Running - Maria Runs

Hawaii 5-OH k

Hey peeps, I hope you are all enjoying the summer.

Having a little bit of trouble blogging so photos are in random order! Here is the finish area.

We have been having a fab holiday, first to Yosemite national park and then on to Hawaii. A few weeks before going, I remembered that last time we were here, we had just landed on the Big island, and saw loads of people wearing race numbers, and had thought at the time that a race abroad would be very cool. I had my running kit with me then, as I was training for the great north run after having my op, but because of our flight time it would not have worked.

Anyway,after a spot of googling,I found a 5k charity run, in Honolulu, the morning we were due to fly to Kauai. The run started at 6 , and our flight was midday, so after some thought I decided to go for it.

It was the Lea Lea charity 5k in aid of Rainbow kids, which supports children affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

I had not considered getting my number! It turned out you had to collect it from a running shop on the Thursday or Friday before (although on race morning people were picking up their packets). So on the Friday we went to the shop and I was handed a lovely bag for life with my number, safety pins, fan, flannel,fan and the finishers t shirt. I do find it strange getting the tshirt before, but a lot of people wore them to run in so I suppose that is why. Because it was black cotton ( and on our first morning in Hawaii I was wide awake at 5am so had been on a run as the sun rose, so I knew how hot it would be) I wore my club vest.

Initially I thought I would need to get a taxi there,but the 3.5 miles from our hotel to the start turned out to be more like 2.2 ( we walked back from it on the Friday) plus I find taxis so stressful, so I decided to run there.

With my alarm set for 4.45 am I was questioning my sanity a little! I had half a clif bar, water,got dressed and headed out into the dark. It surprised me how many people were already out at 5.15! Finding the start was OK as I mostly had to follow the sea, although at one point I had to open Google maps as some construction work confused me( I love that the maps can work without the data, so clever ). I arrived at the park with about 15 mins to spare- I was already so sweaty and glad I had worn one of my new sweat bands.

When I signed up it showed me a link to the entry list. I should not have clicked because there were 18 people on it! But there were a few hundred there, phew!

The run was in aid of a Japanese charity and so the guy giving the briefing gave it in English and Japanese. He described the course- my favourite part of the description was when he said that you would see the finish line but you would have 1 k to go, as you looped around the edge of the park, so don’t run too fast then!

Then, we were off. There were loads of families running together which was so lovely, it felt to me more like a parkrun than a race, although there were some speedy runners warning up beforehand, it didn’t seem competitive.

The run went around Ala Moana park, which is right by the ocean. It looped away from the sea for a bit, before heading back to the start, around the headland of the park with gorgeous views out to sea, before finishing. At the finish a band was playing, and as I ran in they were playing “Brown Eyed Girl” which is so summery.

I didn’t look at my watch on the way around, as I was running to enjoy, plus conscious that I had to run back to the hotel. There were plenty of friendly marshals on the way around, and even with the super early start time, some spectators too.

At there finish there was water, fresh fruit ( I had some orange slices) and randomly, doughnuts! They kept saying that in a few minutes they would post the finish times on a tree, but after waiting ten minutes I felt I had to head back as we had a flight to catch.

Later, after some googling I found my time -31.03 ( although I was in age cat v60-65)- good going in that heat.

I ran nearly 2 miles back, stopping at Island Vintage Coffee for two acai bowls to go- an awesome post race breakfast.

I also had a nuun tab in water, plus some coconut water, so much rehydration needed! In the end I had run nearly 8 miles in that heat. Although at times it was a bit stressful, I am so glad that I did that race. Much less stressful than my only other race abroad (Stockholm marathon).

Have you ever raced abroad?

PS, we saw Hawaii 5-0 being filmed the day before, plus I wore my OH vest, hense the title…

More tail running and some TV

This weekend I was again off to do parkrun. Because of the summer, they were short on volunteers, as a lot of the regulars were away, so I had offered to do the tail running. My brother had decided to run it, so I did let him know he might be waiting for me for a while at the end, but luckily he didn’t mind.

