Category: Running

A few weeks ago I was asked to contribute to this infographic about preparing for a marathon. It was perfect timing as I had just run Brighton, so could think about what I would say to others about to do the same thing.

I can’t seem to make it any bigger (technical IT things are not my forte) but the original is here, if you fancy a look.

I have also been sent a few running bits recently (in exchange for a mention on my blog) so here they are:

I was kindly sent this insect shield Buff, which contains insect repellent. I love the green colour of it.

I have tried it (we have had a few windy days recently!) but I think I am more likely to use it in the winter. Even though it is “coolmax” fabric, I still found it was a bit warm to wear at this time of year. I do like that it can be worn in different ways, although I can only really wear it around my neck, or take it off and wrap it around my arm (but at least that means no carrying if I change my mind about wearing it).

I was also sent some Flexitol “Heel Magic”– as everyone knows, runners feet get a bit neglected at times. I do use footcream when I remember, but often I am in a hurry or just forget. This is great, because it is a roll on cream, so I never get it on my hands. (I have some lovely peppermint cream but it makes my hands smell strong, even after I have washed my hands). I am using it more regularly than I would a normal foot cream, which of course helps, but it does leave my feet feeling nice and soft too, but not too greasy.

Finally, I was sent some coconut oil from Monkey Nutrition.

Of course, after going to parkrun this morning I decided to put it to use with some pancakes. I feel like I have not had pancakes in ages!

One egg, buckwheat flour, coconut milk, plus blueberries cooked with a little coconut sugar. The coconut oil goes in the pan first, before I cook the pancake.

I had this with a little almond yoghurt, mango, and vegan salted caramel sauce (the first time I tried this- from the same place as the vegan butterscotch sauce and it is just as delicious). Such a good breakfast.

What advice would you give to someone doing their first race? Which race do you think is really beginner friendly? 

So on Saturday we travelled down to Southampton- I mooched around the shops while Andy went to the football, and then we met up for dinner (Nando’s now do a really nice salad with sweet potato, quinoa, avocado, tomatoes, nuts and seeds).

I got my number ready the night before. I have used the event clips for the last few races, and even thought they have not come undone I did use one emergency safety pin during the marathon, but they don’t budge so just used those this time. I hate leaving safety pin holes in running tops, especially now I have a club vest- I think they are well worth the few pounds that they cost.

The weather had initially said rain, but then changed to showers at 9, but dry before, so I decided to just go for vest and capris- I didn’t want to be too hot.

The 10K started at 8.30am, but our hotel was less than half a mile from the start, so we got up at around 7.30, had a clif bar and some water, and left the hotel at 8am (it was very cold and I wished I had brought another old top to throw away, but at least I only had to be cold for half an hour). This was the first year of the race (there was also a half marathon, not starting until 10am which was mainly why we chose the 10k- enough time to shower after the race before having to check out, although my post-marathon legs were very glad we had made that decision!)- the race village was really well organised, nice and small, but not congested. Your entry included a free t-shirt, which you could collect before the event if you wanted to run wearing it. The village had a bit of a flow, going t-shirt collection- bag drop- other tents- warm up area- start area. There was a token on the bottom of your number (next to the bag drop label) to exchange for your t-shirt which I liked too.

We headed to the start at around 8.20 (after watching the mass warm up), but the race started a little later- not too bad but it was a cold morning and I was very chilly in my vest. One thing I would say is that they had finishing signs for the half marathon in the start area, but no 10k times, so I wasn’t quite sure where I should stand- I ended up overtaking a lot of people (some walked within the first mile) so I think I could have possibly gone further forwards. Only a small thing anyway.

I didn’t have a pacer band or anything- I have not run this distance for months, and comparing my Brighton 10k times was not that useful seeing as that is the flattest possible course, so I decided to aim for between 55 and 60 minutes- I feel fitter than when I was aiming for a sub hour 10k so thought it should be possible, although 5 miles has been the longest run since Brighton and that gave me heavy legs, so mainly I wanted to enjoy it.

Half marathon runners close to the finish- when we were walking back to the car.

I don’t know Southampton that well- we do go down there quite a bit but generally I walk from where we park (somewhere along The Avenue, which was part of the half course) to the town centre, but I quite like it when I don’t know where I am. Andy had warned me we go over a bridge and it would be tough, but I just decided not to think about it. We went up the rod past the hotel, around the park a bit, into the town centre, under the big gate house thing, and then towards the sea.

