The Joy of Running ;-)

One of the fantastic photos by Shona Bradley - we are both smiling!

Wow, the weather has changed a bit since my last blog post about swimming 
the dog due to the heat we experienced this summer! It's currently threatening to snow and we are firmly into two layer territory!

I take sprint finishes seriously!

100km ride on the Isle of Wight

Last Autumn, I mentioned my forays into the world of century riding with my Velo Birmingham 100 mile sportive experience.  I did the ride on behalf of Totally Active Magazine and my article has been featured in this months digital edition which you can read here.  I actually quite enjoyed reading it back having forgotten much of the detail I recalled in the article.  This year has been very different in terms of my cycling efforts.  My longest ride was the 60 mile circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight on our summer holiday, and I found that tough!  The main reason for my lack of road (and MTB) miles is my return from a hip injury back into running.  



After the school holidays, I started up my RunTogether groups again with my Monday 10km improvers - which continues to be popular and a Thursday 0-5km group for beginners.  Most of the ladies who have started with me over the past couple of years have continued to run and some have progressed to the 10km group - I love leading them and continuing to encourage new people to take up running.  



My own running has been mixed this year.  I started off well with the Whitehall Wiggle, Herod Farm fell race, Rainow 5 and Shining Tor but it was at the Lantern Pike Dash - a brutal 1.2 mile up and back  race, where I injured my calf.  I then missed a load of planned races over the next couple of months and stuck to strengthening through pilates, swimming and walking the dog.  I just managed to do enough fell races to qualify for the Goyt Valley Striders (GVS) fell series and have secured 2nd overall in the ladies championship so that was a positive.  



In September, Aggie (my vizsla dog) turned 1 and I started to run properly with her, including in harness canicross style (canicross is trail running with the dog attached to you via a harness).  She is quite a natural puller so this has been a relatively easy process, including teaching her directional commands and 'LEAVE IT' when she spots a wayward squirrel!  Since then I have got her to around 12km and we are beginning to work well as a team.  I am yet to fall on my arse but expect it every run!  My long term plans are to become a canicross leader and possibly to start a High Peak running group for canicrossers.  In the spring I am going to a cani-fit course to be trained in all things canicross so watch this space!

10km Group at Windgather Rocks

Stretching after a Monday run

Another new sport I have taken up is boxing!  In September I went to a local boxing class (Smurfitness) which includes conditioning exercises and Hatton Academy boxing technique and sparring.  I started going in an attempt to strengthen my pathetically weak core and improve my arm muscle tone.  I was dubious at first (I thought I would hit like a girl! - it turns out I do - a bloody tough one!) but I absolutely love it! Apart from the teething problems of not being able to walk or sit down properly for 5 days after the first class, I have continued to go and it has made a big difference to my strength and confidence.  It's a brilliant and cathartic way to burn calories!

Jingle Jog ready!

As far as form and PBs go, I have managed to get within a minute of my 5km PB with a 21:59 at the SEMMS relief road race (this is not official as it was an inaccurately measured race, I clocked my 5km time on my Garmin), but I did manage a 22:08 at Clumber parkrun so I am there or thereabouts.  I trained for weeks for the Wilmslow 10km and managed a new PB in training of 45:34 but my daughter was ill on race day so I have yet to make the official 45 minute 10km target.  My most recent race was the Jingle bell Jog for Blythe House Hospice - I was 1st lady overall and 2nd person over the line so that was a boost although it wasn't really a race. 



My future aims are the 2019 Goyt Valley Striders Championship, there are lots of interesting races to enter, and to take part in some canicross races. I have had a photo shoot with my friend Shona in preparation for writing about my canicross adventures, I am so pleased with the photos!  

I think that's all for now!  If you want any advice on running or canicross please drop me a message!

Happy Running!

TLF x

I'm just going to swim the dog...

