Massages and moustaches

This week saw a first in my running life: I got a sports massage. I was so disheartened with my inability to run on Sunday because I couldn't shake my "limpy gait" as I like to call it that I booked in for a sports massage to try and see what the problem was. Sports massage. Those two words conjure up the image of a lovely refreshing massage specifically designed for hard-working athletes. Instead what you get is YEEEEOOOOWWWWCCCHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! To my credit I only swore once, but holy crap that was some serious pain! TT found every bit of my calves which were causing me problems, and a whole load more besides. It was painful, I was bruised and tender for days afterwards but oh my goodness it was amazing! My legs felt so free the following day and I was able to run again too. This was a good thing as apparently I'm a tad grumpy when I haven't run for a while. Who knew?!!! Unfortunately, while foam rollering is really good at maintaining muscles when doing heavy training, it's almost impossible in my house to use the roller before the children have gone to bed for the following reasons:

Either the roller makes a good seat or I do!!

I'm beginning to realise that as hard as I'm training my body for the marathon, I'm needing to train my mind just as much. I tend to focus on the here and now a lot, so having injury now stresses me out a whole lot, but really it's better to be injured now and have chance to recover adequately than to damage something after Christmas when I'm starting to build up the miles and need to be in peak form. So many times when I'm running I get that little voice in my head making me doubt what I'm doing, making me feel that I can't keep going and need a walking break and generally ruining what could be a perfectly good run. I need to find ways to remain positive, to tell that voice to do one and remain confident of my own ability. TT has proven to be really helpful in this, if only for the fact that every time I slow to a walk I have to do a whole load of burpees to compensate!! But it's slowly sinking in. I CAN do this. I suppose that years and years of self-doubt in anything I do will take their toll but it's time to overcome those and get ready to push out some miles!

Larry grows a Mo!

Tomorrow I'm doing the MoRun; this is a race to support Movember where upon lots of men grow moustaches throughout the month of November to benefit prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health. The race is a 5 or 10k distance through a local park and entry fees go towards this great charity. As I'm currently busy raising money for my charity, Mind, I am reluctant to promote my husband's Movember page as I don't want to miss out on sponsors for Mind, but just once I'll pop a link up as so many men are affected by the causes represented by Movember that it'd be mean not to. You can find Larry's Mospace here:   http://uk.movember.com/mospace/1592138
There are three good points to doing the MoRun tomorrow. First it's a good 10k run in what will be nasty weather over off-road terrain so a good training session. Secondly I'll be meeting some of the Notts Women Runners ladies which will be fab. But most importantly, there will be new bling!! And who could turn down a beauty like this?!

Ahhhhh new bling!!