26 days to 26 miles

The countdown is progressing and I'm starting to feel like I actually will be able to complete the dreaded 26.2 in less than four weeks time. I surprised myself with a better than expected 1 hour and 52 minutes at Sunday's Glasgow Half Marathon. How I managed to knock 9 minutes off last month's effort I'll never know. I didn't even train last week at all. Could that be the secret? Hmm, or maybe it was because it was pouring with rain and the scenery was grey and grim - I just got my head down, my I-pod on and got it over with as quickly as I could!

In complete contrast to the last time I ran a marathon, I'm now doing okay with the weekend long runs but not so well with the mid-week tempo and interval sessions. Work has been a wee bit stressful and the weather has been terrible so, instead of getting out in the evenings, I've been working later than usual and then collapsing in front of the TV. Lunchtime gym sessions have been replaced by eating in front of my computer. This is not good because I know that running de-stresses me better than anything else. When things are getting on top of you it's even more important to make that commitment to yourself. So, this week got off to a good start with a hill reps/circuits session with the girls in the park. Even though my legs are still a bit stiff from Sunday, I feel so much better.

Whose idea was this anyway?

Five and a bit weeks to go 'til the big M and I'm nowhere near prepared. Where did the summer go? It only seems like days since I was meticulously planning my 16-week training schedule - dreaming about reaching peak fitness and slashing 30 minutes off my time. Ha!

My initial enthusiasm for the running club soon wore off, because:

• Tuesday night long runs were too long and I didn't like leaving the dog at home - she likes running too but the beach is so much more fun than the road and she hates being on the lead
• Thursdays were great but the boys were just too fast for me - why was I the only girl? I thought this was a good challenge at first, but the novelty of playing catch up didn't last and I started to feel demotivated.

I haven't given up on the club completely, but twice-weekly is now more like once-a-month. I am still sticking to three runs a week - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - but have replaced Tuesday's club run with a circuit/hill reps session in the park straight after work. The beauty of this is that it gives me the chance to catch up with a couple of the girls and still get home in time to take the dog out. Thursdays are either running club or 5-6 miles with the dog, and Saturday is the long run.

Ah, the long run. My nemesis. Try as I might I could not get past 9 miles. It always felt like there was so long to go until the marathon that there was no hurry to go longer. I got bored and took a short cut home. Then two weeks ago I did the Haddington Half Marathon and was shocked into action. Another personal worst! It was a warm and sunny afternoon and I was tired, but that's really no excuse. I just hadn't put in the training and I had no one to blame but myself. It didn't bode well for the marathon.

I'd really love to beat my only other marathon attempt (4 hours 20 minutes, 4 years ago) so I'm now pulling out all the stops. I did 14 miles last Saturday - 7 out and 7 back so I couldn't cheat - and intend to add on 2 a week until I hit 20. I'll also add in some cross-trainer and bike sessions on my non-running days, to try to get my fitness up without over-training.

Can I reach my best-ever fitness in less than 6 weeks? Watch this space!

In the footsteps of champions

I've just come back from an incredible weekend at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in London, where I was treated to a five-star lifestyle without breaking my budget of pennies, courtesy of Dextro Energy and my friend Mo.

I took my bike down on the train, which was an experience in itself, and emerged from King's Cross station to brave the crazy London traffic on two wheels. I made it to Hyde Park just in time to catch the end of the women's elite race. I've never seen a championship event like this up close before and knowing that the same course will be used for the 2012 Olympics made it all the more exhilirating.

I stuck around to watch the start of the men's race - the swim was amazing, they just zipped through the water like they were jet-powered - but witnessing a couple of crashes on the bike section started to give me the heebie-jeebies for the next day so I headed off to investigate the hotel.

Dextro Energy looked after me (and the 50 other competition winners from around Europe) very well. We were put up in a beautiful hotel in the heart of Mayfair, treated to a 3 course dinner and given a fetching red and black tri suit to make sure we looked the part. Before dinner, there was just enough time to sneak in another weekend treat - a lavish afternoon tea courtesy of my friend, who was reviewing it for the magazine she works for. Amazing! I'm sure there must be a scientific study somewhere that says that vanilla cupcakes and rose champagne are perfect pre-race fuel. No? Oh well, I was only there for the fun of it so wouldn't be taking my nutrition strategy too seriously.

Sunday morning was an early start - 7.30am breakfast (more sensible - berries, cereal and yoghurt, mmm) then a short cycle to the start area to prepare. After a group photo we were left to rack our bikes and get ourselves ready for our 10am start wave. This gave me just enough time to freak myself out watching some of the earlier waves take to the murky waters of the Serpentine. The water was a tropical 21 degrees C so I'd taken the brave / stupid decision to forego the optional wetsuit. It was my first open water event and I had visions of writing around on the ground beside my bike trying to break free. Better to put up with the cold and save myself a few minutes. I'd need it - as I've said before, swimming is not my strong point. Neither is cycling or running, come to think of it.

Before long, we were ushered along the plank / pontoon and plunged into the lake. We had to swim a couple of minutes to get to the start point and that's where I really started to panic. It was so strange to look through my goggles and see nothing but brown water. I tried closing my eyes but couldn't get it out of my head that my face was submerged in bird poo, feathers and pond weed. Get it together, I told myself. Breathe slowly. We had a few minutes to gather our thoughts before the horn sounded and this was just long enough for me to convince myself that I did want to do this.

