Internet results are forever…but only if they’re published

On May 30, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Thoughts3 Comments

The Edinburgh Marathon Festival has been slammed this week after refusing to publish a complete list of results for any of the events held over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Why? They claim:

“All your personal data and information, including your running times, are treated with great respect. As such your result information is exclusively available to you…They are your results and times.”

Not even Power of 10 or Run Britain, websites which allow you to compare your performances against others, had access to results meaning athletes couldn’t record their performances. Bloody annoying if you ran well.

And what about those who wanted to use Edinburgh as a qualifying race for another event? How can you prove you’re a Boston Qualifier or London GFA if results aren’t readily available? It seems almost ludicrous in this day and age.

This isn’t the first time this has happened – Bournemouth Marathon Festival did the same thing when they launched last October…and they’re organised by the same people.

Following an angry backlash, EMF have since updated their website giving athletes the option to ‘choose’ to publish their own results…but they still haven’t backed down on publishing the full results.

Whilst there are strong views surrounding this decision, as well as failing to meet IAAF guidelines (of which the IAAF Bronze Road Race label is proudly displayed on the EMF website), it does raise an interesting debate. Should your race time, splits and finish position be made available online for the world to see? Possibly forever…?

Of course, before the days of the world wide web (say what???) etching results into history forever wasn’t an option – when my Dad ran the Southampton Marathon many (many) years ago the results were published in the local paper, not national, and a results list was sent out to competitors through the post. I believe this was common practice, but these results are unlikely to still be available.

However, it’s now 2014 and, not only is there a certain expectation as part of the race package, but it’s an IAAF requirement that full results are made public on the event website:

3.12.2 Official Results for all participants should be made available on the race’s website within the shortest possible time.

Source: IAAF Road Race Label Regulations 2014

There’s nothing a runner loves more than running stats – our little eyes light up gleefully when we’re presented with the latest race results showing our splits and finish position – how did our friends do and other people in our category? Did the heat slow everyone down or was it just me that suffered?

Geeky? Yep, but it’s difficult to fully assess your performance without knowing how others of similar ability ran on the day. So when there are no results available to geek over…

So, what possible, logical reason could EMF have for making a decision they knew would anger the very same people they want to come back next year?? Money

Perhaps it’s not protecting the data of competitors the organisers are concerned about, but protecting the data of their event – an event that has arguably seen decreasing numbers year on year (I tried to find evidence to support this but, interestingly, could not find any comprehensive historical results either…)

Besides entry fees, races, especially big races, make a huge amount of money from sponsorships. But sponsors want to reach guaranteed numbers of relevant people in return for their investment and they want to know what that reach is. EMF have already seen Asics and Lucozade Sport walk. How can you protect existing, and future, partnerships, and this vital revenue stream, when numbers are dwindling? Don’t publish those numbers.

Cynical? Perhaps, but it makes perfect sense in a commercial world and, at the end of the day, EMF is a business and they need to make a profit. It’s certainly a better theory than data privacy – especially when Marathon Photos offer an option to include your race time on your photo…which is available to preview…publicly.

There’s no denying that refusing to publish race results is a controversial decision. The orgainsers prerogative? Data privacy? Or a bloody stupid idea driven by fear and greed? I don’t know what EMF’s reasons are, but I do know the advertising industry inside out…and there’s only one theory that’s convinced me so far.

Jason Henderson – Athletics Weekly Editor

Green Belt Relay

On May 20, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race ReportsLeave a comment

Sunshine, map reading, cider, a bus called Phoenix, and running round the M25 – what more could you want from a weekend?!

The Green Belt Relay is a 22-stage race around 220 miles of the Green Belt round the outside of London over a weekend. Each team has 11 people and the Chasers had 3 teams participating with around 30 others – it looked like it was going to be a scorcher.

My alarm went off at 5am on Saturday morning, which seemed slightly outrageous, but I tried to remember it was supposed to be a fun weekend and dragged myself out of bed. I met Frankie and we walked to Clapham Junction to meet the rest of the group where our 3 minibuses were waiting.

As the most important factor of the weekend was to simply enjoy ourselves, Bryn had done an amazing job organising us into teams with a good mix of runners so we could all have a bit of banter and compete amongst ourselves. This also meant the strongest runners opted for the tougher legs (chose/forced/blackmailed….) which I was eternally grateful for – I think some of the legs would have almost killed me!

This isn’t your usual kind of race, as there were only 30 odd runners on each leg chances are you would be by yourself for at least some of the race. One of the race rules is that you carry a copy of the stage map with you, however, for the navigationally challenged (me…Ruth…Hayley…) a map doesn’t always have the answer so I was worried!

Bryn and Hayley had created packs for everyone that included maps of our selected legs, our race number, and details of which minibus we would start and finish the day on so we knew where to put our ‘pre-run bag’ and ‘post-run bag’. It was quite a logistical challenge to organise 33 people over the course of the weekend and Bryn had clearly put a lot of time into a very complicated spreadsheet outlining timings and locations. He really couldn’t have made it any easier for us – which obviously meant we were all confused…turns out we’re not that bright (sorry Bryn!)

We all headed to the start at Hampton Court to collect some race bits and see our first stage runners, Pete, Luke and Marcus, off at 8.30am, before going our separate ways. We had a group WhatsApp which allowed us to all stay in touch (particularly useful when people still ended up on the wrong bus…Cat, Chris…) and have some banter. We came up with some team names – Team 1 – Luther Van Lost, Team 2 – No Direction and Team 3 – Marooned 11…

Pre race briefing at Hampton Court

I was in Team 1 and on the second leg with Ruth and Kim which was 9.6 miles from Staines (aaaiiiiii) to Boveney Church. The route went through Runnymede, Datchet and Windsor, mostly along the river, and had a difficulty rating of 3 out of 10 (with 10 defined as bloody hard!).

