Category: Stuff I love!

Hey peeps!

I had a brilliant weekend in Brighton! We got the train late on Friday, and our hotel was right by the station so we headed straight there.

On Saturday morning I jogged the 1.5 miles to the start of the Hove Promenade parkrun (which is a fairly new one- this was event number 17). I left way too much time, so ended up hanging around for a while before the start, sheltering from the wind by standing between some beach huts.

The team were welcoming, and the new run briefing explained the course; two laps of the promenade section, starting in the middle. It was so windy, and we starting off running into the wind which was just so tough. But I think that was the better way, as you then had the long section with the wind behind you, one long section into the wind (and as you ran past the start/finish the timer person was calling out times which was a nice touch), another long section with the wind behind you, and then the final  half length back into the wind again. It started raining gently after about 10 minutes, but as I finished this got heavier to I quickly scanned by chip and headed back to the hotel. The national results were down, so I didn’t get my time through until the afternoon, and I had no idea because I had started my watch on the run down there. Anyway, I ended up position 64/108, 27.39, which is my fastest parkrun time this year! I was impressed with that! On a side note, I wore my 50 top for the first time and love it- it’s lovely and long, the neck is a bit wide so the bra straps show, but it is so comfy and the fabric is lovely and soft.

Anyway, on my way home it started bucketing it down. I had worn a top on the way, which I tied around my waist when running, but even with that I was getting very cold, and I was near a Pret, so I popped in for a bottle of water and a hot chocolate, and then had to get the courage to go the final half mile back to the hotel. Our room only had 2 towels, so when I got back I asked for another one and the lady behind reception looked very shocked and got me 2- I was dripping all over the place!

After a shower we headed out to Cafe Coho for breakfast, and then spent the day wandering around Brighton. We had booked for dinner at Food for Friends, which was fantastic. We shared a started of tahini dips, I had the most amazing salad of sweet potato, avocado, quinoa, tomatoes, green beans, hazelnuts and feta, and Andy had a portabello burger (and lots of my feta as I am not a huge fan of that and there was loads), and then we shared sticky toffee pudding- we were so full after that and attempted a walk along the seafront but it was so windy that we changed our minds!

In the morning the alarm didn’t go off, so I woke up at 8.20- the race started at 9.30! Thankfully we had enough time to eat our Clif bar, get dressed and head down to the start. I took my long sleeved top with me to wear before and after. It was still so windy! Argh! This year the route was the same as previous years, but in reverse, so instead of heading east at the start, where it was narrow, to ease congestion we would head west towards Hove, as they use the road at that point. That made sense, but it also meant that everyone was arriving from the west, and then having to battle past the start line, bag drop and tents to then face the other way in the start pens. I think we got there with 5 minutes to spare!

I had looked up pacing for 55 minutes, as last year I managed 55.23- it is a flat course, and in Bournemouth earlier I managed 56.07 with stomach ache (it was after lunch). This time meant 8.51 minutes for each mile, but because it was raining on and off I left the actual mile split times in my pocket as the ink would just run, and decided to try and use the km markers instead. We started off running into the wind, heading west on the road towards Hove. This was tough, but I felt OK. I looked at my watch at the km markers, but for each one I was about 10 seconds behind the 5.30 per k that I would need to get 55 minutes. But seeing as that was into the wind I was not too bothered and just wanted to get as close to it as possible. It did seem less congested than previous years, and I didn’t ever feel like I got stuck behind people (although with the wind, that would be a good thing!). At around 3km, we turned around to come back in the other direction but along the promenade instead of the road, and I tried to pick up my speed as the wind was really blowing me along (and kept smacking my pony-tail into my face). I overtook a lot of people between that and the 5k mark, where the path narrowed (as they are building the big sky tower)- again though I didn’t feel like I got stuck at all because by then the field was more spread out. At the 7k point we ran past the finish, and the speedy ones were already done- I saw a few ladies but mainly men at that point- very impressive in that weather. That next section was not so enjoyable as I had got used to the wind blowing behind so I didn’t feel like I was getting such a boost, and the final turn-around point seemed to take a while to come. I occupied myself by looking at the runners going the other way- I saw Andy heading back towards the finish. Then, the dreaded turn around point. Honestly, you think the wind has died down, and then you turn, and realise how hard it is still blowing! But at least it was only 1.5km to go. At this point I looked at my watch and realised that I had a chance to break 55 minutes, so I really dug in, and pictured my lovely run leader geeing me along, made sure I pumped my arms to help me keep going. I told myself I would try to speed up when my watch beeped for the 6 miles, but then I could not see the finish line (I was looking for an inflatable arch, which they have had in previous years, but I think maybe because of the wind they didn’t have it), so it was only when I saw the finish chute fence that I really sped up.