I looked at my watch a few times, knowing I needed to be as close to 9 min miles as I could for the 55 minutes, but my pace seemed pretty erratic- I think I was weaving in and out for the first couple of miles. I saw a sign saying “Smile if you’re going to show that bridge who’s boss” and I shouted to the lady that I would try. Well, then we came around the corner and saw the bridge. It was a steep one. Steep and long. I was hoping to be off the bridge before the rain started, and luckily it held off, although the wind there made it pretty cold. You had good views from the top (the Saints stadium, a big cruise ship), but also could see the faster runners heading down the other side- yup, you got to do it twice in one race! As I was going down the other side, I saw Andy heading up it on the other side- he was still smiling too. I had hoped we would get a little flat running to recover, but at the very bottom you doubled back and headed back over the bridge again. Luckily that side was not as steep so it didn’t seem so tough. Heading up the bridge I had overtaken a lot of people (some walking, but some just running slower)- heading back down I was being overtaken and my legs were getting heavy. I felt like I was going slowly, but when I looked at my watch my pace was 8.36 or something- no wonder my legs felt tired!

Then the route took you around the stadium (with a second water station- incidentally, loads of people were drinking at the first water station which was 2 miles in- who needs to??????? The water stations had big bags- the kind concrete or something is in- for the water bottles to be thrown in after which helps with the clear up), and then along a busier  road before heading back into the town, around the park (again with runners going the other way- I looked out for Andy but I think he must have already passed it at that point), before heading towards the finish. All around the route were timing mats, and just before the finish there were two (we passed that way after about a mile)- I nearly stopped there, thinking it was the finish, before I saw the actual finish line marked along the way on the right!

My watch said 58 something, so I was really happy with that- my official time was 58.26 which I am really pleased with. The only sub 60 min 10k’s I have done before have been in Brighton, and this was not a flat course so not really comparable. I feel like that is more the time I am capable of generally, instead of if everything goes my way if that makes sense.

The finish area was also really organised- a medal was placed around my neck, I was handed  a bag (a nice fabric draw string one) with a banana in it, a running guide magazine thing, and some crisps (salt and vinegar, hooray, the only good flavour!), and a space blanket (which was very needed in that cold wind). Andy was there, eating his banana (he finished in 52.12), he had seen me running to the finish but I didn’t spot him. We walked back to the start area (a couple of minutes away) and collected our t-shirts. This again was organised- the sizes were indicated on the side of the tent, and they had one out of a pack so you could judge the size.

By this time it was about a quarter of an hour before the half marathon was due to start, and we knew that Matt LeTissier was running it, and there was a VIP tent right by the start, so we stood by the fence and peered in- yup he was there. This apparently was Andy’s equivalent for my high-fiving Jo Pavey a fortnight ago! He came out of the tent and did an interview over the tannoy, along with Francis Benali (another ex-player who ran 1000 miles between all the Premier League football grounds in 21 days- averaging 46 miles a day- to raise money for Cancer Research UK) and his son. We then decided to walk back before it started, as we wanted to be able to get to our hotel!

Of course I had to have a medal photo, but back at the hotel as neither of us ran with our phones.

I love the t-shirt and medal.

Although it was weird seeing people running with the word “FINISHER” across their back. Love that the bridge made it on the top though, that was tough.

Looking on my phone I realised that I must have signed up for timing alerts, because it had posted on my page that I started, and when I beat the bridge. I heard that the Sheffield half did something similar (a bit like the King of the Hill in the Tour De France)- there were timing mats at either end of the bridge, and when you load up your results you get your chip time, and your “beat the bridge” time too- pretty cool. Mine was 10.59- that is one long bridge!

After a shower we packed up and headed out for some food- seeing the first half marathon finisher follow the lead car on the final stretch. (Incidentally, I loved the humour that on the race information sheet, it had the timings of when the village opened, when each race started, and then at 11.01 it said “First half marathon finisher?”- I love that they were so optimistic of a 61 minute half!

A Pret orange spiced hot chocolate, almond croissant and fruit pot put plenty of energy back in, before we walked back to the car, and headed home.

Cheering on more half marathon runners on our way.

The rain held off the entire time luckily.

All in all, this was a really good event, especially for the inaugural one. So well organised, pretty good route, a few things to look at on the way around (including some impressive cheerleading children), ending with a lovely medal and fab t-shirt.

Then I had the excitement of checking all the updates of the London marathon runners (I taped it too).

