2.09K (26 min) & my feet hurt!

So I walked to work this morning, I had to do it a quite a fast pace, because like every Sunday morning, I was behind schedule & late. I blame my 2 year old, who decided to read stories to the bump at 6am. In reality, I should have wore better shoes & I might have been on time.

I wore Crocs, the rubber shoes with holes in, and now my feet ache beyond belief.

So it's kinda had me thinking about barefoot running, there's a bit of a renaissance in this going on, although all the ladies & gents I see around my local park wear shoes.
It's hard to get my head past the "won't that rip my feet to bits?!" and the "but it'll hurt?!" "what about in the winter?!" reactions. But I really do remember desperatly trying to take my shoes off at every opportunity when I was a little nipper.

The thing barefoot runners say, is that running barefoot takes you back to the way humans are supposed to run, we're not Jack Hawksmoor (geek reference there, sorry. He's a comic book character who has rubber soles, so doesn't need to wear shoes) so, they suggest, wearing padded running shoes alters the natural gait of humans, potentially causes more injury & uses more energy than running barefoot. And, they add, of course sports wear companies want you to wear running shoes, they make & charge you for them, there are still thousands of people too poor to afford fancy shoes, who run just as well, if not better, than those in fancy running kit.


I must admit to being quite taken by the Vibram Fiver Finger solution to running barefoot. They're like some kind of foot glove, with toes, and a grip on the bottom that's broken to the separate parts of the foot.But then that just seems to be playing to both sides of the fence, and those shoes are just as expensive as the regular kind of running shoes! An expensive mistake to buy some & then hate the experience.


My internal jury is out, I'm not sure how much research or evidence each side has, for the pros & cons, some serious googling needs to be done before I'm tempted to venture further than the back yard barefoot.

I have a million questions for barefoot / Vibram wearers...
How's the weather affect your training?
Do you have places you can't / won't run?
Just how good are the Vibrams? Do they actually compare with barefoot?

oh the list could go on & on

2.03KM (36 min) & a clever Baby

Just a Thursday afternoon waddle around the local park really.

My little baby really has turned up the wiggle factor by about 10, and a stroll out in the sun we've got seems to send the little blighter to sleep!

I also found the following article, through Twitter I think, from Natural News.
Granted it's a bit old, September 2009, but I like what it says...

"Children whose mother exercised 30 minutes a day score around eight points higher on standard IQ tests than children whose mothers were more sedentary," says psychologist Richard E. Nisbett, author of Intelligence and How to Get It.

But best of all I like the closing statement

"The mother is the most important IQ agent here," he said. "In families dominated by a father, there are higher mathematical skills but that's all we contribute, I'm afraid."

So there we go. It's all down to the mummy, like we didn't know it already!I'm glad I'm getting up off my bottom and doing a bit of waddling about.
 I'm certain that moving about more this pregnancy, compared with my last has made it better for me.
I certainly haven't had quite so many aches and pains as I did last time, and while I've had *ahem* slower digestion (if you get my jist) I'm sure it'd be slower & more painful.
And while I can't yet tell how clever my little wiggler is I'm certain the exercise is as much benefit for the both of us.



Meanwhile I must thank John, Maggs & Thomas who donated to Heart Research UK last night. The current total is £120 (including Gift Aid).

THANK YOU!

 

2.09km (25 min)

ARGH too HOT!

Tried walking to work this morning & it's just too warm. It was at 8am.
Think I may have to dig out a swimming costume and do that instead of running, I really don't want to overheat the bump!

Official Race Certificate!

I can't upload the pictures from the site as they were taken by a company called Marathon Photos but you're welcome to go have a sneak at the thumb nails at the Great Run photo site My bib number was 31614.

The more photos I see of me the less photogenic I believe I am... they're all beauts!

10k (1hr 36min 48 sec)

There we go. Taken from the Great Run Results site, you can head over & check up on me if you like!

I took it quite easy & must admit found it quite hard to not to jog much more than the 1st kilometre. I didn't quite manage to get the 1 hour 26 I was aiming for, I put this down to 2 reasons;

1. I needed a wee for the whole 1st 5k, but couldn't see any place to do one, and I wasn't about to wee on the road side bushes, or test the theory that Police men have to let pregnant ladies wee in their hats. Then when I did get to one, just out side Old Trafford, there were queues, so I wasted time there.
2. I just couldn't get my walking pace quick enough without breaking into a full on jog, which the Mid wives told me not to do. I just couldn't seem to get to those KM markers quick enough. 

But still I was 10 min behind target, and thoroughly enjoyed ever moment of the 10k. Perhaps I was a little dissapointed that there were no jelly babbies at the Bupa Boost point around the 8.5km mark. But the cheer & the shout out I got as I crossed the finish line made up for it!

.I am proud to say that I beat both the Monkey & the Lion running near meat the start, but the Giraffe started a  little ahead of me & I just couldn't catch him, must have been those long legs.

I don't have any pictures yet, but as soon as I do I'll get some copies up on the blog.

The Donations website is open another 3 months, so you still have time to head over.

Many Many thanks to the people who have already donated & pledged money. You lovely lovely people...

Kate & Nigel
Lewis Jenko
Stew B
Neil, Vanessa & Catherine @ Fast & Fresh
Daddy & Lily
Lelia, George, Michael & Helen

The Morning Sickness of the Long Distance Runner

The story I've been squeeing about is on page 3 of the Lancashire Evening Post today. The story covers  a full page.

I'm quite amazed at how much attention the fact that I'm running & pregnant has generated to tell truth. I'm sure other mums with 2 or 3 kids have to run around just as much, if not more, as me, only not as officially as I am.

Well it was fun to do the interview & the photos, even if I think I look a bit weird in them.

The link  to the LEP full story is below, please don't forget the whole point of the story was really to help me raise more pennies for Heart Research UK, just let me know if you want to pledge, I'll add you to the running total (PUN!)

The Morning Sickness of the Long Distance Runner

Is it a Boy or a Girl?

20 week scan
Originally uploaded by millie.lavelle
Go can you tell?

This is the bump that will waddle around the course with me this weekend,

during the scan we asked the ultrasound lady to see if she could tell.
She had a quick look & is 75% certain...

Highlight to reveal  
***          BOY!!       ***

where you right?

10km (43 min)

YEAH RIGHT!!!

That's the time that Paula Radcliffe did her 10km when 6 months pregnant in 2006!
I doubt I'll pull a time like that out the bag, but it's food for thought. I'm not & never have been as fit as she was & will most definitely be Jogging & walking the route next week, I think I'm going to aim for a target time of double Paula's

so there we have it target time of

1hour & 26 mins!

To hit that I'm going to need a pace of 8:36 through out, so I think I'll have a ferret about for the Nike+ gizmo & see if I can waddle around abit and handle the speed!

(i've been casually mooching about at pace of around 11+ So stand by for a swift retraction!

oh and have I mentioned that you can sponsor me?? (hint hint)