All the stages start at a fixed time, rather than when your runner reaches the finish, to make the event run smoothly. Clutching our maps, the stage was set off at 9.42 and we had a fair few Chasers cheering us over the start line. It was hot, very hot considering how early it was, so my energy started draining at some point running through a field, getting stung by nettles, that I desperately hoped was the right way after losing sight of the guy in front of me… Maybe it was time to check the map?

I heard someone shouting my name and realised Kim was just behind me – never been so happy to see her! We finished the rest of the course together which was helpful as she was a brilliant navigator (having studied the map much better than I had seemed to). A fair amount of the route was off road, which slowed us down, but it was pretty with a good view of Windsor Castle and there were several marshal points offering water which was gratefully received in the heat!

There were people waiting for us at the finish, cheering us on, and I was done, hot, hot, too hot. Laying on the grass in a heap Chris said, ‘sorry to rush you but we really need to get going – one of the other buses has broken down’ Uh oh…

Back on the bus I found out that Pete, who ran the first stage for our team, had won it outright! I wasn’t surprised, he’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him kind of runner, but I had very much not won my stage so I felt sad about knocking us some way down the leaderboard after we had such a strong start (goal for next year – learn how to run).

The 2 functional buses made their way to the broken bus (later to be named Phoenix after it was resurrected) so we could rearrange people and get runners to stage 5 at Great Kingshill. Unfortunately, this meant we were delayed and Mike, Frankie and Cat started 25 minutes late – not ideal for a 13.5 mile leg rated 10…aka bloody hard.

A broken down Phoenix…

We collected the stage 4 runners from Great Kingshill (having also ran a 10/10 leg) and headed to stage 7 in St Albans to be reunited with Phoenix (which was now working) so some of us could marshal and welcome the stage 6 runners, Chris, Clare and Sophie, home.

Phoenix had turned everything into a bit of a logistical nightmare with some runners not getting their bags at the end of their runs, people in different places than planned, more drivers needed (Pete ended up spending most of the day driving) and people having to swap legs, but we wouldn’t let it ruin the day!

A group of us on Phoenix went to marshal stage 10, somewhere in Essex, and we found out Hayley had also had a fantastic run to win her stage, not only for the ladies and Chasers (and Team 1) but outright – she’s pretty phenomenal!

During my marshaling responsibilities I accidentally sent a Serpie the wrong way – I genuinely didn’t mean to but it put Chris in second place who was conveniently a Chaser! After we sent the final 2 runners in the right direction (who ignored the map and got completely lost) it was time to head to the end of the last stage of the day to welcome the Chasers home.

We also discovered that bloody Phoenix also didn’t lock very easily – you wouldn’t have though it was a brand new vehicle…maybe Phoenix is an ex Serpie bus?

Chris and I trying to be helpful

As it was now about 8pm, and we had a table at Strada booked for 9, we needed to go straight to the restaurant without a post run shower, lovely! The Saturday night Chelmsford clientele were clearly unimpressed with our efforts, and we got more than one funny look – Steve still had mud on his face!

I suppose it might be the first time they’ve seen a group of sweaty, smelly runners, possibly ever, but definitely traipsing through their town whilst they were ready for a night of twerking in 5 inch heels, 2 inches of make-up and an orange tan – there was definitely twerking, we witnessed some (poor) twerking.

After some food and much deserved wine we headed to the Miami Hotel (Essex’s finest) and got to bed sometime around 1am. And how did the teams stand? We were in 9th, 10th & 11th overall (pretty good considering the 25 minute penalty) – Chasers 3, 1 and 2 respectively – with very little in it there was all to play for in day two!

Sunday’s 6am alarm was delightful and we were off again. I was on the second leg on Sunday, a shorter 6.6 mile stage from Thorndon Park to Cranham, with Clare and Sophie. It was only rated 2 out of 10 but it warned it was a complex, twisty course with a mixture of fiddly urban turns, woods and fields – what could go wrong? Our minibus headed straight to Thorndon Park and we sat in the sun studying the map – I was determined to be more prepared today, it felt a bit like revising for an exam.

As we set off I was pretty confident I knew the map – but that didn’t mean it would make sense in real life (for example, does coming off of a dirt track onto grass mean the end of a path?? Apparently not…). I enjoyed the run a lot more than Saturday even though it was still hot – the course went through some wooded areas and there was a fair amount of downhill. It went well until around 5 miles where I came across the is it/isn’t it the end of the path bit but eventually I came out of the woods and down the home straight.

Sunday went a lot more smoothly with all buses in order, although I think Sophie would say her stint behind the wheel through very narrow country lanes was tougher than her running stages, I didn’t envy her! There were some more tough legs today, including a hilly 13.3 miler, which the boys nailed, and a technical route along the North Downs Way finishing at the top of Box Hill, everyone ran really well.

Our bus (Phoenix, obviously) didn’t have marshaling duties today so we concentrated on dropping off and picking up runners before finding a spare half an hour later in the day for a vodka and diet coke in a can – cheers!

Yep, we took a selfie..

The final leg finished at Hawker Leisure Centre in Kingston where there was a lot of support for the final runners, Juan, Natalie (first lady!) and Ruth, and there were drinks and a BBQ. It was time to celebrate!

