Swag

My new shoes! Are they not beautiful? And the coordination happening there...getting ready for fashion class.

An update on the crazy American driving situation. Trying to cross the road is terrifying. Apparently it's illegal to cross the road at a place that isn't a designated crossing, which I keep forgetting. Illegal road crossing is referred to as 'J walking'. Fun times. There's also this thing where the cars can turn even on a red light, which makes crossing even worse. And there aren't always lanes marked in the road. Terror.

On the American jabber; they'd never heard 'pavement' before, and the other day when the sign proclaimed free sweet potato chips, I was left looking somewhat askance at my bag of crisps. They pronounce pecan as 'pehcaan', which very nearly required Google translate services.

Cultural learnings of America

I think the biggest cultural difference I've noticed here thus far is the driving. It was in one of my old history textbooks that the car was representative of American ideas of freedom, or something like that, and people kept telling me before I arrived that over here 'the car is king'- but quite literally people drive everywhere. They'll take the car for a trip up the street that would be less than 5 minutes walk. Driving is always preferable to walking, which seems bizarre for a running team.

Yum yum yum 

These then are the best looking toffee apples I've ever seen. Wows. We took a trip to Atlantic Station, which is a Liverpool One style shopping/food/entertainment complex for tea, and then we saw these. The shop guy was the loveliest ever and gave us some gratis <3.

First hard session

 

Right, so running to one side for a minute- travesty, I know right- breakfast is so definitely the best thing about America so far. I mean, just look at it. (Before mum has a heart attack, this is from today AND yesterday. I'm not on a massive put on weight mission). But yes, breakfast munchies are fantastic. We seem to be having a lot in the morning, then not really doing lunch and having healthy tea. I'm not really that hungry, I think because of the heat. Also training first thing in the morning means we eat quite late, so aren't really hungry at lunch, and have tea fairly early (then go to bed early as well, yay!). 

We went to bed at around 9.30 yesterday, joy of joys. Yesterday was actually a fab day. We went for an easy run in the morning, then had late breakfast (top photo, mega) and then I went with Kalie and Tim to Foon's flat and we spent a few hours in the pool until we were completely 'pruned'. Then we had a team meeting, and got all our kit....so much kit, and had tea at a place called Gusto, which I can only describe as Subway but better.

 

 

 

 

 

So much kit....

So training, ce matin. Waking up wasn't as bad as I had thought it might be. We got up at 5.30 to leave at 5.50/6, with training starting at 6. It was honestly pitch black; the sun is rising around 7 currently. We did a loooong warm up and then a 3 mile tempo run around 6.15-ish pace. Quite hard work. The temperature and humidity were not as bad as yesterday, but it still felt a bit like trying to breathe underwater. Then we did a few hill reps, which to the amazement of anyone who has ever seen me try to run up a hill, I was pretty good at.

It seems that most of our training will be at a place called the Oval (no escaping it apparently), which is an approx 800m gravel track. An 800m track. Total abomination. So we did 5.5 laps, and that was 3 miles. Ew. It seems the kind of place I will very quickly grow to abhor. As compensation, it overlooks the downtown skyscrapers, which at that time are all lit up, and it's about as urban beautiful as anything could be. The amount of times I nearly fell on my face looking at the lights...

And later today we get shoes! Hurray! And then a gym workout. Everything is a 'workout' here, and training is 'practice'. Bizarre. The only thing about this waking up early is the day then seems to take a long time- I'm knackered and it's only 12.15. It might not be so bad once we have class, and a bit more structure to the day though. And we don't have to get up at 5-something tomorrow! Hurray!

City lights

This is the view from the back of my halls last night. We're all moved in, and I've met most of the team now. It's very, very hot.

We went for our first team run this morning - did about 7 miles at a very easy pace. The heat is not great, but the humidity is unreal. It feels like running being suffocated.

First race is on Friday...yikes. Hopefully I get a bit more used to the weather by then!

Speed, speed, speed

It's a bit of a cliche to witter about being 'on the form of my life', but I am doing quite well...

