A few great runs and then runners knee!

I had a really good run on Sunday and did 15 miles from Gosforth to Byker, along the river to Scotswood Bridge, around past the Metro Centre, and back up to Byker. It took around 2 hours 20 minutes and I really enjoyed it! I left the house late and so the first four miles to Byker were very fast(!) to ensure I made it on time to meet parkrun regulars David Daniels, Rob Wishart, Micky Baker, and a few others from Tyne Bridge Harriers. We set off just after 10am and settled into an easy pace down to the Quayside and along the river. Luckily David Daniels brought along some Lucozade carbohydrate gels which came in handy half way through the run to top up energy supplies. This is now the furthest I have ran, and after getting back to Byker and having a few minutes of walking recovery, I actually felt as if I could do more! Thanks to Tyne Bridge Harriers for pacing the run so well and inviting me along to run with them. Check out Tyne Bridge Harriers great new website at http://www.tynebridgeharriers.com/

After taking Monday and Tuesday as rest days I had another great run on Wednesday, and headed out from the city centre, along Scotswood Road, across the bridge, along past the Metro Centre, and back over the Swing Bridge (which has a huge Comic Relief Red Nose on the side of it!). The run was around 8 miles, maybe a little bit further, and it took me 1 hour 12 minutes, which is perfect marathon pacing time. I was really happy with this run and felt good, although my left knee had begun to ache for the last mile or so.

By the time I had made it back to work my knee was really hurting, with a sharp pain on the outside. I managed to catch the physio and she suggested I may have damaged the cartilage behind my knee cap from running. I iced and elevated it and ended up being sent home from work early as I couldnt put any weight on it. The past few days have been a bit better; my knee hurts behind the knee cap when I walk and drive, and the doctor has advised rest, ice and ibuprofen, which is pretty standard for most running injuries. It looks like I have Pattelofemoral Pain Syndrome, otherwise known as 'Runners Knee', which comes on after running long distances or when sitting down with the knees bent for too long. It is very common in female runners due to the angle of the thigh bone from knee to hip (Q angle), and often occurs when weekly mileage gets up to 40 miles. This is the weekly mileage that I have been reaching, and I have also noticed pains in my knees when sat at the cinema, or at university, due to sitting down for too long, which is another symptom of runners knee.

Treatment is to rest, which means no running! I'm totally gutted about this as I was really enjoying getting into my longer runs and making progress with my marathon training. Exercises to strengthen my inner quadriceps and stretch the IT band (which runs down the outside of the thigh) will help, as will running in trainers with support in the sole. Recovery time is usually 2-6 weeks, and Edinburgh Marathon is in 9 weeks. Hopefully I will be up and running again very soon and will be able to pick up my training and ease back into running with a slow run at Northumberland (Wallington) Half Marathon on March 27th. This is my goal for recovery as I would love to be able to attend the race, even if I dont run for a time and just get the distance through my legs. Apparantly Wallington Half is quite a hilly run so it might be a blessing in disguise that I dont have to tackle it at a decent pace!

Our first paced run at Newcastle parkrun went really well last week, with times of 20, 25, 30, and 35 minutes being paced so runners can break these time barriers and set some new PB's. It really helps to run with a pacer and gives you that extra bit of motivation to keep going. We will be holding a paced run on the second Saturday of each month, with the next paced run falling on Saturday 9th April. If you have a particular time you would like to achieve for your 5km distance then do come along and run with one of the pacers, or meet other parkrunners who may be able to pace you to your desired time. We have even received new parkrun volunteer tops and caps from Nike which will certainly make volunteers and pacers look the part.

We will be holding a collection at Newcastle parkrun this Saturday to raise money for the Japan Red Cross appeal, so do bring along any loose change that you would like to donate, and help relief efforts continue. Newcastle parkrunner Isao Hara has made a special appeal for donations which you can see on the Newcastle parkrun facebook page and website, and parkrunner Craig Smith has kindly offered to run his London Marathon in aid of the Japan Red Cross appeal. It is great that so many people are getting involved with raising money for this great and much needed cause. If you are unable to make it along to Newcastle parkrun to donate tomorrow morning then why not donate online at my friend Jasmine Bell's online fundraising page. Search facebook page 'Make Change for Japan' or visit www.justgiving.com/Make-Change-For-Japan

Dont forget that today is Comic Relief Red Nose Day......good luck with your fundraising ideas and hope you all raise more than you expect! Hopefully we will see a few giant red nose costumes running around Newcastle parkrun tomorrow morning!?

