So last weekend was the 30th annual Great North Run. To be honest I was feeling really rubbish the week before the run and had been advised by many not to to it, but that was never going to happen so I ran anyway and really enjoyed it! I worked at the Great North Pasta Party the day before the race and got plenty of provisions in the form of waters and power gels, which definitely came in handy.
On the morning of the run, I had toast and a banana for breakfast around 2 hours before the race start time. Leaving this 2 hour window allows for any food to be fully digested before the start of the run, and provides the body with vital carbohydrates to be used as energy. I walked to the start line and managed to climb over the 6 foot fence (!) to my start area, where I luckily bumped into my friend Taryn in amongst the other 55000 runners. The Great North Run has such a good atmosphere and you are filled with adrenalin and excitement both before and during the race.
I started out well, and kept a good pace for the first 55 minutes, when I reached the 10km (6 mile) marker. I didnt even realise how long I had been running for as the atmosphere and all of the runners really carry you along and keep you focussed. Its great seeing all the supporters as you run under central motorway and across the Tyne Bridge. After 6 miles I settled into a steady run, and was pretty happy with managing to run up all of the hills without walking at all. The weather was cool and pretty wet, my favourite conditions for running! When I got to 9 miles I focussed on running to the 10 mile marker, where I knew a few of the Newcastle parkrun volunteers and runners would be waiting to cheer runners on at the Fetch everywhere point. As I ran past Lesley and Sue and the others I got a great sense of achievement and a rush of motivation to carry on. It really is brilliant seeing all of the supporters at the side of the road, standing in the rain, offering drinks, ice pops, jelly babies, and baby wipes to runners, and it definitely spurs you on.
With only 3 miles to go I was set to finish in under 2 hours, although I was beginning to find the hills more difficult, and was walking to the top of a few of them. Running mantras can often be useful in maintaining motivation during long distance running, and I often found myself repeating, 'I'm up that hill', to myself in my head while running up the more difficult areas of the course. The 11th mile was really diffcult, but when I got to the final mile I knew the finish was so near and so I pushed on to the finish line. My legs felt really heavy on the way to the finish line but I kept going and finished with a time of 2 hours 11 minutes. Im really pleased with this and had a really good run considering I was feeling unwell beforehand! It just shows what your body is capable of if your mind is determined enough.
After the run it was nice to relax and have a few days off training to recover. I doubt I could have done much training given that my legs were so sore! Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) often affects athletes after a big event where the muscles have been used intensely, and can occur a few days after the event itself. Ice and ibuprofen can help, although its almost nice to have a little bit of aching to remind yourself how hard you have worked and how much you have achieved.
Im really pleased with my run, and happy to have raised over £500 for The Princes Trust. I think the next challenge will be the 2011 Edinburgh Marathon, so watch this space!
Well done to all that completed the 30th Great North Run, a half marathon really is a great achievement!
Niyc xx
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Target fundraising amount reached! THANK YOU!
I havent updated my blog for a while as I have been working away at Bestival on the Isle of Wight. I have been working at a few of the festivals over the summer (alongside my full time gym work) to help me save up the £6000+ for my masters degree which starts next week. I am nowhere near being able to afford it yet, but hopefully will get there! The weekend was fun, but the 18 hour shifts and almost total lack of sleep have hit me hard. Sleep and rest is one of the key elements of the week prior to completing a long distance event, and you need both to help your body store enough energy and carbohydrates to facilitate your exercise on race day. I have kept exercise to a bare minimum this week and will not be running until the run itself.
