Olive Goes Running. Sometimes. Not often.

The Chronicles of a (Very) Amateur (Aspiring) Runner

[oliverunning]

Olive: I'll just head into work early, do a bit of shopping, maybe see if I can find some compression socks just in case they help my shins...

Running shop: *is sale*

Olive: ...

Running shop: *is sale*

Olive: ...

Running shop: *is aggressively sale*

Olive: ... oh fuck it.

[oliverunning]

Read Ellie's story

Ellie is raising money to help Cancer Research UK help beat cancer sooner

So, after an intrepid test run yesterday, my friend Ellie and I (a.k.a Team Page Turners) are attempting the Race for Life this year! We have just under two weeks to go and would really really appreciate any support and/or sponsorship possible! We're fundraising for Cancer Research UK to help in the battle against cancer in all its many forms. Our justgiving page is linked to this post if you fancy a look, and sponsorship in person is also totally fine and will probably be met with hugs and/or cake. :) Thank you for taking the time to read this; now I'm off to nurse my aching legs! Bodes well for the real thing, doesn't it? xD

[oliverunning]

Damn shins.

That is all.

:P

Managed 1km before crying off, but walked another one just to enjoy the sun. Back to non-impact CT for a bit then!

[oliverunning]

First sunny outdoor run in ages!

And I’ve yet to decide whether or not to break out the shorts - the sensible side says no, but the northerner in me is saying “don’t be so bloody nesh” so I may as well go for it...! I probably shouldn’t be heading out due to annoying shin splints, but it’s too nice a day to resist. Will report back on how far I manage to get!

[oliverunning]

And the running blog resurrects!

Mainly because I think I’m going to be running this year’s Race for Life with my friend Ellie! We haven’t entered yet, but hopefully once we do we’ll manage to raise lots of sponsorship between us for a supremely worthy cause, a.k.a Cancer Research.

Excited! :D

[8bitsaitama]

[gentlemanbones]

WE CAN’T PROVE THEY WEREN’T HUGE FATBIRDS

[coelasquid]

simply the best

[swanjolras-blog-archive-deactiv]

man this has been said before by cleverer folks than me, but sometimes you have to sit down and let the sheer size and age of the storytelling tradition just completely overwhelm you, ja feel?

like— think for a second about how mind-bogglingly incredible it is that we know who...

[teumessianfox89-deactivated2021]

[bonerfart]

this looks like the kinda pic 40 year old moms would post on facebook with the caption “the doctor said I could only have one glass of wine a day… I can live with that lol!”

[little-fleur-deactivated2015103]

olive-fu

[oliverunning]

Haha! Love it! ;D

[oliverunning]

Higger Tor from Longshaw, July 2014

Guess who's possibly climbing these crags tomorrow? Yep, that would be me. Not been climbing for at least five years, so should be an interesting change from running!!

[oliverunning]

Week Four: In which I pass 5K! [Kind of...]

Yes, I'm still going! Though running in the heat these past few weeks has probably provided some degree of amusement for the curtain twitchers around my neighbourhood... "no, Doris, that isn't a lobster dressed in green shorts staggering past the window, it's just That Girl from down the road" etc. etc.

Deep joy.

But hey! I started the week four podcast last week, which has seen my running time shoot up from nine minutes to sixteen. My legs were understandably thrilled about that, though going to the gym and doing intervals has definitely made a difference. It seems to be going well, though - my runs are actually passing 5K, and I've apparently run a few sub-10 minute miles according to Nike+, though I'm not counting those just yet considering there is still some walking involved!

I've also gained a running buddy! My friend Charlotte (who I've known since we were both knee high to a grasshopper, wearing diddy skating dresses and putting up with painfully high ponytails held in place by industrial quantities of hairspray) also uses Nike+, so we've started a challenge to see if we can both run a total of 50K by the end of August. Welp.

Hope everyone is doing well, and you have my gratitude if you made it this far into my blathering. ;)

[oliverunning]

Week Three: The saga continues!

Hello all! Yep, I'm still running, somehow - aaand still doing week three runs. Slow and steady wins the race, etc. etc.

I ended up having to take some time off from running and switched to swimming and gymming for a bit [damn you ankle tendons, damn you!] but I'm plodding along happily, getting faster and planning to attempt the week four runs once I'm back from my week off in York. I recently found out that we have a Colour Run in my neck of the woods, so I definitely want to be able to do that next year if it comes back!! So yeah, new goal. :P

In other news, I've acquired an awesome Captain America t-shirt for running/gym purposes, and the world is a thousand times better for it.

Hope you're all doing well and enjoying the summer! :)

[oliverunning]

Week Three: In which I regret living on top of a massive hill.

This morning I was favoured by Thor and got treated to a refreshing drizzle as I toiled up the previously mentioned hill like The Little Engine That Could Couldn't - but I made it to the end, and there was much rejoicing. And water.

But hey, it was the first run of a new set - it went fairly well, though it does feel a little odd as I'm actually running a shorter total distance than last week, albeit at roughly the same pace. I'm hoping that as I do this run more I'll gradually increase the distance again, but as ever we'll see how it goes.

