Getting lost in the Fens

This weekends long runs didn't go quite to plan - mainly due to the fact that on Thursday I went out to do my 90 minute run and ended up only doing 30 minutes after my left calf tightened up and was causing me to limp.
Needless to say I was fed up but decided that I would try again the next day - this it turns out, wasnt a clever idea so I booked in to see Tony at the Sports injury clinic at one leisure Huntingdon for Saturday afternoon.

As much as I know sports massages help I really do hate going to see Tony. Don't get me wrong he is a lovely man and very good at what he does IT JUST BLOODY HURTS!!!!

I explained to Tony what I was training for and he said he would see if there was anything he could do to help me and Sarah out on our quest which is great :) Thanks Tony

So today not wanting the weekend to be a total training wipe out I decided to go for a little run along the last section of the route I will be following for the Hereward Ultra Marathon which I am doing with Sarah on the 1st November.

It was very very flat and quite muddy in places. I managed to get lost within the first mile of starting but re traced my steps and got back on track :)

A view looking back on the run

I didn't do the full 12 miles I had planned on as my calf started playing up again and although I am sure I could have finished I didn't want to aggravate it any more than I needed to - I would rather do half a run now than do it all and risk having to have another week off.

This is how long the grass was on some of the sections which was a bit irritating as it is very difficult to run in




check out my pretty new shoes too :)

 I also test drove my shiny new Raid Light back pack on this run - overall I was pleased with it but it definatly needs some tweaking as the bottle in the front pack kept bouncing up and down and it was really getiing on my nerves to begin with (i got used to it after a while but I am not sure I will be so forgiving in the desert)

Another trial for today was the For Goodness Shakes Nectar fuel - it was absoloutly delicious - and I don't usually like anything but Lucozade light.
The taste was very refreshing and not too overpowering. It wasn't sickly it just tasted like a really good blackcurrent squash. So thumbs up for Nectar fuel.

Myself and Sarah have some more exciting news coming up soon we have some new sponsors so watch this space to find out more.

A new sponsor - Advance performance

I am pleased to announce that we have a new sponsor in the form of Advance Performance of Peterborough and Cambridge.

Sam Hale owner of Advance Performance has kindly offered to give myself and Sarah a free V02 Max test which I am sure will be a massive benefit with regards to trainin efficiently in preparation for the race so THANK YOU SAM.

She will also be writing a press release or two on us which will be excellent advertising for the event and for our chosen charity MacMillan cancer support.

For those of you who have never been to advance performance - what are you waiting for !!! it is like heaven in a shop; you can find them either in Peterborough or Cambridge - store addresses and opening times are shown below and for those who don't live nearby they also have a website which I have linked below so get shopping.

4 Titan Drive, Fengate East, Fengate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 5XG

Telephone: - 01733 891111
Opening Hours
Mon, Tue 10-7, Wed 10 - 6, Thur 10-8,
Fri 10-6, Sat 9 - 6 (Closed Sun & Bank Holidays)

Store Facilities:
Our famous gait analysis service for finding your running shoes, a wide selection of running clothing and accessories, sports science testing and as the Triathlon Centre we have swimming and triathlon products including wetsuit testing plus our friends at Greenwheel Cycles are right next door for cycles and bike-fit service. We also have an in-store sports injury support from One Step Sports Therapy.


Gusto Mills, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL

Telephone: 01223 279191
Opening Hours
Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri 10-7, Sat 9-6,
Sun 10-4 (Closed Mon & Bank Holidays)

Store Facilities - Our Cambridge store offers our famous gait analysis service for finding your running shoes, plus a wide selection of running clothing and accessories. As the Triathlon Centre we have swimming and triathlon products,  cycles and bike-fit service from Greenwheel Cycles. We also offer in-store physio support from Core Cambridge.



Website



Exciting news

Well I have been very busy since my last post contacting companies for sponsorship, working, training and planning :)

I took part in the great Eastern run this weekend and was very pleased only a week after my first Ultra to come home with a PB of 2:09 - I know I could have pushed harder on this one as well but I managed to get a stitch which wouldn't shift for the last 2 miles grrrrrrr

We have also had some more good news this week

For Goodness shakes agreed to help us out by supplying us with sports drinks and recovery drinks for our training. It was like Christmas when I got home yesterday to find this lot in my living room :)

INCREDIBLE !!!!! I did my workout this morning and afterwards had one of the vanilla shakes with water it was absoloutly delicious. I can now look forward to my recovery shake after my workouts. Along with the powdered shakes that mix with water they also sent us some of the milkshakes in superberry flavour so I am looking forward to trying one of those after tomorrow nights run.

If any one is interested to try out the products for themselves you can find them HERE and the best thing - they aren't going to be putting their prices up when the VAT goes on to sports drinks - they have infact decided to REDUCE their prices !!!!


I will keep you updated on how I get on with the different products - I am especially looking forward to trying out the nectar fuel as I have heard great things about this.

We have more exciting news coming up soon so keep an eye out over the next few days

The journey begins

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

And that is how this all began!

I was sat in the Wetherspoons restauarant they morning after my first ever Ultra Marathon. After having spent the first 10 minutes following the race revelling in my ultra running glory and squeeling with delight along with the others, and the remaining 4 hours promising myself I would NEVER do this again. 

So it was a bit of a shock when I was browsing facebook whilst waiting for Breakfast to arrive and I saw that I had won the FAT FEET competition online to not only gain free entry for myself and a friend to the Grimsthorpe Ultra marathon in August but also two £700 discounts to enter the Ocean Floor race.

Now I had entered never really expecting to win - so many people had entered the competion i felt sure that with my luck there was no way on earth I would get it - so I hadn't even told my husband.

How does one tell their husband that even though they have already spent a fortune on running this year and even though I promised to spend no where near as much next year - that pretty please could I have £900 to enter this incredible race and I promise to be a good girl and never ask for anything ever again pretty pretty please.

LUCKILY I have a very understanding and wonderfully supportive husband and after some discussion and my promise to raise as much funding as I could I emailed the organiser to say I would like to accept and that I would like to take along my running friend Sarah Gardner Hall as my second person.

With deposits paid the training must commence. Along with the fundraising not only for the trip costs but also for the charity we are running for - MacMillan Cancer Support.

We are very lucky in that Sarah is already sponsored by Buff (you can follow the link to their shop by clicking on the image at the top of this page) and they have very kindly agreed to send us over some kit for the run.

We are also going to have our story written about on the Running Free Magazine facebook and twitter pages.

http://www.runningfreemag.co.uk/ 

Talk Ultra are going to be interviewing us for the December Podcast

http://www.marathontalk.com/archive/talk_ultra.php

and we have been sponsored £50 by Mick Hall Photos - we will be displaying their logo on our running tops for the event and in training so if you want to have your logo on here as well please get in touch. http://www.mickhall-photos.com/mp_includes/pages.asp?id=2883

Thats all for now. I will be back soon with more updates. I have the Great Eastern Half Marathon this Sunday and training will officially commence on Monday Next week.

 

http://www.fat-feet.co.uk/running-events/