Although I love half marathons, I do think a 10K is a better distance for a weekend away, as it didn’t take up too much time and didn’t leave us hobbling about too much.

Would you wear a finisher’s t-shirt for a race?

 

 

So, now to recap the before and after.

On Friday we took the train down to Brighton- partly because there are no rail replacement buses on weekdays, but also so that I could attempt a more relaxing Saturday.

We had rented a flat for the weekend, which was near the seafront, so a bit of a walk from the station. Once we had looked around, we headed to the seafront, and also to the expo so I could collect my number.

From the end of the road we could look down on the finish area being put together- exciting but nerve-wracking!

When we finally found the expo (I thought it was on the beach, and then we ended up looking on our phones at the app trying to find the address) the lead car was counting down to the start- 39 hours to go! That is the closest I will get to a lead car.

The expo was well organised, with runners going in one way, and spectators another, and the numbers were being given out in sections, although it was very quiet so at that time the volunteers were helping anyone who needed it. I was also given a bag for the bag drop (a very big one) and a sticker with my number, to go on the bag. The number also included safety pins, but no pen to write on the back- luckily there was one in the flat so I could write my info on.

We also picked up a really handy map, showing where all the mile markers were, drinks stations etc, as well as a really handy zoomed in map of the start and finish area (this was so useful for arranging where to meet up after).

I was also very excited to see a Bondi Band stall- I looked recently at ordering some more, as my run one is wearing a bit thin now, but the postage costs to the UK were really expensive. They had a deal, 2 for £10, so I spent a long time choosing which slogans and colours to go for.

I also picked up a pacer band, as I had made one, but the ones they had were sticky on the ends so I could wear them like a bracelet, whereas mine was paper that I would have to hold. Anyway, they had a 4.45 one which was crazily optimistic, and I wanted a 5.00 one (they were only in 15 min segments), but they had run out (on the Friday!!)- there were some pacer runners there, in their orange t-shirts, but as I mentioned before I did not see them on the day of the race.

We were going to get an ice cream, but time had got on, so we went for dinner, before heading back for Gogglebox.

I had my own little hydration station in the kitchen- many herbals teas to choose from!

On the Saturday it was raining pretty hard- we went out for breakfast (Cafe Coho- it was good luck before the Brighton half) and then Andy got the train to Southampton as they had a match. I went around the town for a bit, picked up some lunch, and then headed back to the flat for a couple of hours of feet up, relaxing time, including watching the boat races.

I treated myself to a salad from Pret, plus mango, coconut water, and a sort of date and cocoa almond smoothie thing. Although I tried it and it tasted of banana- I was not so keen.

The view from the flat- the rain had stopped by then luckily.

Later on I headed out. I was sensible and packed a water bottle in my handbag. I did a bit more shopping, but then got a headache, had to buy some paracetemol (the advice from the marathon was to avoid ibuprofen before and for the day after too, something I had not really heard of before- I only knew you should not take it during a run)- I also bought some crisps as I fancied something salty, and then went to the Bluebird Tea co (possibly my favourite shop now)- I bought some tea to take home, and also a strawberry lemonade (made with tea) to drink on the walk back.

Refreshing.

I then spent the rest of the time waiting for Andy basically drinking a lot of different drinks, getting my kit out, and trying not to worry about the morning. I packed my bag for the drop- I did think about just leaving things for Andy to carry, but the info said it may take a while to meet up after, so I packed a long sleeved top, nuun tabs, a clif protein bar, face wipes and baby wipes (and I am really glad I did, as the finishers area was long, and the blissful feeling of wiping the salt off my face, plus drinking nuun instead of plain water was good so soon after finishing). I had picked up some salad, and then I ordered a takeaway pizza from Pizza Express (I decided that I would drink more and relax more if I was in the flat, instead of going out for dinner) which Andy picked up on his walk back from the station.

I had also picked us up some cake for dessert- usually we would share a slice in the afternoon (if we are away for the weekend, not every day!!)- but with Andy being away I didn’t want one to myself. Anyway, I saw a cupcake shop and decided to get us one each, and then when I went inside I saw they had slices for sale- better value, and a better cake:icing ratio in my opinion. What I should have done is bought one to share, but as I had already decided on two cupcakes, I got two slices of cake- carrot cake and salted caramel. The slices were huge so we shared the carrot cake on the Saturday evening, and left the other one in the fridge.

