.

Am running again on Tuesday so will let you know how I get on,

thanks

Sunny Saturday

2009-05-02T07:29:00.002Z

Hi All,

Well definitely feel like I am on the mend, and may even attempt a gentle jog this weekend. The walk on Thursday was lovely and it was good to use my legs again and it wasn't too painful. I am giving up on my shoulder and just bearing the pain till the surgery, only a week away.

Have the Richmond half-marathon next Sunday, am sure it will be fine, but you always have at the back of your mind that something is going to go wrong. Need to get that one under my belt to give me back a little confidence. It was severely bashed on Sunday. My op is the next day, at 7 in the morning :-( at least it will give me a chance to rest.

Its lovely and sunny here today, so after the auto-italia festival in Brooklands this morning and think an opportunity to do a little tanning is in order :-)

thanks

Manic Thursday

2009-04-30T07:19:00.002Z

Well four days on and things seem to be settling down. Stomach has been fine and bleeding has stopped. Saw my phsyio yesterday to get my legs checked out and apart from tightness and soreness due to Sunday they are fine. Going to go for a gentle walk today to try and loosen things up but only a short distance and very gentle.

Think the thing that is giving me the most jip is my shoulder, it has become so painful and I can;t use my arm very much at all. Its a good job I am having the surgery to sort it out.

Mentally I am at a point that I am struggling slightly, need to pull my finger out and start raising some money, as well as getting myself into a frame of mind to get through the last 9 races. Did have fun yesterday trying to register for the Osterund marathon in Sweden, as the wedsite was in Swedish, thanks to Alan at Adam's work for helping to translate. I think I am now registered, so that will be my penultimate race before the 40th race on the 2nd August in Sturminster-Newton.

thanks

Feeling Better

2009-04-29T07:11:00.003Z

Thank god the painful Tuesday is over. It is always two days after a race that the real pain kicks in, then it eases after that to dull thud and then fades. So today I don;t feel too bad, stomach seems to have settled down too. So rest for the rest of the week and then see if I can get running again next week.

Went to see consultant yesterday about my shoulder, and I now have to have surgery on that too. Not been in hospital since having children and here I am on my second operation in as many months. Its just key hole surgery to remove some of the bone from my shoulder to open the gap so my tendon doesn;t get squashed, but still not looking forward to it. And no driving for a whole week, going to have to sort something out for picking up the girls.

Anyway I am waffling again, seems I am recovering slowly, just need to get my TMA finished and sent today and then everything will be OK, till the next one is due :-)

thanks

The recovery

2009-04-28T07:02:00.002Z

Hi All,
Well into second day after the marathon and as expected I am feeling even worse today than I did yesterday. Legs are in a lot of pain in the calf area, though thighs aren't too bad. It is always the way second day is always the worst, at least I can look forward to feeling a bit better tomorrow.

Rested yesterday and will do so today too, though have lots of study to do with a TMA due in tomorrow. For those that don't know TMA is a course work for an OU course I am doing.

Off to see consultant today about my shoulder which has been giving me a lot of trouble, though doesn't affect my running thankfully. Hoping that he'll be able to do something about it,

thanks

Well I finished

2009-04-27T15:17:00.002Z

Apologies for not posting yesterday but it was a bit of a traumatic day.

I started well and thought that everything was going to be OK, until I got to the half way mark. I had a minor operation 2.5 weeks ago and thought that I would be OK for the race. However at the 12/13 mile mark I started getting cramps in my stomach and back, which I couldn't shift. Thinking I might need the toilet and I decided to stop. Its here I discovered that I was bleeding, and that was causing the pain. I decided I had to finish the race and so ended up walking/running the second half. The combination of walking and slow pace then caused my calve muscles to seize up and I got pains in my knee too.

So after a good start, I ended up walking a lot of the next 7 miles to get me 20 miles and then started running the last 6 miles to finish in 5:18, not my best time, but it turned out to be the hardest race of my life and at times I didn't think I would finish at all. Only the thought of Adam and the girls at the beginning of Birdcage walk spurred me on, and being able to give them a hug and kiss before being told by my youngest to hurry up, start running and finish the race was the best thing ever, though could have done without the pain :-)

My consultant has now told me I need to let my body rest and recover, so will keep you posted on how I get on.

thanks

ONLY 10 to go

2009-04-25T07:51:00.002Z

Hi All,
Well now I am in the home straight, I thought I should start making an effort to keep you updated. So here goes to updating my blog daily to let you know.

Race number 31 tomorrow with the London Marathon, not very confident at all with this race. I know it will be fine and I just have to get round, but am feeling the least confident I have ever felt. Two weeks ago I suffered a tear in the bit between my two muscles in my calf (don;t know technical name). It seems fine now, but have done very little running in the last 4 weeks since the Reading Half marathon.