The finish area was very busy- I had to stop as soon as I crossed the line because of people being in front of me. We kept being told to keep moving, but there was no-where to go. I think this was the downside of the reversed course, but also we had to turn left around a van, collect our banana, water and medal, and then were out onto a narrow section of pavement. In previous years with the finish area going in the other direction it is much longer and so did not jam up. I was very excited to see my Garmin time, but had to wait ages (until the evening- the text result didn’t come through and the website would not load for ages) before I got my official chip time- 54.53! Wooohoo! A sub 55!

Andy took my photo (see how windy it is- the medal ribbon was flying everywhere and my ponytail was being flicked up behind me!) and then I put my top on over my vest. Then it started raining so we didn’t hang around, stopping to get a tea on the way back as we were both very cold. Andy was aiming for sub 50 and managed 48 something so it was pb’s all round! Not at all expected in that weather.

After a shower, we checked out and went to Bill’s for lunch, did a bit more shopping and the got the train home- listening to the radio 5 film podcast.

I bought a slice of bakewell cake for us to share in the evening, but the icing fell off on our journey home! It was still tasty!

Another successful running trip to Brighton, and my final race of the year (apart from virtual runner ones) finishing with a pb!

I am sure I will be back again another year! Are there races you do again and again? What did you get up to at the weekend?

So a few weeks ago I did my 50th parkrun, and was emailed right away to be welcomed into the 50 club. I didn’t order my t-shirt right away, because we were going away. Then when we got home, I clicked on the link (it takes you to Wiggle as they stock them now) but the size I wanted was out of stock. Anyway, they emailed once it was back in, and as you have to either order something else, or pay a few pounds for postage, I got myself some winter running gloves (at the moment I have one blue and one black, one medium and one small, given to me from a warehouse clearance). Anyway, it arrived this week!

It’s fab! All technical, plus it seems like a nice cut.

Plus, how amazing is it that Tribesports make these (and the volunteer 25 t-shirt, and the 100 t-shirt, and the 250 t-shirt, and the 500 t-shirt….) and send them out for free to parkrunners around the world? It’s a great reminder of all those enjoyable parkruns.

I am hoping to go to the Hove Promenade parkrun tomorrow (as we are travelling down this evening ready for the 10K on Sunday), so it shall have it’s first outing!

When I went to order it the first time, an offer popped up for Tribesports (£10 off I think) so I bought a couple of long sleeved tops. Although it has been too warm to wear them yet.

I ordered the long sleeved tops in a medium, but the parkrun top in a small, as all the reviews said they were roomy. When I compared them, they are the same size- it did say the Tribesports tops are fitted, but that is good for when it is a bit colder. I was also sent a link to share for £10 off (the link is here) if anyone is interested.

Also, I made my first ever cake in a mug! I used a recipe that Laura (Wholeheartedly Healthy) posted, using pumpkin, but I realised too late that I didn’t have coconut flour. I used regular flour but there was a bit too much liquid I think- I ended up cooking it for about 4 minutes. Tasty though.

What are your weekend plans? I am very excited for a weekend of parkrun, walking around Brighton, a tea latte from Bluebird, a 10k race on Sunday and just generally getting lots of fresh air. Hooray!

So last weekend we were home for once, and as my dad and brother were also home, they were heading to Panshanger parkrun, hooray! It has been ages since all three of us ran together as my dad has had to rest his knee for bit, and they have been away cycling. It was a Halloween theme, but as I have mentioned before, I am not a dressing up fan, and all I had was a witch hat, which was at school (locked at the weekend)- a good excuse to wear normal bits!

