Eight weeks into the training program and for lots of our friends running the London & Paris marathons they are half way there and their big day really is not that far away (eek).  We are starting to see details of 20 mile training runs being posted on Facebook. Gosh how time is flying by. For us, thankfully a little bit longer to get to grips with the long miles with 12 weeks to go.

Our bodies are starting to feel tired now as we start to enter into the longer training runs.  It’s becoming a mental battle to push on and constantly deal with wet and windy weekend February weather.  Why are we blessed with nice weather during the working week?  Please, please can we order some nice still weekends, it does make the whole training process much more pleasant and pleasurable!

For Graeme & I the realisation has dawned that when we started this training we did not have a base of long weekend runs to build upon.  We have built up our runs from 4/5 miles to 12 miles since Christmas and now realise how much we took for granted the long 12/13 mile Sunday runs we used to do religiously with our friends 4 years ago – gosh we were fit then!

Pretty much business as usual on the training front this week.  Efforts at Stroud AC on Tuesday.  This week another special Sabrina treat for us all 8 x 400 metres around the Orchard Road circuit, a 5.5 mile run in total.  On Thursday, I took Helen’s group out for a slower 6 mile run around Kings Stanley and back which was enjoyable. They are a nice group of runners who I always enjoy going out with. I am so very grateful for all the support I get at Stroud AC.

I have also been very lucky this week to trial Stroud Sports Injury Clinic’s excellent Functional Movement Screening program.  This is a service they offer to runners and athletes. Put simply, the FMS is a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns that are key to normal function. By screening these patterns, the FMS readily identifies functional limitations and asymmetries. These are issues that can reduce the effects of functional training and physical conditioning and distort body awareness.

The FMS generates the Functional Movement Screen Score, which is used to target problems and track progress. This scoring system is directly linked to the most beneficial corrective exercises to restore mechanically sound movement patterns.

Andy Cole, Clinical Exercise Director from the Sports Clinic http://www.stroudsportsclinic.com/  runs the screening programme and took me through the process. Some of the exercises were fine but others I found tricky which highlighted very clearly my weak areas in my upper back, right leg/knee and core. I scored just over half way, clearly there is a lot more I could be doing to get my body in good order and working correctly!

If you run, I thoroughly recommend this test.  It clearly identifies the areas you need to focus on to build strength, run correctly and therefore help prevent injuries.  I was really impressed with the report I was given afterwards which included details of all my results, photos and recommendations to improve my range of movements, strength and fitness to help me run better.   Thank you Jason Ford for organising this for me and also thank you to the very knowledgeable Andy Cole for analysing me and taking me through the test.

Saturday’s long nearly 12 mile run took me out to Nailsworth this week on the cycle track. I ran on my own because Graeme decided he needed more rest after a busy week and wanted to run on Sunday rather than Saturday afternoon.

For those of you who are local you will know how soul destroying the cycle track can be.  It seems to go on and on for ever and it can be a very lonely run.  With the wind and rain in my face it was another mental battle.  I was annoyed with myself that I stopped very briefly on a couple of occasions in the first 4 miles.

On the way back, I decided to head uphill through the Watledge woods and make my way back via the undulating lanes through the lovely Cotswold villages of Pinfarthings & Amberley and back down onto the cycle track.

It’s really weird but the second halves of my run are much better and stronger than my first.  Could it have been Blue Monday by New Order on my i-pod which I played twice which helped push me on or the yummy Green & Blacks organic butterscotch chocolate squares I nibbled?  Who knows, but I have to sort this mental battle out with myself and nip it in the bud, it really is so frustrating!

When I got back onto the cycle track in the distance I saw two familiar faces, my good friends Sharon & Tim Walton.  Just the positive vibes I needed at 7 miles, I was so pleased to see them both.   Sharon is training for her long 40, 70 and 100 mile races and was out on her 25 mile training run with Tim on the bike. It made me realise my marathon really is nothing in comparison to what this amazing lady does – wow you inspired me through 7 miles and back home to complete 11.8 miles Mrs W!!