A Date With The Devil…

On January 5, 2014January 7, 2014 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race Reports2 Comments

“Brooks HellRunner offers trail running at its toughest and most enjoyable. 10 -12 miles of challenging off-road running… tough, twisting trails… including the famed Hills of Hell and the Bog of Doom!

The Finish will bring redemption… but only to successful HellRunners.”

Shivering uncontrollably, covered in mud, and with my fingers so cold I couldn’t even bend them to untie my shoelaces, I swore I would never ever do HellRunner ever, ever again…

…yesterday I completed the insane course for the 4th time. I have honestly never been so cold in my life.

It was -6 on a cold November morning in 2010, (that’s 6 whole degrees below freezing) and myself and 3 friends had just run a 10 mile trail race around Longmoor Military Camp. When I say ran, we scrambled up and down the never ending ‘Hills of Hell’, splashed through the ‘Bog of Doom’ and shuffled through the ‘River Wade’ then, as if that wasn’t tough enough, about a mile towards the end they hit you with energy zapping sand dunes, if you have any energy left of course.

They say a picture paints a thousand words – I genuinely had no idea this was being taken during the River Wade…

I think I finished in around 2 hours. I spent the journey home shivering quietly, I just shivered and shivered and I decided I had hated every second of it. In hindsight I might of even had a mild case of hypothermia, I didn’t even want to eat Percy Pigs! I had a shower…and I went back to bed. The next day I could barely move.

Around 9 months later Kate suggested we enter again…ermm, no, no, absolutely NO. But it was August, it was a warm sunny day, and it was difficult to remember just how painfully cold I had been. So I signed up! The Devil had beat me once, it was time for a re-match.

But as the Summer passed, it got colder, race day got nearer and I started to experience mild to moderate panic as I realised what I had committed to. I was driving this year so there was no getting out of it. I decided to go a bit nuts on layering, the the year before I had foolishly worn one top so this time I wore 3, and took a post race flask of hot tea. It would all be OK…

Luckily when the day came it was about 10 degrees warmer than the year before so we took Laura with us as photographer and headed back to the Bog of Doom. The increase in temperature made a huge difference (in fact I got too hot) and it was actually fun!

I’m not very confident going down the hills and much better at scrambling up them, a man cheekily said to me ‘you run down hills like a girl!’, I remember thinking, ‘I’m still beating you though aren’t I?!’ It was all in jest so I didn’t mind. I was much quicker this time and finished in 1 hour 37 and 32nd female, screw you Devil!

Much happier this time!

When I entered for the 3rd time in 2012 I was supposed to be running with some friends but they all pulled out. I was running solo! It was still fun, and much better than the 1st time but it would have been better with some buddies. It was a gloriously crisp sunny day so conditions were favourable and I really enjoyed it. I decided it would probably be my last.

The 2013 event was postponed from November to January this year due to military training but I had no intention of doing it. On a whim, I entered a Brooks competition and I won! The prize was VIP entry to Hell Up North, Brooks Cascadia Trail Shoes, some funky capris, a t-shirt and a cosy hoody!

The only problem was that I live in London and the North event is in Chester (about 1 million miles away) and it was just 6 days after the Frankfurt Marathon (I clearly didn’t read the details when I entered). Even if I did get there it would have been pretty risky so soon after that. I was gutted.

I emailed the Brooks lady and asked her if I could transfer my entry to the South event (including pictures of previous participation so she could see I was a committed HellRunner!) To my surprise she said yes and sent me all the goodies! And so I was entered for a 4th time.

Awesome Brooks kit

Over the last 2 weeks we’ve had torrential rain in the UK, it pretty much hasn’t stopped and caused some serious flooding. Combined with post Christmas blues and my desire not to get injured I decided I wasn’t going to run, I was adamant.

By Friday evening I had a sore throat, I knew I was getting ill, and it was still raining but I found myself packing my bag for the morning, just in case. I didn’t sleep much and woke up with a raging sore throat and even more heavy rain. But could I really be a DNS on my first race of 2014? OOooohhhhh!!

I got up, ate my porridge and went through the motions. It was absolutely pouring with rain and, knowing the course, I really didn’t want to go. But I did.

The rain slashed down the whole way there, to the point where I couldn’t see the road, and I genuinely wondered why I wasn’t still in bed. Why was I so inconceivably off-my-face mental??? The forecast for Longmoor was 100% chance of rain all morning. This really would be hell this time.

It was a relief to see other people when I got there, people who were as mental as me. I wasn’t going to be running alone! I wrapped everything in plastic bags, pulled my hood up and went to the start area. To be honest it did seem much quieter this year.

