If it is not one thing it is another! These last few weeks I have been full of cold. Although the cold has impacted on the running I have been out on my bike a few times which I think is keeping the legs going without causing me too much in the way of problems with breathing. Cycling is also less of an impact on the knees and ankles.

Hull Marathon was last week and my friend Baz was running it. I was supposed to do it with him but what with the Achilles problem and the recent cold I didn’t want to scupper my chances for London.  We cycled into Hull and found Baz at the 22 miles mark. We cycled with him the rest of the way which was great fun and I think it really spurred Baz on.  We will both be in London with our #teambimble supporters cheering us on all the way.

So now I need to start checking off all the marathon things I need to do, I have ironed the letters of my name onto my running vest. I have decided on the socks I want to wear this time. Last time the sock kept running down and I suffered quite badly with blisters.  Campsite is booked. I will be checking in at Excel on the Friday afternoon if anyone is up for a meet-up?

For anyone else doing the marathon here are my top tips:

On the day before:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Take off your rings – your hands may swell and it is a nightmare to get the rings off the morning of the run.
• Get your kit ready. Include a treat in your bag, I take a mars bar. Also worth including some flip flops because if you take your trainers off you may not get them back on!
• Fill in the contact details on your running number.
• Trim your toenails!
• Charge up your electronic gadgets – watch, phone, music player.
• Get an early ish night

On the day:

• Have a good breakfast, don’t eat anything new!
• Get on your way early, the public transport system gets really busy.
• Make sure you have a small pot of sun lotion with you.
• Make sure you Vaseline where needs doing!
• Take some plasters with you for any blisters, if you get them from St Johns you need to fill in a form which wastes valuable time. They will let you use their chairs to put your own plasters on.
• I also took a bottle of water and a banana to keep me going whilst we were hanging around for the start.
• Last time I did the marathon it drizzled, take a bin bag to keep you dry after you have dropped your bag off.
• Every time you see a loo without a queue, use it! The next one will have a massive queue.
• Above all, enjoy the day. The crowds are amazing; Londoners really do themselves proud on Marathon day.

So, onto fundraising for that is the main reason for this madness!  I have passed the amount I need to raise for the FSID gold bond place but obviously I want to smash the amount I raised last time.  I have been in touch with a local pub to do a Hog Roast in the next month of so. My son’s school is doing a dress down day next term which obviously makes me the coolest Mum ever!  As ever I am pushing the justgiving links on facebook, twitter and through mailing lists at work.

I am overwhelmed by the kindness of people, including people that don’t even know me but are touched by the death of a child so want to see me do well.

If it doesn’t do me in, I shall write up a post-marathon analysis. Thanks for reading over these last few months.

You can also follow me and my training on twitter – @LJB41

http://www.justgiving.com/ellislejog

Text MRSB99 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today

Read this post on FSID website here

Yay, I am back to the bimbling. 5 weeks break in the training is not good at this stage of the game but hey ho, I am doing the marathon even if I have to walk all way round being dragged by an ambulance!  I went to see the physio for some deep massage on my calf, it is the most painful 45 mins but it is so worth it. I was allowed to run 4 days later and all went well. Did my 2 mile route each morning for the rest of the week. My plan on Sunday, last, was to do 8 – 10 miles. I went out with all good intentions but the weather was so awful that within a mile I was soaked to my core; I headed home and completed the run on the treadmill. I did 8 miles in total.  Ankle and calf all fine.
I took part in an FSID Facebook group discussion last week for the marathon team – there was loads of great information and I would like to share some of my top tips for marathon preparation:

• Remove your rings – my hands swell loads on long runs and rings really do dig in.
• Take your own plasters – you have to fill in a form to get them from St Johns (my feet looked like an axe wound last time!)
• Plenty of vaseline pre-race.
• Take lipsalve and small sun cream with you.
• Flip flops in the bag for when you are done.
• Trim your toenails.

So, just a few short runs this week and Silverstone half marathon on Sunday.  It is my birthday later this month so my husband has treated me to a spa day at Whittlebury Hall which is next door to the Silverstone track. My friend and I are having a day at the spa on the Saturday before the half marathon whilst our other-halves are pedalling around the countryside. I feel us girls have the best end of this deal! I will be so relaxed after the spa day I will probably be the slowest runner in the field but at least I will have nice skin!
You can also follow me and my training on twitter – @LJB41
http://www.justgiving.com/ellislejog
Text MRSB99 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today

Thursday 9 February

Well this month has been pretty much a wash out! It started off well, did a great 8 miler 3 weeks ago and then the next day something ‘went’ in my ankle.  I took a few days off thinking it will be ok in a day or so. Sadly this was not to be the case. After a trip to the hospital I have got an Achilles problem which is then causing tendonitis. They told me it could take 6 weeks to recover. Gutted was an understatement.

