2019 - it’s a wrap!

QUICK STATS: run 1,565miles, bike 477miles, swim 59,230 yards. Races 7 

parkruns 30, parkrun volunteering 25, different parkruns 8 and fastest parkrun 23:57

January-  Ran the New Year's day parkrun double at Hanley and the Wammy; joined Derwent Running Club as a Social member, to help with my Marathon Training when it starts. We had the annual Family New Year's day meal and realising how much my nephews are growing up and a lovely birthday surprise weekend in Manchester for a cheeky parkrun and a visit to the Manchester Beer Festival….oh and how could I forget a haircolour change!! 

February - My marathon training began, my long runs were getting long!! WE had a girls night out to Bingo again, unfortunately, our luck had run out but we had a great evening catching up and it was the month of my best clean joke for a long time!  "I had a hen who could count her own eggs…..she was a mathemachicken"

March - The long runs keep coming and the aim is to run 18 miles before our week long holiday in Mexico, which I manage not once but twice so I could go away safe in the knowledge that 1 week of lower mileage would not hurt the training too much. Had a lovely week away in Mexico, we were testing out a few theories this holiday..was Mexico too far for a week's holiday, how was Cancun compared to Playa de Carmen and could I pack for a weeks holiday with just hand luggage! The holiday was both informative and successful in terms of our theories, the responses were; yes, no Playa is nicer and yes!! So no more waiting at the carousel of doom!

April - Early in the month means that I was getting into the tough weeks and my longest runs were coming up with a 20 one week and 21 mile a week later running to my parents' house on a very hot bank holiday Sunday!   It didn’t get any easier but knowing they were behind me was a comfort and that my miles would start to decrease helped to lift my spirits in the final mile. We decorated and swapped rooms around in the house, the carpet that had been down since we moved in finally went and both rooms got spruced up!  Our collective weight loss is becoming more and more noticeable and we had to take 8 bags of clothes to the charity shop!!

May -Can only mean one thing Marathon Month, but before the Marathon, we had the Market Drayton 10k and I managed a very respectable time of 50:29, I had secretly hoped for sub 50 but that wasn’t my A race so I let it go and carried on with the taper which should have been easy at a lower miles however it certainly didn’t feel like that.  Then before we know it were heading up to bonny Scotland and finally the marathon is here! 4hours and 3 minutes later and 26.2 odd miles and I crossed that finish line and yet again vowed to never run another marathon again…but I still wanted to run

June - After all the build-up, miles and hours put into training I was able to diversify my training again and with a Pool based sprint triathlon scheduled for September I needed to get back in the pool again que the 5:30am starts and being in the pool for 6am!

July - we are in the holiday season and we were heading back up to Scotland first to go to Rewind 80festiveal in Scone with another cheeky parkrun tourism and the commencement of our Scotland road trip in the campervan, we visited some lovely places and I got to swim in a Lido which was another first for me!

August -  The Hanley park renovations have finished and we could finally run the course 2B and start to use the bandstand again, shame they never did put the sides on it so we could use it as a shelter during the occasion wet Saturday parkruns….final bank holiday of the year before Christmas was an excellent opportunity catch up with friends and walk/wander and stagger the  Hartshill beer mile 

September- after much discussion about house renovations we decided to that wanted to update the garden and make it a haven to come home too and spend time in during the summer months (should we actually get some nice weather) so our GRAND DESIGNS garden work started and finished! I ran the Great North Run again and had a blast this is one of the best half marathons and one everyone should run and I closed out the month with the North West Sprint Triathlon.

October- We had a quick running weekend away to run the Bilbao half marathon and if it hadn't have been long I'm sure that I would have got a sub 1:50 but that is Brexit for you…also the realisation of the over the last couple of months starts to dawn on me that my running has really improved recently, my times are coming down which is great !

November- There was a brilliant weekend away with the girls to Wales and we saw our first snow of Winter 2019, we participated (very hungover) in Pont y Bala parkrun  and I finished in a very respectable 5th, to be fair there were only 24 people and we made up a third of them! I managed to actually get a 10 mile PB at the Derby 10k which I was really pleased with, but then got injured right after it!! Oh and I finish my contract in Nottingham and start to look for my next contact as well as updating my project management skills

December is all about going out with friends, catching up with friends and spending time with the ones you love! Oh and I ran my fastest parkrun in 6 years!!

Heres to 2020 and whatever not only the new year but also the new decade holds :) 

parkrun comeback

The long and short of this post is that after the Derby 10 mile PB I got injured because I'm stupid and not invincible!! There has been a very painful sports massage, rest days, crosstraining and now I'm back running-ish! 

