Let's give blogging a go......

Hello & welcome to the blog!

I've decided after a few months of deliberating whether to do this or not to just give it a go. Much like with running I suppose! 

This will be a running blog with my thoughts & feelings around training & upcoming events.

A bit about me.....

I started running back in 2015 by entering the Great Scottish Run 10km in Glasgow after having my 1st daughter. I felt it would be a good goal to aim for having never really ran before. I used to keep fit by going to the gym & playing volleyball in my childhood.

It was a long time ago but I remember it being tough! I finished it in 1:18 but remember being happy just to finish.


Not so long after, a family member asked if I would be up for doing the Santa dash In Glasgow the following December which I took on. Running in among a lot of Santa's was fun & I don't even remember my time for that. Then I didn't run for 6 years. 

Why did I give running another go?

To my knowledge, there was not a single person unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic locking down many countries in 2020. I was no different. I managed to contract covid at the start of May 2020 when the prime minister of the UK at the time wasn't holding back on how severe this was along with the daily death tolls. I was a mum to aged 5 & 2 year old girls & got a massive fright. The positive result was delivered through a text message where very quickly I quarantined myself in the marital bedroom (where fortunately there was an en-suite) ensuring no one else in the house caught this mystery virus. The harsh reality back then was we didn't know how it would end up. Fortunately it was nothing more than cold like symptoms (even flu like would be pushing it) with the loss of taste & smell being the biggest symptom. That lasted for 3 weeks.

By the end of May when feeling better I decided to start The Body Coach workouts on YouTube. I had followed Joe Wicks before his PE with Joe series in 2020 so knew they were decent enough. I took regular selfies in front of the hall mirror & after 8 weeks of working out 4-5 times a week there was a noticeable difference in the pictures. Unfortunately & inevitably, the workouts were becoming boring so signed up to his 90 day plan to better the diet in February 2021. This was the birth of my Instagram account.

I was inspired by a couple of people on the body coach plan through Instagram who ran. It coincided with the relaxation of lockdowns so I went for a drive to a scenic country park (Mugdock) & ran my 1st run in 6 years 5km on 16th April 2021.

With encouragement of the Instagram community I entered the virtual EMF 10km which I ran around Strathclyde park in a time of 1:01! I couldn't believe I was this much faster since 2015 but the fitness and better diet had a massive part to play with this time.

After receiving my goody box, t shirt and medal from EMF for completion that's when things started to snowball.

Bigger distances

With my new found running confidence, the natural progression was to keep running. June 2021 saw me buy my 1st pair of 'proper' running shoes (Brooks Ghost 13) where I was gait analysed & tried on a few pairs to see what matched my feet. The obsession was growing. Then came the 'accidental' half marathon in August.

One of the hottest days that year & my idea was to run down the road & back totalling 15km. I had no hydration vest & no clue about fuelling. When I got to the end of the road I turned down where I decided I would just keep going. Then reality bit. Hard! I called John (husband) to tell him I wasn't lost but was finding the run tough. He was encouraging & told me to keep going. I told him I wanted to complete a half marathon when I'd came this far. I had to stop at a garage to get much needed water & just kept going. I was determined I was going to complete 21.1km that evening & ended up covering 22km. I couldn't believe it. Even towards the end of the run there was someone on the cycle path practicing their bagpipes which made it feel very eventful! Shortly after this I signed up to both Edinburgh & Glasgow half marathons for 2022.

I'll cover each of these events on separate blog posts but wanted to upload this 1st one as an introduction & see where it takes me. Now I'm covering much bigger distances I feel it will help me in the present & future to look back, reflect & learn from these events moving onto the next ones.

If you don't already follow me on Instagram the handle is @niknakultraruns where the above mentioned so far is covered in my 2021 highlights!


Comments

  1. scottishrunnerJune 6, 2024 at 12:52 AM

    Welcome to the world of blogging :) Like running, enjoy the journey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NikkiJune 8, 2024 at 7:25 AM

      Thanks! Like the older generation it's taking me a while to navigate but I'll get there!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pre Fling block thoughts

  Sunday 20th April 2025 - 09:02 This is something I've thought about for a while. Using this blog space to record how the training is going for my own reflection at the end of each week. Why make it public? I really enjoy James Stewart's blog when he documents training as it's an insight how someone else trains. Not the way I would train but it's like a story I guess. I asked James if he felt this benefitted him personally sharing his story with others. "By making it public it gives accountability but you have to decide within if this will benefit or hinder you personally". It's a great response for me as I feel by doing this it will force me to sit on a Sunday at some point and reflect on how the running week has went. Who knows, I may even start on a personal journal separately. The reason for today's post? I don't feel good about myself at all right now. My fitness has tanked and my love for it isn't far behind it. I don't feel confiden...
Read more

The West Highland Way Race 2025

Image
Before you read on or scroll, I won't be adding many (or any) pictures to this blog as I want to write this down with so many thoughts running through my mind. If you wish to see the pictures and videos you can check them out under my WHW 2025 highlight on my Instagram profile @niknakultraruns. On the lead up to this race, Stevie had asked me before the ballot had been drawn, if he was to be chosen to run the race, would I be able to crew for him? He barely got to the end of the sentence before I agreed and agreed to do the entire weekend. Having been at the start line last year, I had massive FOMO at the thought of having to go home and watch the race from afar. Back in 2024 I had decided that I wanted a front row seat for 2025. I was more than delighted when Stevie had asked me to crew him. People had suggested last year on my completion of the Devil to put my name into the ballot. However, had I been chosen, I knew myself that mentally and physically I would not have been prepar...
Read more

The John Muir Way Nocturnal

Image
  The last event on my calendar of what has been a life changing 2024 for me. I signed up for this back in June after getting fomo from a few pals signing up for it.  I also thought it would be nice to see the year out with the same event organisers I started the year with. The event is based at Balgone Estate in North Berwick. Unlike the 50km at the start of the year, this one was 5.6km loops around the estate with 6 hours to see how many you can do. The thing that makes this extra is it starts at 4pm. Everyone's first (and those speedier folk's second) are in light then it's torches on. The head/chest torches were obviously mandatory kit. At the start & end of the loop is 'camp'. This is where you can pick up your refuelling or if taking it easier, have a rest. They provided pizza, alcohol free beer, snacks and drinks of water, active root or Coca Cola. I had only the water and coke - I'll explain why later. Lots of firsts again for me on this event. Night...
Read more