Before we started, I had a quick chat with some of the club ladies- some of them were doing their very first 5k which was fantastic. One of them mentioned that I could give them encouragement from the back, but I don’t think they realised how far behind I would be!

This field is full of sheep and lambs – later on we run down through it, towards the lake.

It was again, such a beautiful day. There was a couple walking (their children were running, and they had decided to come along and see what it was all about) so I had time to stop and take photos, as well as collect up the signs.

It was quite blustery, so in some places the signs had blown out of their metal clips. I was glad I knew the route so knew where to look out for the km markers and arrows.

One of the marshals near the end ran back with me- she had been stood by this lake, which might be the prettiest spot. It’s a hard call!

In the end we reached the end in 53 minutes (53.01 was the official time)- we both went through the finish chute with the lady walker and showed her how it all worked. I think she was converted to visiting the park another time, and perhaps coming to parkrun again.

That was parkrun number 45 for me- getting closer to the 50!

I ended up walking loads on Saturday, because we had to walk a couple of miles to collect a parcel, and then later went into town and had another walk around. I went out for dinner with some friends (and then went to The Pudding Stop for dessert). Sadly, none of us could finish ours! Mine was a brownie with salted caramel sauce and peanut butter- so good, and brilliant running fuel (maybe).

This morning I had agreed to go on a club run- they meet at 8am on Sundays, and I have only been a couple of times. I generally don’t set an alarm on Sundays, and just head out when I wake up, but I was promised a lovely route, plus there was rain forecast so I thought I could get out before it started, and at least have company if it did rain.

The route was very pretty- tracks, field, stiles to climb and country roads, a few very tough hills but because there was a group of us we would wait at the top to catch our breath and enjoy the views. The rain started gently at first, after about 6 miles, and then for the final mile it got harder and harder, but at least we had the end in sight by then. I was so cold by the time I got home (and I had packed a jumper in my car to wear for the drive home).

After a hot shower, pancakes, hot tea (that sounds so American!) and 30 Rock I was feeling a bit warmer.

Oh, and some exciting TV news- first of all, if you subscribe to Amazon Prime, The Amazing Race (actually a good reality TV show- teams race around the world and complete challenges along the way) is going to be on there. And, I saw an advert for Parks and Rec on Dave starting this Monday I think- (you can see Chris Pratt before he was big…)- Amy Poehler is in it, which is basically like saying Tina Fey is in it, which means it is brilliant. I think I have linked to the “Treat Yo-self” day before. So, if you want some fun TV, give either of those a go.

Any TV shows that you love? We have been watching old 30 Rock episodes again, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (look here for some crazy quotes for some idea of how bizarre it is…)- they are always guaranteed to lift my mood and have me laughing out loud.

Lamp post intervals and summer time!

Hooray! It’s summer time!

On Monday I was surprised by this beautiful bunch of flowers from the parents of my class- how kind.

The last few days of term were pretty stressful- there is always so much to do and time starts running out! But we are finished now, hooray! I usually have a meeting on Tuesday, but not this week, so I was home in plenty of time before heading out to the running club.

We had been warned last week that we would be doing intervals as for the last few weeks we have had lovely longer runs (5-6 miles). This was going to be shorter, but tougher.

We did a gentle run as a warm up, and then along a long straight stretch of uphill, we had to walk (high knees, long arms) to one lamppost, jog (arms at 90 degrees) to the next and sprint to the final one, repeated until we got to the top. It was tough, and you realise that you actually do need the walking breaks to get your breath back. Although I was very worried about tripping and falling. At one point I got up to 5.41 mm ( of course, only for a short distance). Checking on Strava after, I could see that I am getting faster on this route overall.

I was getting told off for hunching my shoulders up- I know I do it, but I can’t help it!