There are 3 days to go until the Great North Run and I have just hit my target fundraising amount of £500! Im really pleased with this and very grateful to all those that have sponsored me. Thanks to the following for helping me reach my target:
Dad, Luke, Sam, Kimbo, Neal, Ian Johnson, Graham Keddy, Sarah Garnett, Alan Findlay (Pin Point Recruitment), Alan Fidler, Sarah Caine, Kevin Lister, Jan Campbell, Lee Dixon, Jacqui Patterson, Stefanie Pendleton, Sara Hepburn, Darren Biggs, Martin Wardle, Sarah, Rach Maxwell, Sunny, Gaff, Dani, Mark and Davina, Rob O'Neill, Aunty Elaine, Tove, Hannah Bayman, Bex and Matt and Finn, Ian and Sue, Tony Liu, Tony Winder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Becca, Sara Wilson, Jane and Phil, and finally, Ricky Knight (Pickled Egg Events).
Your generosity and support are greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!
Hopefully I will be able to continue past my target amount now and continue raising money this week. If you would like to sponsor me please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge and show your support.
Thanks,
Niyc xx
There are 3 days to go until the Great North Run and I have just hit my target fundraising amount of £500! Im really pleased with this and very grateful to all those that have sponsored me. Thanks to the following for helping me reach my target:
Dad, Luke, Sam, Kimbo, Neal, Ian Johnson, Graham Keddy, Sarah Garnett, Alan Findlay (Pin Point Recruitment), Alan Fidler, Sarah Caine, Kevin Lister, Jan Campbell, Lee Dixon, Jacqui Patterson, Stefanie Pendleton, Sara Hepburn, Darren Biggs, Martin Wardle, Sarah, Rach Maxwell, Sunny, Gaff, Dani, Mark and Davina, Rob O'Neill, Aunty Elaine, Tove, Hannah Bayman, Bex and Matt and Finn, Ian and Sue, Tony Liu, Tony Winder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Becca, Sara Wilson, Jane and Phil, and finally, Ricky Knight (Pickled Egg Events).
Your generosity and support are greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!
Hopefully I will be able to continue past my target amount now and continue raising money this week. If you would like to sponsor me please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge and show your support.
Thanks,
Niyc xx
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Cross training
I used yesterday as my cross training day, and did a 1hr 15min bike ride, which worked out at around 12 miles, with lots of hills. I also did 3 miles on the bike this morning, and will be doing a run this afternoon; probably intervals for 10 minutes, followed by 6 miles steady which will take around an hour in total.
The reason I am incorporating a day of cross training (ie. training other than running, commonly cycling or weights) into my Great North Run training is because running can be very high impact, and places a lot of stress on the joints in the legs. By cycling or doing some other low impact exercise for one session a week, the risk of injury is reduced whilst allowing for an aerobic workout to still take place. Runners often favour using a cross training session because it improves the heart muscle and also blood volume when carried out at high intensity, and can subsquently improve running performance as a result. Training is sport specific though and so the majority of any event training should be specific to the discipline, distance, and pace of the event you are training for.
Alongside physical training it is also important to prepare yourself mentally for the challenge that you have signed up for. Especially at an elite level, mental skills are what sets winners apart from the competition, and psychology can play an important part in achieving goals within your sport, whether it be seriously competitive, or just for fun. I am currently working with model Monica Harris to develop her mental skills in the run up to the Models Fight Night that she has organised. Monica and the other girls have been in training all year and will be fighting on Thursday 23rd September, to raise money to send children that have been abused on the holiday of a lifetime. Find out more at http://www.modelsfightnight.co.uk/ and read Monica's blog at http://www.monicaharris1.blogspot.com/
The main mental skills that are to be controlled and optimised within sport are anxiety, confidence, concentration, mental preparation, team emphasis, and motivation. Elite athletes will tend to possess lower levels of anxiety, greater levels of confidence and a greater ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. They will tend to be be more mentally prepared and will be highly motivated, with a sense of sportsmanship and team playing exhibited alongside a drive to achieve individually. It is important to develop mental skills alongside physical skills in order to give yourself the best foundation to perform well.
