San Francisco Marathon, 16th June 2013

Heading to the start

The alarm sounded – it was dark outside, that’s because it was 3:10am! The day was finally here, the day of the San Francisco Marathon! We ate our porridge pots (brought over from England) and tried for a few more minutes of sleep before setting off from our hotel for the 5:30am start!

 

Despite the early start I felt awake and raring to go – I think finally all the months of training were about to become a reality and I couldn’t wait to get started! Dan and I arrived in good time at the start, which meant we could drop off our bags and get to a queue free portaloo! A first for me at a marathon!! After dropping Dan’s kit off we said our goodbyes and wished each other luck. I was starting in Wave 1 at 5:32 (2 minutes after the elites) and Dan was in Wave 2 for his half marathon which started 10 minutes later. I got to my pen nice and early, and was having a chat with a few friendly Americans while we waited for the customary National Anthem and announcements. At 5:30am the elites were off. My heart was pounding, only 2 minutes to go – this was it!! I’d managed to get myself right to the front of the wave, so when the gun went I was on an open road! What struck me in the first few miles on this marathon was the peace and quiet. In London and Paris there is noise and hustle right from the start! Here, it wasn’t even light yet, there were a few supporters (but not many), and all the runners around me were ‘in the zone’. It was actually a really nice way to start a marathon, alone with your own thoughts, and preparing for what was to lie ahead.

 My aim was to run 3hr15 for this marathon. With a previous best of 3hr24 set the year before in London, I knew this was going to be a challenge, given the amount of elevation on this course. The majority of the climbing came in the first half, so I was under no illusions that in order to get my 3:15 I would need to go out slightly faster than this pace to start with, to take into account some slower miles up the hills.The first couple of miles were flat – then came a small hill followed by a downhill – no problems. It was then flat along the coast as we approached the Golden Gate Bridge. The approach to the bridge was beautiful. The sun was rising as we approached it. I remember thinking the bridge looked quite high up and that the climb to reach it would be steep. It was, but being only 6 miles in, it didn’t feel like it took much out of the legs, and looking over to the right I could see San Francisco in the distance, with a haze of cloud hanging over the top. It was quite simply…breath-taking. The next few miles were great – running over the Golden Gate Bridge was something else! I felt slightly emotional as I ran over the bridge, thinking that as a child I had been driven across it so many times with my family. But this time I was running over it! What a privilege! The course took us out over the bridge and then back again, so the elites were making their way back across. They were flying and the leading female was up there with the fast men – it was great to see them all glide past.

There was a water station at the end of the bridge before looping back to get back across. I was on 8 miles at this point and suddenly realised I’d forgotten to take my first energy gel! There had been too many amazing distractions. I started taking the first of my gels and continued round to get back on the bridge. I wondered whether I might be able to see Dan on the way back, so positioned myself to the left so I could see the oncoming runners. Dan had had the same thought. Just as I was reaching the crest of the bridge I saw a waving hand and smiling face, followed by ‘Jo!’. We gave eachother a wave and a smile and carried on. Dan was looking relaxed there I thought and I was happy thinking he’d surely be on for the PB he was after! After coming off the bridge I looked at my watch. I was aiming for an average pace of 7:20/mile which would bring me in under 3:15. I was just under this and felt good, so I was pleased with how this was going!

On leaving the bridge I thought there might be some downhill to come. I was wrong. We turned to the right and headed up the steepest climb so far. The 3:15 pacer and his followers came storming past me at this point. According to my watch they were going too fast, so I let them go. I made the right decision as caught them on the downhill which followed. But I was aware that this had been a steep climb and that the legs were feeling this one more! The course was approaching the Golden Gate Park – the finish area for the half marathon. As we entered the park; the half marathon and marathon runners split. Not long I thought, till Dan makes his way to the finish line. I was willing him on in my mind. As I went past the half finish line, I felt a surge of energy. Half way I told myself, and still feeling good – here we go! I took a gel, swig of water and carried on. However, a few miles later, this burst of energy disappeared. These miles were a gradual uphill and I was starting to feel it. The 3:15 pacer went past me again. However, this time I knew he was going at the right pace, and it was me who was slowing down. I watched the little sign he was holding saying ‘3:15’ disappear off round the corner. Had I gone off too fast in the earlier miles? Had I not controlled it up the hills? I had 10 miles to go and I felt rough – this was not a good sign. However, if there is one thing marathon training and racing in general has taught me, is that just because you feel rubbish at one point in the run, doesn’t mean that won’t change later on! I was telling myself that I’d done all that training and that I was stronger than that, and to just keep to my pace as best as I could!! Another gel later, and a bit more water, the feeling went, and once again I started to feel back in control.