The river jump at the Whaley Waltz - definitely the most exciting bit! Photo Credits - Chris Tetley

In my last blog post I reported on my races and mentioned that my calf was strained following the brutal Lantern Pike Dash course.  Unfortunately, the NHS information was correct and it does indeed take 8 weeks or so of rest to settle.  

I originally thought the injury occured from running down a steep hillside during the race, but in actual fact I think it actually tore or badly strained during the uphill element.  It took a good week of me thinking my calf was just stiff and needed stretching/rollering before it actually 'pinged' during one of my Run Together sessions.  I was running up a slight incline and it just became so painful that I had to stop and then walk.  I did manage to jog home on the flat but in the week following this episode, I found I was limping even when out walking the dog.  After some help from Google and my sports masseur Bridget, I realised I had torn or strained my Gastrocnemius muscle and was not going to be able to fix it in a hurry.  

Being injured is gutting.  You get yourself fit and then bam, it all stops and your mental and physical state suffer for weeks!  Fortunately, I had decided to focus my training on more bike miles and swim sessions anyway, and both these activities were encouraged in my recovery reading.  

Going, going...

The weeks came and went and so did my planned fell races.  Grindleford Fell race - my favourite of the season and the 16 mile Kinder Trog were out.  I decided to withdraw from the Hathersage Hilly Triathlon in late July as I was hoping for a PB and this was obviously not going to happen in my current state.  

During the last few weeks we have been having an amazing heatwave.  I absolutely love hot weather and decided to bite the bullet and have a go at open water swimming in my local reservoir - Toddbrook.  This was something I had always avoided.  I don't like the cold, I really don't like things touching my feet and the thought of not knowing what lies beneath... but, the weather has been beautiful so I thought why not? I might like it!

So, one windy afternoon before the afternoon school run, my friend Suzie (a swimming instructor and experienced OW swimmer) took me out.  Donning a borrowed wetsuit which had been a workout in itself to get on, we headed to the shore.  

I had dug out my neoprene Rooster sailing socks for the event which turned out to be an absolute winner!  I took my time wading in and Suzie cruelly suggested I let the water in down my front to get me used to the temperature!  I did as I was told and was soon trying to breaststroke to a nearby buoy.  

Gone!

I found instantly that the wetsuit gave me incredible buoyancy, my bum, legs and feet (thanks to the socks) were floating on the surface without me even doing anything with them!  So front crawl was much easier and more comfortable than breaststroke.  Having swam in the sea and done quite a bit in the pool I know I am a reasonably strong swimmer and don't worry about putting my head in or anything like that.  However, looking straight down into the dark green water and hearing the sound of my arms splashing into the water was quite strange.   I wasn't worried about the depth, but I found my mind wandered to thinking about big pike with big teeth at times!  After a bit I managed to control my breathing and felt like I was gliding along.  I am used to using the Total Immersion technique which involves minimal kick and I actually found I didn't need to kick at all in the wetsuit.   

We didn't stay in the water too long.  I got quite tired quite quickly and found the velcro was uncomfortable at the back of my neck.  Overall, I had enjoyed it and a seed had been sown - I duly ordered my own wetsuit.

Since that day I have been swimming a bit in the reservoir (just in my cossie as its been so hot - this is called 'skins' swimming - a term I really dislike, it makes me cringe, I have no idea why!) and have invested in a lightly coloured swim cap and a couple of tow floats.  I would never swim alone in open water so have had to go when my sister or friends could come too.

Last Thursday night I attended an organised swim session in Toddbrook.  These Toddbrook Open Water Swimming (TOWS) sessions are provided by Glossop Triathlon Club.  I tried out my new wetsuit and loved it!  I swam 3 laps of the 500m (approx) course and felt great.  It was a really safe and encouraging environment and my nerves soon disappeared.  Everyone was very friendly and explained what to do/where to go.  I was surprised at how bad at sighting the buoys and staying on course was, but I guess that will come with practise.  Each lap took 10 minutes so I did approx 1500m in 30 minutes.  