Previously I don’t remember getting properly dirty until the Bog of Doom around 6-7 miles in but this year I had mud in my eye after the first 1.5 miles and had already jumped into a waist deep ‘puddle’. The course, although different from other years (not sure if this was deliberate or due to the weather) was horrendous. Thick, sludgey, 6 inch deep clay mud type stuff and blocks of water to jump in every few meters. Whilst I don’t mind this, and it was actually quite fun, it was near on impossible to run for most of it (unless you were willing to risk life & limb which I was not!). It was slow going, and that made you cold. There was also a lot more bottlenecking than I remember and some waiting around in places but people were friendly.

The hills come thick and fast and hit you hard. If you’re lucky there’s a tree or branch or barbed fence to desperately cling to as you slip and slide all over the place. If not you just clamber around the best you can hoping you don’t get wiped out by someone slipping over behind you. The hills are relentless, nature at it’s worst (or best..?), if you’re not used to them you’re in for a shock!

The Bog of Doom was deeper than usual. It’s only ever been chest high before, allowing you to wade through with a smile, but this year it was straight up to my neck and a few steps later I couldn’t feel the bottom, I was swimming through the bloody Bog of Doom and my god it was COLD!!

The cold literally took your breath away and I very almost panicked, why wasn’t I moving forwards?! The atmosphere is fantastic and spectators line either side to cheer you on but the devil is there to spray thick mist over the bog so you can barely see as you move under the arches of fire. The Bog of Doom lived up to its name.

Coming out of the bog you’re heavy from all the water and numb from the cold, it’s difficult just to get moving again let alone tackle the next mammoth hill which is even more slippy when you’re soaking wet, but you just have to get on with it, there were still 2 miles to go! The hills seem to get worse after this point, steeper, longer, muddier. It might be my imagination but I’m sure they save the ‘best’ for last!

Amazingly the rain stopped just before the start and held off for the whole race, except some light spitting. My new trail shoes proved to be grippy in all the right places and I was glad I had decided to wear them despite the mud. The hills were steep and I had to learn to trust them on the declines although some were still much more appropriate to slide down on your bum than attempt upright!

I’m not going to lie, it was the toughest year I’ve run it. Yesterday I finished the 9.7 mile (according to my Garmin) course in 2 hours 45. That’s well over an hour slower than my best time. We won’t mention that again!

I’m not sure I really enjoyed it yesterday, I got very cold and I would have preferred it if I could of run a lot more, but I knew what the course would be like after all that rain. It was as fantastically organised as ever though with extra marshals at the Bog of Doom to help those in difficulty, however I did miss my For Goodness Shakes drink at the end!

I finished my first race of the year and got a new medal and t-shirt…and bragging rights, I definitely earned those!

HellRunner isn’t an obstacle course like the man-made Tough Mudder, it’s real trail running, in a natural environment, on a military camp, and it’s tough out there. If you fancy a date with the devil check it out – www.hellrunner.co.uk they hold 3 events, Hell Up North, Hell in the Middle and Hell Down South.

As for me, I think after 4 dates the devil is dumped!

….although I might change my mind come August…

This years medal and t-shirt are definitely the best!

Facing my Cross Country Demons…

On December 9, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race ReportsLeave a comment

When I was younger I hated running. HATED it. My brother would go and win races outright that he was technically too young to compete in, whilst I would take 15 odd minutes just to run a mile. It really wasn’t my thing, English was my thing, Maths was my thing, not sport.

As you can imagine, school cross country was my worst nightmare. Some of the girls would sneak off in the early stages and join back in when the group came back around but I don’t remember doing that, I was too goody goody. So I would struggle round and come last, or nearly last. Cold, muddy and last, I bloody hated it.

When the Chasers stared talking about cross country season and encouraging everyone to get involved I knew I didn’t want to be a part of it. A few hills and mud don’t bother me anymore, Hellrunner is one of my faves, but XC? No way. What if I came last? In a Chasers vest?! I had the fear.

After volunteering at the Men’s fixture on Mitcham Common (Ruth and I were in charge of making sure everyone’s finishing position was recorded correctly…a big responsibility!) I started to re-think. Maybe I should face my fears and give it a go? How bad could it really be…?

The 2nd women’s fixture was at Farthing Downs (the first one wasn’t an option, it was just before Frankfurt and I don’t have the best track record running off road). There hadn’t been much rain, and it was a nice day considering it was December, so conditions were as favorable as they could be.

I found the Chasesr area near the flag, registered and got my race number as well as a number ‘1’ for my back. Didn’t even know what that was for. Ruth was as worried as I was, even more so after she had seen the course and spotted some ugly hills. Were we having fun yet?

I was still stressing about coming last and being rubbish when Nathan told me that the number 1 on my back meant I was in a division 1 team so I couldn’t come last, look at all the division 2’s! I was quick to point out that I was in no way responsible for the clubs division 1 status and the number 1 did not necessarily make me a worthy player! But there was no more time to worry about that, it was 11.55 and we needed to line up.