After Reading, I was on holiday and so decided to not run, then I had a minor operation, which physically was fine, but emotionally a roller coaster, then this injury, on top of that I have severe pain in my left shoulder which is causing sleepless nights and lots of pain. So you can see why I am going to be stepping up to the line with lots of trepidation.

On a plus note, at least I have managed to get this far, and even after my stress fracture in the Summer of 2007, I do still seem to be running. So here is hoping and I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow.

thanks

Niggly Injury

2008-07-26T13:45:00.000Z

Well after completing now 16 races, I am doing OK. Not as fast as I would have wanted but am still getting through the races.
Managed to pick up a little injury on my left calf, but my physio assures me its OK and nothing to worry about.

We will see tomorrow how the injury goes, am not expecting great results tomorrow due to the heat, but at least its a flat course,

thanks

Lois

Feeling Tired but determined

2008-05-12T09:39:00.003Z

Hi,

Am getting through the races now, just finished race 13, which I don't think was my luckiest race. It was very hot and it took a lot for me to get round the course. Realise I am starting to get a bit tired at the moment, but with 2 more races to go (one being a marathon), before I get a months rest I just have to keep on going.

thanks Lois

First Marathon after injury

2008-04-17T11:15:00.002Z

Yipppeeee, I did it, ran my first marathon after injury and I survived. Leg appears to be OK will be icing it later, but so far so good. Didn;t run particularly fast (4:09) but I made it around and did collapse in a heap.

Onwards and upwards and on to the next race in Sheffield.

thanks

QUARTER OF THE WAY

2008-03-18T14:20:00.003Z

Well against the odds I have just raced race number 10 so only 30 left to go.

Feeling really good now, with races under my belt and all of them in reasonable times (1:45 - 1:47), not quite at PB and will be making a concerted effort after my holidays to raise the bar and get back to full fitness.

thanks for all the support so far and don;t forget to pledge some money to this worth while cause.

Story so far

2008-02-27T12:11:00.002Z

Well with 18 months to go I am completely back on track and running races every 2 weeks.
It is still a little hit and miss and don;t think my leg is completely recovered from injury but am making sure that I am sensible.

Am trying to raise money now to go with the running, so if anyone want to sponsor me, you do so at www.justgiving.com/Challenge40Donations thank you.

Will start updating more often to keep everyone posted on progress.

thanks

Lois

AT LAST

2007-12-05T14:50:00.001Z

Well after 6 months of not racing I am finally back on track. It seems like the road to recover is nearly complete and Challenge 40 is back on track.
Completed my 3rd race in the challenge on Sunday and though slower than PB was a good solid race and I really enjoyed it despite the appalling weather conditions.
Challenge 40 here I come,
Lois

Fantastic Run

2007-11-04T17:49:00.000Z

Hi All,

Just had to share with you all, I had a fantastic run today. Ran for 7 miles (58:08) and felt really good. Feel like I am finally on the road to recovery.

Am seriously working out what races I need to do and when to get back on track, but I feel much more confident than I have for a long time.

Lois

Racing Again

2007-10-26T19:36:00.000Z

Hi All,

Well progress is really slow, but I am running again. I have just signed up for a couple of races in November and December so all is looking good.

Fingers crossed all will go well and this will be the last of injury for a while,

thanks
Lois

On th Road Again

2007-09-30T18:08:00.001Z

Hi,

Well after nearly 3 months of little or no running I am back on the road again. It is a very slow start and progress is slow but I am getting there, I did 8 miles today 5 miles running 3 miles walking but at least I am starting to get some miles on my legs again. It feels like forever but hopefully it will not take too much longer to get my self back into the swing of things again,
thanks
Lois

Back Running, HOORAY

2007-09-07T15:08:00.000Z

Well, I am back running again, today. I did a respectable 2 miles in 17:10 minutes so not too bad for the first time in 10 weeks.
Hoping this is the end of my troubles and I can get back to the serious business of running and getting on with challenge 40.
I am going to be running the Hyde Park 5K so if anyone is going to be there say hello.

Off the crutches

2007-08-17T16:52:00.000Z

Hi All, I am now off the crutches and hopefully on the road to getting back to running again. I am hoping all has gone well and in 2 weeks I can start running again (if only a short distance).
I am going to be cross-training etc in the next couple of weeks and so will hopefully start getting fit before I hit the roads. If all goes well I am hoping to start racing again in the next couple of months.

It's a Stress Fracture

2007-07-08T17:26:00.001Z

Well it is bad news all the way. After the pain in my lower left leg (inside) still had not completely gone after a week of doing nothing (including walking as I was in a car) I went to see a specialst.