We headed out of the park and into Downtown San Francisco. There was very little flat in this part of the course, just uphills followed by downhills. In many ways, I think I preferred this. I would push on the uphills knowing that there was a downhill coming and then relax into it. My watch was still giving me an average pace that would get me in for 3:15, but I’d become increasingly aware that my watch was not matching up with the mile markers, and my watch was 400m ahead. I knew therefore, that I could add on a couple of minutes to the time my watch was predicting me. I went through 24 miles in 3 hours according to the watch. All my miles had been under 8 minutes up until that point and I knew I could run another 2.2 at that pace, which would bring me in around the time I wanted. Despite being in a fair bit of pain at this point (some of the steep downhills had really taken it out of my quads!), I was thinking how strong I felt at this point in the race compared to previous marathons. Never in a marathon had I made it to 24 miles without a significant drop in pace. I knew 3:15 was going to be slightly out of reach, but my back up plan was sub 3:20, so I re-focused on this and pushed on! Knowing my family and friends were following me on the tracking device really helped me keep the pace!

The sun was starting to shine quite strongly now, and I was thinking a hat and sunglasses would be good at this point. I could see the SF Giants baseball stadium ahead, another spectacular sight! And then behind it, the Bay Bridge!! The finish line was under this – not far to go!! As all other marathon runners will relate to, the last few miles are just a matter of survival. Putting one foot in front of the other and willing the finish line to be there! I don’t remember a whole lot of detail!! The last 400m are a total daze. Dan had made it back from his half marathon race and was on the side lines cheering me on. Unfortunately in my marathon-induced state I didn’t see or hear him at this stage, but am so happy that he was there to share the moment.

I crossed the finish line in an official time of 3hr18.08. I instantly felt lightheaded and made my way through the various finish stands, collecting a medal, photo, bottle of water etc… I could see Dan stood at the end and I made my way over. We gave each other a massive hug. He told me my time and that he’d smashed his PB too (1hr44.18) – we’d done it!! Four months of preparation and here we were stood at the finish line in San Francisco having both achieved our goals!

One of the best days of my life!! And it wasn’t even 9am!!!

Crossing the finish line

Marathon Training - Weeks 9-14 (Lichfield Half and Silverstone 10k)

Team photo at end of Silverston 10k

The weeks are flying by and I can hardly believe how close the marathon is now! This week starts the beginning of my 2 week taper.

Other than a few ongoing issues with tight calves and Achilles, I appear to be keeping the injuries at bay (touch wood) and have got in a great 14 weeks of uninterrupted training. My weekend long runs have gone well - I’ve done two 18 milers, three 20 milers and one 22 miler in total. I managed all of my long runs in the approximate times that I wanted, so I feel confident that these are now behind me. The weekday training has gone well too, with lots of tempo, track and mid-week longer runs.

I’ve done a few races in the last couple of months, the first one being the Lichfield Half Marathon http://www.spastriders.co.uk/archives/4204

With the half marathon barely out of my legs, and a 7 mile ‘slow’ training run on Tuesday, on Wednesday, 8th May I headed down to Silverstone with lots of other Striders to take on the Silverstone 10k. I didn’t have any expectations for this race. I was treating it as a training run, and would just see how it went. After the beautiful sunny weather of the bank holiday weekend, Wednesday night started off rather cold and damp. That didn’t put off all the Striders and other club runners there and we started on mass along the race track. Having run the half marathon there only 2 months previously, and having been there to watch actual motor racing the month before, I felt like I was getting to know the place pretty well! On this occasion it was a 2-lap loop. I set off at a good pace alongside Dawn. My legs felt tired but not as bad as I had expected. I maintained the pace and despite feeling like I was a bit fatigued from the weekend, I still felt strong. The advantage of marathon training is that 10km of running now feels short, and no sooner had I got into the flow of things, I was thinking the race only had a few kilometres to go. I felt strong in the last mile and where previously I may have slowed, felt I had the strength to carry on. I even managed a sprint finish and came through in a time of 40:49. Looking back at my times I think this is one of the quickest 10k’s I have run, and encourages me that I have some speed in my legs despite all the miles I’ve been putting in them. There was a good bunch of Spa Striders all finishing around me. We all went straight back to the finishing straight to cheer on the rest of the team. I was so pleased to see Dan coming in at a great time of 43:59 on his first 10k race – brilliant! A team photo was had and lots of fast times from the Striders, some PBs ahead for all this summer I feel!

A few weekends later was the Hilly 100. A fantastic day where a hilly 10 miles on leg 2, was great practice for the hills I will be experiencing in San Francisco. A win for our Ladies A team made it a fantastic day!

So now I'm in taper mode - easier training and I will be spending lots of time on the roller to keep my legs loose and some stretching. 12 miles this weekend as my last 'long' run. I can feel the anticipation of race day building.....