Two weeks ago, I finally got Sean to run our second local parkrun The Wammy, which is a relatively flat and fast parkun, at long out and back.  The only other time I have run here was on New Years Day as part of my NYD double, so this was my first opportunity to run this since I had got some speed back in my legs. 

The Wammy is flat and fast, the place to go for good run time and my running buddies asked me the night before if I was going to go for it.  But with being injured recently, unsure where my form was at and not wanting to put the pressure on myself, the sandbagging excuses came out "nah just going to go for a normal run".

After a brief chat with parkrun RD, we headed off for the start and then we were off......things were going well my legs felt fresh and springy so my thoughts of a parkrun time with a 24 at the start would be a nice way to finish out the year….these were fleeting and as the lactate started to build were replaced with “a low 25 would also be very good”. The course, after the turn around point, is slightly downhill and once again thoughts returned to 24🤔.  

As my watch beeped the 2nd mile, I tried desperately to work it out what pace was needed to for a 24 something finish, but the lactate build up was making maths difficult 😳 The way back felt longer than the way out and the finish felt a long way off. Looking at my watch I had less than half a mile to go and still I couldn’t work it out, every time I did it came out at a 23 at the start and that had to be wrong!!

Then I saw that fantastic finish line and surged for it, crossing the line, trying not to collapse, throw up and stopping my watch all at the same time! the result was officially 23:57 my third ever fastest parkrun! 

A great way to finish the year…..and now I am injured again :( so I am back spinning

Me a PB surely not!

My last race of the season was in November and I got a PB to boot, the race was the Derby 10 mile. The other 10 mile races I have done are; Flying Fox 10 which is a beast and very hilly and Castle Donnington which was around the race track which was also decidedly lumpy in places, so I was looking forward to a ‘nice’ flat race for a change.

Training had gone well,  with being back at home there is a new morning routine as my familiar running routes are on the doorstep and  the need to run on the treadmill has gone. But with coming home my normal once a week treadmill interval session had ceased; before you start yes I know these could now be run outside….but I can’t find the motivation to do this outside at the minute.

November in the UK was a decidedly wet with record rainfall fell during the month which saw record floods across many parts of the UK rain, which included Derby!  But the Derby race director and team in the week leading up kept everyone up today with what was going on via email/Facebook about the state of the race route and they were confident that the race would run, but the route may need to be tweaked.

The alterations needed to ensure we kept out of the floods meant that course it was going to be rather dull; a couple of out and backs with a loop through a park or two. Although it can be quite dull at times out and back the nice thing about it is that you have an opportunity to see friends which does help to take your mind off things a little. 

The miles were ticking by nicely and the legs were feeling fresh and they had plenty of miles in them, I kept a healthy pace of around 8 min miling, on the first out and back it was an opportunity to look out for Sean and it was great to see him just around the 2 hour pacer, which I knew he would be been pleased with. 

We pushed on through the park and out along the dual carriageway which was the second of the out and backs and the front runners coming back towards us. There was no clear indication of where the turnaround was and all I could see ahead of me was runners so there was only one thing for it, to keep pushing on.  

When we did finally hit the turn around point there was a cheeky downhill, under the dual carriageway u-turn and back up the cheeky little hill before heading off back down the road.  This was my next opportunity to look out for Sean, which help massively to distract me and kept pushing me on, then he came in to sight and he was now in front of the 2 hour pacer which was brilliant, with shouts of encouragement and high five I pushed on the to the finish.

Having worked out the maths, I needed to keep going at this pace or a little quicker to get a 80 minute finish time.  The legs were definitely feeling tired now but each time I passed someone it felt like I gain a little more energy and it was the last corner just before another sneaky little hill and the finish line came into sight…my finish time 80:47 seconds.....BOOM…a PB by around 2 minutes 💥 and Sean finished his run in 1:49 well under the unofficial target of 2 hours 👍. 

What a great way to finish off the year!! 

Saddo stato

Not really much of a post, but as sleep was eluding me and my mind was filled with all sort of trivia such as .... when was the last time I ran under 25 mins at parkrun? 

I have made no bones about the fact that I have fallen out of love with running a little and it is difficult to pin point when things started to go sour; was it during my last proper marathon training cycle, which was for London Marathon 2015?  I thought a bit of stat analysis would help....here is what I have found out and I am not sure that it holds the answers.

My parkrun PB was in October 2013, which is 23:25 

I last ran under 25 mins in May 2014 at Hanley

Here are my stats for Hanley parkrun

As for the other stats from my garmin, well that tells me that my pace has slowed down as have the number of miles run and I suppose your can't have pace if you are not putting in the mileage. 

My race calendar for next year is looking very bare, with only 4 races scheduled and one of those is a triathlon. There is the intention to do more races, but there will be more diversity in races and hopefully an injection of pace! 