I tried cycling thinking that it might have less impact on my ankle but sadly that made it worse. People have suggested swimming but I am not keen on water related activities, bit of a wuss actually!  Done some gentle walking, and kept on with taking the stairs instead of the lift wherever I have been.

The ankle is feeling a lot better now but still not 100%, I really want to go out but am concerned if I get back to it too early then I will stuff things completely.  I have got the Silverstone Half Marathon in a few weeks and I am hopeful to be recovered by then, if not then I may struggle with being ready for London.  I have pretty much decided that I can’t do Hull marathon which is early in April.

On the plus side, I have sent out all my letters to the local schools to request a dress down day. These are great fundraising opportunities; I would only need a couple of schools to agree to really smash my fundraising target.  I need to think of an evening event too but am thinking that there is so much going on this next month or so that I should do a party night in May. We have a ‘Works Christmas Do’ event planned for December which is another great event organised by my friend Faye, she is the master of party planners.

I have also just heard that I have a Great North Run place. As I have done next to no running in my barefoot trainers my plan is to train in those for the Great North.  Hopefully they will help with a natural running style which will help with the ankle.

Heading to London next week to meet the rest of the FSID London Marathon team; looking forward to that but I guess I will not be going out on the training run with them.  Keep your fingers crossed and I will update you next month.

http://www.justgiving.com/ellislejog
Text MRSB99 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today

oops, forgot to post this last month!

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year break. We had a very exciting time, we have one of Santa’s Elves, Frosty, to come stay for December each year! He has a very good way of keeping Alex in check for the run up to Christmas! Each year he buys the family a joint present which I tend to ‘help’ him with. This year on Christmas morning, the excitement rose because the present was in such a small box, Alex and Jim opened it, out dropped our passports and a letter! We were going to Italy on Boxing Day, yippee a little holiday for us.  My next present was the barefoot running trainers, woop woop.  Perfect Christmas in the Barrett household.  I thought I would take the trainers with me to Italy and I could run around Rome, well in reality when you go on a city break the last thing you are going to do is go for a run with all the walking that you do.  We got in plenty of step climbing and ruin wandering so I did not feel too bad about the Pizza and red wine consumption! It was probably a healthier Christmas than most we have had.

So after a fab 5 days in Rome I was gagging to try-out the barefoot trainers.  The weather was awful when we returned and I was full of cold so the first few days it was not wise to go out but I managed to get out for my first New Year run on 2nd January.  The weather was bright, sunny and clear although it was very cold. The barefoots ended up not being the toe fingered ones as they didn’t have my size in stock anywhere so I got the Merrell ones which although look like ‘normal’ trainers they have the Vibram base and are really lightweight. I had some new socks too so all new stuff on the feet and ready for a brisk bimble.  Initially it started off good, I found myself occasionally running on the toes which is the idea but it took me thinking about it to actually do it. When I did run on the toes though it was much easier. I also found running on verges and grass was more comfortable, you could feel where your feet were landing which was the downfall for running on the road, there you could feel every stone!  With the mixture of new socks and shoes I got blisters on the heels, there is a seam on the socks which didn’t agree with the shoes.

The next day I gave the barefoots another go but with plasters on the heels and my regular socks on. This time I ran on my toes without thinking, it was a much more pleasurable bimble, I was really chuffed with how it went. I am definitely going to stick with the barefoots for the short runs, building up the miles slowly. I think the marathon is too soon to be tackling in the barefoots but perhaps if I get a place in the Great North Run in September I can use them then.

I would like to get some more weight off before the Marathon so it is Rabbit food and Salad for me for the next few months, ooh yummy or NomNom for the non-yums!! Hopefully I can sneak the odd Muffin or bun when no one is looking. I also need to thinking about doing some further fundraising for FSID, because at the end of the day that is what this all about. The girls are coming over for a meal later in the month so we shall come up with some ideas and I will report back to you next month.

