So February has been a frustrating month... My injury turned out to be Piriformis Syndrome which has seriously curtailed my training to pretty much non-existent. I've been doing physio stretching and strengthening exercises twice a day that are both painful and very very boring.
I've been banned from running and confined to the cross-trainer only, and only then when I am in no pain. To push it in any way and run/cross-train with pain risks permanent injury.
I was on the cross-trainer last Wednesday for 30 mins, and then was in pain for 6 days after so no exercise. I made it back on last night for 15 minutes on the lowest setting and managed a whopping 1.3 km. Disheartening doesn't even cover it. Especially when the Edinburgh Marathon are sending excitable "13 weeks to go!!" emails which are just stressing me out even more.
However, I am not in more pain today, and it's sitting at a steady niggle pain after last nights exertions (which were followed by a LOT of stretches and strengthening) so maybe I can continue on the cross trainer tomorrow night too, and try and desperately claw back some of the lost cardio fitness.
We always hear these stories of people overcoming all odds to run marathons when they have cancer, MS or any of a huge range of disabiliting illnesses. But what of those who get loads of sponsorship, and then can't do it on the day? At the moment I'm investigating doing a shorter leg, and asking my husband to be my back up in the event that I'm not able to come through this in time. When I asked the physio about it he drew me a recovery graph and explained about recovery; "we're talking months, if not years". I'm unlikely to know until much nearer to May if this is going to be doable for me at all.
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Monday, 24 February 2014
Nutrition tip: Energy Baws
I'm a big fan of these nutritious treats from Dr Kim post or pre-run. Packed with energy but sugar, wheat and dairy free and with plenty of good stuff like different vitamins and minerals depending on which ingredients you use.
I've made them using a mix of prunes, raisins and dates instead of just dates and also tried using almonds, pumpkin seeds and raw cashews instead of pecans. I've done a batch rolled in toasted dried coconut and some others rolled in cocoa nibs. So long as you stick to Dr Kim's instructions to add the 'wetter' ingredients slowly then you can have a lot of fun experimenting with the ingredients in this recipe.
And I have 'Glasgow-ised' them by rechristening them 'Energy Baws'. Because I'm like that!
I've made them using a mix of prunes, raisins and dates instead of just dates and also tried using almonds, pumpkin seeds and raw cashews instead of pecans. I've done a batch rolled in toasted dried coconut and some others rolled in cocoa nibs. So long as you stick to Dr Kim's instructions to add the 'wetter' ingredients slowly then you can have a lot of fun experimenting with the ingredients in this recipe.
And I have 'Glasgow-ised' them by rechristening them 'Energy Baws'. Because I'm like that!
Monday, 17 February 2014
What a difference a day makes...
Twenty four little hours after a very dispiriting run it was time for Purlpower to strap on the trainers for the second time in a weekend and head into Glasgow to accompany Lilith on the Glasgow Frontrunners Rainbow Run celebrating LGBT History Month.
This time the omens were a little better. The BBC weather report was encouraging:
And the sky above me as my train pulled into Glasgow Central was as blue as my fingernails:
Each runner in the Rainbow Run is allocated a colour according to their month of birth so being a September baby I was true blue all the way. The 'start' sign was reassuringly non-flecked with mud, it was time to run!
Seventy rainbow runners headed off along the Glasgow Canal towpath. A fantastic place to run, close to the city centre but it felt like a world away - I'm embarrassed to have lived here so long and not realised this great footpath existed. We had a choice of running 5k, 7.5k or 10k. Now that I'm running 5k on a regular basis it seemed a good time to challenge myself and try the 7.5. And with Lilith to encourage me it really wasn't too bad at all. The route was traffic free and mostly flat (apart from a hill up to the canal path right at the beginning) and it felt great to push myself to go that little bit further.
Those all important Map My Run stats at the end told us that I had managed to run my 'fastest ever 5k' and had an average pace of 6mins 22 per kilometer. *SNORE* Sorry, getting a bit stat-obsessed of late...
Of course the best thing about running is the guilt free binging at the end and we were not disappointed with the selection on offer. Lilith was introduced to the kiddie party staple of 'Top Hats' while I tucked into a rainbow cupcake...or two. Celebrating every last crumb of diversity.
And if you want to see what a running rainbow looks like I recommend you take a peek at the Glasgow Frontrunner's Facebook Page because we do look rather snazzy if I do say so myself.