Where running is concerned, and in particular when training for a long distance event such as The Great North Run, motivation is key to getting out there and putting in the miles. It can be all too easy to put off a training run 'until tomorrow', or to stop after a few miles because you cant be bothered, or dont really fancy it today. Motivation is what will help to get you running and stay running, and it can be improved very easily, using simple techniques that help get you 'in the zone' through increasing what is known as intrinsic motivation; the desire to achieve for inner accomplishment, rather than external rewards.
Simple things that you can do to improve motivation to run include setting yourself manageable goals. These can be broken down into long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals, and then even into micro goals, where you first challenge yourself to get out of the house, then get running, then complete a mile, then complete your full training run etc. Planning routes that are scenic and offer a lot to look at while you run also helps to motivate, as does running with a partner or other people.
Get along to Newcastle parkrun and get involved with the great atmosphere and ability to track your progress over time www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle Have a look at BBC Look North's feature on Newcastle at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Newcastle-parkrun/192057907103?v=app_2392950137&ref=ts
If you would like to sponsor me for the Great North Bike Ride which I completed in a time of 4 hours 25 minutes, and the Great North Run, which is on Sunday 19th September, please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge I still need over £200 to reach my target so please do donate.
Thanks
Niyc xx
The reason I am incorporating a day of cross training (ie. training other than running, commonly cycling or weights) into my Great North Run training is because running can be very high impact, and places a lot of stress on the joints in the legs. By cycling or doing some other low impact exercise for one session a week, the risk of injury is reduced whilst allowing for an aerobic workout to still take place. Runners often favour using a cross training session because it improves the heart muscle and also blood volume when carried out at high intensity, and can subsquently improve running performance as a result. Training is sport specific though and so the majority of any event training should be specific to the discipline, distance, and pace of the event you are training for.
Alongside physical training it is also important to prepare yourself mentally for the challenge that you have signed up for. Especially at an elite level, mental skills are what sets winners apart from the competition, and psychology can play an important part in achieving goals within your sport, whether it be seriously competitive, or just for fun. I am currently working with model Monica Harris to develop her mental skills in the run up to the Models Fight Night that she has organised. Monica and the other girls have been in training all year and will be fighting on Thursday 23rd September, to raise money to send children that have been abused on the holiday of a lifetime. Find out more at http://www.modelsfightnight.co.uk/ and read Monica's blog at http://www.monicaharris1.blogspot.com/
The main mental skills that are to be controlled and optimised within sport are anxiety, confidence, concentration, mental preparation, team emphasis, and motivation. Elite athletes will tend to possess lower levels of anxiety, greater levels of confidence and a greater ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. They will tend to be be more mentally prepared and will be highly motivated, with a sense of sportsmanship and team playing exhibited alongside a drive to achieve individually. It is important to develop mental skills alongside physical skills in order to give yourself the best foundation to perform well.
Where running is concerned, and in particular when training for a long distance event such as The Great North Run, motivation is key to getting out there and putting in the miles. It can be all too easy to put off a training run 'until tomorrow', or to stop after a few miles because you cant be bothered, or dont really fancy it today. Motivation is what will help to get you running and stay running, and it can be improved very easily, using simple techniques that help get you 'in the zone' through increasing what is known as intrinsic motivation; the desire to achieve for inner accomplishment, rather than external rewards.
Simple things that you can do to improve motivation to run include setting yourself manageable goals. These can be broken down into long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals, and then even into micro goals, where you first challenge yourself to get out of the house, then get running, then complete a mile, then complete your full training run etc. Planning routes that are scenic and offer a lot to look at while you run also helps to motivate, as does running with a partner or other people.
Get along to Newcastle parkrun and get involved with the great atmosphere and ability to track your progress over time www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle Have a look at BBC Look North's feature on Newcastle at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Newcastle-parkrun/192057907103?v=app_2392950137&ref=ts
If you would like to sponsor me for the Great North Bike Ride which I completed in a time of 4 hours 25 minutes, and the Great North Run, which is on Sunday 19th September, please visit www.justgiving.com/niycpidge I still need over £200 to reach my target so please do donate.
Thanks
Niyc xx
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