The final results put the Chasers teams in 8th, 9th and 10th overall with Team 1 in the lead clocking a total time of 27 hurs 56 mins – job done! After some drinks in Battersea, Frankie, Sham and I couldn’t resist last orders in the pub on the way home…

The Green Belt Relay was an awesome weekend with awesome people – thanks to everyone who came, especially Bryn, for being an organisational genius, and all the drivers who became experts at maneuvering minibuses everywhere from country lanes to car parks to motorways.

I genuinely can’t think of a better way to spend my weekend than running round the M25 in the sun! It seems the only people who believe me are the ones I was with…

Can’t wait for next year, but Phoenix is most definitely not allowed to come!

Owning the Night

On May 13, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race ReportsLeave a comment

Last year Nike’s We Own The Night 10k was one of my favourite events ever. Unfortunately, as with all good things, this year didn’t quite match 2013 but I still had a wicked night with some booze, some dancing, some pampering and some running!

The organisers had clearly taken on board feedback from last year and changed the Victoria Park course to make it wider as well as introducing guest wrist bands to allow supporters into the race village.

The weather wasn’t on our side and Gemma and I arrived at Bethnal Green to heavy but sporadic showers – quite a difference to lazing around on beanbags in the sunshine last year! We quickly put our names down for a manicure in the Elle tent (we could only get a post race appointment even though we were there early) but there was no free copies of the mag.

New this year was a hair section where you could sit and use some dry shampoo or styling products – we took some flower clips for our hair!

We went to explore the other areas of the race village, where we got a back massage, before heading to the bar for a quick pint of cider before the run….well, I was under instructions to take it easy after a lot of racing so I thought what the hell?!

We did get a few peculiar looks from other runners…

The start area was much better this year with 6 different zones rather than 3 – no one was checking the wristbands though so you could have gone anywhere really (Gemma had lost hers and had no problems getting to the front). They had a separate VIP line at the very front so there was no starting with Paula this time but we scooted our way forwards!

The route was 2 laps – the first 5k was fine after some people dodging in the first few minutes and there was plenty of music and bands on the way round including 2 party tunnels with flashing lights and music. Run Dem Crew were there in force and, in the absence of a Chaser crowd, they are definitely the next best thing!

Run Dem Crew sharing the love and the party tunnels

The second lap didn’t run quite so smoothly. As soon as I passed the 5k marker the course became very congested. They had obviously decided to set the groups off in waves with gaps inbetween which makes sense…unless it’s not a 2 lap course!

The second half of the race was hard work with a lot of weaving & diving and running on the grass to get through. I’m sure it was just as annoying to have people continuously brush past you as it was for those on the second lap. Definite area of improvement.

At about 8k I had most definitely decided drinking a pint of cider before running was a very bad idea, I felt a bit queasy… The finish line came around and there was a big sign saying ‘the party starts here!’ We were given a goody bag and there was a table of Vita Coconut water so I stocked up on a few boxes. I saw Gemma (who was delighted with her PB – cider made her run faster!) and we made our way out to collect our Alex Monroe finishers necklace – a nice touch for a women’s only race.

We went back to the Elle tent to have our manicure (Nails Inc, teal, very nice!) and spent the rest of the evening dancing in a festival atmosphere where Nick Grimshaw was the DJ. Disappointingly, they issued a token in the goody bag for a glass of prosecco this year, rather than an unlimited supply, so we made sure we went back to the pub for last orders before panicking we had missed the last tube home!

I’m not really sure about what I think of women’s only events, I prefer running in mixed races (where I can pick the men off one by one as I run past them…) but Nike do a good job with this one and, with the guest passes, it was definitely more inclusive this year even if I did have to compromise on the prosecco!

Good job Nike – maybe change the course to a single lap next year though?

Being a Warrior is hard

On April 30, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race ReportsLeave a comment

The Warrior Adrenaline Race (WAR):

” A tough 10k run across Dunstable Downs including lots of obstacles, hills and muddy terrain…The obstacles and course are designed by our Ex-Army Physical Training Instructors who used similar courses to get our troops fit!”

When Laura suggested we take part I tried to think of an acceptable reason to politely decline her offer but I really couldn’t think of one. So I had to say yes.

Obstacle courses require upper body strength, balance, control, co-ordination and a strong core. I have none of these things. I am exceptionally bad at obstacle courses…

We got a team of 4 together and named ourselves Team Holy Moly after Laura exclaimed, ‘Holy moly what have we done?! It seemed apt. In a pitiful attempt to prepare for the event we got together for a couple of self run ‘boot camp’ sessions in Green Park (this allowed the Queen to watch us).

We attempted a series of sprints, burpees, planks, push-ups, star jumps, tricep dips, hanging from a tree like a monkey (vital for monkey bar success), making human tunnels and crawling through them (vital skill for avoiding barbed wire in the bum) and running like Phoebe from Friends (vital for laughter and attracting strange looks from tourists). Try it – I dare you!

However, I wasn’t convinced our 2 sessions would quite be enough to grant us true Warrior status…

We went up to Leighton Buzzard on the Friday night train with a can of M&S Pina Colada/G&T (very Warrior like) and stayed with Laura’s family who were very hospitable and fed us big plates of pasta and red wine to prepare us.

It was a fairly easy trip to Dunstable Downs in the morning but it was a large open space so very windy and cold!! At registration they gave us a WAR body sticker/tattoo thing with your wave number on instead of a number, so I stuck it to my cheek. Quite a good idea really – my race number in the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest was ripped off in the early stages of the race!

There was also an army dude with camouflage face paints making everyone look like Warriors so we got into the spirit of things.

Team Holy Moly got involved with the warm up and at 10.30 our wave set off. We started running in a zig zag on the grass (the whole course was off road) before reaching the first obstacle – giant steps. There were a couple more, including a barbed wire crawl, run up a hill with a weighted bergen and a ladder thing before a stretch of running.

