2010 Progress Entrant - Iola Wilson

Contents:- -Intro- Report -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14- -15- -16- -17- -Final-

Report 13 - Week beginning 05/04/10

The X-ercise Files - Diary of a 'wannabe better' long distance runner

Week 13 has been a busy one. We got back from holiday on Monday evening and I had a day to get unpacked, do all the washing, clean the house and get ready to go back to work on Wednesday.

I made it to the Harriers endurance session in Thurso on Tuesday evening. This week we had a warm up then did 5 x 4 mins 30 secs out and back reps (turning at 2 mins 15 secs) with 1 minute recoveries in between. We were running around the rugby pitch and I found running on grass significantly harder than the roads. It was a tough session, I was exhausted between reps and found that I barely got my breath back before we set off again!

I was working on Wednesday but it was a gorgeous day so I made the effort to go out for a run when Neil got home. I went up the Wick river, a four mile run. I set out pretty hard and tried to sustain the pace for as long as possible. I made it to 5km in 24 minutes and had to slow it right down for the rest of the run. I was pleased with my average pace which was just over 8 mins/mile, despite having walked for a while and slowing it down over the last mile. It was nice to see several other runners out and lots of walkers making the most of the better weather.

Thursday was a rest day and on Friday I went along to the hill session again. I hadn't been feeling well during the day and Neil had suggested I give it a miss but I stubbornly decided I was going. I'm really glad I did because I really enjoyed it. The hill doesn't feel such a thought anymore and my times have improved a bit since the first time I went. It is great to see everyone else improving too and really pushing themselves to get up the hill again and again. Everyone looks much stronger than they did a month ago.

On Saturday morning I went for my long run. I was going for 9 miles this week. It was a lovely day again but there was a bit of a headwind going out which kept me cool. I went my usual route up Newton Hill and out to Tannach, the views along the top are amazing and really inspire me when I'm running. As I approached the half way mark I was feeling really strong and toyed with the idea of adding another mile onto my run. I decided against it and when I turned round to head home I knew straight away it was the right decision. The sun broke the clouds and suddenly I felt really hot, and the wind dropped away which made it feel hotter still. I knew I was going to struggle as I had not brought a drink with me and was sweating hard! I found some relief every time I felt even a slight breeze but it was a pretty uncomfortable run home. When I got back I downed a pint of water and then had to lie down completely still on the floor to try to cool down! I was probably suffering from a bit of heat stroke as I felt hot but shivery, sick and lightheaded. It passed after a while and I kept drinking water all day to catch up.

Today my exercise has been gardening and sanding a lovely old sideboard that I am going to paint. We were so busy outside that we didn't make it to the swimming pool as planned, maybe next week. I've done some pilates 3 times this week and hope to improve on that by fitting it in at least 4 times next week. I'm planning to add another run in each week now that the days are longer and the weather better. All in all, I'm feeling a lot more positive about my target for the 10k - its within my sights!