This time the omens were a little better. The BBC weather report was encouraging:
Those all important Map My Run stats at the end told us that I had managed to run my 'fastest ever 5k' and had an average pace of 6mins 22 per kilometer. *SNORE* Sorry, getting a bit stat-obsessed of late...
Of course the best thing about running is the guilt free binging at the end and we were not disappointed with the selection on offer. Lilith was introduced to the kiddie party staple of 'Top Hats' while I tucked into a rainbow cupcake...or two. Celebrating every last crumb of diversity.
And if you want to see what a running rainbow looks like I recommend you take a peek at the Glasgow Frontrunner's Facebook Page because we do look rather snazzy if I do say so myself.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Park(run) Life
Sometimes it can seem like the universe is telling you that running is a really bad idea. When Paula and I were driving to Parkrun in Victoria Park yesterday every atom in the world seemed to be united in one message: Do not run today.
Parkrun is an amazing phenomenon. Many parks across the world - and three right here in Glasgow - offer the chance to run a free, timed 5k every Saturday. It's a not-for-profit organisation and all the runs are staffed by volunteers. Big up to the volunteers.
Since the beginning of 2014 Team 4ply has been sporadically attending the Parkrun in Pollock Park but we'd heard tell of another Parkrun, in Glasgow, with LESS HILLS and so we'd decided to set our sights on the mythical flatlands of Victoria Park this week.
Unfortunately this coincided with one of the wettest weeks in British history and we both felt a bit rubbish. Paula was adjusting to some new meds causing her to be proper glaikit. I'd spent the past week transcribing for about eight hours a day, was knackered and starting to hear things.... At one point I was curled up in the front seat of Paula's car pretending to go to sleep. When I opened my peepers, this was the view:
If a motorway could talk, this one would say 'go back to bed you pair of numpties, this running lark isn't for you'. In fact I could almost swear that's what it DID say...
But if Team4ply is anything, it is stubborn to a fault. So we went to our first Parkrun at Glasgow's usually delightful Victoria Park. I've been to Victoria Park on lovely spring mornings, had fossil fun in the Fossil Grove and taken a gentle stroll round its dignified swan pond.
But it looked rather different yesterday:
Rain had fallen, rain on mud, rain on rain. Most of the track seemed to be submerged under water. I was testing out my new 'seal skins' socks (they're not made of real seal skin, stand down vegans!) which are supposedly waterproof. I can report back that they do indeed keep your feet dry, however a small pond of water was collecting inside my trainers and was then trapped between trainer and my impermeable sock. Giving me the sensation of running round with two carrier bags full of water wrapped round my feet. Like a human stumbling 1970s waterbed. Not pleasant.
Just waiting for the fella to shout 'go' was torture; we just wanted to get this over with and get home to normality. But sensibly every Parkrun begins with a brief safety chat and an explanation of the route ahead. A few shivery minutes later, we were off....
This was our view for most of the run, i.e. from the very back, through the grey. This week Paula and I were trying an interval method of running for two and a half minutes and walking for one minute. And it just seemed like a real slog. Our legs simply did not want to run or walk. They wanted to go home to bed with an electric blanket and be positioned in front of a telly watching Labyrinth or maybe The Muppets.
But we battled on: three laps of the soggy, puddle-ridden park and then finally the finish line:
Paula achieved her Parkrun PB* and I found out that while I like having dry toes the sensation of running/walking on water ain't all it's cracked up to be.
We had survived another run together. We had a newfound understanding of the benefits of hills (namely, that water cannot gather at the top of them). It was time to go home, have a cup of tea and watch some Muppets....
*That's 'personal best' - we're runners now dontchaknow!
Parkrun is an amazing phenomenon. Many parks across the world - and three right here in Glasgow - offer the chance to run a free, timed 5k every Saturday. It's a not-for-profit organisation and all the runs are staffed by volunteers. Big up to the volunteers.
Since the beginning of 2014 Team 4ply has been sporadically attending the Parkrun in Pollock Park but we'd heard tell of another Parkrun, in Glasgow, with LESS HILLS and so we'd decided to set our sights on the mythical flatlands of Victoria Park this week.
