A rest day...

... but not through choice!

I haven't slept properly for about a week. My shoulders and neck have been 'achey.' Not hugely painful, just enough to be annoying and give me a slightly sick feeling (my normal response to pain). I thought it was due to a fall I had the other day, but decided that it was going on too long and 'phoned my friendly bone cracker aka chiropracter to see if he had any room for me. I got a cancellation - so dashed home from 'Nanny McPhee' (a surprisingly good sequel) dropped the children at home and jumped back in the car to go to the chiro's.

Apparently I run with slightly hunched shoulders, which cause my arms to move across my body rather than straight back and forwards. This puts strain on my shoulders and neck, it didn't manifest itself when I was only running 10 - 15 miles a week, but I've upped that to 35-40 miles a week over the last month, which results in a real pain in the neck!

So, after a fabulous massage and a lot of bone cracking I am hoping that everything will feel better very soon. My lower body is apparently 'perfect' (in a structural way - I am sure there is far too much padding) which is good. I just have to concentrate on not hunching my shoulders when I run, sit at the computer, knit, do the washing up, drive, etc. etc.

And in other news.... an old friend who was diagnosed with liver cancer has been told that the diagnosis was wrong! He is still ill - they aren't sure what is wrong with him, but they know it isn't cancer.

The story so far...

Where to begin?

I hated running at school, I was a tolerable hockey player, enjoyed the danger of lacrosse, but hated running with a passion. Cross country once a week was a nightmare. At University I joined the Officer Training Corps, and maintained the minimum fitness required to get me through the annual fitness tests, and so that I didn't make a total *rse of myself. Still, running wasn't my idea of a good time.

Then came work, marriage and children. I joined a gym, went there religiously, sometimes even working out rather than sitting drinking coffee. I married a runner. He had run since the age of 12, and loved it. I still didn't see the appeal.

Then in June 2008 I stumbled across the Couch to 5k programme, and thought I'd give it a go. I loved it! Such an easy way to start - none of this macho 'I can run for half an hour' then collapsing in a heap unable to walk for the rest of the week. Pretty soon I had finished the programme and wanted to do more, so I entered myself for a 10k race for Cancer Research in October 2008. Amazed myself by raising loads of money, and by running 10k in 52 minutes.

At this point I rather lost my way. I had nothing to aim for, I decided that there was no way I could run a half marathon - after all that was the sort of distance runners ran, and I was not a runner. So, with nothing to aim for, the training trailed off. I was running 3 miles, once or twice a week, getting lazy and slow.

On Sunday 7th March, I decided to take myself in hand, got myself a place in the Bupa London 10,000 and in Run To The Beat (half marathon). I bought myself some new pink running socks and a pink water bottle and decided to get serious.

This blog will be a place where I can record my training, sharing what works and what doesn't work, hopefully inspiring some other mums to get out there and get fit!

Life here is always busy, usually hectic, often chaotic. I have 5 children from 3 to 12 years old, a self employed husband, and I am trying to complete a PGCE to teach science to 11-19 year olds.

Why do I run? Because it is the only way I can get some time on my own! The children follow me everywhere else!