PGCE and Kidney followed by sniffly

Just in case you'd like to know:

The Liverpool to Leeds race bloggage is underway, but it got rather backlogged due to a hugely busy spell.

So, I ran to Leeds and I made it and then I quickly attempted to recover and then I started a primary school based PGCE, to become a primary school teacher. Busy busy busy. Lots of paperwork and folders and an assignment and thinking and pedagogical ramblings. And then I started to feel horrible and shaky and sweaty and shivery and feel rubbish and my kidneys felt like I had been punched or kicked continuously. So, I went to the doctors (I know, I can't believe I got an appointment either!) and did a urine sample and had a high temperature and the doc thinks it was a kidney infection. Sooo, I have just finished taking antibiotics which also made me feel pretty rubbish in my stomach and now I'm one day post-antibiotics and I have a very sniffly cold. Rarrrgggh. Consequently, I will get a running blog out there soon, but I haven't even run since I ran to Leeds, so that's a pain. Therefore (I'm trying not to write 'so', I write it faaaaar too much) I have entered Chester Marathon at the end of next week. That should do it.

I got some Hokas!

I finally (years and years after everyone else...) got some Hokas. I researched and searched and Googled and Googled some more. Ended up with a headache from all the research. I had a few concerns. As someone who overpronates, I wondered if this even mattered in Hokas, as the platform is so significantly big/ stable in comparison to other running shoes on the market. For road running, I had previously been running in Asics' Kayano and GT-2000 series. I was used to supportive shoes, but I needed even greater comfort for ultra-running.

In May, I utterly destroyed my feet during the Grand Union Canal 145 miles race. I wore inov-8 Race Ultra 290s and I was really disappointed :(. Initially, I thought they were great quality and looked good; I went up half a size from my normal everyday shoe size. I'm normally a Size 8 everywhere. And I've worn inov-8s many, many times over the years. They are the only brand of off-road shoes I had ever worn, so I trusted them. Most recently, I have run in the inov-8 Roclite 275 Gore-Tex trail shoe and I had no problems with that at all. I even ran GUCR 2014 in that shoe and I've worn other versions of inov-8 shoes for various ultras over the years.

Anyway, I have long feet, but I don't have wide feet - they're pretty narrow and not very padded. The Race Ultra 290 was too wide around my forefoot. It was like a big clown shoe/ balloon around my foot. I know, the irony, considering that most Hokas look like clown shoes... Yep, I always want some room in the front of the toe-box, but there was too much room to either side in the inov-8s. Ultimately, I ended up with mega tenderised feet and HUGE blisters on the side of my heel and both big toes and between my big toe and second toe of both feet. There are lots of pictures on this blog somewhere. My feet have never been that bad during a race. It was incredibly painful. And I thought more than ever that I must try Hokas. Those little sharp stones along canal towpaths are the worst. I just don’t want to feel them

The Search for Hoka...

Well, it was all well and good deciding that I wanted to try these shoes and see what the hype was like, but getting hold of my size and figuring out which ones to get was a different matter. Almost every UK website I went on only had small ladies sizes.

After advice from fellow ultra-runners, it eventually transpired that a Conquest 2 would probably be best for me and my moderate over pronation but it was also the most expensive at around 170 Euros or £125.  I was also more interested in getting a trail shoe, rather than a road shoe, because I wanted the sole to be a bit more rugged and durable. I decided to get a Challenger ATR.

Now I just need to work out my foot measurements. I initially thought I'd need at least a UK 8.5 / 42 2/3 / 27cm. Looking at my current Asics road running shoes, I normally go up a whole size to a UK 9, because I like the extra length in the toe box. This equates to 27.5 cm. I'll admit that there is a bit more extra room than I strictly need, but it never causes me problems. I'd always get at least a UK 8.5 in Asics (27cm). But I'd never gotten Hokas before and I wasn’t sure what the deal was with how they fitted. So, I followed their instructions and put my foot on a piece of A4 paper, foot up against a wall and drew where the end of my foot was = 26cm. This equalled a UK 7.5, but I didn't feel comfortable getting that Size. I want a little room in the toe. So, I settled on a UK 8 (26.5cm) And....they fit! I have room, but the shoe is actually quite a narrow fit and not really wide like my inov-8s, but I have that length.

So, at the weekend, I took them out for an 11 mile test run on gravel trails and a bit of road. I could not feel any of those pesky sharp stones. Hurrah. I just hope that they serve me well during my next ultra-adventure at the weekend, Liverpool to Leeds 130 miler. Fingers crossed!