Unfortunately this coincided with one of the wettest weeks in British history and we both felt a bit rubbish. Paula was adjusting to some new meds causing her to be proper glaikit. I'd spent the past week transcribing for about eight hours a day, was knackered and starting to hear things.... At one point I was curled up in the front seat of Paula's car pretending to go to sleep. When I opened my peepers, this was the view:
But if Team4ply is anything, it is stubborn to a fault. So we went to our first Parkrun at Glasgow's usually delightful Victoria Park. I've been to Victoria Park on lovely spring mornings, had fossil fun in the Fossil Grove and taken a gentle stroll round its dignified swan pond.
But it looked rather different yesterday:
Rain had fallen, rain on mud, rain on rain. Most of the track seemed to be submerged under water. I was testing out my new 'seal skins' socks (they're not made of real seal skin, stand down vegans!) which are supposedly waterproof. I can report back that they do indeed keep your feet dry, however a small pond of water was collecting inside my trainers and was then trapped between trainer and my impermeable sock. Giving me the sensation of running round with two carrier bags full of water wrapped round my feet. Like a human stumbling 1970s waterbed. Not pleasant.
Just waiting for the fella to shout 'go' was torture; we just wanted to get this over with and get home to normality. But sensibly every Parkrun begins with a brief safety chat and an explanation of the route ahead. A few shivery minutes later, we were off....
This was our view for most of the run, i.e. from the very back, through the grey. This week Paula and I were trying an interval method of running for two and a half minutes and walking for one minute. And it just seemed like a real slog. Our legs simply did not want to run or walk. They wanted to go home to bed with an electric blanket and be positioned in front of a telly watching Labyrinth or maybe The Muppets.
But we battled on: three laps of the soggy, puddle-ridden park and then finally the finish line:
Paula achieved her Parkrun PB* and I found out that while I like having dry toes the sensation of running/walking on water ain't all it's cracked up to be.
We had survived another run together. We had a newfound understanding of the benefits of hills (namely, that water cannot gather at the top of them). It was time to go home, have a cup of tea and watch some Muppets....
*That's 'personal best' - we're runners now dontchaknow!
Friday, 14 February 2014
Introducing Paula Must Try Harder
This little piggy was a gymnast, this little piggy learned to swim, this little piggy ran as fast as could be, and this little piggy… stayed at home for her entire childhood, reading books and drinking tea.
Hi, I’m Paula, the comedy relief of Team 4ply. I run, everyone chuckles; it’s a role I’ve quite gotten used to. I won’t make you guess which of the little piggies best describes my youth but, needless to say, I was never the leanest cut of pork. In fact, I managed to avoid all forms of physical exercise, up to and including jumping for joy, until August 2012 when everything somehow changed…
Now, I’m not talking a major life event, or near-death experience; no, nothing like that. There was no moment of clarity, no ghost of Christmas future, and yet, by the time the month was out, I was knee high in sport, with only sport and knee-highs for company. In my infinite stupidity, I had decided to overturn my lifelong fear of exercise by trying sport. Not a sport: sport. Trying all seventeen Glasgow 2014 disciplines before the Games arrive in July is my game; Paula Must Try Harder is my name.
Over the last eighteen months then, I’ve tried to wrestle, and wrestled with triathlon, battled aquaphobia to learn to swim – although I’m still more brick than buoy – and overcame debilitating shyness to wear more Lycra than any decent person ever should. I’ve cried, wheezed and vomited in the name of trying harder – often all at once, which is more difficult than it sounds – but now can’t imagine my life without the madness in it.
In all, this silly challenge has been wonderful for the timid bench-warmer that I once was. Training with Olympic athletes, lunching with Malaysian royalty and reporting for the BBC: oh, how things have changed. And now I’m running a marathon relay with three amazing women whose hopes are as high as their yarn bills.
Just a year ago, I had never met creative genius, Lilith, clever-clogs, Elaine, or the inspirational wonder that is Helen, and now they’re trusting me to bring home the relay and cross that finish line with the style that they so very much deserve. And while I’ve no evidence to support this, I really think I’ll do it.
Can I currently run 4.6 miles without a rest or a respirator? No. My lungs disowned me during the triathlon and still haven’t quite come around yet. But if I’ve learned anything from the last eighteen months of huffing and puffing, it’s that I’m an incessant trier and, even if I’m rubbish and make a complete floundering fool of myself, I’ll give this Hairy Haggis relay a damn good go.
And, who knows, afterwards, I might finally get to be the little piggy who went, ‘wheee’, all the way home!
So now you’ve met Team 4ply and hopefully you’ve realised that what we lack in running experience or skill we more than make up for in sheer, unadulterated foolhardiness. We’re four strands of the same fibre, working together to make this marathon relay something special.