On my daily dips I have been taking my dog Aggie in with me as the pavements are far too hot for dog walking.  For a couple of weeks now I have been swimming the dog instead of walking her and she loves it too! Most days I have been joined by my sister with her dog Dotty and today my mother in laws labrador Peggy joined us too.  The dogs love it!  Next year, when Aggie is old enough, I am going to enter a dog aquathlon, this comprises a swim then run with your dog attached to you.  Watch this space!

Last week I finally started running again, but only on the flat.  I had entered the Whaley Waltz fell race months ago, and as it's one of my favourites I decided to give it a go without running any of the inclines.  I was really really good on the day and walked all the hills - both up and some down.  It was a scorching day so I would have struggled in the heat anyway.  The main thing was I completed it without aggravating my injury and I enjoyed it!   I also managed a 10km canal run yesterday and am planning to gradually introduce hills in the next few weeks.


Bike-wise I have been doing a bit of MTB but today I had a fantastic road ride with my girlfriends! it was a mixed ride of 30km with flat fast main roads for the first section, then hilly quieter roads for the second section.  The ride was finished off with a fab coffee stop then a doggy dip in the resser - overall a fab day!

It will soon be the summer holidays and my mind will start wondering how I am going to fit dog walking, running, swimming and biking in with two kids in tow.  I tend to just do what I can and not follow any sort of plan as I find that it is impossible to stick to any form of routine when relying on friends and family to help out with the children.  As they get older (my youngest is nearly 6 now) we can bike more together and they can walk further which is making life a lot easier, and I have become better at managing my anxiety levels which tend to  peak when the kids are off school.  

Looking forward to September I am planning my next RunTogether groups, which I am hoping to aim at beginners again. In the Autumn I am going to try and fit in my Fell Coaching training (FCiRF) so that I can offer more in depth coaching on 1:1 or in group sessions.  

I hope this fab weather continues, I am loving being outdoors and soaking up the sun.  

Will update soon,
Happy running until then!

TLF

Horrid Herod et al

Since the Thomas Theyer Race I have competed in 5 more races, here are the reports;

Herod Farm
AS 4.5km race 340m ascent
I've done this race before and had blotted out the hardest parts in a childbirth type fashion.  There is a reason everyone calls it 'Horrid Farm'... The start is up a steep tarmac track and goes on for quite a while before you hit the big stuff.  I had forgotten how tough the climbs were! After the first big climb I settled into the downward heathery rough descent and was feeling like I had tried quite hard and avoided stitch so was therefore doing ok.  As we approached the nursing home with a view (which I remembered from last time) I looked ahead in horror - I had totally forgotten the scrambling, vertigo inducing second killer climb!!! (obviously blocked out).  This climb is seriously tough.  Think staring at someone's Inov-8 tread and not daring to look down steep.  At the top I steeled myself for another descent when I noticed Connor (AKA Long Legs) ahead of me, I realised I could possibly catch him up if he was struggling with his old creaky knees ( ;-) ), so it was game on!  As we headed down to the track we had come up earlier I really pushed it.  But so did Connor! I unfortunately didn't get my trademark sprint finish as I was overcome with a stitch which reduced me to almost a walk.  A disappointing finish but I had really enjoyed the race and was hoping I wasn't too far off my previous time.  
I finished 12th Lady out of 38 35:33 - 46 seconds slower than my previous time and one position lower but without the stitch I think I would have been pretty close.

Kinder Downfall
BM 15.4km/600m 
In the week before the downfall I recced part of the route with Caz and the dogs.  I can't believe it has taken me 35 years to go up Kinder despite living so close!  I was really glad of the recce on race day as I felt like I knew what to expect for the majority of the route, having also run William Clough in another race previously.