All good things

I had a lovely time on my holiday recently, it was nearly 6 months from booking it to getting on the plane and sampling my first margarita, well worth the wait! I had a lovely two weeks soaking up the sun in the Dominican Republic.  Quite often our favorite pastime is to plan the next holiday and this year was no different, looks like we are planning to run Vegas RR marathon in 2016, the waiting begins!

While we were on holiday I caved in and ordered my new Garmin Forerunner 225 with built in heart rate monitor in the wrist, I thought my body was worth a chaff free run :) it helped that I did quite well on the tables in the casino.  The only problem  would be the wait the watch was due to be released in June but Runners Need was keeping it very quiet about when.  Then last Friday I got the text message it had been dispatched and was on its way to me (GREAT NEWS) the only problem is that they wanted to deliver on Monday,  curse having to work for a living!! The next suitable delivery was Wednesday another 2 days wait, then I it was a full day of work (till 18:00)  until I could finally unpack, set up my watch and go for a run. But finally my watch is here and I have done my first run

You may have seen from my recent posts that my running has not being going too well, I have been getting out there and running, but nothing is really feeling comfortable, easy or fun.  There are no injuries to speak of, other than my body wishing it was back on a sun lounger in the Dom Rep, I seem to be suffering with a serious case of impatience with my performance. So the one thing I am going to wait have for a little longer is achieving some personal bests. 

But hopefully my couple of weeks rest from my holiday and my new watch will help me to achieve some personal bests this year.  As they say all good things come to those who wait 

Day 10 Running Streak miles covered 46.6 miles, number of blog posts 3 

Edinburgh Marathon done and dusted

This is the short story…

So after all my worry about my fitness before Edinburgh Marathon and my resetting of my goals, I only went and got a new marathon personal best and a London Good for Age (GFA) and Boston Qualifying (BQ) time.

This is the long version – stop and grab a cuppa before you start.

In all honesty my training in between Manchester and Edinburgh had felt like an uphill struggle, I felt very disappointed that I had not bounced back as well as I had last year between London and Edinburgh.  I had such high hopes of achieving a London Good for Age (GFA) time, but each time I laced up my trainers my stepped out, it turned out to be another disappointing run and it was really knocking my confidence.

So the morning of Edinburgh came around all too soon, I had reassessed my goals and said that I was happy with a sub 4 hour marathon, well sort of happy! It is safe to say that the weather matched both my mood and prospects, the rain has started to fall and it steadily got worse.  Sean was happy and looking forward to his half marathon, he told me to go off and find somewhere warm to wait until the start of my race ( I think I was killing is pre-race buzz)

Firstly I found shelter in a bus shelter, but soon got bored and thought I may as well  head to my starting pen and then there glimmer of light in the distance “Starbucks” sign shone out like a beacon. As I pushed through the door, the warmth hit me and the queue was small and free WIFI RESULT. Twenty minutes later after a couple of trips to the facilities and a full fat tall latte with a caramel shot I felt ready to tackle to walk to my pen and bonus the rain had stopped!

My plan was to set out and run 8:30 for the entire race, this should get me a 3:44:30 marathon time and a London GFA  – what is that I was meant to be going to a sub 4 hours, well yes but you know how it goes…… the 1^st couple of miles would be the determining factor.

As it was the I found my pace which was around 8:15 which was well ahead of my required pace, now here is the problem the rule of thumb with marathons is start slow and get quicker (this by the way had been my strategy at Manchester).  The worry with going to fast at the start is that you can blow up in the last few miles, really fall apart and up losing your race goal.

However I felt good and I decided I was not going to over think it, just go on feel and see how things pan out. As it was I was having  a really good run, feeling surprisingly strong and focused.  Before I knew it we were heading passed Musslebourgh Race course and off up to the BIG Stately Home, it was at this point I saw Sean coming back long towards his finish and I gave him a shout out and carried on.

Now this is a LONG stretch not a particularly bad part it is just a little long, the only hope on the horizon is that you often get to see the race leaders coming back the other way, which helps to take your mind off things. 

Head down and concentrated on each mile I was in, trying hard not to over think about my pace, how much further I had to go or if I would run out of energy. 

Before I knew it we were running in to the Gosford House grounds and I focused and made sure that I didn't drop the pace (which happened last year), so my plan was to work on catching the people in front of me to keep me going.  Passed the home and now back out on to the road and the end was really in sight and all I had to do was keep going.

As the final miles ticked by my pace did start to fall off to around 8:30 ish, which was the pace that I should have been running all along, so all was good. There was time banked and this was my safety cushion just in case my pace really fell away, in the later miles.