We’re Team 4ply and we’re running for a great cause: to raise money for MS Society Scotland to continue the great work they do in supporting sufferers and raising awareness of Multiple Sclerosis.
Please consider donating some of your hard-earned. It won’t make us run faster, but it will make a difference in the fight to beat MS. Thank you!
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Introducing Purlpower!
Greetings, I am Purlpower, aka Ricey, aka Helen and I make up the third strand of Team4ply.
Until last year I had not competed in a sporting event, willingly, since primary school. This is me, coming second in Portway Junior's egg and spoon race circa 1983:
Somewhere around puberty I stopped enjoying pretty much any physical activity apart from walking. I contrived to avoid every PE lesson by fair means or foul. In my twenties I started having trouble with even the walking and 'normal' everyday life. I had joint pains and muscle aches and increasingly I found myself unable to stand on the commute to work due to chronic fatigue and pain. I was fainting more frequently too and breaking out in heat rashes. It took nearly ten years for me to get the diagnosis that made all these things make sense: I have the genetic condition Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and the associated problem of PoTS.
But during those ten years, before getting diagnosed, my world became smaller and smaller. I spent five years unable to work and doing less and less and less. Knitting was really important to me; it gave me something constructive to do with my hands and it was something I could do while stuck at home instead of being sucked into the dangerous realm of daytime TV.
In April 2011 I was admitted for intensive rehabilitation at Inverclyde Hospital and at that point I needed to rest after everything; even making a cup of tea was an almighty task. But whilst there I learned some important lessons from the physiotherapists and occupational therapists and faced some hard truths. The most crucial thing, for me, was to accept that I was not going to just wake up one day and feel better, the way you do after a bad dose of the flu or a dose of food poisoning. Chronic illness isn't like that: the less you do, the less you become able to do, without intervention - for most of us - it's a downward spiral. Once you realise this the question has to be 'how can I reverse this spiral?' and the answer, for me, was 'do more physical activity'.
After the crisis point of hospital I had the great help of a community physiotherapist and I set about restoring the muscle strength that had withered away. The exercises were simple, repetitive and boring. Really boring. But they worked. And after about six months of doing exercises at home and combined with controlled walking I was ready to take it to the next level. For me that was swimming - one of the best exercises if you have sore joints as it is low impact and your weight is supported by the water.
On my first swim I managed to do just one length. The following swim I did two. I kept going swimming for a few times a week, very gradually building things up until the day when I did 30 lengths without really thinking about it. That's when I knew it was time for a new challenge and coincidentally I saw a poster for an 'all abilities triathlon' and, on a whim, decided to enter.
So the summer of 2013 saw me choosing to cycle, jog and swim on a regular basis. And to my astonishment I found that I actually enjoyed the running! I also met the lovely Paula (Team 4ply's fourth strand) and found that running with a pal suited me very well indeed. The triathlon day was truly one of the best days of my life and made me think 'hm, I wonder what I can do next....'
Doing a marathon though...even a bit of one...well, that's still quite a daunting prospect. One of the things that will keep me going is knowing that the MS Society is doing hugely important work. Scotland has one of the highest incidences of MS in the world but the reasons for that are still unclear. You can read more about MS Society Scotland and how to get involved here .
And please do visit our sponsorship page today - it's February, yesterday it was sleeting and hailing and we really do need all the encouragement we can get!
Until last year I had not competed in a sporting event, willingly, since primary school. This is me, coming second in Portway Junior's egg and spoon race circa 1983:
Somewhere around puberty I stopped enjoying pretty much any physical activity apart from walking. I contrived to avoid every PE lesson by fair means or foul. In my twenties I started having trouble with even the walking and 'normal' everyday life. I had joint pains and muscle aches and increasingly I found myself unable to stand on the commute to work due to chronic fatigue and pain. I was fainting more frequently too and breaking out in heat rashes. It took nearly ten years for me to get the diagnosis that made all these things make sense: I have the genetic condition Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and the associated problem of PoTS.
But during those ten years, before getting diagnosed, my world became smaller and smaller. I spent five years unable to work and doing less and less and less. Knitting was really important to me; it gave me something constructive to do with my hands and it was something I could do while stuck at home instead of being sucked into the dangerous realm of daytime TV.