There was actually more running than I had anticipated, I think it was because the obstacles were grouped together rather than spaced evenly but it definitely seemed like more than Survival of the Fittest. I didn’t mind though, even the hills, the running was the bit I could actually do!

Ladder Thing…

For the next obstacle you had to pull yourself up a steep slope with a rope, get over the top and climb down the other side. Simple? Maybe for most people but my foot slipped, I went splat and had to be yanked up by the army dude. Everyone gave me a cheer when I reached the top though!

There was a stretch of running with a log (for some reason I picked a big one?!), a spider web thing which hurt if you got pinged by it, some balance challenges and tunnels as well as some fairly steep hills to run up. When we reached the Monkey Bars I was relieved to see another army dude helping people across. I definitely would have fallen off by myself – turns out hanging from trees isn’t the best preparation after all…who knew?

Barbed Wire Crawl…

When we got towards the end of the running we got to the bigger obstacles and, as this was near the finish area, lots of spectators! One of these involved climbing some scaffolding (no problem) and jumping off onto a big crash mat 5 meters below (problem).

Not sure what happened but I was up there for several minutes before jumping off – jumping off and kneeing myself in the face upon landing after ignoring instructions (well, I didn’t actually ignore them, my body just didn’t do what I told it so it wasn’t my fault)

Zip Wire…(I don’t know who this is but it’s the only picture I could find!)

Team Holy Moly waited for me so, with bruised face, we went off to the firemans pole (which I skipped like a loser and now wish I hadn’t), zip wire (so much fun), freezing cold dip tank (which involved ducking under logs 3 times, brrrr), a slide on a big mat (weeeeeeee), some more crawling and paintball!!

Paintball wasn’t on the list of obstacles so I’m guessing this was the unspecified ‘new obstacle’ – they gave me a helmet and I sprinted across the danger zone narrowly avoiding getting hit. Unfortunately Laura and Helen both took a paintball to the leg and ended up with lumpy bruises – ouch.

Finally there was the big wall and then the finish line. Team Holy Moly completed the challenge – wet, cold & dirty!

The Warrior Adrenaline Race was fun! There’s a 5k or 10k option with people setting off in several waves to help keep congestion on the course to a minimum. There was about a 5 minute wait at one of the obstacles but the rest were fairly quick moving. I thought it was quite well organised with all the obstacles manned with at least 1 army dude who were willing to help if needed.

The only complaint I would have is the lack of water – there was 1 water station on the route but there were no drinks at all at the end which I thought was quite poor. We did get a medal and a t-shirt though.

The only thing that’s worrying me now is what’s next for Team Holy Moly, I have a feeling it’s not over yet…

Why I Ran 2 Marathons in 2 Weeks

On April 10, 2014March 11, 2015 By Girl Running CrazyIn Marathon Chat, Race Reports1 Comment

People say I’m impulsive. They say that I rush into things.

Two days after I returned home from the Rome Marathon I entered the Manchester Marathon…and I would be running it a week later, so they may very well be right!

I didn’t peak in Rome, I knew that much for sure, and I felt like I had wasted months of training – I was looking for redemption and I still wanted a sub 3.45 to qualify for London GFA. Physically I felt OK, sure I felt like I had been on a long run but I definitely didn’t feel like I had after previous marathons and, given my pace was a fair bit slower than my training runs, I guess this wasn’t surprising. Most importantly I didn’t have any injury niggles, if I did I wouldn’t have even considered it as I knew it was a risk to run a marathon so soon anyway.

I was aware the Manchester Marathon was 2 weeks after Rome and I was pleasantly surprised/scared they were still taking entries so late. Claiming to be the flattest marathon in the UK (I’m not entirely sure about that but we’ll come to that later!) I couldn’t help but sign up, surely it was an opportunity that I just couldn’t miss?!

Was I mad?

I didn’t keep it a secret but I didn’t tell lot of people, mostly because I didn’t want to hear that it was a bad idea and I shouldn’t do it! I took advice from some more experienced runners in the Chasers and was happy that they didn’t tell me it was a stupid idea – instead they told me to focus on rest and recovery. So I did.

A couple of Chasers were also running Manchester and they invited me to post race lunch. I was pleased to have some friends to celebrate with at the finish, a lonely marathon runner is a sad marathon runner after all.

I was aware that achieving the ultimate goal would be somewhat unlikely after Rome but I figured I had nothing to lose and running 2 marathons in 2 weeks would be a new achievement anyway. Win win?!

So Saturday came around and, questioning my sanity again, I headed to Manchester with just a backpack and bag full of food (travelling light is a challenge it itself for me, what do you mean I can’t take 4 pairs of shoes?!). I made my way to Old Trafford to pick up my number from the race village which was in the car park. It was most definitely the smallest race village/expo I’ve ever seen…

However, there was no queuing, the staff were friendly and it did the job! I headed to my hotel to put my feet up and eat more food.

The hotel was in a fairly quiet area so I was glad I had planned ahead and made a big tub of tuna pasta for dinner, it also meant I could relax and not leave the room for the rest of the day. Having learnt from Rome I took a big pot of tea bags & milk and proceeded to drink 2 cups of tea at a time to ensure my caffeine intake was up (well, the cups were small!)

Arriving at the race village the next morning (with Martin Yelling no less) there was a lot more going on and I picked up a pace band from the Asics tent. Whilst I was queuing I gave my parents a call to let them know what I was up to as I hadn’t told them my plans. They were a tad surprised! The bag drop was quick and fuss free and, whilst there was a queue, there were a lot more toilets than in Rome, phew! Heading for the start line I made my way through the crowd to get to the 3.45 pacer, Ben.