The start of the race was from the bridge in Hayfield near the Royal Hotel. There were hundreds of runners and I was quite excited to get going.  I made a few rookie errors from the start.  Firstly I started too far back.  This meant I had a lot of making up to do on the 'ups'.  I got calf cramp shortly after Charlies cairn and had to stop to stretch it out.  The weather was drizzly and I made another error in wearing my jacket.  After I got back on track I stopped to take the jacket off and put it in my pack, losing even more places.  This race wasn' going well!  I wasn't bothered as I had told myself that I wasn't really used to racing 9 miles and I would just pace it as well as I could and enjoy it.  

As I finally got going properly I caught up with Estelle who gave me short shrift and basically told me to get on with it! I carried on steadily for a while until I could start to pick out routes and then latched onto an older Pennine Runner who I decided would be a good route picker!  

This worked and I bounded up the boulders and rocks and along the plateau until we came to the trig and I knew where I was! After this we followed stone flagged paths to Edale Cross then made the rocky track descent to the fields (which the farmers had kindly covered in cow shit -  felt sorry for that marshal).  Finally we were down onto the road by the caravan site and I was really tramming.  I pushed it hard to the finish and was pleased to make up quite a few places in the last kilometre. Overall I was 18th Lady out of 67 in 1:47:53.  I will definitely do that race again.  

Rainow 5
BS 8km/229m 
This was my second attempt at Rainow 5.  In 2016 (when I was on quite good form) I ran it in 45:48 so my aim was to finish in under 45 minutes this time.  

The start of this race is quite fast - heading up the tarmac road before it goes left onto a rough farm track.  Once onto the track you climb up for a while before turning left and heading downhill to the first of many many stiles/kissing gates!  There is a lot of opportunity to rest in this race!   Everyone was well behaved and waited in line until their turn though the gates/sitles so there was no drama on that front.  Once through the gate and down some large deep steps we headed up towards White Nancy.  I had remembered the short sharp scrambly climb up to the big white landmark and told my legs to shut up as I staggered on along the ridge.  Once on the ridge I admired the view to the left of Manchester and beyond then concentrated for another grassy climb before we dropped down to the horribly cambered fields towards home.  As I was running I kept telling myself I could beat my PB, I didn't let myself look at my watch though but spotted Connor in the distance and resolved to try harder to catch him.    As we joined the farm track for the descent to the road near the finish I came up behind two ladies.  I stuck behind them for a bit but realised I could press on harder so I passed them and pressed on.  As I got to the bottom of the track I momentarily worried I had peaked too soon but then I got another glint of Connor - I had nearly caught him up!  I pushed it as hard as I could to catch him but when my friend Reene saw me coming she cheered me on - alerting Connor to my steaming up behind him! Connor pulled a sprint finish out the bag and JUST pipped me to the post and a new PB!  I finished in 44:58 - 8th lady out of 55.

My Nemesis!

Shining Tor 
AS 10km/311m 

Another race I have done twice before - Shining Tor is not my favourite race.  It should be as its on my stomping ground in the Goyt Valley but I find the downhill stint at the end very taxing and usually end up with a stitch!  My previous PB on this race was 55:45 in 2016, and I remembered finding it tough on the climbs and overcooking it leaving nothing for the finish.  This time I was much more conservative on the first few climbs - especially working my way up Shooters Clough.  I kept running but very slowly, and passed lots of runners who were walking up.  

Another great photo from Frank Golden Photography

As we headed up to the trig I felt like I had enjoyed the race so far and not over cooked it.  On the plateau/stone flags I dropped back a bit and Connor passed me. I always find flat sections hard to progress and this was no exception.  I felt a slight stitch coming but managed to avoid it by slowing down then pushing harder on the little ups, as we headed right and down The Street, I was feeling really good and in a deja-vu type scenario I caught up Connor once again! I stuck with him for ages realising that there was no point pushing it too hard on the rocky tricky terrain.  After the photo opportunity it was game on along the dam wall, I tried to make a break for it but once Connor engaged his huge stride I could only watch as he passed me by.  I tried til the end and saw a glimmer of opportunity as the finish funnel is around a grassy tight turn, I went for it with whippet like agility round the bend but alas, he pipped me again! 