It was around mile 23 that I decided it was time to break out the emergency jelly babies, I slowed to a walk and crammed in jelly babies like a woman possessed and washed them all down. Using visualization technique I imagined the release of sugar being turned into energy and making it was down to my legs and powering them along. 

Mile 25 and unlike Manchester nothing hurt, I was tired but nothing really hurt, the crowds started to get thicker and then the heavens opened and the rain started, but I didn't care I was on target to finish under 3:45 and I just needed to keep going and if possible speed up.

My only grumble is that my garmin and the mile markers didn't seem to want to sync up, so as my watch clicked over to 26.2 miles I was still 0.24 miles away from the finish…….GFA was still on the cards but there was no taking my foot off the gas, I  had to keep going as we turned on the to the grass I could see the finish gantry and clock, time was clicking down and my legs where feeling really heavy but there was no stopping… my mantra “just keep going” “keep going!”

With a small raise of my hand I made it over the finish and my official time 3:43:28! Looking at my photos on the home stretch it’s easy to see how tired I was, tired but elated. As I made my way out of the finishers enclosure Sean was there waiting for me, a little soggy around the edges but a very welcome sight, he congratulated on my time and my finish.

My words to him “now I have achieved a London GFA and Boston Qualifier, I never want to run a marathon again!!” Oh yes and I did remember my bra ;o)

Stats

Manchester 0 Kirsten PB 1 Part 2 - Race Day

RACE DAY

Getting up wasn't a problem, with waking a little before my alarm, I  slipped out of bed and got dressed and a coffee, with a whisper of good bye to the other half, I snook out of the house.  My friend Lisa and her daughter had agreed to give me a lift as they were coming to support the runners from the club, which really took the worry out for me. 

Before you knew it we were at old Trafford (notwithstanding the problems with parking) and meeting up with the rest of the members of the club and those that would be supporting on route, we exchanged hugs of good look to each other and wished each other well out there. With two loo trips and a baggage drop off later meant I had to jog my way to the start which helped to warm me up.

The race start was a little chaotic and the pens were not so stringently marshaled like London or Great North Run, but I managed to find my way in to the middle of blue zone and just in front of me was the guy who was trying to beat the world record of the fastest marathon dressed as a beer bottle (note to self must get in front of him before the cameras). I chatted to those around me while they were making announcements about the front runners and the conditions on route and then we were off…. well nearly it always takes a while to get over the line (around 2mins which isn't too bad)  

The route heads off around the roads of old Trafford now, it wasn't the most inspiring of routes to begin with but it was nice because there were two switchbacks which meant that you got to look for fellow club runners, which help to concentrate your mind on something other than the 26 miles ahead of you. I managed to clock nearly all of my Trentham, the best club in Trentham, and give them a shout out, the crowd support was really great as well because they didn't have far to go to catch you going past in a couple of places.

Next you head out of Old Trafford and this is when it really starts, the street still had people on them, but it was a lot quieter and helped you get your head down and focus on the run. Catie, a fellow cub mate had made loads of signs for the ladies from the club and did a brilliant job about getting out along the course which was a nice touch!

The run itself was OK, my plan was to start at 8:30 pace, then in the second half drop down to 8:20 which a target of a  sub 3:45.  However it never happened, I started to lose focus it around 8-9 miles into the course, I saw the front runners coming back towards us.  I keep thinking that it was going to be a another short switchback however it seem to go on for ever, perhaps I should have studied the course before the race ?!?!? (note to self study course)

The switchback was ALL around Sale! which signals half way and my pace was still good, but I could feel things beginning to slip. Looking at my stats my pace really fell away at 18 miles and I couldn't seem to get below 9 minute miles, I seem to be putting in the same effort but it was not showing in my pace. 

Having said that I did managed to pull off an 8:25 between mile 20 and 21! although it wasn't sustainable, I soon fell back to over 9 minute miles. But at this point I just wanted

it to be over, my hips decided they had had enough and started a petition, which was soon signed by my knees and ankles….. everything below the waist working but mainly to rule and complaining about it every step of the way.

So I did what most would do, 24 miles in I had a little walk, but they didn't like that either!! They was simply no pleasing them, so I  zipped up the man suit and reasoned that running would get me to the finish quicker and then I could sit down, everyone seem to be in agreement with that proposal and we are off again!

The crowds in those too last miles where great and when I happened across a group of friends spectating it was deafening but real fuel for the legs and heart and spurred me closer to the line and the finish. 