The Marathon Family (training weeks 5-8)

A lot has happened in the running community since my last blog update. The tragic scenes at the Boston marathon of course will be etched on everyone’s minds, but the coming together of runners and supporters alike has been amazing. I’ve felt inspired these last few weeks, watching my fellow ‘crazy’ friends take part in various marathons, with many raising money for important causes. There has been Stuart Lee running 3 marathons in 3 days along the Jurassic Coast, raising money and awareness for the Brain Foundation. Then Chris Hitchman ran sub-3 hours at Boston, who fortunately was through the finish line and safe before the devastating scenes later on. Caroline Whitehouse, not content with running Paris marathon in a fantastic time, went on to run the Brighton marathon the following weekend, putting in another sub 4-hour time! Respect! There were loads of Spa Striders at the Brighton marathon – we tracked them eagerly watching each one finish – such an achievement.  Then of course the London marathon last Sunday, which we went down to watch, and enjoyed seeing all the Striders, CAACers and other friends taking part! And there was Hamburg marathon on Sunday too, where Gareth Green made his marathon debut and went sub 3 hours! The charity close to my heart, Pancreatic Cancer UK raised an incredible amount of money at the London marathon – well done to all the PCUK runners!!

Part of me is excited having seen all the amazing marathon performances taking place, part of me is thinking of all the training left ahead of me as I enter the second half of my 16-week plan for San Francisco. I guess I am lucky, that while everyone so far has trained in some tough conditions – cold, dark nights and long runs in the snow, I’ve got spring and dare I say it, summer conditions to train in!
So the last 4 weeks have been good. I’ve been following my plan, and still keeping injuries at bay, thanks to massages, foam rollers and evil core conditioning routines instilled by Ben Parkinson! I did my first 20 miler a couple of weekends ago. I had a particular pace in mind and was determined to stick to it, which I did! But I think it took slightly more out of me than I had expected and the rest of the week I felt quite fatigued, and while I still managed to cross off all of my training sessions, they were on tired legs. It’s been really great having Dan do part of my longer runs with me as he trains hard for his half marathon and half ironman.

Coventry Parkrun

Last Saturday Dan and I decided to have a go at Coventry parkrun as a tester to see how our training was going. There are currently resurfacing works going on in the War Memorial park so the route was slightly different to usual (and about 160m over 5km according to Garmin!), but it was nice to have a different course. My legs were still feeling fatigued in the warm up and I wondered how fast/slow I might be. I wanted to run sub-20 minutes as haven’t run such a time since last year. I set off at the correct pace – first kilometre in 3:50, second in 3:55. Then the legs started to protest and the later kilometres slowed. According to the Garmin I went through 5km in 19:57, though my official parkrun time was 20:29. After slight disappointment I concentrated on the fact that my training is going well and that the speed will come later…

More importantly, Dan ran a massive PB, taking his official parkrun time down to 21:25, and his Garmin at 5km telling him he’d run 20:49! Amazing! The improvements are coming so fast – I’ll be watching my back on the next one for sure!

So I’m now entering week 8 of the marathon plan, and the excitement is building!! Next tester is the Lichfield Half Marathon on 5th May, which will really tell me how training is going.

San Francisco Marathon Training: Weeks 2-4

After a good first week of marathon training, which ended with the Silverstone half marathon, the following three weeks have been good too. So far I am keeping all niggles and injuries away (I’m hoping this sentence won’t have tempted fate). I started seeing a chiropractor at the beginning of my training to sort out problems I was getting with my hip and back, and this seems to be paying off, as I feel so much better, both in my running and on a day-to-day basis. He even introduced me to a session of acupuncture in my lower back, which hurt a fair bit at the time but seems to have really helped.

So I’ve been following my Runners World 3:15 marathon plan, which consists of 6 sessions a week (rest day is Friday – I love Fridays!). The sessions are based on a short recovery run on Monday (4miles), a tempo run (Tuesday), a longish mid-week run or hills (Wednesday), a track session (Thursday), a long weekend run and a 5 mile weekend run. I’m in the very lucky position that the Spa Strider sessions seem to complement my training plan very well and I’ve been doing the majority of my runs with the club, which is a real help. I’m also trying to swap the odd session for some cross-training. On the weekends I have been able to do my long runs with Dan, who runs a large part of the distance with me. This is a real help as it breaks the distance up into two, somehow making it feel shorter. As Dan is training for the SF half marathon this works out really well distance wise as we push each other along…and it also means I have a cup of tea waiting for me when I get back…thank you Dan!!!! We’ve had some interesting runs so far, with last weekend being in the snow! Our ‘Dip and Dash’ aquathon which was scheduled for last weekend was cancelled. I have to say, given the conditions, I wasn’t relishing the thought of running 5km around a snowy field having just climbed out of a swimming pool. So perhaps a summer aquathon might be on the cards if we can find one.

So now I’m in the middle of Week 5 and this weekend will be a 16 miler, so I’m still just edging up the miles – still another few weeks until my first 20 miler. Unfortunately this one falls the weekend after London marathon, so I’m guessing I won’t have any takers from Spa Striders to cover the whole distance with me!