Overall I was very chuffed with another new PB in 54:44 and 13th lady out of 96 plus a great sprint in with Connor!


Lantern Pike Dash

AS 2km/200m


I decided to enter the Hayfield Fell Championship this year which consists of short, medium and long counter races.  You have to complete 4 races including one of each distance.  I had already done Kinder Downfall as my medium counter so I thought the Lantern Pike Dash sounded an easy Short option.  How wrong was I!!?  It was bloody madness and not my best effort!  I told my Mum who had come along to support that the 2km race would take 10 minutes.  As I stood looking up the wimberry clad hillside I uttered the words "make that 20".  I wasn't far wrong! I attempted a warm up but in hindsight I probably should have gone on a decent run first as the steepness of the downhill in particular took a few days (and infact now weeks) to recover from.  I remember thinking I needed a drink at the top (alcohol would have helped), very wobbly stiles, sun beaming on my head and a crap attempt at getting down the hill at any semblance of speed.  Loads of people fell, I didnt as I was so slow,  I made up a couple of places on the final ascent (more normal gradient) and remember making a mental note to  avoid this one in future!  Overall I was 6th lady out of 18 in 18 minutes 44.  A very very tough race.  

Look carefully to see us crazy fools scrambling up the hillside in a steady stream!

I have been quite happy with my running form, especially with starting to beat previous PBs in races.  The Lantern Pike Dash left me with a calf strain, so I am currently concentrating on upping my bike miles and swimming training as these have been severely neglected this year!








My RunTogether group is going well, I have 4-5 regulars who are aiming at this years Whaley Waltz fell race and we have been enjoying going offroad.  I love showing people the local area through running and getting off road.  

All in all a great start to the fell running season.  I am just crossing my fingers my calf will be ok for the next races I have planned - Grindleford, Kinder Trog, Whaley Waltz, Hathersage Gala, Bamford Carnival and the Hathersage Hilly triathlon in July.  

Until next time - happy running!
TLFx

Aidan and I ran the Old Man of COniston and Levers Water in 25 degree heat on the second May Bank Holiday.  My calf gave up the week after!

Tentative Times!

Thanks to Frank Golden for letting me use these images - they are great! Find him here on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Frankgoldenphotography/ 

It's been a while since my last blog post, apologies for that.  I have been hibernating and feeling grumpy at the most hideous winter for a long time - muddy, wet, cold and snow besieged - I am so looking forward to winter 18/19 (said no English person ever).  Yesterday somebody mentioned Christmas and it put me in a bad mood for ages!

Looking back at my last post on the last day of January, I can update the goals I spoke of and fill you in on progress so far in 2018...

The #doggoals are coming along nicely.  I have done two lots of puppy training classes and Aggie is doing well.  Today she is exactly 7 months old and I have just returned from the best walk yet! She is coming back to me rather than just going off to play with every dog we meet, and I am really enjoying walking everyday.  It lessens the guilt on non-running days.  I am really looking forward to doing canicross with her, I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I have got some ideas about developing a High Peak Canicross Club so watch this space (I don't do things by halves you know!).

Ha ha! Sorry Aidan!

As far as #coachgoals are concerned, I am delighted with the progress of my RunTogether Run for the Hills groups!  My first group has completed their 5km goal and recce'd Lyme Park parkrun and some of those ladies (plus more from my groups last summer) are now joining me in our improvers group which meets every Monday at 9am for a 5-10km run route.  If you, or anyone you know would like to join us, just sign up here.

That's more like it!

