Morning, morning! And how lovely that it is Friday today. Obviously because it is Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and Glastonbury is it raining. But of course!
And I’m pleased to say I have spent the last five days not running. I mentioned previously that I was going to do some cross training on the elliptical machine at work this week.
This archaic beast is like something out of a very old (and rubbish) alien movie
How long did I slog away on this machine? Exactly six minutes. Not because of any overriding pain or discomfort. Just plain and simple: I was bored to hell and back. Ambitiously I thought I could do 40 minutes (hahaha),but after being on there for two minutes I readjusted to 20 minutes. Four minutes later and I had given up. Jeeze, power to the people who can remain on one of those for a lengthy period of time!! I guess I’m just used to actually going somewhere and taking my mind of the monotony by having the outside world to look at. But each to their own!
Despite that epic fail, I have still been stretching, doing yoga and icing crazy amounts. My leg’s been a lot better. I missed running club last night as I thought that would be too intense as my first run back so I did a fairly easy 3 miles run this morning.
Most days this week I’ve been able to get up at the rather leisurely time of 7am as I haven’t been running. However, this morning I had to get up at 5.30am to fit the run in (and enough time to properly stretch, foam roll and ice after showering). And do you know what? I didn’t even mind! I miss my regular runs so much.
So in my last post I mention I had some exciting news…
I have entered my first marathon!!!! Both Ben and me have signed up to the Portsmouth Coastal Waterside Marathon for this year December 22nd.
I know it’s not London, Paris or Berlin but it’s about 30 minutes from home so the whole family can easily come and pick up the pieces afterwards watch. I always knew I wanted to do a marathon but it was planned for next year (probably a US based one as we’re looking to go there for a holiday).
But I’d been reading this book:
Really good book, loved it!
And honestly I was just itching to get out there and do one. And funnily enough the author, Phil Hewitt, comes from Chichester which is reasonably close to where I live and he got his first ever running trainers from the same shop I got my first ever running trainers (a tedious link, yes I know). And the other week I went there to have a mosey about for some running gear as I was in the area and I saw this massive poster for the Portsmouth Marathon. It was like my stars had aligned. I know this sounds like a ridiculous story but it was honestly just perfect. The book, the shoes, the location, my desperation to do a marathon…everything just pointed to do this.
I quickly checked the dates for the races I’ve got planned in the next few months to make sure I wasn’t being stupid and not giving myself time and it works out. So boom, we signed up. Marathon here we come, baby!
This weekend my uni friends are coming over and I’m so excited to see them. It’s always so great to catch up with them 
But this means tonight I need to get all the housework done as tomorrow I won’t have time. No rest for the wicked!
Have you done a marathon before? If so, did you enjoy it?
If you haven’t, would you ever?
What are you up to this weekend?
Do you enjoy the elliptical machine? How do you stay motivated?
That’s awesome. I know you’ll smash it, Anna 🙂
Thanks, Nikki! Fingers crossed 🙂
Woop woop on the marathon! 😀
:))
Wow, that’s amazing! Go you, kudos just for signing up! 🙂
Hehe, and that’s not even the hard part haha.
Great job mixing it up in your workouts! Good luck with marathon training!
Thanks 😀
How exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never wanted to do London marathon- I felt like there were so many other ones out there- we chose Stockholm as we wanted to go to Sweden, it was in May half term so I wouldn’t have to hobble to work after, and the course looked interesting. I would love to do another one, someday, but it took me so long I want to speed up a bit first. I feel that if I can get my half marathon time under 2 hours then I will start looking at another one.
I think Stockholm sounds like a great marathon. To be honest there are so many I’d love to do all over European (and beyond!) I think it’s a great way to see the city. Well, this is what I’m imagining! Who knows how aware I’ll be of my suroundings in the depth of the 20-something mile area haha.
I think that’s a great idea about the half marathon goal. I’m doing a few more halfs before the marathon itself to prepare too.
This IS exciting news! I hope you are all healed up come Marathon time and rock it! 😀
I’m feeling 95% better so fingers crossed I don’t do something stupid beforehand haha.
I read that book last year and it left me feeling mega motivated! 🙂
Yay for the marathon signup! I don’t think London is all it’s cracked up to be. I’d love to do it some day just to say I have, and to experience the atmosphere, but I’m glad that my first marathon was Milton Keynes.
Such a good book and I like that it’s not all smiles and roses about the actual marathons. It really gives a good insight into the pain involved as well. I think your first marathon should be something special to you, and my hometown definitely is and right by the sea which is where I’ve pretty much been my whole life.
Fantastic news, you will be great!
Thanks!