I believe the race was started by Ron Hill but I didn’t see him. A group us us ran with Ben and the pace felt OK, I most definitely would have gone off too fast without him. If I’m honest I didn’t really notice much of the course, I simply concentrated on running, so I couldn’t tell you what I saw. I did notice the course wasn’t as flat as I thought it would be though! It wasn’t hilly but I’m sure there were more inclines than in London…

There were a couple of switchbacks early on and I shouted out to Keith and Matt in their Chasers vests. At mile 9 I saw my friend Kim who had come to support Keith, she cheered and shouted and I was pleased to see a friendly face.

I was impressed with the water stations, rather than bottles (that are a hazard when discarded), or cups (which are difficult to drink from whilst moving), they supplied pouches which were very easy to carry and water only came out when you squeezed it. They’re also much less of a problem when on the race course as if you tread on them they simply squirt out any left over water. Why don’t all races have these?

At half way I was still feeling good but I wasn’t convinced my legs could go the whole way at the pace I wanted them to. At mile 16 I started to drop back and I saw Kim again. She jogged alongside me whilst I started chatting. She told me to stop talking and get on with running – fair enough!

Mile 16…still smiling!

From about mile 18 I knew I wouldn’t finish under 3.45 but I kept pushing. I think the last 6 miles were more challenging than any other marathon I’ve run (and I’m sure it was all on a gentle incline!) but mentally I was feeling tough and I kept going.

The crowd support was great, unfortunately as a late entrant my name wasn’t printed on my number but everyone still cheered me on, it really does help!

As I ran back towards Old Trafford the crowds lined the street and I crossed the line in 3.56. The finish was smooth and quick and I got my medal, water and goody bag in minutes. In fact I got 2 goody bags because whilst I was debating if I wanted the small or extra small t-shirt (always difficult to know with unisex sizes) the man gave me both!

I saw Kim and Keith waving and was very grateful they waited for me (for an hour!!), as I didn’t think I would find my way to the pub for lunch by myself. We shuffled along to Salford Quays where I refueled on a chicken burger and cider (Kopperberg, which apparently is wanky London stuff…)

I eventually got home at 8pm and was absolutely exhausted (although Liam Gallagher was on my train so that made it more interesting, shame I both looked and smelt like a tramp). I ate 2 bagels and went to bed, yes, 2!

I thought the Manchester Marathon was very well organised, especially after Rome. The only small thing I would change would be to add some kind of sports drink at some of the stations. I never drink a lot of this but I often get a craving for it in the later stages. They did give out Shot Bloks though which I’m a big fan of (a bit strange to hear people shouting out ‘shots’ in the middle of a marathon!)

The race village, marshaling, water stations, crowd support and even the finish area were fantastic.

I would definitely recommend the Manchester Marathon but would I recommend running it 2 weeks after Rome? Only if you’re as tough as me!

What I learnt from this marathon is that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Last year I thought running 2 marathons in a year would be too much for me but now I’ve run 4 in the last 12 months including 2 in the last 2 weeks! I’ve also been overwhelmed by the support I received from everyone offering advice, encouragement and, most importantly, their faith. Thank you.

The only problem now of course is that I have a double dose of the post marathon blues…

Maratona di Roma…ice cream, pizza and running

On March 27, 2014March 11, 2015 By Girl Running CrazyIn Marathon Chat, Race Reports1 Comment

I was initially going to call this post ‘Where did it all go wrong?’ but, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that was unfair and would indicate that I hadn’t enjoyed the race which simply isn’t true. Sure, there were ups and downs (mentally and physically what with the hills) but hell I was running round ROME!

I arrived in Rome on the Friday night to leave plenty of time to settle and go to the Expo, plus I couldn’t think of a better place in the world to carb up! The Expo was a little out of town – the queue was pretty long and Katherine, James and I found ourselves queuing across a road that cars were still trying to drive on…this was the first organisational fail.

We (or rather James) was amused by the people dressed up as New Balance trainers and he insisted we pose for a photo for the Chasers site (funny innit). Collecting our race packs was petty simple but leaving the Expo was not – you’re forced around numerous stands in little more than single file and you get told off if you try to sneak out! The goody bags were much better than Frankfurt though with a New Balance backpack, technical t-shirt, sports drink and (obviously) some dried pasta!

When we eventually got out we stopped for pizza and I headed back to the hotel for some rest. Travelling, tapering and excitement is all very exhausting! I went out again in the evening to meet my friends Ruth, Nathan and Paul for dinner and then got an early night. We arranged to meet at 8am at the Arch of Constantine for an 8.50 race start. Simple?

Well, not so much… I sprang out of bed when my alarm went off and made myself some porridge with the little kettle in my room and left the hotel at 7.30. We were all staying in different places so I headed off towards to Colosseum on my planned route to meet my friends.

However, the route I was planning on was closed off and we were sent round the houses (or round the ruins should I say…) which was beautiful but I didn’t have a clue where I was and even less idea where the Arch was, there were loads of arches?! Following the crowd I realised I would be starting alone, alone in the rain.

Oh, did I mention it was raining?

Attempting to drop my bag off was the next challenge and next organisational fail. I ended up trying to push my way upsteam in an overly crowded area to the female baggage drop which was, of course, at the very back. Without meaning to offend, I found the Italian men very rude. There was pushing and shoving and elbows in the face, no chivalry here!

It wasn’t a great start, I was stressed. Of course when I finally managed to get rid of my bag I had to fight my way back down again, the clock was ticking and I couldn’t start a marathon without going to the toilet first!