My #racegoals are also in full swing. 
10th Feb 18 - York parkrun - 23:07
10th Mar 18 - Buxton AC 5km - 23:05 (1st lady! For the first time ever!)
15th Apr 18 - Thomas Theyer Whitehall Wiggle (10.8km)  - 1:03:46 (3rd lady for the second time here)

The Thomas Theyer race (where all the images for this post are from) was the first proper fell type race I have done since I injured my hip.  With nearly 400m of ascent and quite a bit of fast downhill it was a real tester but I seem to have got away with it! I chatted and ran with my friend and fellow GVS Aidan, we became those annoying people who chat during races!  To be fair he was doing most of the chatting, I was puffing away next to him!  I really enjoyed it and it pushed my fitness levels to the limit so I need to work on stamina especially with a 9 miler coming up next week!

She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes!

I am quite happy with my pace, but hills are not as easy as they were due to all the flat hip rehab, so I need to focus on hill strength and technique in my training sessions.  Tomorrow night is the Herod Farm Fell Race (AKA Horrid Farm) it's a very short and very steep 3 miler, I may do it but I also have Kinder Downfall (9 miler) on Sunday so will have to see how I feel tomorrow and if I can get childcare...

My #cyclinggoals are off to a very sluggish start, mainly due to the increase in running and the poor weather.  I have done a couple of muddy MTB rides recently and as we are promised 20 degrees plus this week I have grand ambitions to dust off Ladybird and get out road biking again.  I certainly feel un-bikefit at the moment.  I am hoping to fit some sportives in this year, I'm just not sure when or how yet!

Grinning and bearing...

Another sport I have totally neglected since I got Aggie is swimming.  I went a couple of weeks ago to try and rekindle my regular weekly "tickover" swim but it didn't go well as I ended up with another migraine.  I am going to go today and try again. I am very slow and resembling a whale at the moment but hey, you've got to start somewhere right!?

I think that's all for now, My Inov-8 X Claws are brilliant, I love the cushioning/grip combo!

Happy running - especially to all the London Marathoners! (please sponsor my friend Helen here for Leonard Cheshire Disability if you can!) and I will update again soon!

TLF x

Goal Keeping

No, not of the football kind but the importance of challenging yourself and setting personal goals.  This blog, my first of 2018, is all about my aims for this year.  

#doggoals
The biggest change to the Aspinall household is the addition of Aggie our (now) 19 week Hungarian Vizsla.  Apart from the difficulties facing all new puppy owners - shark attacks, zoomies, toilet training... her actual basic training is coming along well.  Daily walks have brought another social dimension to my life - I talk to all manner of folk whilst Aggie assaults their canine companion and I love that she gives us family bonding time especially at weekends - we are loving getting out in the fresh air when previously we may have stayed in.  Obviously my long term goals are to run with her and train her to run with my MTB, I have been taking her to Sheffield for Gundog training which is paving the foundations of her directional commands and obedience and I have let her loose on my 8 year old as he bikes along the reservoir paths - so far so good (bar the occasional emergency stop as she runs directly in front of the wheels!).

#coachgoals

My new RunTogether group is proving to be a big success! I have 15 ladies on my books  all doing really well and even meeting up outside of sessions.  I feel really proud seeing my two groups of ladies - summer and winter cohorts all running from the school car park, meeting outside of sessions and making life changes - it's brilliant to see!  As far as coaching goals go, I am hoping to complete the Fell Coach in Run Fitness Qualification this summer, which would enable me to offer more in depth coaching to individuals and groups.

#racegoals 
Since my hip injury and slow rehabilitation into running I have finally started racing again and it feels great!
In January I completed three runs which offer a race atmosphere without the pressure of a real race.  I cannot stress enough how useful parkruns are as a training tool.  we are very lucky to have Lyme Park on our doorstep which is basically a fell race in parkrun packaging.  Here are my times so far...
Buxton AC 5km park run - 4th lady, 24:03
Lyme Park parkrun 20/1/18 - 2nd lady, 25:53
Lyme Park parkrun 27/1/18 - 3rd lady, 25:48
Racing encourages me to try harder, it increases my fitness and fulfills the mantra of "train to race, race to train".  
I feel so much better mentally now I have more focus, I have really missed it.  