Another run home, another foot dunk...

Post-run foot dunking is so refreshing. This could become a thing. Tonight it was dark when I finally got home. I also managed to get in a bit of food-weight-training by stopping off at the shop on the way back home and picking up some Babybel cheeses, avocados, yogurt and milk. I always end up picking up way too much on a quick trip to the shop.

Really looking forward to the Dovedale Dipper 26 miler on Sunday - done it a few times before and even though the cows in the first field always scare me, it's a really friendly little run. I'm hoping me and my boyfriend can spend a couple of days in the Peak District afterwards and have a little explore.

And I am now seriously contemplating doing the Leeds to Liverpool 130 mile race again on August Bank Holiday weekend. I've got to sort out a few 'logisticals', but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to. I'm always up for a long ultra-running challenge...

A bit random, but...

... I had a really sweaty day at work yesterday. It was busy busy and the air-con was off. To use up the little bit of energy I had left, I decided to run home from work. I was feeling pretty knackered and my feet were feeling pretty sweaty. Fortunately it had been raining all day and I happened across a large, yellow container under our guttering. It was full to the brim with rain water.

It was far too tempting not to take off my trainers and stick my feet in the cold, refreshing water. Best feeling ever. Ahhhhhh.

The last few days...

The last few days I have...

* Been tormented by the biggest house spider ever. I thought I was safe now, because we (not really we, as I definitely did not partake) had managed to kill 'Biggest House Spider No.1' about a week ago, but now there is another one, living in the same nook and it's out for revenge. It only seems to come out in the evening and during moments where I have momentarily let my guard down. An example of this would be whilst on the loo or in the shower...

* Run home from work a few times and been high-fived by a fellow runner. Yesterday's run was much more energetic than today's. My legs felt so stiff and achy after work. I really felt like I was plodding along very slowly. So, when an unidentified runner from my old club ran past in the opposite direction and enthusiastically high-fived me, it put a big grin on my face and made me dig that bit deeper. And camaraderie is the name of that run.

* Eaten lots of scrummy food. So, we decided to try the food at a pub that we always drive past but have never eaten at. I had a fairly unhealthy Caesar salad, with pan-fried salmon and mega amounts of Parmesan cheese - my favourite. It was delicious. We also ordered some chips that had been drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled (not really the right word given the size of the parmesan shavings) with parmesan. Shaved parmesan would probably be more accurate. I felt like this balanced out the abundance of lettuce very nicely!

* Thought about entering lots of marathons. I get paid tomorrow, so this may well be realised. I want to up my game and do a few ones that I haven’t done before. I love a good goal and it will sure make me get out there and get in the miles.

* Nearly puked up after sniffing a protein shake. My Protein Oats and Whey is definitely the tastier shake. However, Maxi Nutrition Lean Definition offers more in terms of added nutrients and the amount of protein you get vs. calories. Having said that, it tastes disgusting mixed with water and smells terrible. That's why, upon sniffing the latter protein shake, post-run, I gagged. Downed it, but didn't enjoy it.

Old new route

Since I have the morning free, which never happens, I decided to drag myself out for a sunny run. However, I've been getting bored of 'the usual route'. I run it ALL the time. I run home from work on that route too.It's not particularly scenic and I found myself getting into a running rut.

I tend to be too safety conscious sometimes and I stick to routes with lots of pavements and safe options. Today I decided to take a more scenic route which was more countryside-ish. This route took in a small country lane in addition to the safer roads. I felt better for it. And I figured that if cars couldn't see me then they really shouldn't be driving at all!

The only odd thing I saw on my run was another runner wearing a coat! It is so sunny out and I am absolutely sweating. I don't understand. It's the same when men (mainly) wear full length running tights in the middle of a heatwave, I don't get it,

Snot Rocket

A rather snotty run home from work today. I have been battling a dreaded summer cold for the past week and it really has been annoying. It's one of those things where you want to go for a run, because you physically can go for a run, but you just feel really bunged up and can't breathe properly, so your run ends up feeling rubbish and you sound like Darth Vader's relative.

Anyway, determined not to wait for the bus home from work and probably catch even more germs (I miss having a car...), I decided I was going to run home regardless. The run home isn't too far, just under 5 miles. But, I decided to extend my run, because I figured that I was out there anyway and I didn't get in any running at the weekend because of the cold, so I ran a little further and did about 6.5 miles. Not too much further, but it all counts. So, it was a snotty run, but a good run. It always feels good to bank some miles for the week.

Made it home