Having the right amount of energy to run

There are many things that are a good idea to do before going for a run: dynamic stretching, making sure you're dressed appropriately, ensuring you’re well hydrated, going to the bathroom, telling someone where you're going (as well as when you’ll be back) and making sure your phone battery is charged - these are all excellent things to do.

Eating a large plate of fish and chips an hour before running is not an excellent thing to do.

Oh the pain.

I remember the growling. It came from somewhere deep within my abdomen, bubbling and churning like a cauldron as I ran up a particularly steep hill, scanning for a gap in the bushes if the worst came to the worst. Mercifully, the cramps disappeared and I did not need to disgrace myself in public.

So what should you eat before running?

It probably depends on how long you’re running for. Personally, I found if I was running for approximately 30 to 40 minutes (or less) I could get away with eating a banana 15 minutes before the start of the run, but if I was planning to run for a lot longer than this - say 50 minutes to 2 hours - then I needed some kind of meal an hour or so beforehand.

After a bit of research, I found that anything with a high fat content is a NO before a run (which would explain the cramps previously mentioned) as it’s hard to digest. What ended up working for me were things along the lines of: a bowl of cereal, a small plate of pasta with tomatoes and rocket lettuce, or perhaps a ham salad sandwich. After a run I always made sure I stocked up on protein to aid muscle recovery, either by eating a meal with chicken or Quorn or by drinking a protein shake.

I also found I needed to take in extra fuel during longer runs (over 50 minutes). This became a bit of trial and error. I started with Lucozade, which worked quite well if I took little sips frequently throughout the run. Unfortunately my water bottle had a habit of leaking, resulting in some of the Lucozade dribbling out and leaving me with an orange hand. This made me wonder what it was doing to the inside of my body and I decided to move on to something with a bit more nutritional value. I gave High 5 energy gels a try, but found the intense sugar experience to be absolutely vile. I also managed to cut the inside of my mouth during a run, whilst attempting to tear off the little tab at the end of the sachet to open it.

After more research, I discovered energy gels can be diluted in water - result! For long runs, I now work out how many sachets I will need, based on one every half hour, squeeze them into my 500ml running bottle and top up the bottle with water. I sipped this frequently during the Glasgow half marathon and didn’t feel my energy levels dip once.

I’ve also found that there are many other ways that runners can take in energy, such as raisins, pretzels and apparently mashed sweet potato, although I’m not quite sure about the practicality of stuffing mashed sweet potato into my running belt. I’ve taken raisins with me on a couple of occasions, however, which are not too bulky and have found them to be quite nice to nibble on as I run.

Whatever I do choose to consume prior to a run, or during it, I try to make sure there are some carbs in there and keep it low in fat. And if I'm doing a race I don't try anything new that I haven't tested during training. Finally, I've realised that it's probably best to save the fish and chips for after the run, safe in the knowledge that I won't have to dive into any bushes.

Scottish winters and running

We're embracing a bit of hygge this winter. I've been a bit obsessed with this Danish custom since first learning about it on Radio 2 and have been upping the use of candles, in particular battery-operated ones (which I recently discovered exist, much to the amusement of a work colleague whom I'm convinced thinks I've only just recently swapped my animal skins and cave dwelling for a shot at life in the 21st century). Asides from the candles, there's a lot of mince pie eating, hot chocolate drinking and walking about wearing a fluffy dressing gown. Hygge is rife in our household.

One small drawback: this doesn't exactly make it easy to go out for a run. When I do manage to get out of the dressing gown and put on all the running clothes I possess, there's that awful moment when I open the front door only to be greeted by a blast of cold wind reminiscent of being slapped by twenty thousand miniature snowballs. Not exactly hygge.

However, cold weather doesn't hang around for long during a Scottish winter. One day you're wearing as many layers as a Schichttorte (see image below), the next you're contemplating wearing shorts. Last week the temperature was hovering around zero degrees Celsius but, within the space of a day, it had shot up by 15 degrees. This is a fair temperature for us in summer, never mind winter.

So basically, every run is a surprise at this time of year. I've found myself chasing my visor which has blown off my head, crunching through frozen mud, skiting across black ice, wishing I'd worn a hat on days when the wind is so cold I get brain freeze and frequently returning home with mud splatters on my face.

Some people might ask: so why on earth bother? Why not just stay home and enjoy the hygge? It's a fair question. Well, sometimes I get the combination of layers right - one extra layer to stop that initial shock when I leave the house, but not enough to overheat. And once I get going it feels good to be out of the house - away from walls - breathing in fresh air and enjoying the small amounts of daylight that we get at this time of year. In the past I used to hate the darkness of winter, but since I've taken up running I've not noticed it quite so much. Maybe it's because I've made such an effort to get out when I can, whether it's zero degrees Celsius or pouring with rain. Or perhaps it's because it's not so dark after all - what with all the Christmas decorations making everything sparkle.

Whatever it is, I still enjoy coming back home. After some stretches and a shower it's straight back into hygge-mode. A warm fire and a hot chocolate feels just that little bit cosier with a cold nose.

You're a runner now

When I signed up for the Great Scottish Run half marathon the goal was simply to see if I might be capable of doing a full marathon, perhaps the following year, to raise some money for charity. Afterwards, I imagined that I would most likely return to running a few miles per week, purely to keep fit.

What came as a surprise, both to me and my husband, was how much I looked forward to the days when I did my long runs. I think I may go as far as to say I was excited about them. To run further than I had ever run before was such a sense of achievement. Then my husband gave me his old running watch to borrow and introduced me to pace. I soon became a bit obsessed with this and logged my runs in a little book to scrutinise my pace later. As my long runs increased I worked out that I was on target to achieve a time of under 2 hours for the half marathon and this became my new goal.

But it wasn't just about reaching my target. Running made me explore my local area more. I saw my town from a new viewpoint - away from traffic and always being in a hurry - where people take the time to say hello to each other: people and their dogs, families on their bikes and the little old man out for his Sunday stroll.

I also started to learn a little bit more about the human body: about our ability to use oxygen more efficiently as we get fitter, common aches and pains that runners get - and how to overcome them - and how to find shoes that suit the way our feet pronate when we run.

I recall one time returning from training and in my post-run-endorphin-fuelled buzz saying to my husband that I wish everyone could experience that feeling.

You're a runner now,' my husband confirmed.

He was right. It's funny how you set out with a particular goal in mind and then find yourself taken on a different journey. I had hoped to sign up for the Edinburgh Marathon 2017 as soon as I completed the half marathon this year, but when I realised I wasn't ready for this I initially felt a bit sad - that maybe I would lose momentum with the whole thing and never complete a marathon. Anything beyond 'next year' just seemed so far away.

Then I realised that it just doesn't matter. Maybe I'll be ready to do a marathon in 2018, or 2019. Or maybe I'll never be ready - who knows. I'll just keep running and see where it takes me.