Nearly at the end of week 4 and I'm shattered!

I've had a couple of epiphany moments this week.
1. That 26miles is a huge distance and I'm now abit nervous.
2. That I'm going to have to make some lifestyle changes to accommodate all my training.

This weekend is a perfect case in point...

It's the superbowl (still utterly gutted we're not playing) and I'm catching the 08:35 national express coach to Derby via Birmingham to watch the game with Mr.B up in Matlock. The game is 10pm-3am, then sleep, then coach back to Southampton at 3:10pm via London with an eta of getting home around 10pm Monday night.

Can't wait to see Mr&Mrs B and the game will prob be very good. However. I'm not going to be running the 10 or maybe 12miles that my training plan says I should be doing on Sunday.

According to all the articles I've been reading, the long runs are really important as it gets the body used to being active for a long period of time. It gets used to figuring out how to sustain itself for hours at a time and it gets stronger so I won't hit this infamous wall at 20 odd miles.

I've got 12 weeks to go. I'm still on schedule but I must figure out how to work full time, have a fun social life and still manage 2-4hours of running over a weekend (plus of course the week day training)

I'll keep you posted :)

www.everyclick.marathonliz

Fab bday weekend and plenty of training :)

Best birthday weekend ever!
XX made me a packers cushion, I had a gorgeous salmon and cashew nut Thai curry for dinner round at A&J's, cream tea at tudor house museum with K&S, went for a run along Weston shore with V, Ceno's for a meal with the girls, Evans ride it sportif in Newbury, cowherds for roast with cycling tri buddies, wine round at K&S's Sunday night topped off with a lie in today. Fabulous fabulous bday weekend from Friday late afternoon to today - early afternoon. Am very happy :)

Plus within all of that celebrating of me, I also trained.

Slipped up a kerb Friday morning so didn't swim Saturday morning - bit worried about seepage from my wound but did run 5miles Saturday afternoon.  Then Sunday cycled 48k / 30miles. All around newbury - so beautiful but jeez, quite a few hills too. And today, ran 30mins this morning, got some waterproof wound dressings and swam this evening.

Geeky tri club swim training amazing news - I got my stroke count down to TWENTY ONE!!!!  I'm absolutely gob-smacked. Coach Peter delighted - as am I.

Pic is me at 30km pausing for selfie and snacks during the Evans sportif.

Day 4 Week 3, so far so good...

Still gutted about our playoff exit :(
However operation training for the London marathon is going swimmingly.

Tri club Monday - after doing some drills, coach Peter got us to swim 400m / 16 lengths.

Now, back in June I did the leatherhead sprint triathlon and clocked a time of 9.57.91 which I was absolutely delighted with. In fact I did much squawking at trytri Ben as I scuttled out of the pool as it was my best time ever. Under 10mins for 400m!!! Well, I think you all know where this is heading...

On Monday I did 400m in 9.28.35!
OMG.
Amazing.
I gleefully informed coach Peter of my achievement as he and coach Kathy have been instrumental in my swim improvement. So chuffed :)

Tuesday was a wet and cold fabulous runcamp session up at the track. Such brilliant fun. Loved it. Yes of course I was the last to finish every lap but who cares as I'm improving on myself which is absolutely my goal. 2015 is all about the running.

Wednesday - fabulous "training" session on the 18:00 to Waterloo to meet Matt for drinks in the Hope and Anchor, the Cut near Waterloo station just down from the Old Vic and next door to the Young Vic. Hey, rest is just as important as activity.

Today didn't feel the tri club track session but knew I had to go for a run. 40.01.29mins 3.5miles then when I got home, 13mins on stationary bike - 6.8km.

Still no chocolate bars although at a meeting I was at yesterday afternoon I did inhale quite a few chocolate biscuits (eeeeeeeeeeep)

Hopefully a run tomorrow morning then work and then my long weekend of "Wahoooooooo it's my birthday" begins.

Lizzie marathon woman Carter turns 46 this Sunday. Excellent.

We lost in O/T - no superbowl for the packers this year :(

Gutted. Totally and utterly GUTTED.
We had it and then it just fluttered away in the last 5mins. Sad sad face...

But, and this is a HUGE but. I didn't go and drown my sorrows in bars of fry's peppermint creams or family sized bags of malteasers or minstrels. No, I had my bottle of water and I had a bowl of banana custard but No chocolate bars. I'm pretty darn chuffed with myself. I'm a bit hesitant to actually say it... But it looks like I'm robust enough in my operation marathon liz training plan of NCBJ to "just say no"

Always a silver lining if you look hard enough!!! Still gutted bout the NFC Championship game though :(

Oh and yesterday I ran (walked abit) 8.13 miles in 1:51.29.
When I got home I had a bath and then lost the ability to walk for the rest of the afternoon / eve. Feel fabulous today though.

Week three of sixteen here I come x

Day 4 of NCBJ

Well... To be honest, there was a part of me that wondered if this was even possible? No Chocolate Bar January.

And I suppose it has only been four days, but even so, this must be the longest I've gone without even a little finger of fudge, freddo or a milkyway, let alone a mars bar or twix (favourites)  although I do have a thing for the frys peppermint creams (that's Mrs E's fault)  and of course the three bests bags ever - malteasers, minstrels and chocolate buttons.

But I've been strong and all marathon woman training focused and have abstained :)

In the immortal words of Zammo, I have just said no.

Plus I think we can all agree that I've definitely got my training mojo back.

Hoorah.
And phew - as I am starting to think "O.M.good.G. What on earth have I signed up for? Twenty six miles? Eeeeeeeeeeep" And then I whimper abit.

