Short one today

Little Rest...
90/365 by Vardoggs at Garmin Connect - Details

Ankle pain...

Anyone else suffering with aches and pains? I have acquired a sharp pain across the top of my ankle which seems to be provoked by running up hills... Anyone had anything similar or have any advice? I have a marathon in just under 2 months and should be racking up my long runs just now but have been playing it safe with minimum distance efforts. It is starting to worry me though as the big race gets ever closer...

Jack: Day 285/365..A longer attempt

Today I decided to try my luck at a slightly longer run to test my ankle. The result was not a happy one. I set out with the intention of running for an hour and, if my ankle was ok, I would try a 19 miler mid-week. Unfortunately after half an hour I started to feel the pain arriving and, by the time I was back at the flat, my ankle was very painful. I spent the rest of the day with it elevated and on ice while necking ibuprofen. Hopefully this will be enough! Tomorrow I will drop back to minimum distance and stick with this for a few more days. This is incredibly frustrating as I have two weeks off work just now and was hoping to make the most of this time for increasing my mileage. I have not covered a decent distance in over two weeks now and am starting to lose my confidence in my ability to run a sub 3 marathon in May. It is fast approaching and I need to get some decent training under my belt. Hopefully this ankle thing is only short term and I will be back racking up the long runs by the end of the week. For now though it is more ice and more minimum distances...

285 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details

Jack: Day 277-284/365...Interviews, Birthdays and Injuries.

These were all minimum distance efforts as I was desperate for my sore ankle to get better. I did not want to risk attempting a longer run for fear of making things worse. This was incredibly frustrating as I should really be racking up some long runs over these weeks and 5km at a time is really not going to cut it at the Edinburgh Marathon in 2 months.

On Monday 25th March I had my first every interview for a teaching post. I was happy to get the interview as 57 applicants went for the job and 9 were selected for the interview process. Whilst I have only one year of probation for experience I was hopeful that my enthusiasm, along with my accomplishments this year, would be enough to see me in with a chance against more experienced teachers. Unfortunately it was not to be however and I was told that I had narrowly missed out on the job. My interviewer informed me that it was purely a lack of experience that had cost me the job but that the application was very strong. I was offered first refusal on a maternity cover position that could be coming up in August which was an exciting consolation as it confirmed that they did actually like my application and were not simply letting me down gently. This means I have something lined up as a back up for August just in case nothing else materialises!

It was during my preparation for this interview that the Run365Challenge really revealed it's benefits to me. Apart from the obvious benefits to my fitness and the sense of achievement which it is delivering, I realised how much thinking I actually do on my daily jogs. The opportunity to step back from everything else that is going on and have twenty minutes to completely indulge in self-centered thought is a rare thing indeed. To be able to completely focus on the interview and to reflect on my year of teaching enabled me to put things into perspective and really learn from everything that I had done. This was a huge benefit in my preparation for interview and also in my post interview state. I was able to reflect on the interview itself and I know that I will be in a much more confident position when the next one arises thanks largely to my daily running.

Tuesday 26th March was my birthday. 26 years old and what better way to start the day than with a 5:45am alarm and a run in the cold! I hit the streets and did a quick 5km before heading into work. The run itself was fairly uneventful and felt very similar to those which I had completed as a youthful 25 year old. This evening I enjoyed a fantastic curry takeaway with Vicki and opened some awesome presents. Highlights included a new set of headphones that actually fit in my over-sized ears, a new pair of fancy running leggings and a book of 'The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges'...where do I begin!

The remainder of these runs were fairly standard 5km outings (although I was now armed with some fancy headphones!) and took place in and around Shawlands.

Waking as a mature 26 year old man.

Inspiration.

277 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
278 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
279 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
280 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
281 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
282 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
283 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details
284 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details

Jack: Day 276/365...Snow again! In March?!

This morning I woke up with the intention of doing a slightly longer run in preparation for a very long run a few days down the line. As I looked out the window however I was shocked to see that everything was covered by a thick blanket of white. I wrapped myself up against the elements and hit the icy pavements for a steady 'one hour' run. I decided to simply run along the straight road to Giffnock for half an hour to see how far I could travel before turning round and running home. In the snowy conditions this was not as far as I would have liked however it felt good to be on my feet for a longer period of time. I felt strong and my fitness is generally feeling good at the moment. One thing that did become apparent however was that I developed a slight pain in the top of my foot which gradually became more and more sore. By the time I finished my run I was really in a fair amount of pain. I believe this may have been caused by last weeks Deerstalker and my inappropriate footwear. Time to take the distance back down and to hope that this will not hamper my chances too much of getting some miles under my belt in the forthcoming weeks...

276 by jackarnold87 at Garmin Connect - Details

Day 258 - 267 by Sallycinn

Back in Bristol after my Portugal holiday was a shock to the system...feels colder than ever.  A few minimums this week, but I did run with a group on Tuesday and did some intervals on Thursday.  Didn't record those runs unfortunately as I forgot my arm strap for my phone, but recorded the run home.  But, the good news is I'm passed the 265 mark so under 100 days to go. :)

Day 258 - back in Bristol by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Tired today so a short run
Day 259 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Another short run
Day 260 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Day 260 part 2 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Run before this one was with Up and Running in Bristol but didn't record run - 7km
Day 261 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Slow run as calves felt tight.
Day 262 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Again, went running with Up and Running and did some intervals.  Again, was recorded but did record 1 mile run home.  Bitterly cold tonight.
Day 263 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
5 mile run round the downs. Felt good.
Day 264 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Doing a Lindy hop weekend workshop with dancing lessons, circus skills and then social dancing till late at night so only the minimum for the next few days!  Calves are killing me. Tired :)
Day 265 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Day 266 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Day 267 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details

Day 254 - 257 Portugal by Sallycinn

Rest of my Portugal running holiday runs...

A mile practising what I had learnt in the technique class.
Day 254 - technique training by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details

Wednesday was Kenyan hills.  We had to try and keep the same pace up and down the hills. Tough session.
Day 255 hills Warm Up by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Day 255 - Kenyan Hills by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
The recovery run was a beach run which I loved.  We ran barefoot on the sand and I didn't record it as I wanted to be free from anything! Great feeling.

Thursday was a costal path run.  Started well but tired on second half of run. Week had started to take its toll.
Day 256 - coastal run by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday was a long run- 15 miles.  I stopped a few times but on the whole I was running about a minute per mile quicker than usual. Very happy.
Day 257 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Day 257 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details
Day 257 by Sallycinn at Garmin Connect - Details