Crossing the finish line, I knew I’d not quite made it sub 3:45, but then again I did get a Personal Best knocking around 55 sec’s off! Which is great and hopefully I can build on these solid foundations a for my next marathon in Edinburgh and sub 3:45 will be mine

Review of 2013

Stats from this year

• 239 race miles (43 more than last year)
• 289 days running (40 more than last year)
• 1780year which is 30 less than last year
• 47 miles was my highest weekly mileage which is 1 less than last year
• 199 was my highest monthly mileage in March which was
•  9 more than last year
• 23 Races (2 more than last year)
• Half Marathons x 7 with a PB of 1:42
• Full marathons x 2 with a PB of 3:48
• 10k x 7 with a PB of 47:35
• Parkruns x 27 with 5 PB’s and current PB 23:25

Did I achieve my goal of running 2013? 

Well unfortunately not however I did run 1780 miles, which is strangely down on last year despite more running days and a longer distance covered in a month, if I ran this consistently then I would have reached Morocco. 

Despite being down on my mileage and not achieving my 2013 miles for the year I did achieve 2 marathons and 1 sub 4 hour marathon which I am very proud of, but also very grateful to my friends and family for helping me raise over £2,222 for MacMillian Cancer Support.

Here are some of my great photos memories:

VLM 2014

Thunder Run 2013

Trentham Running Club

*** When is a PB not a PB

When a PB not a PB, when the course is short!  I have had to adjust my 10k PB up from 47:02 to 48:07.  I've been thinking about changing this for a while, but I liked the idea that was my time and I was that fast... 

But alas no, the course was short; I thought it was at the then but I wasn't sure if it was just the old Garmin satellites playing up. However I have had it confirmed, from a reliable source, that unfortunately at the very last minute the race organisers had to change to the course, which made the course.  I have no malice against the course organisers or anyone else, at the end of the day if I want to have a time like that I will have to run a time like that, it really is that simple.

It is interesting how some athletes want to cheat their way into getting results, I am not casting any stones in any directions but when you hear people saying that they are taking steroids or performance enhancing drugs to get the desired results, I get the distinct impression that they are missing the point. 

When all is said and done, the chips are down and scores are on the doors, yes you might be coming out on top, but really was it a level playing field? in your heart of hearts you know it was right and wasn't your win, your PB or  record to hold.

However I did get a PB at the Great North Run at the weekend and that is official :)

Bonny Bouncy Scotland!

I have a brand new shiny marathon PB! Which is a jaw dropping 15 minutes off my time in London,  I finished Edinburgh Marathon in a grand time of 3:48:01. However it was not without its own mini drama’s from forgetting my sports bra, my watch falling off at mile 23 mile and swallowing a fly a 25 miles!

Needless to say I would not recommend anyone running a marathon in a wonder bra, the chafing is a bitch and it has really but a dent in my running this week.  I now understand how men must feel when they get joggers nipple and the tears that spring to your eyes when you step in to the shower…..running 26.2 is a walk in the park compared to stepping into shower with severe chafing!

On to the race unlike London I didn't suffer any dark moments during the race; I had set off with a plan of trying to get sub 4 hours and anything under that would be a bonus.  With my pace set for around 8:35 miles (those quick cookies among you will have already realised that this was way too fast for a sub 4, and have uncovered my real agenda of trying for a sub 3:45 good for age (GFA) target) I was well on target and even slightly below target for the large majority of the race.  That was until mile 18-19 where you head off around the stately home I found that this affected my pace, I have since listened to Marathon Talk and even Andi Jones who finished fourth said he found this bit tough, my mile splits slipped and I struggle to regain them again.  I carried on knowing that GFA  had gone out of the window but still confident that sub 4 was on the cards, then my watch (Garmin Forerunner 610) flew off my wrist and I had to turn around to pick it back up! This is a known fault with Garmin 610’s but luckily for me I found the pin as well as my watch, I scooped them up and carried on running for a mile or so.  But I wasn't confident about how long I could keep both the pin and my the watch safe and take on water; so I made the decision to walk while I put my  watch back together, a couple minutes later I was motoring again.

Then for some strange reason at mile 25 I thought GFA was back on the cards so I sped up and was eating up the tarmac like nobody’s business, so much so that I clocked my fastest mile 8:07!! However as I rounded the finish I could see that my watch said 3:47 and the gun time was 3:59, the pipe dream of GFA vanished, but I am still really happy with my result.

In hindsight I now realised that I could have pushed harder to find my pace again after the stately home so much so I have entered again for next year and fingers crossed I am going to nail 3:45.

Couple of things to note about Edinburgh Marathon,

1. Watch out at the end as the finish is on a field and although they do lay out a rubber finishing straight it is rather uneven
2. Do get the marathon buses back to Edinburgh
3. Don’t prepay, else you will have to walk at least the marathon distance again to get your bus.

What next

Well tomorrow we start Run for the Sun #rfts with Coach Jeff which is running every day in June, which should help to make sure I don’t get the post marathon blues and my other BIG target is a shiny new half marathon PB! 