Finding a warm spot in the middle surrounded by my friendly Chasers my stomach churned. At lot of these girls looked like ‘proper runners’, they were Surrey’s best, what the hell was I doing here? Sharing worried glances at Ruth, the man shouted ‘Go!’ and we were off.

These days my pre race nerves tend to be limited to big races, or PB worthy courses, and they subside pretty quickly after the gun. But not today, 1km in and my stomach was still churning. It was going to be a long 6k (yep, just 6k and I was still worried) .

The ground was pretty solid but muddy and slippy in places, I didn’t have spikes, just trail shoes, so I was hoping they would give me enough grip. The ground was slanted so I was constantly leaning one way which didn’t help with the balance issue and then we got to some slippy stone type surface, it didn’t last, but I didn’t like it!

After about 2 miles we got to a flat solid grassy path where I felt much more comfortable and picked up the pace…then I got a stitch, not a bad one but I haven’t had a stitch for years, great! I can only assume it was from holding my breath whilst negotiating the slippy slopes and tree roots rather than breathing like a normal human being. Idiot.

Trusty support crew cheering us on. I didn’t see any other clubs with big flags…just saying…

We came to a steep uphill, which I didn’t mind, but it was narrow and I was stuck behind someone slower. Coming through! I vowed not to let her overtake me again! There was more support on course by now, people with eyes who were watching. Then there was an even steeper hill, a total energy zapping lung buster of a hill…I guess this was the one Ruth was talking about. I briefly walked then realised there was quite a few supporters and this wasn’t acceptable. Get up the hill. Now!

People cheering my name helped and then there was the finish! 3.92 miles and I was done. It hurt. I was however far from last, all of the Chasers were far from last (ahem…division 1…) so that was a success right?! Back in the Chaser camp I was offered a piece of James’ homemade marble cake. Thank you, please, I feel better already!

I woke up on Sunday only slightly achey so Ruth and I ran to Wimbledon Common, did 10 hill sprints (sort of sprints….we ran as fast as we could on post XC legs…) had a cheeky cuppa in the cafe and ran home. I only clocked up 8 miles yesterday but my legs weren’t going to take me any further, I felt like I had run 18! I still ache a bit today but I’ve got the club run tonight and track tomorrow… I can’t wait for Wednesday!

26.2 on the streets of Frankfurt

On October 30, 2013March 11, 2015 By Girl Running CrazyIn Marathon Chat, Race Reports2 Comments

Watching the wind whip the German flag outside the hotel round and round its own pole, and the street sign across the road move back and forth whilst we ate breakfast, it was clear that it was going to be a blustery day. There was a storm approaching and we were about to run a marathon. Perfect.

Arriving in Frankfurt on the Friday the weather was quite mild and pleasant, pretty damn good running conditions if it had stayed that way. The hotel was ideally located less than a 10 minute walk from the Expo and the start line so it didn’t take long to collect our race numbers and goody bags of German magazines, dry pasta and a car air freshener (not the best goody bag…)

The rest of the day was spent taking a stroll through the fairly seedy red light district (apparently one of the largest in the world) and around the City past the Old Opera House and having a coffee in the main square, Romerberg. It’s fair to say Frankfurt is fairly dull and uninspiring, which was probably a good thing as I didn’t really want to be caught up in being a tourist when I should have been saving energy. However, the company of my Chaser buddies more than made up for it.

On the Saturday we took part in the 5k Pretzel Breakfast Run. I’ve never run the day before a marathon before so I was a bit apprehensive but I was ready to try a new tactic and remind myself that I knew how to run. It was actually enjoyable, despite the very heavy rain before it started which almost made me change my mind – in hindsight I was actually more worried about ‘jogging’ to the start with the boys than the 5k itself (their idea of jogging is my idea of a tempo run…) but they kept it easy!

I spent the rest of Saturday pretty much with my feet up until it was time for dinner. We’d found a great little Italian that served massive bowls of pasta the night before but they wouldn’t take us. Who knew finding an Italian to cater for 12 on a Saturday night before a marathon in Germany would be a challenge?! We convinced another restaurant we would be quick and they let us in – the highlight was James ordering pasta…and a pizza on the side just in case the pasta wasn’t big enough…

I slept pretty well despite the slight stress of the clocks changing, even a full on thunder storm failed to disturb me, and I didn’t wake until 4.30 which is pretty good for the night before a big race. I had my porridge, worried futilely about the wind and rain and then it was time to go.

As the hotel was so close we didn’t need to leave until an hour before the race started, all we had to do was drop off our bags and line up which was a refreshing change from usual pre-marathon travel panic.

Ruth & I ready to go!

