15 February 2012
Ruth Walters, one of our Pancreatic Cancer UK Voices is
running 3 marathons in 3 months to fundraise for us, starting with
the London Virgin Marathon in April. We'll be following her
progress here on the blog, with Ruth telling us about the highs,
the lows, and the learnings along the way...
Weeks 2 & 3
Grit your teeth, dig your heels in.
Last Saturday, during the cold snap, I was blessed with
not one but two training sessions in the snow. My
'relaxing' weekend at home definitely wasn't meant to be like
this! At the breakfast table I was on the verge
of bottling out...but I did it. A CrossFit body weight work out in
my parents' garden followed by some toe curling intervals across a
very chilly and undulating South Wales.
As car drivers glared, little kids pointed and shrieked and
their parents looked simply bemused, I powered through. And why?
Because nothing compares to arriving back home, hitting up a hot
shower and shouting "I did it".
This week is set to be a cold one, each of us will share the
pains associated with training in far from ideal conditions. We
will however also share marathon glory on April 22nd. Every inch,
yard and mile put in now goes such a long way to getting us across
the finish line. Hang in there, you've got this. Grit your teeth,
dig your heels in and always, always remember to shout "I did it!"
as soon as you're done.
Here's what got me through Saturday's
sessions:
1. Layer up
Heavy sweaters and bulky jackets will drag you down. Layers
will trap the air in, keep you nice and snug and can be peeled off
one by one if you get too hot and are far more
comfortable.
2. WARM UP!
Yes, I'm shouting, it's that important. I too am guilty of
always wanting to get stuck straight in. But you pay such a high
price for doing so. Limber up, stretch, squat, lunge then get
involved.
3. Remind yourself why you're doing
this
A year ago to the day as I set off on Saturday my Mum sat
us in the family living room and told us she had Pancreatic cancer.
That absolutely sucked. What she's been through since has been far
from easy, it makes intervals in the snow seem like a breeze.
4. Music makes the world go round
Without a little bit of 'Eye of the Tiger', 'O
Fortuna' and 'Beat It' Saturday's sessions would have
been near on impossible.
Week 2 stats:
6 days' training
1 day off
3 CrossFit sessions
1 Stamina run (10k)
2-3 high intensity interval sessions
1 strength session
funniest moment: doing a 10 minute cumulative
squat in my pyjamas!
If you're inspired to run for Pancreatic Cancer UK, we have
a wide range of runs to suit all abillities! From 5 and 10ks to
half and full marathons, click here to find out more.
Posted
at 10:29
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