Westbrigde 5

This race has a little bit of history and I think I mentioned it in last years post, it is one of my 1st real races and one I originally thought was only a 5k . 

How things have changed, this is a nice little run, in and around Stone and Aston in Staffordshire.  It is shaped a little like and lolly pop, long out along the canal and around Aston and then back along the canal.  I am not sure if it is shaped like a lolly but that is how I think about it.  Due to the nature of the run, there is no room for spectators other than the boats along the canal and those speeding along the A34, so it is really feels like a race.  

I didn’t really have any aims other than do my best, I think I was still on a high from getting a PB at Edinburgh the week before and I had done my first DOUBLE, “DO THE DOUBLE”.  I had ran into work and then ran home, a total of 14 miles, should I get in to the Marathon I feel this is the best way to get my mileage in and save on my fuel bill!

The day itself was rather dull and over cast , fortunately it stayed dry but it was very cold , as the run is along the canal there are very few over taking spots so you have to try and position yourself well at the start.  I felt really comfortable during the race and I was clocking sub 8 minute miles, which I was very impressed with.  There was lady in front of me, who I was determined to keep up with because I thought she was a fellow group “W” and I thought I need to make sure I get those points, however around mile 4 I noticed she was an “M” the next group up! then I just thought knuckle down and hang on in there.  Which I did and managed to knock 2 minutes of my Olympic Park time  at real thumbs up moment!

Races and personal bests galore!

It has not been long since my post but I have completed another 3 races, Market Drayton 10k, Clayton 10k and my 9th Park Run!  All of these things have happened in the last 7 days, it has been a busy old week really!

Market Drayton 10k Sunday 13th May

This is the 3rd time I have done this race and it  really is a little gem of a race; well organised, nice course, lovely marshals,well attended and a fantastic overflowing goodie bag!! The morning was lovely, sunny with nice fluffy white clouds the slight down side was that it was a little windy which meant went the sun went behind the clouds it went a little chilly but all in all good running weather.

I do like this race and I nearly didn’t enter this year as I was focusing on the NSRRA league however Sean had said he want to run it so rather than wait around for him to finish I thought I would enter too .  I didn’t want to push too hard as I had got Clayton (NSRRA) race and I needed the points……but as all runners know secretly I thought it would be nice to get a sub 50!! And I did, I finished in 51:05 which was a PB  but not sub 50 maybe on Wednesday at Clayton!

Clayton 10k Wednesday 16th May

Considering I work in Newcastle I have never entered this race, but as I am now in the NSRRA league I have to get myself along to as many races as possible to ensure I get the points. However this being local and a 10k I thought it was be a good one to take part in.  Got to the race on time and managed to relax. Saw loads of Potters Trotters, twitter, Facebook and parkrun friends and caught up on what everyone was hoping to achieve and wished everyone a good race. It was a two lap course, and I am not a fan of laps, I think it is something about passing the finishing line that bothers me but I only have to do it once so it shouldn’t be too bad.  I started out ok but there where a couple of bottlenecks and we had to walk but they didn’t last long and then before we knew it the field spread out in to a more manageable chunks so no more bottle necks.  The course is rather deceptive the hills were quite long and drawn out, you so didn’t notice them until they started to burn.  I didn’t see my nemesis until the start of the second lap , I felt good but not sure if I could catch up to her. The gap began to close, I was still going at my pace but I could see that I was gaining on her, BUT did I have enough to take her down…..unfortunately not, those dam hills on the second lap seem to get steeper and I just didn’t have enough, she came in 27secs ahead of me .  However I on a positive note I did beat my personal best from Sunday by 6 seconds ,  it doesn’t sound much but as everyone says it was a tough course and a PB is a PB. The other great result of the day was Laura Thompson won and she was so please, Laura is seriously on speedy lady! 

9th Parkrun Saturday 19th May

It has been a while since I have been to Parkrun and following on from Wednesday’s race I decided that I wanted to work on my speed work, both by using Parkrun as a time trail and potentially joining a cheap gym for on some additional cross training.  The other reason was that I had set a 2012 challenge to improve my 5k time to a sub 25 and coupled with fellow Potter Trotter Liz Tideswell recently achieving a PB of 24:56 I needed to pull my finger out!! .   I started out a little too quick and had an equipment fail which I needed to sort out on route, but the “Hanley hills” kick my ass again! But I did achieve a Parkrun PB of 25:12  which is a full 27seconds faster than my last Parkrun PB which is awesome!! 

South Cheshire 20 – Personal Best 3:00:26

Short report for this on I am afraid as it has taken to me too long again to update my blog!

The weather was awful actually it was bloody awful, it was a week after the London Marathon, which again had a lovely running weather and then for the following week it did nothing but rain . In a way it meant that all my training in preparation had been in the cold and wet so I was use to it.  But on the morning of the run it seem to be windier and colder than it had been in ages!

