Tag: Hal Higdon

The Playlist Swap (Part Three)

The Playlist Swap (Part Three)

by TartanJogger ♥ 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I posted about the Playlist swap. It has been a lot of fun!

Frequent visitors will remember that Girl Runs Wild and I swapped MP3 players earlier in the year, and it was a fantastic experience! I also shared with you that I’d received an MP3 player from Kyla at http://earlybirdfitness.com and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying her music.

Lots of tracks are upbeat and really good for running to. There were a few oldies I had forgotten about, including a track that reminds me of a holiday to Ibiza with my sister (The Ketchup Song, if you’re wondering 😉 ) and I’ve been loving the Justin Timberlake tracks!

As with Julia’s MP3, it’s been really good to hear music I didn’t know, and songs from both MP3s that were previously unknown to me have become firm favourites.

I’m looking forward to getting another MP3 in the future from The Running Princess, who has been busy running the Paris and Edinburgh marathons recently. Go, Allison!

There’s another running track that I just love running to at the moment. It’s a little slow, but very powerful. It’s from a BRILLIANT album, too. I’d highly recommend it.

‘What is it? What is it?’

I’m sure you’re shouting that out loud, while reading this post and rolling your eyes at my dramatic build-up…. 😉

It’s….

Yip, Iron Sky from Paolo Nutini’s album Caustic Love.

And I love, love, love it.

Do you have a favourite new running track at the moment? What is it?

Marathon Training Tuesday

Marathon Training Tuesday

by TartanJogger ♥ 16 Comments

I ran today! Woo hoo!

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Today’s Hal Higdon marathon training called for 3 miles. It was great to get out there. I sported my Great Run t-shirt for the first time 🙂

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As we headed to the harbour, it was sunny and a little warm, but by the time we got to the end of the first mile it was chucking down! But, it actually felt really good to run in the rain.

When I uploaded my Nike+ SportWatch data, I saw that the Nike+ running site has had a facelift, and I like it! 😀

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I was really pleased with the pace tonight.

I also received an email today from the organisers of the GB Relay. It contained a link to the contact details of participants, so I’ve emailed the people on either side of our stage, so that we can arrange the baton handover. Hopefully it will all go very smoothly!

Did you run in sunshine or rain today?

 

Sunshine Shake Out

Sunshine Shake Out

by TartanJogger ♥ 21 Comments

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It’s a gloriously sunny day in Tarbert, and @TheWelshWookie and I have just got back from our last shake out run before Sunday’s RnR Half Marathon. It felt great!

It was also warm, which I think was perfect preparation for Sunday. The forecast is for sunny spells, and a high of 21 degrees/70f so the weather should be good.

We’re now completely packed, and ready to head to Edinburgh tomorrow: bring the adventure on! 🙂

I’ll try to blog at some point next week, but please check out my instagram account or my twitter feed for more regular updates while I’m away.

Adios, amigos!

 

 

 

Madrid Madness

Madrid Madness

by TartanJogger ♥ 18 Comments

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I think I may be a little obsessed. I’m eating, sleeping and talking Madrid ALL THE TIME. I’m pretty sure that everyone is fed up of it, and we haven’t even been yet! 😮

The taper is under way, as is some early carb loading (any excuse!) as @TheWelshWookie and I had dinner at our favourite cafe tonight. Yum!

I’ve been scouring my Madrid travel guide, highlighting places I want to visit, and working out the closest metro stops that we will be using. I’m also just about packed, too 😉

I’ve checked and rechecked my race day gear, and it’s all ready to go. I’ll be packing my trainers in my hand luggage……. just in case!

Saturday morning cannot come quickly enough…

Does anyone have any tips on places to visit, or any favourite restaurants and bars that we shouldn’t miss?

 

Taper Time!

Taper Time!

by TartanJogger ♥ 20 Comments

Today is the beginning of my taper for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Madrid. I can’t believe that the race is next Sunday!

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It’s a beautiful, warm and sunny day here in Tarbert, which was great for a run in preparation for next week. We did 8.5 miles, and I now feel ready to conquer Madrid! 🙂 I tested out the shorts and trainers that I’ll be wearing, and while the shorts were great, I had the beginnings of a blister on my right heel. I’ll have to be ready to prevent that next week. Anyone have any tips?

I’ve already begun packing for our trip, which is actually late for me. I’m usually packed at least a couple of weeks before! But, as we don’t leave until Friday to head to Edinburgh for our flight, I still have plenty of time.

Meanwhile, have a wonderful Easter weekend: I hope you eat LOTS of chocolate!

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Anyone rolling their eggs tomorrow?