I didn’t go to bed too late, but I felt like I hardly slept at all.

So, let’s fast forward to around 3 on Sunday afternoon. I met up with my parents and Andy on the beach, and we walked up the steps, and back to the flat- probably 5 minutes away so perfect. I got changed, and then we went out for dinner.

Yay! Medal!

Originally I was thinking we would go out for lunch, and then once my parents left I would go back for a shower, before dinner. But although the race started nice and early, I crossed the start line at 9.30, so I didn’t meet up with them until around 3pm I think, and then by the time we had taken photos, walked up the steps, I had got changed, and then we had walked into town, it was just about 4pm- a bit late for lunch. I didn’t really think it through properly! Anyway, we went to Bill’s and I had a mezze plate with a huge tortilla wrap, tortilla chips (I swapped these for some of Andy’s sweet potato fries), hummus, some sort of sundried tomato dip thing, and an aubergine dip (and olives, which my dad had) as well as delicious peach iced tea and water. It was just right-beforehand I thought I would want a huge meal, but actually my stomach felt a bit weird- I think little and often was the way to go.

My parents went back to the station, so we walked back via Bluebird Tea co (I got one of their tea lattes with almond milk-so good). I say we walked- I was going pretty slowly by then! My vivofit tells me I did 66,634 steps (only a few more for 66,666- why didn’t I notice then??)- the walk to and from the town centre was over a mile each way, and that doesn’t include going up and down different roads.

After getting back to the flat, and eating a cinnamon roll (Andy went to 3 different Starbucks to get me one while I was running- what a lovely surprise), I got the energy to have a shower and put on my t-shirt after.

I did think it was a shame that it was not a technical t-shirt, and also was not a fitted one- I think it was a brilliant race, and yes you could buy technical tops beforehand, but I felt that it was maybe bad luck to buy a top before actually doing it. I wore it then, and I like it, but I can’t see me wearing it again. I have a t-shirt from a 10K I did in Nottingham years ago, and I still wear it as it is a nice top, and my Stockholm technical t gets regular outings on my runs. The cotton t-shirts get relegated to decorating/ gardening wear, or torn up for rags, and I don’t want to do that to this one.

I then found out that I had managed to get sunburn on the backs of my legs- I had put suncream everywhere else, but it hadn’t occurred to me because I have been wearing running tights up until this week. I also then realised that I had forgotten to put on my calf sleeves (my lovely new pink ones) so these went on for the evening.

I tried to have a little sleep, but could not drift off so gave up on that idea. The rest of the evening was spent in slight agony- trying to get comfortable, having more tea, and a few snacks (hummus and carrot sticks, blueberries and soya yoghurt, half the caramel cake, and I topped up the Pret almond drink with almond milk which diluted the banana flavour enough for me to drink it).

I was pleased to not get a headache, especially running in the sun. I got to sleep OK, but woke up just before 4am, and just could not get to sleep. My legs were really hurting, so in the end I took some paracetemol and read for about half an hour, and then luckily I felt sleepy so drifted off for a bit more. I felt a bit like I had jet lag the next day though.

They had spray painted smiles on the roads so you knew when there were official photographers- they were on the ground on our walk back to the station. I think they should be painted randomly everywhere.

On Monday morning I was so hungry when I woke up! I had packed some apples, so had one, with some tea, while we pottered about. Andy went out to get us breakfast (an almond croissant), before we packed and walked back to the station. I was picturing myself having a little sleep on the train, so imagine my joy when we found that due to emergency engineering works, all trains were delayed, or cancelled. In the end we got one train part of the way (I had to stand, which was fine until the train went around a bend- agony!), waited for a bit and then got another  train which had seats- phew. Calf sleeves were on again- I really wish I could get some thigh ones (is that a thing?)- I find the relief they provide once on is amazing.

Once home, I decided to order myself an i-tab, which has your name and finish time on it, to fix to the back of the medal.

I was thinking we would have a walk on Monday evening, but we had already walked to the Brighton station, and I was just shattered- even unpacking took a lot of effort! I also had to make a cake as I was seeing some friends on the Tuesday, so I wasn’t sat down the whole time.

So, there we have it. A very long recap of a couple of days by the seaside!

What is your favourite race memento? I do love a medal, and I am still looking for a nice medal hanger to display them, but a technical top will get worn (so long as it is the right size). I also have a boot bag from a cross country run back in 2010 I think- I used it this weekend for my running shoes.