As I had not run for 10 days, I stayed a bit further back at the start, and it was great. I was cold at the beginning, having chosen to wear my vest (the weather said it would be 16, but I think they meant later on…) but anyway, after a mile I warmed up. I passed one of the OH ladies trying to get a sub 30 (she managed it! Hooray!) and I did think about my parkrun style. I don’t tend to go for a pb or even go flat out. I am always struggling to breathe at the end because of the final hill to the finish (it’s very steep) but then of course that is not what it is all about. I really enjoy the scenery, and waving and saying “thanks” to the marshals, and just being out in the fresh air. I could run a bit faster, but then I would not enjoy the whole run, just the split second when the text comes through. I am trying to stay under 30 mins for this course (I think I did 29.24 or something) but really I don’t mind.

That’s how you feel after the finish hill… (from their facebook page)

Anyway after that it was home for a shower and breakfast, a walk into town to return our Iceland guide book and a few other bits, soaking the fruits for the Christmas cakes…

(And you can all remember what happened with that last Sunday…)

Onto Sunday morning, and I was off on a club run. They usually meet at 8am on a Sunday, but I don’t tend to run with them because either I want to run a specific distance, or I want to not set an alarm (even though I often wake up around 8, or just before, it would not give me enough time to get there). Anyway, we did an 8.4 mile route, with some big hills. It was very foggy, so at points I could not see the runners ahead. The route is mainly through country roads and tracks, and we all wait (well, they all waited for me) at the top of each of the three biggest hills for everyone to catch their breath. Near the end we had to cross a dual carriageway and even though it was still foggy, so many cars had no lights on, so it was hard to see them. Scary. It was an enjoyable run, nice to chat with others, and lovely to run through the countryside- I would have got lost if I had tried it on my own.

I had pumpkin pancakes, maple butter and blueberries to warm up when I got home.

Later, I popped to town, in my massive hoody and coat (because I was cold after that run)- well, it was so hot out!

Sainsbury’s were doing 25% off clothes and I could not resist this cute penguin jumper!

As well as the Christmas cake baking, I made a gingerbread cake for work, although I don’t remember which recipe I used now. Sadly the tin fell over in the car (up-side down) so it looked more of a mess when it finally got to work!

I do like going away (especially for a race) but a weekend of parkrun and then a relaxed long run on Sunday is such a lovely way to spend a weekend.

So this weekend we were off to Bournemouth. For a few years I have wanted to do one of the BMF races, and finally the run fell on a free weekend. We both signed up for the 10K (the Supersonic 10K!) which ended up being at 4pm on Saturday afternoon. This was not totally ideal, because it meant we had to travel down on Friday night (check in might not be early enough to change etc) but that was OK in the end as we left after dinner so the traffic was a bit quieter.

On Saturday morning we walked around the town, had some breakfast in Caffe Nero, and then had a bit more of a walk. The weather was good- it clouded over a bit later on, but generally was nice and warm. We could not decide what to get for lunch- the race was sort of hanging over our heads a bit. In the end I got a salad from M&S- I have had it before- and sat by the seafront watching the junior races being set up.

I love the coloured beach huts along the front- like a dulux colour chart.

We even found some outdoor gym bits.

We then walked up the steps in the cliff to find a lovely memorial for Jon Egging, the Red Arrows pilot who died in a crash.

They were each covered in little disks- one had white, one red and one blue for the colours of the Red Arrows.

After that, we headed back to the hotel for a bit of a rest and a change of clothes, before heading to the start line.

At this point I was a bit worried because I had the same colour bib as Andy (both yellow)- normally I am one pen behind him. I think I had estimated a sub 55 finish, being wildly optimistic, and that made me a bit panicked. But that turned out to be the third of 5 pens, so then I didn’t feel so bad.

Sunshine! The race started very promptly, with the wheelchair racers being sent off a minute before the first pen, then the second pen walked forwards and were sent off, and then we were. I started my watch a teeny bit before the start line, although in the end I only looked at it a couple of times. I had looked up my previous 10K pb (55.23) and knew I needed to do 8.51 min miles to beat it, but because it had km markers and not mile markers and I didn’t always notice the mile beep of my watch, I pretty much just ran on feel.