Week 1 - marathon training and Silverstone Half

Week 1 of training was all about ‘building a base’. It consisted of lots of steady, regular runs to build up a bit of a base and get used to running most days. In a way it felt easier than a regular week, which normally includes track, hills or other nasty sessions. But with Silverstone Half marathon planned for the end of the week I thought I’d stick with what was on the plan. I did a couple of early morning (7am) runs around St Nicolas Park in Warwick which I really enjoyed. But otherwise, it was a fairly uneventful week.

However, on Sunday, it was the Silverstone Half Marathon which I’d been looking forward to for a while! I had no idea what kind of shape I’d be in for a half marathon, with no structured training as such in the build-up. Dan was also running and was set for a big PB, based on his recent improvements, and there was a handful of other Striders there too – Nick, Caroline, Hartwig and Greg.

I started in the 1:30 pen with Nick, Caroline and Greg. I set off at what felt a comfortable pace, and that seemed to be 6:52/mile. It felt fine, so I decided I would stick with this pace for as long as I could, as if I could keep it going this would bring me close to 1hr30, or even the elusive sub 1:30!? I caught up with the 1:30 pacer and stuck with him for a bit, later overtaking him. I felt good, and even at mile 7-8 where I would expect a dip to start I was still feeling good. At mile 9, I started to think that sub 1:30 might be on the cards!! However, a head wind and uphill section which followed soon shattered such hopes. The remaining 4 miles were tough, and despite my mile times getting slower, I felt strong. I crossed the line in 1hr32.11. Very pleased with this time at this stage in the marathon training schedule as I feel that is a good base to build on.

I saw Hartwig collecting his goody bag, he’d had a great run and had gone sub 1:30 again. Nick and Caroline also had great runs, with a PB for Caroline. It was great to spot Dan sprinting for the line and taking a huge chunk off his PB to finish in 1hr54 – brilliant!

Return of the Blog...2013 awaits

My blog has been a bit sporadic recently, not due to a lack of activity, but rather a lack of time to write it. However, with so much to look forward to in 2013 and with being on the home straight of the PhD submission, I think it's time I get back to it!

The end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 has been exciting...both in the participating of events and the planning! Dan and I have been trying out a few parkruns, with Dan's times tumbling down since before Xmas. We've visited Walsall parkrun, Havant, Coventry and of course the local Leamington. 

At the end of Havant Parkrun (January 2013)

So tomorrow marks the start of my 16-week training plan for the San Francisco Marathon which takes place on Sunday, June 16th. I think the highlight of the race will be running across the Golden Gate Bridge! Lets hope the sun has come out by the time we get there, as the race starts at 5am! Dan will be running the SF half marathon (covering the first half of the course), and will too get to run over the bridge!

I will be documenting my training and racing in my blog along the way. This is how 2013 is shaping up so far:

3rd March - Silverstone Half Marathon (yep, we'll be zooming around the Grand Prix race track)

23rd March - Shipston Dip & Dash Aquathon (who will be victorious in Dan vs Jo when there is a 400m swim involved?)

5th May - Lichfield Half Marathon (hope to target a PB on this course if training is going well)

19th May - Hilly 100 (10 x 10 mile relay through the Cotswolds - Spa Strider ladies looking to retain the winners trophy).

16th June - San Francisco Marathon!!!

And post marathon...

4th August - Blithfield Triathlon (yes, Dan has talked me into donning a wetsuit and heading into Blithfield resevoir to swim 1500m, before cycling 40k and running 10k)

11th August - Help for Heroes Jurassic Coast Challenge (my yearly walking challenge with my Dad to raise money for Help for Heroes. This time it will be 26 miles of walking along the Jurassic Coast. A hilly one!)

31st August - Dan competing in 'The Vitruvian' - Half Ironman. I'll be supporting on this one, but looking forward to watching him complete this - amazing :-).

Right, I think that's all folks...watch this space!!

Spire to Spire Walk - Help for Heroes

Once again, I've been a bit behind on my blogging, as I'm just getting round to writing up the Spire to Spire walk which my Dad and I completed on 16th September, 2012.

After last year's challenge when we walked from Avebury to Stonehenge, we decided to try another walking challenge for Help for Heroes.

It was another early morning start, as we left Winchester Cathedral just after 8am on the Sunday morning. My Dad had been in some serious training this time, ready for the 25 miles of walking we had ahead of us.

We left as a large group, heading through the streets of Winchester, heading uphill almost straight away. We felt great at the first check point, at around 6 miles, where the H4H team were there dishing out snacks and drinks. The half way point was a village hall, where once again we were provided with lunch and a tasty cup of tea. At this point last year my Dad had been feeling a little tired, but this time, he was as fresh as a daisy! 

The route took us along bridleways and country paths. Not quite as scenic as the previous years' walk, but very pleasant nonetheless. A few more check points along the way, but we both felt great all along the way. The rain held off and it was ideal walking conditions.

With a couple of miles to go, we spotted a sign saying Catherdral viewing spot. We followed it and there it was - Salisbury Catherdral, our end point. We could see the spire all the way back and until we hit the streets of Salisbury. The walk into the grounds of the Cathedral were great, with people cheering us as we came in. My Dad crossed the line, looking like he'd barely broken a sweat and had no problems walking the 1 mile back to the car! A fantastic acheivement, with just over 25 miles covered in a much quicker time!