A very wet Wednesday evening = sorting out my VLM fundraising page.

It's absolutely chucking it down out there and even though I'm successfully into week two of Lizzie marathon woman Carter's VLM training plan it's just toooooooo wet and windy and cold outside this evening so I've had to put a cross through "LRR training" under today's date :(

However, I haven't just been sprawled in my arm chair watching TV all evening. I've been jolly productive and sorted out my everyclick fundraising page for No Limits, the charity I work for and who I'd like any donations to go to.


Here it it, and cheers in advance xx

http://www.everyclick.com/marathonliz

Packers in the NFC Championship game. Perfect end to week 1 of LVM training.

Wow.

I'm exhausted. Not from my first weeks training but from the most exciting divisional round playoff game ever!!  Packers beat the Cowboys 26-21. What a game. I'm so utterly and totally full of pure happiness and currently two of my three bars of celebratory chocolate :)

So, how has my training week one of sixteen been?

Monday - 30mins run before work  plus tri club swimming Monday eve. Approx 1.3km of swimming in 37.21

Tuesday - first runcamp level 2 session. Loved it.

Wednesday - no LRR training as worked till just after 7pm.

Thursday - finally got to check out tri clubs run session up at the track. Omg,  really enjoyed it. Huw did a 5000m TT which is 12.5 laps of the track which I did in 34.15.98

Friday - REST.

Plus met the girls at the junction for the pub quiz. Didn't win but we were certainly in the mix till the very end.

Saturday - tri club swimming. Did an hilarious 10m of fly during one of the sets. I reckon I must have looked as if I was dry humping for 10m and then did an odd fly kick with one armed crawl stroke dealio for the other 15m of the length. Approx 1.5k of swimming in 50mins. Then tudor house for cream tea with Suzanne with two pots of tea each. Swimming is thristy work.

Then up to Ashtead.

Sunday - ran to the Burford Bridge Hotel to collect D&M's car.
5.73 miles in 1:13.15

And now?

Enjoying the NFL and revelling in a very successful first week of my Virgin London Marathon training.

And so it begins...

Yep, ran this morning, 30mins. Hoorah. I'm on plan :)
Commuter cycling = 15km
Tri club swimming, main set = 1.3km in 37.21mins.

So all in all I think it's been a pretty successful day one of lizzie marathon woman carter's training plan. 1st Runcamp level 2 class starts tomorrow 7:30pm on the common and I'm rather looking forward to it.

The key though is to sustain all of this...

I will keep you all posted.

Oh and attached is page 2 of my marathon training plan. This is what I'm aiming to do this month.

1st January 2015. A new year, a new season :)

I think I may have located my training mojo!!
Rather like a tortoise it's just been hibernating (and eating chocolate) but it looks like it's nearly ready to show itself. It's popped out now for a run on Saturday and Tuesday plus parkrun this morning. I think it's getting stronger every day so am now feeling extremely confident for a successful day one of lizzie 'marathon woman' carter's London marathon training plan. Wahoooooooo :)

So gentle blog readers of mine, just what is lizzie lou's season looking like so far???

January - Run Camp level 2 twelve week course starts plus I'll be back at LRR Wednesday eve training and checking out tri club's running session at the track on Thursday evenings. Oh and on my 46th bday I hope to do the Evans 112k cycle, but I may veere off at 70k if too knackered.

Febuary - nothing booked as yet so tri club swimming and running, Run Camp plus gym, cycling etc...

March - my season proper starts!
15/3 - 1st Portsmouth duathlon 5/15/5
22/3 - Winchester standard duathlon of 10/47/5 (eeeeeeeeeeep)

April 2015
12/4 - 2nd Portsmouth duathlon, I think it's 7/20/5
26/4 - The Virgin London Marathon!!!!!!!!
(I'm so excited)

May 2015
4/5 - Winchester Mayday sprint tri 400/24/5
Then me, Katherine and Suzanne are off to the Netherlands for a long weekend of cycling. The girls are even saying this maybe the weekend I bust my 100miles in a day cycling cherry.

No other plans for May so far...

June 2015
14/6 - Polsdon Lacey 10k

July 2015
Mum and Dad's Golden Wedding Anniversary party (fun)
25-26/7 - Thunder Run. Can't wait for this, should be a hoot. 5 in a team and Run Camp have two teams, and then each team from noon Saturday to noon Sunday try and run as many 10k loops that they can. I must get a head torch for  running in the early hours of Sunday morning. So excited.

August 2015
I don't have any plans but Katherine may be doing a 14k open water swim on the same day as Suzanne, the Smiths and a few other tri club buddies are doing the inaugural Dublin half ironman.
Oh and I'll be joining the Peacock's for part of their annual IOW holiday.

September 2015
No firm plans for yours truly yet.
Maybe the Southsea pier to pier 2k sea swim.
Maybe the Ashtead 10k
Maybe cheering on Katherine doing some famous river 10k swim
Definitely following online Suzanne and the rest of tri club who are doing the Mallorca Ironman (that's a 2.4m sea swim, 112mile cycle then a marathon all within the 17 hour cutoff)

October 2015
4/10 the Twin Cities marathon in Minneapolis St.Paul, Minnesota in the good old U.S.of A.

November 2015
15/11 - Denbies duathlon.

Wahoooooooo,  2015 here I come!!!!!

I've also made space for any 2015 medals. I just need to coax my sleepy training mojo back into business, lose a couple of stone, curb my currently out of control chocolate addiction and then it's operation fit and healthy here I come.

Brilliant stuff x