In April 2011 I was admitted for intensive rehabilitation at Inverclyde Hospital and at that point I needed to rest after everything; even making a cup of tea was an almighty task. But whilst there I learned some important lessons from the physiotherapists and occupational therapists and faced some hard truths. The most crucial thing, for me, was to accept that I was not going to just wake up one day and feel better, the way you do after a bad dose of the flu or a dose of food poisoning. Chronic illness isn't like that: the less you do, the less you become able to do, without intervention - for most of us - it's a downward spiral. Once you realise this the question has to be 'how can I reverse this spiral?' and the answer, for me, was 'do more physical activity'.
After the crisis point of hospital I had the great help of a community physiotherapist and I set about restoring the muscle strength that had withered away. The exercises were simple, repetitive and boring. Really boring. But they worked. And after about six months of doing exercises at home and combined with controlled walking I was ready to take it to the next level. For me that was swimming - one of the best exercises if you have sore joints as it is low impact and your weight is supported by the water.
On my first swim I managed to do just one length. The following swim I did two. I kept going swimming for a few times a week, very gradually building things up until the day when I did 30 lengths without really thinking about it. That's when I knew it was time for a new challenge and coincidentally I saw a poster for an 'all abilities triathlon' and, on a whim, decided to enter.
So the summer of 2013 saw me choosing to cycle, jog and swim on a regular basis. And to my astonishment I found that I actually enjoyed the running! I also met the lovely Paula (Team 4ply's fourth strand) and found that running with a pal suited me very well indeed. The triathlon day was truly one of the best days of my life and made me think 'hm, I wonder what I can do next....'
Doing a marathon though...even a bit of one...well, that's still quite a daunting prospect. One of the things that will keep me going is knowing that the MS Society is doing hugely important work. Scotland has one of the highest incidences of MS in the world but the reasons for that are still unclear. You can read more about MS Society Scotland and how to get involved here .
And please do visit our sponsorship page today - it's February, yesterday it was sleeting and hailing and we really do need all the encouragement we can get!
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Injuries
9 days ago I had a little trip on Byres Road. I saved myself by sticking my leg out followed by a number of teeny steps to balance myself - all instinct. I felt no pain so continued on, finishing with the usual proper stretching. It was actually a good run- I didn't spend it desperately wishing for it to be over for the first time.
That was the last time I ran. Down from 3-4 times a week to nothing. I had a pain the next day, which has gradually awakened a long-dormant sciatica *sigh* I'm getting frustrated, desperate and irritable not being able to run. I don't even enjoy running - which makes this challenge so much harder. It's been an uphill struggle to even reach this level of fitness. I came 356 out 361 runners in the 5k parkrun a couple of weeks ago and, for me, that was an amazing achievement.
The thought of going backwards and having to climb that mountain again is demoralising. The thought of the weeks until the marathon relay ticking away and me being inactive makes me panicky. Constantly being in pain makes me irritable and sorry for myself.
I'm trying to be mindful of the fact that these are the kind of issues that people with MS face everyday, and there is often no end to these issues depending on the type of MS they suffer.
First available sports physio appointment this afternoon. Here's hoping he has a miracle cure for me. I've been doing strength exercises and sciatica exercises I found on a NHS website in the meantime.
Elaine
That was the last time I ran. Down from 3-4 times a week to nothing. I had a pain the next day, which has gradually awakened a long-dormant sciatica *sigh* I'm getting frustrated, desperate and irritable not being able to run. I don't even enjoy running - which makes this challenge so much harder. It's been an uphill struggle to even reach this level of fitness. I came 356 out 361 runners in the 5k parkrun a couple of weeks ago and, for me, that was an amazing achievement.
The thought of going backwards and having to climb that mountain again is demoralising. The thought of the weeks until the marathon relay ticking away and me being inactive makes me panicky. Constantly being in pain makes me irritable and sorry for myself.
I'm trying to be mindful of the fact that these are the kind of issues that people with MS face everyday, and there is often no end to these issues depending on the type of MS they suffer.
First available sports physio appointment this afternoon. Here's hoping he has a miracle cure for me. I've been doing strength exercises and sciatica exercises I found on a NHS website in the meantime.