The start area wasn’t as well organised as I expected, it was pretty much a free for all. It didn’t make much difference to me as I didn’t want to risk going off too fast (lesson learnt!) but the faster runners struggled to get near the front.

We were let off in waves to help congestion but as I crossed the start line the worst thing that could possibly happen at that moment happened. Despite checking and double checking, my Garmin had gone onto standby. Panic!!! I had now started running and my watch was trying to locate satellites in an area of tall buildings whilst I was moving. Luckily it didn’t take too long, I guessed I lost about 30 seconds before pressing start but I was more worried about my mile splits at that point anyway.

Despite being a fast and flat course, the same course in fact that Kipsang very nearly took the world record on 2 years earlier, fierce winds were going to be a problem. Then there was the rain, rain was forecast from 1.30 and with a late 10.30 start time I would be heading into the tough later miles at this point. I don’t mind rain but I didn’t really fancy an additional challenge at mile 20!

The first 10k or so winded round the City centre, with crowds of supporters on the street, before heading out along the river Main and back along some kind of duel carriageway(?!) then heading through the City centre again. Somewhere in that first 10K it started raining, luckily it didn’t last long but the stormy winds were to follow.

There’s a lack of water in the early stages – this made me quite thirsty later on so I had to really slow down at the water stations to be able to drink enough from the paper cups. I know bottles can be a hazard but at least you can carry them with you and drink more than a couple of sips. There was also some kind of fizzy drink and cola available, apparently it was flat, but it really wasn’t what I wanted at that point!

I paced well, I went off faster than goal pace but I held it quite steady until 22 miles so I don’t think it was an error. I saw Ruth at around 26k which really lifted my spirits but we parted ways a few kilometers later. After 22 miles the wind and fatigue got me, I was too tired to fight the gusts that were pushing me the wrong way. By this point I knew I was going to miss my 3.45 goal and none of my mental tactics were working to keep me going. I was sure it was going to end badly.

The finish was pretty spectacular – it ends inside the Festhalle on a red carpet with flashing lights and loud music, it’s a party zone. It was a shame it didn’t last longer as it was over in a few seconds. They funnel you out of the hall to collect your medal and there’s tables with various food and drink. They still weren’t supplying bottles of water though, just poxy cups, why didn’t they understand I was thirsty???

I crossed the finish line in 3.47.29…it wasn’t what I wanted…but it was a PB by 2 minutes. It’s difficult not to be pleased with a PB, or the fact that I paced pretty well up until the last 4 miles but I still have mixed emotions.

Will I ever actually improve my time? Whilst it was only 3 minutes quicker than London 6 months ago It was a massive improvement on strategy – it was a 4.5 minute positive split, much better than the 12.5 in London – at least I had improved something.

The post race area wasn’t easy to navigate. You had to collect your bag from one floor of the Festhalle, and then return your chip somewhere else so you didn’t get charged €25, and try to get through all the supporters who kept walking into me…OK maybe I was walking into them…

I had just crossed the finish line, everything hurt like hell, I was disorientated, I didn’t know where to go, I was thirsty and I was about to cry. Luckily I bumped into fellow Chaser Adam and was hugely grateful he helped me out so I didn’t need to cry in the end!

I guess you learn something new in every marathon – this time I learnt that I was capable of pacing well, I just had to man up in the last 4 miles. But I also learnt that maybe I’ll never be as fast as I want to be – my last 3 marathons have been just a couple of minutes apart, maybe that’s as good as it gets.

Anyway, it was time to park that thought and eat…

…and drink!

So, that’s marathon number 4. I have a new PB so I guess that’s a successful marathon number 4. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to smash it, and I’m not the type to just give up, I’m just not convinced I’m good enough.

What next? Probably a Spring marathon, maybe Rome, maybe Hamburg, maybe Vienna…

Marathons: Spring Vs Autumn

On October 9, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn General, Thoughts2 Comments

Is it better to train through the freezing Winter…or the sweltering Summer?

Frankfurt will be my first autumn marathon. The previous 3 have all been spring marathons which means cold dark nights, cold early mornings and bloody freezing long weekend runs.

This Winter was one of the coldest in history, so cold in fact RW editor Andrew Dixon said ‘Those who’ve marathon trained through this UK winter are 23.7777% tougher than in previous years. Fact.’ This prompted my Dad to respond with ‘When I was steel fixing in 1963 and the snow was 4ft thick for 3 months and I was riding my bike to and from work was 100% tougher than any marathon runner’ but whatever, it was cold and I was brave!

Finding the motivation to head out for an after-work run after a warm cozy tube ride home or a 3 hour weekend run when it was snowing was challenging to say the least. The seasons are changing, I don’t think I got a single long run in when it wasn’t really cold, and inevitably the day of the marathon itself was warm and sunny which wasn’t ideal considering training conditions.