The race was really enjoyable- it went out along the promenade for a couple of kms (past the outdoor gym and the coloured beach huts) before turning back. We were all told to keep left, because obviously we would be coming back on ourselves, but honestly the number of runners who thought it didn’t apply to them was astounding! The wheelchair racers passed on the other side fairly quickly, and as we came to the turnaround point I saw Andy on the other side- both still smiling!

I thought it could get congested, but as I was running back the other way I saw the final tail runner, which meant that the run could then open out a bit as runners were only on one side.  As we got close to the place that we started, I realised that the route actually went on the pier! We had not gone on it earlier as it cost £1 each (not a big pier fan anyway) so I did think “I’m saving myself a pound here”- then I nearly got knocked over by a girl with headphones- she was ahead to my right but suddenly veered to her left to overtake some other runners, so I decided to overtake her in case she did it again and knocked me over properly!

The pier was great, and as it was in the centre it was thickly lined with people out cheering – it was a great atmosphere. I had on my “OH” vest and someone shouted “go Hatfield!” so I waved a thanks.  I saw one of the wheelchair racers on the other side heading up the small slope to the finish, as I ran down it. At this point I saw the 5K mark, and noticed that my watch said 27 something- I would be pleased with that parkrun time, although of course my local parkrun is not flat like this!

The route then went along the promenade in the other direction. At a few points it narrowed, but there were plenty of marshals and signs warning runners, and I didn’t find it a problem at all. It had lovely views of the sea and beach- I loved it- just like Brighton. There was a water station (with bottles- grr- I nearly tripped over a few on the floor, although to be fair there were marshals picking them up right away), but I didn’t want to stop. At around mile 4 I started hoping for the turn around, but it wasn’t until I was past this that even the front runners went past the other way. I started to feel a bit sick- I could sort of taste my lunch again and was regretting that salad. Then of course, my maths got confused between the km and miles, and I flipped my watch around so I couldn’t look at it even if I wanted to. I saw the 8K marker and started telling myself that I had just over 10 minutes to go, and luckily my stomach settled- at times I did have visions of actually being sick which is not good!

I missed the 9K marker but thought I heard a marshal shouting “800m to go”- at this point I got overtaken by a show-boating superman! Then we rounded the corner, had a tiny slope ahead and the finish line was in sight!  The announcer was cheering everyone over the line (“Superman is playing up to the crowds”- he was!)- but I think my vest confused him as I got “go ladies running club…… oh?”- nice to have a mention anyway!

I met up with Andy who had finished about 4 minutes ahead of me, and collected my massive medal and goody bag. It was so organised- you had the size t-shirt printed on your number, so you went through the corral for that number and picked up your bag, plus a small bottle of water right away, and a larger one just before you exited the finish area.

I love the medal- it has the pier engraved on it, plus the distance. We also got a lovely purple technical t-shirt.

The goody bag was pretty packed, although Andy had more than me! Mine had an Eat Natural bar, zero tabs, crinkles crisps (although I got cheese and onion boo- Andy won with salt and vinegar), mentos mints, and as well as that Andy got some spatone samples, dried cranberries, and teapigs tea! How come I didn’t get any tea???

We walked back to our hotel and had a quick shower- luckily I didn’t wash my hair as we had booked Pizza Express, we thought for 6.30, but when we checked it turned out to be 6pm! So it ended up being a bit of a rush to get there in time!

I had the results text that said a chip time of 56.07, which is my second fastest 10k time ever! I am so pleased with that- I think I could have gone faster but because of the lunch issue I wasn’t pushing it. I felt tired when I finished, but not shattered, so it gives me confidence to really have a good go at Brighton in November.

Also, finally, I was not impressed that they didn’t play the Oasis song at the start- what was the point of the name huh?

The charity village.

It was a really well organised event, and although it seemed busy, it wasn’t on such a huge scale that it would put me off. They had junior races in the afternoon, a 5K later on Saturday evening, and a full and half marathon on the Sunday morning. The 4pm time was my only issue, because the race did hang over us a bit and I didn’t really get the food situation right, but all in all it was fab, and I would definitely look at doing it (or maybe the half) another year.

What do you think of afternoon races? How did you enjoy the lovely weather this weekend?