You can also follow me and my training on twitter – @LJB41
http://www.justgiving.com/ellislejog
Text MRSB99 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today

Ouch, my ankles. Ouch, my knees. Ouch, my thigh! Tough few weeks but I am still bimbling along. The weather is cold, the dark mornings are really dark but to be honest I really like the quick runs in the morning. I do struggle to drag myself out of bed but once up, trainers on and Garmin at the ready I really quite like it. I like the peace and quiet, the friendliness of the odd few up at that time of the morning.  I did a nice 5 miler last Sunday; my timings are getting better and better, I think this is due to the quick short runs in the week.  I realise that ‘proper’ training for London will have to start in the New Year so I am working on stamina at the moment, quick and fast short runs are really helping with my breathing and strength. These runs are also having a positive effect on my waistline!
I have asked for some barefoot running ‘trainers’ for Christmas, you know the sort, the ones with the toes like fingers. So excited, it may be that I will even go for a quick run on Christmas morning! Last time I did the London Marathon the MD from Vibram did the marathon wearing them. Apparently it takes time to get used to them so not sure I would be able to do the actual marathon in them but I will certainly give the training a go!
I think December is a tough month for running training, all the Christmas parties, rich food and worst/best of all alcohol! The morning after a few glasses of wine is not ideal for going for a run, having said that I think if you have a woolly head then a quick run in the fresh air is a brilliant hangover cure. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with 3 – 4 runs a week this month ready to really up the training in the New Year.

I have signed up for Silverstone half marathon in March. This is a good training run for the Marathon, it is quite a dull run because there are no crowds to cheer you on but it certainly gives you an idea of how it is likely to go in April. I would encourage anyone who is a first timer to sign up for a half marathon late February/early March to get into the feel of how it all works in particular running in a large group of people.
Have a great Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

I will write again in the New Year with an update on my training and news on fundraising.   You can also follow me and my training on twitter – @LJB41
http://www.justgiving.com/ellislejog
Text MRSB99 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today

Read on FSID site here http://fsid.org.uk/page.aspx?pid=973

The Foundation for Study into Infant Death have asked me to write up a blog for them each month on my training etc as I head towards my 2nd London Marathon.  My first post was published last month, you can read it here:

Hello, my name is Louise Barrett and I shall be bimbling the London Marathon as part of the FSID Team in April 2012.  I completed the London Marathon for FSID in 2010, I say completed because I certainly didn’t run all of it!  The first 14 miles were ok but I really struggled in the second half, this was mainly down to lack of training (I blame the weather!) and I had a few injuries in the month before.  My time was 7 hours 38 mins, so there is certainly room for improvement there. I did however beat Scooby Doo which is something I suppose!  I would love to get a time beginning with 6hrs at least this time.

After the marathon I thought I would never run again and to be honest I didn’t for 6 months, I put a bit of weight back on which prompted me to dust off the trainers and get back out there.  My friend, Baz, ran London this year so to help him with his training I suggested we did Silverstone half marathon together, this was the impetus I needed to get back into the running. I am really glad I did as I have thoroughly enjoyed it since.  I did Silverstone half marathon in 3hrs 15mins which I was pretty pleased with. I have continued with a few 10ks over the summer, the last one being Great Yarmouth Road Race in October where I completed it in 1 hour 18mins which was a personal best for me. The irony is I came last in the race!

I also did the Great North Run, which is a mega challenge, the hills are certainly unforgiving! I did that one in 3hrs 14mins. I knocked a minute off my half marathon time but the difference between GNR and Silverstone courses means I really did well at the GNR.

I am really looking forward to the marathon next year; I know I can do it so there is less pressure this time.  My reason for running are my boys, Ellis was 4 days old when he died almost 9 years ago and Alex who is a lively 7 year old now.  We have been involved with FSID fundraising each year for this charity that has supported our family immensely.  Losing Ellis was the worst experience of my life, I have worked hard raising awareness of cot death in our area, working with the local PCT were there have been no cot deaths as a result of co-sleeping in the last 2 years.

Last marathon I trained to the 16 week training plan, I am fairly sure that is not long enough to dedicate to training for a marathon so my training started 1^st November in earnest.  I have new trainers and my #teambimble t-shirt so am ready to charge around the streets of East Yorkshire. This fit fat bird is ready to knock ‘em dead with a brilliant personal best next year!

I will write again in a few weeks with an update on my training, news on fundraising although we will start the fundraising properly in the New Year.

You can also follow me and my training on twitter – @LJB41

http://www.justgiving.com/ellislejog

Text MRSB99 £1 to 70070 to sponsor me today

See this post on the FSID site here http://fsid.org.uk/page.aspx?pid=973