When I signed up for Frankfurt I promised myself no pressure. There’d be no slave to the plan, no regimented mileage and no ‘junk’ miles. I did all that for London and it didn’t improve my time. This time I planned to run smarter, run less, recover more, and remember that I’m doing it for the love of running (and the new bling…and the mini break abroad…and the post race celebrations…)

For the most part, training through the summer has been a pleasure; warm light evenings and sunny days beat the cold, dark and dodgy ice patches anytime, it lifts your spirits. There have been downsides of course, we had a couple of heatwaves earlier this Summer and it made the long runs tougher than I had appreciated, my pace slowed, I had to get out the door early and I needed to take on more water than I was used to. But I wouldn’t complain about it!

My long runs have generally been slower than in the Winter. I don’t know why, in all honesty I feel fitter than ever so it doesn’t make sense to me. I’m hoping it’s because I’m putting more effort into weekly tempo and track sessions which weren’t part of my schedule before and therefore I’m not as fresh on the long runs as I might have been. Or it might be the increase in temperature (when it’s -7 you run as fast as you can just to get it over with), but I’m trying not to let it worry me.

So, is it better to train through the Winter or the Summer? No doubt the Summer is much more enjoyable but how will this affect my race? Has my pace been compromised? Jury’s still out, my marathon time might have the answer…

24 Hours. On a Track

On September 25, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn General2 Comments

Could you stay awake for 24 hours? Maybe? If you had to? Could you stay awake and RUN for 24 hours? In a 400m loop? Just round & round & round…? I know a man who can, and what an absolute legend he turned out to be.

I already knew Chris was hardcore. He runs ultras, trail ultras, extreme ones, in fact he runs all the ultras, all of them. However, what I didn’t appreciate is just how hardcore he actually is.

This weekend was the Self-Transcendence 24 hour race at Tooting Bec track. Yep, 24 hours of track. Hell? I think so! But Chris was about to take on this mamouth challenge starting at noon on Saturday and finishing at noon on Sunday.

On Saturday I ran 20 miles. It was one of the hardest training runs I’ve ever done. It was so tough I started setting myself mini goals at just 12 miles…2 more miles and you’re at 14, then it’s just 6 to go…that’s less than 10k and you know you can do that…let’s just pop another gel and hope for the best. Oh look, there’s a deer, I better stop & take a photo so it doesn’t head butt me (those Richmond deer are attention seeking so & so’s I tell you)

Photo of deer – taken for personal safety reasons only, not because I wanted to stop for 60 seconds, not at all:

I don’t know whether it was because I haven’t done a long run for 4 weeks and I was pushing a bit hard, or something else, but it wasn’t a great place to be mentally. I’ve never been happier to see my front door. Anyway, I spent the rest of the day resting & eating & lying still with compression socks on, I even watched about 10 minutes of women’s football because lifting the remote was too much effort (sad but true). I crawled up and down the stairs and I got a good nights sleep. All the while Chris was still running…(well, there aren’t any deer in Tooting Bec)

On Sunday morning I awoke to find he had already reached 90 miles some point in the early hours and was just 10 away from the 100 mile goal! Before I left home he had only gone and done it. 100 miles!

When I turned up at the track I was struck by a fairly somber mood, about 30 people were running, shuffling and hobbling round the track, some even looked like they were about to fall over. I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting but it was clear to see people were in a dark place, I guess I thought they would be happy it was nearly over but they were past that point.

I spotted Chris and he was walking, his head was slightly down, his knee was strapped up, and, to be honest, I was worried. Despite this he smiled when I waved at him and asked me how the ankle was. It turned out he had some damage to his own ankle and hadn’t been physically able to run for a few hours.

I quickly learnt the rules. Fellow Chaser, Jane, was on the support crew for the final 8-12 shift and she explained that someone was allowed to accompany a runner for 150m on each lap. Those 150m were pretty vital, it was a chance to understand where he was mentally, what was he thinking and what he needed. There were a whole team of official lap counters so we didn’t need to worry about that but what he did need to know was how many laps it was to the next goal. Sounds easy, but converting laps into miles and into marathon distance, then back into km’s and making 100% sure it was right was an important job, there was no room for error!

So, the 100 mile goal had been reached but, as always, one goal leads rapidly to another and we were now aiming for 4 marathons. Chris reached this and then set the next goal of 170k …

…170k barrier reached. Whoooooo!

Chris is an amazing athlete. He finished in 12th place covering over 106 miles (over 171k) – that’s a HUGE 428 laps of an athletics track!! He achieved his 100 mile goal, he achieved his 4 marathon goal, he even achieved his 170k goal, but, most importantly, he also smashed his fundraising target. I actually thought I was going to cry when the clock turned to 00:00:00. 24 hours, done!

Happy happy 24 hour ultra runner!