At the finish - Salisbury Cathedral with our medals

A really great day, and looking forward to hearing what next year's Help for Heroes Challenge will be!

Summer Running

It's been ages since I updated my blog!! Quite a bit has happened...after a good run in Arden 9 (my last post), I then went on to tear my calf muscle half a mile into the Stratford 6. It was only a minor tear, and after 2 weeks off I was back to running again with no pain. Unfortunately, my fitness levels dropped a bit, and coupled with a few other things going on, the running fitness has dropped a little. However, I'm getting back to fitness and enjoying all the various races! Here is a summary to bring my blog up to speed!!

26th July Inter Club Champs - Spa Striders vs Kenilworth vs Stratford-upon-Avon

First race back. Just under 6 miles. 41mins 22sec.

Team photo before the Inter-Club Champs

A win for Spa Striders ladies - men came 2nd. A great evening followed by food and drink in Stoneleigh.

12th August - Hooky 6

A 6 mile race in Hook Norton in Oxfordshire. Quite a few Spa Striders at this one. 

4th woman - 40:53.

1st ladies team.

Great weather, so followed the race with a picnic in the sun!

16th August - Rowheath 5km

A Wednesday evening run. I really enjoy the evening runs and this one was in Bourneville not far from my old home in Umberslade Road.

Time: 20:01.

Suffered a bit on this one having gone off a bit too fast!

22nd August - Godiva 5

Another evening run as part of the Warwickshire Road Race league. A slightly different course around Coventry War Memorial Park.

Time: 33:14.

Really struggled tonight!! Got some fitness to get back!

2nd September - Kenilworth Half Marathon

I knew this one was going to hurt! But a great course, though challenging.

Time: 1hr41.12.

Finishing straight of Kenilworth Half Marathon

Arden 9

On 24th June, I headed out to Henley-in-Arden with fellow Spa Striders to take part in the Arden 9. 9 miles isn't really a common distance to race over, so it would be a guaranteed PB if nothing else! I set off at what felt a comfortable pace and was feeling good. It was a lovely route through quiet country roads - I think 9 miles is a good distance to race over. Not the speed and pressure of a 10k, but speedier than a half marathon - I really enjoyed it. I was hoping to go under the hour, but a muddy section around the lake towards the end put a stop to that. I finished 6th woman in 60.37. At the end we were presented with a nice medal and a banana and I really enjoyed cheering on the Spa Striders as they came in. A really good team atmosphere!

Havant Parkrun

Well I'm a bit behind on my blog, but being inspired by the start of the Olympics this week, I thought I'd right about my recent activities. In fact, I'm over a month behind, so I'm going back as far as June 16th, when a weekend down in Horndean led me to take part in the inaugral Havant Parkrun. It was about time a parkrun hit that region and I was pleased to take part in the very first one! It takes place in Staunton Park and involves a couple of laps of off road paths. After a small 400m loop at the start, the route takes you on a steep downhill and then you climb gradually back up to start the second lap. It was a lovely sunny day and I enjoyed the route - though it's not really a PB route. I came through as first lady in 20.47. I will certainly be making sure I go along to this parkrun everytime I'm back down south. Being the first ever race, I of course had the pleasure of setting the course record - I can say that it held for about 5 weeks, but has now gone. Something to aim for next time I'm there!

Two Castles 10k

The Two Castles 10k is a unique point to point run going from Warwick Castle to Kenilworth Castle. It is very difficult to get a place, as usually fills up a few days after entries open. However, a fellow Spa Strider was giving her number away after developing an injury and I was lucky enough to get the spot. On the morning of the race I met with Dawn, Charlotte and Trevor and jogged down from the club house to Warwick for the start of the race. It was a sunny morning, and although fairly early, we could tell it would be fairly warm for the race itself. There was a big contingent of Spa Striders. The course itelf was along the back roads between Warwick and Kenilworth heading up through Leek Wooten. It was undulating in parts, with the final kilometre including a short climb up to Kenilworth Castle. The crowds along the route were great. I wasn't really sure what kind of time I might get, but was hoping for something under 43 minutes. I went through the line in 42.11 and 10th lady overall so I was pleased with that. I hope to get my 10k times down over the course of the summer. Then it was off to the Almanac in Kenilworth for a cold drink and some cake.

The Malvern Challenge

My second walk with the Bear walking group was a biggy - the Malvern Challenge. An 18 mile loop of all the Malvern Hills. The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucerstershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit of the hills affords a panorama of the Severn valley with the hills of Herefordshire and the Welsh mountains.

There were 21 of us and we were lucky enough to have one of the sunniest days of the year so far. I drove down with Dave and Ian and met the others in the car park at British Camp. The route was a figure of 8 which meant that we were back at the car park half way round (and an ice cream stop) and then continued with the remainding hills. I was pleased to get out on some hills, albeit a bit smaller than the ones I'd been used to in Scotland, but steep nonetheless! Some great views from the top.