Mr New Balance showed up for race day…

The next fail was the lack of signs and toilets – it looked like there were just 8 portaloos and there was no systematic queuing. I waited for maybe 15 minutes in torrential rain (hail at one point) before coming to the conclusion I would miss the start if I waited any longer and I was no closer to the loo.

So I did what any self respecting athlete would do moments before the gun – I peed in a bush. I met another woman doing the same, she didn’t understand a word of English but we understood each other!

I rushed off to the start area where there was more congestion and no way to get through to my start pen – there were only 4 but I was in Pen C and really didn’t want to be at the back of Pen D. But I was. Eventually we got to some railings that separated the start pens but no one was checking who went where and it was a chaotic free for all. I got into Pen C, relieved, but my relief didn’t last when I realised all the pens merged into one a few metres later and I was no better off than I was before. CHAOS, ARRGHHHHHHH

As soon as I got over the start line I was weaving and weaving in and out of people ‘scusi’, ‘excuse me’, ‘pardon’, ‘MOVE’ . By this point I gave up and just started shoving my way through which was met by some angry shouts in Italian. Don’t have a clue what they were saying but it probably wasn’t pleasant. Whatever.

All my early miles were 20-25 seconds slower than I wanted them to be and by mile 7 I realised I wouldn’t be able to make the time back. I think at that point I mentally gave up. I was delighted to bump into Ruth who was full of positivity, I thought about trying to keep up with her but, mentally I was out of the game and she sped off. I knew she would nail it.

The route was pretty awesome. Starting near the Colosseum the course wound round the city and along the river taking in temples and churches, passing St Peters Square and the Vatican, through Piazza Navona, round Piazza del Popolo, past the Spanish Steps and back towards the Altar of the Fatherland (which is a spectacular if controversial monument) and the Colosseum to take you to the finish line. There’s plenty to look at!

There were cobbles, but I was prepared for that and they weren’t really that noticeable for the most part, even in the wet. There were also some inclines but they were tolerable and the declines were enjoyable.

The water stations were a disaster. There was no water! At least no water readily available, you had to grab a cup and wait for someone to slosh a bit of water in – they weren’t generous with it either, were they rationing water on race day?! I dread to think how much worse it would have been on a warmer day.

There was Gatorade and food stations with oranges, bananas and biscuits as well as some other bits. I didn’t have any food but Paul had a full on picnic…he still beat me by some way!

Through a combination of a chaotic start, slow early miles, lack of organised water stations and generally feeling not quite right (I realised too late this was caffeine withdrawal, my usual 10 cuppas a day had been reduced to none…error!) I finished in a disappointing 4.04.

I got a lift when a group of British people shouted ‘go on the Brits, go on Katherine’, and James shouted at me with his little daughter Jessica at 36k. I’ll also never forget the look on Nathan’s face when he saw me walking at 37k – a combination of pity and errr, what are you doing?! ‘Just 5k, just 5k‘, he said. But 5k seemed so far…

Some thoughts I had whilst I was running:

Get out of my way
Italian men are rude
I’m never running a marathon ever again
Maybe I’ll give it one last shot in Amsterdam
Ooooo look at that!
I’m going to pull out
No, I really really want that medal
Oooo look at the pretty big building
Oh good, it’s raining again
Why do the Italians think a shot of water will get me through the next 5k?
I wonder what that building is…
Why are there twice as many sponges as cups of water?
I’ve just put my entire foot in a puddle, perfect
Does the Pope live there?
I’m embarrassingly uneducated
I’ve just been overtaken by a man with a distinctive limp
Whhhaaaaaaaa
I’m never running a marathon ever again…

As I rounded the corner from the Altar of the Fatherland I saw what could be the finish. However, my Garmin was well over 26.2 and I didn’t want to get my hopes up, from the experience I’d had so far it could be a decoy! Luckily it wasn’t.

Marathon number 5, and my 3rd international, was completed. Job done, now where’s that medal!!

The post race goody bags, which contained all the drinks, was just as chaotic as everything else. Pushing, shoving, elbowing. Frankfurt may only have had cups of water at the finish but at least there was plenty of it and I didn’t have to fight! I was ready to get out – it was a shame I didn’t see any of my friends at the end, especially as Katherine had run a similar time, if I had known we could have run together.

Anyway, I made it back to the hotel for a shower and a snooze then headed out for dinner and celebrations.

The Rome Marathon is a beautiful course in a beautiful city but it’s not well organised. As long as you go expecting that, and maybe even taking your own water, you should enjoy it. I really do love Rome.

What did I learn from this marathon? The Italians are not good at organising events but they are awesome at making ice cream. I tried 9 different flavours. Well, when in Rome…

Nobody wants to come last…

On March 17, 2014August 10, 2015 By Girl Running CrazyIn General2 Comments

Yesterday I participated in the SEAA Road Relay Championships in Milton Keynes. Bryn had organised the day out for us and when I asked if he thought our ‘Ladies B’ team would come last he nodded his head and said ‘probably’. Oh dear!

Olympians in the Field…

The quality of the field was very very high – Olympians Scott Overall (who was part of the 2012 GB team and won the Reading Half a couple of weeks ago) and Chris Thompson (who won silver in the 10,000 metres in the 2010 European Championships behind Mo) were competing as well as Stephanie Twell (2008 Olympic finalist in the 1500 metres and part of 4 winning GB teams).

And then there was me. That sun better at least stay out!

In all honesty, on Saturday I wasn’t up for the trip at all. It would be a whole day in Milton Keynes and there was a very real possibility of coming last, what was the point? I was pretty sure it wouldn’t do my confidence any good a week before running a marathon. Nevertheless, it was a team event and I wouldn’t have dreamed of pulling out.