I decided that I was going to dress for the occasion, long tights, long sleeve top, Potters Trotters top and jacket  and I was lovely and toasty in the car on the way up there. Saw Sharon as I turned into the sports centre and she was wearing 3/4 and a short sleeve top, all I could think was “boy she was MAD” and then I saw that Laura Thompson from Trentham was wearing a crop top and shorts eeek!!!

The field was very small only 95 ish runners, I ran with Sharon for a little while but by mile 3 she was heading off into the distance.   I could see her in the distance for the 1st 8 ish miles and then the route got twisty and turning and I lost her until the finish.  For a large amount of the race I was running on my own with NO MP3!! at 1st I thought that I would really struggle, as I normally run with Music or an audio book, however I found that it was fine and didn’t get bored!  

All I wanted to achieve was a better result than Stafford, which was a disaster! I just wanted to put it behind me and move one, for the last mile I was at 2:52 and thought if I knuckled down I would make sub 3:00  . However after spending the last 2:52 minutes been battered by wind and rain, I didn’t;t have it in me, especially when they evil  race organisers had a twist in the tail….the finish was passed the sports centre sand then across the field .  I finished in 3:00:26 so although it wasn’t sub 3 hours it was still miles and minutes better than Stafford.

Don’t tell anyone, but I was actually enjoying the race, I am sure that I would be enjoyed it more if the weather was slightly better, but it gave me a much needed confidence boost and to top it off I WON a 1st in my age category which was a real shock and a very nice surprise.

The other nice surprise was that I got 50 points for the race, YIPPEE

Newcastle 7

I was looking forward to this race, I remember it well from last year, Sharon Willis had persuaded me enter and helped me get my running mojo back and set me back on track to complete my 100 race miles.  I was looking forward to coming back and hoping to beat my time from last year, also I needed to get some much needed points in the NSRRA league. 

As with last year the weather was good, the was a slight breeze but the sun was out and the skies where blue, this was my first proper run after my fall the other week.  I took a nose dive just outside the same hotel I broke my arm in 3 years ago, I took some time off running, kept icing my needs and praying that I hadn’t done any major damage . Fortunately after a few test runs although my knees still feel a little sore but I can run so that it ok! Although needless to say I am giving the hotel a very wide berth form now on! 

One of the shockers was that it was a no MP3 event, it was going to be difficult to hide my bright red headphone wire and I was worried that I may get disqualified if I wore it and I wanted those points! So we headed off down the familiar route everything was ok and then we hit black bank, it is about a 2 to 3 mile climb to the top and quite though going, all I could think was don’t stop, don’t stop , dig in you will be at the top soon! 

One thing that I did notice was a person running behind me, it was a familiar sound, the same footfall, the same squish ofshorts and the breathing, someone was matching my pace, if I sped up they sped up, if I slowed down they slowed down.  I wasn’t sure but I thought it was my NSRRA fellow groupW nemesis, the girl who beat me at Stafford .  I wasn’t sure what to do,  I did think about stopping and making her go in front of me, but I decided to carry on and thought that I would speed up on the downhill and see if I could shake her.  I did pull off a couple of sub 8 minute miles which for me was quick and I was hoping to tire her out and was praying that she didn’t know about the small bank at the end.  Unfortunately she got me again  last few yards she had the energy and over took me.  We hugged and congratulated each other on the race and I had smashed my Personal Best !

Olympic Park Run

What an awesome day, when I first saw the ballot for the 5 mile Olympic Park run I thought why not I didn’t expect to get in, having failed to win the ballots for both the Great North Run 2011 and the Virgin London Marathon 2012, I wasn’t hoping out much hope and then blow me down I got in! 

Sean was a little upset as I had entered us both into the ballot and only I go in, oh well he can’t win them all and I was going to get a guest pass so at least he would be able to come with me . The ballot was last year and it seem to take an age to get actually come around and then finally it was here, we had unfortunately double booked the day; as well as being in London for the run we had a concert in Birmingham in the evening doh’ but no worried Sean organised the day so well that we were able to do everything and I even managed to get a shower!! 

It was a very early start we left the house at 8am and caught the train down to the BIG smoke, unfortunately the weather was against us grey, overcast and windy but I was hoping that as we were heading down south that it would be warmer, WRONG! Fortunately on the way to the Olympic Park we had to go through the largest shopping centre in London and happing to wander straight passed the NIKE shop  So I headed in and picked up a nice warm long sleeve top.