Hilly 100 and Coventry parkrun

I'm enjoying some of the local races as a Spa Strider now. A few weekends ago I took part in the Hilly 100. A 100 mile race in the Cotswolds, finishing up in Stratford upon Avon, with teams of 10 all running 10 miles each. I had leg 4, and was partnered with leg 3 runner Jude. I supported her for her leg, as she did for mine. It was an early start - though not as early as legs 1 and 2 who started at 5am! We got to Jude's changeover point in good time for the second leg runner to come in (it had all been worked out based on us running an average of 1hr30mins). We waited...and waited...and waited...! Then we had a message saying the leg 2 had taken a wrong turn and had gone a long way out. Doh!! He eventually got back on track, having run more like 15 miles that 10. Jane set off and we were back on the correct route! I drove the car, stopping at various points along the way with water. Then 10 miles later is was my turn to run. We had done a recce earlier in the week, so new the way to go, though was great having Jude at all the turns to make sure I stayed on track! It was pretty undulating most of the way - the Cotswolds are really beautiful, but they were certainly hilly - as the name of the race suggests. The last mile was the biggest hill of all!! Straight up and seemed to go on forever! I was pleased to see a group of Striders cheering at the top though which really helped! Managed to run my leg in 1hr14mins17s, which i was pleased with, given the hills! I handed over to Leg 5 runner, and headed home for a rest before driving back to Stratford in the evening for the final runners coming in. A great race and team spirit - loved it!!

The following weekend I gave the Coventry parkrun a go! It was a really hot sunny day, but lots of the course is sheltered under the trees. It takes place at the Coventry War Memorial park, and the 5km involves 2 and a bit laps of the park. Much flatter than the Leamington parkrun, great course. After chasing a girl from Warwick University most of the way, I was pleased to edge past her with about 1km to go and held on to make it round as first lady in 19:45. I'm looking forward to trying a few more local parkruns in the area.

Warwickshire, Spa Striders and Leamington parkrun

My new place! I'm the middle top window.

So it's been a busy couple of months. Now that the big events are over and I'm settling into a new life chapter I thought I'd take a moment to update my blog. The London marathon was fantastic and my legs are gradually getting back to normal. At last count I was on £1300, so well over my £1000 target. A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who sponsored me, it means a lot to me!

Other than the marathon, lots has been going on. At the end of March I had my last day at CAHRU, where I worked for 5 years, and I left Bonnie Scotland for Warwickshire. What an amazing time I had in Scotland - I had so many great experiences and a chance to visit some of the country's most beautiful locations. And most importantly, I made some lifelong friends. I may not be living in Scotland anymore, but I'll be back regularly for visits, and cherish my memories there. 

On April 9th I started my new job at University of Warwick, working on the Families for Health project. So far I'm really enjoying the new challenges it is bringing and my new colleagues are great. So, now I'm settled into my new job and my new flat (which happens to be right opposite the local running club!) lets move onto what adventures my new location has to offer!!

I have joined local running club Spa Striders. A really friendly club who have training sessions on every day of the week (!!), and even do a bit of cycling and open water swimming. I've also had the chance to try my local Leamington parkrun, and have run this a couple of times, yesterday along with fellow Birmingham Uni friend Hannah Roberton. Her husband Neil and cutie pie daughter Emilia were there to support! The course is really nice off road, but has a sneaky hill at around 1km. So far I have run 20:22 and 20:36, so the aim I think will be to do a sub 20 on this course. I was pleased to only lose 15 seconds on the first post-marathon race yesterday. There are other local parkruns, such as Coventry, which I hope to try soon.

With a new area to be living in, and a friendly new running club telling me about lots of fun events, my hopeful plan for the next few months is as follows...

16th May - Rugby 6 - an evening race, part of the East Midlands Grand Priz series

24th June - Stoneleigh 10K (Race for Life 10k, along with Hannah and others)

30th June - Stratford Summer 6 - an opportunity to run around Shakespeare's home town

15th July - Northbrook 10k - in Coventry, a chance to hopefully capitalise on marathon endurance for a fast 10k

12th August - Great Shakespeare Ride - a 65 mile cycling sportive. Might try my hand at a bit of cycling this summer

18th August - Race the Train, Wales - a 14 mile race (against a train!) in Snowdonia, Wales. Always fancied doing this, so this year is the year. Might even go and explore Snowdonia afterwards too.

30th September - Bristol Half marathon or Robin Hood Nottingham Half marathon (to be decided!)

Think that's enough to get me started....haha! As always, if anyone fancies joining me on any of these, do let me know!

London Marathon 2012

So, Sunday April 22nd had finally arrived - the day of the London Marathon!!