The X-Ray showed nothing so not put off he sent me for an MRI on both my leg and my lower back. Well what a surprise the MRI showed I had a severe-critical stress facture in my lower leg. He immediatley put my leg in an aircast and gave me crutches. NO weight bearing for 6 weeks. The only savng grace is that I can swim so I am trying to keep my fitness.

This is definitely no the end of Challenge 40 its just a temporary hitch. I realise not the best of starts but I am determined to carry on and achieve this goal,

I will keep you posted on progress and my boredom levels ;-)

thanks

Going to get some rest

2007-06-15T06:51:00.000Z

Well I did my first yoga class yesterday and it went really well. I enjoyed the relaxation part of the exercise and also the stretching was fantastic. My back is feeling better already, I am hoping that it will help with my leg.

I am also off on holiday next week so apart from some light swimming I am going to get a complete rest. If this does not work I give up.

AHHHH

2007-06-12T07:14:00.000Z

OK, did my first run in a couple of weeks and it did not go that well. It seems I take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. How long is this going to take? I am not sure my sanity can take much more.

Slowly Improving

2007-06-09T09:06:00.000Z

Well, the Shin Splints are improving, but it is very slow progress. I have been able to keep myself fit on the cross-trainer, cycle and swimming so at least I am not going to loose too much of my fitness.

My phsyo has said I can do a very slow gentle couple of miles running, but I am not sure its worth it. Well still got 3 weeks till my next race so hopefully it will be fine,

It gets worst

2007-06-02T18:23:00.000Z

Well I should have realised it was coming. As I really did not rest sufficiently (my own fault) my shin splints have caused my calf muscle in my left leg to give me pain, specifically when I go up on my toes.

After visiting my local sports injury guy, John Harris, my worst fears have been voiced. No running for at least 1-2 weeks and lots of icing.

In the meantime I have to attempt to keep my fitness level, so lots of swimming, cycling and cross-training. I am hoping it will not be too bad, but will be looking forward to running again.

This I hope is not going to affect Challenge 40, but its not a great start ;-)

The Wrong Socks

2007-05-29T07:59:00.000Z

I do think this race was destined to be doomed. With my shins splints being only slightly annoying and my training runs going well I was feeling OK with a little trepidation. However the weather forecast for the weekend was wet, with wet, with a lashing of wet. I did feel that my long standing record of running over 20 races in the past 2 years without getting wet was about to be smashed.

On awaking that morning I realised I had forgotten my running socks, and so I had to borrow my husbands socks. Unfortunately these were very think and not really designed for long distance running. What was I to do?

I tipped up at the Brandon Forest Half-Marathon, realising that there was nothing there and the toilets where a 10 minute drive up the road (should have looked at the race info). As I was very early I headed to the toilets and stayed there for sometime before heading back to the race.

As to be expected on arrival at the start of the race I needed the toilet, so off in to the woods I roam. However the woods in this area are very sparse with tall trees surrounded by fern, so the cover was not that good. Despite this I did find a spot and had to do that very embarrising act of trying to squat down whilst simultaneously going to the toilet and trying to ensure I was not spotted.

I returned to the start of the race and at 10:30 we were off. It went well considering I put in a respectable 1:42:22 which considering that at one point the rain was horizontal and the wind was appalling and I had the wrong socks on, I was quite happy with this.

Shin Splints continue to aggrevate

2007-05-22T07:55:00.000Z

After resting and icing and massaging, my shin splints continue to aggrevate. The only time they don;t really hurt is when I am running, but due to the forced rest and easying off the training I feel like I have losted a level of fitness (though think this is probably imaginary).

Oh well I have no choice but to continue treatment, I think however it is time to go and consult a professional and make sure there is nothing else I should be worried about.

With all this happening I still had my second race to look forward to on the 29/5 will I be able to run ....

Disaster Strikes

2007-05-14T18:00:00.000Z

After a great 10K race I feel like disaster has hit with a thunder bolt.

I have been having this pain in my leg which is not amazingly painful but is annoying, it does not hurt when I run but is uncomfortable day to day. After consulting one of the guys at the running track he confirmed my fears that I have shin splints. I have been resting and icing my leg regularly and I need to book in for a massage.

I am hoping that I can sort the problem out, I believe the reason for the problems is very tired running shoes that have gone past their usefulness. I have now gone out and replaced both my long distance shoe and my light weight short distance trainer. I am really hoping this will help.

I'll keep you posted on what happens, but I am hoping to be fitting fit again for the next half-marathon on the 27th May.

Anyone out there got any advice?

Esher Church School 10K

2007-05-07T17:05:00.000Z

After only 2 weeks recover from the London Marathon I was at the start of another race. This time just round the corner at the local schools 10K race with only 300 entrants.

I was actually quite nervous, my left calf had felt a little tender all week and after a run on Saturday my thighs were feeling sore. So it was with these feelings of dread that I walked to the race. I really wanted to prove to myself that I could do better than the times I had so far achieved over 10K, my PB in a race at this time was 48:17 and I did think that I could do better.