Thanks,

Niyc xx

A new personal best!

I really suprised myself at parkrun on Saturday and beat my previous time of 27 minutes 37 seconds with a 2 minute 13 second personal best of 25 minutes 24 seconds! Woohoo! I am very pleased with this and am hoping to break 25 minutes next time I run at Newcastle parkrun, which will be on Saturday 12th March. We will be starting a new pacing system on this day, with times of 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, and 35 minutes being paced by volunteer runners. This is the perfect opportunity for runners to get a little bit more motivated and push themselves to achieve a certain time at parkrun, so why not come along and try it?

My marathon training is going well and I did a 10 mile run on Sunday, fast 800m repeats last night, and 7 miles this morning before work. I have a fairly easy week this week and will be doing a fast 2 miles tomorrow, 4 miles on saturday, and racing a 10k on sunday!

I read some scary stats in Mens Health magazine the other day....If the world keeps going the way it is going then by 2020 depression will be the second most disabling condition in the world and by 2050 over 50% of the UK population will be obese! Depression and obesity are both conditions that are able to be helped hugely with physical activity and exercise, and exercise is now known to be as effective, and longer lasting than the effects of antidepressants, with psychologist Tal Ben Shahar actually suggesting that, 'not exercising is like taking depressants'.

I am busy preparing lectures on the psychology of exercise, and also obesity, which is proving to be good reading. The benefits of exercise are so vast and yet exercise adherence is often hard to achieve. I love lecturing on subjects like these and believe if we can educate everybody as to the benfits of exercise then many of the lifestyle diseases mentioned above will be able to be more easily managed and the symptoms and effects dramatically reduced.

Great news that my friend Monica Harris has started training for this years Models Fight Night which she founded, competed in, and won last year. It proved to be a great night of entertainment and lots of money was raised for charity in the process. Check out http://www.modelsfightnight.co.uk/about-us.php for more information or to get involved!

Have a great day,

Niyc xx

My first Marathon

February is National Heart awareness month, and its that time of year when everybody picks up their fitness routines and decides to get their heart pumping. My gym has definitely been busier than usual, with many clients asking for personal training to help them reach their goals. I love this time of year and alway feel really good getting into to intense training and living well! I started my marathon training plan this month and am feeling on track for the event on May 22nd in Edinburgh. David Daniels, an experienced marathon runner from Newcastle parkrun, devised the plan for me and top UK ultra runner Sharon Gayter looked it over and made a few amendments. With such expert training advice I should be prepared for the marathon; provided I stick to the training, which I have done so far. The plan consists of a day off on Mondays, with speed work on Tuesdays, a 5-8 mile run on a Wednesday, a steady run on Thursdays, Fridays to rest, then Saturdays are 3-4 miles, and a long run on Sundays, currently around 10 miles (1hr 30 mins ish), and increasing to 22 miles as the marathon draws closer.

Last night I did a fast running session, which I find really difficult. I'm used to running long distances but not so accustomed to short, faster runs. The session consisted of three 1 mile repeats, which means running a mile fast, then jogging until you get your breath back and recover, then repeating this another two times. The benefit of doing mile repeats is that it improves your running style and efficiency, and improves your fitness, speed, and stamina too. Incorporating a speed session into your training also allows for practise at overcoming both physical and mental discomfort, something which is important in long distance events such as a marathon. Having trained hard last night and really pushed myself I did a slower run this morning, running 3 miles into work (at 5:30am!), and then running a further 3 miles on the treadmill, which took around 55 minutes overall. Morning exercise really sets you up for the day and energises!

Many of you will have found out this week that you have a place in this year's Great North Run so why not come along and get into running or start your training with a completely free run, alongside 200 other runners, every Saturday at 9am in Exhibtion Park Jesmond. I am going to run my second Newcastle parkrun this Saturday and hopefully beat last months time. I will be able to track my progress online at http://www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle/results/AthleteHistory.aspx?AthleteNumber=50288 and see how my times improve in the run up to the marathon. I'd definitely recommend Newcastle parkrun as a training tool for any event you might be working towards, or just for general fitness and a good laugh, and it is great to see your own online profile with a catalogue of your runs and volunteer contributions! Visit http://www.parkrun.com/ to sign up, print out your barcode, and come along and run. See you in the park!

Niyc xx