My racing aims for 2018 are to compete in the Hayfield Fell Championship (2 races have already been run) where I will complete at least 4 races, with 1 of each distance...

1. Kinder Downfall - Sun, 22nd Apr (Medium)
2. May Queen - Fri, 18th May (Short)
3. Mount Famine - Sat, 19th May (Short)
4. Lantern Pike Dash - Sun, 20th May (Short)
5. Kinder Trog - Sun, 24th Jun (Long)
6. Cracken Edge - Wed, 1st Aug (Medium)
7. Lantern Pike - Sat, 15th Sep (Short)

I am hoping to do a couple of sprint triathlons and some local duathlons as well.

#cyclinggoals
I really utilised my bike last year what with my hip injury, and I am keen to complete a few sportives again this year including the Manchester to Blackpool and the Grindleford Goat, plus some longer flatter rides to challenge myself.  
I will continue to have MTB training with Charlie Evans which is really useful and most importantly fun to hopefully develop my confidence and skills on the trails.

All in all I seem to have many goals, but I believe everyone needs to have something to aim for - so what are you waiting for - challenge yourself!

#geargoals
I have been saving up for a running vest backpack and after 2 failed attempts I have finally got myself the right model and size!  I have bought the Ultimate Direction PB 3.0 - it is fabulous (if not a bit pricey) and I cant wait to test it at Kinder Downfall in April.  
I have also bought some Inov-8 X-Claw 275s which are so far very cushioned but with a mudclaw-esque sole.  I will review both products in my next blog.  



Happy Running!
TLF

New beginnings!

After a year of waiting and over 18 months of research, Aggie the Vizsla has finally come home! My future running dog is already (after only 3 weeks) a much loved member of our family.  Having a puppy is very much like having a baby, I had forgotten about sleep deprivation and having to have eyes in the back of my head but I wouldn't change her for the world!  

For now I am working on the basic commands and will be trying to tailor her training towards canicross and running with my bike in the future.  Vizslas need 12-15 months to develop and grow before being allowed to run with humans so I will be blogging about both of these sports in future posts in more detail so watch this space.  

Another new development for me is the creation of my new RunTogether group.  

"RunTogether has been created by England Athletics, the membership and development body for grassroots athletics and running in England, to provide fun, friendly, supportive and inclusive running opportunities for everyone in England".  

Anybody with a running qualification such as the Leader in Run Fitness or Coach in Running Fitness can become a RunTogether Leader.  I have my Fell LiRF qualification so it was a no brainer to join this movement to help and support me in the process of helping new runners find their feet.  

From January I will be starting a 10 week course aimed at new or returning runners to get from 0-5km with the eventual milestone of running Lyme Park parkrun.  Anyone interested in joining me can sign up here.

My hip is finally better and I am running 10km pain free so I am delighted to be able to share my passion for running again!  

Happy Running!
TLF x

The Power of Positivity...

The other day I looked back at my aims for this year, it made for pretty depressing reading - as due to my hip injury I have done nothing compared with the dizzy heights of last year with its PBs and Fell Championship title.  But, in the theme of positive thinking I have put a spin on the aims here - 

• GVS Fell series - defend my title - ok so this didn't happen
• Some of the Hayfield series fell races (short, hilly ones!) - neither did this
• The Slateman (as part of a mixed team "The High Peaky Blinders") - I managed this!  I competed in the cycle leg with an ace team of ladies and we loved it!
• Grindleford Gallop - I did this!  (Before the hip injury) it was great!  I didn't love it but I did it and I now know that I could complete a marathon if I wanted to - which I still don't!
• Another triathlon (sprint distance) and definitely the Hathersage Hilly again - I sadly didn't do either of these, but, I have kept up with my swimming and feel ready for the 2018 season! Bring it on!
• The Grindleford Goat (the longer "Billy" course this year) - I did this in biblical weather and nearly finished off my poor husband in the process!  (sorry Chris!)
• Improve my Mountain Bike Orienteering skills! - Another one I didn't do BUT, I did manage to hook up with Charlie Evans of Bikelife Coaching who has started to coach myself and a group of other ladies in Mountain Biking Skills which is awesome and I am loving it!