It was gloriously sunny, all day long, and that put everyone in a goodt mood. We had one boys team of 12 and two girls teams of 6 – most of us got the train up together. When we got there the boys seemed nervous, and that made me nervous because they are really, really fast.

Ladies B and Ladies A Teams

The boys set off an hour before us on alternating legs of 8k and 5k while the ladies all ran the 5k route. It started and ended on a track which allowed us to cheer at various points when our runner came back into the stadium. I was on the 2nd leg after Ruth for our team and I was nervous. Worse than cross-country nervous, I really didn’t want to let the team down.

It was an anxious wait on the start line before Ruth came flying round the corner and running at full speed towards me. She was on form, tapped my hand and off I went!

The course wasn’t hilly as such but it was undulating and I could feel the inclines. It was odd running round as I was mostly on my own with some boys speeding past me every few minutes. It’s much harder to push yourself running alone than with someone close by to chase but I had to give it my all.

As I rounded the corner towards the stadium I could already hear my name and Kim was taking photos – that’s a look of concentration! Coming into the stadium all I heard were the Chasers shouting my name, it was a great feeling, especially as no one else had support like that.

The last 300m on the track seemed to take forever but I could see Sophie ready to take the 3rd leg…I just had to get to her.

Finishing was a relief, after I’d recovered I could concentrate on cheering on everyone else, that’s much more fun that running.

The boys team…

…and the girls

And how did we do? Well, the boys finished in 16th placed and qualified for the Nationals, the Ladies A in 13th and the Ladies B in 28th which, most importantly, was not last! Success all round then?!

Somebody does have to come last. But yesterday it wasn’t us, phew!

What surprised me the most was how little support the other teams gave their runners, why weren’t they cheering? There were several girls coming home on the final leg with none of their teammates around them at all. In stark contrast we were jumping up and down and shouting at every single one of our runners. We definitely took 1st place for best support and that’s what makes being a Clapham Chaser so fantastic. We really are a team.

Almost the whole team post race. A great day was had by all and I was really pleased I’d taken part!

The Bit Before the Taper…

On March 7, 2014August 10, 2015 By Girl Running CrazyIn General4 Comments

There’s a dull ache in your legs that you just can’t shift
You waddle down the stairs amusing your colleagues no end
You’re so exhausted your housemate pokes you on the sofa to check you’re still alive
The weariness makes simple tasks confusing
You’re always hungry
15 miles is an appealing ‘shorter run’…

It’s almost time for the taper, you know it’s coming, it’s waiting for you with open arms… but you’re not quite there yet.

I caught a glimpse of myself in a shiny shop window last night. Luckily it was dark, I looked like this…

The weeks before the taper are the hardest, for me anyway. Not only is mileage at its highest but you’re still trying to get some quality speed sessions in and recover from every session quickly so you’re ready for the next one…it hurts.

Ironically, I’m not actually a massive fan of the taper – it makes me a little bit crazy (yes, more than usual), I worry about getting fat and how the hell I’m actually going to run 26.2 miles. But I definitely like the idea of it at this stage.

Last Sunday my running club hosted the Thames Riverside 20 – a lovely 20 mile run along the towpath. Lovely, but it’s pretty much all off road. I planned to run 9mm to the 10 mile mark then pick up the pace. Of course I didn’t, I ran with the 8.30 group and dropped back at 15 miles, the last 5 miles were really challenging and I finished feeling disappointed and slow.

Clapham Chasers Thames Riverside 20 – much happier at the start than the finish!

Those 20 miles were exhausting, much more so than the 21 miles I ran the weekend before.

Recovery has been an arse – after resting on Monday and 5 miles or so on Tuesday I couldn’t face my 9.5 miles on Wednesday and had to run them last night…I should be running round Regents Park right now, but I’m not, I’m writing this because my legs aren’t willing to do as they’re told. Soooo, that leaves me some miles to make up on Sunday then. Yippppeeeeee!

Right now, I can’t wait for the taper. But next week? Well, we’ll see.

Race Review: Brighton Half

On February 18, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race Reports4 Comments

It’s fair to say the weather has been pretty wild. As I drove down to Brighton on Saturday afternoon my car swayed in the wind and the rain came down so hard I could barely see the road…it could be a tough run along the seafront in the morning. However, there were no signs of the event being called off despite the promenade looking like this…

The organisers promised to clear the stones and the weather even promised all day sunshine – we would be very lucky if conditions were favourable.

My alarm went off at 6 and I sneaked downstairs for porridge and tea trying not to wake my cousin who I had stayed with. She fed me a big plate of pasta and salmon the night before, complete with some go-faster sticky toffee pudding (I’m sure that’s what it was called…), so I was fueled and ready to go.

The Brighton Half has been on my list for a while – I know there have been problems in the past, in 2012 the race came under fire for coming in long at 13.42 miles. They blamed ‘human error’ but it didn’t go down well with PB hunters. Learning from mistakes, they seemed to turn it around last year and, following winning the title of ‘Most Improved Race’ in Runners World 2013 Personal Best Awards, the 2014 race sold out in June. I had fairly high expectations for a good race and a fun day.

I had’t really thought through the logistics when I entered last year but, when the race pack arrived, I realised I needed to be down at Madeira Drive, where the race started, at 8am. I live in London. That would be an early/middle of the night start then! Luckily my cousin lives down the road and didn’t mind me staying the night before so I could get up a a reasonable time.