Elaine
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Thursday, 6 February 2014
introducing lilith!!
hi - i'm lilith, another strand in Team 4ply!! you may also know me as the Old Maiden Aunt. and i suppose you could consider me the "ringleader" of this group, since i was the one who kind of talked everyone else into taking on this endeavour (although to be fair, all i really did was say "hey, this looks cool - who wants to do it with me?)!!!
i've been running for a few years now - i initially started mainly as a way to lose weight, back when i was a few stone heavier than i wanted to be, and trained to run the Race for Life way back in 2008 (remember 2008?). i found that even though i wasn't brilliant at it, there was something about it that seemed to suit me. maybe it's the fact that most of the time, it's a solitary pursuit; maybe because you don't need much in the way of special equipment or fancy gym memberships to do it. or maybe, it's because the more you run, the more biscuits you can eat. whatever it was, running & i got on reasonably well. i've got Aspergers Syndrome (a form of autism), which means that life can be extremely stressful for me - running is a brilliant form of stress relief, and gives me some measure of control over my day. whatever else has happened, no matter how slow or plodding my run, i've still managed to get out there and achieve something. i can use the time to mull over the stresses of the day, think about tomorrow's plans, or simply look around me & just be glad to be there (or some days, wheeze & pant & wonder why i ever thought this was a good idea!).
since i've never really been sporty, this came as a bit of a surprise - a) that i suddenly owned a lot of lycra and more than one pair of trainers, and b) that i was willing to persevere at something that i wasn't great at (not something i ever managed in all those years of school PE!!). i found myself looking for events to train for & goals to work toward - i even managed to slog my way through Tough Mudder in 2012. and although i've had to take a few of chunks of time off here & there for various injuries (tendonitis, post-Tough-Mudder recovery, tendonitis again) i'm still plodding on.
although building up the stamina to run my 8.5 mile leg of the marathon is going to be a challenge (my longest run at the moment is less than half that distance), that's not actually my biggest worry. i'm pretty used to country running - i live somewhere semi-rural, so my running routes usually look like this:
it's a nice place to run - there's always something interesting to look at, and vehicles are usually pretty good at giving you a wide berth (although with my hi-vis fluorescent yellow vest & bright pink hair, i'm fairly easy to see!). i've found tractors are the best at giving you lots of room, probably because they know what it's like to be wide, slow-moving, and in everybody's way. running on these roads, i've gone over a mile farther than i meant to because i was following a very interesting bird that was always *just* out of reach; i've run my fastest ever time when a farm collie chased me for more than half a mile; and i have my very own cheering section - they always shout "yeaaaaaahh!" when i pass them.
(hm - maybe it's "baaaaaaaa"!). apart from my cheering squad & the infrequent car, it's pretty peaceful - and for someone with Aspergers, peace & quiet is a wonderful thing. i don't really deal well with noise - Aspergers messes with my sensory system, and makes sounds painfully loud, lights painfully bright, and crowds terrifyingly disorienting. my sense of direction & spatial awareness are appalling, and unfamiliar situations are extremely scary. so a major running event like the Edinburgh Marathon, with roughly 25,000 participants, is something that i'd normally avoid like the plague - too many people running about! noisy cheering people on the sidelines!! i don't know these streets!!! there's too many signs to read!!! what if i get lost, or can't find my team member at the changeover?!!??? PANIC!!!!!
an autistic meltdown is awful - in its best form, it resembles a severe panic attack, and at worst, it can spiral into near-catatonia (i literally can't move/speak/communicate in any way, like i've gone too far inside myself in an attempt to get away from the stressor, and become trapped). it's an incredibly distressing experience as it signals a complete loss of control. in my normal life, i can structure most things in such a way that i can avoid a lot of major stressors - but this event is going to be something else entirely.
but, like elaine, i'm pretty sure that however hard i'm going to find it on the day, that doesn't matter. what matters is that even though it's hard, i can do it. i'm happy to admit that i'm probably a little too short, a little too fat, and a little too close to forty to ever really get properly good at running. but today, i can still look at a hill & say to my legs "right, let's go" - and they do it (& it still never ceases to amaze me). i can decide that today, i'm going to run for four miles - and even if i wheeze & wobble on each step, i can do it. and if i need to make it through a crowded, chaotic, noisy event to raise some money for MS research - i can do it. we're all only ever one serious accident or illness away from losing the physical abilities & freedoms that we take for granted, so if i can help out in some way by continuing to plod on - i can do it.
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Introducing...Elaine!
Hi! I'm Elaine, 1/4 of team 4ply.
I'm a knitting librarian-type who's training to be a programmer. All very sit-in-the-warm-on-backside type activities. Me and sport: no. Just no. A generally straight A student, I got my only F in school in sports - football to be precise. As I recall I got my F "for running off the pitch and away from the ball repeatedly."