 

The First Bunny of Easter

The First Bunny of Easter

by TartanJogger ♥ 14 Comments

Welcome, one and all, to Easter Weekend 2014!

The weather here has been much more spring-like this week, which has been wonderful. The trees are all budding, daffs cover the grass verges and gardens are beginning to bloom. It won’t be long until the bluebells fill the hillsides!

Yesterday, we went for a lovely, sunny run. We ran along the harbour, and it was fantastic! We clocked in five miles, which was our scheduled Hal Higdon training distance.

And, we saw our first Easter bunny!

There are usually a lot of rabbits hopping around by the harbour, but this year I seem to have missed them all – until yesterday. This cheeky chappy was running quite happily in front of us, then hopped onto a garden wall, and sat in the garden watching us run past.

It was too cute! 🙂

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Do you have time off this weekend? Any plans? Have you seen any Easter bunnies on your run?

 

 

The Playlist Swap Continues

The Playlist Swap Continues

by TartanJogger ♥ 17 Comments

Frequent visitors will remember that Girl Runs Wild and I recently swapped MP3 players, and it was a fantastic experience! It was so different, discovering music I didn’t know, rediscovering some tunes I had forgotten about, and being surprised by tracks that we share on our running playlists.

We’ve extended the swap further, and it now includes The Running Princess (who is just back from running the Paris Marathon) and Early Bird Fitness.

So, I was delighted to receive this in the post:

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This MP3 player came all the way from Kyla at Early Bird Fitness, and I can’t wait to try it out on my next long run! 🙂

It’ll probably be a post-wedding run, but will definitely be something I look forward to!

Do you have a favourite running track? What is it?

 

 

 

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 22 Comments

Hi everyone, here we are at the start of Wedding Week! 😮

Four days to go….. I know that it will be Friday before we know it!

If you’re struggling to get started on your fitness plans this week, or struggling to stick to plans you have made, I hope this helps. It’s from Pinterest, of course:

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Do you have any big plans this week?

Running a Wedding

Running a Wedding

by TartanJogger ♥ 29 Comments

I’m hoping you’ll forgive me, but for the next week, my focus is going to be on the wedding. I’ll still be running, but @TheWelshWookie and I have other priorities this week, not least enjoying it, and making the most of the final build-up. We’re now only eight days away from W-day. Squeeeee!

@TheWelshWookie found this on line the other day:

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How cool is that? It’s one we definitely missed!

Today, I got in my 5K run for the 5×50 challenge, and I’m planning on keeping this on track over the next couple of weeks. I also spent time today trying on my wedding dress and accessories: thankfully the dress still fits fine! Phew! 🙂

So, do you have any running-related wedding advice for us?

 

 

 

Double – Double Digits

Double – Double Digits

by TartanJogger ♥ 26 Comments

Well, it’s now ten days until our wedding. TEN DAYS! The final double-digit day until @TheWelshWookie and I are married:)

On Saturday, I collected my dress, shoes and other last minute bits and pieces. We also ordered a Costco cake, just because I love ’em! So, I now reckon we’re completely organised. We have had one mishap, and if it’s the only glitch, I’ll be very happy. My mum & dad have a cake knife set, and it has been used by my sister and three brothers who are already married. And they have been engraved with their names and wedding dates. And so, the parentals arranged for our names and wedding date to be inscribed, too. But, @TheWelshWookie’s name has been misspelled! Oooops! While it’s a pity, I’m sure it will also be a future talking point!

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On Sunday, @TheWelshWookie reached a huge milestone: his first ever double-digit run! We did a ten miler, in less than two hours, which I think was brilliant for a slow long run 🙂 We ran twice around the Glen road, and along the Kilberry road. It was perfect running weather, and I felt great during the whole run. More to the point, @TheWookie felt great too! 🙂

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It was good to get that run under my belt, as I hadn’t run much during the previous week. And I was pleased that it was comfortable. I felt like I could have done the half marathon distance no problem: I hope that doesn’t curse things! 😮 The Hal Higdon plan is definitely working well for me.

After lunch on Sunday, we spent the rest of the day in the garden: tidying, clearing, and getting the outdoors looking a little more presentable! We also cleaned out the hot tub, and refilled it ready for use. So after such a busy day we really enjoyed winding down in the evening, with candles and amazing chocolate sent to me by Kyla over at earlybirdfitness. It was delish!

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After a rest day yesterday (well, if you can call another two hours of gardening resting) we got a 5K in the bag tonight.

Now, we’re delighted to announce that……… the Hot Tub is OPEN!

 

On that note, I’m off for a dip right now! Bliss!

Has your week gotten off to a good start?