My other cousin (also a local!) walked me down to the start bright and early and wished me luck before I headed off to find the baggage area…I walked…and walked…where was it?! I started to panic that I would have time to hand my bag in and go to the loo before the start. I have to say some signs wouldn’t have gone amiss, but I made it to the start line in good time bumped into a few Chasers. A friendly smile and matching vest is always good to see!

The route took us up to the Royal Pavilion and St Peter’s Church, then headed east along the front towards the Marina which involved a steady incline to the cliff top. It was a glorious day, the sun was out and I was feeling warm but managed to keep a steady pace despite the hill.

We then turned back on ourselves towards the pier which offered some stunning sea views. Although the incline wasn’t particularly steep, the decline was welcome by this point. We ran past Brighton Pier and the West Pier, with great crowd support, but by mile 8 I was really starting to feel it. I think I was too hot and dehydrated – long sleeves were definitely an error.

I really wasn’t sure about the mile makers and several other people also mentioned this. Mile 1 popped up with 7.05 on my watch and I knew I wasn’t running that fast, then mile 5 appeared when my watch said 5.16 miles. I was starting to wonder if the distance would be wrong again…

Past the piers, the route headed into Hove along the Kings Road and up to Hove Lagoon before turning left onto the seafront. The organisers had done a brilliant job of clearing the stones and the path was relatively clear. By mile 10 I was really thirsty and woozy and thought it was a good idea to down half a bottle of Lucozade. It wasn’t. Of course it wasn’t.

After that I readjusted my goal from ‘finish under 1.45’ to ‘get to mile 12 without puking and you’ll be fine’. Maybe it was the heavy marathon mileage in my legs, or last Sundays 19 miler, it could have even been the sun, but I was finding the last few miles really tough. This was my shortest long run in ages and my pace was fairly controlled (mostly because the incline stopped me speeding off!) so I wasn’t sure why.

My pace slowed as we headed back to Madeira Drive, where the finish line was, but not as much as I thought at the time. The crowds were lining the street either side and, despite really wanting to stop and walk, it obviously wasn’t an option so I pushed on. Heading into the last half mile the screaming crowds got thicker and they spurred me right to the finish. Thanks Brighton!

I finished in 1.46.49 but, despite missing my goal, it was a pretty good tempo run in preparation for Rome which is now less than 5 weeks away!

With Nick & James at the finish. They beat me!

After the race I took a short walk back to my cousins where she had laid out a buffet lunch. I wasn’t expecting to be fed so I was more than excited by the homemade bread, chicken fresh from the oven, salad and strawberries! After some family time I popped in to see a friend on the way home and made it back to London at about 7. I was exhausted, totally exhausted!

Yesterday hurt, I could definitely feel it. In fact, it hurt more than 19 miles the week before. But that just means I was working hard right?!

In summary, the Brighton Half is a glorious race along the seafront with PB potential if conditions are favourable. It’s well oraganised with a great atmosphere and awesome crowds. Although I can’t remember how much the entry was, it was no more than any other big race, with a decent medal and a goody bag full of food!

Would I do the Brighton Half again? Definitely. If you’re keen I would enter quickly when registration opens!

The Art of Running Slowly

On January 19, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Thoughts4 Comments

We all know how it works. If you want to improve as a runner you need to mix up your sessions and introduce some speed work, plodding along at one pace won’t get you anywhere. However, in order to make the most of the hard sessions you need to slow down the easy runs. You also need to vary the pace of your long runs. Start slow, introduce some marathon pace and finish strong.

It all makes perfect sense to me, I get it. However, as with most things it’s a lot easier in theory than in practise.

On Friday I went for a run at lunch (RUNch as we call it) & it was supposed to be an easy run. An easy run is 60-90 secs slower than MP. For a 3.45 marathon, MP is 8.35, add on 60-90 seconds and that’s 9.35-10.05 pace.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there was a time when I only dreamt of running that pace but, for me, at this point, it just doesn’t feel natural, I can’t do it. So I compromised at 9mm…but only ended up running 1 mile at that before falling into 8.30. Fail.

I don’t really like running to be too complicated. The beauty of running is its simplicity. But I know that if I want new PBs I need to control my pace a lot more.

Today’s long run was 135 mins in total. 60 easy, 60 steady and 15 MP or faster. I was determined to stick to it! Generally my long runs are pretty consistent in pace, maybe dropping towards the end if I’m tired, but I know this isn’t the way to do it. I was going to try really hard.

I set out slow. It felt slow, a bit like I was shuffling but I stuck to it. My route took me round Clapham Common and up to Battersea Park. There were loads of other runners out and they were all running faster than me…

Running around Battersea Park I was eager to pick the pace up. This was my territory, this was where I came for speed work not shuffles. Then I spyed a tall girl bobbing up and down next to me. She was bobbing up and down, she was being tall and she was RACING me. She was, I know she was, how was I supposed to control myself now?! Luckily, by the time I had finished pondering this she turned off. I must have scared her, she knew she couldn’t take me….

Anyway, tall bobby girl out the way I focused on my pace again. As I ran across Chelsea Bridge I started to worry that I wouldn’t be able to run faster now. I’m not sure I’ve ever run a negative split before. However, I waited until 57 minutes on the clock (I just couldn’t wait until 60, patience isn’t my strong point) and picked it up. It felt ok.

By the time I got to 2 hours I was still feeling good and ready to pick it up again, so I went for it.

Obviously I looked exactly like this…cool, calm, in control and fast…

The clock reached 135 minutes and had done it!! I ran the first half slow, the second near MP and the last 15 at tempo. And I finished strong. It made me so happy!

Now I just need to nail these jogs. I just wish I could get Kanye West out of my head…’drive slow homie’