Fortunately the dark water was soon lifted by bubbles from the feet in front of me. Slow and steady, I made my way round the 750m course. I still can't swim front crawl so was surprised to find I wasn't last out of the water.

I thought I'd make up some time on the bike but it wasn't to be. My legs are usually pretty strong but the water had left me feeling queasy and it took a while for me to feel like pushing it. It was a really flat course with some tight corners and, strange as it may sound, I think I'm better on hills. There was quite a high proportion of serious-looking competitors, sporting time-trial helmets, tri bars, disc wheels or, at the very least, a proper racing bike, so I didn't feel too bad on my little hybrid.

My one brick session last week must have paid off - I finally made it onto the run section without experiencing jelly-legs. Again, the course was flat and easy - a simple two loops on a section of paths. I felt like I was pushing it but going fairly slow, so I was surpised to see my final time as only 24 minutes for the 5k. Encouraged by someone on my tail in the last minute, I even managed a sprint finish. That's not like me at all - usually I've got nothing left in the tank at the end and hobble along the last few minutes looking like I might need a paramedic!

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. My time won't be setting the record books on fire but it was much better than I expected (1 hour 36 minutes - I thought I'd be getting picked up by the stragglers bus). With a bit of training, I might even break out of the bottom half of the results table.

Be careful what you wish for!

A few weeks back I went into a competition-entering frenzy. It started with an offer on the front of Runner's World to win a brand new car. A quick bit of mental arithmetic and I figured my chances had to be pretty high. Not that many people read UK Runner's World and, of those that do, how many actually enter the competitions? It didn't end there... what else could I enter? I came across a few holiday competitions and then one in the SportSister newsletter for a place in the Dextro Energy Triathlon. I entered them all then thought nothing more of it. Until last Monday...

I was a bit taken aback when an email arrived in my inbox say that I'd won the triathlon competition. Amazing - I never win anything! But, hang on a minute, it's a place in a TRIATHLON. In 2 weeks. I'm struggling enough with my marathon and half-marathon training and haven't actually been in a pool since the last triathlon at the beginning of May. I'd planned to just run and do the odd gym session or bike ride through the summer, before launching into a swimming programme over the winter. Oops.

I briefly considered saying 'thanks, but no thanks' before it occurred to me that the prize included:

• Travel costs to London
• A night in a 5 star hotel, with dinner and breakfast
• An undoubtedly very fetching 'high end competition outfit'

Two of my best friends live in London and I can never afford to visit them so that was enough to persuade me that it would be worth the pain.

Let's just hope I'm not last this time...

FOMO

This month, I've been struck by a massive case of FOMO. I'm not usually a fan of acronyms, but that one strikes a chord. I first heard it in the car on the way home from work, listening to the Scott Mills show on Radio One. FOMO, or 'fear of missing out' is that horrible feeling you get when everyone else is doing something and, even if you don't really want to do whatever it is they're doing, you don't want to be the only one who's not doing it.

Earlier this year I tried to get a team together for the Corrieyairack Challenge, no mean feat when you're rubbish at mountain biking and everyone else you know is either (a)brilliant at it or (b)not interested. Then, in a flurry of excitement, a group of friends decided to put in a few teams and I thought I was going to get the chance to give it a go. The 'Corrie' is a 43 mile race done on either mountain bike or as a duathlon. No one wanted to do the duathlon except me, so it was mountain biking all the way.

We went out for a training ride in May and that's where the gap between me and the rest became apparent. It was all off the beaten track and I turned into a gibbering wreck. I came off and landed head-first in a pile of heather, resulting in a heather burned face and a mouthful of the herby stuff. I got so upset about my inability to keep up that I started to cry and said I hated it. No wonder no one wanted me in their team!

So, I volunteered myself as the team marshal - donning a high vis vest and lollipop to help direct the traffic on the route. It sounded fun on paper but the reality was that I was JEALOUS and couldn't get over the fact that I wasn't taking part. Even if I'd entered the race and been last, I would have loved just getting over the finish line. Even if I'd hated every minute of it. You just can't beat the satisfaction of getting there and accomplishing something, especially when it's really difficult. I felt so left out of the post-race chat that I went into a proper sulk. And then got even more mad because my hubby is doing ANOTHER race this weekend and I'm not invited. It's brought back horrible memories... I'm back at school and no one wants me in their netball team.

Stop! I'm not going to feel sorry for myself for a minute longer. I'm so proud of B for doing really well in the race and know that I just need to work really hard, be brave, and not let myself get left out again.

Peace

A moment of relaxation? No, me trying to figure out which direction we should be going in. Navigation never was my strong point.

Marathon sleeps to marathon plan

I'm back from holidays and finally over my jet lag after 3 days of feeling like the walking dead at work. I slept for nearly 12 hours last night and almost feel human again.

I managed to keep my training coasting along over the holiday. I fitted in a few runs, hikes and bike rides and even 2 gym sessions. If nothing else, it counterbalanced the massive amounts of food I was putting away and I actually came back a couple of pounds lighter. I tried my best to be healthy but had a few lapses and developed a new found love of peanut butter cups. Mmm.

The cupboards have been bare since we got back so I'm just about to head off to the supermarket to stock up on healthy provisions.  I'll need them because my 16-week marathon preparation plan kicks off in earnest on Monday...