There was a bit of queue to get into the Olympic Park, but I was so excited that for once I didn’t mind queuing, everyone else was looking excited and couldn’t wait to get in, WE were going to be some of the first members of the general public to actually get to see the park and for FREE.  Literally just in the door and I  couldn’t resist standing by the sign and having my photo taken

We got there there nice and early which means we got a good seat   it is a little like the Port Vale ground, in the way that there are still some seats missing, although this is where the similarities end!

The ground soon started to fill up and there were a lot of excited people in the ground, who couldn’t what to get started.  I was glad that I stoppedd l and brought the long sleeve top it was a little windy in the ground and the nervous tension was making me rather chilly.

There was the announcement  and the runners were asked to head towards their pens, I was in the pink wave which was the 2nd group to go, so there shouldn’t be too long to wait. In the pen there was a sea of red shirts and a really friendly atmosphere we chatted and all joined in the warm up, although it was pretty cramped so the reaching and stretching was providing a little dangerous for some. The 1st was was started by Princess B and then we were told that she would also be running the race and would be joining the pink wave which was now renamed the ROYAL WAVE, me in the presence of royalty!

Then the gun went and we were off, our spectators had to wait inside the ground, so there where fewspectators around the route, however there were a few bands and the workman took an improtu break to support and cheer us along. Well I did manage to over take royalty and there was this poor chatty who was running it on crutches although thinking about it, you would wouldn’t you, there is no way you can defer a once in a life time opportunity.

I had been warned by an insider that just when you think you are running back in to the stadium you won’t be, you have to run under the stadium for a while and then you pop out around 300 meters to go; so when we started towards the stadium I knew to hold back.

Before we knew it we entered the stadium and we were on THE TRACK you could hear the noise of the crowds and looking around it was an amazing feeling.  I threw my hands up and pretended that I was actually in the Olympicsand people were hear to see me!!

                                  

All in all I loved it and something very special that only me and 4,999 other people have experienced! 

Stafford Half Marathon

What a race! It was a lovely day  and I was on a high after completing Liverpool Half successfully the week before .  I was really looking forward to the run, I remembered it was last year and was looking forward to  running the route again, there is something about running around your old neighbourhood.  There were a number of Potters Trotters taking part in the race and for a couple of them it was the 1st half marathon;

 Liz Tideswell was running for cancer research and looking to achieve either a sub 2:15 or 2:00 time and she managed to smash her estimations and cam in at 1:58, check out her race report on her blog http://rosedawndesigns.blogspot.co.uk/ 

and

Sara Goodwin, Sara was hoping to get around in around 3 hours but for Sara it was mainly to achieve her goal of achieving a half marathon before she was 40, Sara finished in a chip time of 2:51, managing to smash both her goals in one go! 

Well done girls 

The other person who was running this distance for the 1st time was the husband of a colleague from work, Andrew Williams, he was running to raise money for MS and I had agreed to pace him for the 1st couple of miles, he was worried that he may start off a little too quick and wreak his race.  We started in the 1:50 pen and before we knew it we were off and running a very comfortable 8:30minute mile pace, however I had forgotten how flat it was and before I knew it I was running at 8:00 minute miles ! not good as I was meant to be pacing Andrew, but he was taking it all in his stride. 

Mum and Dad came out and see me again around Knowle Road mark and had some much needed Lucozade drink and jelly babies as I slowed down to see them, Andrew carried on at a comfortable place, after waving like mad at them and picking up my supplies I carried on.   My race carried on at a comfortable pace,  each time I over took a runner with a “W” on their back I sped up a little more, Tixall Lanes seemed to be a little tougher than I remembered and just as I was getting a little weary of them they finished and I was heading back in to Baswich, over half way done..

I was feeling great, the sun  on my back, great music  in my ears and the finish was closer than the start . 

Just as I passed the 12 mile maker I noticed another “W” runner in front, she was wearing a blue Cheadle running singlet;1st place must be between me and her, that was here that I managed to find a little more energy, I caught up with her and over took her coming through Doxy and in the park is where she took back the lead, but I stuck to her heals and followed her step for step.  Just as we came out of the park and back into Stafford Town centre I retook the lead and was feeling strong, I was getting tired but I knew the finish was close and she was hot my heals.  As we round the corner by Costa the finish was in sight she came passed me again, the world closed in and there was just 2 people in this race and I wanted to win and at the same time we both broke out into a sprint for the finish line and I would say that it was a photo finish. She have me a hug and we said thanks, both wondering what the league result was going to say!

I do have to say a big thank you to my nemesis, or Rachel Beardmore as I have since found out, I managed to achieve a personal best and  knocked off a good 2 minutes, I don’t think I would have managed it if we hadn’t have been battling to the finish!!! As for who won the points we are still waiting for the league results to be published, our gun time was the the same at 1:53:22 however my chip time was 1:51:15 which was quicker,  perhaps this is what the holding up the results .