Sacked off the Seaside run because although it might be nice, it's probably better for me to do actual set training. So it was 4x800m, target time 2.47. Actual times 2.36, 2.36, 2.35, 2.33, and it didn't actually feel THAT difficult. Hopefully this can be kept up when in the US of A.

Thinking about fast people, dad was having a look at our competition yesterday. The big rivals, Milligan College don't appear to have been signing freshers of quite the same calibre. Average 5k time of 22-something. Ours is likely to be more like 18-19. They do have one very, very fast girl, but we think our team ought to pack a lot better and (hopefully) smash them into oblivion.

It's tomorrow! Oh God! And I've only just started packing...23 kilos doesn't seem like a lot to be taking for AGES, but there we go. It's $100 for overweight luggage- because I totally have that hanging around, you know. It will be hot hot hot in 'lanta, and shorts don't weigh that much. My grandma asked me what I was planning to take with me, and the easy answer to that is everything I never took to Edinburgh.

Coach said it would take about an hour to go through customs and baggage reclaim and so on. Atlanta airport is apparently the busiest in the world, but how big is the place? Seriously? Starting to wonder if the jokes in Terry Pratchett books about the enormity of everything American might be more truthful than they sound. 

And I'm starting to be nervous about it, finally. Yikes. But to make everything better, this is my swimming pool. Be very jealous.

3 days to go!

Back from Paris! It's such a beautiful place. Not great for running though- I don't know if it was my watch, or the buildings, or being in a busy city, but the signal refused to load until I was abut 15 minutes in, down by the river so I just didn't turn it on. My Strava log for the last two weeks is a bit off...I have been doing my 50 miles, honestly. 

But it's three days until America! It's finally actually happening! Roll on the sun! I've been in contact with Greta; my soon-to-be room mate, and she seems quite nice. And at the end of the day, three months away is not really any different to what would be the case even if I was just going back to Edinburgh. 

Training-wise I feel quite good. I did too much kettlebells yesterday, and everything hurts, but we did a good run yesterday evening with Simon and some of the men. Seaside run tomorrow, maybe.

All the gear, and (hopefully) some idea...

My stuff! I am something of a running magpie, and just pick up things as I go along. 

It didn't rain! It was terribly hot again. 2x1600m on the track tonight; target time 5.45, actual times 5.25 and 5.24.

In miserable news I trail the leaderboard. It's Wednesday, and Kelvin has done 50 miles. 50 miles!!!!! Absolute madness. I suppose I shall have to resign myself to second place at best.

 

Long-ish run day! 10 miles and it was hot hot hot! Sun tan gains all around. I actually went out in the afternoon hoping it would be a bit cooler, but British summer being what it is the weather is never acceptable. It'll probably rain tomorrow. 

Running Updates

 

 Ieuan will say this is a photo from Google Images. Such a lie. Not my fault that Edinburgh is unnecessarily photogenic. 

Irritatingly enough though, my run has not loaded on my watch for some reason...grrr. Result, a miserable third on the Strava leaderboard, when I totally actually beat Kelvin. Vexatious. 

I have two really fast sisters! Buzzy the Welsh 400 Champ this weekend, and Piggle was second in her 800!

And it's T-11 days to America! Training off to a good start this week; 2x2000 on the track tonight in 7.13 and 7.15. Storming that damn leaderboard for real now.

 

#tookeen

 

It was so windy! Mum and I had something of a debate as to which way the wind was coming from (I was right). 

Got a little bit carried away showing off to the punters in New Brighton- result the run being both a bit too long and a bit too fast, and now I'm exhausted...oops. I also got absolutely covered in sand; not great. 

Strava for the route. For some reason it thinks I've not run this way before...such lies.

Sunday morning long run today; Arrowe Park, Royden Park and Irby- 11.3 miles (whyyyyyy). Credits to Alan for enthusiasm, motivation and top chat the whole way around.

Interesting Strava map, it didn't feel as bizarre a route as it looks!

Strava for the 3000 today

Northern League

T-just under three weeks to Atlanta!

Last round of the Northern League today; ran the 3000 (10.22) and the 1500 (4.55). Not as fast as I might have liked, but it was pretty hot, and both times were a DEFINITE improvement on last time!