Chris wasn’t the only person who impressed me that day. I also met Geoff. Geoff is 80 years old and clocked up a whooping 94 miles despite suffering some health problems over the last year. He was still running right at the very end. He was still smiling and he was still thanking people for their support. What touched me the most was that he made an effort to change into a shirt & tie for the presentation ceremony at the end. He really was a lovely man and definitely the smartest ultra runner I know!

I genuinely witnessed something very special this weekend. It’s not just the hours and hours of training and preparation, or the sacrifice and dedication but it’s a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of soul. These runners left absolutely everything they had on that track, they are truly phenomenal and I felt very privileged and humbled to watch them finish.

Is it ever a ‘good’ time to get injured?

On September 4, 2013September 26, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn Thoughts4 Comments

As my shoulder smacked down on the stony trail I knew immediately I’d done enough damage to my ankle to wipe myself out of running for at least a few days. I was 2 miles into the first run of a long training weekend with the Chasers in the New Forest. As I sat on the floor trying to weigh up how bad the damage was all I saw were several concerned faces looking at me. Gutted doesn’t come close.

Of course I tried to convince myself it would be fine by the morning and I’d be back running the next day but as my ankle swelled to the size of a melon even I knew how ridiculous that was. No more running for me. No more running with a group of people who love running as much as I do on a weekend I had been looking forward to for weeks.

I felt bit like this…

As I sat in the dirt contemplating the recovery time I couldn’t help but think of Chrissie Wellington and all her ‘muppet’ moments, I got a strange comfort from that (if you haven’t read her book A Life Without Limits, do it, the woman is INCREDIBLE).

Luckily i wasn’t on my own, I didn’t really know where I was & it hurt to stand – I’m not one to overreact but had I been alone it obviously would have been the absolute end of the world & I probably would have stayed there on the floor covered in dirt all by myself until I eventually got eaten by wild New Forest ponies. In situations like that you can’t underestimate the reassurance that other people bring, especially those that couldn’t empathise more.

As I realised there would be no speed session in the morning, no easy jogs, no 20 milers and not even any games of rounders I started to wonder what the hell I was going to do all weekend? The idea of rest and elevation did not make me at all happy, I had come to run! I couldn’t help but wishing it had happened on the last run of the weekend rather than the first but it got me thinking, when is it ever convenient to pick up an injury?

If it had happened on the last day would that have really been any better? Sure, I would have got my mileage in and the weekend would have gone to plan but I’ve got a half marathon on Sunday… whilst I’m still not sure if I’ll do it, a sprain any later would have surely made it an impossibility? I’ve got a marathon in 8 weeks and gearing up to some heavy mileage, surely an injury earlier is better than later? My running schedule seems to be so hectic I don’t have time to be injured. Ever. Who does?

I refused to feel sorry for myself and let it ruin my weekend so I quickly made friends with a couple of the girls who were hiring bikes the next day instead of running. We rode around country lanes for 4 hours (including an obligatory pub lunch of course) and I loved it! I was incredibly grateful for the company as I wouldn’t of had the confidence to do it alone, the girls really made my weekend. It was great to do something different and see the New Forest on a beautifully sunny day, plus it didn’t bother my melon sized ankle too much either. I know if I was playing by the rules I should have been resting with my foot in the air but that was never going to happen was it? In fact, I enjoyed it so much I wasn’t even jealous when the group went out for their second run of the day (well, maybe a tiny bit).

So, my running weekend didn’t go to plan, I didn’t get my 20 miler in, or do any running at all in fact, but I did spend an amazingly glorious weekend outdoors – cycling, stretching, swimming, doing some core work & walking (plus eating, I still ate like a runner!) I had a brilliant time and met some truly fabulous people who I know I’ll be running with again soon. Plus, 4 days later, the ankle is definitely looking more like a plum than a melon and the bruising is starting to fade. Progress!

Injuries suck, they always seem to come at the wrong time, they’re unbelievably frustrating & at times soul destroying but they come with the territory and I guess we all have to accept that we’re not invincible.

I’m sure I’ll be embracing running again soon like this little fella

The Work-Life-Run Balance

On August 27, 2013August 27, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn ThoughtsLeave a comment

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is hard enough, especially when you throw in a commute either side of the working day, but add to that your running life and you can quickly end up in a pickle.

I work in an advertising agency in central London and that means there’s pretty much always a reason to be social and a reason to drink (we have a beer fridge in our office where it’s not frowned upon to crack open a Bulmers at 4pm…). I used to love it but now I can’t remember the last time I went to a media party (that would be a party with a free bar…) or to the pub with colleagues on a Friday night. They think I’m boring…or at the very least dedicated…but I definitely think I’m boring compared to my former self.

Of course that’s just work socialising, you’ve then got your own friends, family and a list of boring jobs like food shopping & cleaning to do. The clock doesn’t stop ticking.