So when the Headmaster of the School rang the bell for the start of the race, I head off with the front pack, though quite quickly was left behind. The first kilometer was a respectable 4 minutes, but I knew I need to slow down or I would never finish. So I settled into a consistent 4:25 pace (except one kilometer which has a slight gradient which dropped to 4:50), and after passing the half way mark in 22:14 I started to think I can actually do this. It felt very comfortable and as I came up to the 9K mark with 40 minutes on the watch I really started to get excited.

As I went over the finish line in 44:35 I gave a great cheer even though I was only the 5th female, but I had done way more than get in the medals I had taken nearly 4 minutes off me PB and I was ecstatic.

I must admit this result has really encouraged me with Challenge 40, anything is now possible. Did anyone else have a good run in Esher?

Talking to Childline

2007-05-03T15:44:00.000Z

Once I had decided on a name and what I wanted to achieve I thought I better talk to Childline. At first I sent them an email, explaining what I had in mind and if they would be interested.

A couple of days passed and went and I started to think it was all a bad idea. However, a few days after sending my email I received one back from Debra at Childline. She was very enthusiastic and was not really sure how to handle it, she suggested I gave her a call.

Not wanting to look tooo keen I left it till later that day and called her. She was in awe over the whole thing, and not really sure how should handle it, was it a national event, a local event, was I willing to have some press interest, how much involvement did I want from Childline.

To be honest I was not really sure, my basic aim was to raise awareness for Childline and the NSPCC and also to raise as much money as possible. With this in mind I was willing to have as much help from Childline as possible.

At the moment Debra has gone of to speak to her boss and see how Childline can help me with my challenge and I am awaiting her call back next week, so don't forget to find out how I got on.

The birth of Challenge 40

2007-05-01T15:44:00.000Z

So the searching began for marathons and half marathons for me to run. I decided that I would alternate between running 1 marathon 1 month and 2 half marathons the following month and so on until I had completed my challenge. It was not actually that difficult to do this, the only problem was fitting them in with my already busy social life for this year.

Once I had convinced myself this was actually all possible, another idea popped into my head. Well it seemed a waste to do all this running for no real reason, apart to prove to myself that at my age anything is possible. So why not in the process of doing all this running, try not to raise some money as well. I had run the London Marathon for Childline and it seemed a logical step to approach them with my idea. However before doing so I need a name......

After long deliberation, I decided on Challenge 40, seems a logical choice, I am challenging myself to 40 races before I am 40 to raise £40,000, and so Challenge 40 was born.

I quite like it as a name and the concept is simple, so would anyone else do this, or am I just mad.....

An Idea

2007-04-28T15:38:00.000Z

After completing the London Marathon and recovering sufficiently after 3 days (well my legs stopped hurting), an idea started to fomulate in my head. I am 37, going to be 38 in August, I wonder if I could run 40 marathons by the time I am 40.

Bearing in mind I only had 27 months to go and I had only completed 3 marathons, it seemed impossible. On searching the internet (www.runnersworld.co.uk) I discovered that my challenge was going to be difficult not because of me but because there just are not enough races for me to run, certainly not in the UK.

So, not to be detered I decided to change the criteria slightly and that I would attempt to run 40 long distance races (minimum distance half-marathon) before I am 40. This sounds better, I had already run 9 marathons/half-marathons so only 31 to go. It was at this point I decided I had better ask my running coach, Richard (www.momentumsports.co.uk), after all there is no point attempting the challenge if he did not think I was up to it. Well he actually liked the idea, with a little tweaking to make it harder for me (I'll tell you about that later) and so I opened my spreadsheet I started working out how I could schedule 31 races over the next 27 months....

Flora London Marathon 22/04/07

2007-04-22T20:00:00.000Z

Well I have just completed the London Marathon, as ever it is a great experience and I managed a respectable 3:45:46 which considering the heat was not bad. However I did not suffer to badly from the heat (must have been my Aussie training) what I did suffer from was just the vast amount of people I had to try and run around.
I was actually quite close to the start (it only took 4 minutes) and everyone in front of me was suppose to be doing sub-3:45 marathons, however the first mile took 10:30 minutes. As I was suppose to be averaging 8 minute miles, I was devesated and it meant that I just could not get into my stride at all.
It did not stop there, I spent the whole 26.2 miles going around people walking, even worse walking along the magic blue line.
I do feel more can be done to stagger the start a little more so such bottle necks are avoided and also (as suggested by another runner at the end) anyone who peels off there pen sticker (it can;t come off it has to be peeled off) automatically goes to the back of the queue and is not allowed to jump in.

What do other people think about this or am I just being a boring runner, all comments welcome.