So there I was, sitting about at Christmas, eating sweets and watching TV in the cosy warm family home. I spot a tweet from Lilith, something about, who fancies doing the Edinburgh Marathon Relay this summer? Summer. Warm. Ages away. Sure, why not? I'll join in I carelessly tweet.
Cut to cold, dark, raining January interval training around Glasgow's hilly west end. I'd been running on my terms on the treadmill once a week for months. The kind of I feel tired, let's walk a bit kind of training. Now I've jumped on the couch to 5k style interval training programs I'm realising that I never really pushed myself much at all. Trying to maintain running (or foot-stamping slow jogging, let's be honest!) for any length of time is proving extremely, extremely hard. I've never fully appreciated all the work that these 10K for charity types have gone through. It was so hard in fact, that I began to wonder whether I was really really bad at this, and maybe I'd made a big mistake.
It turns out that the beta-blockers I'm on for migraines are making things much harder for me. I am getting fitter, it's just that I rapidly experience extreme breathlessness. As soon as I walk it goes away. But as soon as I start running I'm gasping for survival again. So I have an additional challenge to overcome.
And really, isn't running for the MS Society Scotland all about trying to overcome extra odds? I'm running this, and refusing to give up, because my mother-in-law has MS. I've watched over the years as this illness has taken it's toll. I've watched her fight it as it slowly encroaches on her independence. I've watched how hard it has been on her and the whole family to go through this. Last year my husband and sister-in-law ran the Edinburgh 10K for the MS Society Scotland, and my brother-in-law and his friends did Tough Mudder. The MS Society Scotland needs all the money that they can get to beat this illness. They fund research into every aspect of MS: from cause and finding a cure, to helping those who are affected by it now. You can read more about where your money will be going here and donate on our page here
It is never far from the back of my mind that I am healthy, able and can choose to do this. Many, many people would love just to be able to give something like this a shot, and I should remember that I'm extremely lucky that I can choose to keep going or stop on my own terms when I'm panting and cursing inside at just how hard this all is.
So here I am now. Look at me go!
I'm a knitting librarian-type who's training to be a programmer. All very sit-in-the-warm-on-backside type activities. Me and sport: no. Just no. A generally straight A student, I got my only F in school in sports - football to be precise. As I recall I got my F "for running off the pitch and away from the ball repeatedly."
So there I was, sitting about at Christmas, eating sweets and watching TV in the cosy warm family home. I spot a tweet from Lilith, something about, who fancies doing the Edinburgh Marathon Relay this summer? Summer. Warm. Ages away. Sure, why not? I'll join in I carelessly tweet.
Cut to cold, dark, raining January interval training around Glasgow's hilly west end. I'd been running on my terms on the treadmill once a week for months. The kind of I feel tired, let's walk a bit kind of training. Now I've jumped on the couch to 5k style interval training programs I'm realising that I never really pushed myself much at all. Trying to maintain running (or foot-stamping slow jogging, let's be honest!) for any length of time is proving extremely, extremely hard. I've never fully appreciated all the work that these 10K for charity types have gone through. It was so hard in fact, that I began to wonder whether I was really really bad at this, and maybe I'd made a big mistake.
It turns out that the beta-blockers I'm on for migraines are making things much harder for me. I am getting fitter, it's just that I rapidly experience extreme breathlessness. As soon as I walk it goes away. But as soon as I start running I'm gasping for survival again. So I have an additional challenge to overcome.
And really, isn't running for the MS Society Scotland all about trying to overcome extra odds? I'm running this, and refusing to give up, because my mother-in-law has MS. I've watched over the years as this illness has taken it's toll. I've watched her fight it as it slowly encroaches on her independence. I've watched how hard it has been on her and the whole family to go through this. Last year my husband and sister-in-law ran the Edinburgh 10K for the MS Society Scotland, and my brother-in-law and his friends did Tough Mudder. The MS Society Scotland needs all the money that they can get to beat this illness. They fund research into every aspect of MS: from cause and finding a cure, to helping those who are affected by it now. You can read more about where your money will be going here and donate on our page here
It is never far from the back of my mind that I am healthy, able and can choose to do this. Many, many people would love just to be able to give something like this a shot, and I should remember that I'm extremely lucky that I can choose to keep going or stop on my own terms when I'm panting and cursing inside at just how hard this all is.
So here I am now. Look at me go!
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