After getting to the top, we had to run back in the same way, but instead of the sprint being for one section, we had to go for as long as we could. The first time we did that, my sprint apparently turned into a run. So for the second one as I ran past our leader I shouted out “am I sprinting?”- apparently if you can say that, you are not. Need to work on that I think!

Afterwards my legs were really sore- we did loads of stretching but I was feeling the effects on Wednesday.

I would usually run on Wednesday, but my legs were sore in the morning, and I felt headachey (I think sometimes after evening runs I find it hard to re-hydrate enough) so I mooched around at home and had a couple of walks during the day. I had a sports massage booked for the evening which I badly needed (my shoulders just crunch when I roll them)- he told me after “it’s like working on a table” because they were so stiff!

On Thursday morning I headed out for a run before going to work- I wore a pair of my new capris and was very excited to see that they matched my trainers (nearly). I did some squats and calf raises (homework from my run leader) before the run. It was lovely- nice and cool, and loads of stretches after helped my poor interval-sore legs.

I spent the day in work, clearing out rubbish from my classroom (it is amazing what accumulates over the year)- I took a little graze dipper with me (the red pepper salsa one- yum) and a cereal bar, but didn’t think to take a proper lunch. On my way home I had to stop and walk to collect a parcel from the amazon locker.

I was hot, and thirsty, and tired (I had not sat down all day) so I went to Costa (as I had to walk past it after collecting the parcel). I have tried one of their iced chai lattes before, when we saw Jurassic World at the cinema, but it wasn’t good- they made it with powder so it was all lumpy, and took them ages to make. Anyway, the mint choc soya cooler ended up tempting me. Now, it was good, sort of like drinking melted mint choc ice cream, but it was not the best choice- I had to take most of it home and share it with Andy. Also, that is a small! It’s huge!

Thursday evening was Body Pump- I was worried that I would find it harder because my shoulders were sore from the massage, but actually it was better. I think I had left it too long this time. Although the lunges track is so tough- you have to bounce, and I have no idea why, but it makes it so much harder.

When checking Strava for the matched runs, I noticed that I have run over 600 miles already this year! Although marathon training at the start of the year upped my mileage, and I have not been running as much since then. I was impressed with that though.

What are your summer plans?

Doing something that scares me

So I mentioned in my post the other day that I had offered to do the new runner briefing at parkrun on Saturday. After marshaling last week, I fancied running this week (and there was a chance that my dad could make the run too, so I didn’t want him to have to wait around for me), but they were short of volunteers, so I went for something that meant I could still run.

Who would not want to run here? And what a beautiful blue sky we were treated to as well.

When I turned up, I was given a laminated sheet (again, love the laminating) that summarised the main points (and the order to give them in)- course guide first, so that regular parkrunner tourists could listen to the first part and leave, and then guidelines for new runners (dogs on leads/ children close by) and an explanation of how the barcode scanning worked. I was given a high viz jacket, just so I looked official for the briefing, and then spent the time chatting to other volunteers- I am starting to know a few more faces which is good.

Then the run director got his megaphone out and announced that I would be doing the briefing- quite a few people came over- I am not sure what I expected really but I suddenly was so nervous that my legs were shaking! The run director said the main thing was to be welcoming, and I think my enthusiasm for parkrun in general came through.

Thankfully I only had one question, and once that was answered it was time to quickly hand back the jacket and notes, and find a place at the start.

The run was really enjoyable- I think I was so relieved to get the talking out of the way! The weather was lovely- sunny but with a breeze to generally keep cool (well, not too hot). At a couple of points I got stuck behind people running next to each other, and in the final push I asked a couple of ladies if they would mind if I passed them (they didn’t)- I get a bit claustrophobic almost if I am running really closely behind other people. I didn’t look at my watch at all, and in fact forgot to stop my Garmin until I was stood in the queue waiting to have my barcode scanned. It was another mega turnout with nearly 300 runners!