I had had a good 16 weeks of training in the build up to the marathon - with only one week and a half going a bit wrong in January with a sprained ankle, but after that I managed to get in a good 13-14 weeks of training, including 1 x 18 mile, 3 x 20 milers and 1 x 22 miler. I was really grateful to have the other CAAC marathon girls to train with, which really helped for the Wednesday evening longer runs, which were made so much easier with the company. The 22 miler from N Berwick back to Edinburgh with Susan and Fiona was also a great run, as were the long runs I did with Porty runner Gareth, which really helped.

Mum at the PCUK cheering point

Mile 9 - still looking fresh

I was ready and raring to go on Sunday morning and was pleased to see that the weather Gods were with us. Somehow I managed to bump into Jillian Hogg in one of the many queues for the porta-loos before the start. (I wasn't brave enough to try the female urinals) so it was great to see a friendly face. I headed off to pen 3 in the blue start. Before I knew it we were off...I headed over the matt and started my watch. The first mile was sooo crowded. I was feeling a bit disheartened as the time was slipping away and I got stuck behind other runners. It didn't help matters when we merged with the red and green starts later on. I went through the first mile in well over 8mins - not the 7:25 I was hoping for! As a consequence I think I got a bit overexcited once it opened up and the following miles were 7:04 and 6:57 - oops!! I was feeling good though and dragged my average pace back to 3:15 pace. I thought I would give 3:15 a go, and just see if I could do it. I didn't want to finish the race fresh, I wanted to know I'd given it my all! I went through half marathon in 1:38 so was not far off target. It was great to have supporters at mile 9, and then my charity and parents at miles 13 and 22, as well as my London friends jumping around so I could see them again at mile 19 and then at 25! A real boost! I started to feel 'a bit tired' at around mile 15, which concerned me, as I hoped I would be ok till at least mile 20. Perhaps I had gone off to fast early on! I went through the usual ups and downs of marathon running - feeling great one moment, and terrible the next. At times I just closed my eyes and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. A particularly poignant moment came as I approached Canary Wharf and could see a fellow PCUK runner with 'for Mum' emblazoned on the back of his vest. I felt a wave of emotion come over me and I sped up to reach him. I gave him a friendly pat on the back and told him well done. We ran alongside one another for a moment before carrying on.

Finished - at the hotel with my medal

Me and Marc with poster made by Julia

 The last few miles were tough, and to be honest I don't really remember much about them. The last 800m however are memorable, turning the corner to see the finish at the end of the mall. I crossed the line in 3hr24min12sec - totally elated! Even better I raised over £1000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK, thanks so much to everyone for your sponsorship - really appreciate it!

Coniston 14

The last weekend in March, I headed to the Lakes with Gareth, Susan, Scott and Ruth for the Coniston 14 - a 14 mile loop around Coniston Lake. We stayed in the youth hostel in Hawkshead on the Friday night and headed to the race the following morning. It seemed to be a really popular race, apparently 1600+ runners. The weather conditions were perfect for racing, cool but sunny. Much like the Lasswade 10 from a few weeks ago this was an 'undulating' course. I felt strong all the way round, although mile 12 was a tough one, climbing to the highest point of the route. However, we were rewarded with a steep downhill to follow and a flat final mile or so to the finish line. I was taking in the beautiful scenery on the route round and really enjoyed this course. I felt strong in the final mile finishing 8th woman in 1hr38.25. A Coniston slate coaster for finishing and a slate place set for 8th woman. Gareth was 10th man too. Scott ran a really fast time and broke his half marathon PB en route! Susan also had a great run and Ruth, although struggling with fatigue recently, had a good run and enjoyed the route. After some lunch and prize giving, we headed back to the hostel for a quick shower and rest, and then walked to Hawkshead for some well deserved drinks and food. We had a feast of local foods, including Cumberland sausage and mash and Lancashire Hot Pot - yum!

The following day the sun was shining, almost felt like summer. We headed out for a walk from Coniston to Tarn Hows - a 7 mile loop, not too taxing on our weary legs from the day before. A great weekend.

Lasswade 10

On 4th March, instead of doing a longer run, I thought it would be a good idea to try the Lasswade 10 in order to incorporate a bit of 'speed work' into my marathon training schedule. I'd heard good things about this race, a scenic route, but undulating. I headed out with Gareth in the car and we drove the second half of the route to see what we had ahead of us.

Really enjoyed this course - a few tough hills, but certainly scenic with a sprinkling of snow on the Pentlands. I wanted to try and get below 70 minutes but was just outside in 70.14! Still a big PB though so can't complain and pleased that the marathon training is going well. 5th place for Gareth - another great run from him.