In other news: it's Sunday, and therefore time for roast dinner. \o/ Equally, I seem to have gained a slight addiction to Anzac biscuits; they're not just historically relevant right now, what with the First World War centenary, but they're also really tasty and not that bad for you as far as biscuits go! I ate far too many yesterday, but regret absolutely nothing.

Happy Bank Holiday weekend! :)

[oliverunning]

Week Three: Finally on the horizon! [After three weeks of week two posts, ffs]

It's Friday! I'm pretty much injury free! I ran fast today! [Again, it was raining - I'm sensing a pattern here...]

But all of these things (aside from the day of the week, obv) are in jeopardy, as I'm hoping to start the week three runs on Sunday.

Welp.

It shouldn't be too much of a jump, considering I've spent three weeks stalling with the week two runs and can now manage them fairly comfortably. The only possible snag in my plan is the fact that I'm going to be running around pretty much all day tomorrow, but I'm choosing to be optimistic and believe that I'll spring out of bed on Sunday morning ready to face the world - or at least my little corner of it...

Hope everyone's had a good week too, and enjoy the long weekend! :)

[oliverunning]

Week Two: So close, yet so annoyingly far.

So, yesterday was a day of victory followed by abject failure and the consumption of a truly unholy amount of flapjack.

I decided to run fairly early in the morning yesterday (for anyone who knows me: no, I haven't been replaced by a changeling since you last spoke to me... as far as I know...) as it's been absolutely baking hot here and I really didn't fancy passing out in a field somewhere halfway through my run.

So off I trotted for my last run of C25K week two - technically the sixth time I've done this particular run - and it went really well! Fastest pace yet! Didn't die! Celebrations abound.

And then about half an hour later, I pulled a muscle in my leg. :/

Bugger.

From what I can tell it's probably a consequence of doing too much swimming the other day, which then decided to bide its time throughout my run and revealed itself in its full glory as soon as I got back for a cup of tea and the previously mentioned pile of flapjack. So all my nice plans to start the week three runs next week may have to be set back slightly whilst I stretch it into submission.

Ah well, these things happen! Depending on pain levels tomorrow morning I may do another week two run just to keep me going, but I'm planning to be sensible about it.

Anyway, hope you're all doing well and enjoying the sun this weekend! :)

[oliverunning]

Week Two: Thor, put Mjolnir down and go and have some mead.

Just got in from the third run of C25K week two having spent most of the morning watching for a break in the weather. I saw my break, ran for it - literally - and five minutes later was hit with the biggest sodding cloudburst I've seen in ages.

But now that I'm back, curled around a cup of tea and in dry clothes [my poor running shirt is weeping quietly on the radiator] the whole running through the rain thing wasn't actually that bad, flashbacks to school hockey and off-ice training in winter aside. It did wonders for my time - I shaved a good forty seconds off my average, which I'm taking as a victory even if it only happened because I was running faster to get away from the bloody rain! xD

As with week one of C25K, I think I'll probably repeat this one again next week just to make sure the protesting hip learns its place sooner rather than later, but all in all it's going very well!

And now, it's roast dinner o'clock... >:D Sundays are the best!

[oliverunning]

Week Two: So far, not as painful as anticipated...

I got in from the first morning run of week two (of C25K, even though I've been running in the loosest sense of the word for about four weeks now) feeling surprisingly okay, despite my concerns about 'levelling up'. Yes Andy, you've converted me into treating running like a video game and I regret nothing!

My average pace dropped a little - thanks Nike+, for that cheering piece of information! - but considering that I didn't feel like I wanted to walk the rest of the way by the fourth interval, it wasn't too bad. I got to meet an incredibly enthusiastic greyhound in the park who ran with me for a bit, as well as managing to dodge the epic rainstorm, which is always a good thing when you lack appropriately waterproofed running gear. ;P

I'm still getting a rather annoying pain in my left hip flexor, but as a responsible adult (?!) I'm choosing to ignore it for now and do lots of stretching and strengthening exercises in the hope that it might go away. Though I have admitted grudgingly that if it gets worse as my running distance increases, I should probably investigate it further. Bah.

According to the C25K podcasts, I have to repeat this run twice; being my overly cautious self, I may end up doing it more than that, but I guess we'll see what the end of the week brings! For now, I have to toddle off to tutoring, and then try to avoid the very large and very tempting box of Belgian chocolate biscuits that Granny will undoubtedly open around tea time when I pop in to visit. Glutton for punishment, right here. ;D

Belatedly, May the Fourth be with you all, and hope you're doing well. :)

[oliverunning]

Week One: Again!

Well, after the past week or so of being kept indoors or walking by a variety of annoying things (back, feet, I'm looking at you!) I got back outdoors today to do a full week one run - again. Yes, I know, why am I still on week one? I'm playing it safe after having a week or so off. ;P It wasn't too bad (even if it was drizzling!) and I seem to have sped up a bit? Idk, I'll probably know more about how fast I am now that I've started using Nike+ alongside the C25K podcasts; it's actually a really good app! Especially the social side, though I doubt I'll be using that too much unless I can pester my various friends who run to use it. ;D

I've also started doing these knee exercises every day or so, because minimizing the chances of a knee injury is Definitely A Good Thing.

But yes - still going! Having a rest day tomorrow and running again on Saturday all being well. Hope you're all doing well too!