There was a WI stall selling cakes for charity, so after scanning my chip I was having a look at them, when a man came up to me and thanked me for my “pep talk”- it was his first parkrun and he was really pleased that he had managed a pb. When I asked if he enjoyed it, he was very positive, and said he would be back. I was so pleased to hear that (and not just because it meant my nerves weren’t too bad)- parkruns are just brilliant and I love it when other people love them just as much.

I bought myself a slice of lemon drizzle, although I haven’t had it yet as I was going out for lunch on Saturday and ended up having some carrot cake then.

I think after doing the briefing once, I would do it again. I have not yet done a role that I haven’t enjoyed, although I have not been brave enough to be a timekeeper yet- that looks like the most pressure to me!

If you do parkrun, what is your favourite volunteer role? What have you done that scares you? Anyone else hate public speaking this much?

Parkrun persuading

The start was just visible to me, where the brown field ends, next to the tall trees, but ant-sized people did not come out on my phone. I just love how the whole course looks though.

Hooray for the weekend- I am already looking forward to a parkrun tomorrow morning, and this weekend I will be running it (and doing the new runner briefing- eek!)- last weekend I had decided to marshal, because I had the 10 mile race the next day and it was going to be hot. I know, I could run it gently, but it is easy to get carried away once I start, so I decided to be sensible.

I was really looking forward to it- I knew some OH ladies were coming along, and I had promised them an extra big cheer. I was there at around 8.20 in the end (normally you have to park a bit away, but the marshals can use the car park at the start)- I had left earlier too because I knew I would need to help with set up and allow time to walk to the marshal point.

They are so organised there- every marshal point is numbered, and each marshal gets a laminated (the teacher in me loves anything laminated) map, a photo showing where to stand, instructions as to how to direct runners, and phone numbers of the run directors- love it. After handing out the other ones, I was sent to the point about half a kilometre from the end. On the way there, I came across a dead rabbit on the path, but luckily one of the people setting up was heading past so I asked him to tell the run director- I didn’t think it was that nice to be on the path, and someone moved it.

As the laminated photo indicated I was to stand under this sign.

After walking there, I had a while to take some photos before the first runners came through (at around 9.15 I think – so impressive).

It really is so pretty there, and so calming too.

I had to direct the runners to their left, and then right at the next arrow. But of course for the most part they are following the people in front. I was cheering and clapping each person that came by- it was a hot day and so I was impressed with everyone running. Because they were coming out of a field and into the wooded area I could tell people that they had a nice shady section before the final “slope”- one person told me I knew just what to say to the runners!

All ready with my high viz, lanyard of info and rucksack with water, very glad to be in a shady spot.

I saw some of the OH ladies- for some of them it was their first visit to Panshanger so I wanted them to enjoy it- at least they were all smiling when they passed me so I am hoping they will come back (and one of them got a bonus high-five for extra energy)! I do love how many runners say thank you (or gasp it- I know what that’s like)- I always try and say “good morning/ thank you marshal” to each one, and it is so lovely being on the other end of that too. After the first couple of runners, people were coming through in a steady stream, but after around 25 minutes of constant runners, it started to tail off a bit. One man went the wrong way (only a few steps) so I had to call him back, but he was very thankful and scolded himself for not looking at the arrow properly!

After the tail runner came through, I shut the main gate and unclipped the signs before walking back. The OH ladies were at the top so I had a quick chat and congratulated them for running in the heat, before taking the signs back to the car.

I know I keep on about it, but honestly parkrun is one of my favourite times of the week. The running is part of it, of course, but really it is the whole atmosphere of everyone enjoying being out in the fresh air, everyone supporting and encouraging each other, children and people of all ages and abilities getting outside and being active, and the core team who run it every week. On Saturday it was the run director’s birthday! How fantastic that he had decided to come to parkrun on his birthday- I don’t feel I know many people there, but he is in one of the bigger clubs and so I suppose it’s even more social. I shall keep on persuading my OH ladies to come along there.

Weekend plans? I am feeling super jealous of all the teachers who finished today! We go on until the middle of next week. Anyway, after parkrun tomorrow morning I am off out for lunch which should be lovely.