2012 Scottish XC Championships

Another year and another Scottish XC Champs at Callender Park. I really enjoy this course, though it can largely depend on the course conditions as to just how much! We had 4 seasons in one day (as is the norm for these occassions). Started in sleet and wind and finished in calm sunshine. As always I set up the first hill feeling good - I was only about 20m behind Freya Murray at this stage ;-). But then the legs suddenly realise what they have ahead of them and the first lap of this course is always a shock to the system. Lots of little killer hills and mud to remind you this is indeed a cross country! Great to have CAAC guys spread all around the route though cheering us on. There was a team of 5 CAAC girls today and we were all pretty close together which meant we could work together along with some friendly rivalry!
Finished the course in 64th place, in 35min49, a bit slower than last year, but pleased nonetheless. Legs didn't feel as bouncy as usual, perhaps due to the previous weekend's half and some miles in the week. Really enjoyed watching the very large number of CAAC men running in the race after ours - great team spirit and some great performances by all.

Portsmouth Coastal Half Marathon

Yesterday I ran race number two in my PCUK sponsorship series - the Portsmouth Coastal Half Marathon. Conditions were near perfect - clear and still (very unusual to have minimal wind on Portsmouth seafront!). Although it was pretty cold and icy in places, the runners soon warmed up once we got started. The race started behind the Pyramids Swim Centre and then headed off towards Eastney along the prom. Around 4-5 miles in we headed off-road across parts of the pebbled beach, some fields and trail paths. Although my split times for those miles were obviously slower, I quite enjoyed the change in terrain and it certainly added to the enjoyment of this scenic race. Really well organised too - would definitely recommend this race to others. I noticed a few other girls ahead of me at the start, but managed to close in and overtake a couple of them by half way. At the point where I usually start to feel tired and start to slow, i.e. mile 9, on this occassion I actually felt strong and able to push on. During the long stretch back along the prom I decided to take an energy gel and just 'push on' as fast as I could. I saw my Dad with a couple of miles to go which spurred me on - then it was a couple of miles to the other end of the prom, around the amusements and my old school playing fields and a short loop back to the Pyramids centre. I looked down at my watch and I hadn't reached 1hr30 yet - could this be the sub 1:30 day?! It was starting to hurt - at times like these I just think about the important cause and people I'm running for and the pain is numbed. As I came into the home stretch I could see Katherine, Jamie, Jorjia and Pete cheering me on, which was really nice!

It wasn't the day for my sub 1:30, but I came in at 1:30:47, taking almost 3 minutes of my PB, so very pleased with that!! Also found I was 3rd woman and 52nd overall and was presented with a trophy and goody bag as I crossed the line!

I have now raised over £500 for Pancreatic Cancer UK and am truly grateful for everyone who has sponsored me so far. Next event is the Coniston 14 at the end of March, but in the meantime I'll keeping up with all that training.

Marrakech Half Marathon, Morocco

Last weekend was big event number one of 2012 - the Marrakech Half Marathon. Susan and I headed off on our flight to Morocco on Friday and arrived that evening. We were whisked away in a taxi to the Medina in Marrakech, and a man came to meet us at the car park and took us to our riad (traditional Moroccon hotel). The narrow streets were full of people walking, on bikes, scooters, the odd car! It was the hustle and bustle I'd imagined. The door to our riad was hidden away in a corner, but as soon as you stepped off the busy street you were in a world of peace and tranquility. After venturing out for dinner of tajine and couscous we headed back for a good night's sleep. The Saturday we headed to the Marathon village to collect our race numbers, and we had an explore around to get our bearings. Really enjoyed visiting the souks, but the amount of hassle you get to buy stuff is something else!! We went to a nice restaurant by our riad for dinner. We wanted to make sure we had something 'safe' and not experiment the night before the race. We had some really tasty salad and chicken/vegetable coucous - just what was needed. The mint tea which is traditionally drank in Morocco was very tasty too.

The next morning the riad staff brought us some hot water to our room and we made our porridge pots. My half was at 8:30am and Susan's marathon at 9am. The temperature in Morocco isn't actually that warm in January, and at that time of the morning still fairly cold! We jogged down to the start and I managed to squeeze myself somewhere near the front of the mass of runners. Fortunately it was a chip number so the timer didn't start till I crossed the line. The first mile was quite chaotic - lots of people everywhere. But then as the miles rolled by the field opened up a bit. There were some long, straight roads which meant I could get into a good rythmn and get some quicker miles in. I felt pretty good and considering my ankle problems in the weeks leading up to the race I was pleased with how I felt. I didn't see many other women around me till about mile 7 or 8 when I spotted a couple in front of me. This spurred me on to pick up the pace a bit and I managed to reel one of them in. It was great running in these new and different surroundings, quite an experience. The last couple of miles were a bit of a struggle as the sun was coming out, but I hung in there to finish 23rd woman (out of 603 apparently!) and in a time of 1hr34:36. Pleased with that as only around 45 seconds slower than my PB. Susan did really well in some hot conditions to finish 30th woman in the marathon in a time of 3hr59.58, so just getting under the 4 hours! Even better I'm up to £500 on my fundraising efforts for Pancreatic Cancer UK, so a massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far!

The next day we headed out on a day trip to the Atlas mountains which were fantastic - would love to go back there some day and hike up Mount Toubkal!
Next race is the Portsmouth Half marathon in a couple of weekends time - hoping to go a bit quicker if I can!