Galloping in Grindleford

Other achievements include my ladies run coaching group and it's success stories - many of the ladies have continued running in my absence and a few have started to join in with the more advanced speed/hill groups I am starting to do again, this is great news!  I plan to do more run coaching soon, with 0-5km type groups and some technical fell running groups.  

Another positive was completing my first 100 mile ride.  I entered the Velo Birmingham, a closed road sportive and have written an article for Totally Active Magazine on my experience - watch this space for the link to the Feb/Mar edition in which I will hopefully be featured.   

Running Update - 
After my hip injury at Castleton fell race in June, I have spent the summer resting and starting a strict rehabilitation routine to get me back into running.  

After resting it for around 12 weeks with little improvement, I was starting to think this might be the end of my running career. Christine my physio, advised that I needed to start running again - for sanity purposes - in a more structured way.  My first attempt at a comeback was not great, I did too much too soon on holiday and it started to hurt again.  

After feeling really despondent I spoke to Christine again who suggested I watch some YouTube videos (see links below) about perceived pain and the scientific research and proof about how a lot of pain actually comes from the subconscious.  It sounds daft saying the pain is in your mind - it obviously is actual physical pain but, by changing the way we think about the pain we can actually stop it in its tracks - or reduce it at least.  

I am always sceptical about these notions, having being told pain is all in the head before and thinking it ridiculous, pain is pain in my book - if something hurts there is normally a physical reason for it.  But what Christine said got me thinking... actually sometimes I will catch myself thinking "my hip hasn't hurt today" then shortly afterwards it starts hurting again.  Or, I would think "I'm going to try a run", - it would then immediately hurt again because I expected it to.  I became sure that the pain was being caused by my perception of it rather than any physical reason, after all, I had rested it for so long, something must have repaired!  

So I did two things, firstly I decided to start running very gently - along the canal or similar surface for 2-2.5kms.  I wrote a training plan to incorporate 3 runs per week (all with rest days in between) which kept at one distance for 2 weeks then moved up by half a kilometre for the next two.  This plan has worked, I have increased up to 4km and feel that I am getting somewhere now.  This week I have tried a 400m speed session with my running group and although I only did 9 of the 12 400m laps, I felt that my pace was consistent and not too slow.  My hip did hurt that evening but I expected it to.  I will now start again with my steady 4km runs and see how it feels, fingers crossed I am overcoming it both physically and mentally.  

Aims for next year will be to do some parkruns in the first instance and to increase my pace again.

Cycling

It's been a busy year cycling-wise, thank God for my bikes! Without cycling and swimming I think I would be in a bad place both mentally and physically! I've enjoyed pushing myself on the road bike to do more distance and am now really enjoying the skills side of mountain biking with Charlies help.  As the nights have drawn in and the weather is getting worse I have pretty much hung Ladybird up for the winter - I will go out on the roads if its a dry and sunny day but otherwise i'm going to be doing plenty of bogtrotting on Pearl.  

In other news...

Around this time last year, I wrote about the planned new addition to the Aspinall Household - a Hungarian Vizsla puppy, well after nearly a years wait I am so excited to be collecting our pup "Aggie" in 9 days time (not that i'm counting or anything!), so I will be keeping you updated with our training progress, unfortunately Vizslas bones take a while to develop so it will be at least a year before I can run or ride with her, but I am going to be putting all the groundwork into training her to help with the commands for when we can finally run free!

Happy Running

TLF

YouTube Videos -
Why Things Hurt
Understanding Pain in less than 5 minutes
Treating Pain using the Brain