This weekend was a Bank Holiday. After dutifully running my 18 miles on Saturday, followed by sensible post run R&R, I went to a festival on Clapham Common on Sunday. A full day of standing, dancing and drinking caused some sort of weird back pain that left me barely able to walk at 11pm (it was a looooongg shuffle home). It quickly passed but it freaked me out. Was it the run? 18 miles is a long way but it’s not unusual to put my body through that. Was it the dancing and drinking? Was it the combination of both? Can I not run and have fun? Consequently I skipped my scheduled 5 miles yesterday but did spend some time walking around Notting Hill Carnival which was also exhausting.

Today I feel like this. Not only that, but I’m back at work.

I like my job (most of the time…). I love running. I love having fun. Why can’t I just do it all? Of course if I win the lottery I can take work out of the equation and life would be much more manageable…

Race Review: Down Tow Up Flow Half

On July 29, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race Reports2 Comments

Yesterday I swapped the busy, polluted, noisey streets of London for the quiet and scenic trails of Marlow & Windsor. What a great idea that was!

With 13 weeks left until the Frankfurt Marathon the weekly long runs have picked up and I had my eyes on the Purple Patch Down Tow Up Flow Half Marathon. It’s a point to point race which changes direction each year, this year it was Down Tow starting in Marlow and finishing in Windsor. Windsor only took 40 minutes to get to then I got one of the organised coaches to the start so my car would be waiting for me at the end, that’s a quicker journey than my last 2 London races!

The course was described as ‘multi-terrain’, I quickly learnt that meant it was 95% off road, not that that was a problem but there would be no PB’s today! There was also a bit on congestion at the start where the paths narrowed but the organisers had set us off in 3 waves to make it less disruptive. It was, however, flat and a beautiful course, we ran from Marlow through Maidenhead, Cookham & Bourne End to Windsor and it looked a bit like this…

and this…

There were boats on the river with people clapping and waving at us and there were a couple of areas with pedestrians lining the street to give us a cheer and a smile, everyone was lovely!

There were several shady areas through the trees but the sun was out and the heat was rising, together with the trail underneath my feet, I was starting to find it tough but I still felt fairly strong and found the power to overtake several people in the last couple of miles. The finish came around and a couple of people shouted ‘go Clapham’ in the final stretch. I finished in 1.50 and was tired & thirsty (sooooo thirsty!) but still felt pretty good which makes me less nervous about my impending 15 miler on Saturday.

I highly recommend this race – fantastic organisation, a beautiful course and a lovely medal, what more could you want?! I had forgotten how much trail races take it out of you though…I’m back to the penguin walk today…

Look at my really cool medal!

Where Dreams Came True: Following In the Footsteps of Legends

On July 22, 2013December 13, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race Reports2 Comments

When you run into an Olympic stadium with thousands of people cheering as you pound the very same track that saw Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis & Usain Bolt achieve Olympic Gold Medals you get goosebumps. My Sunday morning was incredible.

The alarm went off at 6am and all I really wanted to do was turn over & ignore it, but it was race day…again. Not just any race day however, but the National Lottery Anniversary Run which would take me on a 5 mile journey around the Olympic Park and finish with the last 300m on the track in the stadium. The race sold out in hours and I was only lucky enough to get a place because my Twitter buddies were frantically talking about it. Thank you!

Each participant received 2 spectator passes for the stadium so Mum & Dad had come up to London for the weekend to watch. We arrived early to soak up the atmosphere and get a good seat.

As I walked to my start pen I spotted Paula getting mobbed by fans wanting photos. I was excited now! I darted into the pen and found a spot in the middle where it was warmer, it was actually quite chilly early on in the day. They introduced Mel C (she does triathlons now apparently!), Victoria Pendleton and Paula, who were all running, and then Sir Chris Hoy who was there to start the race.

The race was fun! It’s fair to say the first mile was carnage – narrow paths, too many people and a couple of points where we were forced to stop & walk due to congestion. However, after the first mile or so the pace & course sorted itself out and I had expected it to be busy anyway. It wasn’t a great view, if I’m honest, we’re talking tractors, diggers and a lot of what resembled a building site, but it was still the Olympic park and we all knew where it would finish. The course weaved around the Park and we passed the Velodrome, the Copper Box and the Orbit. There were several points where you could see people running in the other direction, I shouted out to a super speedy guy in a Chaser vest and he waved at me, everyone was in great spirits.

After about 4.5 miles we rounded a corner to the outside of the stadium and there was a glimpse of the track through the gap. I turned to the guy next to me and said ‘wow, just look at that’, he simply agreed. However, we would have to wait a bit longer as the course took us through the tunnel that ran under the stadium. It seemed to go on and on but the organisers were playing Chariots of Fire into the tunnel to get us excited and the anticipation was rising. Nice touch!

Finally WE WERE THERE, we were only bloody well running through the arch onto the Olympic track!! It was phenomenal. The stadium was full of spectators cheering, shouting, making noise and wanting you to run faster, what a sight – you can just imagine what it might have been like on Super Saturday. That last 300m all went a bit too quickly, I tried to look for mum & dad in the crowd but couldn’t spot them, then the last 100m came around and the only thing left to do was put my foot down and run like Mo!

Action shot, just casually keeping up with the boys…

I crossed the finish line and felt a little sad. It was over. I knew I’d definitely be back if they repeated the event next year. I got my goody bag and medal and it didn’t take long to find my way back to where Mum & Dad were. It was great to sit there and take in the atmosphere, just watching people run round the track enjoying themselves.All the runners were buzzing, massive smiles, people whooping at the crowd, dancing, taking photos and videos, everyone was loving it! It was a lot of runners first time in a race environment and I hope they enjoyed it as much as me. We stayed to watch some of the entertainment, the sun was now out and Little Mix went on stage to perform some songs.

Paula coming back to high five some of the quicker runners, what a ledge!

In conclusion, the race was superbly organised, everything went smoothly, it was a lot of fun and, yes maybe the race t-shirts were a bit big, but it was value for money and I got to run round the Olympic track! On the last 100m stretch I was even thinking to myself, I wonder who was running in this lane last year…

I’ll never know what it was like to be Mo or Jess or Greg on that night that will go down in history as one of greatest nights in British sport EVER but I did get a teeny weeny glimpse into what they experienced and that was enough to blow me away.

The Happiest 5k on the Planet!

On July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 By Girl Running CrazyIn Race Reports1 Comment

It was messy, it was colourful, it was gloriously sunny and it was a whole lot of fun! On Sunday Wembley marked the first Color Run in the UK (it’s American, they don’t use the ‘u’, you have to get over it).

It’s an un-timed 5km run where you get attacked with different coloured powder paint at each kilometer. They call it a ‘run’, there was very little running done by anyone but, as they say themselves, it’s ‘less about your 10 minute miles and more about having the time of your life’! The only rule is that you have to wear white.

It’s fair to say I’ve never participated in a running event that hasn’t had nervous anticipation (vomiting, panic attacks, sheer terror…) built into the excitement but, with my Garmin safely at home, I was nothing but excited. Zoe and I had customised our t-shirts on Saturday night over a couple of glasses of wine and a chick flick (she even got me sewing blanket stitch with pink wool…) and we customised our faces with some neon paint. With my ‘Color Run’ tattoo on my arm, sweatband in place, and phone wrapped safely in cling film (advisable) we were ready to roll.

Wembley was buzzing with excited ‘Color Runners’ when we arrived and they were pumping out some tunes while everyone was getting into the spirit of things. We met up with Kate and a couple of her running buddies and had a bit of a dance. The start was fairly disorganised, they were letting people off in waves of 1,000 at a time but it was a bit of a free for all getting to the start and, with 15,000 participants and 30 degree temperatures, it was crowded & sweaty. Some sort of allocated wave system would have made this a lot smoother.

We jogged along the course, which was fairly well spaced out with people, and before we knew it we were at the first ‘color station’, it was pink! The ‘color dudes’ (made up term) literally throw powdered color all over you, front, back, face, head…there were even people rolling around on the floor! At this point I realised why they advised you to wear sunglasses and was glad I had taken that advice, pink paint in the eye wasn’t the look I was going for.

And off we went again…to the purple zone… then the yellow zone…and finally the orange zone, absorbing new color and dancing around every chance we got. Despite the gentle jogging, Kate & I made it a sprint finish, hand in hand across the line, and that was the best moment of the day! Kate’s long been a running buddy having done everything from 10ks, halves, bogs of doom and marathons together but this was our first Porridge-Frenchy run of 2013 and that makes me so happy!

It all seemed to be over quite quickly and I remain unconvinced that the course was 5k but it was FUN. At the finish line they give you a packet of ‘color’ to carry on the color party. With the DJ still banging out the tunes on the stage the atmosphere had a festival feel about it and everyone was dancing and jumping and throwing their color in the air (it really was as surreal as it sounds).

Honestly, it was overpriced at £30 for a 5k without chip timing or a bag drop but all in all it was a fabulous afternoon and the event had a great feel about it. I’m not sure how it would have worked if it was raining but we were lucky with the weather and that made it all the more enjoyable.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to screw the time, screw the pace, screw the pressure and just bloody well enjoy it – so get involved, apparently it’s the single largest event series on the planet! Do be warned though, I still have vaguely pink arms and a purple tummy…

I shall now be resuming the use of ‘u’ in colour for the foreseeable future.